4Kids Entertainment

Last updated

4Kids Entertainment, Inc.
FormerlyLeisure Concepts
(1970–1995)
4Kids Entertainment
(1995–2012)
4Licensing Corporation (2012–2017)
Company type Public
NYSE: KDE
OTCBB: KIDE
OTCQB: FOUR
IndustryMedia
Licensing
Genre Anime
FoundedApril 28, 1970;54 years ago (1970-04-28) (as Leisure Concepts, Inc.)
FoundersMike Germakian
Stan Weston
DefunctFebruary 7, 2017;7 years ago (2017-02-07)
Fate Bankruptcy
Successor Konami Cross Media NY
Headquarters,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Products Fox Box/4Kids TV
The CW4Kids/Toonzai
Number of employees
16 (2013)
Subsidiaries 4Kids Entertainment International Limited
4Kids Entertainment Licensing, Inc.
4Kids Entertainment Home Video, Inc.
4Kids Productions, Inc.
4Kids Ad Sales, Inc.
The Summit Media Group, Inc.
4Kids Technology, Inc.
Websites 4 Kids, Inc.
4Kids Entertainment Music, Inc.
Footnotes /references
[1] [2]

4Kids Entertainment, Inc. (formerly known as Leisure Concepts, Inc. and later known as 4Licensing Corporation; stylized as 4K!DS ENTERTAINMENT) was an American licensing company. The company was previously also a film and television production company that produced English-dubbed Japanese anime through its subsidiary 4Kids Productions between 1992 and 2012; it specialized in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the United States. The first anime that 4Kids Productions dubbed was the first eight seasons of Pokémon that originally began airing in first run syndication, and then it later moved to exclusively air on Kids' WB! in the United States. The company is most well-known for its range of television licenses, which has included the multibillion-dollar Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh! Japanese anime franchises. They also ran two program blocks: Toonzai (originally The CW4Kids) on The CW, and 4Kids TV (originally FoxBox) on Fox, both aimed at children. [3] The 4KidsTV block ended on December 27, 2008, while its Toonzai block ended on August 18, 2012, which was replaced by Saban's Vortexx, which in itself was succeeded by the One Magnificent Morning block by Litton Entertainment (now known as Hearst Media Production Group) in 2014.

Contents

4Licensing Corporation had its world headquarters on Third Avenue in New York City, its former subsidiary, 4Kids Productions, had its headquarters in a separate building in Manhattan. The New York Stock Exchange delisted 4Kids (NYSE: KDE) on June 1, 2010. On April 6, 2011, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection following a lawsuit concerning the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. On December 13, 2012, the company announced that it had emerged from bankruptcy. [4] On September 21, 2016, it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection once again and shut down operations one year later. [5] 4Kids' former CEO, Alfred R. Kahn, founded a successor company called Kidtagious Entertainment in 2019. [6]

History

Company origins

Leisure Concepts was co-founded on April 28, 1970, [7] [8] by Mike Germakian (later who would be known as one of the creators of ThunderCats) and Stan Weston (the creator of G.I. Joe and Captain Action), [9] [10] as an independent licensing agency in New York City. Mike Germakian was the secretary of LCI, while Stan Weston was initially the President and later the Chairman of Leisure Concepts. [8] [11] [12] Weston was also the Treasurer of the company. [13]

1970–1990: Early beginnings

In the beginning, the company pitched toy and cartoon ideas to various companies, as well as formed partnerships with companies such as Rankin/Bass, among others. [11]

LCI began making news in the 1980s through licensing actual people, a variety of products, and even concepts. The company also had a growing number of deals with television producers and toy manufacturers. Among the company's licenses at the time were Farrah Fawcett of Charlie's Angels fame, Charlie Chan, James Bond 007, a wide array of Nintendo characters and products, the Hulk, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century TV Series [14] and many others. [15]

LCI is credited in its assistance in the initial development of the "ThunderCats" concept and acted on behalf of Lorimar-Telepictures Corp as an exclusive worldwide licensing agent for products based on "Thundercats", [16] [17] [18] [19] an agreement that was signed between the two parties on June 15, 1984. [20]

During the mid-1980s, Ted Wolf came up with the idea of a race of catlike humanoid superheroes. He shared his vision with his friend Stan Weston, who in turn, through LCI, pitched it to Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment. Both Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass were impressed with the idea and the potential that it had of becoming an instant success. They approved of it and "ThunderCats" went into production.

During the early development stage, Mike Germakian designed much of the ThunderCats' characters, vehicles and locations. He was also responsible for creating the now iconic ThunderCats logo, featuring a stylized black panther head on a red circle. Germakian's designs were then sent to Pacific Animation Corporation in Japan to be adapted into cartoon format. After completing work on ThunderCats, Germakian went on to design characters for SilverHawks and The Comic Strip, both Rankin/Bass shows.

