Martha Speaks

NAME: Martha Speaks

ORIGIN: The TV series is based on the best-selling children’s book series of the same name, written and illustrated by Susan Meddaugh. The series of six Martha Speaks books has sold one million copies in the U.S., and has also been widely translated throughout the world.

DISTRIBUTOR: DECODE Enterprises

CREATOR: Author Susan Meddaugh

CO-PRODUCERS: Studio B Productions and WGBH

TV SHOW: Aimed at 4- to 7-year-olds, the 2-D series consists of 40 30-minute episodes.

DESCRIPTION: The show follows the adventures of Martha, a loveable dog whose appetite for alphabet soup gives her the power of human speech. Using her speaking abilities, Martha gets jobs, foils bad guys, wins contests and orders lots of pizza! A dog’s breakfast of messes and hilarious entanglements ensue for Martha, her family and the unsuspecting people of her town who make up the comic heart of the series.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Carol Greenwald (WGBH Boston), Chris Bartleman (Studio B Productions), Blair Peters (Studio B Productions)

COMMISSIONING BROADCASTER: PBS KIDS

TV SALES: CBBC in the U.K., Discovery Latin America, Canal+ and OP Art in Poland, Noga in Israel, Mini Max in Central and Eastern Europe, Al Jazeera Children’s Channel, Finland’s YLE and Canada’s TVO, Knowledge Network and SCN

MAJOR TOY LICENSEES: Discussions are currently under way with toy and game partners.

OTHER PRODUCTS: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has been appointed as worldwide master publishing licensee, with titles launching in the winter of 2010. Since Martha Speaks is a literary property, publishing will be at the heart of the licensing program. In addition, the first home-entertainment release is planned for summer 2009.

STRATEGY FOR ROLLOUT: Martha Speaks launched in the fall of 2008 in North America, where the property already had awareness due to the book series. According to David Bernstein, the VP and general manager of WGBH Enterprises, the launch included an "integrated campaign" across "on-air, online, print, radio, out of home advertising and community outreach."
In terms of a licensing and merchandising rollout, Lindberg Licensing & Promotion has been appointed as the licensing agent for the property in North America. "The primary merchandise categories will be publishing, home entertainment and plush," Bernstein says. "To launch the first wave of merchandise, a U.S. retail partner will be announced in the coming months. Then, the program will build to include apparel, social expressions, activity kits and video games. Given the high level of familiarity and support in the retail book and library channels, we want to build from these points to have a sustainable program."