Jim Benton

Jim is the creator of It’s Happy Bunny, the licensing hit that has generated over a 3/4 of a billion dollars at retail.

The It’s Happy Bunny books from Scholastic have been chosen three times by the American Librarians Association as their top picks for teen readers, and It’s Happy Bunny programs have taken top awards from the Licensing Industry Merchandise Association, five times.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free-America asked Jim to develop an anti-drug program for middle school kids. The program was a big success, winning three Addy awards and a Governor’s Award. And this obnoxious bunny has transitioned into successful programs for toddlers, maternity, holidays, and even as a spokesperson for the McGrath Foundation, the leading breast cancer awareness organization in Australia.

Jim’s book series from Scholastic, "Dear Dumb Diary" has sold almost nine million books, and three recent titles in the series have been New York Times Bestsellers.

Published in 18 languages, "Dear Dumb Diary" has been produced (by Jerry Zucker and Zucker Productions) as a made for television movie, that aired on Hallmark Channel in 2013. The movie has also been nominated for a 2014 Kidscreen award.

Jim’s series "Franny K. Stein," published by Simon & Schuster, has sold over a million books, and is now on the seventh book in the series.

Franny K. Stein was also named one of The Year’s Ten Hottest Hotties by The National Enquirer, making her the only fictional character in a list of much-admired women that also includes Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, Pink and Queen Latifah.