Moose Toys, a major disruptor in the toy industry, is taking a significant next step in growing and supporting its IP brands beyond the toy aisle, announcing an entertainment development deal with creative studio and writing collective Man of Action Entertainment (MOA).
Under the agreement, MOA, which has proven success showrunning series that have become mega-franchises including Ben Ten, Sonic Prime, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble and Ultimate Spiderman, will create an animated series for the toymaker’s original brand Heroes of Goo Jit Zu.
Steven T. Seagle, founding partner at Man of Action, said:
Heroes of Goo Jit Zu is a natural fit with the MAN OF ACTION experience and expertise. Our conversations with Moose made it clear that they are forward-thinking and willing to go anywhere the story needs to in order to grow the franchise in exciting directions.
Fellow co-founder Duncan Rouleau added:
There’s a real wealth of characters and concepts that are ripe for an expanded world mythology and a series of stories full of action, adventure and humor. It’s not a question of if we’ll have any good ideas, but which of those ideas to run with.
Introduced in 2019, Heroes of Goo Jit Zu delivers the squishiest, stretchiest, goo-filled action heroes who will always fight to save the day. The line’s immense popularity with kids spurred the development of an equally popular YouTube series with 12 episodes amassing more than 335 million views. This new series represents a big and bold next step for the brand.
As one of Moose Toys’ most successful homegrown brands, it encompasses a core cast of beloved iconic heroes and villains as well as fun new characters on either side of good and evil. The entire cast of characters is equipped with awesome superpowers that lend themselves to action-packed adventures. The toys capture kids’ imagination with out-of-this-world creature features that are further exaggerated by the gooiest action figure’s ability to stretch up to three times their size and always shape shift back to its original form.
Yvette Sittrop, vice president of the franchise development at Moose Toys, said:
Expanding Heroes of Goo Jit Zu’s storytelling across digital, linear and streaming platforms is a testament to our belief in the brand’s enduring appeal and its ability to translate beyond the toy aisle. Man of Action will be our hand-in-hand partner delivering next level creativity, bringing the world of Heroes of Goo Jit Zu to life in fun and unexpected ways. Their proven success in creating long running animated storytelling that’s both loved as great entertainment and also highly merchandisable aligns with our guiding goal of being the world’s most innovative toy company.
Beyond the upcoming series, Moose has plans for further extensions for the brand including gaming, publishing and apparel, among others. The project will be infused with the company’s signature ‘WOW’ to support and build its beloved brand.