Playthings Coverage

Reaching for the Stars, Milt Schulman, February 1996, Playthings(Vol. 94, Issue 2

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New animated TV series will air for Jonny Quest, Batman, Superman, Flash Gordon and Casper. New movies will feature Star Trek, The Phantom and the Ninja Turtles. Among other licensed films will be Flipper, Dragonheart, independence Day and Mission Impossible.

Turner Home Entertainment plans to use its wide-ranging resources to support one licensing property a year for the next few years. The company has allocated $40 million for 65 new half hours of Jonny Quest animation. Based on the hit 1960 prime time TV series, the character has been repositioned as a teen skateboarder, who has adventures in the real world and a virtual reality fantasy world. The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest will air 21 times a week on Turner's various cable outlets. It will be seen Monday-Friday on all three Turner networks, plus as a late@night strip on the Cartoon Network, and weekly in TNT's Saturday afternoon lineup.

Such unprecedented exposure will allow the program to reach an audience ranging from toddlers and teenagers to adults, said Peter Van Roalte, Turner's v.p., domestic sales. Galoob, the master toy licensee for Jonny Quest, will market action figures, activity sets, plush, and Micro Machines vehicles related to the character's adventures. There will be 20 other licensees, including a fast food partner. Turner's publishing, home video and interactive units will also take part. Similar coordinated efforts are planned for The Jetsons and Scooby Doo in succeeding years.

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