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4Kids Entertainment

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4Kids Entertainment (NYSE: [KDE]) is an American company specializing in the acquisition, production and licensing of children's entertainment around the world. They are most known for their original and acquired television programs.

Contents

4Kids Productions

4Kids Productions is a wholly owned subsidiary responsible for the production of 4Kids content.

Current TV productions

4Kids Entertainment has production and/or distribution rights for the following current TV programming:

On-hiatus TV productions

The following TV programs are on hiatus, and their futures are unknown.

Former TV productions

The following TV programs have ended or expired (some are temporarily expired or ended) but were handled by 4Kids Entertainment during their run:

Other Properties handled by 4Kids Entertainment

NOTE: This list may not fully represent properties and licenses handled by 4Kids Entertainment

4Kids TV

4Sight Licensing Solutions Inc.

In April 19, 2006, 4Kids had announced a new subsidery entitled 4Sight Licensing Solutions Inc.[4Kids Launches 4Sight Licensing Solutins] animenewsnetwork.com Accessed April 18, 2006. According to 4Kids, 4Sight will license and market brands aimed at adults, teenagers and tweens. While none of 4Kids's current anime property will be moved to 4Sight, Todd Fromer of KCSA publicity, representing 4Kids, has said that isn't necessarily ruled out of the 4Sight lineup, but that anime lends itself more to a children's market.

Properties & licenses handled by 4Sight Licensing Solutions

NOTE: This list may not fully represent properties and licenses handled by 4Sight Licensing Solutions

4Kids and Microsoft

On January 17, 2006, 4Kids and Microsoft signed a deal to license children's video games exclusively for the Xbox 360 gaming system, in an effort to put more child-oriented games on the system, whose gaming library is currently dominated by games targeted toward the 13-and-up market. [Microsoft and 4Kids Entertainment Form Alliance] 4kidsentertainment.com Accessed 17 January, 2006. One of the first titles announced was Viva Piñata which would be developed by Rare Ltd.

Awards, honors & facts

In June 22, 2005, LIMA, the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association, inducted 4Kids CEO & Chairperson Alfred R. Kahn into the Murray Altchuler Licensing Hall of Fame for his "continual and outstanding" contributions to the licensing industry for over 10 years.[4Kids CEO Honored] animenewsnetwork.com Accessed 13 January, 2005. Over those 10 years, Kahn and 4Kids had licensed such huge and popular properties such as Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Nintendo announced that as of January 1, 2006, 4Kids would not be handling most aspects of the Pokémon franchise, instead having Pokémon USA handle all aspects of the property in the United States. Previously, Pokémon USA and 4kids shared duties on Pokémon. The announcement also noted that the next Pokémon series, Battle Frontier, will not be handled by 4Kids. However, 4Kids will retain some control over any remaining Pokémon contracts set to expire later on.

Criticism and controversy

Since 4Kids focus on licensing anime titles, they typically cut out or edit large amounts of content, which has resulted in some backlash within the anime fandom. Feelings in regards the aired content have ranged from rage to apathy. However concerns that have came from fandoms of shows that have companion works in other media that are available unedited, such as the One Piece manga or the Sonic the Hedgehog videogames, claim that rather than broadening an anime's appeal, they constrict it by alienating its pre-existing fan base.

4Kids claims that some level of Americanization is necessary for their imported shows in order to make them more marketable to children. CEO Al Kahn has been quoted as saying, "By the time we localize the programs kids don’t even know they’re from Japan any more."[Tokyo Mew Mew Licensed] Anime News Network. Accessed 02 February, 2004. He has also stated that "Labels such as 'anime' are meant for adults". Later, in an interview with Anime News Network, Kahn expressed that 4Kids attempts to "westernize it [anime] so that children in English-speaking countries will understand it, and to us that is very critical."[Alfred R. Kahn] Anime News Network. Accessed 24 april, 2005. Statements such as these have prompted a mixed response among anime fans. Criticism towards the americanizing the original products have included that the practices of 4Kids display overt racism or xenophobia due to their policy of making any possible edits to mask a show's Japanese origin. (e.g. The changing of Tokyo Mew Mew to a rumored proposed title of Hollywood Mew Mew until it was changed a second time to Mew Mew Power.) Other criticism towards 4Kids is that the company has altered some of its titles to the point where they have lost the qualities that made them originally appealing in Japan. This includes cutting entire episodes, changing character's names and, as opposed to dubbing the Japanese songs, replacing all the music with rap and hip-hop, such as in One Piece.

