HarperCollins announced a licensing deal with 4Kids International for international publishing rights in the hugely popular children's animation series, Dinosaur King.
Targeted at boys aged 6+, Dinosaur King is transmitted daily on Disney XD and GMTV where it regularly reaches over 150,000 viewers. The series focuses on mysterious dinosaur cards which are scattered all over the world. Whoever finds and controls these cards can bring dinosaurs back to life and use them in battle. Max, the 12 year old son of a world famous palaeontologist, and his friends are in a race against time to collect these cards and battle the evil Alpha Gang who are also after the cards. The brand already has an established licensing portfolio that includes toys, trading cards, posters, apparel and video games.
The HarperCollins publishing programme will launch in April 2010 and will include story, activity, sticker activity, annuals and 3D formats. Territories covered in the deal include English language rights in the UK, Eire, ANZ and South Africa.
Commenting on the deal, HarperCollins Category Manager, Richard Haines said "We are hugely excited about the acquisition of Dinosaur King. The ever popular subject of dinosaurs combined with a clever mix of fact, fiction and aspirational characters lends itself perfectly to a publishing programme with huge consumer appeal."
