NEW YORK Quick, think of a successful children’s book series that was turned into a hit TV show? If you answered Goosebumps, you’re right, but execs at Scholastic hope the next name that leaps to mind is Animorphs.
The book series about a group of youngsters that can change into animals and back again is undergoing its own transformation. Starting this September, the show hits Nickelodeon’s new primetime lineup. To celebrate, the property’s master toy licensee, Hasbro, will create a toy line for early 1999, and Columbia TriStar Home Video will release videos from the TV series in 1999.
The property has two major tie-ins to go with the licensing deals. All of TriCon’s 13,000 restaurants, Taco Bells, Kentucky Fried Chickens, and Pizza Huts – will tie into Animorphs this fall as the start of a multi-year deal. “It’s the first time they all combined to support a kids’ program overlapping,” says Scholastic’s executive director of marketing Scott Fuller. All three restaurant chains will include kids’ meal toys.
The show joins a recent trend by making a deal with a clothing company to dress the show’s characters. As their official wardrober, The Gap will get a mention at the end of each show. This announcement comes just after the WB’s Dawson Creek linked itself with J. Crew and an upcoming horror movie from Dimension Films, The Faculty, joined forces with Tommy Hilfiger. Fuller says the deal right now does not call for any Animorphs mentions in-store, but the single-year agreement may be extended in both time and scope.
Animorphs’ fans skew evenly between boys and girls seven to 14. “It’s not just about magic, but it’s five normal kids who have to deal with the real issues in their life,” Fuller says. The children get the ability to morph into any animal they touch after meeting a dying alien in a parking lot.
Goosebumps on Fox Kids Network this fall will be joined by the popular Magic School Bus. This Scholastic property moves from its home of four years, PBS.
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