In July 1987, Alfred Kahn, former Executive Vice President of Marketing [21] at Coleco, who was credited for bringing the Cabbage Patch Kids to the Mainstream, joined the company as vice chairman and a member of the board of directors. [22]

On December 17, 1987, [22] LCI signed a licensing deal with Nintendo of America, Inc. to market the software products that went along with its increasingly popular gaming systems. Nintendo had already introduced The Legend of Zelda for its home video game system, a software product that went on to sell more than one million copies during the year. [15] Some time in 1986, the company also signed a licensing deal to market Star Wars . [23]

1990–2000: Expansion and name change

In the early 1990s, LCI expanded its operations and began television production in 1992. This would include English-dubbing Japanese anime through its subsidiary 4Kids Productions, which the company would be mostly known for.

In 1987, Bobby Kotick (former President and CEO of Activision Blizzard) tried to acquire Commodore International. When Kotick was unsuccessful, he instead purchased a controlling stake in LCI, thus also becoming LCI's CEO and chairman in June 1990. [24] [25] Kotick later traded out of his stake in LCI and bought a 25% stake in Activision in December 1990. In March 1991, Kotick became CEO at Activision. [26]

The company did $6 million in sales in 1989 and employed 14 people by 1990. [27]

On March 12, 1991, LCI appointed Alfred Kahn as its chairman and CEO. [22]

In 1992, two subsidiaries were established by the company: The Summit Media Group, Inc. and 4Kids Productions. [15]

The company changed its name from Leisure Concepts Inc. to 4Kids Entertainment Inc. on November 16, 1995. [22] Although the company changed its name, "Leisure Concepts" still operated as a separate subsidiary of the company, [22] meaning the company may have decided to use the "Leisure Concepts" name for branding purposes.

By 1999, 4Kids Entertainment employed 50 people. [28]

2000–2005: The new millennium

The new century found 4Kids Entertainment Inc., switching from the NASDAQ market and joining the New York Stock Exchange on September 20, 2000. [15] [29] [30] The firm's new ticker symbol was KDE, and the company was riding high during the continuing success of "Pokemon" when it earned Fortune's top slot on its 100 Fastest Growing Companies for 2000. [31] [32] [33] The company was also listed on the Frankfurt Exchange earlier in the year. [34]

On April 5, 2000, 4Kids and Mattel signed a licensing agreement to create Hot Wheels die-cast cars and racing sets featuring the PACE Motor Sports line of monster trucks. The license included rights to the monster truck Grave Digger, and a new line of World Championship Wrestling vehicles designed after their star wrestlers such as Goldberg, Sting and Bret Hart. The PACE Motor Sports and World Championship Wrestling line of Hot Wheels vehicles have been available nationally at mass-market retailers beginning in the summer of that year. [35]

In 2001, 4Kids Entertainment obtained the merchandising and television rights to the series Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters [36] from Nihon Ad Systems, producing an English-language version which aired in North America on Kids' WB from September 29, 2001, to June 10, 2006.

In October 2001, 4Kids Entertainment acquired a 3% stake in The Pokémon Company, in a move to benefit indirectly from Pokémon's success in Asia, and from worldwide sales of Pokémon electronic cards and video games. [37] [38]

In late January 2002, after engaging in a bidding war with DIC Entertainment, 4Kids Entertainment signed a four-year, US$100 million deal with the Fox Broadcasting Company to program its Saturday morning lineup. [39] 4Kids Entertainment was wholly responsible for the content of the block and collected all advertising revenues from it. [40]

In May 2002, 4Kids Entertainment launched a home video division called 4Kids Entertainment Home Video and appointed FUNimation Productions as the exclusive distributor for their Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cubix, Cabbage Patch Kids and Tama and Friends properties. [41]

By 2002, 4Kids got $140 million in Pokémon revenue. [42] [43]

4Kids' new Saturday-Morning cartoon block on Fox premiered on September 14, 2002, as "FoxBox". [44] FoxBox rebranded to "4Kids TV" in January 2005. [45]

2005–2010: Further expansion and financial failings

On October 10, 2005, 4Kids Entertainment sold its 3% stake in The Pokémon Company for US$960,000, to the three parties owning the rights to Pokémon (Nintendo, Creatures and Game Freak). [46]

On December 23, 2005, the company announced that it will not renew the Pokémon representation agreement set to expire on December 31, 2005. And that beginning in 2006, Pokémon USA, Inc.'s in-house licensing group will handle all Pokémon licensing outside of Asia. However, the company will continue to receive commissions for the next several years, on payments made under existing Pokémon license agreements whose term expires after December 31, 2005. [47] [48]

On January 17, 2006, 4Kids and Microsoft signed a deal to license children's video games exclusively for the Xbox 360 gaming system, in an effort to put more child-oriented games on the system, whose gaming library was at the time dominated by games targeted toward the 12-and-up market. [49] One of the first titles announced was Viva Piñata which would be developed by Rare. On June 10, 2006, 4Kids licensed the sequel series to Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh GX, for release in North America. [50]

On April 18, 2006, 4Kids launched a new subsidiary entitled 4Sight Licensing Solutions Inc., [51] which licenses and market brands aimed at adults, teenagers and pre-teens. "We have built an impressive roster of captivating and successful children's entertainment properties," said Alfred Kahn. [51] "Given the increased number of brands that we are representing that focus on an older audience, we felt it would be beneficial to organize a new subsidiary primarily devoted to the marketing and licensing of these brands. We believe that we can successfully utilize our marketing and licensing expertise to build brand value for properties targeting an older consumer that are not necessarily media or character driven." [51]

On December 11, 2006, 4Kids Entertainment announced the formation of two subsidiaries, TC Digital Games, LLC, a trading card company, and TC Websites, LLC, an online multi-platform game company. "The formation of TC Digital Games and TC Websites represent a significant enhancement of our business strategy," said Alfred R. Kahn, chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment. [52] TC Digital Games LLC and TC Websites LLC were shut down in 2010, due to continued lack of profitability.

