Viacom (VIA) and Japan's Sanrio Co., are getting their two immensely popular cartoon characters together to sell in Japan.
Viacom, which controls the Blue's Clues property through Nickelodeon, will combine their Blue puppy with another international favorite from Japan: Hello Kitty.
The two companies have put together a limited edition product line that will offer the two characters together for sale next spring in Japan, which is the No. 2 retail market in the world.
"We think the teens and the office ladies and a whole host of other fans are going to enjoy seeing Hello Kitty in this new light and being introduced to Blue's Clues," Leigh Anne Brodsky, president of Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, told Reuters.
Brodsky added that she hoped that this will be the beginning of a venture into Japan that will eventual yield $1 billion in business.
The projections for the first year are for around $25.9 million in retail sales, with the companies splitting the royalties which are normally between the 10-15 percent range.
In 10 years Blue's Clues merchandise has brought in $3.6 billion in retail for Viacom.
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