Culture 5 min read By Morgan Griffin
Toon2Tango Takes Global Licensing Lead for Mediawan Kids & Family Slate, Including Astro Boy Reboot
Mediawan Kids & Family has signed an exclusive worldwide licensing and merchandising deal with Toon2Tango, a Leonine Studios company within the Mediawan Group, covering its children's and family catalog, including the upcoming Astro Boy reboot.
Mediawan Kids & Family has handed worldwide licensing and merchandising duties for its children's and family slate to Toon2Tango, the German kids entertainment company owned by Leonine Studios and part of the wider Mediawan Group. The exclusive agreement covers the studio's production and distribution catalog, with the upcoming Astro Boy reboot among the titles set to be shopped to consumer products partners around the globe.
The deal positions Toon2Tango as the single point of contact for manufacturers, retailers and promotional partners seeking rights to Mediawan Kids & Family properties. The company will identify and negotiate licensing opportunities across toys, apparel, publishing and other merchandise categories, extending the reach of shows that already travel widely through Mediawan's distribution network. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Mediawan Kids & Family describes itself as Europe's leading independent studio for the production and distribution of children's and family content, a position built on a portfolio of animated series and family films sold into markets on several continents. The licensing pact is intended to convert that distribution footprint into consumer products revenue, a segment that has become increasingly important as broadcast and streaming margins tighten for independent animation producers.
The Astro Boy reboot is the highest-profile title in the arrangement. The character, created by Japanese manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka, is one of the most recognizable figures in global animation and has been adapted repeatedly for television and film since the 1960s. A new version aimed at contemporary audiences gives Toon2Tango a recognizable brand to pitch to retailers, particularly in markets where the character's legacy audience now includes parents shopping for their own children.
For Toon2Tango, the mandate expands a business already focused on children's and family entertainment. As a Leonine Studios company operating inside the Mediawan Group, it sits within a structure that gives it access to both German market expertise and the broader European production and distribution apparatus of its parent. The company's role will be to match Mediawan Kids & Family titles with partners capable of building merchandise programs around them.
The agreement also reflects a broader consolidation in the children's entertainment business, where producers increasingly look to licensing arms to maximize the value of intellectual property that may run for years across multiple platforms. Consumer products can outlast a show's initial broadcast window, and a well-managed merchandise line can keep a property visible between seasons or during gaps in production.
Details on which additional titles fall under the agreement beyond the Astro Boy reboot were not immediately available, and no launch timeline for merchandise tied to the new series was announced. The deal covers worldwide rights, meaning Toon2Tango will be responsible for licensing activity across territories rather than region by region.
For Mediawan Kids & Family, outsourcing licensing to a dedicated specialist allows the studio to concentrate on development and distribution while a partner handles retail relationships and product approvals. For Toon2Tango, the assignment adds a slate of established and upcoming properties to a portfolio that already operates in the kids and family space. Both companies are part of the Mediawan Group, a structure that simplifies coordination between the licensing agent and the rights holder.
The Astro Boy reboot will be the first major test of the partnership's ability to translate a familiar name into shelf space, with the character's international recognition giving Toon2Tango a strong starting point as it begins approaching potential licensing partners worldwide.
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