On October 2, 2007, Warner Bros. and CBS announced that the Kids' WB programming block on their co-owned network, The CW, would be ending in 2008, and no longer be marketed and produced in-house, due to factors including cable competition. Rights for the five-hour Saturday morning block were bought by 4Kids, and they began to program the time with their own programming (mixed in with three former Kids' WB originals) in September 2008. [53] Because of this additional deal, 4Kids provided programming for both The CW and Fox in the 2008–09 season giving 4Kids nine hours of combined children's programming on two broadcast networks, as 4KidsTV ran until December 27, 2008. The new block, The CW4Kids , started May 24, 2008. The CW4Kids was renamed to Toonzai starting on August 14, 2010, featuring Magical Do-Re-Mi! , Cubix: Robots for Everyone , Dinosaur King , Yu-Gi-Oh! , Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's , Sonic X and Dragon Ball Z Kai . Even though 4Kids TV was discontinued as it was online only, this programming block continued to use the CW4Kids name, to reflect to the network it airs on. 4Kids also indicated that it retained Yu-Gi-Oh! and Sonic X in its lineup. In addition to that, Toonzai also aired Dragon Ball Z Kai . The Toonzai block ended on August 18, 2012. A week later, the block was replaced by Vortexx, which ran as a final Saturday morning cartoon block on The CW from August 25, 2012, to September 27, 2014, before being replaced by One Magnificent Morning on October 4, 2014.

On November 10, 2008, 4Kids Entertainment announced that it would exit its contract with Fox and terminate its Fox programming block by the end of 2008. [54] [55] The final broadcast of 4Kids TV on Fox was on December 27, 2008. [56]

On December 17, 2008, 4Kids Entertainment announced that it was laying off about 15% of its workforce due to the worsening economic environment, and financial situation at the company. [57]

2010–2012: Decline and first bankruptcy

On May 28, 2010, the company announced that New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) trading in its common stock would be suspended prior to the opening of trading on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, thus effectively delisting the company from the New York Stock Exchange. Beginning June 1, 2010, the company began trading under the new stock symbol "KIDE" on the OTC Bulletin Board (OTCBB) market. [58]

On January 11, 2011, the company announced that Alfred Kahn, the CEO and Chairman of the Company since March 1991, had left the company. Michael Goldstein, a member of the company's Board of Directors since March 2003, was appointed interim chairman, while the company was conducting a search for a new CEO. [59]

On March 29, 2011, TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems (NAS) sued 4Kids Entertainment, alleging that the company entered into illegal agreements with other companies, including Funimation Entertainment and Majesco Entertainment, regarding the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime franchise. TV Tokyo claimed that those agreements allowed 4Kids to collect royalties without paying a portion of those royalties to TV Tokyo, which violates their original agreement. The companies are seeking almost $5 million in "underpayments, wrongful deductions, and unmet obligations." As part of the suit, the companies terminated the Yu-Gi-Oh! license from 4Kids. Neither Funimation nor Majesco are listed as defendants in the case. [60]

4Kids Entertainment informed the licensors on March 27, 2011, that their termination letter was "wrongful and devoid of any factual and legal basis," and that they had not given 4Kids 10 days' notice as required. 4Kids further revealed that they had made a good-faith payment of $1 million and agreed to a March 18 meeting in lieu of a lawsuit, which TV Tokyo and NAS nevertheless decided to go ahead with. The company also stated that even if the termination is found to be valid, the company is prepared to do whatever it takes to stay in business. 4Kids filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as of April 6, 2011. [61] [62] 4Kids requested that the court suspend co-licensor Asatsu DK's attempts to exercise control of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise in the United States, particularly in terms of selling the rights to the latest anime series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal , which was due to be pitched at the Licensing International Expo on June 14. [63] [64] However, on June 2, 2011, bankruptcy judge Shelley Chapman issued a court order on TV Tokyo and NAS for an automatic stay on the U.S. Yu-Gi-Oh! license and said that the trial will proceed in two phases. The first phase is whether the contractual termination was valid, and the second is how much money 4Kids would owe the companies. The first phase of the trial began on August 29, 2011. [65]

On October 27, 2011, 4Kids and the executives of former financial company Lehman Brothers reached a deal, after Lehman had improperly invested most of 4Kids funds in auction rate securities. 4Kids received $500,000 from the deal. [66] Chapman later ruled that the Yu-Gi-Oh! license is still in effect due to TV Tokyo, NAS and ADK not terminating the agreement properly. [67] On February 29, 2012, there was an amicable settlement of the lawsuit between 4Kids Entertainment and Asatsu-DK (ADK) and TV Tokyo over the license of the Yu-Gi-Oh! property. [68]

