STL draws up plans for VeggieTales Etch A Sketch

Written by Jeremy Burns

Monday, 13 July 2015 05:24 PM America/New_York

Ohio-Art-Company Send The Light Distribution has announced what will likely be a major new draw for kids and their parents, The VeggieTales Etch A Sketch.

Etch A Sketch Junior and Travel Doodle editions of the best-selling drawing toys will feature characters from the popular faith-based kids franchise, VeggieTales. The toys will be released in 2016, one in time for Easter. The VeggieTales Etch A Sketch model will retail for $19.99, while the Travel Doodle will retail for $17.99.

The forthcoming releases were announced at the 2015 International Christian Retail Show by Send The Light Distribution (STL), which will be the exclusive distributor to both Christian and select mainstream retail channels.

Greg Fritz, senior vice president for home entertainment and consumer products at VeggieTales' Big Idea Entertainment, celebrated the Etch A Sketch partnership.

"We are very happy to partner with such an iconic children's favorite in this way, particularly one that encourages creativity, discovery and expression," Fritz said.

The VeggieTales editions are announced as Etch A Sketch marks its 65th anniversary next month, with more than 100 million units sold by Ohio Art Company (OAC).

"It's especially nice for us to be able to reach this milestone with a major new opportunity to develop products that can help children positively develop through educational play," said OAC President Martin Killgallon.

The unique pairing is part of STL's ongoing efforts to expand offerings in the increasingly important faith-based children's retail market, and follows other recent exclusive licenses with VeggieTales and Etch A Sketch. Recent STL additions for the category include VeggieTales versions of classic games such as Toss Across and Memory Match from Cardinal Industries along with an extensive classroom décor assortment from CSS Industries.

"This is going to be a big draw in more ways than one," said Michael Turner, STL's director of product development. "We're delighted to be able to bring together two names that parents know and appreciate so highly. From early feedback, we are confident that this will be a big hit with consumers.”