DIC Begins Marketing ‘Liberty’s Children’ Very Early Colonial-era characters join DIC’s cast of Inspector Gadget, Madeline & Sailor Moon By CARLOS MARTINEZ Staff Reporter DIC Entertainment Corp. may look like it’s jumping the gun by seeking licensing deals for a cartoon series that won’t air for nearly another year. Company bosses, however, say “Liberty’s Kids” will be the next big thing and they want to be ready. In a recent deal with Cherokee Inc. of Van Nuys, Burbank-based DIC is seeking to license a variety of products with retailers and manufacturers based on the “Liberty’s Kids” characters. Cherokee is a licensing and marketing firm that has more than 20 licensing agreements for its own Cherokee brand, and also licenses and manages other brands like Sideout and Aspen. “Liberty’s Kids” features three teenage reporters for Benjamin Franklin’s newspaper who report historical events during the Revolutionary War. It is scheduled to be shown five times a week over two years on the Public Broadcasting System, beginning in November. “We’re incredibly enthusiastic to partner with them on this venture,” said DIC CEO Andy Heyward, who said the company’s licensing effort is only the latest in a long string of deals aimed at maximizing the value of DIC characters. Last year, the company licensed its Inspector Gadget, Madeline and Sailor Moon for marketing and retail tie-ins with great success, Heyward said. The privately held company would not reveal revenue figures for those licensing deals. But Howard Finelt, CEO of Intellectual Property Management LLC, said licensing deals like those planned for “Liberty’s Kids” would be very lucrative for the studio, worth anywhere between $1 million and $10 million. “You could have a big hit on your hands and the numbers would really explode, but it all depends,” he said. Robby London, DIC vice president of creative affairs, said the company hopes the show will be its biggest licensing series ever. “Kids are going to want more because it’s a show that appeals to kids on an emotional and an ethical basis,” he said. “It talks about democracy, freedom of the press, freedom of speech.” “Liberty’s Kids” has attracted attention in recent months after DIC issued press releases indicating the names of A-list film stars who had agreed to perform voices on the show. Among them were Dustin Hoffman, Whoopie Goldberg, Billy Crystal and Liam Neeson. Heyward’s optimism for the show is not unmerited. Veteran animation producer Phil Roman said hype about an as-of-yet unaired children’s show typically helps build momentum for licensing deals. “When you have major stars on a children’s show and you have people already talking about it, it’s going to bring people in,” said Roman. “Otherwise, people are going to be dealing with an unknown product and it becomes harder to market it.” But it’s not uncommon to seek licensing deals nearly a year before a show’s air date, Roman said. “It’s a long process and you have to get things ready so it’s in place by the time you air,” he said. Howard Siegel, president of Cherokee, said his company’s efforts will focus on developing licensing deals for consumer products, children’s apparel, shoes, school supplies, toys and games. As part of its marketing strategy, DIC already has begun marketing the show to local schools as an educational program, sponsoring field trips to national touring exhibits, fairs and visits to presidential libraries.