On May 1, 2012, Kidsco Media Ventures LLC, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group, placed a bid to acquire some of 4Kids' assets, including the US rights to the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise and The CW4Kids block, for $10 million. [69] On June 5, 2012, 4Kids commenced an auction between Kidsco and 4K Acquisition which was then adjourned so 4Kids, Kidsco, and 4K Acquisition could consider an alternative transaction. [70] [71] [72] On June 15, 2012, 4Kids filed a notice outlining a proposed deal in which its assets would be divided between Kidsco and 4K Acquisition which was finalized on June 26, 2012. The deal saw 4K Acquisition acquire the US rights to the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise and KidsCo acquire 4Kids' other assets including the agreements for Dragon Ball Z , Sonic X , Cubix and The CW Network's Toonzai Saturday morning programming block. [73] [74]

On August 14, 2012, it was announced through a quarterly report that 4Kids Entertainment had discontinued operations of four operating divisions: 4Kids Ad Sales Inc., 4Kids Productions Inc., 4Kids Entertainment Music Inc., and 4Kids Entertainment Home Video, Inc. due to their continued lack of profitability. On September 13, 2012, it was revealed through a quarterly report that on August 16, 2012, the Board of Directors of 4Kids Entertainment determined to discontinue the operations of its UK subsidiary, 4Kids Entertainment International Ltd., which became effective on September 30, 2012. [75] On December 5, 2012, 4Kids Entertainment announced that it had ended a dispute (over the so-called Pokémon agreement) with The Pokémon Company International under which TPCi will get a $1 million general unsecured claim against the debtor. [76]

2012–2016: Rebrand as 4Licensing Corporation

4Licensing Corporation logo 4Licensing Corporation Logo.svg
4Licensing Corporation logo

A meeting was scheduled on December 13, 2012, to confirm 4Kids' plan to exit bankruptcy. [77] The same day, the New York bankruptcy judge sent 4Kids Entertainment Inc. on its way out of Chapter 11 protection Thursday, overruling an objection by the American Kennel Club Inc. over a licensing agreement and approving its reorganization plan, which calls for the full payment of claims.

On December 21, 2012, 4Kids Entertainment was renamed 4Licensing Corporation. [77]

2016–2017: Second bankruptcy and closure

On September 21, 2016, 4Licensing Corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy; [5] the bankruptcy plan became effective on February 7, 2017, and the company immediately ceased operations thereafter. [78] [79]

Licenses and productions

4Kids Entertainment licensed a wide variety of media products, ranging from video games and television programs to toy lines featuring the Royal Air Force. 4Kids focused on licensing content for the children's market. [80] including content for both boys and girls. [81] Many of its licenses came from dubs of Japanese anime, including Fighting Foodons , and Shaman King , while others are Western animations or properties like Chaotic or Back to the Future: The Animated Series .

Most programs were either licensed out to local stations, or broadcast on their dedicated programming block 4Kids TV. Typically, 4Kids would retain several properties on hiatus (such as Yu-Gi-Oh! GX ), or in production to allow for turnover of their existing products. 4Kids also licensed, and merchandised, a number of non-animation based products, such as calendars like The Dog, and toys like Cabbage Patch Kids .

Back catalogues

Executive management

This is a list of Chief Executive Officers that ran 4Kids Entertainment.

Chief executive officers

Criticism and controversy

Comparison of the same scene in One Piece. Original Japanese version (top) and 4Kids edit of what could be perceived as blackface (below). OnePieceedit.jpg
Comparison of the same scene in One Piece . Original Japanese version (top) and 4Kids edit of what could be perceived as blackface (below).

During its operation as 4Kids Entertainment, the company faced intense criticism from viewers over the company's extensive editing and localization of the anime and other non-American series they licensed. Practices like censorship, story editing, music editing, and their "Americanization" of Japanese culture references, were changed to be more American. One example included characters eating rice balls commenting that they were eating jelly doughnuts in their dub of the original Pokémon anime. [85]

At the 2019 Fan Expo Canada, Eric Stuart, who was the voice of Brock and James in the 4Kids dub of Pokémon, the voice of Seto Kaiba in the English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and who was also part of the production side, mentioned why 4Kids' dubs had this censorship. He explained that American culture has a different sensitivity to certain content compared to Japanese culture, and networks on Saturday mornings had standards that would forbid certain inappropriate content like firearms, sexual references, religious references, display or mention of death, alcohol, cigarettes, and other content that is considered offensive to American audiences. As the censorship is dictated by the networks and not the production company itself, 4Kids would submit the scripts and footage of their dubs to the networks their dubs air on, and then the executives of those networks would review them. Then after they reviewed it, they would tell 4Kids to cut out certain scenes and edit inappropriate content to something particular like changing Sanji's cigarette to a lollipop in One Piece, or changing a stone that looks like a cross to something non-religious for their dubs to pass the network's standards. He also pointed out that Pokémon, and anime as a whole, wouldn't be as wildly popular as it is today if companies like 4Kids didn't air it on network television instead of being in the back of a video store. [86]

