By Sadhana Bharanidharan and Andrea Hernandez

Rovio

Brewing up an in-person experience strategy, Rovio is launching the first-ever retail café based on its Angry Birds franchise. The company has partnered with construction conglomerate SCG America in a deal facilitated by IMG to launch an interactive location called iSwii by Angry Birds. Serving up pastries, coffees and bubble teas in a café section, the location will also include a retail section and immersive experiences like VR games when it opens on July 8 in Queens, New York.

Licensed cafés are hot right now. Just this week, Hasbro launched a Peppa Pig-themed one in Chengdu, China in partnership with Hong Kong-based China Leisure Development. The companies previously opened a Peppa Pig Play Café with attractions and themed areas in Eastern China last September. 

Princess Sam

Two Latin American broadcasters have acquired Tara Duncan from Parisian prodco Princess Sam Entertainment Group. Brazil’s Grupo Globo will launch the show on its Gloob kids channel on October 12, and pay-TV net Disney Channel has picked it up to air it across the LatAm region. These sales coincide with Tara Duncan launching this week in Canada on Télé Quebec (French) and Family Channel (English). The 52 x 13-minute series, based on a same-name book series by Sophie Audouin-Mamikonian, targets six- to nine-year-olds.

Justice

As part of a new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, tween girl fashion brand Justice is launching back-to-school apparel based on The Powerpuff Girls. The collection (pictured) has dropped in Walmart’s bricks-and-mortar stores and website to mark the classic show’s 25th anniversary this fall. The Powerpuff Girls originally aired on Cartoon Network from 1998 to 2005, and an upcoming reboot from creator Craig McCraken is in the works.