You just can’t keep Dr. Seuss out of the news lately. After getting political conservatives into a fluster last month after cancelling certain Dr. Seuss books for images now considered racially offensive, the children’s book brand has seen sales increases and this week announced three new deals.
The first slate of deals, announced April 6, celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Dr. Seuss classic The Lorax, with a lineup of sustainable brand partnerships to further enhance the book’s strong message of environmental activism.
“The Lorax has always been a beloved Dr. Seuss story and introduces children to why we need to protect our planet through a beautiful story,” said Susan Brandt, President of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. “We are proud to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the book in 2021 and further encourage our readers to speak out and make change in our world. This year we are partnering with a wide range of brands, such as Tentree, BarkBox, and more, to create sustainable products that will continue spreading The Lorax’s message.”
The beloved title character speaks for the trees with a wide range of new eco-friendly products including, pet toys, home decor, apparel, publishing and more tied to Earth Day this year. To celebrate the 50th anniversary in style, fans will be able to dress themselves up in apparel and accessories collaborations inspired by The Lorax and its bright colorful Truffula Trees. Tentree, a sustainable apparel brand, designed an eco-friendly Lorax collection, consisting of hoodies, crewnecks, sweatpants and tees for adults and children, which are currently available at retail. Also inspired by the book’s activism theme is the newest MantraBand engraved bracelet, with the iconic Lorax quote “Unless Someone Like You Cares A Whole Awful Lot,” which is a reminder to always use your voice to advocate for positive change.
The magical story of The Lorax jumps off the page with new entertainment and publishing deals throughout the year. Adding to the strong lineup of anniversary partnerships is the rollout of Random House Children’s Books’s robust publishing program with brand new The Lorax books printed on recycled paper. New to the catalog this year is The Lorax Deluxe Doodle book, which is out now, followed by The Lorax: 50th Anniversary Edition, Dr. Seuss’s Thank You For Being Green And Speaking For The Trees, Let’s Go to the Garden! With Dr. Seuss’ Lorax, with more to come this Spring. Additionally, through a partnership with Oceanhouse Media, The Lorax comes to life on iPads and iPhones in the digital book edition with playful interactivity, animations and fun activities.
Retailers across the country will also celebrate The Lorax, including a program launching at Barnes & Noble with One Tree Planted, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a focus on global reforestation. For every copy of The Lorax and related titles sold at Barnes & Noble, in stores and online, during the month of April, Dr. Seuss Enterprises and Random House Children’s Books will donate $1 to One Tree Planted, resulting in one tree planted.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises is also making its mark in an untapped category with BARK, the maker of BarkBox, for a line of sustainable dog toys. Debuting in April for BarkBox subscribers and in Petco stores, our furry fans will be able to play with and chew on Lorax-themed toys, all made with environmentally friendly materials. As part of its partnership expansion, Aurora, the world’s leading manufacturer and distributor of plush toys and gifts, has released a new eco-friendly Lorax plush toy, and Tervis, maker of expressive and sustainable drinkware, has rolled out a Lorax inspired collection of travel tumblers. Fans can also bring The Lorax right into their homes with the Chase Art collection by artist Leo Rijn for a limited edition maquette sculpture featuring the Lorax character.
In celebration of Earth Day 2021, The Old Vic Theatre in London is presenting the iconic Dr. Seuss book The Lorax for six live-streamed performances as part of the OLD VIC: IN CAMERA series. David Greig and Charlie Fink’s Olivier Award-nominated adaptation, directed by the award-winning director Max Webster, is inventively transformed into a semi-staged pint-size version to keep young (and older) minds entertained, enchanted and empowered with its central message of protecting the planet. The production, which features Hamilton star Jamael Westman as the Oncel-er debuts April 14 through the 17th.
The Lorax, which was first published in 1971, quickly became a cultural phenomenon with an important and hopeful message about our environment. Over the past 50 years, the book has encouraged children to not only speak up for the protection of our trees, but to also use their voice to help make change because “unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
PORTFOLIO SECURES NEW TV DEALS FOR THE CAT IN THE HAT
As well, Portfolio Entertainment has secured new deals for the Dr. Seuss-based animated series The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That! and additional sales for holiday movie The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About Christmas!
New broadcast partners for The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That! include U.K’s Sky Kids for season 2 and 3. Sky Kids is also taking four educational games based on the highly acclaimed show, called ‘Builda-ma-loo’, ‘Invention Engine’, ‘Camp Time’ and ‘Arcade Escape’. Unis TV (French-speaking Canada) has signed on for season 1 and 2, while KiKa of Germany and NRK of Norway have inked deals for the one-hour holiday movie The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About Christmas!
“The enduring legacy of Dr. Seuss’ beloved character lives on as a new generation of kids around the world will be going on adventures with the Cat in the big striped hat and his friends,” said Donnie MacIntyre, VP of Sales and Business Development at Portfolio Entertainment. “Portfolio’s catalogue of best-in-class children’s content continues to attract leading global kids broadcasters and we’re delighted that our partners will be bringing this classic series and holiday special to their audiences.”
CREATEON ADDS DR. SEUSS TO ITS LINEUP OF ICONIC CHILDREN’S BRANDS, WILL BRING BELOVED STORIES TO LIFE THROUGH INNOVATIVE MAGNA-TILES
Finally, Dr. Seuss has finalized a deal with CreateOn, the creation studio that transforms Magna-Tiles into innovative new applications for kids and grownups with popular licenses and custom personalization. Under the agreement, CreateOn will release four new Magna-Tiles sets based on iconic Dr. Seuss stories in 2021.
Three Magna-Tiles sets based on the classic Dr. Seuss stories “Green Eggs and Ham,” “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” and “The Cat in The Hat” will be released in Q2 2021, with “How The Grinch Stole Christmas!” debuting in time for the holiday season. In each set, the Dr. Seuss characters loved by children and parents alike will come to life by constructing colorful, printed magnetic tiles, making them perfect STEM toys for kids ages three and up.
“As we continue to build CreateOn’s roster of partners, Dr. Seuss epitomizes the iconic stories, characters and imagery that can come to life in an entirely new way for new generations through our unique approach to customizing Magna-Tiles,” said Steve Rosen, Vice President, CreateOn. “With our Dr. Seuss Magna-Tiles structures, kids and parents can work together to creatively bring new life to these classic stories.”
All four sets will be available at CreateOn.com. The sets are for children ages three and up and are compatible with other Magna-Tiles sets. CreateOn has additional licensing partnerships with The World of Eric Carle, Sesame Street, Build-A-Bear Workshop, and Crayola, in addition to its own series of Magna-Tiles Structures sets and customizable photo sets under the MyMagna-Tiles brand name.