The deal, brokered through Lisle international, will see Egmont publish ZhuZhu Pets Sticker Activity and Colouring Books, a ZhuZhu Pets Pocket Library and a ZhuZhu Pets Annual, together with a monthly magazine called All About…Zhu Zhu Pets for the UK market. Aimed at girls aged 4-9, this extensive ZhuZhu Pets publication range will go on sale in the UK from July 2011.
The “phenomenal” ZhuZhu Pets property originated from the hugely popular collection of plush interactive toy hamsters, created by Russell Hornsby, founder of St Louis based company, Cepia LLC. The toy range launched throughout 2009 and 2010 and has enjoyed unparalleled success and media attention the world over, says Egmont. The brand was one of the best-selling toys in the UK in 2009 and 2010 achieving official Toy Retailer Association’s Dreamtoy status in both years and countless global awards for best toy and toy of the year. This success has continued into 2011 with the launch of new collections ZhuZhu Puppies, ZhuZhu Babies and ZhuZhu Princess.
In 2010, The ZhuZhu Pets licensing programme was launched and now the characters are to be found on a wide variety of children’s goods including apparel, bedding, games and puzzles, footwear and multimedia.
Gayle Tarrant, Lisle International, said: “We are delighted to be working together with Egmont to create a wide range of ZhuZhu Pets books and publications. The ZhuZhu Pets characters lend themselves perfectly to words and pictures and we believe that Egmont will be able to bring these characters and their storylines to life in such a way that children and parents alike will love.
What’s more, with this publishing deal, the property will be able to reach children in a new way, creating more choice for existing fans whilst attracting new children to the Zhuniverse.”
David Riley, Managing Director of Egmont Publishing Group said: “We are thrilled to be welcoming the ZhuZhu Pets to the Egmont portfolio, both in the UK and across a number of our sister companies including Ehapa - Germany, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Zhu Zhu Pets has already proved itself to be a phenomenally successful property across toys and other categories. This book and magazine deal represents a fabulous opportunity to expand the ZhuZhu Pets brand, through exciting stories and adventures, to new and existing fans.”
