Crack & Bonky Scores Latin-American Merchandising Deals

LOS ANGELES, November 1: Adness Entertainment has bagged a
number of new Latin-American merchandising deals on the 3-D character-based
kids’ franchise Crack & Bonky following
Expo Licensing Latin America.

Last month, Adness announced the acquisition of the North
American and Asian licensing rights to the kids and teen brand.

The new Latin-American licensees include Doobalo, who will
roll out a branded line of socks, while PIC will develop sleepwear and
underwear and Manny Distribuciones will offer coin purses, nylon wallets,
markers, retractable erasers and pencil sharpeners. These companies join the
list of Latin American licensees which already includes Chicabum, which offers
cellular content in Mexico and Latin America; Office Max, who creates
customized stationery; DTM, with a line of toys and figures; Chenson, who have
developed backpacks and bags; Bondifiesta, with bubble gum and confectioneries;
Majtán, which offers gel stickers and decorations; Bonsa, offering gifts,
office supplies and accessories; PTI/K.com, with their line of cellular
accessories; MAE, offering gifts and office supplies; and Editorial Radar,
providing children’s magazines.

In addition to merchandising, Crack & Bonky also plans to run weekly comic strips in the Sunday
kids section of Mexican national newspaper Reforma, beginning in January 2008.

Originating from Mexico, Crack & Bonky follows the adventures of two friends, who are from
another dimension called Limbo, as they try to mimic human behavior and
understand human emotion. The property launched through the website
www.chikabum.com, and gained popularity through the site’s downloadable
wallpapers, animation shorts and ring tones.

Yasuo Matsuo, the CEO of Adness Entertainment, commented: “Crack
& Bonky is fast becoming one of those
rare brands that seems to take on a life of its own and expand exponentially in
the marketplace. We see this unique property as a huge opportunity for the U.S.
and Asia, and we are excited to embark on introducing the brand to licensing
partners in these critical markets.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski