Live from the Licensing Show: Bratz Leap From Books to the Big Screen
MGA Entertainment is taking its fashion friendly Bratz brand beyond the toy aisles into books and even movie theaters.
The consumer entertainment products company has signed an international deal with Parragon Publishing to publish a variety of storybooks, novels, photographic novels, activity books, sticker books, board books and coloring books around the Bratz brand.
The company announced its new deal at the 2006 Licensing Show at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. MGA Entertainment is one 6,000 properties featured at the show.
The products, which will be produced in English, will hit retails shelves in April 2007 in the U.S. Other locations include the U.K, Channel Islands, Eire, Isle of Mann, Gibraltar, South Africa, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean region.
In addition, the Signing Machine Co. has signed a two-year deal with MGA Entertainment, Inc., to produce and distribute karaoke products based on the popular Bratz doll franchise. New products include a TFT DVD karaoke system, sign-along cassette players, deluxe microphones, electronic keyboards and an electronic drum.
That’s not all. The Bratz dolls are headed to the big screen in 2007, the brand’s first-ever live action film. The Bratz movie is a joint effort between MGA Entertainment, Inc., Avi Arad Productions and Crystal Sky Pictures and is schedule to open in 2007. Production is slated to begin this fall in Los Angeles.
The Van Nuys, CA-based company is seeking all licensed categories for film, much of which takes place in high school, said MGA Entertainment spokesman Dave Malacrida. The film will build off the tagline “high school will never be the same.”
The brand, known for its fashion conscious dolls and appeal to girls eight and up, “really lends itself to accessories,” Malacrida said.
MGA Entertainment is also giving new life to its popular Lil’ Bratz line. The company plans to relaunch the toy line in the spring of 2007 with a “younger, cutesier” look to target girls six and up, Malacrida said.
The Bratz brand has more than 400 licenses worldwide and is distributed in more than 65 countries. The brand is celebrating its fifth year this month.
