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TAFFY ENTERTAINMENT AND ATLANTYCA ANNOUNCE NEW LICENSING DEAL FOR ACCLAIMED KIDS BOOK FRANCHISE GERONIMO STILTON.

Taffy Entertainment has signed another new deal with Italy's Atlantyca Entertainment regarding the latter's successful worldwide "Geronimo Stilton" brand. The agreement calls for Taffy to now oversee most of the worldwide Consumer Products licensing and promotional rights on the classic Geronimo Stilton kids' chapter book series. Atlantyca, the original rights holder on the award-winning international kids' brand, will continue to manage all licensing in Italy as well as worldwide publishing. The new pact follows a similar licensing deal signed earlier this summer for the new animated television series based on the Stilton character.

The Geronimo Stilton books are published worldwide and are available in over 28 languages, including Italian, where they are published by Edizioni Piemme [Mondadori Group], and in English, published in the U.S. by Scholastic. The book series centers on the life and adventures of a best-selling author, discovered by Elisabetta Dami while traveling around the world, Geronimo Stilton who happens to be a mouse living in New Mouse City on Mouse Island. Geronimo is an intellectual mild-mannered mouse who despite wanting nothing better than to live a quiet life, works as the editor-in-chief of the most famous Mouse Island's newspaper: The Rodent's Gazette and keeps managing to get involved in far-away, marvelously humorous capers with his younger sister Thea Stilton, cousin Trap Stilton, and favorite nephew, nine-year-old Benjamin Stilton.

"We believe the timing is right for Geronimo Stilton to grow along with his worldwide audience," explains Pietro Marietti, Chairman of Atlantyca Entertainment. "Taffy Entertainment has a creative and resourceful Consumer Products Group that brings a wealth of experience in the kids business, along with a global reach. From our initial meetings regarding the new TV series, we realized we also found a consumer products partner that shares our passion for Geronimo."

"Geronimo Stilton is destined to be one of those timeless, ubiquitous brands that we'll talk about for years to come," says Cynthia Money, President, Worldwide Consumer Products and Marketing for Taffy Entertainment. "The ability to work with Geronimo and Atlantyca utilizing the design of both the classic book series and the new updated TV series also enables us manage and maintain a consistency in the look and messaging across all licensing platforms. We will continue to seek out potential partners who can also bring something to the marketplace that will be equally embraced by both children and parents alike. Above all, we will honor the connection kids and parents have with Geronimo and the other characters in everything we develop around the brand."

The Geronimo Stilton books were first published in Italy in May 2000 and to date have sold over 16 million so far in Italy alone with 23 million books being sold worldwide in 2006. The book series has garnered numerous awards, including The Cenacolo Award (2000) for Publishing and Multimedia Innovation and The Andersen Prize (2001) as the Personality of The Year. Geronimo's My First Internet Manual won the International Children's e-book Award in 2002 and this year was honored at the Italian Nickelodeon's Kids Choice Awards in the best book category.