Bestselling children’s book author and illustrator Mercer Mayer has partnered with digital media producer John R. Sansevere to form TWELVE/30, to develop and exploit Mercer Mayer’s catalog of over 300 titles. TWELVE/30 has exclusive media and licensing rights across all consumer products categories and all new publishing. Sansevere will serve as the company’s managing partner.
The initial brand focus for the new company will be Mayer’s iconic Little Critter (targeting children 2–6 years old), for which over 200 million books have been sold since its debut in 1975.
Other series to be initially developed include the 11-title Little Monster book series, about a juvenile dragony, dinosaur-like creature and his daily adventures; the six-title A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog series, featuring Mayer’s first published book, which was wordless; his classics, including There’s a Nightmare in My Closet and There’s an Alligator Under My Bed.
TWELVE/30 has signed its first licensing agreement with HarperCollins for a new series of Little Critter books to include two titles under the publisher’s recently launched “I Can Read Comics” label.
TWELVE/30 will also create animated content for television and/or streaming. The first project will be a series of animated shorts with the first Little Critter “I Can Read Comics” title as the basis for the initial episode, to premiere on a newly-branded Little Critter YouTube channel.
Leave A Comment