Saban Brands And JAKKS Pacific Team Up And Announce Emojiville, New Multi-Platform Property In Development

LOS ANGELES, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Saban Brands and JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (Nasdaq: JAKK) announced today their strategic collaboration on the development of a new multi-platform property, Emojiville. Saban Brands will launch Emojiville as an original web series this fall, and is also developing a television series for the brand to debut in the near future. This new kids' series follows five emoji friends and their hilarious antics in Emojiville - a colorful town filled with spirited personalities and awesome adventures.

JAKKS Pacific will serve as Saban Brands' strategic partner for Emojiville and will develop a consumer products and toy line as well as technology products for the property. Saban Brands will lead the content, distribution, marketing, promotion and other licensing for the brand.

"Emojis are fast becoming the global language of the 21^st century, and through Emojiville, consumers will experience this phenomenon in a whole new way," said Elie Dekel, President of Saban Brands. "With the explosion of the mobile lifestyle, these cute, tiny and expressive characters have been universally embraced, with billions of emojis being sent and received everyday. We are excited to embrace the emoji culture and take this concept to the next level."

"We are excited to team with Saban Brands on this exceptional project to transform emojis into a full-blown entertainment and consumer products property," said Stephen Berman, Co-Founder and CEO of JAKKS Pacific.  "We believe JAKKS will be able to bring the emoji culture to new and exciting products and create an evergreen and global franchise."

Additional details on Emojiville (working title) will follow in the coming months.

About Saban Brands
Formed in 2010 as an affiliate of Saban Capital Group, Saban Brands (SB) was established to acquire and develop a world-class portfolio of properties and capitalize on the company's experience, track record and capabilities in growing and monetizing consumer brands through content, media and marketing. SB applies a global omni-channel management approach to enhancing and extending its brands in markets worldwide and to consumers of all ages. The company provides full-service management, marketing, promotion and strategic business development for its intellectual properties including comprehensive strategies unique to each brand, trademark and copyright management and enforcement, creative design, retail development, direct-to-consumer initiatives and specialized property extensions. SB's portfolio of properties currently includes Power Rangers, Paul Frank, Julius Jr., Digimon Fusion and Popples, among many others. For more information, visit www.sabanbrands.com.

About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) is a leading designer and marketer of toys and consumer products with a wide range of products that feature popular brands and children's toy licenses. JAKKS' diverse portfolio includes Action Figures, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, Halloween Costumes, Kids Furniture, Vehicles, Plush, Art Activity Kits, Seasonal Products, Infant/Pre-School, Construction Toys, Ride-On Vehicles, Wagons, Inflatable Environments and Tents, Impulse Toys and Pet Products sold under various proprietary brands including JAKKS Pacific®, Road Champs®, Funnoodle®, JAKKS Pets™, Plug It In & Play TV Games™, miWorld™, Kids Only!®, Tollytots®, Disguise®, Moose Mountain® and Maui®. JAKKS is also the creator of the underlying Monsuno® property and toy line. JAKKS is an award-winning licensee of several hundred nationally and internationally known trademarks including Nickelodeon®, Warner Bros.®, DC Comics®, Saban's Power Rangers®, and Cabbage Patch Kids®. DreamPlay Toys, LLC is a joint venture between JAKKS Pacific, Inc. and NantWorks LLC to develop, market and sell toys and related consumer products incorporating NantWorks' proprietary iD image recognition technology.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about JAKKS Pacific's business based partly on assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, those risks and other factors set forth in JAKKS' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and JAKKS undertakes no obligation to update any of them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.

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SOURCE Saban Brands and JAKKS Pacific, Inc.