At the 2016 Metrocon, Eric Stuart also explained the "Americanization" in 4Kids' dubs. He stated that those edits were international edits. When companies like 4Kids purchase the licensing to Japanese anime, the anime not only was redubbed into English but also redubbed into multiple languages because companies like 4Kids were used to distribute the anime to other countries by using their dubs and licensing them to other countries to have their dubs be used to distribute the anime. The Japanese food products being changed, and Japanese references being removed were requested by those Japanese anime companies because they wanted their anime to be distributed worldwide and wanted international audiences to relate to their products much easier. So, while the Japanese anime companies remove the Japanese text on signs, 4Kids removed the scenes involving Japanese references and changed the names of the Japanese food products like rice balls to something more international like donuts while only occasionally changing the animation to the foods since making animation changes causes a rise in production costs and they already have to make plenty of animation changes in their dubs. [87]

A March 2006 study by the Parents Television Council, a conservative advocacy group, on violence in children's television programs claimed that the 4Kids dub of Shaman King was still too violent for children. [88]

Related Research Articles

The history of anime in the United States began in 1961, when Magic Boy and The White Snake Enchantress, both produced by Toei Animation, became the first and second anime films to receive documented releases in the country. Anime has since found success with a growing audience in the region, with Astro Boy often being noted as the first anime to receive widespread syndication, especially in the United States. Additionally, anime's growth in popularity in the US during the 1990s, commonly referred to as the "anime boom," is credited with much of anime's enduring relevance to popular culture outside Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kids' WB</span> American childrens programming block

Kids' WB was an American children's programming block that originally aired on The WB from September 9, 1995, to September 16, 2006, and later on The CW from September 23, 2006, to May 17, 2008. Initially launched as a competitor to Fox Kids, Kids' WB aired primarily during the Saturday morning and weekday after-school time slots, although airtimes for the block's programming varied at the local affiliate's discretion.

<i>Yu-Gi-Oh! GX</i> Japanese anime series and spin-off

Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, also known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX, is a Japanese anime television series. It is a spin-off and sequel to the original Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series, which itself is based on the original manga series of the same title by Kazuki Takahashi. It was broadcast for 180 episodes on TV Tokyo from October 2004 to March 2008. Yu-Gi-Oh! GX follows the exploits of Jaden Yuki and his companions as he attends Duel Academia. The series was released in English in North America by 4Kids Entertainment. A manga adaptation by Naoyuki Kageyama was serialized in Shueisha's magazine V Jump from December 2005 to March 2011, with its chapters collected in nine tankōbon volumes. The series was followed by Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dan Green (voice actor)</span> American voice actor

James Hadley Snyder, known professionally as Dan Green, is an American voice actor, voice director and screenwriter. He is best known for being the voice of Yugi Muto/Yami Yugi for the English dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, the anime series version of Yu-Gi-Oh!, as well as all of the character's U.S. series appearances.

Alfred Robert Kahn is an American executive. From 1991 to 2011, he was chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment, a company that is a global provider of children's entertainment and merchandise licensing. He previously led the licensing division for the Coleco company. In 1995, he turned Leisure Concepts, Inc. into 4Kids Entertainment, having previously served as chairman and CEO of the company since March 1991. In 2002, he founded the National Law Enforcement and Firefighters Children's Foundation. In 2012 he co-founded CraneKahn LLC and was the CEO and co-owner of that company. In 2019 CraneKahn folded into Kidtagious.

Konami Cross Media NY, Inc. is an American production company owned by Konami.

Norman J. Grossfeld is an American director, television producer, record producer, screenwriter and media executive. From February 1994 to December 2009, he was the president of 4Kids Productions, a former subsidiary of 4Kids Entertainment and Leisure Concepts. He produced the English adaptations of the first eight seasons of the Pokémon TV series and five seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh!. He produced five seasons of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, five Pokémon movies, and one Yu-Gi-Oh! movie for 4KidsTV. In addition to producing and executive producing, Grossfeld co-wrote most of the Pokémon films, which grossed over $600 million worldwide. Grossfeld is credited with writing the Pokémon franchise's tagline, "Gotta catch 'em all!" He was also an executive producer for the anime One Piece.

<i>Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds</i> Japanese anime series and spin-off

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's is the second main spin-off of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, succeeding Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Weekly Shōnen Jump and the 15th anniversary of V Jump. The series aired from April 2008 to March 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toonzai</span> US Saturday morning cartoon block

Toonzai was an American Saturday morning cartoon children's television block that aired on The CW from May 24, 2008 to August 18, 2012. The block was created as a result of a four-year agreement between 4Kids Entertainment and The CW. The original name for the block from May 24, 2008 to August 7, 2010, The CW4Kids, was retained as a sub-brand through the end of the block's run in order to fulfill branding obligations per 4Kids Entertainment's contract to lease The CW's Saturday morning time slots. The name is a portmanteau of "toon" and the Japanese term banzai, reflecting the majority of anime programming on the block.

