By Marcy Magiera
Genius Brands International is building its team for the 2016 multimedia launch of beloved children’s book property Llama Llama. The company just brought on NCircle Entertainment as its exclusive U.S. home video distributor for the new Llama Llama animated series that is scheduled to debut next year. NCircle will distribute the program on DVD and digital formats. GBI earlier signed Kids Preferred, LLC as toy licensee for Llama Llama, with a line of plush, puppets and jack-in-the-boxes in the works.
GBI is partnered with author Anna Dewdney and publisher Penguin Young Readers to bring the Llama Llama book series (Llama Llama Red Pajama and others), which has more than 9 million copies in print, to animated video for the first time. The book series has previously been adapted for the stage, dance performances and musicals.
With the Llama Llama campaign, GBI and its partners will compete in a very crowded, but potentially very lucrative, preschool market. The market for licensed preschool goods is more than $10 billion in the U.S. and Canada, with more than 20 $100 million-plus properties in the sector as of 2013.