CPLG to rep “Thomas & Friends,” “Bob the Builder” and other Mattel and HIT properties.

Mattel has tapped CPLG to serve as its licensing agent across the Balkans, CIS, Baltics, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia.

“Our brands are experiencing their renaissance in Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and we are confident that together we will maximize this opportunity to the mutual benefit,” says Kasia Tsigie, director, Mattel Consumer Products Eastern Europe. “We could not have wished for a better partner than CPLG.”

Beginning Jan. 1, 2017, CPLG will take on Mattel’s core brands and HIT brands, including “Thomas & Friends,” “Fireman Sam” and “Bob the Builder,” among others, to further expand the toy and entertainment company’s portfolio of products in the Eastern European market.

“As we continue to expand our Mattel footprint across markets and ignite momentum with our properties, we are very excited to partner with CPLG to represent our brands in the emerging territories of EE and to further expand our growing portfolio of consumer products in these markets,” says Diana Sakellarios, head, emerging markets Europe, Middle East and Africa.

“We are extremely happy to have entered into this exciting representation,” says Maarten Weck, managing director, CPLG Northern Europe. “Mattel has some of the most iconic brands and we are looking forward to extending the consumer product presence in EE and to be working with the local teams to support the brand presence at retail.”