Stride Rite Develops Odor-Eliminating Footware for Children Through Partnership With Celessence(TM)

BEVERLY HILLS, CA--(Marketwired - November 04, 2015) - Genius Brands International, Inc. "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS) and its wholly owned subsidiary A Squared Entertainment, the licensing agent for the world's leading micro-encapsulation company Celessence™ Technologies, has finalized a new national licensing agreement with Wolverine Worldwide and its Stride Rite children's shoes brand, which will utilize Celessence's breakthrough fragrance technology to provide a fresh, long lasting solution to children's shoe odors.

The new line of Celessence fresh-scent infused Stride Rite children's footwear will be presented as "anti-stink" technology and will debut as part of the company's spring 2016 Made 2 Play sandal collection, available in retail and specialty stores nationwide.

"Stride Rite products are 'Built for Childhood.' We're always looking for innovative ways to blend style and substance. Celessence will allow us to offer yet another solution for mom. By adding tiny Celessence micro-capsules to our linings, sandals will stay fresh smelling through an entire summer of play," commented Gillian Meek, Vice President of product and brand.

"Our technology is activated through touch, friction or motion. So when Stride Rite approached us about partnering to eliminate odor in kids shoes, we knew that Celessence would deliver fantastic results. As kids run and play, the pressure of each step provides a burst of freshness that eliminates odors and prevents smells," explained Shibani Mohindra, Managing Director, Celessence Technologies.

"With the breakthrough technology offered by Celessence, Stride Rite can now offer parents an affordable and long-lasting solution, and now through this technology, the harder kids play, the fresher their shoes will smell. A fantastic solution to a real problem, comments Stone Newman, President, Global Consumer Products, GBI."

As recently announced, GBI also finalized new global licensing agreements on behalf of Celessence Technologies with Build A Bear Workshop and a North American licensing deal for the company with Kittrich Corporation.

Celessence™ Technologies* microencapsulation technology uses touch, friction or motion to release and deliver the benefits of scent, freshness or skincare actives. Microcapsules are bound to a surface with a proprietary binder that ensures controlled release that is long lasting, affordable and even wash durable. In many cases, the benefit release can last the life of the product. This represents a significant point of difference to past efforts to apply scent or actives to textiles. Celessence technology can be used in a wide range of merchandise ranging from clothing, home goods and lingerie to more durable materials such as car mats and pet products.

About Celessence™ Technologies

Celessence™ Technologies is a leading manufacturer of micro-encapsulates for the textile and print industries. Celessence brings genuine consumer benefits to textiles via a wide range of micro-encapsulation technologies. Products using Celessence™ Technology have passed testing for all major North American retailers by independent third party testing labs such as CTL, BV and comply with all standards including CPSIA and Prop 65. Furthermore, Celessence™ has been dermatology tested on fabric through skin patch testing on human volunteers and meets all IFRA guidelines for skin safety and allergens. Based in the UK, Celessence™ Technologies has recently launched an extensive licensing program in the US to grow the brand into the household name for scent and freshness and skincare active delivery. For more information, visit www.celessence.com.

About Genius Brands International

Headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, Genius Brands International, Inc. "GBI" (OTCQB: GNUS) is a publicly traded global brand management company that creates and licenses multimedia content for toddlers to tweens. Led by award-winning creators and producers, GBI creates "content and products with a purpose," providing enrichment as well as entertainment. The Company distributes its content worldwide in all formats, as well as a broad range of consumer products based on its characters. GBI's portfolio includes award-winning Baby Genius, recently re-launched with new entertainment and over 40 new products; adventure comedy Thomas Edison's Secret Lab, available on Netflix, public broadcast stations and GBI's Kid Genius channel on Comcast's Xfinity on Demand reaching 21 million households; animated movie Stan Lee's Mighty 7, the first project from Stan Lee Comics, a joint venture with Stan Lee's POW! Entertainment and featuring an all-star voice cast led by legendary Stan Lee; and Warren Buffett's Secret Millionaires Club, created with and starring iconic investor Warren Buffett. The Company is also producing a new animated preschool series based on Llama Llama, the NY Times bestselling children's book franchise; and a tween adventure series Space Pop, featuring original music from renowned industry veteran Ron Fair and his singer-songwriter wife Stefanie Fair.

GBI's wholly owned subsidiary A Squared Entertainment is a brand management and licensing company that represents third-party properties across a broad range of categories in territories around the world. The company currently represents Psycho Bunny, a luxury apparel line, From Frank, a humor greeting card and product line, and Celessence Technologies, the world's leading microencapsulation company.

For additional information please visit www.gnusbrands.com.

About Stride Rite

Founded in 1919, Stride Rite combines heritage and knowledge, steeped in nearly 100 years in children's footwear, with a modern-day understanding of kids' every day adventures. Inspired by real life, Stride Rite prides itself on making great looking, high quality footwear, building strong consumer relationships and providing families with the best shopping experience in the industry. Powered by a team of dedicated kid experts, who are also devoted parents, Stride Rite is truly Built for Childhood ™. Stride Rite is a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. For additional information, please visit our website, striderite.com.

About Wolverine Worldwide

With a commitment to service and product excellence, Wolverine World Wide, Inc. is one of the world's leading marketers of branded casual, active lifestyle, work, outdoor sport, athletic, children's and uniform footwear and apparel. The Company's portfolio of highly recognized brands includes: Merrell^®, Sperry^®, Hush Puppies^®, Saucony^®, Wolverine^®, Keds^®, Stride Rite^®, Sebago^®, Cushe^®, Chaco^®, Bates^®, HYTEST^®, and Soft Style^®. The Company also is the global footwear licensee of the popular brands Cat^® and Harley-Davidson^®. The Company's products are carried by leading retailers in the U.S. and globally in approximately 200 countries and territories. For additional information, please visit our website, www.wolverineworldwide.com.

Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), not limited to Risk Factors relating to its business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

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