MUMBAI: Mega Brands Inc., toys, games and puzzle providers, has entered into a multi-year international licensing partnership with Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products to develop construction toys based on Nick Jr.'s preschool character brands.

As per the agreement, Mega Brands obtains the rights to develop an assortment of construction toys including buildable playsets and vehicles based on Nickelodeon's preschool brands, including Go Diego Go!, The Backyardigans and Dora the Explorer, informs an official release.

The new licensed product offerings will launch in 2007 beginning with the United States and Canada with an expansion to additional markets including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Latin America later in the year and others in 2008.

The deal was announced by, Mega Brands executive VP Vic Bertrand, Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products senior vice president/Hard Goods Sherice Torres and Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products senior vice president/International Tanya Haider.

"Nickelodeon and MEGA Brands share a common commitment to providing families with programming and products that foster imagination, education and social development," said Bertrand. "We are excited to help bring Nickelodeon's loveable characters to life for children across the globe through the power of block building. These are tremendous properties for expanding our system of blocks as Dora, Diego, and The Backyardigans characters open up new play patterns of building activities for children."

"As NVCP builds on the tremendous success of Dora the Explorer internationally and rolls out Nick Jr.'s hit properties, Go, Diego, Go! And The Backyardigans to new markets in 2007, it is the perfect time to extend our preschool portfolio into the construction toy category by partnering worldwide with MEGA Brands," added Haider.