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Zizzle

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Zizzle was a company based in Bannockburn, Illinois, United States, that made many types of electronics and toys based on original concepts as well as movie licenses. Founded in 2005 by Chief Executive Roger Shiffman and Chief Marketing Officer Marc Rosenberg, the company received licenses to produce toys, action figures and playsets for Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, and also for Marvel as well as Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer cartoons.

History

In 2005, at the American International Toy Fair, Roger Shiffman and his partners in a toy company called Zizzle dressed like pirates during a pitch to Walt Disney Company executives in a New York hotel. Zizzle, barely a month old at the time, was seeking the master toy license to produce and market the toys and action figures for the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, beginning with the 2006 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Among their products were $300 pinball machines. Zizzle was also the primary producer of toys for the third installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series, At World's End.[4]

In 2006, Zizzle held a Jack Sparrow Lookalike Contest at FAO Schwartz in New York City. Zizzle's Jack Sparrow lookalike contest was a contest held by Zizzle LLC and FAO Schwarz on June 13, 2006 from 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm, where fans of the series could dress up as protagonist Captain Jack Sparrow, as well as other characters including Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, and were judged based on how accurate their costumes and personality were to that of the character, as well as asked general questions about their costume, what they think about the series, and so on.[5][6] The judges for the contest included Janine DiGioacchino (General Manager of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum), Noah Robischon (Photojournalist for Entertainment Weekly), Carolina Bermudez (Z100 DJ), and most notably, Roger Shiffman (former CEO of Zizzle LLC).[7] Ron Rodriguez had won first place in the contest, receiving a new Volvo XC90 filled with Zizzle branded Pirates of the Caribbean toys in reward for his efforts. 2nd place had been Toby Markham, who received $2500 and a bunch of Zizzle Pirates toys, and in 3rd place was Chris Leidenfros, who received $1000 and a bunch of Zizzle Pirates toys, with both the toys in 2nd and 3rd place being given to the runner-ups in their own treasure chests.[8]

Zizzle shut down in 2009.[3]

Continuity

As Zizzle had exclusive licensing rights to create toys that capitalize on the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, they were able to include story elements that were otherwise not revealed onscreen. For instance, the "Place of Origin" for Davy Jones was "Presumed to be Great Britain" while both Will Turner and Bootstrap Bill Turner were in Glasgow, Scotland.[9][10][11][12] Some of the information included in the Zizzle products would appear on the official Pirates website.[13]

Commercials

Starting in 2006, Zizzle aired a number of different television commercials for their Pirates of the Caribbean products which were also hosted on their website.[14][15]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) Commercials

  • Black Pearl Playset
  • Flying Dutchman Deck Duel Playset
  • Isle Cruces Playset
  • Jack Sparrow Role Play Accessories

Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (2007) Commercials

  • Black Pearl Playset
  • Sensor Sword & Spinning Dagger
  • Singapore Playset and Figures
  • Jack Sparrow Role Play Gear
  • Whirlpool Melee Playset

Products

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)

Basic Figures

  • Captain Jack Sparrow (with pistol, sword, and trihat)
  • Prison Escape Jack Sparrow (with pistol, bone leg, and coffin)
  • Will Turner (with twin dueling swords)
  • Pintel (with pistol and sword)
  • Pirate Disguised Elizabeth Swann (with two pirate swords)
  • Bootstrap Bill Turner (with sword and pistol)
  • Davy Jones (with walking stick, key and chest)
  • Palifico (with two fused swords)
  • Cannibal King Jack Sparrow (with pistol and crown)
  • Captain Norrington (with sword, pistol, and commodore's hat)
  • Maccus (with axe)
  • Cannibal Chief (with spear and knife)
  • Final Battle Jack Sparrow (with sword)
  • Final Battle Will Turner (with cutlass)
  • Captain Barbossa (with sword, captain's hat, and pistol)
  • Ragetti (with key and chest)

Deluxe Figures

  • Jack Sparrow with Cannon
  • Jack Sparrow with Exploding longboat
  • Cannibal Escape Will Turner
  • Davy Jones with Liar's dice table
  • Deluxe Figures 4 Pack

