Licensing Hotline: Video Connection
by Karen Raugust -- Publishers Weekly, 7/2/2001
Disney Publishing Worldwide has signed a deal with the Baby Einstein Company for a series of books based on Baby Einstein's interactive videos for infants. The first seven titles—board books, tabbed board books and a picture-book/CD package—will be released this fall.
This is just the latest recent example of a publisher creating licensed titles tying in with direct-to-video productions. Pleasant Co. is publishing an illustrated storybook based on The Nutcracker, an animated video starring Mattel's Barbie and Ken, produced by Mainframe Entertainment; HIT Entertainment's Lyrick Studios published a tie-in title for the Barney video Let's Go to the Zoo (distributed through new Barney publishing licensee Scholastic); and Scholastic and Modern Publishing created a total of six books for Go Exercise with the Teletubbies, from PBS Video and itsy bitsy Entertainment.
