Category Archives: Highlight

Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2022: The finalists

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The finalists in the Product, Property and Retail categories for the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2022 have officially been unveiled.

The B&LLAs attracted a strong number of entries, from companies large and small. Each and every entry was judged by a panel that comprised of retail buyers from right across the spectrum, including Selfridges, TJ Morris, The Entertainer, The Very Group, Asda, Liberty London, TruffleShuffle, Character.com, Matalan, Tesco, Waterstones, John Lewis, BM Stores, Morrisons and Moonpig among others.

“Our judges were certainly faced with a tricky task when it came to choosing this year’s finalists; the quality of entries was superb and we have ended up with an absolutely stellar shortlist,” commented Ian Hyder, ceo of Max Publishing, which owns and organises the B&LLAs. “The brand and lifestyle licensing industry is going from strength to strength and we cannot wait to celebrate with everyone on the 27th April.”

The winners will be crowned in a glittering afternoon ceremony on Wednesday 27th April at the Hilton Park Lane, London. For tickets, visit:  https://www.max-subscriptions.net/tickets/.

Here are the finalists…

PRODUCT AWARD CATEGORIES

Best Brand Licensed Fashion Accessories or Lifestyle Product or Range

Coca-Cola Gel-Quantum 90 Footwear from Asics

Farah Smart Watch from Peers Hardy

Jelly Belly Sneakers from Reebok

Joules Luggage from Pelham Group

Joules Optical Eyewear from Mondottica

Osprey London Footwear from 33 Joints

Penn Footwear from Vans

Royal Airforce Red Arrows Chronomat Watch from Breitling

V&A Alice in Wonderland Bag Collection from Olympia Le-Tan

 

Best Brand Licensed Food or Beverage Product or Range

Del Monte Frozen Fruit Range from Iceland

English Heritage Potato Crisps from Made for Drink

Gordon Ramsay Italian Collection from Benchmark Drinks

Guinness & Smoky Steak Slice from Ginsters

Harry Ramsden’s Frozen Range from Iceland

Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Creme Frozen Desserts and Cup Cakes from Iceland

Hotel Chocolat x MyProtein Layered Bars from The Hut Group

Slush Puppie Confectionery and Freezables Range from Rose Marketing

TfL The Spirit of the Underground Single Malt Whisky Collection from Bimber Distillery

TGI Fridays Frozen Appetizers and Desserts from Iceland

 

Best Brand Licensed Health & Beauty Product or Range

Alice Scott Health and Beauty Gift Range for Tesco from H&A

Amy Winehouse Frankly Amy Beauty Box from Illamasqua

Chupa Chups Personal Care Range for Boots from Corsair

Hawaiian Tropic Pearlescent Fragrance Mists from Designer Parfums

Kellogg’s Lip Balms from CrackerJack

RHS Home Grown Range from Heathcote & Ivory

Sara Miller Underwater Spa Collection from Heathcote & Ivory

Superdry Gifting Collections for Superdrug from SLG Brands

Van Gogh Museum Sunflower Pop from Floral Street Fragrances

 

Best Brand Licensed Adult Apparel Product or Range

Amnesia Ibiza for ASOS from Poetic Brands

Charlotte Posner Collection from Never Fully Dressed

Haribo Collection from Puma

Morris & Co. Apparel Collection from Next

Natural History Museum The Epic Dinosaur Collection from Desmond & Dempsey

Playboy x Tezenis Collection from Calzedonia

RHS Collection from Oasis

Scion Living Apparel and Nightwear from Next

Smiley SS21 Collection from Ellesse

 

Best Brand Licensed Gifting Product or Range

Battersea Pop Up Cards from Cardology

Bouffants and Broken Hearts by Kendra Dandy Gifting Collection for Boots from SLG Brands

Frida Kahlo Homeware Accessories from Sass & Belle

Heinz Gift Range from Kimm & Miller

Hershey’s Gift Range from Kimm & Miller

Joules Crafting Range from A2V

National Gallery Delicious Art Range for Boots from IG Designs

National Trust Explore & Treasure from Toasted Crumpet

Sara Miller Orchard Gift Collection from Portico Designs

Sophie la Girafe Crochet Baby Collection Kits from Stitch & Story

 

