Category Archives: Entertainment

Acamar Films celebrates continuing momentum and growth of Bing across Benelux

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Acamar Films’ hit pre-school series, Bing, is continuing to gather momentum in the Benelux region, having seen significant success across its master toy range from Spectron and totaling 18 active licensees now on board for the territory.

Bing is fast being established as a top pre-school property across the region, with new products and continued expansion in the digital space.

The Dutch cosmetics company, Caresse BV is the latest partner to join Bing’s best-in-class licensees for the region, set to produce a range of health and beauty products. The new deal follows recent renewals with Vadobag (bags, cases and umbrellas), Aymax (bedding) and Veldkamp (meet & greet).

TM Essentials has also widened its Bing portfolio to offer bath accessories and kids room furniture. Meanwhile, master toy partner Spectron is expanding its range and is launching hero lines Bing’s Squeaking Talkie Taxi, Bedtime Bing with Owly and Train & Mini House Playsets for spring/summer 2021. Spectron has seen booming sales to date, with Bing stocked in all major toy retailers in the Netherlands and Belgium.  

Bing is broadcast in the Netherlands on NPO Zappelin where it is a top show among its age group. In Belgium, Ketnet launched the new series dubbed in Flemish in January this year, attracting a flood of Bingsters, with Bing achieving a majority audience share in its timeslot.

Laura Clarke, head of EMEA licensing and merchandising, Acamar Films, said: “We are delighted that Bing moves and delights an ever-growing number of fans in the Benelux region. Bing has been warmly embraced by audiences and retailers alike and we are working hard to continue its growth, especially looking forward to the brand new Bing live show coming this Autumn. We also have more very exciting news in the months ahead – watch this space.”

Maurizio Distefano Licensing to represent Motorhead, Iron Maiden, and Slayer in Italy under Global Merchandising Services deal

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Maurizio Distefano Licensing has begun its partnership with Global Merchandising Services by adding some of the most iconic artists in music history to its brand portfolio, including the likes of Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Slayer, and Backstreet Boys.

Thanks to its partnership with Global Merchandising Services, MDL now represents a library of artists who together have sold in excess of one billion records. MDL will look to build licensing programmes for each across the Italian market.

As well as some of the biggest names in rock music, MDL will also broker deals for Little Mix, Louis Tomlinson and the celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay.

This group of artists – who can boast sold-out tours all over the world and an influence on global fashion trends across a variety of musical genres – will offer MDL opportunities for a wide range of projects in a wide range of categories. Apparel, accessories and footwear are only a few of the possibilities these properties offer, but food and beverage, makeup or home and living are among many other promising areas.

Maurizio Distefano, CEO of MDL, said: “We are eager to start working with Global Merchandising Services and the properties it offers to the Italian licensing market. This partnership enriches our portfolio and allows us to access another inspirational branch of the licensing world which, even at this early stage, has attracted many potential licensees.” 

“We are delighted to work with Maurizio Distefano Licensing,” said José Santiago, international licensing manager at Global Merchandising Services. “This is a great opportunity to grow and continue to develop licensing for our clients’ in the key Italian market.”

Japanese restaurant Shoryu Ramen partners with Hatsune Miku for DIY Ramen Kits and more

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The Japanese restaurant, Shoryu Ramen has launched a new collaboration with the anime character brand, Hatsune Miku that sees the introduction of a themed DIY Ramen Kit for fans across the UK.

In a deal brokered by the European licensing agency for Hatsune Miku, Max Arguile’s Reemsborko, the partnership marks the first licensed DIY Ramen Kit collection from Shoryu Ramen to date.

Hatsune Miku is a wildly popular Japanese virtual singer and growing international character brand, owned by Crypton Future Media. The holographic pop star is the focus of a growing portfolio of licensing partnerships in the UK and European markets.

Under the new deal, each DIY kit will include a choice of Shoryu’s signature Ganso Tokotsu Ramen, a rich 12-hour broth topped with char siu BBQ pork belly, kikurage mushrooms, spring onion, red ginger, and nori seaweed, while the vegetarian White Natural Ramen features unique tonyu soy milk, miso, konbu and shiitake broth, atsuage fried tofu, kikurage mushrooms, menma bamboo shoots, spring onion, tender broccoli and nori seaweed.

Both come with Hatsune Miku skewer decorations and placemats.