Saban Brands was an American brand management and production company and a defunct subsidiary of Saban Capital Group based in Los Angeles, California. Founded by Israeli American media mogul Haim Saban as a successor to an earlier company he co-founded, Saban Entertainment, it was active from 12 May 2010 to 2 July 2018.

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal, stylized as Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, is a Japanese manga and anime series and the third spin-off of the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise, after the preceding Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's. The manga began serialization in Shueisha's V Jump magazine from December 2010 to June 2015 and is licensed in North America by Viz Media. The anime series was produced by Nihon Ad Systems and TV Tokyo, and its animation was done by Gallop. It aired on TV Tokyo from April 2011 to September 2012, with an English-language version airing in North America between October 2011 and August 2013. A sequel series, titled Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II, aired in Japan from October 2012 to March 2014 and in North America from June 2013 to January 2016.

<i>Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's lasts from episodes 93 to 134. As the WRGP begins, the 3 Emperors of Yliaster begin to make their move. The show uses seven pieces of theme music. For episodes 93 through 103, the opening theme is "Freedom" by La Vie, while the ending theme is 'O-Zone' by Vistlip. For episodes 104 to 129, the opening theme is "BELIEVE IN NEXUS" by Masaaki Endoh, while the ending theme is "Close to You" by Alvino ~Alchemy vision normal~. For episodes 130 to 154, the opening theme is "Road to Tomorrow - Going My Way!" by Masaaki Endoh, while the ending theme is "Future Colors" by Plastic Tree. Certain episodes use the insert song: "Clear Mind" by Masaaki Endoh.

<i>Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth and final season of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's lasts from episodes 135 to 154. As the Ark Cradle descends on New Domino City, the final stage of Yliaster's plan is set into motion. This season uses four pieces of theme music. For episodes 130 to 154, the opening theme is "Road to Tomorrow - Going My Way!" by Masaaki Endoh, while the ending theme is "Future Colors" by Plastic Tree. Certain episodes use the insert song: "Clear Mind" by Masaaki Endoh. Episode 154 uses the insert song: "The Melody of Promises," which is also by Masaaki Endoh.

Vortexx was an American Saturday morning children's television programming block that aired on The CW from August 25, 2012 to September 27, 2014. Programmed by Saban Brands, it replaced Toonzai, a block that was programmed by 4Kids Entertainment until its bankruptcy. The Vortexx block primarily featured animated programs, although it also featured several live-action series, including the Lost Galaxy installment of the Power Rangers franchise, and the WWE wrestling series Saturday Morning Slam.

<i>Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters</i> Japanese anime television series

Yu-Gi-Oh!, known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and alternatively subtitled Rulers of the Duel in the United States and Canada, is a Japanese anime series animated by Studio Gallop based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! manga series written by Kazuki Takahashi. It is the second anime adaptation of the manga following the 1998 anime television series produced by Toei Animation. The series revolves around a young high school boy named Yugi Muto who battles opponents in the Duel Monsters card game. The series begins from chapter 60 in volume 7 before loosely adapting the remaining chapters of the original manga by making story changes that conflict with the events of the manga canon.

<i>Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal</i> season 2 Season of television series

Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal is the third spin-off anime series in the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise and the sixth anime series overall. It is by Nihon Ad Systems and broadcast on TV Tokyo. It is directed by Satoshi Kuwahara and animated by Studio Gallop. The series aired in Japan on TV Tokyo between April 11, 2011, and September 24, 2012. A second series, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal II, began airing from October 7, 2012. The show also premiered on Toonzai in North America on October 15, 2011. It is the first Yu-Gi-Oh! series to be broadcast in high-definition in United States. The story follows the young duelist Yuma Tsukumo who partners up with an ethereal spirit named Astral, as they search for the 100 Number Duel Monsters cards, which will restore Astral's memories.

