Trollz secure merchandise partners

Toy giant Hasbro and kids publisher Scholastic have signed up for the global merchandising rights to DIC Entertainment’s upcoming tween property Trollz.

Hasbro and Scholastic will hold the toy and publishing licenses respectively, and the property will be a stylised and contemporary version of the 40-year-old spiky, rainbow-haired Trollz characters, originally created by The Troll Company of Denmark.

Hasbro’s toy lines will include fashion dolls, games and youth consumer electronics, with story and activity books to be published by Scholastic. The toy and publishing deals follow DIC’s acquisition of the worldwide entertainment and licensing rights to the Trollz characters earlier this month.

The brand development of the Trollz will begin later this year with “a web community utilising cutting edge telephonic applications”, according to DIC.

Trollz is scheduled for international debut in 2006, after premiering in the US in 2005. In 2005, the rollout will continue with TV and video products, interactive games and a pre-teen marketing campaign.

According to Andy Heyward, ceo and chairman at DIC Entertainment: “DIC has invested numerous hours of research and strategic planning into Trollz, but we never forgot that the key to success lies first and foremost in a great story.”

The Trollz toys first appeared in 1961, created by Troll Company founder, Thomas Dam. The DIC/Trollz move adds to the very long list of classic toys that have been resurrected as toons: others include Action Man, Hot Wheels, Barbie…