Pokémon is staging three weeks of immersive activities at the historic Rinascente store in the centre of Florence.

The Pokémon Company International is taking over Rinascente in Florence for three exciting weeks of immersive activities until 17th April 2023, following the huge success of the pair’s collaboration at Rinascente’s flagship store in Milan last autumn.

Pokémon’s latest high-end store takeover features a window display and branded, immersive pop-up space on the first floor of Rinascente’s historic store in the heart of Florence, just a few steps away from the cathedral.

The spring extravaganza for fans of all ages features Pokémon products and displays from three of its key areas — the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), video games for Nintendo Switch and licensed products — taking over five windows. Special installations celebrating Pokémon include an infinity Poké Ball room and a video screen showing some of the most-loved moments from the Pokémon animation, such as when Ash and Pikachu met for the first time. A vibrant decoration welcomes Pokémon fans to the 60sq m pop-up store, where customers can browse and shop a wide range of Pokémon products, including the new Pokémon TCG expansion, Scarlet & Violet.

Additionally, gaming opportunities are planned at an interactive, in-store space featuring a Pokémon TCG table with demonstrations for fans and collectors, as well as Nintendo stations where visitors can play the new Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet video games that launched last November for Nintendo Switch.

The immersive pop-up — adorned with vibrant and eye-catching Pokémon images and displays — is packed with a wide selection of Pokémon products for customers to browse and shop. The latest Pokémon toys include the new Pikachu and Gengar Squishmallows from Jazwares, distributed in Italy by ReiToys. Fans can also find 3D backpacks featuring fan favourite Pikachu plus the iconic Kanto first partner Pokémon, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. Apparel comes from Milan-based creative streetwear designers Dolly Noire, whose capsule collection includes T-shirts, hoodies and accessories adorned with Kanto region Pokémon.

The latest Pokémon video game and TCG launches are also available, including The Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet games for Nintendo Switch.

“We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Rinascente, Italy’s prestigious chain of destination stores, following the fantastic response to our first collaboration in Milan,” said Mathieu Galante, licensing director (EMEA) for The Pokémon Company International. “As Pokémon’s popularity in Italy continues to surge, we are thrilled to create another exciting, immersive experience to attract and engage our Italian fans.”

Pokémon is becoming renowned for its innovative, immersive collaborations with leading stores across Europe, including Harrods and Selfridges in London, Galeries Lafayette in Paris and KaDeWe in Berlin.

Rainbow Designs has announced a UK licensing partnership with Coolabi ahead of the heritage brand’s 50th anniversary.

Rainbow Designs will be launching an exclusive new range of Bagpuss plush toys, which will be available to UK consumers this autumn/winter.

Licensed by Coolabi Licensing, the iconic and much-loved British animated children’s television series Bagpuss will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2024. Co-created by Peter Firmin and Oliver Postgate through their production company Smallfilms, the Bagpuss series, which ran for a total of 13 episodes, has left a lasting legacy.

For over 50 years, Rainbow Designs has been creating high quality, made-to-last toys for babies and children inspired by beloved characters from children’s literature.

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Bagpuss to Rainbow’s family of classic characters ahead of his 50th anniversary celebration next year,” commented Anthony Temple, managing director, Rainbow Designs. “This much-loved saggy cloth cat has created so many superb childhood memories for both parents and grandparents, families now have the opportunity to enjoy this delightful character with their children, creating new, lasting memories, which is such a wonderful gift.”

He added: “Bagpuss is a hugely iconic and instantly recognisable character. We received a fantastic response to our new super cuddly, yawning soft toy at all the trade shows this season, and we absolutely cannot wait to have him on the shelves and available to consumers later this year.”

Fran Huxley, Coolabi Group, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Rainbow Designs to bring Bagpuss into homes across the UK ahead of his 50th anniversary celebration in 2024, with further announcements to be made later this year.”

The magical, saggy old cloth cat has consistently been voted to the top positions of many polls of Greatest Children’s TV shows over the last 20 years. Peter Firmin, was honoured with a Special BAFTA Children’s Award in 2014 for his contribution to Children’s TV with Bagpuss proving to be the star of the show.

The Flower Fairies were created by author and illustrator Cicely Mary Barker and the brand’s licence has since extended to apparel, accessories, textiles and homewares.

