To develop new franchises that evoke classic brand recognition, LA-based Elf Labs is banking on iconic fairytale characters…with a twist.

The transmedia company unveiled an ambitious strategy this week after spending several years quietly building out a portfolio of 400 copyrights and more than 140 trademarks. But these registered trademarks are largely for modernized or new iterations of well-known public domain characters—for example, RoboRapunzel, Zombie Peter Pan, Teen Snow White and Superhero Aladdin.

The plan is to develop a broad range of content that includes movies, web series, AI-powered toys and AR/VR experiences for every age bracket. Elf Labs is currently working on its first project—an animated kids series called RoboStars, featuring characters like RoboCinderella and RoboPinocchio living in an AI-powered world. “We are producing short-form animated content to introduce the characters, and will be releasing two seasons of a show in the near future,” says CEO David Phillips.

The company’s origins can be traced back to 2006, when it first launched under the name Toon Studio. In 2012, it made a key acquisition, scooping up the full Junior Elf portfolio from Checkerboard Press. (This 100-year-old publishing imprint of mapmaker Rand McNally owned numerous children’s fables and fairytale storybooks.) But then for several years, Toon Studio was embroiled in numerous US court battles challenging its efforts to trademark alternate versions of characters—starting with its Once Upon a Zombie franchise featuring characters like Zombie Cinderella and Zombie Sleeping Beauty. In 2016, the appeals court at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) finally ruled to allow the company to secure these trademarks.

Meanwhile, operating in “stealth mode,” Toon Studio was testing out its zombie-fied approach in publishing, with promising results. Phillips and Jenny Nissenson co-wrote a 2015 book for tweens/teens called Once Upon a Zombie: Book One, which won a Purple Dragonfly Award for Best YA Fiction and a National Indie Excellence Award for Best Preteen Book. According to Elf Labs, the book series has sold more than 100,000 copies to date. 

When Phillips (son of co-founder Billy Phillips) was appointed CEO of the company in 2022, he rebranded Toon Studio as Elf Labs and refocused its strategy on IP monetization. In order to make a bigger entertainment push, for example, he tapped Blue Collar Productions founder Mark Rowen as head of content last year.

Elf Labs has also enlisted other experienced partners to help realize its ambitious content and licensing gameplan, including Baboon Animation founder Mike de Seve (to develop and produce content), branding veteran Bernt Ullman (to lead the way in consumer products) and web3 company Cosmic Wire (an investor/partner with the know-how to pull off tech-focused franchising moves like the AR/VR experiences).