 Final logo used from 2004 to 2014 | |
| Cookie Jar Group | |
| Formerly |
|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| TSX: CIF.A (Class A)(1993-2000) TSX: CIF.B (Class B) (1993-2000) Nasdaq: CINRF (until 2000) | |
| Industry | |
| Predecessors | |
| Founded | July 20, 1976; 49 years ago (July 20, 1976) |
| Founders | |
| Defunct | December 25, 2014; 10 years ago (2014-12-25) |
| Fate | Folded intoDHX Media |
| Successor | DHX Media |
| Headquarters | Official office: Toronto,Ontario, Canada International offices: Montreal,Quebec, Canada Burbank, California, U.S. |
Number of locations | 3 (2006) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Parent | DHX Media (2012–2014) |
| Divisions |
|
| Website | thecookiejarcompany.com (archived April 27, 2006) |
TheCookie Jar Group, commonly known as simplyCookie Jar and formerly known asCINAR, was a Canadiananimation studio,media production and distribution company that existed from 1976 until it was folded into DHX Media, nowWildBrain, on December 25, 2014. The company was first established in 1976 asCINAR Films Inc., aMontreal-based studio that was heavily involved in children's entertainment. Its business model, which included the licensing of its properties into educational markets, had a significant impact on its success; by 1999, CINAR held CDN$1.5 billion of the overall children's television market.[1]
In the 2000s, CINAR became the subject ofmultiple business scandals, including accusations that the company had used offshore accounts to transfer money out of the company, had plagiarized the concept of one of its series,[clarification needed] and had obfuscated the involvement of U.S. screenwriters in its productions in order to continue receiving Canadiantax credits for domestic productions. Over a decade later, these scandals would result in criminal charges, convictions, and fines for four suspects, which included two executives at the company, co-founderRonald A. Weinberg and chief financial officer Hasanain Panju.
CINAR was sold in 2004 for $190 million to a group led byMichael Hirsh, the founder ofNelvana, and changed its name to Cookie Jar Group. In 2008, they agreed to acquireDIC Entertainment, expanding its library. On August 20, 2012, DHX Media announced its intent to acquire Cookie Jar, in a deal that would make DHX the largest independent owner of children's television programming, and by December 25, 2014, Cookie Jar was folded into DHX Media.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1968 | FilmFair London is founded |
| 1971 | DIC Audiovisuel is founded |
| 1972 | Strawberry Shortcake brand is first developed |
| 1974 | CPLG is founded |
| 1976 | CINAR andColossal Pictures are founded |
| 1982 | DIC Enterprises is founded |
| 1984–1985 | Ragdoll Productions is founded |
| 1986–1987 | Andy Heyward takes over DIC Enterprises and renames it DIC Animation City with help from bothBear Stearns & Co andPrudential Insurance Co Jean Chalopin retains DIC Audiovisuel and establishesCréativité et Développement |
| 1988 | Studio B Productions is founded |
| 1992 | Epitome Pictures is founded |
| 1993 | Capital Cities/ABC purchases DIC Animation City, renaming itDIC Entertainment |
| 1994 | BothWild Brain and Red Rover Studios were founded |
| 1995 | Platinum Disc Corporation is founded |
| 1996 | The Walt Disney Company purchases Capital Cities/ABC, which included DIC Entertainment as well CINAR buys FilmFair's library |
| 1997 | Decode Entertainment is founded |
| 1999 | Wild Brain acquires Colossal Pictures' employee base |
| 2000 | Andy Heyward re-acquires DIC Entertainment from The Walt Disney Company with help this time around from bothBain Capital andChase Capital Partners |
| 2001–2002 | Nerd Corps Entertainment and Kidrobot are founded FilmFair London closes DIC Entertainment rebrands themselves onscreen as The Incredible World of DIC |
| 2004 | Halifax Film Company is founded Michael Hirsh takes over CINAR and renames it asCookie Jar Group |
| 2005 | Platinum Disc Corporation merge asEcho Bridge Home Entertainment |
| 2006 | Decode and Halifax Film merge as DHX Media DIC Entertainment acquires CPLG Ragdoll Productions forms a joint-venture withBBC Worldwide called Ragdoll Worldwide Wild Brain acquires stake inKidrobot |
| 2007 | DHX Media buys Studio B Productions Wild Brain becomesWildbrain Entertainment |
| 2008 | Cookie Jar Group purchases and folds DIC Entertainment House of Cool absorbs Red Rover Studios |
| 2010 | DHX Media buys Wildbrain Entertainment Peanuts Worldwide is founded Decode Entertainment rebrands as DHX Media Toronto Hailfax Film becomes DHX Media Hailfax |
| 2011 | DHX Media Toronto, Studio B Productions and Red Rover Studios close |
| 2012 | DHX Media buys Cookie Jar Group Wildbrain Entertainment acquires Kidrobot as a whole |
| 2013 | DHX Media acquires Ragdoll Worldwide from Ragdoll Productions and BBC Worldwide; despite that though, Ragdoll Productions themselves remain independent |
| 2014 | DHX Media buys Epitome Pictures, Nerd Corps, and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment's family content library, as well asFamily, the CanadianEnglish andFrench Disney Junior channels, andthe Canadian version of Disney XD Cookie Jar Group shuts down National Entertainment Collectibles Association acquires Kidrobot from Wildbrain Entertainment |
| 2016 | The WildBrain multi-channel network launches Studio B and Nerd Corps merge asDHX Studios Wildbrain Entertainment closes |
| 2017 | DHX Media buysPeanuts Worldwide and Strawberry Shortcake |
| 2018 | DHX Media Hailfax becomesIsland of Misfits |
| 2019 | DHX Media rebrands asWildBrain Epitome Pictures closes the WildBrain MCN becomesWildBrain Spark |
| 2020 | CPLG becomes WildBrain CPLG |
| 2021 | Echo Bridge folds into SP Distribution |
| 2023 | WildBrain acquires House of Cool |
| 2024 | WildBrain Spark merged into its parent company asWildBrain London |
| 2025 | WildBrain announces closures of its television channels |
After their meeting inNew Orleans,Louisiana, in 1976,Micheline Charest andRonald A. Weinberg organized an event for a women's film festival and worked at distributing foreign films to U.S. theatres. The couple moved toNew York City and formed CINAR, a film and television distribution company.
In 1984, CINAR changed their focus from media distribution to production and moved operations toMontreal,Quebec, where they concentrated on family-oriented television programming, includingThe Little Lulu Show,Animal Crackers,Emily of New Moon,Mona the Vampire, andThe Wombles, as well as the English and French dubs of the Japanese seriesAdventures of the Little Koala,Ronin Warriors,The Adventures of Albert and Sidney, andThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz, the Spanish television seriesThe World of David the Gnome, and the English dub ofUltraseven. As a production company, CINAR was also involved in the work ofAre You Afraid of the Dark?,A Bunch of Munsch,The Busy World of Richard Scarry,Madeline (specials 2 to 6),The Real Story of Happy Birthday to You,The Country Mouse and the City Mouse Adventures,Space Cases, and its most well-known works,Arthur,Zoboomafoo, andCaillou.
The firm became apublic company in September 1993.
On November 1, 1996, CINAR announced that they would purchase the programming library and animation unit of the London-basedFilmFair from the Caspian Group for $10.5 million.[2] After the deal closed, CINAR reopened FilmFair and utilized its acquired catalogue to launch a dedicated London-based European production and distribution studio - CINAR Europe in March 1997. The aim of the new subsidiary was to produce, with FilmFair; revival series based on existing properties includingThe Wombles andThe Adventures of Paddington Bear, and bring the existing FilmFair catalogue to the world.[3][4] Following CINAR's financial issues and the scandal, CINAR Europe was put up for sale in September 2001[5] but was closed in February 2002. The closure led to CINAR's European partners, like Alphanim, to find other studios to co-produce shows with.[6]
By 1999, CINAR boasted annual revenues of $150 million (CAD) and owned about $1.5 billion (CAD) of the children's television market. In February 1999, CINAR acquired the film library ofSalt Lake City-based production company Leucadia Film Corporation from theLeucadia National Corporation,[7] with the company's acquisition of 55 titles in theWonderWorks library following at the end of the year.[8] CINAR's rights to the Leucadia library andWonderWorks specials were purchased by Feature Films for Families in 2003.
CINAR also owned the dubbing studio Fandango Studios inMexico City.[9]
CINAR received over $50 million in tax benefits from the Canadian government. However, in 1999, the company was accused of falsely crediting Canadians for work done by Americans. Hélène Charest, the sister ofQuebec Liberal Party leaderJean Charest, was listed on over 100 episodes that she did not write.[10]
The success of Charest, Weinberg, and CINAR ended in March 2000, when an internal audit revealed that about $167 million (CAD) was invested intoBahamian bank accounts without the board members' approval.[11] CINAR had also paid U.S. screenwriters for work while continuing to accept federalgrants andtax credits for the production ofCanadian content. The names of Canadian citizens (generally non-writers connected to CINAR, including Charest's sister Helene) were credited for the works. While theprovince ofQuebec did not file criminal charges, CINAR denied any wrongdoing, choosing instead to pay a settlement to Canadian and Quebec tax authorities of $17.8 million (CAD) and another $2.6 million (CAD) toTelefilm Canada, a Canadian federal funding agency. The value of CINAR'sstock plummeted, and the company was soon delisted.[12]
There was some speculation that Hasanain Panju,CFO was the mastermind behind the investment scheme along with John Xanthoudakis of Norshield Investment Group and Lino Matteo of Mount Real Corporation. It was claimed that Charest and Weinberg (and later Panju) used CINAR as a 'piggy bank' and schemed to transfer funds out from the company through a series of complicated transactions to their own offshore holding companies.[13]
In 2001, as part of a settlement agreement with the Commission des Valeurs Mobilières du Québec (Quebec Securities Commission), Charest and Weinberg agreed to pay $1 million each and were banned from serving in the capacity of directors or officers at any publicly traded Canadian company for five years. There was no admission of guilt and none of the allegations has been proven in court. Charest never lived to see a possible outcome, as she died on April 14, 2004.
On March 10, 2011, Weinberg was arrested forsecurities fraud after a warrant was issued for him to be taken into custody earlier that month.[14] On June 22, 2016, Weinberg was sentenced to 8 years and 11 months in prison, and the other two received sentences of 7 years and 11 months each.[15] On May 3, 2019, he was fully paroled.[16]
After companies likeDreamWorks became interested in purchasing the company,[17] it was announced in October 2003 that CINAR would be sold to an investment group made up ofNelvana founder Michael Hirsh, former Nelvana president Toper Taylor and the private fund TD Capital, for overCA$190 million. The company would be taken private and relocate to Toronto, where Hirsh lived.[18][19] The deal was closed on March 15, 2004.[20]
Two weeks later on March 28, Hirsh announced that the company would rebrand and relaunch as Cookie Jar, which would comprise a combined entertainment division (Consisting of CINAR and FilmFair) and educational division (consisting of Carson-Dellosa Publishing and HighReach Learning)[21] and a restructure to focus more on new original IPs to take advantage of the synergies between both divisions.[22] The first new project announced under the name wasDark Oracle.[23] The company opened up a Japanese office in May[24] and announced their first new pre-school propertyThe Doodlebops in August for a delivery toKids' CBC in January 2005, deemed by Cookie Jar to be their flagship franchise.[25]
On June 20, 2008, Cookie Jar Group announced a deal to acquireDIC Entertainment.[26] On July 23, 2008, the acquisition was completed,[27] and eventually DIC was folded into Cookie Jar's entertainment division. When Cookie Jar acquired DIC Entertainment, Cookie Jar also acquiredCopyright Promotions Licensing Group and a one-third interest in the international children's television channel,KidsCo. Cookie Jar now had more than 6,000 half-hours of programming as well as rights to several children's brands. Also, DIC's headquarters were taken over by Cookie Jar for Burbank offices, and it was announced that Cookie Jar was in negotiation withAmerican Greetings to buy theCare Bears,Strawberry Shortcake, andSushi Pack franchises. The deal was not finalized yet in late 2008 and with the current scenario, the transaction did not progress.[28][29] On March 30, 2009, Cookie Jar made a $76 million counter bid for Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake. Cookie Jar had until April 30, 2009, to complete a deal with American Greetings.[30] In May 2009, American Greetings filed a $100 million lawsuit against Cookie Jar and the company filed a $25 million lawsuit against American Greetings over the Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake deal.[31]
In April 2009, the company hired Tom Mazza, formerly ofTriStar Television andParamount Television, as its executive vice president of worldwide television. Mazza planned to broaden Cookie Jar's slate by pursuing Canadian co-productions intended for global saley.[32] In February 2011, Cookie Jar announced a new imprint known as The Jar, which it intended to use on series targeting U.S. primetime television; its development slate includedLori Kirkland Baker'sAll Over You forLifetime,Blah Girls forMTV, Andrew Orenstein'sLords of the Playground forCBS, andSteven E. de Souza'sSpyburbia forFox andGlobal.[33]
On August 20, 2012,DHX Media announced that they would acquire Cookie Jar Group for $111 million; the purchase made DHX the world's largest independent owner of children's television programming.[34][35][36] The acquisition was completed on October 22, 2012.[37][38] On December 25, 2014, DHX Media ceased usage of the Cookie Jar brand, thus using the unified DHX name instead.
At the time of Cookie Jar's acquisition of the company, DIC had been programming a weekend morning block forCBS known as KEWLopolis. On February 24, 2009, it was announced that CBS had renewed its contract with Cookie Jar for the block through 2012.[39][40] For the 2009–10 television season, the block was rebranded as Cookie Jar TV.[41][42] Beginning with the 2011–12 television season, Cookie Jar TV was branded as Team Toon in television promos outside the block. Cookie Jar TV was succeeded in 2013–14 byCBS Dream Team, which is programmed byLitton Entertainment.[43]
On November 1, 2008,This TV launched airing Cookie Jar's daily children's programming blockCookie Jar Toons which providedchildren's andE/I-oriented programming.[44][45]
Cookie Jar Kids Network (formerlyDIC Kids Network) was a children's programming block that aired selected Cookie Jar programs on localFox,MyNetworkTV, andindependent stations to provide them with a source of educational and informational (E/I) programming required by American broadcast standards. Syndicated byAscent Media,[46][47] it ceased broadcasting on September 18, 2011.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