The Crocus Fairies. From Flower Fairies of the Spring © The Estate of Cicely Mary Barker 1944

First published in 1923 in Flower Fairies of The Spring, the Flower Fairies collection now comprises an archive of 170 exquisite and botanically accurate illustrations which is managed and licensed by Penguin Ventures on behalf of brand owner Frederick Warne & Co. (now part of Penguin Random House Children’s).

This year marks the centenary of this enchanting series and to commemorate this milestone, Lady Lever Gallery in Liverpool is hosting a brand-new exhibition in association with Penguin Ventures. Flower Fairies will open on 15th April and run until 5th November 2023. The exhibition looks at the delicate artwork and impact of Barker’s creations on popular culture and features around 45 original illustrations, including Barker’s best-loved flower fairy creations and early sketch works, alongside digital projections and costumes inspired by the fairies, designed by award-winning costume designer Vin Burnham.

“It has been a pleasure working with the Lady Lever Art Gallery on the Flower Fairies exhibition, which celebrates the 100^th anniversary of the first printing of Cicely Mary Barker’s Flower Fairies of the Spring,” said Sara Glenn, commercial curator at Penguin Ventures. “Highlights on loan from the Warne Archive will include a selection of original Flower Fairy artworks and three beautiful costumes specially created in quarter scale by Vin Burnham. We’re so excited to help bring this exhibition to the Lady Lever Art Gallery and hope that visitors of all ages will enjoy stepping into the magical world that Cicely created 100 years ago.”

In addition, Penguin Ventures recently acquired a private collection of Cicely Mary Barker’s original objects and ephemera on behalf of Frederick Warne & Co., which offers further insights into the artist herself. Comprising photographs, letters, sketchbooks, notebooks and artworks of people she knew and places she visited, this new acquisition brings a wealth of historical reference and context to the existing Frederick Warne & Co. archive.

Penguin Ventures, the licensing team within Penguin Random House Children’s manages a global Flower Fairies consumer products licensing programme which includes apparel, accessories, textiles, homewares and gifting, on behalf of Frederick Warne & Co.

The new Baby Shark movie from Nickelodeon and The Pinkfong Company will debut exclusively on Paramount+ and stars Ashley Tisdale.

Nickelodeon, Paramount+ and The Pinkfong Company have announced the celebrity voice cast for Baby Shark’s Big Movie! and revealed new teaser art for the first-ever feature-length original animated movie based on the globally beloved pre-school property.

The upcoming film is set to premiere this year in time for the festive season exclusively on Paramount+ in the US and shortly after on Paramount+ internationally where the service is available. In Korea, Southeast Asia and China, Baby Shark’s Big Movie! is distributed by The Pinkfong Company.

Co-produced by Nickelodeon Animation and The Pinkfong Company and directed by Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award-winner Alan Foreman, the movie will follow Baby Shark and his family as they move to Chomp City, the big city of sharks.

Baby Shark’s Big Movie! will feature a star-studded lineup of guest voice actors, including: actress, singer and producer Ashley Tisdale (Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe, High School Musical) as Stariana, a manipulative rising pop starfish who wants to take centre stage with a splash hit; Aparna Nancherla (Mira, Royal Detective) as Gillie, a bumbling boxfish and Stariana’s assistant; Ego Nwodim (Saturday Night Live) as Leah, a lantern shark and Mommy Shark’s best friend from college; Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live, Father of the Bride) as Lannie, Leah’s hyper, lovable daughter; Enhypen as an underwater powerhouse K-pop band of belugas and Lance Bass as TV announcer Lance Bass.

The new voice actors will join returning guest stars from the hit series Baby Shark’s Big Show!: multi-platinum superstar Cardi B as rap icon Sharki B, and her family – Offset as Offshark, Kulture as Kulture Sharki and newcomer Wave as Wavey Shark.

The movie will also star the lineup of series regulars from Baby Shark’s Big Show!: Kimiko Glenn as Baby Shark; Luke Youngblood as William; Natasha Rothwell as Mommy Shark; Eric Edelstein as Daddy Shark; Debra Wilson as Grandma Shark and Patrick Warburton as Grandpa Shark.

The first season (26 episodes) of the hit pre-school series Baby Shark’s Big Show! is available to stream on Paramount+. The series launched globally in 2021 across Nickelodeon branded channels and platforms and is currently in its second season.

