Hasbro has inked a definitive agreement to purchase Saban Properties entertainment brands including Power Rangers, My Pet Monster, Popples, Julius Jr., Luna Petunia, Treehouse Detectives and others in a cash and stock deal valued at $522 million.
“Power Rangers is an iconic brand built on a heritage of great storytelling and merchandising with tremendous upside potential when fully executed across Hasbro’s Brand Blueprint,” said Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s chairman and CEO. “Shortly after entering into our licensing arrangement, it became clear that now was the time to begin investing in unlocking Power Rangers’ full potential. We see significant opportunity for Power Rangers across our entire Brand Blueprint, including toys and games, consumer products, digital gaming and entertainment, as well as geographically throughout our global retail footprint. We couldn’t be more pleased that Haim Saban will continue in a consulting role to further guide our development of this valuable property for the next generation of Power Rangers fans.”
“25 years after launching Power Rangers, I believe the future for this brand has never been greater,” said Haim Saban, founder of Saban Brands and creator of Power Rangers. “Hasbro’s leadership in innovation, storytelling and brand stewardship make it the perfect company to further develop the global reach and appeal of the Power Rangers property. I look forward to working with Brian and the team in the years to come.”
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers launched in 1993 and quickly became a pop culture phenomenon, and is now one of the longest-running kids’ live-action series in TV history with nearly 900 episodes to date. The series is currently in its 25th season (Super Ninja Steel) has been augmented with feature films, including the 2017 movie with Lionsgate, and airs in 150 markets worldwide.
The first set of products from Hasbro will be available in spring 2019.
Of the other properties named:
- My Pet Monster was originally produced as a plush doll by American Greetings in 1986, spawning a live-action home video movie the same year and an animated series which ran for one season on ABC in ‘87 (produced by Ellipse, Nelvana and Hi-Tops Video).
- The Popples roll-up plush concept was created by AG’s Those Characters From Cleveland and launched in 1986 with toys from Mattel and animated series from DIC and LBS Comm. in association with The Maltese Co. (DHX Media currently hold distribution rights). Saban and Zagtoon refreshed the property for a new animated Netflix series in 2015, which ran for three seasons.
- Based on the characters created by Paul Frank, the Julius Jr. cartoon debuted on Nick Jr. in 2013 from Saban and animation shopt BrainPower Studio; the little monkey’s adventures ran for two seasons.
- The animated series Luna Petunia is a collaboration of Cirque du Soleil, Saban and BrainPower, which premiered on Netflix in December 2016. Little Luna’s dreamland adventures have run for three seasons, with the follow-up Luna Petunia: Return to Amazia launched earlier this year.
- Coming soon to Netflix, Treehouse Detectives is a CG-animated children’s series from Saban and Sunwoo Animation (Korea), in which big-hearted Toby and his more rational sister Teri solve neighborhood mysteries like snowman disappearances, vanishing caterpillars and falling leaves.
[Source: Business Wire]