Best Brand Licensed Homewares, Kitchen & Tabletop Product or Range

Eleanor Bowmer Collection from Captivate Brands

Emma Bridgewater Rainbow Toast Collection from Elite

Joules Country Cottage Collection from Pure Tabletop

House Beautiful Islington and Camberwell Kitchens from Homebase

House Beautiful Tableware Collection from Homebase

Laura Ashley Collection from Blueprint Collectables

Meg Hawkins Tableware from Widdop and Co

Morris & Co. Tea Collection from Spode

Sara Miller Orchard Collection from Elite

V&A Reflect Series from Richard Brendon

 

Best Brand Licensed Children’s Product or Range

Barbie Kidswear Collection from River Island

Laura Ashley Childrenswear Range from Next

National Geographic Ultimate Dig Kits from Bandai

Natural History Museum Childrenswear Collection for John Lewis from Bro Global Group

Natural History Museum Dinosaur Childrenswear Collection from Marks and Spencer

Nerf Collection for Tesco from Blues Clothing

RHS Collection from George@Asda

Team GB Scooters and Helmets from Microscooter

TfL London Underground Electric Train Set from The London Toy Company

 

Best Brand Licensed Electrical &/or DIY Products or Range

Braun Pulse Oximeter from Helen of Troy

Coca-Cola The Unity Collection from Casetify

Goodyear Dash Cam from Avron

Goodyear Digital Compressor from ABC Parts

National Trust Lighting Collection from Anglepoise

Royal Observatory Greenwich Firstscope 76 from Celestron

Tetris Tetrimino Waffle Maker from Fizz Creations

 

Best Brand Licensed Home Decor Product or Range

Good Housekeeping Sofa Collection from DFS Trading

Joules SS 21 Collection from Bedeck

Lego Wooden Collection from Nordic Houseware Group

Mrs Hinch Homewares from Tesco

National Trust Tile Collection from Sarsen Stone Group

RHS Decoupage Papers Collection from Annie Sloan Interiors

Sara Miller 2021 Collection from Ashley Wilde Group

Scion Living Collection from Next

V&A Brompton Collection from Sofas and Stuff

 

Inspired Innovation Brand Licensed Product or Range Award

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Dog Ice Cream from Jude’s Ice Cream

Bob Marley x AFC Ajax from Adidas

Country Living Outdoor Buildings from Homebase

Eve Sleep CBD Oil from Sana Lifestyle by Sana Life Science

Goodyear G9 E-scooter from Clickerland

Joules Pet Sofas from DFS Trading

National Trust Camping Collection by Vango from AMG Group

Tetris Tetrimino Waffle Maker from Fizz Creations

William Morris at Home Canine Companion Dog Walkers Kit from Heathcote & Ivory

 

The Sustainability Brand Licensed Product or Range Award

Discovery Animal Planet Magazine from DC Thomson Media

DuraOcean Furniture from LifestyleGarden

Eden Project Canopy Collection from LSA

Eden Project Nespresso Compatible Coffee Pods from Fresh Coffee Shop

Grand Designs Sofas for DFS from DFS Trading

Marine Conservation Society Sea Change 2022 Calendar from Carousel Calendars

Natural History Museum The Epic Dinosaur Collection from Desmond & Dempsey

Van Gogh Museum Sunflower Pop from Floral Street Fragrances

WWF x F&F Kids and Baby Collection from Tesco

 

RETAIL AWARDS CATEGORIES

Best Fashion Retailer Of Licensed Brands

ASOS

FatFace

H&M

Missguided

Primark

Pull&Bear

River Island

Urban Outfitters

Zara

Best Department Store or Mixed Retailer Of Licensed Brands

Argos

B&M

John Lewis

M&S

Next

TK Maxx

WHSmith

 

Best Supermarket Of Licensed Brands

Asda

Iceland

Morrisons

Ocado

Sainsbury’s

Tesco

Waitrose

 

Best Specialist Retailer Of Licensed Brands

Boots

DFS

Dunelm

Homebase

Lakeland

Superdrug

Waterstones

 

PROPERTY AWARD CATEGORIES

Best Licensed Heritage Or Institution Brand

Open to: All licensed heritage or institution brands (including museum, gallery, heritage, charity or visitor attraction brands) that have executed licensing activity (including in the UK) in the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

