LICENCEES GO APE FOR ZINGZILLAS

Today BBC Worldwide announced the stellar line-up of licensees for its rocking new CBeebies commission, ZingZillas. Following the appointment of Vivid Imaginations as the master toy licensee, five more world-class licensing partners have signed-up to produce a range of licensed product, from apparel through to dress-up and toiletries.

ZingZillas is a new musical show produced in-house by CBeebies for the BBC*. The 52 x 22 minute show has just completed production at Pinewood and is set to get pre-schoolers across the country rocking, jumping and jiving to a new beat. BBC Worldwide holds global distribution rights for TV, merchandise, DVD and publishing.

Richard Hollis, Head of UK Licensing for BBC Worldwide Children's and Licensing says: "These new deals are testament to the commitment from the licensing industry to get behind ZingZillas which we believe is truly the next big thing in pre-school entertainment. Early samples of product from Vivid look fantastic and we'll be showing select partners what’s on offer at Toy Fair. We've already had an unprecedented response from retail for listings for this Autumn."

Continuing their work with BBC Worldwide brands, Aykroyds and TDP Licensing has been signed to produce a range of nightwear and underwear, set to hit shelves initially for Autumn/Winter 2010, with a full rollout for Spring/Summer 2011. Smith and Brooks has also been signed to develop children's outerwear for the brand, and to satisfy fans who want to take it one step further, Christy’s will be producing a range of dress-up items, based on the show's primate characters.

H&A has been granted the license to produce toiletries including bath toys, soaps and bathroom accessories. In addition, an agreement with Pyramid will see the production of posters for the show.

Vivid's product line will hit retail in time for Autumn/Winter 2010 and include musically-themed plush, plastics, playsets, role-play, selected outdoor products and games.

NOTES TO EDITORS
* About ZingZillas:

ZingZil"la
Noun

1. A musical sound produced by infusing music with a primate twist
2. Feeling evoked by music; emotional response often associated with fun and energy: I feel like a ZingZilla. Having a ZingZilla time.

Verb

1. To ZingZilla – to play music and create an emotional response: Play that music ZingZilla-style!

Plural –Zillas

1. An energetic bunch of primates that produce a ZingZilla sound.

ZingZillas has been commissioned by CBeebies Controller, Michael Carrington and is a CBeebies in-house production for the BBC. The Series Producer is Tony Reed and the Executive Producers are Alison Stewart and Kay Benbow.

Source: Anna Kingsley, BBC Press Office