The big news of the day is a press release AAA posted on their site yesterday evening. They’ve named Cookie Jar Entertainment as the exclusive licensing agency for AAA. Cookie Jar Entertainment the right to use AAA wrestlers and names on products; action figures, masks, books, back to school items and collectibles are specifically mentioned, with the target time as early 2010. Of special note to those who read this blog, there’s a mention of “the first series of lucha libre AAA in English.” There’s no ETA mentioned on that.
That’s what we know, based on the press release. What’s missing and how it’s said is interesting. While it’s pushed as a partnership of AAA and Cookie Jar, no one from AAA proper is quoted. Instead, speaking for them is Steve Ship, listed as CEO of Lucha Libre USA. That group is actually the local promoters for the US tour of shows, as well as those in charge of the PPV they did last year. In interviews prior to the latest tour, Konnan’s sounded unhappy about how AAA’s partnership with the US group was going, but the last tour seemed like it went well, and obviously the relationship has to be going well for both sides to expand it like this. I’d figure, though, that these are actually the US licensing rights and Televisa still owns the Mexican ones; Televisa surely has some sort of control here.
As I alluded to in the comments, Cookie Jar Enterainment is a strange fit with AAA. From that list of items they hope to put out, the target audience looks like 6-12 year olds, and Cookie Jar aims for the same age range. The actual product seems so much different. Cookie Jar owns the rights to such things as Strawberry Shortcake, Inspector Gadget*, and the CARE BEARS. That’s a bit of a departure from Crazy Boy breaking a light tube over Joe Lider’s back and the camera zooming in to watch blood flow.
However, AAA’s anime seems a lot closer in tone. Makes me wonder if that’s possibly the AAA we’ll end up seeing in the US; just a lot of marketing and editing (or separate tapings) to focus on the kid-friendly aspects of AAA – lots of minis, comedy (that’s safe for all ages) and people in colorful costumes doing high spots – while cutting out the soap opera and the hardcore bits and the sexual elements. WWE’s gone to a PG product, CMLL’s banned bleeding and restricted un-family friendly brawls, perhaps this is a sign AAA will be going in the same direction.
This doesn’t mean a lot to the product at the moment, but it could be a sign of where they’re going.
Cookie Jar uses Immersion Games to create games for it’s characters. Immersion is making the AAA game, so that’s the obvious meeting point here.
* obligatory cheap joke: most of Dr. Claw’s plans are better thought out than AAA’s stoylines
Oddly, luchalibreusa.com has not updated, yet they are making progress in many areas.
“* obligatory cheap joke: most of Dr. Claw’s plans are better thought out than AAA’s stoylines”
I love you, Cubsfan.
I think Dr. Claw would make a great new member of the Foreign Legion.
Is this going to be the end of the Gato/Pimpi angle? I was hoping we’d get to hear more relationship advice from Fabi Apache.
If this would of happened a few years ago. On the next few AAA TV tapings, we would see the debut of Los Care Bears & El Cookie Monsther .
Or Los Doodlebops…
http://cookiejarentertainment.com/cj_shows_doodlebops.php
If this means the end of hardcore and trashy storylines, then this is exactly the cure that AAA needs. Hardcore and trashyness are the main things that have been ruining AAA.
@Daniel: I completely agree with you 100% Daniel.
It’s repulsive that AAA lets guys like Latin Lover, Elegido and Corleone pretty much do strip shows in front of the young kids in the crowd. It’s beyond trashy.
Would you be willing to sign a petition with me that perhaps we can present to Cookie Jar Entertainment so that this type of behaviour ceases to exist in AAA?
Don’t hold your breath for anything changing in AAA, COMEX, their largest sponsor, is owned by a guy who is in the far right, so I doubt he likes the exoticos and extreme matches, and still, that has had no effect on the show itself.
We’ll see how this turns out, nothing happened with the CMLL/Warner partnership.
Any news on the Costa Rican tour?
@Rob: No thanks. Instead I’ll sign a petition to get you to shut up.
@xuisaw: Licensing and sponsorship are different. I don’t think Cookie Jar will force AAA to change but business wise I think AAA will decide to be more kid friendly since the games and toys made by cookie jar are targetted at kids the show will have to be kid friendly to get more kids to watch and ultimately buy the products.
I’m under the impression that the tv series will not a be a lucha show (and certainly not the current 3 hour show)…
Maybe cookie jar will finance the contract of Rey Misterio Jr (who’ll now will need to use facepaint in Mexico City =p) ?
@xuisaw: If they can get Rey back in Mexico and out of the hellhole that is the WWE, I’d accept him working as an EXOTICO!
@Rob: WOW Rob for a guy who has accused me of being gay for being a Latin Lover fan you sure made quite a disturbing statement.
I’d much rather have Rey in the WWE as he is then to have him in Mexico as an Exotico, because such a transformation would truly ruin a Legendary wrestler.
@Daniel: ANYTHING is better than Rey being stuck in Vince’s jail. I can see you being a WWE fan though. I really can. Lots of Latin Lover types…
@Rob: Aside from Shawn Michaels I really don’t see any “Latin Lover types” in the WWE, and I don’t know who else you could possibly be comparing to him.
To me WWE was great before the Attitude Era, and again from mid 2001 (Allience agngle)up until late 2005 after Summerslam. Since that point it’s been lame. The reason why I hate AAA so much under Konnan’s rule is because he tries to rehash the attutude era and is doing a horrible job at that, thus having a terrible product that is neither WWE, nor ECW, but just plain garbage.
But as bad as you might think WWE is there is no way you can argue that Rey would be better anywhere as a Pimpinela type charecter. At least Vince had him win the World Heavywieght Title at Wrestlemania.
@Daniel: One other thing. When Vince brougt in Rey Mysterio Jr. in 2002 he at least had enough sense to bring him back with the mask because he knew that Rey was a lot better with it.
@Daniel: Just curious but why does the Pimpinela charachter offend you?
@Rob: It doesn’t “offend” me, it’s just not my cup of tea. It’s fine for comic releife or whatever you want to call it, but it’s not good for a wrestler who is supposed to be taken seriously. If Rey Mysterio Jr. became that way he wouldn’t be taken seriously anymore and that would tarnish his legacy.