In this report, Playback looks at the people and forces involved in the development of three new Canadian kids’ programs and the marketing and merchandising thrusts behind those and some other kids’ properties.

Inside:

Development diaries:

The Charlie Horse Music Pizza p. 24

Zoboomafoo p. 27

Mr. Men p. 29

Treehouse TV p. 26

Wimzie update p. 30

ACT awards approach p. 30

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‘Today’s reality in children’s television is that one can’t make any money on television proper,’ says Steve McNie, executive producer at Skinnarmarink Productions, whose comments are typical in the preschool kids’ industry where licensing is quickly becoming the only avenue from which to generate a profit.

The question in children’s tv is no longer ‘to license or not to license,’ but rather ‘when to license.’ Two Canadian kids’ shows, Skinnamarink tv (Skinnamarink/Twist Productions) and Groundling Marsh (J.A. Delmage Productions/ Portfolio Entertainment), are both in different stages of the vital merchandising campaign. The two shows are willing to ride out low or non-existent broadcast fees from u.s. channels (pbs isn’t paying them broadcast fees) in order to achieve the necessary exposure that will hopefully generate returns on a video and merchandising back end.

‘If we didn’t consider how to take advantage of great television to drive ancillary businesses and create interest in licensed merchandise we wouldn’t be able to make the television show,’ says McNie. ‘The full circle has to include licensing and merchandising today.’

McNie, manager of children’s entertainers Sharon, Lois and Bram and executive producer at Skinnamarink, which has just launched the first season of Skinnamarink tv on CBC Playground in Canada and The Learning Channel’s Ready Set Learn preschool block in the u.s., says plans are in the works for a merchandising and licensing campaign based on Skinnamarink tv in about a year’s time.

He says Skinnamarink has just signed a ‘master licence agreement with an as-of-yet-unnamed but soon-to-be-announced vertically integrated Canadian entertainment company.’ The deal involves licensing just for Canada, but the next strategic initiative will be creating product samples to bring to the February American International Toy Fair in New York City to gain the interest of u.s. buyers.

Skinnamarink tv is now seen on tlc, which reaches an estimated 55 million households in North America. McNie also suggests an announcement is expected shortly that will see Skinnamarink solidifying a relationship with a major supplier to pbs stations that could put the show in 65% of u.s. households by May ’98.

Though McNie is currently embroiled in the monumental task of simply launching the show on cbc and tlc, he is still conscious of the merchandising campaign down the line that the company has slated as a revenue return to the private investors who helped finance the series.

McNie feels that because of Skinnamarink tv’s structure, the show will present interesting licensing opportunities in three distinct categories, the first being the obvious audio and video recordings as well as cd-roms and books that will capitalize on Sharon, Lois and Bram’s appeal as kids’ entertainers.

The second category will be plush toys and clothing based on the Skinnamarink tv characters Ella Acapella and C.C. CopyCat. ‘Unlike Elephant (The old character from Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Elephant Show) they have a distinct gender and they both sing. Elephant didn’t talk,’ says McNie.

The third licensing and merchandising opportunity for Skinnamarink tv is likened by McNie to successful Saturday Night Live franchises such as Wayne’s World. Because Skinnamarink tv satirizes television for preschoolers with a series of skits, McNie sees the potential for ‘mini-licensing’ programs for characters like Cookie La Frano, who has a show on Skinnamarink tv called Cookie’s Diner.

The nationwide reach of pbs is the key factor that has allowed another Canadian series, Groundling Marsh, to proceed with its licensing and merchandising campaign, supported by Lyric, the u.s. company responsible for the barrage of products from Barney and that precocious Jack Russell terrier, Wishbone.

‘It’s always a burden on the producer when you’re looking to pbs,’ says John Delmage, executive producer of the four-year-old Groundling Marsh series along with partners Lisa Olfman and Joy Rosen of Portfolio Entertainment, which also distributes the show. ‘But the hope is at the end of the day – and everybody knows this – that we get the exposure because they have great market penetration across North America. And that’s the jumping-off point for your merchandising program,’ adds Delmage.

Free of its partnership with Disney due to a management shakeup at the Magic Kingdom and the move to producing its own productions, Groundling Marsh signed a video deal with Lyric last year that will see the release of a Christmas video, Merry Merry Marshland, this season, with more titles to follow in the spring with a February launch of plush and clothing merchandise. Motion International is handling the Canadian video distribution.

With Lyric pushing the series as a transition between Barney and Wishbone, Groundling Marsh was able to get on at presentation station kera, the pbs affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth, a flagship pbs station and a distributor to other pbs stations with aps.

But there was a cost involved for Groundling Marsh producers. ‘We hired a publicist, put together press kits, dubbed and sent out cassettes, and did a lot of leg work,’ says Delmage.

The answer as to whether or not the costs of getting on pbs were worthwhile for Groundling Marsh will begin to be determined in February when Lyric launches the merchandising campaign at the American International Toy Fair in New York. If the number of purple dinosaurs around is any indication, the gamble has good odds.