Alongside the ramen kits, the Hatsune Miku matcha detox cocktail serves two and is a unique blend of tropical and sour flavours with matcha tea, pineapple juice, coconut syrup and fresh lime juice. For dessert, customers can tuck into an exclusive Hatsune Miku turquoise cookie with Belgian white chocolate.

Each kit comes with a free limited edition Hatsune Miku X Shoryu Ramen tote bag with a dancing Miku for customers to keep. A range of Hatsune Miku merchandise will also be available online from japancentre.com.

Each kit is priced at £44 and will include a DIY ramen kit and cocktail for two, two Hatsune cookies and a limited-edition tote bag.

Popular pre-school series Bluey to land on CBeebies next month with UK toy ranges to follow

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The Australian smash hit kids’ series, Bluey is landing on CBeebies next month. The channel will be the first free-to-air platform in the UK to broadcast the series which is backed by BBC Studios.

Under the new deal, series one of the hit animated series will air on the channel every day.

Bluey has won multiple awards since its launch on the international market, including an International Emmy Award in the Preschool category in March last year.

Sarah Muller, head of commissioning and acquisitions for BBC Children’s, said: “Bluey is such a warm show, with a charming and recognisable family at its core, that we know our audience will take to their hearts. Kids love how Bluey is all about play, but it’s also genuinely funny so the whole family can watch it together.

“The animation from Ludo Studio is world-class, so we’re completely delighted to be the UK’s free-to-air home for Bluey.”

Henrietta Hurford-Jones, executive producer for Bluey and director of children’s content partnerships at BBC Studios, added: “Developed with heart, humour, and an honest take on modern family life, it is so wonderful to see Bluey fast becoming a favourite show of children and parents globally.

“I’m delighted that we’re now able to reach a new audience here in the UK by bringing the show to CBeebies.”

BBC Studios exclusively distributes the show worldwide where it is attracting high ratings in several markets and on various platforms. In Australia, Bluey was the number one children’s programme on metro broadcast television in 2020 and is the number one series ever on ABC iview with over 480 million views across series one and two.

In the US, Bluey hit 16 million total views on Disney Channel and Disney Junior in Q4 2019. In Q1 of last year, the series was a top six Disney Junior series with children and girls aged two to five, and a top five series with boys aged two to five.

Bluey is also available in the UK on the streaming platform Disney+ and its YouTube channel has over 7.5 million hours of watch time and over 232 million views.

A global licensing programme for the series is already in place, with best-in-class partners lined up for the UK market with products set to hit retail in months following the show’s launch on CBeebies.

Global master toy partner Moose Toys and puzzles licensee Ravensburger will debut their respective Bluey lines in Autumn 2021.

Additionally, Blues / Dennicci recently joined the brand’s growing softlines portfolio as daywear partner, alongside Aykroyds, TDP, William Lamb, Dreamtex, and Roy Lowe. Immediate Media has worldwide rights for Bluey magazines, its first UK issue will hit newsstands in summer 2021.

Global master publishing partner (excluding China) Penguin Random House will launch books in the UK later this year.

In its home market Australia, Bluey recently won three gongs at the Australian Toy Association (ATA) Awards, including ‘Pre-School License of the Year’ for the second year in a row, Bluey: Big Backyard was the highest selling book of 2020 and Bluey magazine was the number one children’s magazine.

In the US, Bluey is the number one new license in the super plush category and was the number two top new growth property in 202o.

Aurora World and Macmillan Children’s Books lead licensing roster for Aardman’s festive animation Robin Robin

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Aurora World has been tapped as the master toy partner for Aardman’s new animated musical special, Robin Robin in a deal that will see the company develop the plush version of the titular character.

The new plush Robin Robin will be launched alongside the publishing and film premiere of the special as it arrives in the UK this Autumn. Leading the publishing roll out for the feature will be Macmillan Children’s Books.

Robin Robin is a 30 minute festive holiday special created in stop-motion by its directors Dan Ojari and Mikey Please. The special is currently in production at the Aardman studios in Bristol and is scheduled to launch on Netflix in November this year.

Robin Robin will feature the voices of Gillian Anderson, Richard E. Grant, Adeel Akhtar, and Bronte Carmichael.

Macmillan Children’s Books has acquired worldwide rights in all languages for an exciting range of children’s books associated with the new film. The publishing range, which will launch in autumn 2021, will include a classic picture book, film tie-in picture book and range of activity and novelty books.

Stephanie Barton, publisher, picture books, brands and classics at Macmillan Children’s Books, said: “To be working with Aardman on Robin Robin is a dream come true; their unique voice, attention to detail and the exuberance and joy with which they approach storytelling is perfect for the printed page, and we are excited to be working in partnership to create what are sure to be classics of the future.”

