Toonz brings Mr. Bean to South Asia

Media News

New Delhi, June 19

Toonz Licensing has inked an agreement with Tiger Aspect Productions to bring Mr. Bean, the globally popular character portrayed by Rowan Atkinson on television, film and DVD, to the South Asia market. Toonz Licensing was appointed as the licensing agent for Mr Bean in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

The groundbreaking deal comes close on the heels of the huge success of the movie ‘Mr Bean’s Holiday’, which has grossed almost US $2 million in just 4 weeks.

Toonz Licensing, is the licensing and merchandising arm of Asia’s premier multimedia entertainment company Toonz. Toonz Animation is a major provider of animation to the US and European markets and has several global entertainment majors on its client list – including Marvel, BBC, Hallmark, Paramount and Cartoon Network. Over the years, backed by its strong brand values, Toonz has diversified into several niche segments of the entertainment industry – Toonz Licensing, Toonz Entertainment, Toonz Digital, Toonz Gaming and Toonz Academy.

Announcing the deal, Toonz CEO Mr. Jayakumar said, “Mr. Bean already has a huge fan following in South Asia, thanks to the success of live and animated television series. We believe this deal with Tiger Aspect will propel the brand to a new level.”

Mr Bean is already a perennial licensing favourite with merchandise distribution in more than 60 territories worldwide including publishing, video, plush and toys and Toonz is keen to reflect this success with the development of licensing strategies alongside the increasingly popular character of film, television and DVD. Licensing initiatives will be delivered that will appeal to consumers in this hugely lucrative marketplace.

Mr Bean created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis first burst onto our television screens in 1990 with a live action television series which, since its inception, has sold to more than 190 countries worldwide and been in continual distribution for 16 years. Since then the character has appeared in two major movies – Bean The Ultimate Disaster Movie, which grossed in excess of US$255 million worldwide, and the current Mr Bean’s Holiday which is enjoying similar success. In 2002 Rowan Atkinson worked with animators to create an animated version of Mr Bean, which proved equally popular – in particular with younger audiences – and which is currently distributed in over 60 countries.

The television broadcasts are complemented in more than 35 countries around the world by Video and DVD releases distributed by Universal Studios worldwide (excluding North America) and by A&E Home Video in the US/Canada with overall sales exceeding 16 million units.

Since its inception Mr Bean has won numerous awards including the International Emmy in the Popular Art Category, the Golden Rose of Montreux Cable Ace Award and the BANFF Award.

The release of ‘Mr Bean’s Holiday’ has signalled a new era for what is already a very successful brand with new markets and licensing initiatives emerging on a regular basis as new territories recognise the wealth of opportunities presented by this unique brand proposition.