Andy Heyward, Chairman & CEO of Kartoon Studios Inc. (NYSE:TOON) and Patrick Stich, CEO of Bitkern USA, were recently guests on Benzinga's All-Access. The two executives sat down with Benzinga to discuss their new Bitcoin-focused project, which spans a new children's show, digital education, merchandise, interactive apps and a pioneering Bitcoin treasury strategy.
Kartoon Studios is a global media and animation company that has made a name for itself in developing, producing, marketing and licensing hit animated content around the world. The company owns Mainframe Studios, operates streaming services including Kartoon Channel!, is the controlling partner of Stan Lee Universe, LLC and is creating content for A.A. Milne’s original novel Winnie-the-Pooh. Bittern USA is a blockchain mining and AI technology provider that is bringing mining to the masses. The two are teaming up to launch "Bitcoin Brigade: Adventures in Satoshi City" in the fall of 2026.
A Chance Meeting Sparks It All
An impromptu conversation about Bitcoin on an airplane between Heyward and Stich not only led to the development of the new children's show, but also to Kartoon Studios' move to embrace Bitcoin as a treasury strategy for the company, Heyward told Benzinga during the interview. It's something his investors have been telling him to do for months.
"In 1989, I was visited by Nintendo and they told me they wanted to create a show with two plumbers and a princess, and they had nothing else other than that, but they had the NES system and they said if we did a cartoon series, everyone will learn about Nintendo and they will buy our NES system. We did it and they became quite successful," said Heyward. "I feel there's a parallel with what occurred with gaming many years ago and with what is revolutionizing the world right now with Bitcoin."
Education At The Center Of It All
According to the executives, the aim of the new show is to educate the next generation about Bitcoin and the underlying technology behind it. "Bitcoin is not well understood," says Stich. "We want to make it fun and easy to understand, not only for the kids but also the parents. Our goal is to make it simple. We want to educate the next generation side by side." The main innovation of this partnership, noted Stich, is the focus on education. "Whole generations will be surprised," he says.
In addition to the show, Kartoon Studios is also building a comprehensive, Bitcoin-native business platform around the series that includes the Satoshi Sparks Rewards System which invites kids to earn Sparks by watching episodes, completing quizzes and solving cryptographic challenges in companion apps.
Kartoon Studios will also launch a global licensing program featuring toys, apparel and interactive collectibles embedded with Lightning Network-enabled NFC chips, designed to teach children about wallet custody, cold storage and the immutable Bitcoin ledger. An interactive mobile app will feature secure, kid-friendly Lightning wallets for earning, storing and spending Sparks, with parental controls and donation options to encourage responsible Bitcoin custodianship.
"The consumer products and licensing business is the wonderful byproduct of the cartoons and the entertainment we create,” says Heyward. "This entertainment is built around blockchain and a system where all the characters will have a consumer product aspect to them and commerce based on this. We will be revealing more soon."
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