Nelvana Celebrates 50 Years Of Sesame Street With Smash + Tess And Peace Collective Canadian Collaborations
November 7, 2019
NELVANA CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF SESAME STREET WITH SMASH + TESS AND PEACE COLLECTIVE CANADIAN COLLABORATIONS
Corus Entertainment Celebrates Sesame Street’s Milestone Anniversary with Special Programming on Global and the New Season on Treehouse
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For Immediate Release
TORONTO, November 7, 2019 – In celebration of Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary, Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana, a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live action content, is delighted to announce its collaborations with two leading Canadian fashion design houses, Smash + Tess and Peace Collective. Across broadcast television, Corus Entertainment gets into the celebratory spirit with a star-studded primetime special on Global and kicks off Sesame’s Season 50 on Treehouse.
Nelvana’s exciting new partnerships with Smash + Tess and Peace Collective will see the production and distribution of unique Sesame Street apparel and accessories for both adults and kids, in-stores and online.
“We are ecstatic to be partnering with two renowned Canadian-based fashion companies to help celebrate Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary,” said Carly Slack, Director of Marketing, Licensing and Retail, Nelvana. “As the Canadian licensing agent of Sesame Street, we believe Smash + Tess and Peace Collective have both brought the beloved Sesame Street characters to life in new and innovative ways that will resonate well with our fans.”
Vancouver-based fashion brand, Smash + Tess launched its Sesame Street x Smash + Tess line today, featuring limited edition Sesame Street rompers for both adults and kids. Made from premium fabrics such as sustainable rayon from bamboo and cotton blend, these new rompers feature Cookie Monster, The Count, Big Bird and the rest of the gang and are available for purchase exclusively at smashtess.ca. Moreover, Smash + Tess will be donating 5 per cent of all proceeds from today’s launch to the Sesame Workshop Yellow Feather Fund, which helps power the nonprofit’s global efforts to bring learning and laughter to kids and families in need.
Toronto-based fashion design house, Peace Collective, is launching its Sesame Street line in-stores and online on November 14. The exclusive collection pairs the iconic Sesame Street characters with Peace Collective’s trademark slogans across apparel and accessories for both adults and kids, including sweaters, t-shirts, hats, mugs, pins and magnets.
“As we celebrate 50 years – and look ahead to 50 more! – we want fans and families to remember the timeless lessons they learned on Sesame Street: We’re all different, but we’re all the same, too. And a little kindness goes a long way,” said Gabriela Arenas, Sesame Workshop’s Vice President of Licensing, North America. “So we’re thrilled to collaborate with two Canadian companies that celebrate inclusivity, self-expression, and joy!”
In addition to the above collaborations, Nelvana has also signed on several Canadian licensees for the Sesame Street franchise, including NTD (master apparel), Mad Engine (bags and accessories), and WN Pharmaceuticals (children’s vitamins).
Sesame Street’s landmark 50th season begins with Sesame Street’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, a star-studded primetime special that offers a sweeping look at fifty years on the Street, airing on Saturday, November 16 at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Global. Hosted by Joseph Gordon Levitt, the special reimagines classic segments and songs like “People in Your Neighborhood” and “It’s Not Easy Being Green” as the Sesame Street gang gets ready for a big celebration. Then, the 50th season of Sesame Street premieres on Sunday, November 17 at 7:10 a.m. on Treehouse. This season’s curriculum focuses on the power of possibilities, empowering kids to take safe risks and learn from their mistakes.
For more information on Sesame Street and licensing opportunities, please contact Carly.Slack@corusent.com.
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Global and Treehouse are Corus Entertainment networks and are available through all major TV distributors, including: Shaw, Shaw Direct, Rogers, Bell, Videotron, Telus, Cogeco, Eastlink, SaskTel and the new STACKTV, streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video Channels.
About Nelvana
Nelvana is a world-leading international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. Nelvana produces a stable of award-winning and globally renowned brands that focus on comedies, preschool and boys action series and ancillary consumer products programs. Nelvana’s content airs on Corus Entertainment’s kids channels in Canada and in over 160 countries around the world. The Nelvana library has well over 4,000 episodes of programming and has received over 70 major international program awards including Emmys® and Canadian Screen Awards. Visit the Nelvana website at nelvana.com.
About Corus Entertainment
Corus Entertainment Inc. (TSX: CJR.B) is a leading media and content company that develops and delivers high quality brands and content across platforms for audiences around the world. Engaging audiences since 1999, the company’s portfolio of multimedia offerings encompass 35 specialty television services, 39 radio stations, 15 conventional television stations, a suite of digital assets, animation software, technology and media services. Corus is an established creator of globally distributed content through Nelvana animation studio, Corus Studios, and children’s book publishing house Kids Can Press. The company also owns innovative full-service social digital agency so.da, and lifestyle entertainment company Kin Canada. Corus’ roster of premium brands includes Global Television, W Network, HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY®, Showcase, Adult Swim, National Geographic, Disney Channel Canada, YTV, Global News, Globalnews.ca, Q107, Country 105, and CFOX. Visit Corus at www.corusent.com.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re present in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org.
About Peace Collective
Peace Collective was born after Founder, Yanal wore his first Toronto vs. Everybody t-shirt to a Raptors game back in 2014. Since then, Peace Collective has become a go-to destination, allowing individuals to celebrate and express their authentic selves. Being proudly Canadian, Peace Collective focuses its efforts on empowering those around them to chase their passion by providing the support and resources necessary to do so. For more information, please visit https://www.peace-collective.com/.
About Smash + Tess
Smash & Tess is Vancouver-designed, North American made, and globally inspired. Smash + Tess believes in slowing down the fashion cycle and making clothing on demand and with a clear purpose – to delight its #smashtessgirls. Its best-selling romper fabric is a sustainable rayon from bamboo and cotton blend, and although it costs more to use it, it’s proven to stand the test of time and retain its shape and softness when treated well. Smash + Tess produces in their own backyard under watchful eyes to ensure that its clothing is made in the very best working conditions by skilled and talented seamsters. For more information, please visit https://smashtess.ca/.
For more information, please contact:
Victoria Manakis
Associate Manager, ChizComm Ltd. on behalf of Nelvana.
416.428.8535
vmanakis@chizcomm.com
Stacey Grimshaw
Sr. Publicity Manager, Corus Entertainment
416.479.6082
stacey.grimshaw@corusent.com