Kartoon Studios (NYSE: TOON), through its contolling interest in
Stan Lee Universe, LLC, announced today a total and
near-instantaneous sell through of Stan Lee digital collectibles
through its partnership with digital leader
VeVe, on July 18. The total drop,
of over 8,000 digital collectibles opened at 8am PST, and was sold
out almost immediately. This news comes on the heels of a
successful opening of the Stan Lee Exhibit at The Comic-Con Museum
in San Diego, California.
The Celebrating Stan Lee collection, joins STAR
WARS, MARVEL and DISNEY amongst their elite collection of digital
collectibles. Celebrating Stan Lee features four digital
collectibles for fans in Chibi style, which is a popular style of
caricature originating in Japan and common in anime and manga where
characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and
chubby with stubby limbs, oversized heads, and minimal detail. The
collection includes:
- The King of Cameos: A throne fit for a king –
a king of cameos, that is! Stan Lee made beloved cameo appearances
in comics, TV, movies, video games and much more.
- ‘Nuff Said!: Stan Lee worked in the comic book
business for almost 80 years, revolutionizing the industry and
co-creating some of the most famous characters of all time while he
was at it. ‘Nuff Said’ was one of his famous signature expressions.
Talk about a legacy!
- Excelsior!: Do you know why Stan Lee chose
Excelsior!, which means ‘ever upward,’ as his comic book sign-off?
Because he figured his competitors wouldn’t know how to spell it
and therefore, they couldn’t steal it!
- The Amazing Stan Lee: Amazing. Legendary.
Unforgettable. We could keep listing adjectives to describe Stan
Lee, but you get the picture.
Lloyd Mintz, SVP, Global Consumer Products, Kartoon
Studios stated: “We are thrilled with the results of this
first venture in digital collectibles. That there was a complete
sell through, and the fact that it was nearly instantaneous is a
very strong indicator of the extraordinary passion that fans have
for Stan Lee, and where we see the future of the Stan Lee brand.
Stan Lee Universe is so excited to be partnered with a leader in
the digital collectible space, VeVe, to further commemorate Stan’s
life and accomplishments in what would have been his 100th year, by
bringing this first U.S., officially licensed Stan Lee Digital
Collection to his legion of fans!”
David Yu, CEO, VeVe Digital Collectibles
commented: “This sale marks an important turning point in the
digital collectibles market. Stan Lee was a true pioneer in the
comic book industry. His work transcended mediums and generations,
and with it, he became a larger-than-life cultural icon to fans
around the globe. Stan was always on the cutting-edge, constantly
exploring innovative avenues in which to share his stories with
fans all over the world. Our new collection of limited-edition
digital collectibles embraces his curiosity utilizing the latest
technological innovations and commemorating his legacy with a new
and fun foray into the digital collectibles world.”
Kartoon Studios, through a joint venture with POW!
Entertainment, owns and manages the global rights to the legendary
Stan Lee’s name, physical likeness, voice, signature, and IP,
called Stan Lee Universe, which includes the
Stan Lee Celebrity brand, as well as new content to be created
from Stan Lee’s portfolio of approximately 150 unmined ideas and
character creations in his post-Marvel career, along with consumer
product programs to be developed for these new projects.
This year’s Stan Lee Centennial campaign,
celebrating Stan’s 100th birthday, is the first phase of a
much broader Stan Lee Universe program, being
rolled out. Recent initiatives also include an animated Stan Lee
ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange on June 26,
2023, and the opening of the Stan Lee Exhibit as an 8-month
cornerstone at the Comic-Con Museum in San Diego.
About Stan LeeStan Lee is one of the most
prolific and legendary comic creators of all time. As Marvel's
editor-in-chief, Stan "The Man" Lee helped build a universe of
interlocking continuity, one where fans felt as if they could turn
a street corner and run into a super hero from Spider-Man to the
Fantastic Four, Thor, Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and more. Stan
went on to become Marvel’s editorial director and publisher in
1972, and was eventually named chairman emeritus.
Stan also appeared in some of the most popular films of all
time. His well-known cameos in Marvel films began in the 1989
telefilm, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk. After the release
of X-Men in 2000, he appeared in nearly every Marvel film
and television project until his passing in 2018.
