The CGI animated pre-school series follows Ricky, an adventure-seeking red rescue bike from Wheelford, the only two-wheeled world currently on TV.
Entertainment One (eOne), Hasbro’s global entertainment studio, is gearing up for the highly anticipated debut of Ricky Zoom season 2 through ViacomCBS Networks UK, Nick Jr. and Channel 5’s multiplatform pre-school brand, Milkshake!.
“We are thrilled to bring Ricky Zoom back to the No. 1 channel for pre-schoolers in the UK with Milkshake! and Nick Jr.,” said eOne’s Monica Candiani, EVP, Content Sales, Family & Brands. “The show has had such strong success in the UK among young viewers, allowing us to secure a number of licensing partners across a variety of categories. We can’t wait for audiences to watch Ricky Zoom season 2, which I am sure will deliver even more exciting all-bike adventures in the colourful world of Wheelford.”
“We’re delighted to be welcoming back Ricky Zoom and his two-wheeled friends on Nick Jr. in June and and Milkshake! later in the year in the UK,” added Louise Bucknole, VP Programming Kids, ViacomCBS Network UK & Ireland. “This fun and playful show is a favourite amongst pre-schoolers, and we look forward to sharing the new adventures with our young viewers.”
Ricky Zoom’s broadcast success has already helped to attract a raft of leading licensees across a range of categories. Joining master toy partner Tomy are Penguin (story, activity, novelty books); Redan (magazines); Character World (bedding); MV Sports (wheeled toys); Ravensburger (puzzles and games); Cooneen (nightwear & socks); Blues (daywear) and Drew Pearson (accessories).
First launched in July 2020, the Ricky Zoom toy range has made a strong start, and will welcome more exciting new lines from throughout 2021. These include Tomy’s unique Wind & Launch assortment, which adds more action, speed and surprise to playtime. The wheel launcher explodes, sending Ricky racing away faster and further than ever. With last year’s Speed & Stunt toy being the best-selling Ricky Zoom play set (and third best-selling Ricky Zoom item overall at retail) the racy new kid-powered launchers look set to be equally popular. Major supermarkets have added Ricky Zoom into their pre-school aisles following the strong performance of FSDU programmes last autumn/winter. Other forthcoming toy highlights include the new interactive Maxwell’s Transforming Trailer Playset, which can be turned into a mobile repair station and comes complete with both Maxwell and Ricky bikes. Further product ranges from other licensees will roll out gradually throughout the year.
Marketing activity has also been buoyant, with Ricky proving popular among parent influencers. A Dadsnet campaign to support Smyth’s Toys launch of the Speed & Stunt Playset reached almost 408k via influencers and 558k via paid media, while a Ricky takeover on UKMums.TV hit almost 622k impressions, with a blogger reach of almost 296k and the site’s associated Twitter Frenzy reaching almost 392k unique accounts.
