These
include such films and animated properties as Superman Returns, Happy
Feet, The Ant Bully and Hanna-Barbera, as well as pre-school
programs including Krypto the Superdog, Firehouse Tales and Harry and
His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. The
Superman Returns product will launch in Spring 2006 and Happy Feet products
will launch in the fourth quarter of 2006.
Under
the new agreement, both companies will collaborate to focus their resources on
designing products, developing marketing plans and promotional programs to enhance
Warner Bros. Consumer Products' brands, both new and evergreen.
As
an existing licensee of Warner Bros. Consumer Products for more than two decades,
Hallmark has effectively developed its core product categories for such brands
as Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo, Harry Potter, The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the
Wind and on behalf of DC Comics, Batman and Superman. In addition,
for Warner Bros. Pictures' 2004 feature film The Polar Express, Hallmark
created an entire gift line and made Hallmark Gold Crown card shops The Polar
Express retail destination, supported by a full-scale marketing campaign.
"As
a long-standing and successful strategic partner, Hallmark has proven to be an
outstanding fit for our well-known and much-loved properties. We couldn't be more
pleased to extend our relationship to cover more of our brands, and we look forward
to many exciting developments to come," said Warner Bros. Worldwide Consumer
Products president Brad Globe.
"We're
looking forward to continuing a great partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products
and its properties. Hallmark takes great pride in working with world-renowned,
classic brands and it's a privilege to extend our development opportunities with
more of the properties that make up Warner Bros.' rich library," said Hallmark
License Acquisitions president Jim Welch.
Territories
for the agreement include the US and Canada, as well as certain product rights
in Mexico and Latin America.