Rainbow and Simba Dickie Group announce master toy deal for new girls’ series My American Friend (working title)
Animation & Characters
Rainbow, the largest animation studio in Europe and one of the world’s biggest licensors and SIMBA DICKIE GROUP, global leader in children’s entertainment and one of the top five toy manufacturers, have announced a partnership to develop a master line of toys for the European market inspired by Rainbow’s innovative new live action girls’ series about fashion and friendship, My American Friend (working title).
An entirely original range of toys is planned, bringing together innovative research and development with the joy and charm of the new TV series and its characters. The toy line, like the new show, will be inspired by fashion, music and role play.
My American Friend, Rainbow’s first foray into full live-action production, tells the story of Maggie — an ordinary American girl with a dream of becoming the world’s greatest fashion designer. She gets her chance on her 16th birthday, when she becomes the youngest contestant ever to win a two-year scholarship at the Milan Fashion Academy. There she meets Bianca, a self-proclaimed Italian ‘princess’ and together they discover secrets that will change their lives forever.
What brings these two very different girls together is their love of two of life’s greatest pleasures — music and fashion. And the ways in which fashion can bring people together is a powerful theme of My American Friend. The series, which began shooting in September 2015 in Italy, has a strong international flavour, featuring a cast of characters from different countries and cultures who all come together at the Milan Fashion Academy.
My American Friend is yet another major girls’ property developed by Rainbow, the creative powerhouse behind such hits as Winx Club, Regal Academy and Mia and me.
SIMBA DICKIE GROUP has already enjoyed enormous success in European markets with its fashion and music toy output. The Rainbow/Simba partnership will build on this success and further expand the Simba offering.
Iginio Straffi, Founder and CEO of Rainbow Group, says: “We are thrilled to be working with Simba, one of the world’s foremost toy companies, on this important project. My American Friend is an innovative, exciting and fun show and the master toy output will reflect that.”
Michael Sieber, CEO of the SIMBA DICKIE GROUP: “With My American Friend we are adding a strong new property, which fits perfectly in our license portfolio. We are really looking forward developing the master toy line for My American Friend in cooperation with Rainbow”.
