Cookie Jar Inks Deal with Harlem Globetrotters

BURBANK: Cookie Jar Group has been named exclusive global licensing agent and developer of kids’ programming for the Harlem Globetrotters, with plans to bring the brand back to TV for the first time in 30 years.

Cookie Jar Group’s licensing division, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG), will create and oversee a multi-tiered licensing program, while Cookie Jar Entertainment will develop animated entertainment for the brand. CPLG will initially target fans who grew up with the Harlem Globetrotters via a wide range of consumer products, including vintage apparel and collectibles, but will also create a licensing program aimed at a new generation that will feature sporting goods, trading cards and interactive games.

The Harlem Globetrotters mix basketball and entertainment, and have performed for more than 80 years. The Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents. Hanna-Barbera did an animated series in the 1970s, The Harlem Globetrotters, and the group has also had recent prime-time appearances on Hell’s Kitchen, John & Kate Plus 8 and The Bachelorette and currently The Amazing Race.

“This is a tremendously exciting partnership for us,” said Harlem Globetrotters’ CEO, Kurt Schneider. “The Cookie Jar Group has developed many of the most iconic, multiplatform brands in the world, and they are uniquely capable of creating broad consumer opportunities for the Globetrotters that capitalize on the team’s timeless appeal as well as its current pop-culture heat.”

“We are thrilled to represent the Harlem Globetrotters, one of the world’s most recognizable brands featuring players who have been entertaining and inspiring people for the past 84 years,” added Kirk Bloomgarden, the executive VP of worldwide consumer products for Cookie Jar Group. “We look forward to building on the success and equity of the Harlem Globetrotters brand with a full complement of consumer products and entertainment for fans of all ages.”