ASHANTI, Meet the Honey Girls!
Thank you Ashanti for sitting down and talking with me about Honey Girls! It was absolutely delightful and exceptional!
Build-A-Bear is bringing its Honey Girls toy line into the live-action space. And the only way to bring it to life is to have Grammy winners on board. Grammy winner and John Tucker Must Die actress Ashanti will star alongside digital star Tessa Brooks in Honey Girls from Build-A-Bear!
Production has finished and the cast includes Broadway actor Aliyah Mastin, recording artist Ava Grace, and Black-ish actor and singer Frankie McNellis playing the titular Honey Girls.
Honey Girls includes Julia Michels, another Grammy winner, as Music Supervisor. Lady Gaga collaborator Mark Nilan, Jr., who won a Grammy in 2020 for his work on the soundtrack to A Star Is Born, writes original songs.
Ashanti will star as global pop-star Fancy G, the host of a talent competition that seeks to discover the next great solo artist. Three young musicians sign up for it but quickly discover that they are "better together" — a reference to the song "Everything Is Better" written for the Honey Girls toy line. They form a secret band called Honey Girls and, with an immediate viral mega hit on their hands, perform in disguise to avoid elimination by Fancy G. In the end, the competitors must decide what is more important — fame or friendship.
"The Honey Girls story uses the power of music as a catalyst to both encourage the celebration of individuality while recognizing that we can also be 'better together,' wrapped in a fun girl-empowerment story of discovery," Sharon Price John, President and CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, Inc., said in a statement
The characters attend school together where they formed their band, the Honey Girls, made up of fearless and bold lead singer Teegan; guitarist Risa, who is all about music and creativity; and drummer Viv, who is a great friend and talented inventor. Each has her own signature song and strengths that help the friends “be brighter together.” Original Honey Girls songs are also available for download on Amazon and iTunes.
“Our Honey Girls story empowers girls to embrace each other’s skills and talents to be ‘brighter together,’” said Gina Collins, chief marketing officer, Build-A-Bear Workshop. “At Build-A-Bear, we want to inspire a sense of confidence and self-expression in our guests, who we believe will be drawn to this unique product line.”
The Honey Girls can be personalized with a special plush star, which represents a positive, aspirational trait to complement the line’s empowerment theme. The stars are placed inside the Honey Girls characters during Build-A-Bear’s signature heart ceremony and include the following traits: creative, confident, talented, smart, fearless and strong.
The Honey Girls line is Build-A-Bear’s first-ever multimedia offering designed to embrace creativity and empowerment through original songs and a music video collection. The group’s debut songs, created and executive produced by GRAMMY® Award winner Tena Clark, include “Everything is Better,” “Places to Go,” “Just a Bit of Rhythm,” and “Gotta Go Big.”
Through the Honey Girls Studio app, guests can use a smartphone, tablet or other mobile device to engage with the characters and follow them through their journey as a band. Users can access biographies, music videos, a music-video maker, and a selfie activity, as well as memory games and the ability to unlock special features.
Each character has a retail price of $28; optional outfits and accessories are sold separately.
Build-A-Bear plans to introduce more characters and original songs, including popular cover versions, in the future.
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