Eden Project

Historic Royal Palaces

Morris & Co

The National Gallery

Natural History Museum

National Trust

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)

Van Gogh Museum

Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A)

 

Best Licensed Lifestyle Brand

Open to: All licensed FMCG non-food brands (including those brands hailing from automotive/travel, home goods, electricals, DIY, media, toy and sports goods’ brands) that executed licensing activity (including in the UK) in the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

Country Living

Discovery

Goodyear

House Beautiful

NERF

Playboy

Team GB

Transport for London (TfL)

Xbox

 

Best Licensed Design-led Lifestyle Brand

Open to: All licensed brands from design-based properties that executed licensing activity (including in the UK) in the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

Alice Scott

Bouffants & Broken Hearts by Kendra Dandy

Emoji

Harlequin

Laura Ashley

Me to You

Scion

Smiley

 

Best Licensed Food Or Beverage Brand

Open to: All licensed food, confectionery, beverage, restaurant or eating places brands that executed licensing activity (including in the UK) in the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

Barratt

Chupa Chups

Coca-Cola

Guinness

Hershey’s

Jelly Belly

Kellogg’s

Slush Puppie

TGI Fridays

 

Best Licensed Fashion or Talent Brand

Open to: All licensed fashion or talent brands (including celebrities and ‘name’ brands from the world of sport, music, cookery, art/design or icons) that executed licensing activity (including in the UK) in the period 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021.

Amy Winehouse

Emma Bridgewater

Frida Kahlo

Joules

Meg Hawkins

Mrs Hinch

Nadiya Hussain

Sara Miller London

 

For tables and tickets for the Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards 2022, contact Clare at Createvents on clare@createvents.co.uk or call 0118 334 0085, or you can reserve and pay online at the Max Publishing Digital Box Office.

You can also follow the B&LLAs on Twitter at @LicensingAwards and #BELLAS22.

Intimissimi Uomo launches Popeye collection

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Intimissimi Uomo, a leading menswear brand focused on underwear, easywear, nightwear and beachwear within the Italian fashion collective Calzedonia Group, has created a complete Spring/Summer 2022 collection inspired by King Features’ iconic characters, Popeye the Sailor Man and Olive Oyl.

The collection incorporates Popeye’s trademark nautical style across a full range of apparel: underwear, cropped pajamas, t-shirts, matching socks and swimwear.

The designs feature retro-inspired prints and stylings influenced by the iconic Popeye and his girlfriend Olive Oyl. Premium Licensing, King Features’ Italian agent, brokered the deal.

“Popeye has always been appreciated by men who relate to his masculine persona yet also enjoy his playfulness,” says Grazia Bussandri of Premium Licensing. “This particular collection by Intimissimi Uomo has been very well conceived, with refined retro graphics that will surely be appreciated by his fans. We are proud of this collaboration with Calzedonia Group. They are an important Group in International fashion, with strategically placed stores and great-quality products.”

“The line is engaging and fresh,” adds Carla Silva, VP/GM, global head of licensing, King Features, “and the sophisticated designs starring Popeye and Olive Oyl enrich the garments’ appeal among the style-savvy.

“We’re pleased to have Intimissimi Uomo on board to develop apparel that captures the brand’s essence and aligns with the long-term vision of the franchise. This impressive collection, supported by a strong marketing campaign and retail activations across multiple touchpoints, will surely give this collaboration great international attention and visibility.”

The Popeye products by Intimissimi Uomo are now available at Intimissimi/Intimissimi Uomo stores and e-commerce sites around the world. The launch line will be supported across social media with photos and videos, and the Intimissimi Uomo flagship stores will create window displays dedicated to the Popeye collection.

 

The Point.1888 and EMEA sub-agents sign 48 new deals for CoComelon, Blippi and Morphle

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Brand Licensing specialist The Point.1888 and its sub agents across EMEA have signed a raft of new licensee deals for Moonbug Entertainment’s hit brands Blippi, CoComelon and Morphle.

The new deals come on the back of recent news that Blippi is now available on demand via streaming giants Netflix and HBO Max, with Blippi Wonders joining both platforms this spring, Blippi’s Treehouse launch on Amazon Kids+ last December and the launch of Blippi’s best friend Meekah on YouTube last fall.

Morphle launched on Tiny Pop and has seen huge success with the recent launch of clothing on Character.com and following the Character Options toy release before Christmas.

CoComelon has continued to go from strength to strength, picking up awards for its consumer products programme, having won Pre-School Toy of the Year at the 2021 Toy Industry Awards. CoComelon is also the number-one most-watched kids’ brand on YouTube globally.

Since coming on board, The Point.1888 has sought to leverage Blippi, CoComelon and Morphle’s popularity and develop a successful consumer products programme that enables the brands to become accessible and fun. In partnership with its sub agents, Brand Energy, CLM, El Ocho, ELC, Evolution of Licensing, Ferly, LDI, Lisans, Partner Plus and Spacetoons, the licensing programme is now strongly established across EMEA.

New partners across EMEA include:

  • 8th Wonder for CoComelon chair and heatable warmer
  • Ackermans for CoComelon apparel
  • Albatros for CoComelon publishing and activity books
  • Alligator for Morphle publishing
  • Amscan for Blippi dress up
  • Aykroyds/ TDP for Blippi nightwear
  • Big Balloon for CoComelon publishing
  • Centum for Blippi & CoComelon publishing
  • Character Options for CoComelon & Blippi toy extensions
  • Cijep Jemini for CoComelon furniture & home
  • Clementoni for CoComelon puzzles & games
  • Diakakis for CoComelon BTS
  • Diamant for CoComelon toy extension
  • Eurofun for CoComelon events & character appearances
  • Famosa for CoComelon plush backpack, 3D cushions, and PJ holder
  • Fashion UK for CoComelon, Blippi & Morphle apparel
  • First Kid for CoComelon inflatables
  • GSS- Amendment for CoComelon toy extension for novelties & inflatables
  • Happiness Is Us for CoComelon chocolate eggs
  • Hunter Price for CoComelon fidget toys
  • Igloo Books for CoComelon publishing
  • Immediate for CoComelon publishing
  • Intersource for CoComelon toys
  • Laceys for CoComelon hardlines, softlines, and FMCG
  • Panini for CoComelon publishing
  • Party Centre for CoComelon
  • Phidal for Blippi & CoComelon publishing
  • Prima Toys for CoComelon toys
  • Rainbow Max for CoComelon & Blippi back to school, stationery, and arts & crafts
  • Rainbow Productions for CoComelon character appearances
  • Relkon for CoComelon confectionery
  • RJ Bags for Blippi & Morphle bags
  • Roy Lowe for CoComelon, Blippi, Morphle & Little Baby Bum hosiery
  • Rubies for CoComelon dress up
  • Showagent for CoComelon events and character appearances
  • Signature for Blippi publishing
  • Sinecast for CoComelon events and character appearances
  • Sodico for CoComelon personal care
  • Soluna for CoComelon live events
  • Spactoon event for Blippi events
  • Suncity for CoComelon apparel
  • TeamTex for CoComelon car seats
  • Toy Pro amendment for CoComelon outdoor & home
  • United Essentials for CoComelon apparel
  • Upcoming Minds for CoComelon board games & hardlines – scooters
  • Visage Textiles for CoComelon crafting textiles
  • Whitehouse Leisure for Morphle amusement plush
  • William Lamb for Blippi bags & footwear

Bethan Garton, Chief Commercial Officer at The Point.1888, says: “We’re thrilled to announce our partnership with so many licensees for Blippi, CoComelon and Morphle. With the consistent growth and popularity that the brands have experienced over the past year, this is the perfect time for new products to launch in the market. We’ve worked extremely hard to ensure the brands have the right partners to deliver product that provides as much fun as the brands do.”

Adam Steel, Director Global Agency, Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, adds: “The rapid growth of our licensee portfolio is a reflection of the strength of our great brands and the great work of the team at The Point.1888. We are looking forward to welcoming new high calibre partners to the Moonbug family and continuing the great work in expanding our current product lines and categories.”

WWE and Fanatics announce sports and entertainment partnership

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WWE and Fanatics have announced a comprehensive, long-term sports and entertainment partnership that will see Fanatics utilise its expanded digital sports platform to create a new, enhanced experience for WWE fans globally across several businesses, including e-commerce and licensed merchandise, as well as physical, digital, and non-fungible token (NFT) trading cards.

Through the ground-breaking deal, WWE will benefit from many capabilities across the Fanatics platform to create more opportunities for its global fanbase to showcase their pride and passion for WWE, its marquee events, and star-studded roster.

The businesses that will work together to create an elevated fan experience include Fanatics Commerce, Fanatics Collectibles and Candy Digital.

“Fanatics is the industry leader and Michael Rubin is a visionary,” says Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “We believe this multi-platform partnership will set a new standard for WWE e-commerce, apparel and merchandise, while providing our fans globally with more ways than ever to engage with WWE and our Superstars.”

As part of the agreement, this summer Fanatics will exclusively re-introduce a new, rapid e-commerce and mobile destination, WWE Shop, giving fans around the world access to a leading assortment of WWE merchandise across all categories, including apparel, hard goods such as title belts, headwear, accessories and more.

Fanatics will work closely and collaboratively with the teams at WWE who have significantly grown this business in-house for decades, and the company will also add rights to design, manufacture and distribute real-time, on-demand merchandise collections to celebrate unpredictable WWE moments and new and emerging Superstars.

“WWE is one of the most widely admired sports and entertainment properties worldwide, and it made perfect sense to activate many parts of our Fanatics global platform to create a first-of-its-kind, all-in fan experience,” says Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin. “From e-commerce and licensed merchandise to trading cards and more, we’re going to offer up an incredible set of capabilities to help WWE’s passionate fans worldwide celebrate their favorite Superstars, marquee events and the WWE brand overall.”

Fanatics Collectibles, the company’s trading cards and collectibles division, will also become the exclusive provider of licensed WWE physical and digital trading cards, which will once again bear the nostalgic Topps logo. Fanatics acquired the legendary 70-year-old Topps brand earlier this year, which previously held a long-term relationship with WWE. That deal will commence when WWE’s existing trading cards rights expire over the next few years.

Also under the pact, later this year Fanatics’ next generation digital collectibles company, Candy Digital, will become one of WWE’s primary NFT partners. Candy’s team of world-class digital artists, designers, and technologists will curate and build a full range of high-quality trading card NFTs featuring WWE’s biggest moments and stars.

Moonbug appoints Marisela Escobedo as Senior Territory Manager LATAM

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Moonbug Entertainment has announced the appointment of Marisela Escobedo as Senior Territory Manager LATAM.

In this newly created role, Escobedo will be managing the licensing business across all Moonbug properties, including Blippi, CoComelon and Little Baby Bum in the Latin American region. Escobedo started her new role on 23 March and is based in Los Angeles.

Prior to working at Moonbug, Escobedo was Senior Manager Consumer Products and Regional FMCG Latin America at NBCUniversal. In her nine years at the company, she helped grow the consumer products group and went from working globally to specialising in territories including Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Escobedo says: “I am beyond excited to continue my career growth with Moonbug Entertainment. I am proud to represent an organisation that values at its core compassion, empathy and resilience. I am looking forward to breaking barriers, innovating and contributing positive changes to the way we work in the licensing industry in Latin America, with a company that is truly changing the game in children’s content and entertainment.”

Adam Steel, Director, Global Agency, Consumer Products at Moonbug Entertainment, adds: “Our business across Latin America continues to grow at a phenomenal rate and we are pleased to add a dedicated Country Manager into the Global Agent Management Team.

“Having worked with Marisela for many years, I immediately knew that she would be a perfect fit to lead our business and I’m delighted to be working with such a talented and experienced professional. Marisela’s experience in the region will help us continue to grow our brands while providing great service for our retailers, licensees and partners.”

Moonbug specialises in creating and acquiring IP and turning it into global entertainment franchises, by rapidly scaling the brand using data to increase and enhance the content, distribute broadly across Moonbug’s vast global distribution network, and creating new avenues for interaction through licensing and merchandising, original productions, and brand partnerships.

For more information on Moonbug, visit www.moonbug.com.

WarnerMedia to broadcast Brave Bunnies in 20 new territories

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Glowberry, the Ukrainian creator of popular kids’ series Brave Bunnies, has announced a licensing agreement with WarnerMedia to broadcast the series in 20 territories across Southeast Asia, as well as Australia and New Zealand.

