XML 28 R13.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT
v3.26.1

Organization and Business | 12 Months Ended
--- | ---
Dec. 31, 2025
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] |
Organization and Business | Note 1: Organization and Business Organization and Nature of Business Kartoon Studios, Inc. (formerly, Genius Brands International, Inc.) (the “Company,” “Kartoon Studios,” “we,” “us” or “our”) is a global content and brand management company focused on the creation, production, licensing, and distribution of multimedia animated content for children. Led by experienced industry personnel, the Company’s core business includes original intellectual property (“IP”) development, third-party IP production services, media agency, and content monetization through licensing and owned distribution platforms. Kartoon Studios’ owned and produced titles include Stan Lee’s Superhero Kindergarten (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger), Llama Llama (starring Jennifer Garner), Rainbow Rangers, KC! Pop Quiz, and Shaq’s Garage (starring Shaquille O’Neal). The Company’s library also includes titles such as Baby Genius, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, Team Zenko Go!, Reboot, Bee & PuppyCat: Lazy in Space, and Castlevania. The Company maintains a strategy of leveraging owned IP and third-party relationships to expand distribution and consumer product licensing. Kartoon Studios also owns Wow Unlimited Media Inc. (“Wow”), through which the Company operates Mainframe Studios - one of the largest animation production studios globally. Mainframe Studios is a producer-for-hire for several major streaming platforms and IP holders. To date, Mainframe has produced over 1,200 television episodes, 70 movies, and 3 feature films, including titles such as Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures, Octonauts: Above & Beyond, Cocomelon, SuperKitties, It’s Andrew!, and Unicorn Academy, in partnership with leading global media companies. In addition, Wow owns Frederator Networks Inc. (“Frederator”). Frederator operates a leading animation-focused creator network, Channel Frederator Network, on YouTube encompassing over 2,500 channels. Frederator Studios has developed and produced original programming in partnership with Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Netflix, Sony Pictures Animation, and Amazon. The Company distributes its content across streaming platforms, linear television, and its ad-supported and subscription-based video-on-demand (“VOD”) services and apps, including Kartoon Channel! and Ameba TV. Distribution partners include YouTube, YouTube Kids, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Fire, Roku, Apple TV, iOS, Android TV, Android mobile, Pluto TV, Xumo, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus, Google TV, Cox, DISH, Sling TV, KartoonChannel.com, and smart TVs from Samsung and LG. The Company also licenses content to third-party networks and streaming services globally, including Netflix, Paramount+, HBO Max, and Nickelodeon. The Company also owns The Beacon Media Group, LLC and The Beacon Communications Group, Ltd. (collectively, “Beacon”), a specialized media and marketing agency focused on children’s and family audiences. Beacon represents over 20 established and emerging brands across the toy, consumer products, and family entertainment sectors, including Bandai Namco, Moose Toys, Bazooka Brands, Goliath Games, Playmates Toys, and Cepia LLC. The agency has developed a strong reputation within the toy industry, supported by long-standing client relationships, deep category expertise, and a consistent track record of campaign execution. The Company believes that Beacon’s positioning within a niche, relationship-driven market provides barriers to entry and supports durable demand for its services. The Company owns Ameba Inc. which operates Ameba TV, a subscription streaming service with a focus on educational and entertainment content for younger children. As a cornerstone of the Company’s subscription offerings, Ameba delivers a vast library of engaging and educational content, accessible across multiple platforms. Through its investment in Germany-based Your Family Entertainment AG (“YFE”), a publicly listed company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (RTV: FWB), the Company holds a strategic interest in one of Europe’s leading independent children’s content providers, with a catalog of approximately 150 titles and 3,500 half-hour episodes. The Company holds a controlling interest in Stan Lee Universe, LLC (“SLU”), which owns the IP rights to Stan Lee’s name, likeness, signature, and associated IP assets. Recent Transactions ERTC Sale On July 31, 2025, the Company entered into an agreement to sell its rights to its $0.9 million outstanding Employee Retention Tax Credit (“ERTC”) refund claims to a third party in exchange for cash consideration. Under the agreement, the Company received an upfront payment of $0.5 million equal to55% of the claim amount upon execution, with an additional payment of $0.1 million equal to 15% to be paid upon collection from the IRS. The Company is entitled to receive any interest earned on the 15% claim amount if it is collected from the IRS within nine months of signing the agreement. Any interest received from the IRS after the nine-month period will be retained by the lender. