ZeptoLab™ Expands North American Licensing and Merchandising Business for Award-winning Game Cut The Rope™

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ZeptoLab™, developers of the award-winning game Cut the Rope™, have recruited significant licensing and merchandising talent to make Cut the Rope and Om Nom a household name. Tanya Haider has joined the company as head of licensing and merchandising, and she has appointed Bob Traub of US-based Established Brands Licensing and Robert Miller of Canada-based Studio Licensing to represent the brand in North America.

Cut the Rope was born a star, as one of the fastest selling games of all time on the App Store and the first iOS game to win a BAFTA award, as well as an Apple Design Award, amongst others. Cut the Rope is now a Top 10 best seller with over 70 million downloads across both iOS and Android platforms' smartphones and tablets since its launch in October 2010. At the heart of this acclaimed puzzle game is the adorable pint-sized monster, Om Nom, who has an insatiable appetite for candy.

"With Om Nom, we believe we have created a property with the potential to become a long term entertainment franchise," said Misha Lyalin, CEO of ZeptoLab. "As such, we recruited a team with experience building some of the most incredible consumer brands of this generation such as SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer. The collective experience in licensing, international consumer products and retail development that our licensing team and agents bring to the table will enable us to take Om Nom and Cut the Rope to a new level of consumer recognition and mass market appeal."

An unprecedented licensing program is underway for Cut the Rope across a vast range of categories including toys, games/activities, apparel, accessories, confectionery, home decor and stationery. There are plans for a limited merchandise release in Spring 2012 followed by a broader rollout in Fall 2012.

"Om Nom is an appealing and fun character with a broad demographic appeal. Millions of consumers interact and engage with this brand on a daily basis providing us a powerful platform to build out a significant licensing program," said Tanya Haider, the newly-appointed head of licensing and merchandising for ZeptoLab. "Working closely with Established Brands Licensing and Studio Licensing, we will explore developing both traditional and innovative product categories that will enable us to bring the DNA of this brand to life for consumers in new and exciting ways."

Tanya Haider is a media industry expert specializing in kids brands, licensing and merchandising. She has been responsible for expanding some of the world's biggest family and kids properties in the US and international markets in her role at Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, including SpongeBob Squarepants and Dora the Explorer.

Established Brands Licensing is a fully integrated licensing, marketing and retail development agency headed up by Bob Traub, a twenty-year veteran in the consumer products and licensing industry. Prior to Established Brands, Bob was SVP Retail Development at Nickelodeon where he launched brands including Blue's Clues, SpongeBob Squarepants, and Dora the Explorer, as well as SVP Retail Development at BBC and most recently SVP Licensing for the Americas at Chorion. 

Studio Licensing, founded by Robert & Debbie Miller, is the leading independent full service licensing, marketing and retail development agency in Canada that managed the Nickelodeon properties in Canada for the past 14 years. Studio's deep industry relationships and focus on developing integrated retail strategies for its clients have differentiated it from competitors and enable it to deliver significant value to its clients. 

About ZeptoLab:
ZeptoLab™ is an independent team of professionals dedicated to the science of fun. The creative designers and engineers responsible for the games at ZeptoLab have redefined mobile gaming with unique physics-based gameplay that capitalizes on touch technology and engages die-hard and casual gamers alike. For the latest news about Cut the Rope and Om Nom, follow us at facebook.com/cuttherope or @Cut_the_Rope or @zeptolab on Twitter or visit www.zeptolab.com.

ZeptoLab, Cut the Rope, Om Nom and Feed with Candy are the trademarks or registered trademarks of ZeptoLab UK Limited. All other trademarks, names of actual companies and products mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE ZeptoLab