Category Archives: Lifestyle

Nickelodeon launches #KidsTogether platform with tips and activities for children and families in coronavirus lockdown

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Nickelodeon has launched a multi-platform prosocial initiative featuring its most popular characters and talent to engage with kids and families on tips for staying healthy, as well as ideas for activities to do together while practising social distancing or in lockdown.

Called #KidsTogether, the campaign will feature SpongeBob SquarePants, Blue’s Clues & You, Bubble Guppies, and more, and will serve as an additional resource for parents while providing appropriate and directed information through short form videos, downloadable activities and social content.

Elements of the initiative will be aggregated for easy access on a central online destination at NickHelps.com

Additionally, Noggin – Nickelodeon’s direct-to-consumer interactive learning service for preschoolers – will be offered for free for three months starting next week to millions of kids in need through the help of national partner organisations, including the National Head Start Association and First Book.

Noggin’s free trial period will also be extended to 60 days to all new subscribers, effective at the end of the month.

The ad-free educational content on Noggin currently includes over 1,000 iconic, full-length episodes, short-form videos, and hundreds of interactive learning games and ebooks.

#KidsTogether’s content will be available across Nick’s screens starting today and ramping up through the rest of the week and beyond. It will feature:

  • Original short-form digital and linear content such as SpongeBob practicing social distancing, the Bubble Guppies demonstrating proper hand-washing techniques, and Chickaletta and the PAW Patrol showcasing awesome dance moves to promote physical activity and wellness.
  • Nick-branded interstitials made in partnership with GoNoodle that encourage kids to get up and get moving, with help from Young Dylan’s beats or by joining Lincoln Loud’s dance party.
  • Printable Blue’s Clues & You! activity sheets and Bubble Guppies colouring pages, along with offscreen activities and games to help families play and learn together at home.
  • Noggin shorts on the Nick Jr. channel that provide learning moments for preschoolers in the areas of wellness, social and emotional development, science, math, and literacy.
  • and NickHelps.com, a central online destination that will aggregate Nick’s content and provide links to external resources for kids and families.

#KidsTogether will roll out domestically today across Nickelodeon’s portfolio of platforms and then extend to Nick’s international markets, as well.

Nickelodeon’s #KidsTogether initiative is part of ViacomCBS and Ad Council’s recently announced #AloneTogether, a national social- and talent-led campaign that educates audiences on the importance of social distancing and drives unity through entertainment.

Peter Rabbit hops back onto 50p coin for final roll out with The Royal Mint

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Peter Rabbit is hopping back onto UK commemorative 50p coins for one last time, the Royal Mint has detailed this morning, with a 2020 design featured on Brilliant Uncirculated, Silver Proof and Gold Proof 50p coins.

First introduced onto UK coins in 2016 to celebrate Beatrix Potter’s 150th anniversary, Peter Rabbit has also appeared on UK coins in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

The new 2020 design has been developed in collaboration with Penguin Ventures on behalf of Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd, Beatrix Potter’s original publisher, and depicts the famous rabbit in his trademark blue jacket sneaking under the gate in search of lettuces.

The hand-painted style of Beatrix Potter’s original illustration has been carefully engraved by The Royal Mint’s coin designer, Emma Noble, to immortalise the mischievous rabbit on the 2020 version of the coin. In addition to previous Beatrix Potter collections, Noble has previously designed coins commemorating the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s coronation, Remembrance Sunday, and King George I.

Clare Maclennan, divisional director of the Commemorative Coin division at The Royal Mint and The Royal Mint Experience, said: “The Royal Mint has celebrated Peter Rabbit on 50p coins for five years and this year for the final time, the nation’s favourite bunny will feature on a new UK commemorative 50p coin.

“We are delighted to be continuing the tales of Peter Rabbit and capturing his latest adventure on UK coins, giving fans the opportunity to complete their Beatrix Potter UK 50p commemorative coin collection.”