References

  1. "4Licensing Corporation Annual Report 2012". SEC. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  2. "FORM 10-K". SEC . Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  3. "4Kids! Ad Sales". 4Kids Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 6, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  4. Uhlman, Lisa (December 13, 2012). "4Kids Plan Confirmed Over License Partner's Objection". Law360. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  5. 1 2 "4Licensing Corporation Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy". Business Wire . September 22, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  6. Whyte, Alexandra (June 5, 2019). "Al Kahn, Toper Taylor launch kid licensing co". Kidscreen .
  7. "LEISURE CONCEPTS, INC". SEC. November 1995. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  8. 1 2 "Certificate-Of-Amendment-Certificate-Of-Incorporation 4 KIDS ENTERTAINMENT-INC". Docstoc . August 16, 1999. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  9. Alan McKee; Dr Alan McKee; Christy Collis; Ben Hamley (June 11, 2014). Entertainment Industries: Entertainment as a Cultural System. Routledge. p. 35. ISBN   9781317979197 . Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  10. "Advertising: Bicentennial Help". The New York Times . June 20, 1974. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  11. 1 2 "Mike Germakian, a Father of the ThunderCats – nn memorium — ThunderCats Lair". Thundercatslair.org. September 29, 2008. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  12. "J. J. Winebaum Plans To Wed Cindy Weston". The New York Times . February 2, 1986. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  13. "Schedule 13D". SEC. July 9, 1996. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  14. "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". AFI . Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "History of 4Kids Entertainment Inc". Fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  16. The Business of Children's Entertainment. Norma Odom Pecora. March 6, 2002. p. 74. ISBN   9781572307742 . Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  17. Lippman, John (August 16, 1999). "Creating the Craze for Pokemon: Licensing Agent Bet on U.S. Kids" . The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  18. Millman, Nancy (July 29, 1986). "Burger King aims at kids' market in new campaign". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on November 10, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2016 via HighBeam Research.
  19. Teresa, Salas (August 1, 1988). "Buyers, licensors: partners in profit; strong merchandising support considered vital to property's success. (toy industry) (Licensing Scope)". Playthings. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016 via HighBeam Research.
  20. "Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement, Other Events". April 27, 2012. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  21. "ADVERTISING; Cabbage Patch Honors For a Coleco Executive". The New York Times . December 29, 1983. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 "10-K". Edgar Online. January 4, 1996. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  23. D & B Reports, Объемы 34-35-Dun & Bradstreet Credit Services, 1986. p. 64.
  24. Marketwatch, Dan Gallagher (December 4, 2008). "Kotick changes the game at Activision Blizzard". Marketwatch. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  25. 1 2 "SCHEDULE 14A". Activision Blizzard. July 31, 1995. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  26. Nutall, Chris (October 8, 2007). "Game player with a serious goal". Financial Times . Retrieved August 12, 2016. Closed Access logo transparent.svg (Subscription required.)
  27. Sherwin, Richard (July 23, 1990). "He has license to make a killing". New York Daily News . Retrieved July 25, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  28. Martin, John (October 24, 1999). "Coming to America". Tampa Bay Times . p. 125. Retrieved March 26, 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  29. "4Kids Entertainment Chairman and CEO Rings Opening Bell At The New York Stock Exchange; 4Kids Lists On The New York Stock Exchange". Business Wire . Berkshire Hathaway. September 20, 2000. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2019 via thefreelibrary.com.
  30. "4Kids Entertainment Inc To List On The New York Stock Exchange" (PDF). 4kidsentertainment.com. September 14, 2000. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 13, 2006. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  31. "FORTUNE's 100 Fastest-Growing Companies". Fortune. September 4, 2000. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  32. "Give Us Your Money: 4Kids Entertainment Attains Poke-Momentum". awn.com. October 1, 2000. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  33. "Al Kahn, Chairman and CEO of 4Kids Entertainment -- Fortune Magazine's No. 1 Fastest-Growing Company in America -- Featured Tonight on CNBC's 'Business Center'". Business Wire . Berkshire Hathaway. August 17, 2000. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2016 via thefreelibrary.com.
  34. "4Kids Entertainment Inc. Announces Frankfurt Listing". 4kidsentertainmentinc.com. March 13, 2000. Archived from the original on January 7, 2001. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  35. "Mattel Announces PACE Motor Sports and WCW Licensing Agreement With 4Kids Entertainment, Inc". PR Newswire . Cision. April 5, 2000. Archived from the original on May 20, 2000. Retrieved July 1, 2019 via Yahoo.com.
  36. "2001 Annual Report" (PDF). 4kidsentertainment.com. March 25, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2007. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  37. "4Kids Entertainment Signs New Five-Year Agreement With Pokemon USA/Leading Children's Entertainment Company Acquires 3% Interest In The Pokemon Company". TheFreeDictionary.com . October 10, 2001. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  38. "4Kids Entertainment Signs New Five-Year Agreement With Pokémon USA" (PDF). 4kidsentertainment.com. October 10, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2005. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  39. McClellan, Steve; Schlosser, Joe (January 28, 2002). "4Kids' win-win deal". Broadcasting & Cable. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  40. Downey, Kevin (March 1, 2002). "Signs of life for kids television". Media Life Magazine. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  41. "4Kids Launches 4Kids Home Video Business". Animation World Network.
  42. "4Kids". Santa Cruz Sentinel . October 19, 2002. p. 10. Retrieved November 26, 2021 via Newspapers.com.
