Yu Gi Oh 5D's Gets an Italian Presence
Posted Thursday, 5/28/2009 by PPNSteve

New licensees come on board for 4Kids' hit anime franchise.

4Kids Entertainment is boosting the presence of the Yu Gi Oh brand in Italy, inking a number of new deals.

After launching in Japan in 1999, YU-GI-OH! has captivated children across the globe. 17 million video games have been sold to date worldwide and over 18.1 billion YU-GI-OH! trading cards have been translated into seven languages and sold in 51 countries worldwide -- approximately six million 6-8 year olds collect and play the trading card game across the globe.

The franchise has already proved successful in the territory. Season three of Yu Gi Oh GX continues to air on Saturday mornings on Mediaset's Italia 1, which has also acquired the first season of new show, Yu Gi Oh 5D's. Set in Domino City, transformed into a futuristic metropolis, 5D'S feature duelists battling it out on motorcycles or 'Duel Runners', in a new form of dueling called 'Turbo Duels' -- hi-octane contests in which the winners and losers are no longer separated by skill and strength, but by speed.

"Yu Gi Oh is hugely popular in Italy and its success shows no signs of abating," stated Sandra Vauthier-Cellier, MD of 4Kids. "The brand is absolutely red hot at the moment and the arrival of 5D's is adding to the excitement surrounding it."

New licensing deals include Linea D, which will be creating t-shirts, sweatshirts, underwear, jeans, towels, jackets and shoes. Meanwhile, Giochi Preziosi has been signed up for back to school and stationery.

A new toy line is due to launch in the autumn from Upper Deck, including action figures, wrist card holders and Duel Runners (featured in the new series).