Belinda Ioni Rasmussen, publisher, Macmillan Children’s Books, added: “We fell in love with Robin Robin at first sight and quickly discovered that the values of Macmillan Children’s Books and those of Aardman were aligned.

“To have the opportunity to publish both a classic illustrated picture book on our Two Hoots list, as well as the animated tie-ins on our Brands and Media list, plays to our strengths across MCB. Robin Robin will be a focus among the other successful high end media brands on our list and is a very exciting acquisition for us.”

The first title, a classic picture book, written by the co-creators of Robin Robin Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, and illustrated by Briony May Smith, will be published by the Two Hoots imprint in October 2021.

A film tie-in picture book featuring stills and lyrics to the songs will be published in November 2021, alongside the Netflix premiere. An audiobook will be available for digital download.

Please said: “We are utterly delighted to be partnering with Macmillan to bring the Robin Robin books to life, and thrilled that we get to actually write one with wondrous pencil-wizard, Briony May Smith. Briony worked with us early on in the development of Robin Robin, so it feels perfect that we get to team up again in creating the classic picture book. And in the hands of the fantastic Macmillan team, we know this picture book and the entire series are going to be things of beauty.”

Alongside the publishing programme, Aardman has appointed Aurora World – a global leader in the character and content industry – as master toy partner, who will be developing the plush version of Robin Robin to be launched alongside the publishing and film premiere in Autumn 2021.

Martin Ringer, sales director, said: “We have built a great relationship working with Aardman to develop Shaun the Sheep plush products over recent years. The opportunity to broaden our relationship and be involved in the development of plush for Robin Robin is incredibly exciting and we look forward to delivering some beautiful product for this wonderful property.”

Robin Robin is the endearing story of a robin who is adopted by a family of burglar mice when her egg fortuitously rolls into a rubbish dump. As she grows up her differences become more apparent. She sets off on the heist to end all heists to prove to her family that she can be a really good mouse, but ends up discovering who she really is.

Character Options named master toy partner for Moonbug Entertainment’s Morphle

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Character Options has been named the EMEA and Australian master toy partner for the popular children’s series Morphle in the latest advance for Moonbug Entertainment’s growing licensing plans.

The deal was brokered by The Point. 1888 and will see Character Options produce a range of Morphle branded play-sets, plush, vehicles, figures, bath toys, as well as dough.

This comes just a few months after The Point.1888 announcing multiple major licensee partnerships for two of Moonbug Entertainment Ltd.’s other world-famous brands, Cocomelon and Blippi.

With over 300 episodes created and broadcast via YouTube and Netflix globally, as well as other platforms, Morphle has amassed a following of over 18 million subscribers. It follows the adventures of an energetic little red creature who can morph into anything that Mila’s playful mind can imagine.

Mila’s dad runs the only magic pet store in the city – a fantastical place where you can find all sorts of cute and quirky pets who each have their own unique magic powers, and he has gifted Mila the most magic pet of all, Morphle. She shows him everything she knows about the world, and in particular how to have fun. With Morphle’s morphing powers and Mila’s boundless imagination every day is the most exciting playdate.

Jon Diver, Joint MD of The Character Group plc, said: “As the nature of the lead character, Morphle, is to morph into many different things, it gave us so much scope for toy development. As a result, we’re investing heavily in the brand and the range and are thoroughly enjoying working with Moonbug and The Point.1888.”

Bethan Garton, commercial director at The Point.1888, said: “When Character Options takes on a new brand, it fully commits to the partnership and on building the brand. We haven’t had the good fortune to work with the company before but it’s been a life-long dream of mine, having seen how they launched, developed and managed a number of successful preschool master toy programs.”

The Point.1888 was appointed last summer as Master Licensing Agency across EMEA for Moonbug Entertainment’s entire portfolio. Since coming on board, the brand extension specialist has sought to capitalise on the shows’ popularity with young children as well as the need to keep them entertained and engaged by signing licensees across a broad range of categories.

Character Options join Aykroyds TDP (Nightwear, Underwear & Swim), Poetic (Daywear), Zak (Lunchware), Character World (Bedding).

Product development and marketing plans are underway and The Point.1888 is currently in talks with retailers and distributors.  The range will launch in Q4 2021 with a full EMEA roll out in 2022.

