Hasbro Acquires Irish Animation Studio Boulder Media

Irish animation studio Boulder Media has been acquired by Hasbro in a deal that greatly expands the Rhode Island-based toyco’s TV and feature film animation capabilities.

Terms of the transaction, which closed today, were not disclosed.

Founded in 2000 by Robert Cullen, the Dublin-based service studio has worked on Disney’s Wander Over Yonder, Go Jetters and Danger Mouse for BBC, as well as a crop of Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon series.

As a wholly owned subsidiary, Boulder, which currently has 150 employees, will continue to make toons on behalf of third-party clients, in addition to producing animated projects for Hasbro brands. Boulder will retain its brand name and the subsidiary will report into Stephen Davis, who as EVP and chief content officer leads Hasbro’s entertainment and consumer products licensing division.

Hasbro is no stranger to the world of storytelling. The company’s Hasbro Studios and its film label Allspark Pictures create entertainment brand-driven narratives across television, film and digital. And the company’s Entertainment and Licensing unit was a big winner in fiscal 2015, with double-digit revenue growth that brought in US$244.7 million, partly driven by the multi-year digital streaming deals inked for Hasbro Studios’ television programming in the first quarter of last year.