Led by Kim Morris, the new business unit, which designs and manufactures toy lines for inhouse and client properties, will unveil its first products at the upcoming Spielwarenmesse Toy Fair in Nuremberg from January 28 – February 1.
Epic Story Media (ESM) has announced the launch of Epic Story Toys (EST), a new toy division that will design and manufacture toy lines for both its own and third-party properties. Led by head Kim Morris, EST will appear at the upcoming Spielwarenmesse Toy Fair in Nuremberg, which runs January 28 – February 1.
EST will oversee toy strategy; design and development; manufacturer communications; and securing partnerships with global and regional toy distributors and agents. The division will unveil its first products at Spielwarenmesse, including a new range for Vegesaurs, a preschool series for which ESM has now been appointed as the Global Master Toy partner. ESM will continue to serve as the North American licensing agent for Vegesaurs.
Additionally, EST has created a toy line for its own Bubble’s Hotel, a 3D animated preschool series co-produced by ESM, Tencent Video, and Unicorn Entertainment Ltd. EST will unveil a new range at Toy Fair that includes collectible figurines and hotel/travel themed fashion play sets.
ESM Distribution continues to manage the licensing rights for the kids’ action series, Slugterra. EST works with Reesee on a toy line targeted at fans aged 6-12, which includes collectible figurines and blasters.
“I am thrilled to lead this new venture for Epic Story Media and to be able to combine storytelling and play in toys,” said Morris. “We are excited to bring our own IPs, like Bubble’s Hotel and those of our trusted partners like Vegesaurs and Slugterra, to life and engage with our fans beyond the screen in new, interactive ways.”
“In an ever-evolving market for kids, we need to be open to new ways of thinking and working,” added Ken Faier, El Presidente and Founder of Epic Story Media. “Epic Story Toys is a natural extension of our vision to connect more meaningfully with our audience. That said, we will continue to partner and work with other global toy companies on specific projects to help build content and gaming strategies to help grow partners’ brands. We always strive to think in a 360 way and having Kim lead the division is exciting as she is a proven leader who is both consumer and franchise focused. Our first master toy partnership with Cheeky Little and Studio 100 International for Vegesaurs provides the perfect foundation to get started.
Source: Epic Story Media
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
