Ludorum has appointed a slew of merchandise partners for preschool animated series "Chuggington," bringing the number of global licensees to 160.

The new partners are:

"We are extremely pleased to welcome our new Chuggington licensees on board," says Julian Day, vice president of consumer products at Ludorum. "Our new partners are highly respected in their own fields and their products perfectly complement the existing Chuggington range. We look forward to working with them in expanding the Chuggington franchise."

The deals come on the heels of Ludorum's recent worldwide agreement with Canadian toy manufacturer Mega Brands to produce Chuggington construction toys under the Mega Bloks brand. Product will roll out internationally in fall 2011 and will be available in the U.S. in spring 2012.

Meanwhile, Learning Curve's Chuggington die-cast and interactive toys have been available in the U.K. since this past spring. The All Around Chuggington train set was recently voted by Toy Retailers Association as one of the top 12 Christmas Dream Toys in the preschool category.

Season 2 of "Chuggington" recently debuted on CBeebies and more new episodes, featuring new characters voiced by Warren Clarke (Speedy McAllister) and Floella Benjamin (Mayor Pullman), will air every weekday beginning Nov. 29.