Founded 1991 | ||
Industry Children and family's music and home video arm Products Nickelodeon videos (1993–1996)Kidsongs videos (1997–1998)Random House videos (1997–2005)Sesame Street videos (1995–2007)Classic Media videos (1998–2006)Sony Pictures Entertainment family films (2007–present) Albums Elmopalooza!, More Songs from Pooh Cor, When You Wish Upon a Chipmu, All Aboard!, The Swan Princess | ||
The destruction of the sony wonder logo
Sony Wonder (founded as Sony Kids’ Music) is the kids and family entertainment division of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
Contents
History
It was founded in 1991 by Sony Music Entertainment as its children and family music and home video division. The division once distributed material from Sesame Workshop and Classic Media (now known as DreamWorks Classics). They also distributed releases from Random House's home video division from 1995 to 2007.
On July 6, 1993, Sony Wonder acquired video distribution rights to Nickelodeon's series.
On July 21, 1995, Sony Wonder and Sony Pictures Entertainment joined forces with the Jim Henson Company by releasing new movies with Columbia Pictures and TriStar Pictures through the joint venture Jim Henson Pictures and new sing-along-songs on videocassette and DVD. The next day, Nickelodeon and Sony Wonder launched Nick Jr. Video. In 1996, two years after Viacom's merger with Paramount, Sony Wonder's deal expired with Nickelodeon, which left Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. videos distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment (and CIC Video internationally until 1999).
On May 4, 1998, Sony Wonder bought Sunbow Productions and it was later bought by TV-Loonland on October 3, 2000 as well as Sony Wonder's television business assets.
On March 13, 2007, Sony BMG announced that it was shutting down Sony Wonder to focus on its core music business. However, on June 20, 2007, it was announced that SW became a division of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment as its kids’- and family-entertainment label. CM's, Sesame Workshop's and Random House's video deals were sold to Genius Products for an undisclosed amount, and later to Vivendi Entertainment. Sesame Workshop properties are currently distributed by Warner Home Video. m4e AG currently holds the television rights of the series by Sony Wonder (including—with certain exceptions—the Sunbow catalog) which they bought from TV-Loonland in 2011 following the said company's bankruptcy.
Despite the similarity in name, Sony Wonder is not directly related to the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, a four-story interactive technology and entertainment museum for all ages located in midtown Manhattan, although they are both owned by Sony.