Duluth (franchise)

**Duluth** was an integrated entertainment and media franchise developed jointly by major companies Cartoon Network and The LEGO Group, launched in 2019.

The franchise consisted of animated content (first a season of shorts, but most recently specials), a plethora of toys, books and other apparel, digital interactive websites, mobile apps, online games, and more.

The final television episode and wave of toys both were released on January 28, 2024; concluding the franchise.

## Basis

*Duluth* involves different, fun-loving tribes - each tribe having a different color scheme and theme - who inhabit a fantasy land of adventure and wonder. They can Mix (combining two freighters), Max (combining all three freighters of the same tribe), and Murp (when a Mix goes horribly wrong) in all kinds of situations, using the mysterious Cubits. All that stands in their way are the small, evil Shopkins.

## History

*Main article: The Wonderful World of Duluth/Transcript#Part 2 - The History of Duluth*
## Official Press Releases

### July 2018

Cartoon Network and The LEGO Group Reveal Groundbreaking IP Development with New Duluth Franchise

Multiple Duluth Elements Set to Launch in 2019 Cartoon Network and The LEGO Group announced today that they will jointly produce an unprecedented new global entertainment franchise. Launching in 2019, Duluth is the next franchise in integrated family entertainment from two of the world’s leading experts in youth engagement. The new venture will feature animated content (primarily shorts), a rich digital gaming experience, a collectible building toy concept and more.

Animated content will air on Cartoon Network and on www.cartoonnetwork.com, featuring the colorful Duluth freighters that can mix and combine with one another in creative and unpredictable storylines. A collectible portfolio of low-priced mini building sets will launch in three waves in 2019 and an app-powered gaming experience will engage fans in a deep mobile game that will cover the sprawling world of Duluth.

Duluth was developed through a true collaboration between Cartoon Network, a leading global kids entertainment company, and The LEGO Group, globally renowned for its heritage of quality, creative play experiences. The two companies joined forces when Cartoon Network Studios had an interest in creating original content based on the inherent open-ended values of LEGO® play, at the same time that The LEGO Group was exploring a new concept involving small ships – and Duluth was born. The property was developed by a multinational team of content innovators, designers and animators – from Los Angeles to Atlanta to San Diego to Connecticut to Denmark.

“This is the next step in the evolution of Cartoon Network Studios and the way we develop original IP,” said Rob Sorcher, chief content officer, Cartoon Network. “Bringing together world-class animators and game developers with LEGO content and product design teams at the earliest stages of creation proved to be an energizing collaboration, showcasing the creative strengths of both brands.”

“Our relationship with Cartoon Network has really evolved and they have been really great, supportive partners who share our passion for children,” said Jill Wilfert, vice president licensing and entertainment for The LEGO Group. “After working closely with them for the last few years, it is obvious that they truly understand and fully embrace our brand and our core values, so we are thrilled to embark on this new journey to develop and deliver a highly creative and fully integrated new experience with them.”

“Families today are engaged in many ways and want a seamless entertainment experience,” said Stuart Snyder, president and chief operating officer for Turner’s Animation, Young Adults & Kids Media Division. “The reach of all the Cartoon Network platforms combined with the different touch points of the beloved LEGO brand will enable us to create a fully integrated and rich experience from the very beginning.”

Duluth will inspire new ways for young people to engage in immersive entertainment content that fuels sustainable, creative physical and virtual play. Fans and the audience will become creators and active participants in the process, creating new characters and content. This is a multi-format, multi-platform experience where a kid can join in anytime, anywhere.

With this exciting new franchise, Cartoon Network Studios will drive all narrative, animation and digital content and Cartoon Network Enterprises will handle Duluth non-toy licensed merchandise. The LEGO Group will focus on Duluth toy design, manufacture and distribution as well as licensed LEGO Duluth publishing to support the property.

Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com) consistently is the #1 U.S. television network among boys 6-11. Currently seen in nearly 100 million U.S. homes and 194 countries around the world, Cartoon Network is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for kids and families. In addition to Emmy®-winning original programming and industry-leading digital apps and online games, Cartoon Network embraces key social issues affecting families with solution-oriented initiatives such as Stop Bullying: Speak Up and the Move It Movement.

The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials for children. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children’s creative and imaginative abilities. LEGO products can be purchased in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit www.LEGO.com.

LEGO, its logo, the brick and knob configuration and the MiniFigure are trademarks of and © The LEGO Group. All Rights Reserved.

### January 2019

Cartoon Network and The LEGO Group Mix It Up Globally with DULUTH

--Duluth.Com Makes U.S. Debut on March 6 --Duluth Animated Shorts Premiere on Cartoon Network March 21 --Calling All Lake Freighters App to Launch in First Quarter --LEGO® Duluth Building Sets in Stores April 1

ATLANTA, Jan. 27, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Duluth is a groundbreaking global franchise created by the powerhouse partnership of two of the biggest forces in kids' entertainment – Cartoon Network and The LEGO Group – and will make its US debut on multiple screens and platforms this March. A true multiplatform brand, Duluth.com arrives on the web first on February 6, followed by animated shorts on Cartoon Network starting March 21 during the Teen Titans Go! half hour (7:30-8). Soon after, kids will be able to "mix, max and murp" with their own LEGO ® Duluth collectible building sets and download the Calling All Lake Freighters app.