  43. Pereira, Joseph (October 18, 2002). "Pow! Ka-Zam! Voom! 4Kids Picks Fight With Nickelodeon". The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved November 26, 2021. Closed Access logo transparent.svg (Subscription required.)
  44. "The week that was". Broadcasting & Cable. May 20, 2002. Archived from the original on December 22, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  45. "Fox Box To Be Rebranded 4KIDS TV" (Press release). 4Kids Entertainment. January 18, 2005.
  46. "Form 10K". EdgarOnline.com. March 16, 2006. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  47. "Pokemon USA Moves Licensing In-House in 2006; 4Kids Entertainment to Transition Its Representation of Pokemon". Business Wire . December 23, 2005. Archived from the original on September 8, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  48. "Pokémon USA Moves Licensing In-House In 2006" (PDF). 4Kids Entertainment. December 23, 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 12, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  49. "Microsoft and 4Kids Entertainment Form Alliance" (PDF). 4Kids Entertainment. January 17, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 23, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  50. "4Kids Entertainment Announces Yu-Gi-Oh! GX to Air on Cartoon Network; All-New Yu-Gi-Oh! Series Debuts This October". Business Wire. August 10, 2005. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  51. 1 2 3 "4Kids Launches 4Sight Licensing Solutions". Anime News Network , Apr 18, 2006. Retrieved April 18, 2006.
  52. "4Kids Entertainment Forms New Trading Card And Online Game Companies" (PDF) (Press release). 4Kids Entertainment. December 11, 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 6, 2009. Retrieved September 21, 2015 via TC Digital Games.
  53. Schneider Michael (October 2, 2007). "CW turns to 4Kids on Saturdays". Variety .
  54. "4Kids to End Its Fox Programming Block in December". Anime News Network. November 10, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2008.
  55. Schneider, Michael (November 23, 2008). "Longform ads replace kid fare on Fox". Variety. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  56. "4Kids Entertainment Reports Third Quarter 2008 Results And Settlement of Fox Litigation". QuoteMedia. November 10, 2008. Archived from the original on February 27, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  57. "4Kids Entertainment Lays Off About 15% of Workforce". Anime News Network. December 12, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  58. "4Kids common stock to trade under new symbol "KIDE" beginning on Tuesday, June 1, 2010". Business Wire. May 28, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  59. "4Kids Entertainment Chairman and CEO, Alfred R Kahn, Retires". Business Wire. January 11, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  60. "TV Tokyo, Nihon Ad Terminated Yu-Gi-Oh! Deal, Sue 4Kids". Anime News Network. May 30, 2011. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  61. 4Kids Files Shareholders' Report on Yu-Gi-Oh! Lawsuit, Anime News Network, March 31, 2011. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
  62. "4Kids Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy". Anime News Network. May 30, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  63. "4Kids Files to Prevent Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal Licensing". Anime News Network. May 30, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  64. "Japanese Firms Pitch New Yu-Gi-Oh! at Licensing Expo". Anime News Network. May 30, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  65. "Judge Orders Hold on U.S. Yu-Gi-Oh! Anime License". Anime News Network. May 30, 2011. Retrieved June 3, 2011.
  66. "4Kids, Lehman Reach Deal In $36M ARS Dispute". Law360. October 27, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  67. "4Kids' Yu-Gi-Oh! License Is Still in Force, Court Rules". Anime News Network. December 31, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  68. ADK TV Tokyo amicably settle Yu-Gi-Oh suit with 4kids. Anime News Network. March 1, 2012.
  69. "4Kids to Sell Yu-Gi-Oh! Assets to Kidsco for US$10 Million (Updated)". AnimeNewsNetwork. May 1, 2012. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  70. "4Kids Entertainment Adjourns Section 363 Auction". 4Kids Entertainment. June 8, 2012. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  71. Daswani, Mansha (June 8, 2012). "Konami, Saban Explore Deal to Divide Up 4Kids' Assets". WorldScreen. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  72. Whittock, Jesse (June 11, 2012). "4Kids bidders tussle over assets". C21Media. Retrieved June 12, 2012.
  73. Konami to get 4Kids Yu-Gi-Oh assets under proposed deal. Anime News Network. June 16, 2012.
  74. 4Kids sells Yu-Gi-Oh CW Network related assets jointly to konami kidsco. Anime News Network. June 26, 2012. Accessed June 2012.
  75. "UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION". Filings.issuerdirect.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  76. "4Kids, 'Pokemon' Co. Get OK For $1M Contract Row Settlement". Law360. Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  77. 1 2 "EDGAR Pro". yahoo.brand.edgar-online.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  78. "4Licensing Corporation: Private Company Information". Bloomberg. Retrieved August 23, 2017.
  79. Chetsas, Brandy (February 7, 2017). "4Licensing Bankruptcy Plan Effective, Summarized". Bankrupt Company News. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  80. Pennington, Steven (April 24, 2005). "Alfred R. Kahn". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 24, 2005.
  81. "2004 Annual Report" (PDF). 4Kids Entertainment. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 10, 2007. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  82. "4Kids Entertainment Chairman and CEO, Alfred R Kahn, Retires". 4Kids Entertainment. January 11, 2011. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  83. Michael Goldstein CPA. "Michael Goldstein: Executive Profile & Biography - Businessweek". Investing.businessweek.com. Retrieved July 10, 2013.[ dead link ]
  84. "FORM 8-K". Endgar Online. February 29, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  85. 4Kids Hates Riceballs. April 4, 2011. Retrieved March 13, 2022 via YouTube.
  86. Stuart, Eric (2019). Pokémon Voice Acting Stars Rachael Lillis & Eric Stuart - Fan Expo Canada 2019 Q&A Panel. Event occurs at 43:36. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  87. Stuart, Eric (2016). No Guidelines (Eric Stuart Q and A #2 [Metrocon 2016] . Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  88. "New PTC Study Finds More Violence on Children's TV than on Adult-Oriented TV". Parents Television Council . March 2, 2006. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2022.