Namco Bandai Games, 41 Entertainment (“41e”), and Arad Productions have appointed several new agents in relations to the U.S. licensing and promotional efforts for the upcoming Pac-Man TV series property slated to begin broadcast on Disney XD in fall 2013.

Striker Entertainment, led by Marc Mostman and Russell Binder, will be charged with securing licensees in the key categories of apparel, accessories, footwear, health and beauty aids, oral care, and publishing. The CDM Company, headed by Mitch Junkins, will handle all consumer promotional efforts. All categories not specifically handled by Striker and CDM will be retained by the 41e team in-house. 41e will manage the overall global licensing and merchandising program, and has already granted a number of key licenses.

Merchandise specialist AT New Media, licensing agent on behalf of Team 17 for Worms merchandise, has announced that a new Worms game, Worms Revolution, is set for release this September on PC and consoles.

Worms Revolution will feature the 2-D Worms gameplay in a sumptuous 3-D environment, and will launch new features such as four different classes of Worm and dynamic water and physical objects that are designed to boost the gamplay experience.

The Worms licensing program currently features IGS (GameOn) for collectible plush and plush key rings, Gaya for Squeezies, Fashion UK for apparel, Bioworld for apparel and accessories, and GB Posters, while new lines set for launch this year include collectible resin figures and dioramas, as well as bags, mugs, and other accessories.

Namco Bandai Games, Inc., Arad Productions, and 41 Entertainment LLC (“41e”), announced that they have granted the U.S. television rights to Disney XD for a new animated action comedy series tentatively titled Pac-Man – The Adventure Begins (26×22), set for a fall 2013 airing.

Based on the brand owned by Namco Bandai, the series is created in stereoscopic 3-D, and executive produced by Avi Arad (Spider-Man for Sony Pictures, Iron Man for Paramount, Hulk for Universal, and Fantastic Four and X-Men for 20th Century Fox) and Rick Ungar (Biker Mice from Mars for New World, X-Men Evolution for Marvel, and Legend of the Dragon for BKN).

Jakks Pacific, Inc. signed a licensing agreement with AMC to manufacture, distribute, and market Deluxe Plug It In & Play TV Games based on The Walking Dead, the original drama series on AMC. The Walking Dead Deluxe TV Games line is expected to launch at retail nationwide next fall. The Walking Dead Deluxe TV Games from Jakks features a realistic pump-and-shoot shotgun controller that plugs into the A/V jacks of any standard TV, and contains multiple games in each controller.

Jakks also signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment, LLC for a line of plush products based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad that ties into the new Marvel virtual online world, HeroUp.com. The product line is expected to include collectible plush, plush clip-ons, and large plush with online components. The line is expected to launch at specialty retailers this spring with broad distribution in mass retail channels starting in 2013. Under the same agreement, Jakks has the rights to manufacture, distribute, and market skill and action games inspired by Marvel classic characters, slated to launch this spring.

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, TT Games, and The Lego Group are teaming up again to release Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes this summer for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, the Wii system, and Windows PC, as well as the Nintendo DS hand-held system, Nintendo 3DS hand-held system, and PlayStation Vita handheld entertainment system.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes is being developed by TT Games and will be published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes complements the recently released Lego Super Heroes: DC Universe toy collection. The line includes five construction sets, including The Batcave and three buildable, detailed action figures.

Football season may have started, but Major League Baseball has some unfinished business.

No, I’m not talking about the World Series. I’m talking about the showdown between MLB and Nicktoons all-stars.

The lineups were voted on by the fans, and on Tuesday (September 13), the game will air on 2KPlayBall.com. 2KPlay’s Nicktoons MLB will hit the shelves the same day for XBox 360 (with Kinect support), Wii, and Nintendo DS.