The deal was secured for Glowberry by its exclusive content distribution partner, Aardman, who have been leading the charge for Brave Bunnies with tier-one broadcasters around the world.

The series will premiere on the Cartoonito pre-school programming block available daily on Cartoon Network, which launched on March 28 in Southeast Asia, and will debut in Australia and New Zealand in July.

The series will also be available to stream in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong on HBO GO. This latest deal strengthens the relationship with WarnerMedia as Brave Bunnies was also acquired by HBO Max for LATAM. The series will premiere mid-2022.

Olga Cherepanova, author and creative producer of Brave Bunnies, says: “We are delighted that a show we have been working on so passionately has been expanding so fast. I’m happy that alongside WarnerMedia we will reach a new audience in APAC. Our partner Aardman continues to do a great job signing up the best broadcast partners for our bunnies.”

Robin Gladman, Head of Acquisitions at Aardman, comments: “It’s a great pleasure to be working with our friends at Glowberry, to help bring Brave Bunnies to the world. The team from Ukraine are constantly in our thoughts in their current plight. Friendship and diversity sit at the core of this fabulous show, these messages are more important now than ever, and we are thrilled Warner have decided to come on board across so many territories.”

Raphaelle Mathieu promoted to EVP, Cyber Group Studios

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Cyber Group Studios has announced that Raphaelle Mathieu, formerly Senior Vice President Sales, Digital and Acquisitions, has been promoted to the newly created position of Executive Vice President.

Already a member of the management board, Mathieu, in her new capacity, will oversee all commercial activities of the company worldwide and work with Chairman and CEO Pierre Sissmann and COO Dominique Bourse on defining the overall strategic areas of growth for Cyber Group Studios, including sales, digital, and licensing. 

“As the company is now developing into an international group comprised of many talented companies and executives worldwide, I am very pleased to have Raphaelle take more responsibilities in coordinating our overall commercial activities and finding synergies worldwide to grow our overall business,” says Pierre Sissmann, Chairman and CEO of Cyber Group Studios.

 

Octonauts activity trail set to make waves at SEA LIFE centres

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Silvergate Media and Merlin Entertainments have announced their new activity trail, Octonauts: The Great Gup Rescue, which has just been unveiled at SEA LIFE at Mall of America before beginning its voyage to SEA LIFE centres around the world.

Expanding on its successful global partnership with Merlin, Silvergate’s new interactive activity-based Octonauts trail will allow visitors to embark on a journey with their favourite characters by completing missions and saving the sea creatures. The Great Gup Rescue starts with an underwater storm that has caused major electrical problems leading to all the Gups (the Octonauts’ aquatic vehicles) to break down. Alongside Captain Barnacles and Dashi, preschoolers and their families will experience an activity trail throughout the site where they can help save the day and become a hero in the rescue. 

As a continuation of last year’s successful activity trails that were brought to life at 13 SEA LIFE centres and aquariums across the UK and ANZ, this exciting new adventure will educate and inspire guests about important conservation topics while attracting new visitors to SEA LIFE centres. 

The Great Gup Rescue activity trails launched initially at SEA LIFE at Mall of America on 10 March 2022 before launching at SEA LIFE locations around the world. This latest activity trail joins a strong and expanding portfolio of global live event partnerships from Silvergate and continues to build on their long-standing partnership with Merlin, including the world’s biggest Octonauts attraction at Merlin’s Changfeng Ocean World in Shanghai.

“I’m always looking for exciting experiences for our guests at SEA LIFE at Mall of America, so we are thrilled to have The Great Gup Rescue,” says General Manager Trisha Ruf. “This partnership will spark even more imagination, adventure and wonder with guests at SEA LIFE Aquariums here in Minnesota and around the globe.”

“We are thrilled to be introducing a brand-new Octonauts activity trail at SEA LIFE centres this spring. Children will have the opportunity to become truly immersed in their own Octonauts adventure and as restrictions begin to lift, it’s perfectly timed to meet rising consumer demand for live experiences that deliver on fun and education,” says Lisa Macdonald, SVP Content and Consumer Product Sales at Silvergate Media. “This activation marks the start of a busy year ahead for the brand as we build towards the highly anticipated toy line from Moose Toys and we’re delighted that our latest collaboration with Merlin Entertainments will create real life experiences for families to enjoy.”

Thomas & Friends autism-friendly clothing to launch on Character.com

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The Thomas & Friends brand team in the UK are working with the National Autistic Society and Character.com to develop an autism-friendly range of clothing featuring Thomas & Friends.

Some autistic children are highly sensitive to the feel and colour of certain materials, to the extent that some clothing is unpleasant or even painful to wear. This range has been developed in collaboration with the National Autistic Society, who conducted research with families of autistic children and ran focus groups at the charity’s Helen Allison School in Kent.

Parents involved in the focus groups said that their children preferred softer fabric. Over half of parents who responded to the National Autistic Society’s survey said that there are fabrics their children will not wear, as well as specific colour preferences and ease of dressing requirements and needs.

In April 2021, the National Autistic Society conducted a survey* of over 1,500 parents whose autistic children are under the age of 16. According to the results of the survey, the biggest considerations in choosing clothing are:

  1. Pull-on clothing
  2. Easy dressing clothing
  3. No labels
  4. No buttons
  5. Velcro fastenings

The new clothing range, designed with these insights in mind, includes loose-fitting t-shirts, jumpers and tracksuits, all in soft fabrics and designed for ease of dressing. The National Autistic Society then ran two focus groups at their Helen Allison School in October 2021, where autistic pupils tried the clothes over the weekend and shared their feedback. Following reports that many autistic children ‘retain the love for the [Thomas & Friends] brand beyond the core age’, the range has been designed for fans aged from 3 to 16 years.

The range launches on Character.com during World Autism Acceptance Week on 2 April 2022.

Peter Watt, Director of National Programmes at the National Autistic Society, says: “We are delighted to be partnering with Thomas & Friends and Character.com to create such an important range of clothing for autistic children and teens.

“Parents and autistic young people often tell us how sensory sensitivities can mean that children on the autism spectrum struggle with certain clothes. For some, a label on a t-shirt, a prominent seam, or certain fabrics could be incredibly itchy, distracting or even physically painful. Finding the right clothing can make shopping difficult, time consuming and stressful. So, it’s really great to have the chance to develop this autism-friendly collection.”

“Thomas & Friends is an inclusive brand which invites all of our fans to celebrate friendship,” says Claudia Caron, Thomas & Friends Marketing Manager. “We are very proud to be supporting our Thomas & Friends community of autistic fans through our partnership with our friends at the National Autistic Society to offer more choices and accessible clothing based on what mums and dads of autistic children have told us they want to see.”

Karen Hewitt, Co-Founder of Character.com, adds: “At Character.com, we value charitable relationships and responding to our customers’ needs. As a result, we are thrilled to introduce this Thomas & Friends range, which Mattel developed in collaboration with the National Autistic Society. The Character.com team are delighted to be selling a range that is unique to the industry and provides our consumers with exactly what they need. We are thrilled to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause, and we hope that this is the start of many such initiatives from Character.com.”

To find out more about autism or the the National Autistic Society, visit org.uk

*Survey commissioned by Mattel and run by the National Autism Society, April 2021.

Rovio teams with SONIC Drive-In for Angry Birds promotion

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Rovio Entertainment has teamed up again with SONIC Drive-In, the quick-service restaurant chain owned by Inspire Brands, to bring Angry Birds toys to its Wacky Pack kids meals, in a deal brokered by IMG.

The partnership is part of a consumer products programme celebrating the popular entertainment franchise’s first long-format series, Angry Birds: Summer Madness.

From March 28 to May 1, 2022, Sonic guests can collect eight different Angry Birds toys in their Wacky Pack kid’s meals. Available across the more than 3,500 SONIC Drive-In locations in the US, the toys all have unique features such as whistling, wobbling and face-changing effects.

“We are so excited to be partnering up once again with SONIC Drive-In, this time in celebration of Angry Birds: Summer Madness. The new range of collectable premiums brings all the fun and humour of our latest series to life in a new way,” says Katri Chacona, Director of Brand Licensing at Rovio Entertainment.

Angry Birds: Summer Madness sees sparks and feathers fly when a teenage Red, Chuck, Bomb and Stella spend a wild summer together with other Angry Birds at Camp Splinterwood.