Thomas Merrington, creative director at Penguin Ventures (part of Penguin Random House UK), added: “It’s been incredible to see Beatrix Potter’s beloved Peter Rabbit lead the way in commemorative character coins.

“Over the past five years The Royal Mint has brought Potter’s characters to life in a fantastically successful collection which has been treasured by fans around the UK. While Peter will be bowing out of the 50p series I am excited about our future partnership with The Royal Mint.”

The 2020 Peter Rabbit commemorative 50p coin is available in a variety of precious metal and base proof finishes from www.royalmint.com, with prices starting from £10.

This is a commemorative coin and will not be entering general circulation, so this is the only way to own this special coin.

McDonald’s to scrap plastic toys from Happy Meals by 2021

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McDonald’s has joined the fight against plastic waste having detailed plans to remove plastic toys from its Happy Meals from 2021.

In a press release, the company stated that from next year every Happy Meal in the UK will include either a soft toy, a paper-based toy or a book, as opposed to a toy made from non-recyclable plastic.

McDonald’s went on to state that the initiative will remove more than 3,000 metric tons of plastic from its business. It also marks the biggest reduction of plastic by McDonald’s UK and Ireland to date.

“We care passionately about the environment and are committed to reducing plastic across our business including within our Happy Meal,” said Gareth Helm, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of McDonald’s UK and Ireland.

“Families have high expectations of us and we’re working as hard as we can to give them the confidence that their Happy Meal is as sustainable as possible. Getting that right is a big responsibility, but we believe the changes we’re making today have the potential to make a big difference.”

From this month, McDonald’s is going to trial paper packaging for Happy Meals toys, the first time this has been done by the restaurant in the UK. From August, paper packaging will be used to wrap books in Happy Meals, a move which will help remove 200 tonnes of plastic from the business by 2021.

Later this year, McDonald’s will give customers the options to choose between a toy or a book with Happy Meals before it carries out a five week toy amnesty across the nation, asking for customers to return any unwanted plastic toys to restaurants.

The company will then recycle the plastic from the returned items to create play equipment for Ronald McDonald House Charities in the UK and Ireland.

Fashion and Furnishing retailer Laura Ashley files for administration

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The high street fashion and furnishing name, Laura Ashley is to file for administration, having failed to secure a £15m emergency loan to keep the firm from collapse.

Laura Ashley operates more than 150 British stores and employs some 2,700 people. It has stated that rescue plans for the high street name had failed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In a statement, it said: “The Covid-19 outbreak has had an immediate and significant impact on trading, and ongoing developments indicate that this will be a sustained national situation.

“Discussions with stakeholders have been ongoing and the directors are in advanced discussions for the provisions of third-party debt funding. However, based on the company’s revised cashflow forecasts and the increased uncertainty facing the group, the company expects that it will not be in a position to draw down additional funds from third-party lenders in a timely manner sufficient to support working capital requirements.

“MUI Asia Limited – the investment company that controls Laura Ashley – has confirmed that it is unable to provide financial support in the required timeframe.”

The retailer said it intended to appoint Robert Lewis and Zelf Hussain from the accounting firm PwC as administrators to Laura Ashley and its subsidiaries, Premier Home Logistics, Laura Ashley Investments, and Texplan Manufacturing.

Four weeks ago Laura Ashley narrowly avoided collapse after agreeing an emergency deal with its main lender, the US band Wells Fargo. It then announced new plans to revive the ‘timeless’ designs of its late founder in an attempt to breathe new life into the heritage brand.

On Friday, Laura Ashley said it had “not yet seen a significant financial impact due to Covid-19” but did warn that the virus had “the potential to negatively influence future trading as a result of reduced footfall.”

Children’s mindfulness brand Max Mindpower positions for growth across licensing

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Max Mindpower, a children’s brand that comprises a range of plush toys, a book series, and a new app all with the focus on promoting and encouraging mindfulness among kids, is pushing ahead with licensing efforts thanks to investment from CHF Media and licensing guidance from industry expert Valerie Fry.

