Pillow Pets is releasing new plush foldable stuffed animals of characters from Nickelodeon, DreamWorks Animation, and Disney, among others. The newest Pillow Pets plush lines include Thomas the Tank Engine, Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Shrek and Donkey. Pillow Pets’ Disney plush characters include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Lightning McQueen (Cars), and Tow Mater (Cars). Additional new characters and styles will be introduced at Toy Fair 2012.

CJ Products offers Pillow Pets plush in a premium line for specialty retailers and a standard line for the mass marketplace. The Pillow Pets Premium plush line features softer, more luxurious fabrics and special “collector-level” branding, including an exclusive tag. The premium styles are exclusive to specialty retailers for a limited time and then introduced to the mass market as new premium styles are created.

“The premium line allows specialty retailers to offer new Pillow Pets plush before they hit the mass market,” said Jennifer Telfer, CEO of CJ Products, LLC. “This enables them to be the go-to purchasing destination for the first wave of styles.”

IDW Publishing and Nickelodeon has released the debut issue of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic series, featuring the beloved “Heroes in a Half Shell,” now available in comic stores throughout North America. TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman leads the creative team for the comic series. In addition to this new series, IDW will offer Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection. Beginning in October with volume 1, The Ultimate Collection offers more than 300 pages of the best of the Turtles’ underground roots.

IDW and Nickelodeon have stated a long-term commitment to revitalize the universe of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and graphic novels It’s all part of a larger initiative to bring Turtles to a new generation of fans, starting with these new story lines that recapture the magic of the original Turtles comics and continuing in 2012, when Nickelodeon will premiere a new CG-animated version of the wildly popular Turtles franchise.

If the Turtle franchise is being revitalized and will hit the small screen soon, then I bet that a new Turtles movie won’t be far behind.

—Melissa Tinklepaugh

Walt Disney Co. will absorb Marvel Studios’ marketing into Disney’s film studio, eliminating Marvel’s marketing department. Disney reported a 60 percent drop in film-unit earnings in its most recent quarter and seeks ways to lower film costs, according to Ronald Grover reporting for Bloomberg.com.

Disney bought Marvel in 2009, but Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures released Marvel’s Thor and Captain America in a deal that ended this year. Disney will release Marvel’s The Avengers next spring.

Nickelodeon Consumer Products (NCP) also announced company changes this week. NCP, a division of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), plans to take its Canadian licensing and merchandising business in-house as of October 1. NCP Canada’s Toronto-based office will exclusively represent VIMN’s portfolio of properties and brands, including Nickelodeon, MTV, and Comedy Central, and manage all operations and retail and licensee relationships for NCP.

Today we’re bursting with news about new feature films, television series, and stage shows—entertainment as you like it.

FremantleMedia Enterprises will launch the animated franchise Monsuno, targeting boys ages 6-11, on Nicktoons in the U.S. in Spring 2012. The show will be supported with a toy line from Jakks Pacific. Nickelodeon will launch the series on its channels in Latin America, the U.K., “key” European and Eastern European territories, Australia and New Zealand, India, Southeast Asia, Russia, and Africa. Darn near everywhere, basically.

This is just another salvo in the battle for boys ages 6-11 using animated programs, a battle the Wall Street Journal’s Amy Chozick covered quite well last week.

On the actual stage, Warner Bros. kicked off a four-year Batman Live! world tour in the UK with a performance in the Manchester Evening News Arena. Two and a half years in the making, and without the overblown drama of the Spider-Man musical, the show (which is not a musical) kicked off without a hitch. Batman Live! is the origin story of Robin, and how he becomes Batman’s crime-fighting partner.

The show will cross the UK and Ireland and then mainland Europe before landing in North America in 2012.

Anthony Van Laast, the show’s creative director, was happy the show went off without a hitch after its long journey from concept to reality. “I think the best moment was one child came up to me and said it was like watching a movie live in 3-D,” he told Sky News’s Jane Witherspoon.

In other stage show news, M!ke Licensing has been appointed as the exclusive licensee for StinkyKids to create StinkyKids The Musical.

The musical (which will not stink) is slated to launch in early 2012, and will be geared toward boys, girls, and families. M!KE Licensing is currently seeking licensees in categories including toys/games, coloring books, jewelry, stickers, keychains, puzzles, gift and novelty, party paper products, apparel and accessories.

Finally, there’s big screen news from Cartoon Network, which announced that it has hired Transformers producer Don Murphy to develop a live-action movie based on Captain Planet, the 1990s animated superhero/environmentalist.

—Bryan Joiner

It has been more than 25 years since The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles graced the pages of a comic book, but that will all change this summer thanks to a long-term agreement between Nickelodeon and IDW Publishing. The agreement, which will include an all-new installment of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and graphic novels, was announced last week at WonderCon in San Francisco.

