9 Story to Extend Brands to Consumer Marketplace

TORONTO, May 29: Canada’s
9 Story Entertainment has named The Licensing Shop as its exclusive worldwide
(excluding Germany) licensing and merchandising representative, as part of the
its new strategy to extend the reach of its proprietary entertainment brands.

The first two properties,
set for presentation at the upcoming Licensing Show, are Almost Naked
Animals and Best Ed. Product categories slated for exploitation in the
initial phase include social expression, novelty toys, publishing, apparel and
video games.

"We are thrilled to
be partnering with one of the industry's top licensing agencies and look
forward to a long and profitable relationship as 9 Story, together with the
talented and experienced team at The Licensing Shop, transforms its quality
programming into enduring brands with worldwide appeal," said Natalie Osborne,
the executive VP of 9 Story.

"9 Story is a
genuinely dynamic Canadian entertainment company led by a group of very
talented and creative people," added Nancy Fowler, the chief strategist of
The Licensing Shop. "We believe Almost Naked Animals and Best Ed have tremendous potential for merchandising particularly with the 6-
to 11-year-old demographic. You know you have something compelling when your
audience laughs instantly at the designs before you have even begun to explain
the story. We're very excited about the potential for both."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski