Classic brand gets more books through a new license
Feb 25, 2010
Starting this spring, Penguin Young Readers
Group's Grosset & Dunlap imprint will publish a variety of formats under
the Classic Pooh brand, through a deal with Disney Licensed Publishing. The
books, to include hardcover picture books, board books, paperback storybooks,
sticker books and novelty books, will feature artwork inspired by the classic
E.H. Shepard illustrations and editorial content tied to the world of A.A.
Milne's original stories. The first four titles will release in April, followed
by three more this summer."The idea really started here, in-house, due to the excitement for last fall's Dutton book, Return to the Hundred Acre Wood," says Francesco Sedita, Grosset v-p and publisher. Most of the titles are being developed internally by Grosset, under editor Samantha Schutz; a few were originally published by Egmont, another Disney licensee that previously launched a classic Pooh line for Europe.
Marketing support for the launch will include a
presence in parenting and women's magazines and "mommy blogs," as well as
in-store "Poohtiques" featuring a range of Pooh titles. "I feel like one of the
luckiest guys in the world to be able to publish these books," Sedita says. "We're
creating something new from this great, classic brand."
Dutton has been publishing Pooh in the U.S. since the publication of the original Winnie-the-Pooh in 1926. Disney became the licensor in 1961, when acquired the rights to the trademarks and copyrights from Stephen Slesinger, who had secured them from Milne in 1931. In September 2009, after nearly two decades of lawsuits by Slesinger's family, the courts confirmed Disney's rights as trademark and copyright owner and licensor. But the dispute continues, as family members filed suit again in November, acknowledging Disney's ownership of the rights but saying the company still owes them royalties. Disney licenses a number of other publishers, including Random House, for various Pooh formats.
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