BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grom Social Enterprises, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GROM), Curiosity Ink Media – its original story telling subsidiary that weeks ago threw open the doors to digital holiday venue, Santa.com announced today the launch of the site’s new Yuletide Advent Calendar, How the Gherkins Stole Christmas, based on the wildly popular Cats vs. Pickles franchise. Packed with feline fun, pickle hijinks and exciting cliffhangers, the story will roll out in 25 pickle-tastic chapters that will captivate kids and keep families laughing together as the big day approaches. The animated Christmas countdown calendar, courtesy of an exclusive partnership between Curiosity Ink Media and Cepia Entertainment, was announced today by Darren Marks, Chairman and CEO of Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. Investor relations information on Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. is available at https://investors.gromsocial.com.

Bringing the hilarious adventures of the beloved Cats vs. Pickles world to the holiday season, How the Gherkins Stole Christmas is a heartwarming, original tale, penned by acclaimed children’s author, Darren Farrell. In the spirit of a classic Yuletide advent calendar, each day through Christmas morning, the story and characters will be brought to life with another new, sequential animated chapter, narrated by the author.

“The Gherkins Who Stole Christmas is a stocking-stuffer that Santa.com visitors can unwrap each day leading up to Christmas,” said Marks. “We hope that this original holiday tale becomes a favorite tradition for both Cats vs. Pickles fans and those who are just discovering these lovable feline characters.”

When a grinchy storm rolls into Catsburg, the joyful spirit of the season seems to disappear and its residents begin to forget the true meaning of Christmas. When The Pickles are called in to help, true to form, they come up with a thoroughly outrageous plan to help turn the feline frowns upside down. But the relentless cukes run into an unexpected snag when a mischievous furball named Snowball makes it her mission to convince the town that the little green gherkins are actually aliens.

The wildly popular all-white Snowball bean made its return on Santa.com, after being launched in limited release in 2021. Now, Cats vs Pickles fans can order their Snowball bean character and have it to accompany the How the Gherkins Stole Christmas story.

“The holidays are a magical time of anticipation of something great,” said Cepia CEO James Russell Hornsby. “We’re proud of the How the Gherkins Stole Christmas and think that our fans will love how the story evolves each day as a new chapter is unlocked.”

Santa.com also features other VS World brands, including limited edition Cats vs. Pickles Holiday beans and jumbos, as well as new Dogs vs. Squirls and Kittens vs. Gherkins beans which have been named as Hot Holiday Toys for 2022 by the Toy Insider.

Santa.com is a dynamic, holiday venue, overflowing with e-commerce and fun content for every member of the family. The one-stop holiday hub includes specially themed editorial, curated gift lists, decorating tips, interactive games and merry content, all of which is designed to ease the stress often associated with holiday preparations. The site recently debuted an ASK SANTA feature, an AI-driven virtual experience that allows kids to engage with Santa Claus, anytime 24/7, on mobile or desktop devices. Powered by industry-leading artificial intelligence technology from StoryFile, ASK SANTA offers parents a safe, convenient alternative to mall visits and long lines.

Santa.com joins Grom’s growing stable of family-friendly, holiday-themed IP following its 2021 acquisition of Curiosity Ink Media. This also includes the afore mentioned original, animated feature-length film, which is inspired by such iconic holiday classics like “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Elf.” Additionally, the company has published books including Santa.com by Russell Hicks and Santa’s Secret Society, by international best-selling children’s author Amber Stewart.

You can follow Santa.com on social at:
https://www.instagram.com/officialsantadotcom/?hl=en on Instagram
https://www.twitter.com/OGSantaDotCom on Twitter
https://www.facebook.com/SantaDotCom/ on Facebook  

About Cepia
Headquartered in St Louis, Mo., Cepia, LLC is a privately held, family-owned global manufacturer of entertainment-driven brands designed to ignite the imaginations of children of all ages. Led by industry veteran and former inventor of the year James Russell Hornsby and a small band of passionate toymakers, Cepia creates toy franchises that ignite magic through wonder and imagination. Versus World Property brands Cats vs Pickles, Dogs vs Squirls and Kittens vs Gherkins are distributed in major and specialty retailers in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. For more information, please visit www.cepiallc.com and www.catsvpickles.com.

About Curiosity Ink Media 
Curiosity Ink Media is a global media company that develops, acquires, builds, grows and maximizes the short, mid, and long-term commercial potential of Kids & Family entertainment properties and associated business opportunities. Driven by a best-in-class leadership team, Curiosity Ink Media’s multi-faceted I.P. library is designed to amass ongoing value through strategic stewardship, partnerships, and highly targeted market entry. For more information, please visit https://curiosityinkmedia.com/.

About Grom Social Enterprises, Inc.
Grom Social Enterprises, Inc. is a growing social media platform and original content provider of entertainment for children under 13 years of age, which provides safe and secure digital environments for kids that can be monitored by their parents or guardians. The Company has several operating subsidiaries, including Grom Social, which delivers its content through mobile and desktop environments (web portal and apps) that entertain children, let them interact with friends, access relevant news, and play proprietary games while teaching them about being good digital citizens. The Company owns and operates Top Draw Animation, which produces award-winning animation content for some of the largest international media companies in the world. Grom also includes Grom Educational Services, which has provided web filtering services for K-12 schools, government and private businesses. For more information, please visit https://gromsocial.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements, which may constitute “forward-looking statements.” Those statements include statements regarding the intent, belief, or current expectations of Grom and members of its management team as well as the assumptions on which such statements are based. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such forward-looking statements. Important factors currently known to management that may cause actual results to differ from those anticipated are discussed throughout the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission which are available at www.sec.gov as well as the Company’s website at www.gromsocial.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or changes to future operating results.

Media Contact:
Marianne Romano
Grom Social Enterprises/Curiosity Ink Media
1-818-681-0849
Romanomarianne@me.com

Investor Relations Contact:
Brooks Hamilton
MZ Group - MZ North America
+1 (949) 546-6326
GROM@mzgroup.us

CEPIA Entertainment Contact:
Laura Frerichs
lfrerichs@cepiallc.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3f6d2025-2e38-4e3a-b6a9-943f93b62cb5