Today, the conversation around mindfulness in the children’s space is in full flow, and in recent months and over a development period of years, Max Mindpower has found itself at the centre of much of it. Developed by Nikki Collins, the Max Mindpower brand already spans a successful book series, mindfulness app and soothing plush bar that encourages mindfulness in children through play and breathing exercises.

Nikki Collins, founder, Max Mindpower

“The topic of mindfulness in children is incredibly important, not only because it’s something that the consumers are actively looking for and want, but because it’s a real issue in society today and not something that is going to go away today or tomorrow,” Collins told Licensing.biz.

“It’s certainly something that is being taken more seriously than it was maybe two years ago, but like anything it takes familiarity before people can take it on board. The more we talk about what is affecting children and what they need, the more the industry will listen and respond.”

Having met with investment from CHF Media and having recently appointed the licensing specialist, Valerie Fry as its commercial director, Max Mindpower is ‘on the cusp of some big things in the licensing space.’

“Max has certainly made an impact on the toy industry and brought mindfulness to the forefront after winning an award at its launch at London Toy Fair,” continued Collins. “I notice a lot of the trends in toys since have been more towards wellbeing, which is so heartening as it shows that this is something which is becoming increasingly important throughout the industry; not just a nice idea.”

Collins’ move into mindfulness toys for children was, in fact, inspired by a number of culminating factors, not least the recorded rise in mental health issues in children today and the fast-vanishing downtime that children have at their disposal in modern day living. But not only this, Max Mindpower was inspired by Collins’ own life experiences, following a hit and run incident that left her with disabilities and mental health issues at the age of 19.

“I was given a very poor prognosis in terms of recovery and was actually recommended mindfulness as a way to come to terms with how my life would be, but I actually got better. It gave me a completely different outlook on life and made me fascinated with psychology, which I went on to study,” she explained.

It was while studying that Collins was struck with the idea of developing an all round children’s toy that ‘conveyed mindfulness through a mainstream children’s toy.’

From then on, Max Mindpower, a toy which “encompassed emotions and coping skills and tricks that children could learn from a young age and use in every day life,” was put into development.

The move has payed off for Collins who has since reported an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ reaction from consumers and retailers to her Max Mindpower concept, and the brand developments around it.

“In terms of retailers, we have some that champion and support us so much, but the consumer reaction is the best. We often get emails, letters, and videos from people letting us know the difference it has made to their children. We are so grateful that people take the time to write to us, and they probably have no idea how much getting these responses means to us,” she concluded.

The RHS appoints Danilo as its diaries and calendars partner

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The Royal Horticultural Society has appointed the licensed calendar, greetings cards, gift wrap and diaries publisher as its new calendar and diary partner.

The coming year will see Danilo produce a wide range of 2021 RHS calendars and diaries. The items will feature photographic images of RHS gardens, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and plant portraits, alongside illustrative images selected from the RHS Lindley Collections.

The range will feature a number of product formats, including the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Slim Calendar, RHS Gardens Square Calendar, and the RHS The Collection A5 Diary. Also available will be the RHS Gardens Slim Diary, RHS Fruit and Flowers Slim Calendar, and the RHS Illustrated Slim Diary.

The collection will be completed with the RHS Easel Calendar and the RHS Family Organiser.

Two deluxe products will also feature under the new partnership: An RHS A3 Calendar with botanical illustrations from the RHS Lindley Collections – in a special tear-off format so the artworks can be framed, and an RHS Collectors Gift Box Set featuring the RHS Gardens Square Calendar, the A5 Diary and a pen in a deluxe box.

The calendars and diaries will be available at a wide range of book, card and gift shops, as well as supermarkets, department stores and RHS shops from September 2020. They will also be widely available at online retail, including rhsshop.co.uk and danilo.com. A selection of these products will launch at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2020.

