harlemglobetrotters.com

Cookie Jar Group Named Global Licensing Agent and Kids Television Partner for World Famous Harlem Globetrotters
Partnership also marks first step towards Globetrotters’ return to animated TV programming

Burbank, CA (October 20, 2009) – Cookie Jar Group, an industry leader in consumer products and entertainment, today announced a partnership that will see it become the exclusive global licensing agent and developer of kids television programming for the World-Famous Harlem Globetrotters, and includes plans that could bring the Globetrotters back to animated television for the first time in 30 years.
 
Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (CPLG), Cookie Jar Group’s licensing division, will create and oversee a multi-tiered licensing program that reflects this iconic team’s generational appeal. Cookie Jar Entertainment will develop animated entertainment for the brand.

The Harlem Globetrotters introduced the world to their unique style of basketball mixed with entertainment over 80 years ago. The Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, entertaining more than 130 million fans and breaking down barriers between cultures, societies and people from all walks of life.

The high-flying action and amazing ball-handling skills of such legendary Globetrotters as Goose Tatum, Curly Neal and Marques Haynes, are second only to the team’s philanthropic efforts, which have earned them the title of Ambassadors of Goodwill throughout the world. Current Globetrotter stars include Special K Daley, Scooter Christensen, Big Easy Lofton and Flight Time Lang.

Building on the brand’s global popularity, CPLG will initially target fans that grew up with the Harlem Globetrotters via a wide range of consumer products including vintage apparel and collectibles. CPLG will also create a licensing program aimed at a new generation of fans that will feature sporting goods, trading cards and interactive games.

The Harlem Globetrotters have made for popular on-air television content for nearly 40 years, from the popular Hanna-Barbera 1970s animated TV series, The Harlem Globetrotters, to recent primetime television appearances on Hell’s Kitchen, John & Kate Plus 8 and The Bachelorette and currently The Amazing Race.

“This is a tremendously exciting partnership for us,” said Harlem Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. “The Cookie Jar Group has developed many of the most iconic, multi-platform brands in the world, and they are uniquely capable of creating broad consumer opportunities for the Globetrotters that capitalize on the team’s timeless appeal as well as its current pop culture heat.”

“We are thrilled to represent the Harlem Globetrotters, one of the world’s most recognizable brands featuring players who have been entertaining and inspiring people for the past 84 years,” said Kirk Bloomgarden, EVP Worldwide Consumer Products, Cookie Jar Group. “We look forward to building on the success and equity of the Harlem Globetrotters brand with a full complement of consumer products and entertainment for fans of all ages.”

About the Harlem Globetrotters
The Harlem Globetrotters will tip-off their 2010 World Tour on Dec. 26, 2009, and the North American leg of the tour will see the team play nearly 270 games in over 215 cities in 44 states, five Canadian provinces and Puerto Rico through the first week of May 2010.  In addition, the team will play over 150 games internationally in 2010. The Globetrotters are one of only six teams to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.  Click here for the 2010 World Tour schedule.

About Cookie Jar Group
Cookie Jar Group is a Canadian-based global entertainment, consumer products and education company dedicated to excellence. Through Cookie Jar Entertainment, the company is a leader in the creation, production, marketing and licensing of evergreen character brands that appeal to kids and families worldwide. Cookie Jar Entertainment’s library of nearly 6,000 half-hour episodes features some of the world’s most recognizable brands, including “Caillou,” “Inspector Gadget,” “The Doodlebops,” “Arthur” and “Johnny Test”. Through its full-service global licensing division, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group, Cookie Jar Group represents numerous third-party iconic brands. Cookie Jar Group also has a one-third interest in international children’s television channel Kidsco. Cookie Jar Education, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, is one of North America’s largest providers of supplemental education materials, reaching nearly 2,000 teachers across the United States, through the Carson-Dellosa and HighReach Learning brands. For more information, please visit www.cookiejargroup.com.