Amulet Books (an imprint of ABRAMS) announced today their plans to to release the first ever dedicated line of Wimpy Kid gift and stationery products in partnership with Galison Publishing’s Mudpuppy Brand. The stationary and children’s product line will begin appearing in stores in October and will include journals, notebooks, magnetic pads, and mini journals. All products were designed in conjunction with Jeff Kinney, the #1 bestselling creator of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series. This new stationery line will be sold and distributed to the trade by Chronicle Books.
The major marketing campaign for the products will kick off in June at BookExpo America and lead into the product launch this fall.
Books in the core Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney include Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (2008), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (2009), Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth (2010), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever (2011). On November 13, 2012, book seven in the series, The Third Wheel, released with a 6.5-million-copy first printing. Jeff Kinney has also written and illustrated The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book and The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary. The series is a fixture on the USA Today bestseller list (the first book in the series has remained in the top 150 for more than 200 weeks) and also on the Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. The series has remained consistently in the top spots on the New York Times lists since the publication of the first book.
Michael Jacobs, president and CEO of ABRAMS, said,
“This exciting new partnership will position Wimpy Kid as a leader in the gift and stationery market,” said Michael Jacobs, president and CEO of ABRAMS. “Galison’s market expertise coupled with our experience with the powerful Wimpy Kid brand will deliver even more exciting opportunities for retailers and consumers.”
Bill Miller, president of Galison Publishing, also spoke of his excitement regarding the new partnership, stating,
“Galison is very excited to be in partnership with ABRAMS. Based on our history of creating quality stationery and creative toys, puzzles, and fun stationery for kids, we feel we are the perfect partner to create the Diary of a Wimpy Kid stationery line.”
More than 85 million Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are in print around the world. The books have been sold in more than 44 territories in 42 languages. Published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS, Kinney’s work has been widely praised for its ability to turn reluctant readers on to books. Jeff Kinney was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in the world. Three movies based on the book series have grossed more than $250 million internationally. The book series won Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012 (and is nominated for one in 2013), and Jeff Kinney won a Children’s Choice Book Award in 2012. Books in the series have won numerous awards voted on by students and teachers around the globe. The Wimpy Kid island (Wimpy Wonderland) on poptropica.com, a virtual world for kids, remains one of the most visited on the site.
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