The emoji company GmbH, one of the world’s top-150 licensors, and WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, have secured a far-reaching content and licensing collaboration to launch emojitown, a brand new digital-first series and consumer products extension of emoji – The Iconic brand.
Under this partnership, WildBrain’s leading AVoD network and digital studio, WildBrain Spark, has teamed up with emoji company to co-develop and co-produce emojitown, a 52×2’ 2D animated series, which is targeted at teens and young adults.
WildBrain Spark, which holds exclusive global distribution rights to the new series, will premiere emojitown on YouTube with a dedicated channel launching at the end of May, when viewers will be able to enjoy the first four episodes of the fast-paced, language-agnostic show, followed by additional episodes rolling out weekly. Tapping into its expertise in brand management on YouTube, WildBrain Spark and the emoji company have created emojitown for AVoD audiences and is supporting the series with extensive digital-marketing, paid-media campaigns and dedicated social-media strategies. WildBrain Spark will also exclusively handle branded content opportunities and advertising sales for emojitown on YouTube.
Speaking on the launch, emoji company founder and CEO Marco Huesges said, “This is a significant development for the emoji® brand, bringing our globally recognizable icons into the digital-content space. With their preeminent reputation on digital platforms, including YouTube, and their deep understanding of licensing and brand amplification, WildBrain Spark and WildBrain CPLG are the ideal collaborators for our push into new content creation and consumer products for the teen and young-adult audience. Together we will take this hugely exciting step in the evolution of emoji.”
Additionally, WildBrain’s leading global licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG, will handle worldwide licensing and merchandising rights for emojitown, building on the agency’s extensive and highly successful program for the emoji® brand across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and other territories. WildBrain CPLG will work with emoji company and licensees to develop emojitown products across key categories for teens and young adults.
WildBrain CPLG EVP and MD Maarten Weck added, “Building on our strong relationship with the emoji company, this expanded partnership combines the strengths of the much-loved emoji brand with our creative and collaborative capabilities across consumer products licensing, digital-content production, and AVOD management.”
WildBrain Spark Commercial director Rachel Taylor further stated, “With its universal appeal, the emoji® brand is ideal for the creation of an animated digital-first content offering, and our creative team has produced a funny, wry and edgy series, underpinned by bespoke data and insights drawn from our premium YouTube network. We’re delighted that the emoji company saw us as the right partner to co-develop and launch this extension of its brand for today’s digital-savvy audience of modern teens.”
The official description for the animated series reads:
Welcome to emojitown, a place not unlike a lot of other modern-day urban “everytowns” – except here (yeah, you guessed it) everyone has an emoji® icon for a head. In emojitown, we see daily struggles and nightmares ranging from the mundane to the absurd. The perils of dating apps, the instant regret of a DIY haircut, the cringe of a poolside bikini fail and more, are all played out with sharp hilarity in vibrant 2D-animated colour.
Meet Jo – a fresh-faced girl in her late teens who, despite trying to “live her best life” with a cheery, optimistic outlook, simply cannot stop encountering the everyday “horrors” of modern life. Throughout it all, Jo is the relatable underdog, as she, along with her emojitown pals, navigate the pitfalls of life.
Joining Jo in emojitown are Jaya, Jon, Jess, Jay, Julia and Joanie, plus the bizarre duo of Poophead and Unicorn Man. These aren’t just characters you’ll sympathize with – they’re characters you’ll actively see yourself or someone you know in. They represent “real people” – the kind we see and meet every day, reflecting attitudes, style, ethnicity, gender, ability and sexuality as diverse and representative as real life.
emojitown: welcome to the everyday “horrors” of modern life.