Pinkfong Baby Shark launched on YouTube in November 2015 and took the world by storm, becoming the world’s first video ever to hit 10b views on YouTube, making it the most-viewed video in YouTube history. With music, characters, story and dance all combined together, the song certified RIAA Diamond and 11 x platinum single for selling over 11m units in the US and spawned a viral phenomenon, #BabySharkChallenge, generating over 1m cover videos around the globe.

Global TV hit Pinocchio and Friends is in production for a second series with Flair GP’s toy collection launching this spring.

Following a successful first series, animated production Pinocchio and Friends created by Iginio Straffi and inspired by the fairy tale of Collodi’s puppet is about to return in 2023 with original adventures brought to life in collaboration with Rai Ragazzi and in co-production with Toonz Media Group. The first batch of the 26 new episodes is scheduled to premiere by autumn in Italy on Rai Yoyo followed by CBeebies in the UK and then the rest of the world.

Season one of Pinocchio and Friends introduced audiences to the hilarious daily adventures of the puppet and his inseparable friends, set in today’s world with the highest quality CGI animation. Pinocchio, the pirate ragdoll Freeda, the Talking Cricket, and many other old and new characters conquered Italian audiences, and soon landed on BBC’s CBeebies, Discovery Kids Latam, TV Puls Poland, as well as Canal Panda in Portugal, Hop! TV in Israel and Nickelodeon in Greece. Joining TV broadcasters, the Prime Video platform for Italian audiences picked the show, consolidating its already striking presence on air just a few months after the launch.

In addition to its TV success, Rainbow property Pinocchio and Friends delivered a master toy collection created exclusively for the Italian market by Giochi Preziosi. This is being promoted by a cutting-edge, cross-sectional marketing and branding plan that will extend throughout 2023 to support the launch of the new season.

In the UK, Flair GP’s toy collection launches this spring, supported by marketing and PR activities that also extend across the year and include digital campaigns, third-party partnerships with the core target age-group and brand activations.

In the second chapter of the series, the protagonists will engage  in a number of unexpected and unpredictable pirate adventures, plus new characters will be introduced. Among his most heroic feats, Pinocchio will face the ultimate challenge – attending a real school.

Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez were among the stars at the press performance of Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show at the Lowry Salford.

Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez with daughter Mia

Actor and radio presenter Gemma Atkinson (Hollyoaks, Casualty, The Baby Club and Hits Radio) and her partner, Strictly Come Dancing star Gorka Marquez were joined by actress and media personality Brooke Vincent (Coronation Street, Dancing on Ice) with partner Kean Bryan, and fellow Coronation Street stars Julia Goulding and Alex Bain who all took their children to see the show which is selling out theatres as part of a huge nationwide tour.

Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show is a brand-new musical play packed with non-stop fun, laughs, singing and dancing, bringing to life the smash hit CBeebies series through puppetry and storytelling.

The live show is touring the UK and Ireland through to late August 2023 and was recently nominated for a prestigious Olivier Award for Best Family Show.

Hey Duggee The Live Theatre Show is presented by award-winning theatre producer Kenny Wax and theatre and live entertainment promoters Cuffe and Taylor in association with Live Nation.

It has been adapted for the stage by Vikki Stone and Matthew Xia. Additionally, Vikki is musical supervisor and arranger and Matthew is also director for the production.

Since its launch in 2014, the BBC Studios and Studio AKA creation has won seven BAFTAs and is an international Emmy award-winning hit.

Hey Duggee was the most streamed children’s show on BBC iPlayer in 2022 for the third year in a row and is popular among both children and parents, with fans both young and old, up and down the country, now able to join the much-loved character on tour.

For more information, tour dates and tickets, visit heyduggee.com

Ahead of Lionsgate’s highly anticipated release of John Wick: Chapter 4 today, the blockbuster action franchise unveiled its largest consumer products programme to date.

Since becoming Lionsgate’s global consumer products representative last summer, licensing giant IMG has curated a diverse range of products for the John Wick franchise’s loyal global audience.

Highlights include an apparel collection with American Classics currently available at Box Lunch, Spencer’s and Hot Topic, as well as a collectible figures line with YouTooz launching later this year. Further expanding the fan-favourite collectible category, the franchise has also teamed up with Hot Toys for action figures, Prime 1 for statues and Medicom for collectibles.

The John Wick franchise licensing programme also includes a collection with Ripple Junction featuring apparel and accessories including drinkware, bags and fleece throws, as well as an in-theatre merchandise deal with Zinc.

