Chorion Awards New Mr. Men Show Master Toy License to Fisher-Price

Chorion Awards New Mr. Men Show Master Toy License to Fisher-Price

NEW YORK, June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Chorion announced today at New York's Licensing International Expo an agreement granting Fisher-Price the master toy license for 'The Mr. Men Show', the brand new TV series launching in 2008 and based on the best-selling Mr. Men and Little Miss books by Roger Hargreaves. The agreement initially covers UK, US and French territories.

Fisher-Price, one of the world's largest preschool and infant toy manufacturers, will have rights to expand its impressive portfolio of character brands to manufacture a range of preschool products based on 'The Mr. Men Show', including feature plush, playsets, figures, musical toys, and vehicles. The collection of toys is expected to hit shelves in the UK in the Fall of 2008, with other territories to follow from 2009.

Welcoming today's announcement, Eric Karp, EVP Global Licensing and Merchandising, Chorion Ltd, said:

"We at Chorion are delighted to be partnering 'The Mr. Men Show' with the industry leader in preschool toys. Fisher-Price brings innovation and creativity to playtime, and we're thrilled that they will now bring our much-loved characters to life."

Jean Christophe Pean, General Manager, Mattel UK said:

"We are thrilled to have signed 'The Mr. Men Show' license with Chorion. The Mr. Men and Little Miss is such a fantastic, much loved classic brand, especially in the UK, and with our expertise in developing great pre-school product it will make the perfect marriage."

David Allmark, General Manager, Fisher-Price Friends US said:

"'The Mr. Men Show' property is the perfect complement to our existing brand portfolio. We are looking forward to working with Chorion to build upon this beloved property by developing a diverse range of fun and engaging products for preschoolers."

With a blend of side-splitting, fast-paced physical humor and verbal wit, 'The Mr. Men Show' is the first animated program to bring sketch comedy to young children. The show will be aired in early 2008 on Cartoon Network in the US and on Five in the UK on the premium Milkshake! morning children's programming block.

Based on the Mr. Men and Little Miss books created in the 1970s by British author Roger Hargreaves, the new 52x11-minute animated series 'The Mr. Men Show' represents an inspired re-imagining of this classic property that has sold over 100 million book copies worldwide.

Twenty-five Mr. Men and Little Miss characters will be featured in the new series. To complement the new animation style, some of the characters are being refreshed and some completely re-worked - but all will remain true to the essence of Hargreaves' original Mr. Men and Little Miss creations.

About Chorion

Chorion Ltd is a media content company that owns and manages an extensive portfolio of classic and contemporary premium copyrights with worldwide appeal. The company comprises three divisions: Children's, Literary Estates, and TV and Film. The Children's division directs global entertainment and merchandising for Chorion-owned brands including Noddy and the Mr. Men, as well as managing the non-publishing rights for properties such as Olivia; Literary Estates manage such Chorion-owned properties as the works of Agatha Christie and Raymond Chandler; while TV and Film acts as an executive producer or licensor of Chorion's TV and film rights, such as Raymond Chandler's Marlowe, recently commissioned for a US TV pilot by ABC, and undertakes its own productions including the popular Marple and Agatha Christie's Poirot series, co-produced with ITV in the UK and PBS in the US. Chorion has offices in London, New York, Tokyo and Sydney. www.chorion.co.uk

About Fisher-Price

Mattel, Inc., (NYSE:MAT) (www.mattel.com) is the worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and marketing of toys and family products. The Mattel family is comprised of such best-selling brands as Barbie(R), the most popular fashion doll ever introduced, Hot Wheels(R), Matchbox(R), American Girl(R), Radica(R) and Tyco(R) R/C, as well as Fisher-Price(R) brands, including Little People(R), Power Wheels(R) and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. Mattel is recognized as one of the 100 Most Trustworthy U.S. Companies by Forbes Magazine and is ranked among the 100 Best Corporate Citizens by CRO Magazine. Committed to ethical manufacturing practices, Mattel marks a 10-year milestone in 2007 for its ever-evolving Global Manufacturing Principles and focus on sustainable business practices. With global headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., Mattel employs more than 30,000 people in 43 countries and territories and sells products in more than 150 nations. Mattel's vision is to be the world's premier toy brands -- today and tomorrow.

Source: Chorion

CONTACT: Jessica Varon of Tracy Paul and Company, +1-212-741-5459, or
jessica@tracypaul.com, for Chorion

Web site:

http://www.chorion.co.uk/
http://www.mattel.com/

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