IP is what grows.
Media rights to the Chia Pet brand were acquired by writer and producer Adam Jay Epstein and producers Ari Daniel Pinchot and Jonathan Rubenstein through their intellectual property holding company, Rakia Media, and film and television production company, Crystal City Entertainment. With this acquisition, the trio plans to have a “vision to build a full-length animated film or series.”
“The Rakia Media and Crystal City teams are actively seeking strategic partnerships and collaborators to realize the full commercial and storytelling potential of the Chia Pet franchise,” a press release for the acquisition states.
For the uninitiated, chia pets are terracotta dolls on which chia sprouts are applied and grow to resemble hair and fur. Debuting in 1977, they became a pop culture sensation in the ’80s thanks to their ubiquitous television commercials and unforgettable theme song. More than 30 million units have been sold, and new figures are still being produced based on modern IPs and celebrities, including Netflix’s Wednesday, Rick and Morty, and rapper Ice Spice.
“Chiapets have been on our shelves since I was a kid, and I’m excited to help grow the brand to new heights,” Epstein said in a statement. “We can’t wait for audiences to check out the world of Cheer in theaters and screens around the world.”
“For more than 40 years, Chia Pets has been one of the most recognizable brand icons in pop culture history,” Joel Weinshanker, CEO of Ad Populum, the brand owner of Chia Pets®, said in a statement. “I’m excited to work with a team that understands both its heritage and its future potential.”
This is Rakia Media’s second IP acquisition, following the relaunch of the “Backyard Sports” video game franchise alongside Playground Productions.
Pinchot and Rubenstein have previously worked as producers on “Everything Must Go,” “He Wanted the Moon,” “The Ides of March,” “The God Committee,” and “Lee Daniels’ The Butler.” They are currently developing a film adaptation of Lisa Jewell’s bestseller, Then She Was Gone.
Epstein is the author of “Snedred” and “Have You Seen Gordon?” and co-author of “The Familiar.” He has written, directed, and produced projects for Paramount, SYFY, Amblin, WB, Netflix, Fox, MGM, Sony Animation, Spyglass, Disney+, Lionsgate, Riot Games, and MTV. He co-created AwesomenessTV’s horror series “The Unsettling” and co-wrote the 2001 comedy “Not Another Teen Movie.”
Crystal City is represented by UTA. Adam Jay Epstein is represented by UTA of Fourth Wall Management and Richter of Grossman.
Check out the vintage Chia Pet commercial below.
