TOYS: Warner Bros. unveil Toy Fair plans

Press Release

The Bat-Signal has summoned “The Caped Crusader” to an adventurous Toy Fair season. Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) is showcasing a powerful roster of global licensees in support of the studio’s unparalleled portfolio of entertainment properties, led by this summer’s blockbuster film The Dark Knight Rises. The epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s phenomenally popular Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, hits theaters July 20, 2012, and will be accompanied by a bevy of products from DC Comics master toy licensee, Mattel, and many other toy partners.

“We are heading into this year’s toy fairs with an impressive and diverse portfolio of partners converging upon a remarkably robust slate of content,” said Brad Globe, president of Warner Bros. Consumer Products. “Batman is a perennial success in the toy category, but when we have a film like The Dark Knight Rises driving so much anticipation, it creates global excitement for new products, especially toys and collectibles.”

“Batman is among the most iconic super heroes in popular culture, and this year’s merchandise program, highlighted by The Dark Knight Rises, reflects the incredible legacy of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, as well as the longevity of the character over the course of time and across all forms of entertainment,” said Karen McTier, executive vice president of Domestic Licensing and Worldwide Marketing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

As a master toy partner, Mattel will unveil an exciting Batman toy collection across a range of categories including action figures, vehicles, playsets and collectible figures. Mattel’s broad offering incorporates their highly anticipated Movie Masters™ line for the older fans and serious collectors which captures the superior accuracy and details of the characters from The Dark Knight Rises. In addition, the authentic film-inspired toys introduce the innovative play technology QuickTek™, which offers snap-and-slide armor and accessories.

Mattel also plans to introduce the evergreen Batman Power Attack™ line that is designed to maintain the super hero’s momentum this year, and beyond. Additionally, Mattel will reach the youngest of Batman fans with Fisher-Price’s range of DC Super Friends Imaginext® toy line, which is already a huge hit in the U.S., U.K. and Spain, and is set to expand across Europe.

WBCP is also proud to build on its long-standing relationship and success with LEGO, the official partner in the construction category, with a myriad of new product offerings for the entire DC Universe Super Heroes line. Included within the new line are DC Universe inspired construction sets, mini-figures and buildable characters for great build-and-play adventures.

The world of DC Comics offers something for fans of all ages as WBCP and its partners gear up with a host of product lines including preschool games featuring DC Super Friends from Wonder Forge; a signature line of premium collectibles, art prints and articulated figures from Sideshow Collectibles; and a wide range of costume products from Rubie’s Costume Co., based on the entire DC Comics portfolio, including The Dark Knight Rises. With additional product support for The Dark Knight Rises, Funko will introduce their fun stylized plush and vinyl collection; Mezco will unmask colorfully detailed vinyl figures; and Hornby Hobbies will rev it up with a Scalextric limited edition Batman Tumbler vehicle; among many others.

WBCP Partners with Licensees in Support of Additional Blockbuster Properties

WBCP continues to align with top licensees around the world to support an unprecedented amount of Warner Bros. entertainment content, including more upcoming blockbuster films and diverse animation fare, to bring best-in-class creative products that range from toddler toys to the world of high-end collectibles.

“While Batman leads the way for us this year, we are also excited to have one of the most diverse portfolio of toy partners that we’ve had in some time– and the content to support them. We have a great animated series offering including The Looney Tunes Show, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, ThunderCats and the new DC Nation block featuring Green Lantern: The Animated Series and Young Justice, all on Cartoon Network, as well as the highly-anticipated films The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in December 2012 and The Hobbit: There and Back Again in December 2013,” added Globe.

The Two Films Based on The Hobbit Prepare for the Journey Back to Middle-earth

Master toy partners The Bridge Direct and Vivid Group will develop product for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 2012) and The Hobbit: There and Back Again (December 2013), productions of New Line Cinema and MGM. Also supporting the tent-pole, two-part adventure is LEGO with a range of fantastical build-and-play construction sets; Games Workshop with the leading tabletop hobby wargames; Ravensburger with the creation of 2D and 3D puzzles and card games; and WETA Workshop with a wide range of authentic film prop replicas and collectibles, among others.

Animated Fare, Including Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo and ThunderCats, Continues to Delight Fans

A cornerstone property for WBCP, Looney Tunes continues to be classically familiar yet refreshingly new, thanks to The Looney Tunes Show from Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), which has introduced the beloved characters to a new generation of kids and sparked their interest in the classic animated series. The all-time favorite is supported by an exciting and ever-expanding licensing program with licensees such as Lansay with a colorful plush assortment; and Rubie’s Costumes Co. with a collection of costumes based on Looney Tunes characters. As Scooby-Doo’s global master toy licensee, Character Group continues to bring everyone’s favorite Great Dane and his mystery-solving gang to life with a range of products including figures, plush toys, vehicles and play sets. Pressman Toy offers exciting games; NKOK debuts R/C motorized vehicles to rev-up the mysteries; and Lansay brings a cool and flashing remote control car that will light up many kids’ faces. Additionally, global toy partner Bandai America Incorporated continues to support the new ThunderCats animated series, based on the iconic 1980’s original, which has multiple generations of loyal fans with an action-packed toy line.

Highly Anticipated DC Nation Invasion Coming Soon

Cartoon Network’s DC Nation block, a multi-platform franchise featuring programming produced by Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), including Green Lantern: The Animated Series and an all-new season of Young Justice, will also debut in 2012. Backed by the production, publishing and marketing resources of Warner Bros., DC Entertainment and Cartoon Network, DC Nation will be the home for original animated kids television programming based on DC Comics properties and will be populated with event programming, interstitials, exclusive behind-the-scenes segments from theatrical productions, and an insider look into the world of all things DC Comics. DC Nation is set to debut in the U.S. in early 2012 on Cartoon Network. The content that makes up DC Nation is expected to launch in markets around the world thereafter.

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products

Warner Bros. Consumer Products, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world.

About DC Entertainment

DC Entertainment, home to iconic brands DC Comics (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash), Vertigo (Sandman, Fables) and MAD, is the creative division charged with strategically integrating its content across Warner Bros. Entertainment and Time Warner. DC Entertainment works in concert with many key Warner Bros. divisions to unleash its stories and characters across all media, including but not limited to film, television, consumer products, home entertainment and interactive games. Publishing thousands of comic books, graphic novels and magazines each year, DC Entertainment is the largest English-language publisher of comics in the world. In January 2012, DC Entertainment, in collaboration with Warner Bros. and Time Warner divisions, launched We Can Be Heroes—a giving campaign featuring the iconic Justice League super heroes—to raise awareness and funds to fight the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.

About Warner Bros. Animation

Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, with an innovative and talent-rich roster boasting some of the most accomplished writers, producers and artists working today. The studio is on the cutting edge of animation technology and has both CG and traditionally animated projects in current production and development. For TV, WBA produces series such as Green Lantern: The Animated Series, The Looney Tunes Show, MAD, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, ThunderCats and Young Justice, for Cartoon Network. WBA also produces series and additional original content for Cartoon Network’s multiplatform branded DC Nation programming block, which debuts in 2012. In addition to TV series, WBA produces theatrically released CG cartoon shorts featuring iconic Looney Tunes characters, rendered in stereoscopic 3D. WBA also creates the highly successful series of DC Universe Original Animated Movies for DVD. Producing for multiple platforms including TV, digital and home entertainment both domestically and internationally, WBA is highly respected for its creative and technical excellence, as well as for maintaining the Studio’s rich cartoon heritage. It is also the home of the iconic animated characters from the DC Comics, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has been honored with six Academy Awards®, 35 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 20 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

via Warner Bros.