ER, Penguin in Publishing Partnership for Tinga Tinga Tales

LONDON/NEW YORK, November
5: Entertainment Rights (ER) has signed a global publishing deal with the
Penguin Group for the new preschool property Tinga Tinga Tales, produced by Tiger Aspect Productions in
partnership with CBeebies in the U.K. and Playhouse Disney in the U.S.

Puffin Books will be the
publisher in the U.K. for books based on Tinga
Tinga Tales and will control all foreign publishing rights. Grosset &
Dunlap is the publishing partner in North America. The Penguin Group has a
number of initiatives set for the brand, including the production of
storybooks, novelty books, electronic books, audio books and manuals.

Aimed at 4- to
6-year-olds, the series retells tales that have been passed down for
generations in Africa. The style of the show is based on the Tinga Tinga art of
Tanzania, with all images hand-painted by local African artists and then
computer animated. Tinga Tinga Tales is
being produced in Kenya for delivery from fall 2009 into 2010.

Andrew Kerr, the executive
director of marketing and consumer products for the U.K. and international at
Entertainment Rights, commented: "The strength of Puffin's product
development, international distribution, and marketing capabilities make them
the ideal global publishing partner for Tinga
Tinga Tales. With today's announcement ER will begin to assemble a group of
key global and pan-regional consumer product partners for the brand, anchored
by the strength of the Puffin relationship. With Penguin globally, CBeebies in
the U.K. and Playhouse Disney in the U.S. already amongst the brand's key
partners, Tinga Tinga Tales is
brilliantly positioned to become a truly global preschool brand in the years to
come."

Francesca Dow, the
managing director of Puffin Books, added: “Puffin is delighted to be the U.K.
publishing partner for Tinga Tinga Tales,
which is such a wonderfully fresh and vibrant new property. Tinga Tinga Tales is about great
storytelling—for children today, everywhere—and that's exactly what
Puffin is all about too. We look forward to creating a truly innovative and fun
range of books for all markets globally, building on our success with other
characters such as Charlie and Lola. Tinga
Tinga Tales is a fantastic addition to our global publishing portfolio and
cements our position as one of the leading preschool producer of books."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski