Summer Doldrums to Winter Excitement: Tails of Whimsy is Back in Action

The truth is, every business appears to follow a cyclical pattern. In licensing, January to May can be crazy, gearing up for presentations and pitches for KidScreen, Book Expo, Toy Fair and Licensing Expo. And then, people in the licensing business go dormant, almost a recovery period, until Brand Licensing Europe and MIP Jr. in Cannes crank into gear each fall.

 

Daryl attending Licensing Expo 2016

Of course, people do come in to work and new projects go into development. But, summer is a quietly creative period where follow-up from shows can result in licensing deals and properties optioned can begin to take shape.

Daryl and I are thrilled that we have such strong representation at these shows. Through our animation agent David Wollos, The Book Mytes is now in first and second rounds of reviews at an unusually high number of animation studios. It is very promising that so many producers have requested this pitch bible. However, this can result in very long waiting periods before an option deal can surface. 

But when they do, Wow!, it’s very exciting. And then work begins in earnest. This summer, smart producers like Chris Hamilton and Fred Schaefer at OddBot, the LA-based studio that optioned The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens,  got down to earnestly address the content and characters that Daryl created. A team of talent began to bring the characters to life. They added humor, history and backstory to Mackie, Mika and the Mini-Bots.

But the talented Samantha Berger, who wrote the fabulous children’s book Crankenstein, also added magic to the mini-pitch bible that is currently being presented to networks. Samantha has won both a NAPPA Gold Award and an E.B. White Read Aloud Award for Crankenstein. Her work thus far on Mackie McKeens is, in our humble opinion, nothing short of BRILLIANT!

 

Working with the talented author Samantha Berger

So, this is just a peek into the progress of Tails of Whimsy since summer. The rhythmic pace of fall shifting into winter has kicked into gear and so have we. 

Heading to Licensing Expo 2016!

Hello friends,

Licensing Expo 2016 is next week, June 21-23 in Las Vegas, and we’d love to see you there!

Tails of Whimsy is not exhibiting this year but Daryl is walking the show with an iPad full of our content, and he still has some appointment times available. If you’d like to meet, email daryl@tailsofwhimsy.com. He is bringing four properties this year and has meetings with publishers, studio execs, branding agents and potential licensees.

*The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens has been optioned for animation. The picture book with fanciful, fun, and vivid pictures plus rhyming text is available for publishing and to see at the show.

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*The Wundernauts will launch at the Radio Days booth E196. Be sure to stop by and get a Wundernauts tote bag. This new children's property is available for animation, publishing, and licensing.

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*The Book Mytes, in both picture book and pitch bible formats, is brand new and available for animation, publishing and licensing. Our agent, David Wollos of Think Tank Entertainment, will be with Daryl for these appointments.

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*Scooter News Network. Still in development, we have polished proof-of-concept to show on this live action news magazine show about animals and the environment for kids 4- 9 featuring our puppet Scooter D Pup.

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Dig into a sneak peek of "The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens"

Journey to whimsical places with "The Wundernauts"

Unlock adventure and a love of reading with "The Book Mytes"

We’ll also be available for conversations about branding Tails of Whimsy, our storybook studio and, of course, The Art of Daryl Slaton.

There’s plenty to look at and discuss. We hope to hear from you and to see you at the Show!

daryl@tailsofwhimsy.com

lsglickman@gmail.com

  

Cheers,

Daryl Slaton and Louise Glickman (Slaton)

daryl@tailsofwhimsy.com

lsglickman@gmail.com

facebook.com/tailsofwhimsy

@TailsofWhimsy

LinkedIn

Tails of Whimsy Partners With OddBot to Produce “Mackie McKeens”

We have BIG news and we’ve been bursting to share it with YOU!

Los Angeles-based animation studio, OddBot, Inc. has optioned “The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens”  from Tails of Whimsy to develop the property as an animated television series. 

What exactly does “option” mean? OddBot is a well-known, Emmy nominated animation studio in Los Angeles that handles animation for companies like Disney, PBS Kids (Sprout), Warner Brothers, Amazon and even American Greetings. In this case, they loved our property, “The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens,” so much that they wanted to develop it themselves. 

So instead of the networks coming to OddBot with a project to animate, OddBot will create treatments based on Mackie and pitch it to the networks. Because of their close working relationships with these networks, they may even work directly in partnership with them to bring the series to fruition.

All of this takes time and patience, but with any luck, kids ages 2-6 will see “Mackie” on screen. We are working on getting picture books ready to submit to publishers, and toy manufacturers have already shown interest. So, if you just had a baby or a grandchild, it could be that at some point they will be watching “Mackie” on TV or their preferred digital device!

Follow us in this great adventure at:

www.tailsofwhimsy.com

www.Facebook.com/tailsofwhimsy

http://darylslaton.blogspot.com/

Learn more about OddBot at:

www.oddbot.net

We have a new name on Facebook: Hello from Tails of Whimsy!

We sure have been busy around here: Daryl is abuzz in the studio working on new projects; our new book The Book Mytes was recently shopped around at KidScreen in Miami; Louise just returned from traveling the globe (more on that this spring!); and we’ve expanded a bit on Facebook. We sure do love the thrill of a new year.

Our original Facebook page, Scooter and Boots, was all about animal rescue and the amazing community of people who help pets find their forever homes.

Our updated Facebook page, Tails of Whimsy, expands on where we started with Scooter and Boots.

Scooter the dog and Boots the cat—two of Daryl’s illustrated characters—will still be part of our Facebook world, and we’ll also be sharing more about Daryl’s illustrations, the power of reading, and our adventures in publishing, animation, and licensing. Cool stuff.

So what does this mean?

Well, if you already like us on Facebook, you might have noticed that we’ve updated our name and our look a bit. And if you haven’t liked us yet, come on over: we’d love to hear from you!

https://www.facebook.com/tailsofwhimsy

Essentially, if Scooter were explaining our updated Facebook name, he’d probably use this metaphor: our original page was like a bowl of delicious ice cream. Our updated page is like a bowl of delicious ice cream… with peanut butter and sprinkles and blueberries and whipped cream and a cherry on top.

We couldn’t agree more, Scooter.

Interview: Meet Licensing Exec David Wollos

We recently had a chance to send a couple of Q&As to our savvy licensing agent, David Wollos, and the following are some of his insights into the licensing world. David will be representing Tails of Whimsy’s The Book Mytes at KidScreen in Miami, Feb 8-11. 

Thanks for all you do, David!

David Wollos will be representing our new book, The Book Mytes, at KidScreen in Miami Feb 8-11.

Tails of Whimsy (TOW): What is licensing? 

David Wollos: According to the Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA): Licensing is the process of leasing a legally trademarked or copyrighted entity known as an intellectual property for publishing, animation, and products. Tails of Whimsy is the licensor of all of Daryl’s storybooks and characters to major companies, studios, and manufacturers for commercialization and brand extension. (David is our agent for The Book Mytes and our consultant on other properties.)

TOW: Can you name a few properties and brands that you have helped build? What was your role? Which are you proudest of?

DW: I was involved with the initial TV and video distribution of such properties as Transformers, GI Joe and My Little Pony. My fondest memory has to do with Bucky O'Hare, where I was involved in key negotiations with the BBC. This resulted in BBC broadcasting, licensing, and home video distribution.

Licensing Expo 2013 is where we discovered the power of licensing.

TOW: How do you find the properties you represent?

DW: I regularly attend Kidscreen Summit, NY Toy Fair, Book Expo, Licensing Expo, and on occasion Mipcom in Cannes, France, all trade shows designed to bring deal-makers together with content providers. I met Tails of Whimsy at Licensing Expo 2013 and have served as agent and consultant on several of their properties.

To set up an appointment about The Book Mytes with David Wollos at KidScreen, contact him at david@thethinktankemporium.com or (516) 379-0795.

Catch a sneak peek of The Book Mytes, the whimsical, cuddly creatures who are literally “into books!” The playfulness of The Book Mytes instills in children ages 4-8 a curiosity about words and a love of books. We’re excited about where The Book Mytes are going: email us if you’d like to learn more.

Happy Thanksgiving from Tails of Whimsy!

From all of us at Tails of Whimsy to all of you and your sweet critters: Happy Thanksgiving!

We give thanks for kind-hearted people like you who rescue, foster, adopt, and love our beloved pets. Cheers to all you do for animals in need!

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Illustrations by artist Daryl Slaton

It Takes a Village!

Tails of Whimsy has been blessed with friends and helpers as we move towards animation and publishing. We would like to thank a very talented bunch of professionals for their expert advice and hands-on work over the past, very busy six months. You are helping us move forward quickly with vision and a more assured footing than we could have believed possible.

Rob Pulleyn: A lunch with Rob awhile back gave me a bird’s eye view into the pitfalls of publishing Daryl’s storybooks and why getting traction in the field is like a slow ice melt. He inspired me and gave us the insight to move forward PLUS contacts right here in Asheville that might be willing to offer hands-on skills. Rob, everyone I met with mentioned how much he or she misses you and Lark Books. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and contacts with Daryl and me.

Joe Rhatigan: Former Children’s Book Editor at Lark, Joe is itching to get back into publishing full time. He continues to write, edit and package books of his own and/or others with a long list of credits to his name. Joe shares our passion for children’s stories and has worked with us on another round of edits for Scooter and Boots to the Rescue and The Mighty Machines of MackieMcKeens. He helped us prepare for our first showing at Book Expo America this year and to make (and meet) important contacts at in the industry. Most of all, he served as our “tour guide” as we ventured along aisle after aisle of writers, editors, publishers, printers, and booksellers at BEA. The new challenges of digital, print on demand, independent publishing and more provide new options for Tails of Whimsy to bring our books to parents, teachers and kids everywhere. We love Joe’s passion and unique, creative vision. And we love working with you. More at JoeRhatigan.com

Beth Sweet: More than the endearing name implies, Beth is a social media whiz with energy, vision and the organizational skills to get our stories out with special zing and on time! Beth inherited work on our Scooter and Boots Facebook page, with its fan base of 10,000+, when her friend and our former go-to Amanda Carestio of JB Media left on maternity leave and moved to Colorado. At Lark Books, Beth handled social media and marketing for their vast array of publishing pursuits. With Tails of Whimsy, Beth is helping us grow our social media presence using all of our character and storybook assets.  Though we continue to build Scooter and Boots on Face Book and Twitter, you will be seeing more about them as well as Mackie McKeens, The Book Mytes and Wundernauts in our blog posts, our upcoming E-News, and forthcoming retail sites for books and products. Beth, we love how you have acquired the “voices” of our characters. Keep on posting!!! 

Dawn Cusick: Inevitably, the magic of the trade show wears off and it’s time to buckle down to basics. Dawn, another Lark “graduate,” has helped us set a path to publishing, avoiding unnecessary steps that waste time and money. Dawn publishes amazing science books for kids through her independent publishing company, EarlyLight.  She has shed new light on Mackie McKeens as an editor and publisher and has encouraged us to take the extra step of adding supplemental educational pages to our book. This provides special value for teachers, librarians, homeschooling parents and others. Wisely, she has suggested that we minimize costs and maximize exposure as we expand our horizons. Thank you, Dawn, our special friend and advisor. You are an amazing teacher. Learn more at DawnCusick/LinkedIn.

Vicki Whiting: Following up on Dawn’s editorial suggestions for supplemental content, I immediately contacted the brilliant Vicki Whiting at KidScoop News to identify a clever and experienced curriculum writer for The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens. Bummer: She was leaving the office for a 10-day family trip. Miraculously, Vicki offered to do it herself while on vacation! Right on time, I received the most amazing projects for kids based on STEM core curriculum: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Vicki Whiting is president, editor and founder of Kid Scoop News, a monthly newspaper for children and KidScoop, a weekly newspaper feature geared to children ages 7 to 12, which appears in over 300 newspapers with a combined circulation of more than 7.5 million. If you teach children, home school your kids or embrace creative learning activities, you will love this resource.  And Vicki, we love you, your energy and vision for education.

Yes, we have so much to be grateful for at Tails of Whimsy. Thanks to our team and all our friends! 

Happy Halloween from the Candy Witch!

You may have met the Candy Witch before. She’s one of Daryl’s creations, and she pops up in stores across the country, thanks to our licensee Raz Imports. Raz fell in love with Daryl’s Halloween characters back in 2012 when we showed at the National Stationary Show in New York. Their Candy Witch Collection comes with two funky figures to grace your front porch or for retail display. We are proud to say that they continue to sell each year having become staples in some stores. 

Greetings from the Candy Witches on our front porch

We generally put a big bowl of candy in our Candy Witch’s lap so that kids can pick their favorite when they visit our house. Daryl and our dog, Sheba, dress in costume for the occasion to welcome families into our neighborhood. And this year, our three year old grandson Leo will trick or treat with us as a fireman! 

As you may have guessed, Halloween is Daryl’s favorite holiday!

For more of Daryl's imaginative Halloween characters like Franken-Ape, Trick ‘r Tree, and Dracula, go to:

http://www.tailsofwhimsy.com/illustration/painted

Summer in the Studio with Daryl Slaton

Licensing is a long, slow process, but when it gains speed, it’s like a tornado. Or, in the case of The Wundernauts, Daryl’s new graphic novel begun in July, it has meant a whirlwind summer full of work in his studio. 

Daryl at work in his studio, creating The Wundernauts

From research to concept development to creating characters and story, building a property of this kind in a few short months requires an intense creative focus. The Wundernauts, a new intellectual property for kids aged 4-8, will be submitted to publishers, studios, and retailers before Halloween. You should see graphic novels, plush, and T-shirts in the marketplace in 2016.

Here’s a good example of where Daryl’s ideas come from:

Over a breakfast in Vegas with our agent Leo Valencia of Quantarra and Radio-Days, Leo expressed interest in creating a new project for broad distribution that would combine futuristic elements with some down-home goodness. Now, Leo is kind of a Renaissance man, and besides being a brilliant licensee of well-known images, he is an artist, accomplished musician, and proud Dad to Savion. We met Savion at Licensing Expo, too, and he’s quite a charmer. He also shows signs of being a great character artist. Why not, thought Daryl, create a clever mash-up of classic and contemporary story elements with some of Savion’s monsters in the mix.

Scooter tells Savion a big secret at Licensing Expo 2015.

Check out this sneak peek at The Wundernauts! Savion's monster is on the sign.

Now, meet one of the Wundernauts: P.U.P, a strong and loyal Pumped Up Powerhouse! P.U.P. is one of a large cast of characters that you will meet when The Wundernauts show up in stores and on digital devices.

Meet P.U.P., one of the Wundernauts!

So here’s your very first look at P.U.P. and some of the many Wundernauts. Stay tuned for more! Books, T-shirts and plush are due in stores soon.

Meet Writer and Artist Meagan Meehan

Writer, artist and friend Meagan Meehan

We make a lot of friends at trade shows, but rarely do we meet anyone as creative, professional, and intuitive as writer Meagan Meehan.  Arriving at our booth at Book Expo America 2015, she absorbed all she saw in Daryl’s illustrations and quickly determined that our shared interests would make us “fur-ever” friends. 

As you might guess, Meagan’s love of animals rates high among her vocations and avocations. Meagan also loves stories, humor, pop culture, and art and combines then seamlessly into her writing and other varied pursuits. She contacted us for an interview shortly after our return to Asheville. 

Here’s what Meagan had to say about Daryl: 

“Daryl Slaton is rare in the media world since he can work in the styles of both illustration and cartoon. Additionally, as author and illustrator, he creates all the characters and stories that appear in the properties. His rare versatility and creative flexibility make his work attractive to publishers, studios, manufacturers, retailers and agents.”

Check out Meagan’s feature article about Daryl and Tails of Whimsy on The Examiner!

Meagan Meehan is a published author of poems, short stories, novels, and articles in numerous publications. She is also a cartoonist and an award-winning abstract artist. We love her passion for children’s stories, art and education. She’s a tour de force with consummate passion, commitment and creative talents.  Watch for her award-winning features at examiner.com. Explore Meagan’s colorful art on the RAWArtists site.

Licensing Expo 2015: Follow-up

Daryl’s work really stood out at Licensing Expo 2015. We re-acquainted with contacts from previous shows and made lots of new friends, too. Though the summer is generally slow with the prerequisite recovery time from the trade shows, Tails of Whimsy is already getting calls about potential licensing deals. This was our third year showing in Las Vegas and here is what we have learned:

Mackie McKeens appeared to be the top favorite
at Licensing Expo 2015

• If you want to make your intellectual property a commercial success, you have to learn the licensing trade (and lingo) inside and out and talk to lots of industry professionals.
• Go to Licensing Expo in Vegas or KidScreen in Miami.
• Industry trade shows are where you make contacts.
• Exhibit more than one property or character. Build them each into a story.
• Keep at it and learn that “no” now might really mean “maybe yes” at a later date! Be patient. Slow and steady wins the race.

This year, The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens (or M4) received the most interest. And lots of folks loved Daryl's new characters in The Book Mytes. This came from publishers and marketing agents looking for stories with edutainment value. These books and characters are age-appropriate for learning.

Mackie and his sister Mika create astonishing machines of a Seuss-ian nature that help cities solve problems. Educators call this STEM: a concentration on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. M4 does it all but in a throughly fun and whimsical way. Think Richard Scarry with robots!

Two page spread from
The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens

The Book Mytes are a magical troupe of six characters in animal "jammies". The story unfolds in a bookstore at night where any story can be mixed up and made up with a few choice selections of words. These new words come from familiar books we all know and love, thus adding to the thrill of discovery. The power of words is the message in this book, and licensees took notice.

Meet some of the Book Mytes looking for words 

Stay tuned as our progress unfolds. Now, for some much needed vacation time!

Book Expo America 2015: Follow-up

Book Expo America gave Daryl plenty to think about
as Tails of Whimsy considers publishing options

Getting a book published is not for the faint of heart. Daryl has authored and illustrated three children’s storybook properties to date: “Scooter and Boots to the Rescue,” “The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens,” and “Book Mytes,” which is about 90% complete. Even with our wonderful agent Jeanette Smith of All Art Licensing, response from major publishers is excruciatingly slow on Scooter and Boots as are our pitches for the others. With additional publishing options now available, digital and print on demand, Daryl and I set out to find out if newer (and faster) opportunities exist to get our books to their target audience.

Therefore, this year, we put our characters and stories on display at Book Expo America, perhaps the largest of all publishing shows. Louise worked with our children’s book editor Joe Rhatigan to get lots of appointments with publishers and editors. And Joe, with his valuable industry experience, accompanied us to NYC to meet with publishing company contacts. We are grateful to him for serving as tour guide so that we can better understand how independent and digital publishing is impacting traditional print. Also, we gained insight into how Tails of Whimsy might restructure to include independent publishing onto our business mix.

Joe Rhatigan helped us meet, greet and pitch

at Book Expo in New York

We introduced ourselves as a full-service studio, so you may hear more about Tails of Whimsy Storybook Studio. With Joe on our team, we are also available to help other writers develop their content and graphics as well as edit and package their books for print and distribution.

And, we introduced attendees to our new plush dolls of Scooter and Boots. They were shipped to us from our factory in Hong Kong, arriving at our hotel in NYC just as we did.

If you wonder what “independent” publishing means, it now extends to being a self-publisher, author-publisher, do-it-yourself publisher, or “traditional” publisher. Needless to say, Tails of Whimsy has lots to think about as we look to the future.

Scooter and Boots kept their eyes out for visitors
to the Tails of Whimsy booth.

Tails of Whimsy Attends Licensing Expo 2015

The Tails of Whimsy Storybook Studio is excited to be attending Licensing Expo '15! We're here to connect with people, publishers, and licensing agencies about three of our great properties:

Book Mytes

The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens

and 

Scooter & Boots 

If you're here at Licensing Expo 15, we'd love to meet you. Come visit us at our Art and Design Booth G21 and shake Scooter's paw--he's been practicing his tricks.

Here's a bit more about the Tails of Whimsy Storybook Studio properties:

Book Mytes

Imagine whimsical, cuddly critters that roam bookstores come twilight. They feast on good stories and play havoc with words through the magical world of artist/illustrator Daryl Slaton at Tails of Whimsy Storybook Studio.

Using delightful illustrations and playful fonts, seven adorable costumed characters jump off bookshelves and into books, as they gather words and pictures throughout the store to create their own stories. Though words are few, readers see how one well-chosen word can make a world of difference, and how one sentence can change the adventuresome world of the Book Mytes!

The Mighty Machines of Mackie McKeens

Mackie Mckeens is a cuddly, industrious bear in green overalls. In his massive high-tech workshop he builds remarkable “mighty” machines for any use. Appealing to inquisitive children with imagination and whimsy, Mackie gets kids thinking early with his high-tech machines that solve problems with such efficiency that your immediate response is, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Helping him construct machines for land, sea and sky is his daredevil pilot Mika (his sister) and a crew of zany mini-robots.

Scooter & Boots 

Scooter the dog and Boots the cat are dedicated to helping homeless pets find forever homes. The Scooter and Boots brand was born in the licensing arena, and the engaging characters have already been warmly received by production studios as pilots for TV. Check out the Scooter News Network (SNN) for news segments on cooking, reading, animal rescue, crafts, and more!
And join Scooter and Boots on Facebook, where they shine a light on pet rescue, reading, and the awesome community of pet-lovers worldwide.

Make Handmade DIY Heart Stamps with Scooter!

Have you ever used celery (yep, celery!) to make handmade heart stamps? It's as easy as it sounds, and handmade stamps are an easy way to make all kinds of paper products fun. Join Scooter in his newest Scooter News Network video as he stamps paper plates and napkins for a party he's throwing for his friend Boots.

Get to know the Scooter News Network

So what is our Scooter News Network? Scooter News Network (SNN) is a series of children's television pilots featuring our beloved character, Scooter D. Pup.
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"Hi! I'm Scooter (of Scooter & Boots)!"

What began as a lark at the 2014 Licensing Expo has turned into a pilot for children’s TV, and we've been gaining momentum for the past year! Scooter News Network (SNN) will be presented for the first time at Licensing Expo 2015 through a partnership between Tails of Whimsy and SaviRanch Studios. The TV pilot provides fun and factual content with puppet Scooter D. Pup as a news anchor presenting features and stories relating to animal rescue and care worldwide.

SNN’s format would be considered a cross between a nightly news cast combined with interview segments such as seen on the Today Show. Regular features include: Health, Sports, Celebrity Animal and Book Reports as well as cooking and crafts features, all with Scooter the puppet as news broadcaster and Roshelle Baier as co-anchor.

Check out a collection of some of our Scooter News Network pilots:

An Introduction to Scooter News Network

Book Report: Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light

Cook's Corner: Scooter Makes Hot Pink Hummus

Celebrity Repor: Cosmo the Dog Runs for President

Crafts Report: Scooter Makes DIY Heart Stamps

And if you'll be attending Licensing Expo 15, come find us at Booth G21. Scooter will be there, and he's eager to wag his tail with you!