Thunderbird Distribution and Thunderbird Brands — the distribution and consumer products arms of Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. — announce several platform and licensing deals for Mermicorno: Starfall, the new original animated series from Thunderbird-owned Atomic Cartoons, produced in partnership with global character, art and lifestyle brand tokidoki.
The first season (26 x 22′) will be made available on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service Max in the U.S. and LatAm (Latin America & The Caribbean), as well as Cartoon Network in LatAm and Southeast Asia. The series has also been acquired by Narrative Entertainment’s POP (U.K.) and Corus Entertainment for Treehouse, STACKTV and TELETOON+ (Canada). Mermicorno: Starfall is expected to launch on all Corus platforms in Canada in early 2025.
About the show: Inspired by tokidoki’s hit Mermicorno character family launched in 2016, Mermicorno: Starfall is a smart and fun adventure-comedy for kids five to nine, that takes place in a fantastical and magical undersea world, where a team of Mermicornos (enchanting unicorn-mermaids) join together to save the ocean from an evil threat. During their epic mission, our heroes unlock the magic of creative self-expression, discover new depths of friendship, and find the best bowl of ramen in the sea.
The series is currently in production at Atomic’s Ottawa studio.
“Growing up, I was always impressed with animation of any kind: Western cartoons and Japanese anime touched my heart and imagination. When I draw new characters, I envision them already moving and interacting with their own voice. I’m thrilled to share a piece of my inner world through animation,” said tokidoki’s Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder, Simone Legno.
Thunderbird Brands has appointed the first international licensing agent for the IP. Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana will represent Mermicorno: Starfall in the Canadian market, covering all major categories outside of toys and publishing.
“We have dreamed of this for many years and cannot wait to see our Mermicorno come to life in animation,” said Pooneh Mohajer, tokidoki’s CEO & Co-Founder. “Nelvana has an impressive consumer products team — they are the perfect licensing partners for Canada!”
Thunderbird Brands (booth H236) and tokidoki (booth G214), which co-manage the consumer products program for the IP, will be attending the global licensing industry’s premier trade event, Licensing Expo, May 21-23 in Las Vegas.
“tokidoki already has a very strong fanbase here in Canada, including the team at Nelvana, which makes this partnership even more exciting,” said Mellany Welsh, VP and Head of Nelvana and Kids Can Press. “We couldn’t be happier to partner with Thunderbird on the first tokidoki brand extension. Mermicorno has all the right elements for success — from tokidoki’s iconic style and Thunderbird and Atomic’s character-driven series, to Nelvana’s retail and licensing expertise in Canada — the merchandise program is sure to resonate with Canadian kids.”
Thunderbird President of Global Distribution & Consumer Products, Richard Goldsmith commented, “From the outset, we’ve known Mermicorno: Starfall is special and unique to the market, based on the fans of tokidoki’s Mermicorno characters. And as we continue to attract more top-tier platforms and partners like Nelvana Enterprises, it reconfirms the huge opportunity that we have with our awesome new animated series and multi-year plans for more content and consumer products.”
