DHX MEDIA APPOINTS CHARACTER OPTIONS AS UK MASTER TOY LICENSEE FOR KIDS’ CULT HERO RASTAMOUSE

Halifax, NS – 19 May 2011 – Character Options has added DHX Media’s Rastamouse to its prestigious list of properties for younger children and will launch toys emulating the characters from the top CBeebies series as early as October.  

Rastamouse is not just popular with children under six; the reggae-loving, crime-fighting, special agent and his friends Scratchy and ZoomerDa Easy Crew -have achieved cult status. Following the launch of the CBeebies TV series in January 2011, the show has risen to the CBeebies’s top 5 animated programmes, whilst YouTube clips of the action are receiving hundreds of thousands of hits.  The Series depicts Rastamouse, voiced by favourite BBC Radio One presenter, Reggie Yates, and Da Easy Crew solving mysteries and catching “teefin’ criminals,” whilst inspiring kids with their fun story lines in which they always strive to “make a bad ting good.”

News of the Character Options deal will delight fans who will be able to have their own plush version of Da Easy Crew with the new range which accurately portrays the characters exactly as they are seen in the show.  Plush will swiftly be followed by a plastic collection of both figures and play sets, whilst more development is already in the pipeline.

Speaking of the deal, Jon Diver, Joint MD of The Character Group, commented: “We are delighted to be working on the Rastamouse toy line. The stories have created a real buzz with this age group and parents alike, and Rastamouse has provided a fresh face in the world of children’s Licensing. Rastamouse has certainly captured our imaginations too, and the range we are creating is both fun and accurate to the property.”

 “Character Options is a leader in children’s licensing and the right partner for us to launch a collection of toys for Rastamouse and its fans,” said Michael Polis, President, W!LDBRAIN Entertainment and EVP, Branded Entertainment and Consumer Products, DHX Media.  ”The Rastamouse story lines are full of rich content which will add to the growing list of ways the fans can enjoy Da Easy Crew and their adventures.”

For more information please contact:

For DHX Media:
Aimee Norman
Blueprint PR
aimee@blueprintpr.co.uk
+44 (0) 208-341-6171

Anthony Jiwa
DHX Media
anthony.jiwa@dhxmedia.com
+1 604-684-2363 x215

For Character Options:
Consumer – Michele Bates
Evolution PR
Michele@evolution-pr.co.uk
+44 (0) 1327 701 702

Finance and City  – Fiona Tooley
Citigate Dewe Rogerson
+44 (0) 121 362 4035
                    

About Rastamouse
Rastamouse, the animated music series based on the critically acclaimed books by Genevieve Webster and Michael De Souza, launched on CBeebies in January 2011 and has since engaged a following of preschoolers and parents alike.  The series features Rastamouse, Scratchy and Zoomer of Da Easy Crew, the mystery-solving, reggae-playing band who live by their motto “redemption, not retribution.”  A Rastamouse Company Production for CBeebies, Rastamouse is produced by Greg Boardman and Eugenio Perez of Three Stones Media, in association with Dinamo Productions, Little Roots and DHX Media, who handles worldwide TV sales (excluding the UK) and worldwide licensing and merchandising.  The production is supported by the Wales Creative IP Fund.  Visit www.rastamouse.com. Follow us on Twitter @rastamouse_irie.

About Character Options
www.thecharacter.com Character Options is the principal trading subsidiary of The Character Group, designers, developers and international distributor of toys, games and giftware. The business was founded in 1991 and, in 2003, the Group made a strategic decision to increase the development of its own products. Today, around 70% of all products marketed by the Group are developed in-house. A major benefit of this strategy has been the opening of international markets, with Character’s products now being sold in over 30 countries worldwide. The Character Group operates mainly in the United Kingdom and China and has offices in New Malden, Surrey, Oldham, Lancashire, as well as in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. It employs around 160 people worldwide. The Group is quoted on the London Stock Exchange, Ticker: AIM:CCT

About DHX Media Ltd.
DHX Media Ltd. is an international leader in television production and distribution, interactive content and entertainment licensing.  With offices in Toronto, Halifax, Vancouver and Los Angeles and three award-winning production facilities, including the recently acquired W!LDBRAIN Entertainment, DHX Media is the producer or co-producer of over 40 original television series and maintains a library of over 2,300 half-hours of television productions that spans both animated and live action programming. Live action series include That’s So Weird, How to be Indie and This Hour Has 22 Minutes; animated series include Animal Mechanicals, Kid vs Kat, dirtgirlworld, Franny’s Feet, Martha Speaks and new preschool show Rastamouse. DHX Media Ltd. shares are listed on the TSX, the Toronto Stock Exchange.  www.dhxmedia.com