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Hasbro Builds on MY LITTLE PONY Brand Growth Catering to Fans Worldwide
LAS VEGAS -- June 19, 2013 -- Hasbro, Inc. today announced that its global licensing program supporting the popular MY LITTLE PONY brand will touch every major category immersing girls in entertaining, inventive, stylish, and fun MY LITTLE PONY lifestyle experiences. Inspired by the widely appealing, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic animated television series, licensed merchandise from publishing to digital gaming, plush, and fashion & beauty is set to arrive at retail throughout 2013.
"The MY LITTLE PONY brand is experiencing explosive growth paving the way for highly thoughtful licensing programs that further extend the brand engagement in new and meaningful ways for millions of young girls around the globe," said Simon Waters, Senior Vice President of Global Brand Licensing and Publishing at Hasbro.
The My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic animated television series, created by Hasbro Studios, has become the catalyst for the broad expansion of licensed goods worldwide. The series can be seen on HUB Network in the U.S., as well as on broadcast networks, DVD and digital platforms in over 180 territories globally. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic continues to fuel widespread momentum across all sectors.
My Little Pony Equestria Girls, a new full-length feature introducing a whole new dimension into the world of MY LITTLE PONY, launched this past weekend at The Los Angeles Film Festival. Hasbro Studios has teamed up with Screenvision to bring this feature to theaters across the US and Canada and Shout! Factory plans to release it on DVD later this summer. When a crown is stolen from the Crystal Empire, Twilight Sparkle pursues the thief into an alternate world where she transforms into a teenage girl who must survive her biggest challenge yet…high school. With help from her new friends who remind her of Ponyville's APPLEJACK, RARITY, RAINBOW DASH, PINKIE PIE and FLUTTERSHY, she embarks upon a quest to find the crown and change the destiny of these two parallel worlds. Key licensing offerings will include publishing from IDW and Little Brown Books for Young Readers as well as accessories from Fashion Angels.
From flipping the pages of the My Little Pony: The Elements of Harmony: Friendship is Magic: The Official Guidebook hardcover guide book from Little Brown Books for Young Readers to swiping the screens of iOS and Android devices to hanging out and interacting with TWILIGHT SPARKLE and friends playing the MY LITTLE PONY game app by Gameloft, Hasbro continues to enlist licensees that deliver an unmatched level of creativity and imagination to the magical MY LITTLE PONY world.
On the publishing front, the company has reached preliminary agreements in principal for a series of new deals with European publishers including Orchard Books, Panini, Planeta Comics, Edizioni BD and Sogur to bring MY LITTLE PONY tales to fans spanning the U.K, Italy, Germany and Nordic countries. Additionally, long-standing publishing agreements with Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Bendon and IDW will continue to produce new titles across all formats worldwide.
The MY LITTLE PONY brand will also anchor Hasbro's expansion in the plush toy sector in 2013 with a number of licensees that are primed to launch lines to mass and specialty retail in North America, Europe and LATAM. In addition, an experiential retail program with Build-a-Bear made PINKIE PIE and RAINBOW DASH the most successful plush line in the mall-based retailer's history selling out in two weeks with TWILIGHT SPARKLE on deck to land in the workshop this fall.
This year will see a rise in MY LITTLE PONY brand offerings within the fashion & beauty categories from fashion tees to sleepwear to hair accessories and jewelry. Licensees like FAB, Jerry Leigh, Truffle Shuffle, Knitmania, Somerbond, Freegun and Rudolph Stein will bring products to retail throughout the year all around the globe. An expanded apparel line targeting both girls and women will also roll out at H&M throughout the year.
As further testament to the strength of the brand, MY LITTLE PONY continues to gain strength in key categories like oral from Church & Dwight, currently the #2 Toddler Toothpaste brand, party goods from American Greetings and Amscan and bedding from licensees like Franco manufacturing.
About Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS) is a branded play company dedicated to fulfilling the fundamental need for play for children and families through the creative expression of the Company's world class brand portfolio, including TRANSFORMERS, MONOPOLY, PLAY-DOH, MY LITTLE PONY, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, NERF and LITTLEST PET SHOP. From toys and games, to television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and a comprehensive licensing program, Hasbro strives to delight its global customers with innovative play and entertainment experiences, in a variety of forms and formats, anytime and anywhere. The Company's Hasbro Studios develops and produces television programming for more than 170 markets around the world, and for the U.S. on Hub Network, part of a multi-platform joint venture between Hasbro and Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK). Through the company's deep commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world for future generations and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families every year. It has been recognized for its efforts by being named one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" and is ranked as one of Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens." Learn more at www.hasbro.com.