DIC Debuts Horseland Retail and Merchandise Program in Europe

BURBANK, February 6: DIC Entertainment has launched Horseland-branded girls’
merchandise across Europe, with a product line spanning a diverse range of
consumer goods.

The products are debuting alongside the company’s announcement that it has
greenlit 26 new half-hours of the children’s series, slated to air across the
region later this year.

More than 20 licensees across Europe are onboard with the retail program.
Among the new Horseland merchandise debuting are toys (Lansay in French-speaking
Europe; Thinkway Toys in the U.K.), publishing (Carlsen Verlag in Germany; Big Balloon and NSC Europe in Benelux;
International Editorial Service in Italy), games (Ravensburger in France,
Germany and the Benelux), apparel (Van Der Erve in France, Germany and
Benelux), bed linen (BellTex in France, Germany and Benelux), PC and handheld
video games (Mindscape in Europe) and back-to-school products (Tennessee in
France). Additionally, Holco published the first Horseland magazine in the Netherlands and will be followed
by Blue Ocean in Germany and Austria. In French-speaking Europe, the
merchandise program will also be supported with a summer QSR 2008 promotion
with more than 1 million premiums produced for a high-profile undisclosed
quick-service restaurant.

DIC has also secured
European home-entertainment deals for Horseland, with CITEL in France scheduled to release product
in the third quarter of 2008; Scanbox in Scandinavia slated for a May 2008
release; Panini in German-speaking Europe slated for a March/April 2008 release;
and Bridge Entertainment in Dutch-speaking Benelux. Additionally, Viva
Entertainment has acquired rights in the Middle East and Mirax has acquired
rights in Hungary, Romania, and the Czech and Slovak Republics.

In Horseland, virtual reality horses come together with
action-adventure storylines. The episodes follow the relationships of five
girls and two boys who have become fast friends trough their love of horses.
The series, targeting girls aged 6 to 11, originated from the web community
www.horseland.com, which has more than 2.4 million registered accounts and
allows kids to interactively buy, sell, breed and train virtual horses, and
compete with themselves and each other.

Horseland has been sold to more than 20 countries in the
EMEA and airs on France 5 (France), Teletoon (France), KI.KA (Germany), ZDF
(Germany), Jetix Holland (Dutch-speaking Benelux), Pop Girl (the U.K.), VT4
(Dutch-speaking Benelux), TV2 (Norway), SVT (Sweden), Logi (Israel), Alter
Channel (Greece), TV Ontario (English-speaking Canada), Minimax (Hungary,
Czech-Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina), TG4 (Ireland) and on
pay-TV in Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. In 2008, the series will
debut on RAI2 (Italy), Antenna TV (Cyprus), SIC (Portugal), M-Net (South
Africa), D Smart (Turkey) and on Space Toon throughout the Middle East.

The series debuted and
currently airs on CBS’s KEWLopolis
block in the U.S.

“We are thrilled with the
European reception to this unique property,” said Leslie Nelson, the senior VP and
managing director of EMEA for DIC. “Horseland incorporates all of the key elements that create a
successful brand in this marketplace—adventure, fantasy, compelling
storylines, unique characters and interactive play. With an additional 26
episodes in production for delivery in 2008, this demonstrates that we are
seriously committed to building Horseland into a classic evergreen girl’s brand across Europe.”

—By Ned Berke