7" Figures

  • Jack Sparrow
  • Will Turner
  • Davy Jones
  • Pistol Firing Jack Sparrow
  • Axe throwing Will Turner
  • Maccus
  • Pirate Clash Battle Pack (Davy Jones, Will Turner, Jack Sparrow)

10" Glowing Figures

  • Light-up Captain Jack Sparrow Skeleton
  • Light-up Davy Jones w/ Sea Filled Veins

12" Figures

  • Captain Jack Sparrow
  • Davy Jones
  • Will Turner

Playsets

  • Black Pearl Playset
  • Black Pearl Playset (with 3 figures and musical Davy Jones Chest)
  • Flying Dutchman Pirate Deck Duel Playset
  • Isla Cruces playset
  • Micro Pirate World Treasure Chest Playset
  • Pirate Attack 6-Pack (Golden Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Davy Jones, Pintel, Bootstrap Bill Turner, Cannibal Chief)
  • Malaysian Premium Box Set (Captain Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Davy Jones)

Pirate Fleet

  • Black Pearl (with Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Gibbs micro figures)
  • Flying Dutchman (with Davy Jones, Bootstrap Bill Turner, and Maccus micro figures)
  • Edinburgh Trader (with Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, and Captain Bellamy micro figures)

Motorized Figures

  • Prison Escape Jack Sparrow
  • Skiff Rowing Pintel and the Prison Dog

Weapons and Accessories

  • Jack Sparrow's electronic cutlass
  • Jack's gear
  • Will Turner's foam sword

Miscellaneous

  • Flying Dutchman “Smoke” Blast Cannon
  • Expert Electronic Handheld Game: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
  • Cotton’s Talking Parrot
  • Davy Jones Haunted Electronic Locker Bank
  • Talking Skull Room Alarm (crossed swords)
  • Zizzlingers PVC Figures (24 in total)

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)

Basic Figures

  • Jack Sparrow (with musket and coat)
  • Prisoner Will Turner (with sword, map, and prisoner holder)
  • Singapore Disguised Elizabeth Swann (with pistols, hat, and coat)
  • Tai Huang (with sword and pistol)
  • Admiral Norrington (with pistol and admiral's hat)
  • Sao Feng (with sword)
  • Marty with Jack the Monkey (with duckfoot pistol)
  • Gibbs (with pistol)
  • Desert weary Jack Sparrow (with sword and crabs)
  • Singapore Pintel (with sword, pistol, and belt)
  • Singapore Ragetti (with sword)
  • Battling Barbossa (with sword, coat, and hat)
  • Human Davy Jones (with broadsword)
  • Hadras (with Davy Jones’ chest, heart, and two double bladed daggers)
  • Jack Sparrow in Davy Jones' Locker (with sword)
  • Jack Sparrow (with Cannibal Shrunken Head)
  • Singapore Warrior Elizabeth Swann (with sword and pistol)
  • Last Stand Will Turner (with sword and knife)
  • Lord Cutler Beckett (with sword, pistol, and hat)

Deluxe Figures

  • Jack Sparrow with transforming crab and navigational chart
  • Will Turner with spinning powder keg raft
  • Pirate King Elizabeth Swann with glowing Brethren Court globe and swords
  • Captain Sao Feng with firing Empress dragon cannon and Singapore pirate weapons

7" Figures

  • Dual sword fighting Jack Sparrow
  • Weapon master Will Turner
  • Karate master Sao Feng
  • Davy Jones

12" Figures

  • Captain Jack Sparrow & Elizabeth Swann 2-pack
  • Captain Jack Sparrow
  • Captain Sao Feng
  • Will Turner

Playsets

  • Black Pearl playset 2
  • Black Pearl playset 2 (with 5 figures, Costco Exclusive)
  • Black Pearl playset 2 (with 3 figures and Pirate Armada Empress playset)
  • Singapore Battle playset
  • Whirlpool Melee playset
  • Pirate Captains Battle 3-Pack (Golden Jack Sparrow, Hector Barbossa, and Davy Jones) with Davy Jones Locker Treasure Chest

