Mountain View, California-based funschool.com has signed a pioneering Internet character licensing deal with Timeless Toys. Site greeter Browser the Bus, along with friends Gator, Worm and Globe Boy, will be developed into plush by the Foster City, California-based Timeless Toys. The stuffed toys will be available via e-commerce on the site as early as this month, and poised for retail-readiness next spring.

CEO Sashi Boinapalli is anchoring the characters by making the site school-friendly with educational quizzes and games, which he calls ‘fun for children and school for parents and teachers.’ Boinapalli says the site is growing by about 35% to 50% each month, and according to Boinapalli, in September it received about one million visits.

Funschool is exploring the school supply category in terms of lunchboxes, rulers and backpacks, and its future new-territory hopes include Japan and Europe. Upcoming plans for the company include expanding the site focus from preschool to grade six, to older kids and teens, along with exploring the possibility of a television series later on. AD