Here are the lineups:

Nicktoons

Starting pitcher: Stimpy
Relief pitcher: Katara
Catcher: Ren
First Baseman: SpongeBob SquarePants
Second Baseman: Invader Zim
Third Baseman: Aang
Shortstop: Dudley Puppy
Left Fielder: Danny Phantom
Center Fielder: Kitty Katswell
Right Fielder: Patrick Star
Designated Hitter: Gaz

MLB

Starting pitcher: Roy Halladay
Relief pitcher: Brian Wilson
Catcher: Buster Posey
First Baseman: Albert Pujols
Second Baseman: Robinson Cano
Third Baseman: Alex Rodriguez
Shortstop: Jose Reyes
Left Fielder: Josh Hamilton
Center Fielder: Curtis Granderson
Right Fielder: Jose Bautista
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz

Licensing Book prediction: Nicktoons gets annihilated. Stimpy is an oaf and a cartoon cat. He’s pitching to professional baseball players. Come on. MLB 508, Nicktoons 0.

—Bryan Joiner

This is the year of the Moshi Monsters.

Mind Candy CEO Michael Acton Smith gave a packed-house speech at Toy Fair in February, then doubled down on the exposure with a huge booth in June at Licensing Show. Earlier this month, Moshi held an official launch party at Toys “R” Us in Times Square for its Spin Master toy line. He’ll give the keynote address at Brand Licensing Europe in October. The Moshi Monsters are clearly on a roll.

Now they’re coming to Nintendo DS. Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo, from Activision Publishing, Inc. will be released this fall.

“With an absolutely massive fan base, Moshi Monsters is clearly one of the fastest growing children’s entertainment brands in the world,” said David Oxford, EVP & General Manager, Activision Publishing. “We look forward to building on Mind Candy’s success as we work closely with them to extend the brand experience.”

Moshi Monsters: Moshling Zoo builds upon the popularity of the Moshlings—monsters for your online pet monsters—and offers fans a fresh new take on the Moshi universe, including brand new content and a new way to interact with their favorite characters. The game features new locations and an exclusive new Moshling—which is yet to be revealed. There are 52 Moshlings to collect from the common to the rare, including the elusive ‘Ultra-Rare’. Children can also play new mini-games and educational style puzzles, plus win awards and trophies to take back to their zoo.

—Bryan Joiner

CNNMoney.com’s Parija Kavilanz wrote a story on Angry Birds back to school items, calling it the hot new trend. And: of course it is! The introduction of Angry Birds licensed merchandise dovetails perfectly with back to school. (Angry Birds back to school merchandise is available to preorder.) According to the story, sales of Angry Birds-related goods have risen 500 percent in the past five months.

As we’ve written before, while back-to-school spending will likely ebb this year, licensed products are the natural exception. Licensing is a stable industry because it has the tendency to break the curve when consumers are pinching their pennies. The entire children’s television industry is built upon this foundation, and its dominance is unquestioned as a supplier of licensed product. Angry Birds, which we covered extensively in our spring issue, has fought its way into a fairly prestigious club. It’s a brand for people of all ages, the Super Mario Bros. of its time.

Will it have the staying power of Super Mario Bros.? Only time will tell. It’s one thing to reach the mountaintop, but it’s another thing to stay there. Survival is tough, and no one survives by accident. Angry Birds netted $42 million in March on the strength of the game’s performance—do they have a Super Mario Bros. 2 up their sleeve? We’re not talking about Angry Birds Rio. We’re talking about a game that builds upon the gameplay and themes of the original to create something entirely new and exciting.

This back-to-school season figures to be Angry Birds’ moment, and the property is still exploding. Last week, TCC signed a deal to undertake worldwide retail loyalty promotions for the property in supermarkets, hypermarkets, drug stores, health and beauty chains, and more.

New Street Fighter Animated Film Set for September Release

A new Street Fighter animated film, Street Fighter: The New Challengers, will be released September 6, Pacific Entertainment Corp. announced.

The film will be released as a standalone DVD or offered in a special collector bundle package that includes Capcom’s Street Fighter IV PC Game.

—Bryan Joiner