Nickelodeon Offers a ‘Nicksplosion’ Of Properties @ Licensing 2001.

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, stars an intellectually gifted “tweenager” in a computer animated adventure. It will have more that $200 million in advertising and promotional support. The franchise also boasts over 20 licensees, with product tied to both the holiday movie release through the Fall 2002 TV premiere. Master toy licensee Mattel, with action figures and vehicles, is joined by THQ for video games, American Greetings for cards and party goods, Golden Books and Simon & Schuster for publishing and Welch’s for collectible jelly tumblers, among others. Primary promotional partners include Trident for Kids and RadioShack.

Fall 2001 kicks off the licensing programs of two of Nickelodeon’s newest hit properties: “Dora the Explorer” and “Rocket Power.”

“Dora the Explorer,” the interactive, play-along adventure series, debuted on Nick Jr. August 2000 and has already emerged as the number one show on all commercial TV among kids ages 2-5. The show stars Dora, a spirited Latina heroine, who is bilingual and teaches preschoolers Spanish words or phrases in every episode. A unique attribute to Dora’s merchandising program is that many of the product features bilingual elements. Home video from Paramount Home Entertainment launched in June. This Fall, an exclusive apparel program launches at May Co. department stores nationwide with apparel from Kids Headquarters and plush from Gund. Further retail expansion is slated for 2002.

“Rocket Power,” the number three ranked show on all of kids TV among kids ages 2-11, features characters kids love and all of the hot action sports they play. THQ’s newly released Game Boy Color video game is already one of the top-selling video games in the country.

The expanded consumer products launch kicked off last week at Mervyn’s Beach Bash, the annual extreme sports and music festival, which featured a “Rocket Power” kids’ zone. Back-to-School products include apparel from Kids Headquarters, sporting goods from Variflex, a range of toys, action figures and playsets from Mattel, fruit rolls from Nabisco and books from Simon & Schuster and Golden Books

“SpongeBob SquarePants,” the number two ranked show on all of kids TV, is Nickelodeon’s quirky comedy about a bubbly offbeat sea sponge that is a breakout hit with kids, college students and adults. “SpongeBob SquarePants” will begin appearing daily on Nickelodeon in the coveted post-Rugrats time slot of 8:00 PM starting in July. Products targeting the teen and college crowd include T-shirts, boxers, dorm room memo boards and soap-on-a-rope. Retailer Hot Topic, in particular, has had tremendous success with “SpongeBob SquarePants” merchandise. A comprehensive line for core viewers is slated for Spring 2002.

Earlier this Spring “SpongeBob SquarePants” starred in a “Got Milk” TV and print advertising campaign and June 11th begins a four-week promotion at Burger King restaurants nationwide.

“Blue’s Clues” is the most-watched preschool program on all of kid’s TV and the only new preschool brand that has been able to sustain itself successfully in the past five years. In 2002, a fully integrated brand re-launch is planned around the introduction of the show’s new host, Joe, Steve’s younger brother. Product featuring Joe will debut in conjunction with new Blue’s Clues episodes breaking that Fall.

Joining Nick Jr’s roster this year was “Little Bill.” Created by Bill Cosby, “Little Bill” is the Emmy-winning family series that’s already the number one show among kids ages 2-5 on Nick Jr. on CBS on Saturday mornings. The program includes a book series from Simon & Schuster, home videos from Paramount Home Entertainment and a feature doll from Fisher-Price.

Last, but certainly not least, 2001 marks the 10th anniversary of “Rugrats,” the number one show on all of kids TV for five years in a row. The property has generated over $3 billion in consumer products. With over 200 licensees and two theatrical releases which grossed over $250 million, the Rugrats are truly in a class by themselves.

In celebration of the Rugrats 10th anniversary, the network is presenting “All Growed Up,” an hour-long special on July 21, that gives viewers a glimpse of the babies ten years into the “footure.” That episode, along with the ten most favorite episodes as picked by viewers, will be available on home video in August from Paramount Home Entertainment. The Rugrats will be honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame on June 28. A third theatrical release, The “Rugrats Meets the Wild Thornberrys” is planned for Holiday 2002 and will join two of Nickelodeon’s most beloved families. A separate “Wild Thornberrys” movie is also in production.

New properties including “Invader Zim,” and “Oswald,” will also be unveiled at the show.

In addition to Nickelodeon’s shows, another valuable asset of the company is the Nick brand and its Sliming compounds. This year will see an expansion of the wildly popular Nick-Tivities line, which includes Goooze, one of the Top 10 toys of 2000, and Zyrofoam.