Scrawl's 'Milly Molly' merchandize to launch in SM ShoeMart, Phils

Singapore based Scrawl Studio has recently licensed its property, Milly Molly to SM ShoeMart, largest mall operator in Philippines for a complete apparel merchandise line.

'Milly Molly' a 52 x 11-mins series has been successfully aired in Australia (Nickelodeon) Australia (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) France (TPS Jeunese - PIWI channel) Singapore (Okto Channel) Canada (TV Ontario). In all the series has so far been sold to about 40 countries, including France (TPS Jeunese); US and Latin America (Discovery Networks Latin America); Canada (TV Ontario & Tele-Quebec); Singapore (MediaCorpTV 12 Okto channel) as well as to countries including Portugal; Finland, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Brunei, Indonesia, among others.

Talking to Animation Xpress Asia Pacific, Seng Choon Meng, Chief Exective Officer, Scrawl Studios shared, "We have licensed our property, Milly Molly to 3 licensees who are supplier to SM ShoeMart, Philippines largest mall operator. SM ShoeMart have placed orders with the licensees for products bearing the Milly Molly brand, to be launched nationwide in the Philippines starting from this month. Due to the number of IP's created and managed by the Singapore companies, the Media Development Authority and its consultants decided to work together with the companies to market it to the region. This has always been done through individual companies, but this time we had a several local companies working together. So one of the territories was Philippines and we were fortunate enough that their biggest retailer (ShoeMart) and its licensees were attracted to our property "Milly Molly" and we were able to license out 3 product categories mainly in apparel. They are basic apparel, girls undergarments, and sleepwear.

Talking about why Milly Molly amongst Scrawl's other properties, he added, "The universal themes and values, as well as the sweet, appealing characters, makes them ideal for merchandising. We have produced 52 x 11-minute episodes of the series so that will also be a very effective brand driver pushing the merchandising lines. The fact the SM Mall, a very established operator in the region, has picked up the brand validates the appeal and potential of the property."

Jeong Lee,VP of Distribution and Licensing, Scrawl studios shared, "The brand appeal of Milly Molly is centered around two girls who are from different ethnic and economic backgrounds, but find enough similarities to become best friends, sharing fun, adventures and even secrets. The tagline for the series is "We may look different, but we feel the same," an important social message that we feel will resonate well with audiences in the region. The series is also targeted at kids 4 - 7 years, the key transitional phase in a child's development when social values such as tolerance, diversity and dexterity needs to be addressed, and we believe the poignant stories and vivid characterizations in the Milly Molly series will resonate strongly not only with the young target audience, but also their parents, in any market.

The Philippines, with its unique blend of cultural and ethnic identities, is a country where we feel the children and their families will be able to identify with the situations that the lead characters in Milly Molly face, and where the social values and problem-solving skills covered in the series will be extremely relevant. The designs are also very unique, with the soft tone inspired from the books, and of a very international appeal, so we are also confident that it will be readily accepted by the Philippines market." Choon concluded.