Activision nabs game rights to Lemony Snicket

Under terms of a new worldwide master video game deal, Activision will develop and publish interactive console, hand-held and PC games based on Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, the best-selling book series that’s being developed as a feature film by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies. The nine-title series has been published in 29 languages, with upwards of 6.3 million units currently in the U.S. market alone.

4Kids barks down art and music alleys

Reinforcing its penchant for reading the Japanese radar of kid cool, 4Kids has picked up global rights outside of Asia to Artlist Collection’s puppy pic franchise The Dog. Launched in 2002 as a collection of postcards, the property’s design bank features upwards of 100,000 images of puppies photographed in ‘strange ratio,’ which enlarges the appearance of the canines’ heads.

4Kids also recently penned a long-term agreement granting Cherry Lane Music Publishing 50% of 4Kids’ interest in compositions and recordings related to its current television portfolio – Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cubix, Tama & Friends, Ultraman Tiga, Ultimate Muscle: the Kinnikuman Legacy, Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Fighting Foodons and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – and the right to administer all compositions and masters.

Plush manufacturer finds Equity in Henson’s Bear

Equity Marketing has just signed a multi-year, worldwide master plush agreement with The Jim Henson Company for preschool property Bear in the Big Blue House. Equity’s range of branded plush, figures and toy novelties will be available for mass and specialty distribution in domestic and international markets beginning next fall. According to NPDFunworld, while overall sales of traditional toys are expected to be flat this year, feature plush represents a hot growth category. Indeed, fellow plush manufacturer Applause has made headway on the master plush front, signing deals with Nick and Discovery Kids.