Among Stan’s many awards is the National Medal of Arts, awarded
by President Bush in 2008, and the Disney Legends Award, received
in 2017. He was also inducted into the comic industry’s Will Eisner
Award Hall of Fame and Jack Kirby Hall of Fame.
About Kartoon Studios Kartoon Studios (NYSE
AMERICAN: TOON) is a global end-to-end creator, producer,
distributor, marketer, and licensor of entertainment brands. The
Company’s IP portfolio includes original animated content,
including the Stan Lee brand, Stan Lee’s Superhero
Kindergarten, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, on Kartoon
Channel!; Shaq’s Garage, starring Shaquille O’Neal, on Pluto
TV; Rainbow Rangers on Kartoon Channel! and
Netflix; the Netflix Original, Llama Llama, starring Jennifer
Garner, and more.
In 2022, Kartoon Studios acquired Canada’s WOW! Unlimited Media
and made a strategic investment becoming the largest shareholder in
Germany’s Your Family Entertainment AG (FRA:RTV), one of Europe’s
leading distributors and broadcasters of high-quality programs for
children and families.
Toon Media Group, the company’s wholly-owned digital
distribution network, consists of Kartoon Channel!, Kartoon
Channel! Worldwide, Frederator Network, and Ameba. Kartoon Channel!
is a globally distributed entertainment platform with full
penetration of the U.S. television market and international
expansion underway with launches in key markets around the world.
Kartoon Channel! and Ameba are available across multiple platforms,
including iOS, Android Mobile, Web, Amazon Prime Video,
Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, Pluto TV, Comcast, Cox, Dish,
Sling TV, Android TV, Tubi, Xumo,
Samsung and LG Smart TVs. Frederator Network owns
and operates the largest global animation network on YouTube, with
channels featuring over 2000 exclusive creators and influencers,
garnering on average over a billion views every month.
For additional information, please
visit www.kartoonstudios.com
About VeVe:Founded in 2018, VeVe was created by
collectors, for collectors to bring premium licensed NFT digital
collectibles to the mass market. With over 8 million NFTs sold,
VeVe is the largest mobile-first digital collectibles platform and
one of the top grossing Entertainment Apps in the Google Play and
Apple stores.
Utilizing both blockchain and augmented reality technologies,
VeVe offers premium licensed collectibles from leading brands
including Disney, Marvel, DC, Star Wars and more. VeVe’s 3D
augmented reality photo mode allows collectors to interact with
every digital collectible, as well as share their collectibles
through VeVe’s in-app social feed, or on external social platforms
including Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and more.
In addition, VeVe uses Ethereum’s layer 2 scaling protocol,
Immutable X, which provides instant trade confirmation, scalability
(over 9,000 trades per second), zero gas fees, and a 99.9%
reduction in environmental footprint.VeVe is available to download
on the App Store and Google Play and available through the VeVe Web
App.
Learn
more: VeVe.me | Twitter | Discord | Facebook | Instagram |
Blog
Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press
release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning
of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might,"
"will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate,"
"continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or
similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or
current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the
Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable,
undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking
statements, which are based on information available to us on the
date of this release. These forward looking statements are based
upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various
risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, our ability
to generate revenue or achieve profitability; our ability to obtain
additional financing on acceptable terms, if at all; the potential
issuance of a significant number of shares, which will dilute our
equity holders; fluctuations in the results of our operations from
period to period; general economic and financial conditions; our
ability to anticipate changes in popular culture, media and movies,
fashion and technology; competitive pressure from other
distributors of content and within the retail market; our reliance
on and relationships with third-party production and animation
studios; our ability to market and advertise our products; our
reliance on third-parties to promote our products; our ability to
keep pace with technological advances; our ability to protect our
intellectual property and those other risk factors set forth in the
“Risk Factors” section of the Company’s most recent Annual Report
on Form 10-K and in the Company's subsequent filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Thus, actual
results could be materially different. The Company expressly
disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as
required by law.
MEDIA CONTACT:pr@gnusbrands.com
INVESTOR RELATIONS
CONTACT:ir@gnusbrands.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a8ede21e-7f4a-4ec1-85f4-8a605ed7d803https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6b6d587d-2b06-4d0c-bc1d-9e21892d6cc5https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a710dd02-68ac-45f5-843a-0d799983febehttps://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f2c01df2-48cc-4763-87e1-537c2e9d2f68
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