LOS ANGELES, Sept. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Jim Henson Company, an established leader in family entertainment for more than 65 years and recognized as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics, and digital animation, has named MGA Entertainment (MGA), one of the largest and fastest growing privately held toy and entertainment companies in the world, the master toy licensee for its Emmy®-winning series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, currently available exclusively on Apple TV+, in a multi-year agreement. The two-year global agreement includes toys as well as opportunities to sub-license Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock and the classic Fraggle Rock IP to MGA brand Little Tikes® and into other product categories.
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock is a children’s television series produced by The Jim Henson Company that is full of music, comedy, and iconic puppets from the world-famous Jim Henson’s Creature Shop. A reboot of the 1983 Fraggle Rock by Jim Henson, the series features epic, hilarious adventures, and the magic that happens when we celebrate and care for our interconnected world. The first season was released on Apple TV+ in January 2022 and production of a second season has already been announced.
“Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock has introduced a whole new generation to the joyful and hilarious Fraggles, Doozers and Gorgs that inhabit Fraggle Rock,” said Chris Lytton, President and COO of The Jim Henson Company. “The show’s themes of embracing empathy, celebrating diversity, and of course dancing your cares away are as relevant today as ever. With a deep understanding of and respect for this iconic Henson property, the creative team at MGA Entertainment are the perfect partners to bring the world of Fraggle Rock to life in toys that fans everywhere will love.”
The initial line of toys from MGA Entertainment will include plush and feature plush based on characters from the Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock series. They will be available online and begin to be on shelves in retail stores in Fall 2024 and will be featured throughout the Fall and Holiday seasons. The agreement also includes sub-licensing opportunities for both Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock and the classic Fraggle Rock IP with MGA’s brand Little Tikes, and in other categories such as children’s apparel and home, beginning early 2025.
“We are so proud to partner with The Jim Henson Company, the people who have brought smiles, joy, and educational entertainment to millions and millions of children around the world for generations,” said Isaac Larian, Founder and CEO, MGA Entertainment. “MGA continues to grow with our own new and existing IP and as the licensee for other important brands. We look forward to bringing new, innovative, and fun toys from the Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock series to life.”
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 65 years and is recognized as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics, and digital animation. The Company’s most recent credits include the Oscar®-winning Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix, the Emmy®-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock for Apple TV+, and the feature film The Portable Door for MGM+. The Company is currently in post-production on a new reimagining of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day starring Eva Longoria and Cheech Marin for Disney+. Other television credits include Slumberkins, Harriet the Spy and Fraggle Rock: Rock On, all for Apple TV+, Word Party for Netflix, Earth to Ned for Disney+, and the Emmy-winning Netflix Original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Other TV productions include Dinosaur Train (PBS), Splash and Bubbles (PBS), Sid the Science Kid (PBS), and Julie’s Greenroom (Netflix), as well as Fraggle Rock, The Storyteller, and the sci-fi series Farscape. Feature film credits include The Star (Sony Pictures Animation), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Disney), and the ground-breaking fantasy classics The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth.
With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and post-production facilities. The Company is home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television, theme park and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative credits include The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (Netflix), the feature film The Happytime Murders, and the popular live puppet improvisational show Puppet-Up! – Uncensored.
About MGA Entertainment
MGA Entertainment is one of the largest and fastest growing privately held toy and entertainment companies in the world. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices globally, the company creates innovative, proprietary, and licensed consumer products and entertainment properties, including toys, games, dolls, apparel, consumer electronics, home décor, stationery, sporting goods, movies, and television series. The MGA family includes award-winning brands such as L.O.L. Surprise!™, Little Tikes®, Rainbow High™, Bratz®, MGA’s Miniverse™, Fluffie Stuffiez™ , Na! Na! Na! Surprise™, Micro Games of America™, Baby born® Surprise and Zapf Creation®. For more information, please visit us at www.mgae.com or check us out at LinkedIn, Threads, Instagram and Facebook.
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Nicole Goldman The Jim Henson Company ngoldman@henson.com Alan Hilowitz MGA Entertainment news@mgae.com