Steamforged Games partners with SEGA for Sonic the Card Game launch

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Steamforged Games, the tabletop gaming specialist behind hit titles like Monster Hunter, Dark Souls, and the Peaky Blinders card game, Faster Than Truth, has set tongues wagging once more, with a tease of a new card game based on SEGA’s iconic Sonic franchise.

The announcement of a new partnership between the games publisher and the video game studio, SEGA, arrived via what it being billed as a ‘stealth drop’, quietly listing the new Sonic title among a long-list of new titles to launch from Steamforged this year.

In fact, so stealthy was the announcement that details of the new title have been kept to just the title itself, as chatter among fans across the globe begins to pick up over just what Steamforged’s Sonic The Card Game will deliver to the playing space.

Fans across the scene have begun speculating what the game may entail, with drawing conclusions that given the nature of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, a racing card game can best be expected, playing into the similar vein of the family-friendly Sonic game, Sonic Crash Course that charges players with racing each other on the tabletop.

“Sonic’s the name, and speed is the game—literally! Join the beloved blue blur in a competitive card racing game where you’ll collect power-ups and rings to win,” read a short description of the game on Steamforged’s website.

Among the list of announcements, Steamforged also released reminders about is catalogue of video game inspired tabletop titles, including PacMan and its several beast-themed expansions for Horizon Zero Dawn: The Board Game.

ITV picks up latest seasons of The Day Henry Met as the pre-school series grows global licensing programme

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ITV has acquired the exclusive free-to-air rights in the UK for seasons three and four of the hit children’s series, The Day Henry Met, with the series scheduled to launch on its pre-school block, LittleBe this summer.

ITV has now joined a roster of international broadcasters to pick up the Wigglywoos series that includes RAI in Italy and TFO in Canada each picking up season four. Seasons one to three of the show have been renewed by Kids Stream in the USA and by Azoomee across multiple territories.

Additionally, the kids’ streaming platform, Noggin, recently acquired the series, meaning it now airs in 192 countries across the globe.

The series airs on a range of free TV channels including in the UK and Ireland, RAI in Italy, ABC in Australia, TVO and Knowledge in Canada, YLE in Finland, SVT in Sweden ERR in Estonia, TVP in Poland, and RUV in Iceland.

Meanwhile, two new publishers, Harper Collins in Poland and Agyra in Greece have signed up to publish a range of books based upon the series, Di Costa in Italy have created Henry Easter eggs with a gift inside and there will be a Henry promotion through kiosks in Italy organised by Teaser Lab.

LMI has taken on the Licensing and Merchandising rights in the UK and 28 airlines are featuring the series in their inflight entertainment.

Audio brand Shure taps Licensing Matters Global to take its name into home, fashion, tech and more

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The leading audio brand, Shure, has tapped the London-based Licensing Matters Global to lead a worldwide licensing programme to take the popular name into categories including home, fashion, personal accessories, travel, and tech equipment.

The move is part of Shure’s vision to expand the reach of ‘world-renowned brand,’ through strategic licensing. The firm is looking to partner with licensees ready to innovate across designs within the equipment case, microphone stand, and even home decor sectors.

The Shure brand and microphones boast a 96 year history rooted in popular culture, having been attached to the likes of Elvis, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr and more who have all used Shure microphones and equipment to deliver their messages.

“We are eager to help expand the legacy of this world-renowned brand, through strategic licensing. Our vision is to carry the Shure product excellence into to new categories, through premium products that inspire and empower consumers,” said Mark Edridge, chief operating officer, Licensing Matters Global.

LMG is seeking partner licensees with precision manufacturing capabilities to create modern and ingenious designs for the Shure brand. For example, equipment cases, microphone stands, t-shirts, home décor and more are ideal licensing fits for Shure.

No Kiddin’ Around | Why Playmobil is taking the adult fan market seriously this year and beyond

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It doesn’t take a DeLorean for a journey into your own past, but it certainly does help, as more and more toy companies are seeing audience numbers increase across their kidult product offering. Among them, is Playmobil, a company that is blazing a new trail with its expanded Back to the Future line-up this year.

For Playmobil, the kidult market has become big business. In tandem with the growth of the sector across the entire market, the Germany-based international toy maker has seen ‘substantial growth’ in the kidult market over the last four years. And it’s a trend that has given us some of the most eye-bulging launches in the space to date, from Ghostbusters and Back to the Future play-sets, to the retro appeal of Scooby-Doo.

