"Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF" Jumps Into the Ring in the U.K.

Market Wire, November, 2007

Animation Collective, the leading independent creator of children's entertainment in the U.S., today announced it has signed London-based Bulldog Licensing to represent its highly successful "Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF" property in the United Kingdom. The live-action, short-format comedy series about a fictional sports league is among the most watched kids' programmes in the U.K., consistently rating among the top 10 children's shows since its September 8th debut on the BBC.

TWF airs Monday afternoons at 4:25 p.m. during BBC One's CBBC slot. It also airs Saturdays during the extremely popular "TMi" program at 9:00 a.m. on BBC Two, and is repeated again at 11:25 a.m. In October, TWF ranked as high as #5 on the list of top children's shows in the U.K.

Rob Corney, Managing Director of Bulldog Licensing, said, "We believe 'Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF' is a fantastic opportunity for U.K. licensees as it suits a British sense of humour perfectly. Additionally, the classic play pattern of thumb wrestling at the heart of the show makes it perfect for merchandise and the viewing figures bear out the fact that this is precisely the type of property we believe will succeed at U.K. retail."

Larry Schwarz, CEO of Animation Collective and creator of "Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF," said, "We are excited to have Rob Corney and Bulldog Licensing on board as they have worked successfully with some of the top kids' brands in the world. There is nobody with better expertise to bring TWF to the U.K. retail market, and we think the property will be a big success based on its popularity with kids on TV in Britain and the popularity of thumb wrestling in general."

About "Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF"

TWF features hilarious, action-packed bouts of thumb wrestling between truly zany contestants. The short-format segments include one-minute wrestler bios, 45-second gags, and three-and-a-half-minute thumb wrestling matches. The competition revolves around 36 original characters who fight for two teams -- the "Mighty Dexteras" and the "Sinistras" -- in a match-up of good versus evil. For more about TWF, visit http://www.thumbwrestlingfederation.com .

About Bulldog Licensing

Bulldog Licensing is recognised for bringing some of the best international properties to the U.K. for domestic licensing as well as for working with creative talent throughout the U.K. to develop properties for the international and domestic licensing markets. The company also works with the owners of existing British brands to develop international licensing programmes.

Bulldog works with a number of companies across a diverse portfolio, including design-led brands such as "Little Ewe" and major kids' television properties such as "Orsum Island," currently in development at Shepperton Film Studios.

Before founding Bulldog, the company's managing director, Rob Corney worked at major licensing companies, developing programmes for worldwide brands including Thunderbirds, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Microsoft and Pokemon. He uses this experience to deliver strong commercial opportunities and adopts a hands-on approach, working with licensors, licensees and retailers to maximise the potential of each property.

About Animation Collective

Animation Collective is the leading independent creator of children's entertainment in the U.S., with original content in more than 38 countries and in 18 languages on platforms including television, broadband, wireless, books and consumer products. Larry Schwarz, the company's founder and CEO, is the creator and executive producer of all of Animation Collective's original series. Proprietary productions include: "Kappa Mikey," MTVN and Nickelodeon's first global acquisition for Nicktoons Network and Nickelodeon; "Three Delivery" for Nicktoons Network, YTV and the BBC; "Thumb Wrestling Federation: TWF" for the Kids' WB!, YTV and the BBC; and "Ellen's Acres" for Cartoon Network, and ABC Australia. Work-for-hire productions include "Speed Racer: The Next Generation" for Nicktoons Network, and "The Incredible Crash Dummies" for 4KidsTV. Animation Collective is the largest provider of original content for KOL, America Online's kids channel, and Red, its teen channel.

Contact: Rob Corney Bulldog Licensing 44 (0) 20 8325 5455 Email Contact Kristin Cimonetti Animation Collective 1 212 947 1099 Email Contact