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company retains legal title and remains obligated in the event of any disallowance, modification, or reduction of the claim by the IRS. The arrangement includes a recourse provision under which the Company remains obligated to repay amounts advanced in the event of any disallowance, modification, or reduction of the claim by the IRS. October Financing On October 22, 2025, pursuant to the terms of a securities purchase agreement (the “October 2025 Purchase Agreement”) entered into with an institutional investor (the “October 2025 Investor”), the Company closed a registered direct offering (the “Registered Direct Offering”) of 3,000,000 shares (the ”October 2025 Shares”) of its common stock, and pre-funded warrants (the “October 2025 Pre-Funded Warrants”) to purchase up to 6,903,049 shares of common stock to the October 2025 Investor. In a concurrent private placement (the “Concurrent Private Placement” and, together with the Registered Direct Offering, the “October Offerings”), pursuant to the October 2025 Purchase Agreement, the Company also sold to the October 2025 Investor unregistered warrants (the “October 2025 Common Warrants”) to purchase up to 9,903,049 shares of common stock, with an exercise price of $0.738 per share. Each October 2025 Share and privately placed October 2025 Common Warrant was sold at a combined public offering price of $0.738, and each October 2025 Pre-Funded Warrant and privately placed October 2025 Common Warrant was sold at a combined public offering price of $0.737, for aggregate gross proceeds at closing of approximately $7.3 million, prior to deducting placement agent fees and other offering expenses. In connection with the October Offerings, the Company paid to the placement agent a cash fee equal to 7% of the aggregate gross proceeds from the sale of the securities sold in this offering, plus $75,000 as a reimbursement of certain out-of-pocket expenses. The placement agent is also entitled to receive 7% of the gross proceeds received from the exercise of any of the October 2025 Common Warrants, if any. In addition, the Company issued warrants (the “Placement Agent Warrants”) to purchase 693,213 shares of common stock to the placement agent and its designees with an exercise price of $0.8118 per share. Section 3(a)(10) Accounts Payable Settlement On August 27, 2025, the Company entered into an agreement to engage in a transaction under Section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) with Continuation Capital, Inc. (“CCI”), to settle $1.8 million of outstanding accounts payable, in exchange for issuing 3,148,535 shares of common stock. Under the terms of the agreement, CCI makes payments to the Company’s vendors in cash and, in exchange, the Company issues shares of common stock to CCI. The settlement was valued at 1.75 shares of common stock per $1 of accounts payable, pursuant to the terms of the agreement. The transaction was approved by a court after a public hearing on the fairness of the terms and conditions. The transaction was carried out in stages and as of December 31, 2025, the Company had completed the arrangement, settling a total of $1.8 million, and issuing an aggregate of 3,148,535 shares of common stock. The Company recognized a loss of $0.7 million on the settlement, representing the difference between the carrying value of liabilities extinguished and the fair value of shares issued, included in Other Income (Expense), net, on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. On November 18, 2025, the Company entered into a new agreement to settle an additional $1.0 million of accounts payable under Section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Act with CCI, in exchange for issuing 1,695,072 shares of common stock. The terms were consistent with the original arrangement. During the three months ended December 31, 2025 the Company settled $0.4 million of accounts payable and issued 717,712 shares of common stock to CCI. The Company recognized a loss of $0.1 million on the settlement, representing the difference between the carrying value of liabilities extinguished and the fair value of shares issued, included in Other Income (Expense), net, on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations. Liquidity and Capital Resources As of December 31, 2025, the Company had cash of $2.9 million which decreased by $5.4 million as compared to December 31, 2024. The decrease was primarily due to cash used in operating activities of $11.4 million, cash used in investing activities of $1.6 million, and the effect of exchange rate of $0.6 million, offset by cash provided by financing activities of $8.1 million. The cash used in investing activities was primarily due to investment of financing proceeds in marketable securities of $6.7 million, and purchase of property and equipment of $0.2 million, offset by the proceeds received from sales of marketable securities of $4.8 million and proceeds of $0.4 million from repayment of a loan from related party. The cash provided by financing activities was primarily due to the proceeds of $6.5 million, net of placement agent fees and other offering expenses, received from the October Offerings, proceeds of $0.8 million received from sale of equity investment, drawdowns, net of repayments and debt issuance costs, of $1.6 million from production facilities, and proceeds of $0.5 million received from factoring transaction, offset by the margin loan repayment of $0.9 million and finance lease payments of $0.4 million. As of December 31, 2025, the Company held available-for-sale marketable securities with a fair value of $4.0 million, an increase of $1.9 million as compared to December 31, 2024 due to the investment of a portion of the net proceeds from October Offerings during the year ended December 31, 2025. The available-for-sale securities consist principally of government debt securities and are also available as a source of liquidity. As of December 31, 2025 the Company had no outstanding margin loan balance. As of December 31, 2024, the Company’s margin loan balance was $0.9 million. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company borrowed an additional $5.9 million from its investment margin account and repaid $6.8 million primarily with cash received from sales and maturities of marketable securities. The borrowed amounts were primarily used for operational costs. The interest rates for the borrowings fluctuate based on the Fed Funds Upper Target plus 0.60%. The weighted average interest rates were 0.20% and 0.46%, respectively, on average margin loan balances of $0.2 million and $1.0 million as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024 During the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company incurred interest expense on the margin loan of $8,392 and $0.1 million, respectively. The investment margin account borrowings do not mature but are collateralized by the marketable securities held by the same custodian and the custodian can issue a margin call at any time, effecting a payable on demand loan. Due to the call option, the margin loan is recorded as a current liability on the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Going Concern In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 205, Presentation of Financial Statements - Going Concern (Subtopic 205-40), the Company has evaluated whether there are conditions and events that raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for at least one year after the date the condensed consolidated financial statements are issued. Historically, the Company has incurred net losses. For the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, the Company reported net losses of $24.7 million and $20.9 million, respectively. The Company reported net cash used in operating activities of $11.4 million, and cash used in operating activities of $3.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had an accumulated deficit of 763.8 million and total stockholders’ equity of $27.5 million. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had total current assets of $35.8 million, including cash of $2.9 million, and marketable securities of $4.0 million, and total current liabilities of $33.5 million. The Company had working capital of $2.3 million as of December 31, 2025, compared to working capital of $1.2 million as of December 31, 2024. Management has evaluated the significance of these conditions in relation to the Company’s ability to meet its obligations and concluded, that there is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least one year subsequent to the issuance of the accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements. Historically, the Company has financed its operations primarily through revenue generated from operations, loans and sales of its securities, and the Company expects to continue to seek and obtain additional capital in a similar manner. In order to address the Company’s capital needs, the Company intends to consider multiple alternatives, including, but not limited to, the sale of equity or debt securities, financing arrangements or entering into collaborative, strategic, and/or licensing transactions. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to complete any such financing, collaborative or strategic transaction in a timely manner or on acceptable terms. As a result, the Company may have to significantly limit its operations and its business, financial condition and results of operations would be materially harmed. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company was successful in raising net proceeds of $6.5 million in connection with the October Offerings, which closed on October 22, 2025, strengthening its cash position. Despite this, macroeconomic conditions continue to present challenges in the animation and advertising industries, primarily due to ongoing government tariffs and intensified competition. In parallel, management also plans to preserve liquidity, as needed, by implementing cost saving measures. For example, during the year ended December 31, 2025, in order to improve liquidity, the Company sold certain assets, including ERTC receivables and 1,500,000 YFE shares, and settled $2.2 million of outstanding accounts payable in a transaction under Section 3(a)(10) of the Securities Act. While management is taking these steps to improve liquidity, due to the uncertainty surrounding the successful execution and timing of these plans, substantial doubt continues to exist regarding the Company’s ability to meet its obligations as they become due within one year after the date the financial statements are issued.

X
- References No definition available. + Details
Name: | us-gaap_OrganizationConsolidationAndPresentationOfFinancialStatementsAbstract
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration

X
- Definition The entire disclosure for organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 946 -SubTopic 10 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147480424/946-10-50-1 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 946 -SubTopic 10 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section 50 -Paragraph 2 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147480424/946-10-50-2 Reference 3: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Topic 810 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/810/tableOfContent Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 205 -SubTopic 10 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S99 -Paragraph 3 -Subparagraph (c) -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147480922/205-10-S99-3 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 205 -SubTopic 10 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Section S45 -Paragraph 5 -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/1943274/2147481034/205-10-S45-5 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Topic 205 -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Publisher FASB -URI https://asc.fasb.org/205/tableOfContent + Details
Name: | us-gaap_OrganizationConsolidationAndPresentationOfFinancialStatementsDisclosureTextBlock
Namespace Prefix: | us-gaap_
Data Type: | dtr-types:textBlockItemType
Balance Type: | na
Period Type: | duration