“We’ve created a world of John Wick consumer products that match the richness and depth of the John Wick franchise, meeting our fans and their deep enthusiasm for the brand with touchpoints around the globe.” commented Lionsgate’s Jerry Sabatini, vice president of Brand Creative for Global Products and Experiences. “Director Chad Stahelski’s John Wick 4 is so grandiose and rich, and we’re thrilled to expand this film and Lionsgate’s entire slate beyond the screen.”

Gary Krakower, vice president of Licensing for IMG, said: “John Wick is an evergreen film franchise that has built a lasting legacy and a passionate global fanbase. We are delighted to help expand this iconic series through a unique and robust consumer products programme that helps fans engage with these well-loved characters in exciting new ways.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the latest installment of the successful action series and will be released in cinemas worldwide starting from today (24th March). In the film, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.

Lionsgate presents a Thunder Road Films / 87eleven production, based on characters created by Derek Kolstad, written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch and directed by Chad Stahelski.

For more information on consumer products licensing opportunities with the John Wick franchise and Lionsgate, visit www.imglicensing.com.

The Numberblocks brand will expand internationally as The Learning Blocks family YouTube channels collectively hit over 10m subscribers.

The hit UK CBeebies show, Numberblocks, is taking off overseas, as Numberblocks YouTube channels launch in five foreign languages including Portuguese, neutral Spanish, French, German and Korean

Multiple Numberblocks apps, produced by Alphablocks Ltd and Blue Zoo digital, boost educational content for pre-school children with both paid-for and free options packed with games, quizzes, videos and a sticker reward book

Numberblocks has seen fantastic popularity on broadcast channels since being commissioned by the BBC for its CBeebies channel in the UK. The English language Numberblocks YouTube channel has over 5.3b views and has just broken 6m subscribers.

With the popularity of the YouTube channel, the Blue Zoo digital team expanded last year into the Spanish and Portuguese markets with Numberblocks Español and Numberblocks Portugues to resounding success in countries such as Mexico, Chile and Brazil. This has been followed by the recent launch of Numberblocks in German and Korean.

The team is exploring more potential language markets to build on this success. As Numberblocks continues to grow on YouTube’s free-to-use platform, Blue Zoo and Alphablocks hope to see a positive impact on families globally. In the UK, for example, the national school curriculum has been brought forward to accommodate young children’s improved understanding of maths.

Multiple Numberblocks apps, produced by Alphablocks Ltd and Blue Zoo digital, boost educational content for preschool children: Meet the Numberblocks, Numberblocks Hide and Seek and Numberblocks World, a maths learning journey packed with games, quizzes and videos and a sticker reward book.

“The Numberblocks shows carefully map out an exciting maths learning trajectory for children, which works with curricula around the work, making this the perfect brand to deliver on interactive and on demand platforms internationally,” said Stephanie Gauld, Digital director at Blue Zoo. “The positive initial reception to our foreign language YouTube channels, coupled with the popularity we see through global distribution, is very encouraging and we’re excited to see children around the world benefit.”

Karen McNally, Licensing director at Blue Zoo, commented: “This is a very exciting time for us at Blue Zoo Licensing. With the huge demand both in the UK and Internationally for all things Blocks and with the appointment of international agents in key territories and the expansion of the product offering both in the UK and globally, we look forward to what will be an extremely busy year. Our focus is to continue to build brand awareness, especially amongst retailers, and continue to sign high-quality licences that reflect the ethos of the show and that fans and their parents have come to expect.”

Fans of the iconic Pokémon animated series can now ‘prepare for trouble’ with the launch of the exclusive Team Rocket memorabilia range from Akedo.  

Launching this March, the fully licensed collection is an ode to the infamous criminal organisation, Team Rocket, which features in the TV adaptation.

Inspired by the gang, the range includes t-shirts, hoodies, a duffle bag, Akedo high-top trainers and a reversible bucket hat, as well as a limited-edition collector’s box.

The wearable merchandise comes in a solid colour palette of red, black and white with the characters brought to life with fun prints and creative designs. All items are emblazoned with the distinctive trio from Team Rocket; Jessie, James and Meowth, as well as ‘Team Rocket’ in Katakana in each design.

The new and official Pokémon collection will be available worldwide, exclusive to Zavvi.com, from March 24th 2023.