The comics are part of a larger initiative to bring the heroes in a half shell to a new generation of fans.

Nickelodeon will premiere a CG-animated version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in fourth quarter 2012.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. has partnered with Nickelodeon, offering the first-ever digital books from the brand. Books featuring Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer are available in a digital format, only for Barnes & Noble customers through NOOK Color Reader’s Tablet and the free NOOK Kids for iPad application.

Barnes & Noble is now offering a dozen interactive NOOK Kids Nickelodeon titles, and will expand to more than 20 next month.

Nickelodeon announced several initiatives at its Upfront presentation, a star-studded affair at New York’s Lincoln Center today. The network will release 450 episodes of new animation programming over the next three years, with nearly 200 of those rolling out on Saturday mornings in 2012. Additionally, Nick announced a crossover TV movie between iCarly and Victorious, iParty with Victorious, slated for a June 10th airdate, and an addition of 125 episodes of the network’s top-rated preschool programs. Finally, Nick announced that it has added Friends and Yes, Dear to Nick at Nite’s lineup this September.

The presentation was set to begin with Victoria Justice, star of Victorious, debuting her new single, “Beggin’ on Your Knees.” Guest appearances were scheduled by iCarly stars Miranda Cosgrove and Jerry Trainor (who is the voice of Nick’s T.U.F.F. Puppy); Nick alumnus Kenan Thompson, currently of Saturday Night Live; Jason Biggs, who will voice Leonardo in the new CG-animated version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; and Jennifer Hudson and Raphael Saadiq, who were set to close the event with a cover of the Motown classic “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and performances of their latest two singles, respectively, “Where You At” and “Radio.”

At the upfront Nick announced that it is expected to close Q1 2011 as basic cable’s No. 1 network in total day with kids 2-11, 6-11 and total viewers and post its best quarter ever with total viewers.

Nickelodeon Consumer Products International has signed on licensee C-Trade for sports equipment and accessories (bikes, rid-on cars, tennis sets, play tents, etc.) for kids. The deal covers several countries, including Armenia to Uzbekistan via Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.

Additionally, Unilever has renewed its deal for toothpaste for Turkey and Northern Cyprus, and Pentra has signed on as a SpongeBob licensee for a range of bags, backpacks, badges and charms, mobile cases, clocks, lamps, mugs, and stationery for Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has always been the perfect setting to see the most cherished characters in pop culture displayed on a grand scale. From the very first float—Felix the Cat—in 1927 to Mickey Mouse in 1934 and Popeye in 1957, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has always been a festive event with an eye on what’s hot—even while standing in the cold. One of the coolest things about the parade—beside the larger-than-life floats—is the chance to see some of the year’s most popular stars sing and dance while making their way through Midtown.

Nick Stars Perform at the Parade

The 84^th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will see several Nickelodeon stars offering “mini concerts” at the event. Big Time Rush will perform on the Hess’s Bridge to the Future float and Victoria Justice—from Victorious fame—will perform on the Build-A-Bear Workshop’s International Cele-bear-ation Clock Tower float. Grammy Award-winning India Arie will even belt out her Emmy-nominated song “”Nochebuena” on the Dora the Explorer float.

What’s New?

Although they won’t be singing as far as I know, the Samurai Power Rangers will make their first public appearance at the parade when they walk with the Planet Earth balloon. Additionally, Po the Panda, from Kung Fu Panda, will make his balloon debut.

—Mackenzie Allison

Nickelodeon has announced the launch of two new location-based guides featuring the voices of SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer. Published by Spot It Out, LLC, and available for Tom Tom and Garmin GPS systems, the guides help parents identify thousands of family-oriented activities and fun destinations to enhance trips and family outings while being guided by the voices of SpongeBob SquarePants or Dora the Explorer.

The new guides use GPS technology to provide parents with a fun way to navigate a family road trip. Infused with ParentsConnect.com’s detailed lists of great restaurants, hotels, parks, and shops from all over the United States, the guides are specifically engineered to help parents answer the age old question, “What can I do and where can I go with the kids?”
Nickelodeon – Swell Family Destinations with SpongeBob powered by ParentsConnect includes tens of thousands of family-friendly locations across the country. Each listing comes with a brief, detailed review and description, operating hours, cost, and more. Simply choose one of SpongeBob’s favorite places and the GPS will guide the car to the location using SpongeBob’s voice. Nickelodeon – Dora the Explorer’s Guide to Family Adventures powered by ParentsConnect includes the same rich content, but with the voice and trademark phrases of Dora the Explorer.
Both options are available now at Amazon.com, Fry’s Electronics, nickshop.com, and other on-line retailers.