Granada Ventures, the merchandise, licensing and publishing division of the UK's largest commercial broadcaster, ITVplc, has secured three key global licensing partners for Bella Sara™, the award-winning trading cards and online world for girls. HarperCollins has been appointed as the company's worldwide master publishing licensee; Codemasters has been appointed as video games publisher for world excluding Scandinavia and Sababa Toys has been appointed as the master toy licensee in all English-speaking world territories.
Melanie Beer, Head of Licensing at Granada Ventures, says, "Due to the phenomenal success of this unique brand, we've managed to attract high-caliber licensees to form the cornerstone of our licensing program. We're delighted to be working with HarperCollins, Codemasters and Sababa Toys and will work together to maximize the huge global sales potential for Bella Sara™ branded products at retail."
Paula Miller, VP Licensing at Granada Ventures USA, adds, "Bella Sara™ is shaping up to be an extraordinary and exciting long term licensing program. We have attracted some of the most world renowned partners in our first tier categories and fully expect that to continue as we finalize deals in other key categories such as apparel, accessories, back-to-school, greeting cards, stationery, bedding and room décor. It's clear that Bella Sara™ has touched the hearts of millions of girls around the world and we are proud to be a part of it."
In a global deal, world publishing rights have been acquired by HarperCollins. The deal covers all publishing formats, to include story, activity, and illustrated novels.
HarperCollins is one of the world's leading publishers of children's books, recognized for nurturing new talent as well as boasting a reputable list of established bestselling authors, brands and movie tie-ins. Respected globally for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many of the biggest names in children's literature, past and present.
Susan Katz, President and Publisher of HarperCollins Children's Books, says, "We at HarperCollins are passionate about and thrilled to be a part of Hidden City Games' pioneering online concepts and Granada Ventures' cross-platform outreach for Bella Sara™. Our unique publishing program will add a new dimension to the world of Bella Sara™, providing fans with fresh insight into beloved characters and stories."
Codemasters has a worldwide licensing agreement with Granada Ventures and Hidden City Games to introduce Bella Sara™ to the video gaming market. As part of its family entertainment portfolio, Codemasters, a leading creator and publisher of video games, will be launching games for the Nintendo DS™ and PC in time for Christmas 2008. The Bella Sara™ gaming titles will immerse players in an interactive world of fantasy horses. Players will be able to ride, care for, accessorize and trade the horses with friends while discovering secret items and exclusive cards to activate on the official Bella Sara™ website.
"As the leading card and online property for young girls, Bella Sara™ is a proven success and the perfect addition to Codemasters' family entertainment category," says Leon Sanders, Brand Manager, Codemasters. "Signing Bella Sara™ extends our portfolio to the young female gaming market and, with its players already familiar with experiencing Bella Sara's online world, the property comes with an established computer-friendly audience that already understands it as a creative playing experience."
Sababa Toys will develop a comprehensive toy line, including collectable miniature horses, 5" figurines, plush and games anticipated to hit the shelves in Autumn 2008.
Stone Newman, President of Sababa Toys, comments, "We are thrilled to be part of the Bella Sara™ excitement. Bella Sara™ represents everything girls love: from beautiful horses to magical fantasy to inspiring messages that encourage friendship and sharing. We look forward to bringing to life these wonderful themes through unique and captivating product."
Bella Sara was created by former social worker Gitte Odder Brændgaard in Denmark, and subsequently introduced outside of Scandinavia by Hidden City Games' Peter Adkison, the entrepreneur who previously launched Magic: The Gathering worldwide and brought Pokémon trading cards to North America. A phenomenon amongst 5-12-year old girls, Bella Sara has sold over 40 million trading cards worldwide since the series debuted in 2007
. Each Bella Sara card features a fairytale-like illustration of a horse along with a positive and inspirational message for young girls, such as "Beauty comes from within" or "Be the hero in your own story". A unique code on every card activates a virtual horse that can be cared for in the Bella Sara online world at
www.bellasara.com.
The site, which features hundreds of virtual horses, a variety of age-appropriate casual games, customizable cottages, puzzles, coloring books, interactive stories and more has amassed more than 2 million registered users from 240 countries. Granada Ventures represents worldwide licensing rights for Bella Sara (excluding Scandinavia) in all categories, with the exception of collectible cards and entertainment programming which are held by licensor Hidden City Games.
Since its U.S. debut last year, Bella Sara™ has received numerous awards from child development and parenting authorities, including the "Seal of Approval" from the National Parenting Center, the "Seal of Excellence" from
Creative Child magazine, the "2007 Excellent Product" and "2007 Outstanding Product" designations from iParenting Media and the "Best Products - Spring 2007" award from Dr. Toy. Recently, Bella Sara™ was named one of the top stocking stuffers of 2007 on
About.com.
For more information, please contact:
Alice Burden
PR Manager Granada Ventures
Phone: 011 44 (0) 207 389 8609
Granadaventures.co.uk
Michelle Orsi & Carol Holdsworth
Mesa360 Marketing & Communications
Phone: 310.372.2309
Mobile: 310.418.6430
michelle@mesa-360.com
carol@mesa-360.com