In January this year, the NPD Group confirmed the growing appeal of the kidult market; an audience now responsible for more than a quarter of toy sales. In its year-end update the group revealed that this adult and teen category now represents 27 per cent of total toy sales, up by 16 per cent since 2016. Fuelled by adults with more time on their hands over 2020, home entertainment, it would seem, no encompasses physical play more than ever before.

So it’s just as well, then, that Playmobil has plans to remain consistent with its emerging new adult audience for the foreseeable future. Here, ToyNews catches up with Playmobil’ marketing communications manager, Adam Moore to explore the company’s success and future plans in the kidult space.

Hi Adam, harking back to the virtual tour you took us on earlier this year, it’s great to see a gear change in output targeting the kidult market from Playmobil this year. Can you tell us how important this market has become for you guys?

Playmobil has seen substantial growth in the Kidult market in the last four years. This was continued in 2020 with the Playmobil 70317 Back to the Future DeLorean which was one of our best performing sets. In 2021 we have more fantastic play sets to offer kidults and collectors including the new Volkswagen Camper and Beetle. The market has allowed adults who remember Playmobil so fondly from their childhood, to re experience the brand now they are a bit older.

What sort of growth have you seen across the kidult sector over the last few years? What have been the key drivers of this growth over the course of 2020?

Kidult’s have become a much bigger part of the toy market in the last few years. Adults are looking for product that is cool and great for collecting. We have experienced this trend in recent years with licenses such as Ghostbusters™ and Porsche, and more recently the 202o launch of the Playmobil Back to the Future product. This audience always wants more to add to their collection so new additions add new experiences and collectability, Playmobil continues to keep the audience engaged with new items like the 70634 Back to the Future Part II Hover board Chase.

 It’s been documented that the pandemic has helped fuel that kidult market, but it was very much on the rise prior to Covid. How long has it been on the Playmobil radar, and will you guys keep a hand in this market for the foreseeable future?

Playmobil has been catering for the Kidult market for a number of years. It remains a continued part of our plans across 2021 with new launches for Back to the Future and new licenses like Volkswagen. There may even be some surprises for kidult fans later in the year.

“The Kidult market is an important part of Playmobil business and continues to grow, there is so much potential out there for Playmobil to continue strongly in this category.”

What do you think Playmobil brings to that kidult market and the demand for nostalgia driven IPs and products? Why is Playmobil an ideal partner for tapping into that kidult market and pop culture demand?

Playmobil brings a true representative look and feel of some iconic licenses and vehicles. It’s a good mix of keeping the look and feel of these iconic license but also adding a Playmobil feel with our own characters. We are able to fuse the need for a true look and feel for the collector but also incorporate a sense of individuality and uniqueness.

 The Back to the Future range is brilliantly executed, what was the process of working with the IP like? What are the creative processes in bringing such a cult classic to the play space through Playmobil?

The Back to the Future range was a really exciting license to work with. The team at Universal continue to support and celebrate the franchise. The original film was 35 years old in 2020 so there was a lot to shout about and a lot going on with retailers, even with the unusual circumstances retail was in last year.

The license continues to be a huge success in 2021 and with the new sets out in May and a further Back to the future advent calendar released in September it is due to be another great year for Playmobil and Back to the Future.

 Likewise, the Scooby Doo collection speaks to multiple audiences, with a nostalgia heavy design – how do you strike the balance between targeting the two audiences?

Scooby-Doo has had such a long history with children watching for over 50 years! It was only natural that Playmobil’s tie up with this iconic legacy brand would speak to multiple audiences. The great thing about Scooby-Doo is that the characters, especially Scooby are so recognisable.

This makes it easy for young children all the way up to adults to identify with the brand in its Playmobil form. When you add into the mix the other iconic elements like the famous Mystery Machine and other well known scenes from the brand, it makes talking to both audiences easier.

 What future do you see for the kidult market in the toy space and in particular, its importance to Playmobil? Is it an area that will only grow stronger?

The Kidult market is an important part of Playmobil business and continues to grow, there is so much potential out there for Playmobil to continue strongly in this category and continue to create toys not just for kids but adults and collectors too.

What’s the next step for you guys in the kidult market space?

We have some new and exciting offerings in the Kidult and collectors market coming up. In May with have two new Back to the Future sets as well as more new Scooby-Doo additions in June

There is some exciting news in July, as we have two brand new special edition Volkswagen Campers and Beetles that will come as part of a limited edition run. Each product will have a individual serial number on the bottom of the product and feature chrome effect detailing making them extra special and perfect for collectors.