Pirate Captains and Crews PVC Figures (Available in 2 or 4 packs)

  • Black Pearl (Captain Jack Sparrow, Cotton, Marty, and Gibbs)
  • Flying Dutchman (Captain Davy Jones, Penrod, Angler, and Wheelback)
  • Empress (Captain Sao Fang, Tai Haung, and Singapore Pirates)

Pirate Fleet

  • Black Pearl (with Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Gibbs micro figures)
  • Flying Dutchman (with Davy Jones, Bootstrap Bill Turner, and Maccus micro figures)
  • Empress (with Sao Feng, Elizabeth Swann, and Tai Huang micro figures)

Pirate Armada

  • Black Pearl (with Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Barbossa micro figures and pull out Shipwrek Cove playset)
  • Empress (with Sao Feng, Elizabeth Swann, and Admiral Norrington micro figures and pull out Singapore playset)

Weapons and Accessories

  • Jack's cutlass with ring
  • Jack's dagger
  • Jack's gear with sword and pistol
  • Jack's gear with hat
  • Jack's electronic weapon gear
  • Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones swords

Miscellaneous

  • Electronic Handheld Game: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
  • Electronic Handheld Pinball Game
  • Electronic Full Size Pinball Machine
  • Rocking Radio-Control Black Pearl
  • Animated Jack the Monkey
  • Talking Skull Room Alarm (crossed bones or crossed swords)

Secrets of the Deep (2007)

Basic Figures

Deluxe Figures

  • Deluxe Captain Jack Sparrow, Kraken Figure and Kraken Slime
  • Deluxe Koleniko Flying Dutchman Pirate with Expanding Blowfish
  • Deluxe Shark Attack Pintel with Snapping Shark
  • Deluxe Figures 3 Pack (Captain Jack Sparrow, Pintel, Koleniko)

Comic Book 2-Packs

Weapons

  • Jack Sparrow and Davy Jones swords
  • Jack Sparrow spinning dagger

Dead Men Tell No Tales/Swashbucklers (2007/2008)

(Not to be confused with the 2017 film of the same name.)

Basic Figures

  • Captain Barbossa
  • Captain Davy Jones
  • Captain Jack Sparrow
  • Elizabeth Swann
  • Will Turner

Deluxe Figures

  • Deluxe Jack Sparrow
  • Deluxe Sao Feng
  • Deluxe Will Turner

Playsets

  • Beastly Kraken with Jack Sparrow
  • Coffin Cruiser with Jack Sparrow
  • Menacing Manta Ray with Maccus
  • Saber Cutter with Davy Jones

Weapons and Accesories

  • Jack Sparrow's Pirate Gear

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 A Happy Tune for Zizzle's iZ? - BusinessWeek (August 23, 2005) - Archived
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Shiffman's Zizzle Enjoys Exclusive Disney 'Pirates' License - Forbes
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 ZIZZLE TOYS Trademark - Serial Number 78500394 :: Justia Trademarks
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Powered by Toys: The Story Continues - The New York Times
  5. ↑ Zizzle Jack Sparrow Lookalike Contest - Tiger Electronics Wiki
  6. ↑ Zizzle Jack Sparrow look alike contest - YouTube
  7. ↑ Captain Jack from Pirates of the Caribbean is Back!!! and We Are Looking for His Look-Alike along with the Look-Alikes of Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner - ToyNewsI.com
  8. ↑ SFGate: Day In Pictures - Archived
  9. ↑ Zizzle 1 - Archived (January 07, 2007)
  10. ↑ Zizzle.com: Dead Man's Chest "Heroes and Villains" series 1 - Archived (March 05, 2007)
  11. ↑ Zizzle.com: Dead Man's Chest "Heroes and Villains" series 2 - Archived (March 05, 2007)
  12. ↑ Zizzle 2 - Archived (January 07, 2007)
  13. ↑ DisneyPirates.com
  14. ↑ Zizzle.com | Pirates of the Caribbean - Archived (June 25, 2006)
  15. ↑ Commercials - ..:: Zizzle ::.. - Archived (August 20, 2007)