Spectacular Spider-Man, Signing Next Major Wave Of Licensing Partners

The latest adaptation of Marvel's ever-popular Spider-Man continues to cast a web over the licensing industry as Spider-Man Merchandising L.P. ­ the limited partnership between Sony Pictures Consumer Products Inc. and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. ­ expands the merchandising program for the all-new The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series with new licensees joining the impressive roster of partners already on-board. The highly-anticipated series will debut in early 2008 as part of the Kids' WB! line-up on The CW Network, the No. 1 rated Saturday morning kids broadcast slate.

Spider-Man Merchandising, L.P. continues to attract some of the biggest names in key categories ­ ranging from toys and apparel to social expressions ­ to develop product lines inspired by The Spectacular Spider-Man. New partners include: Hallmark (social expressions), AME (sleepwear/loungewear), KIDdesigns (electronics), Mad Engine (t-shirts) and Mega Brands (toys). Spider-Man Merchandising, L.P. continues to work on expanding the program with additional licensees.

The Spectacular Spider-Man picks up the original web-slinger's mythology at the beginning of his hero's journey as a not-so-typical 16-year-old entering his junior year of high school. Peter Parker must conceal his secret identity, confront the multi-leveled pressures of teenage life at home and school, and all the while combat even bigger Super Villains than ever before. Based on Marvel Entertainmentıs popular Super Hero, The Spectacular Spider-Man is produced by Culver Entertainment, a Sony Pictures Television Company.

"The momentum for The Spectacular Spider-Man continues to grow, with licensees eager to sign on," said Paul Gitter, President of Consumer Products for North America, Marvel Entertainment for Spider-Man Merchandising L.P. "We couldn't be more pleased to be working with many of our established partners on new agreements for this highly anticipated series. The tremendous consumer demand for products based on the Spider-Man franchise is undeniable and we are excited to build a merchandising program suited to this new entertainment vehicle that fuels this growing interest."

Spider-Man Merchandising, L.P. recently announced the first wave of licensing partners signed on to support the series, including: Hasbro (master toy licensee), Wear Me Apparel (master apparel), IMT (sporting goods), Fashion Accessory Bazaar (back-to-school and storage), Bendon Publishing (publishing), DecoPac (cake decoration), Giant Merchandising (t-shirts), Berkshire Fashion (headwear, cold weather and hosiery), Fast Forward (back-to-school), and Jay Franco (domestics).

Marvel and Sony Pictures Television have green-lit Culver Entertainment to commence production on an additional 13 half-hour episodes for the series ­ bringing the current series run to 26 episodes. A major marketing effort by Kids WB!, Sony Pictures Television and Marvel designed to maximize consumer awareness of the series and drive tune-in is underway.