In 2004, 4Kids began testing the potential market for unedited versions of their anime titles by releasing uncut, bilingual DVDs of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Shaman King. As of April 2005, however, future volumes of these titles have been delayed indefinitely. 4Kids CEO Al Kahn has stated in his interview with Anime News Network that 4Kids is planning on extending uncut DVD releases to include all anime titles in their lineup at some point in the future; however, there is no further evidence that this is still a priority.

To conclude his interview with the Anime News Network, Kahn stated, "I think they have to understand that because the price of these acquisitions is so high, that if they want this programming to come to the United States then they're going to have to accept the fact that it's going to be available in two styles. Because the only money that can be made that helps pay for the acquisition is obviously whether or not we're able to outfit it for the masses. And fitting it for the masses requires editing. And if we didn't do that, it'd be very difficult for us to afford to bring it in, just to release it to the anime fan who would be looking for the uncut version." Anime fans are mixed on Mr. Kahn's stance that some changes are necessary to bring Japanese animation to broadcast television.[[Citing sources citation needed]]

Interview with a script writer

In February 12, 2006, Anime Boredom posted an interview it had conducted with 4Kids scriptwriter, Michael Haigney. [Mr. Michael Haigney Interview (4Kids)] animeboredom.co.uk. Accessed February 24, 2006. As with many of 4Kids' prior statements, the interview incited controversy in the anime viewing community.

Some notable excerpts from the interview below:

When asked on his previous experience with the Sonic franchise:

"I’ve never played the game, seen the series or read the comics."

When asked about the changes made to eliminate Japanese references, Haigney responded:

"As you know, many references do remain. Some, however, are quite obscure (in my judgment) and the shows don't particularly allow for explanation of many of these references. It doesn't seem to be the case that the creators of most of the anime series we air are intentionally trying to make "Japanese" series, just the opposite. But certain references and behaviors that are strange to U.S. viewers are in these series simply because they are part of the collective experience of the Japanese creators who, most times, intend to create "universal" characters and situations, albeit for, primarily, Japanese viewers. I have nothing against this, but my job is to remake these series for a mass U.S. audience."

And later on, in response to questions about the revision anime series:

"I know that many fans of the Japanese series vilify 4Kids for changing the content of the original shows. What they may not realize is that Fox Broadcast Standards and Practices forbids things like smoking, firing realistic weapons and, generally, any kind of violence that would be easy for kids to imitate. That’s because the FCC has rules and regulations governing broadcast. I happen to dislike realistic violence in the context of kids’ cartoons, but the changes we make in the original shows have nothing to do with a capricious desire to “ruin” or “destroy” them, as some “purists” seem to feel."

The interview ended when Michael Haigney commented:

"I know some hardcore anime fans hate the fact that 4Kids doesn't simply air the original Japanese series with "literal" subtitles. I understand their feelings. I'd just ask them to remember that 4Kids has probably brought more anime to more viewers than any company in the world. It may not always be in the way some fans would like, but I think 4Kids has contributed greatly to the interest and availability of anime worldwide. Maybe that counts for something in their eyes."

\"U.S. kids don't read!\"

Kahn incited controversy when at a manga panel at the 2006 New York Comic-Con, where he bluntly stated "U.S. kids don't read!" This incited some hisses from those present in the room, mainly librarians and other representatives of the book world. To try and soften the blow, Kahn elaborated his comment by saying that "The content is disposable. More and more of it is available for free." Kahn's explained since a lot of American children are computer and tech savvy, that digitized content would be seen as the future of content, whether it be print or visual media. Viz Media's Liza Coppola responded to Kahn's words by bringing up Viz's partnership with the Read for America literacy campaign, stating "Manga is a great medium to bring kids back to reading." Publishers Weekly noted in their online article that "(Kahn) noted that many people in the U.S. walk around with MP3 players or other electronic devices, whereas in Japan, everyone on the subway seems to have a '3,000-page manga'."[Manga: Essential or Disposable?] publishersweekly.com Accessed 24 February, 2006 
In Japan, manga remains a wanted commodity due to the cheapness, wide selection that caters to all ages, and availability. Also, given the geography and the culture, the Japanese rely heavily on public transportation, unlike the United States, and as such, have time to read manga and other forms of printed media while on such modes of transportation. 	 

Mile High Comics' The Beat thought differently by stating "Those are words to heed, we think. Anyone who isn't planning for a world of ever increasingly electronic gadgetry is already living in the past. But when did anyone in comics really show vision?"[MILE HIGH COMICS presents THE BEAT at COMICON.com] comicon.com Accessed 24 February, 2006.



Leadership Team



References





External links


Official 4Kids websites


Mockeries of 4kids





Interviews with 4Kids staff









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