JAKKS Pacific Brings AMC’s “The Walking Dead” to Life with a Licensing Agreement for Deluxe Plug and Play TV Games

MALIBU, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading U.S. toymaker JAKKS Pacific, Inc., (Nasdaq: JAKK) announced today a licensing agreement with AMC to manufacture, distribute and market Deluxe Plug It In & Play TV Games™ based on “The Walking Dead,” the original drama series on AMC. AMC’s ‘The Walking Dead’ is the most watched drama series on cable for adults 18-49.

“AMC is excited to work with JAKKS Pacific to provide an innovative way for our fans to enjoy more of ‘The Walking Dead,’”

JAKKS Pacific will showcase the ‘Walking Dead Deluxe TV Games’ at the CES ShowStoppers Media Preview Event at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas on Tuesday, January 10, 2012.

“The Walking Dead Deluxe TV Games” from JAKKS brings to life the show’s action with a realistic ‘pump and shoot’ shotgun controller, multiple levels of Zombie adventures, and a variety of game modes. As with all of JAKKS’ TV Games titles, the controller simply plugs into the A/V jacks of any standard TV and contains multiple games in each controller, and no additional consoles or software are needed. While not yet rated, the game is submitted for an ESRB “T for Teen” video game rating.

“‘The Walking Dead’ series is hugely popular and is the perfect property to add to our ever-expanding portfolio of Plug It In & Play TV Games titles,” said Michael Bernstein, Senior Vice President of Marketing, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. “Our plug and play games continue to resonate with casual gamers by offering all the latest trends in gaming, such as real-time point and shoot gaming in an easy-to-use plug and play platform. We continue to feature the hottest entertainment properties brought to life with great looking controllers at affordable prices. Plug It In & Play TV Games toys continue to be a great value for all gamers.”

“AMC is excited to work with JAKKS Pacific to provide an innovative way for our fans to enjoy more of ‘The Walking Dead,’” said Marci Wiseman, AMC’s Senior Vice President of Business Affairs.

The Walking Dead Deluxe TV Games line is expected to launch at retailers nationwide in Fall 2012.

About JAKKS Pacific, Inc.

JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK) is a leading designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a wide range of products that feature some of the most popular brands and children's toy licenses in the world. JAKKS’ diverse portfolio includes Action Figures, Electronics, Dolls, Dress-Up, Role Play, Halloween Costumes, Kids Furniture, Vehicles, Plush, Art Activity Kits, Seasonal Products, Infant/Pre-School, Construction Toys and Pet Toys sold under various proprietary brands including JAKKS Pacific®, Creative Designs International™, Road Champs®, Funnoodle®, JAKKS Pets™, Plug It In & Play TV Games™, Kids Only!™, Tollytots® and Disguise®. JAKKS is an award-winning licensee of several hundred nationally and internationally known trademarks including Nickelodeon®, Warner Bros.®, Ultimate Fighting Championship®, Hello Kitty®, Graco®, Cabbage Patch Kids® and Pokémon®. www.jakks.com

This press release may contain forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about JAKKS Pacific's business based partly on assumptions made by its management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to, those described above, changes in demand for JAKKS' products, product mix, the timing of customer orders and deliveries, the impact of competitive products and pricing, and difficulties with integrating acquired businesses. The forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date on which they are made, and JAKKS undertakes no obligation to update any of them to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.