Taffy, Atlantyca Ink New Licensing Deal for Geronimo Stilton

LOS ANGELES, September 25: Taffy
Entertainment has reached a new worldwide licensing and consumer
products deal with Italy’s Atlantyca Entertainment for the classic kids’ book
series Geronimo Stilton.

Under the new deal, Taffy will now oversee most of the
worldwide consumer products licensing and promotional rights on the classic Geronimo
Stilton kids’ chapter book series.
Atlantyca, the original rights holder on the award-winning international kids’
brand, will continue to manage all licensing in Italy as well as worldwide
publishing. The new agreement follows a similar licensing deal signed earlier
this summer for the new animated television series based on the Stilton
character.

The Geronimo
Stilton books are
published worldwide and are available in over 28 languages, including Italian, where they are published by
Edizioni Piemme (Mondadori Group), and in English, published in the U.S. by
Scholastic. The books were first published in Italy in May 2000 and to
date have sold more than 16 million in Italy alone, with 23 million books being
sold worldwide in 2006.

The
book series centers on the life and adventures of a best-selling author named
Geronimo Stilton, who happens to be a mouse living in New Mouse City on Mouse Island. Geronimo
is an intellectual mild-mannered mouse who despite wanting nothing better than
to live a quiet life, works as the editor-in-chief of Mouse Island’s newspaper The
Rodent's Gazette and keeps
managing to get involved in humorous capers with his younger sister Thea
Stilton, cousin Trap Stilton, and nephew, nine-year-old Benjamin Stilton.

“Geronimo Stilton is
destined to be one of those timeless, ubiquitous brands that we’ll talk about
for years to come,” says Cynthia Money, the president of worldwide consumer
products and marketing for Taffy Entertainment.
“The ability to work with Geronimo and Atlantyca utilizing the design of both
the classic book series and the new updated TV series also enables us manage
and maintain a consistency in the look and messaging across all licensing
platforms. We will continue to
seek out potential partners who can also bring something to the marketplace
that will be equally embraced by both children and parents alike. Above all, we
will honor the connection kids and parents have with Geronimo and the other
characters in everything we develop around the brand.”