Universal Brand Development

Universal has corralled new toy and publishing deals for DreamWorks Animation’s Spirit Untamed, and a range of fresh SKUs will start to hit shelves this month ahead of the film’s June 4 launch.

New licensing partners in these categories include Playmobil (playsets), Just Play (plush), Ravensburger (puzzles), Tara Toy, Innovative Designs and Crayola (art and activity sets), Little, Brown Young Readers (books) and Readerlink/Studio Fun (activity books). Universal has also signed lifestyle partners Franco (bedding), Pillow Pets (pillows), Hybrid (apparel), Centric Brands (sleepwear), Mane ‘n Tale (shampoo/conditioner) and Ferrara, PEZ and Decopac (food and beverage).

Outright Games is working with Universal Games and Digital Platforms to launch DreamWorks Spirit Lucky’s Big Adventure, a new video game that tracks the adventures of young rider and her mustang as they quest for treasure. It will be available on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC this summer.

Spirit Untamed centers around Lucky Prescott, who has to team up with her new friends to stop a villainous wrangler from capturing the titular horse.

Wonderstorm

LA’s Wonderstorm has teamed up with Brotherwise Games to create board games inspired by Netflix series The Dragon Prince. The first game to come out of the deal this fall will be The Dragon Prince: Battlecharged, in which players control miniature figures and playing cards to fight against opponents.

The Dragon Prince premiered globally on Netflix in September 2018. It has been renewed multiple times bringing its total run to seven seasons. The series is about two princes and an elf who team up to take care of an infant dragon prince and save the land.

PlayMonster

The Wisconsin-based toyco has acquired the BriteBrush electronic toothbrush brand from kidtech company WowWee, and has plans to take it global. The brushes use music and voice features to make dental hygiene more fun for kids. PlayMonster will build on the the existing brand with new products, marketing and distribution, according to a release. The line includes the BriteBrush GameBrush for kids ages five and up, and the BriteBrush BabyShark for younger brushers.

Into the Outdoors 

PBS’s Into the Outdoors branded programming block has picked up Thor’s Outdoor Science Academy. The series is hosted by its archeologist creator Thornton Giese, who makes short science videos about topics  such as minerals and the water cycle.

Into the Outdoors is a kids series in its own right, but it’s also a hub for outdoors-themed content available on the PBS linear network and an OTT channel via Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV.