- Minno has picked up the worldwide distribution rights to Mike Nawrocki’s (VeggieTales) latest faith-based animated series, The Dead Sea Squirrels (pictured). A pilot episode of the 2D-animated toon hit YouTube in 2021, and more episodes will premiere on Minno’s YouTube channel and kids app in early 2025. Based on Nawrocki’s chapter book series of the same name, the series follows the adventures of 2,000-year-old squirrel duo Merle and Pearl, who were preserved in sea salt within the Dead Sea caves before they were discovered—and revived out of suspended animation—by a group of American fifth-graders who invite the ancient animals to travel back to the US with them in order to teach Jesus’s lessons.
- The LEGO Group has named WildBrain as the company’s first YouTube distribution partner. As part of the deal, WildBrain will add the Danish brickmaker’s LEGO Ninjago, LEGO Friends, LEGO City and LEGO DREAMZzz franchises to its YouTube network of hub channels. The prodco’s network also includes dedicated YouTube channels for Teletubbies, In The Night Garden, Boy & Dragon and Caillou.
- Tale Wind Studio has added two new distribution partners, aiming to expand the reach of its CG-animated series Turbozaurs in Southeast Asia. Mi Media has picked up the free-to-air and streaming rights in Brunei for the show’s first four seasons, and CANAL+ International will broadcast the first three seasons of the preschool toon on its affiliated linear channels in Myanmar.
- Consumer products wholesaler Alliance Entertainment has acquired the toy brand Handmade by Robots from Bensussen Deutsch & Associates for an undisclosed amount. Washington-based Handmade is best known for its line of stylized vinyl collectibles that resemble crocheted or knitted plush. It also holds licensing agreements for several iconic kids franchises, including Ghostbusters, Harry Potter and DC superheroes.
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