Strategic Partnership Includes the Bravest Warriors, Netflix Series, Bee and PuppyCat, and the Upcoming Catbug Series
Genius Brands International, Inc. has reached a deal with TOHO International, selling 50% of in three productions on its Frederator Network.
The deal was arranged through Genius Brands’ subsidiary WOW! Unlimited Media, which in turn controls the Frederator Network studio.
TOHO International, a subsidiary of one of the largest media companies in Japan, made a multimillion-dollar investment to acquire a 50% stake in two existing productions, as well as an upcoming show. The two existing productions are the critically-acclaimed series Bee and PuppyCat, following its successful launch on Netflix, and Frederator’s pop culture phenomenon Bravest Warriors. The upcoming series Catbug, based on the popular character created in the Bravest Warriors’ series, is also included in the deal.
“At Frederator, our mission is to foster the creativity of content creators and give them a platform to get their projects seen,” said Michael Hirsh, CEO of WOW! Unlimited Media. “We are thrilled that our productions, Bravest Warriors, Bee and PuppyCat and Catbug, are now attracting a global audience. Our partnership with Toho will allow us to further expand the reach of these two series, both in terms of distribution and upcoming consumer products.”
More importantly, the agreement provides a framework for Genius Brands’ Frederator Network and TOHO International to co-produce new content for the properties and cooperatively develop a global consumer products campaign.
“This new deal aligns with our long-term strategy, as we build a more effective system for distribution and licensing of our own IP,” said Toho Co. president Hiro Matsuoka. “We have seen the tremendous global popularity of Bravest Warriors and the growth of Bee and PuppyCat, as well as the growing popularity of Catbug along with the overall Western Anime genre.
“With our production resources and distribution capabilities across Asia, complementing Genius Brands and Frederators’ expansive network in key markets around the world, we anticipate these two properties will continue to develop a global fan base as we introduce new content and merchandise.”
The terms will see Genius Brands overseeing global distribution and consumer products development for the properties, excluding Asia, which will be handled by TOHO International. Additionally, a dedicated online store for Bee and PuppyCat launched in September 2022, to coincide with the series release on Netflix.
Genius Brands’ consumer products’ team will develop a consumer products retail program for Bravest Warriors, Bee and PuppyCat and Catbug, excluding Asia, which will be handled by TOHO International.
“This transaction is a huge privilege for us at Genius Brands to now partner with the pre-eminent media company in Japan, and their visionary management,” said Genius Brands CEO and Chair Andy Heyward. “We believe it is a further validation of our strategic acquisition of WOW! Unlimited Media and their impressive portfolio of original content, which we can then migrate to the streamers, our own Kartoon Channel,! and media platforms around the world.”
From its start as a 2-part, 10-minute short on Frederator Networks that became an immediate hit amassing millions of views on YouTube, to a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign to launch the new Bee and PuppyCat series on Netflix, fans and critics have driven the breakout success of Bee and PuppyCat, with over 2.5M fans across all social channels.
Created by Natasha Allegri (“Adventure Time”) and produced by Frederator Network (“Adventure Time” and “Castlevania”), the series’ first full season premiered on September 6 as a Netflix series. Bee and PuppyCat follows a 20-something temp worker named Bee and her mysterious companion PuppyCat as the two travel on fantastic adventures across space while taking on various intergalactic odd jobs to help make rent.
Created by Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time) and headed by showrunner Breehn Burns, Bravest Warriors tells the story of four teenage heroes-for-hire in the year 3085, as they warp through the universe to save adorable aliens and their worlds using the power of their emotions. Launched on YouTube in November 2012, the series rapidly grew an impressive and dedicated online fan base earning 250 million views, three million likes, and over a billion minutes watched. Bravest Warriors was the 2013 Shorty Award winner for Best Web Show and the Online Film and Video (Animation) Honoree at The Webby Awards in 2015.
The Catbug character was created by Breehn Burns and featured in the Frederator Network’s digital series Bravest Warriors. Catbug is growing rapidly into a viral, pop cultural phenomenon across social media platforms—YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter—with videos featuring Catbug achieving over 200 million views to date and counting. Additionally, over 200 million GIFs have been created for Catbug on Giphy.com.
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