Nick Jr. preschool series Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! signed licensing deals with 14 different companies eager to make DVDs, sleepwear, Mylar balloons and numerous other products out of the cuddly animated hit.
The show debuted during the Nickelodeon programming block last August and consistently wins its time slot (1:30 p.m. weekdays) against other kids’ programmers, according to Nick. It’s produced by creator Bob Boyle, Bolder Media and Liberty Media-owned Starz Media.
The producers said thefirst Wubbzy! licensing agreement was with master toy licensee Fisher-Price, which will produce a full line of preschool toys.
Starz Home Entertainment, a sister company to Starz Media, will produce home videos and DVDs.
Other licensees include Hasbro (games and puzzles), Scholastic (publishing), Simon & Schuster (color and activity books), Meredith (sound storybooks), Children’s Apparel Network, SG Footwear, Dream Apparel and Berkshire (headwear/accessories).
Still others include Unique (party goods), Bakery Crafts (wholesale cake decorations), A.E. Nathan (over-the-counter fabric) and CTI Industries, which makes Mylar balloons.
In addition to being on Nick Jr., Wow! Wow! Wubzy! airs on Nickjr.com; has a video podcast called The Wubbcast that was created to generate buzz about the show before it aired; and is available on-demand on Comcast, Charter Communications, Cablevision Systems, Verizon Communications’ FiOS TV and Cox Communications.
Here’s how its promoters describe the show: “Featuring a whimsical tone, endearing characters and an animation style all its own, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! stars cheerful, bendy-tailed Wubbzy, who loves to play! play! play!, and his two quirky best friends, Widget, who loves to build, and Walden, who just wants to think.”
It continued, “They live in the wacky world of Wuzzleburg, where they share the kinds of delightful adventures that help them discover their world and work together to resolve everyday problems. The show is enriched with Wubbspeak -- a fun, unique language often featuring alliteration and already catching on with young children. In Wuzzleburg, Wubbzy’s favorite pastimes include chasing flutterflys and playing kickity-kick ball or hippity-hopscotch.”