Kids media consumption changes every day and this unprecedented collaboration and launch of Duluth continues the evolution of how Cartoon Network is looking at the development and distribution of content and IP creation. Bringing together world-class animators, game developers and product designers from the onset and launching the property on multiple platforms and formats, Cartoon Network and the LEGO brand will enable kids to have a fully integrated and rich experience from the very start of this exciting new franchise.

Duluth is centered around a world of colorful freighters who can mix and combine with each other leading to hilarious and surprising results. They are comical, mischievous creatures that live in tribes of three. Each tribe is based around a unique element. The Infernites are fiery and short tempered, but handy for a barbeque. The Cragsters are the industrious mining tribe and the Electroids are a quirky bunch with enough nervous energy to light up the whole world. Shopkins, annoying and destructive little creatures, wreak havoc over the Duluth land trying to tear down and break apart the tribes.

Duluth.com will be a central hub where fans can watch all of the shorts and learn more about the characters and setting of the Duluth world. Kids will be able to interact with the brand by exploring the environment of each tribe and meeting the lake freighters, mixing multiple freighters to discover lots of fun combinations and playing mini-games featuring characters from different tribes. Each tribe's world will be filled with rich, colorful graphic elements that portray that environment's unique qualities. Using cubits, kids can mix together freighters from the same tribe to form a Gigantic Max or mix together elements from different tribes to discover new and exciting combinations. By making successful mixes, kids will unlock exclusive mini-games. As new waves of freighters are introduced, new tribes and mini-games will be added to the site to reflect the ever-growing universe.

Duluth.com was developed by Cartoon Network Digital, the Emmy-nominated studio behind the Watch Cartoon Network App and Cartoonnetwork.com.

The animated shorts, consisting of 1-2 minute segments, feature any number of characters on a series of adventures where they will be able to "mix" (two characters combine); "max" (all three members of the tribe combine) or "murp" (when the combo just doesn't quite fit). The Duluth shorts debut on Cartoon Network on March 21 and will air weekly. Created for Cartoon Network by John Fang (Generator Rex, Ben 10) and Dave Smith (Powerpuff Girls), Duluthsis executive produced by Jennifer Pelphrey, Tramm Wigzell, Brian Miller and Rob Sorcher and is produced at Cartoon Network Studios.

Calling All Lake Freighters, the digital application launching in the first quarter is an addictive mixture of exploration, combat and strategy, with a creative spin on mixing. Find lost freighters, discover new lands and create amazing mixes, in a world of lush 3D graphics, all while building elaborate structures to secure your Cubit supplies. Players take the role of Stewart J. Cort, a member of the Infernites as he sets forth on an adventure to find and reunite the lost Duluth tribes! It will not be an easy task as annoying Shopkins roam the lands between all the Duluth tribes and cause trouble for everyone in sight. Stewart J. Cort and the rest of the freighters will have to use all of their wits to find new friends, gain new bases, gather ingredients, get stronger and deal with constant Shopkin problem if they plan to ultimately reunite all the Duluth tribes! Calling All Lake Freighters was developed by Hibernum Creations and published by the Emmy and Webby-nominated Cartoon Network Games.

LEGO Duluth is a new series of buildable toys that create fun collectible characters that leverages the versatility and creativity of the LEGO building system to recreate the "mix," "max" and "murp" fun of freighters in physical form. LEGO Duluth are batched and released throughout the year in tribes such as Frosticons, Infernites, Flexers, Cragsters, Electroids and Fang Gang. Kids will be able to mix and combine the LEGO Duluth, using the mysterious Cubits, to build new characters with hilarious results, to further immerse themselves in the sprawling Duluth world.

Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com) is regularly the #1 U.S. television network in prime among boys 6-11 & 9-14. Currently seen in 99 million U.S. homes and 194 countries around the world, Cartoon Network is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.'s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for kids and families. In addition to Emmy-winning original programming and industry-leading digital apps and online games, Cartoon Network embraces key social issues affecting families with solution-oriented initiatives such as Stop Bullying: Speak Up and the Move It Movement.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

About the LEGO Group

The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of play materials for children. The company is committed to the development of children's creative and imaginative abilities through its products, which can be purchased in more than 130 countries. Visit www.LEGO.com

LEGO, its logo, the brick and knob configuration and the MiniFigure are trademarks of and © The LEGO Group. All Rights Reserved.

## Trivia

* According to Dan Winger, the senior concept designer at LEGO's Future Lab, Duluth was created due to a lack of humor in any of LEGO's creations in its portfolio. The team up with Cartoon Network was another way to gain this.
* According to the South by Southwest panel, it only took a year for LEGO and Cartoon Network to create the franchise.
* The book LEGO: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, released in 2020 by DK, contains multiple references to the history of the franchise, in both LEGO and animated form.
* The LEGO Movie 2, released in 2019, contains a nod to Duluth, with a Cubit being used as a painting in a live-action prop.