The market for the range is expected to be RHS members and gardening enthusiasts as well as gift givers of all ages.

Dan Grant, licensing director, Danilo, said: “Not only is the RHS the world’s best-known gardening charity, enjoying unmatched levels of awareness, but it has supplied an extraordinary selection of beautiful photographic imagery and artwork to inspire the designs of our calendars and diaries. We are delighted to be working with the RHS on this range.”

Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, added: “Danilo is highly recognised and well regarded in its industry, with innovative and award-winning product designs.

“This range wonderfully reflects the varied and inspirational work of the RHS and will be popular not only with lovers of gardens and gardening but with anyone who loves calendars and diaries that are both useful and beautifully designed.”

The RHS appoints Danilo as its diaries and calendars partner

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The Royal Horticultural Society has appointed the licensed calendar, greetings cards, gift wrap and diaries publisher as its new calendar and diary partner.

The coming year will see Danilo produce a wide range of 2021 RHS calendars and diaries. The items will feature photographic images of RHS gardens, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show and plant portraits, alongside illustrative images selected from the RHS Lindley Collections.

The range will feature a number of product formats, including the RHS Chelsea Flower Show Slim Calendar, RHS Gardens Square Calendar, and the RHS The Collection A5 Diary. Also available will be the RHS Gardens Slim Diary, RHS Fruit and Flowers Slim Calendar, and the RHS Illustrated Slim Diary.

The collection will be completed with the RHS Easel Calendar and the RHS Family Organiser.

Two deluxe products will also feature under the new partnership: An RHS A3 Calendar with botanical illustrations from the RHS Lindley Collections – in a special tear-off format so the artworks can be framed, and an RHS Collectors Gift Box Set featuring the RHS Gardens Square Calendar, the A5 Diary and a pen in a deluxe box.

The calendars and diaries will be available at a wide range of book, card and gift shops, as well as supermarkets, department stores and RHS shops from September 2020. They will also be widely available at online retail, including rhsshop.co.uk and danilo.com. A selection of these products will launch at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in May 2020.

The market for the range is expected to be RHS members and gardening enthusiasts as well as gift givers of all ages.

Dan Grant, licensing director, Danilo, said: “Not only is the RHS the world’s best-known gardening charity, enjoying unmatched levels of awareness, but it has supplied an extraordinary selection of beautiful photographic imagery and artwork to inspire the designs of our calendars and diaries. We are delighted to be working with the RHS on this range.”

Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, added: “Danilo is highly recognised and well regarded in its industry, with innovative and award-winning product designs.

“This range wonderfully reflects the varied and inspirational work of the RHS and will be popular not only with lovers of gardens and gardening but with anyone who loves calendars and diaries that are both useful and beautifully designed.”

Opinion: Is the Wild West about to be tamed? – Anthony Marks

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Anthony Marks is MD of Fanattik a pop culture specialist, a gifts and collectibles licensee for 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, and Paramount Pictures. He talks us through why the days of the Comic Con counterfeiter may just be numbered

As a self-confessed geek I have no problem admitting that I have been visiting Comic Cons for more than 25 years, and many a time I remember queuing up for hours in the rain to get into an event and spend my money on product that mainstream retailers were ignoring.

Although visitor numbers have reduced from their heyday, a big London show can attract well over 100,000 visitors over a weekend and regional shows more than 30,000.

I still visit the shows, but this time with my commercial hat on to see product from all over Europe under one roof. The shows have never ceased to amaze me with regards to how much unlicensed poor quality product is freely available to buy, so I read with interest that a representative from Marvel was seen attending this month’s Liverpool Comic Con, it definitely had the exhibitors at the show in a tizz from the reports I received.

My company started off selling licensed limited edition art prints and many years ago we went through a phase of exhibiting at shows all over Europe, we found ourselves placed next to stands selling prints featuring images downloaded from the internet and run off on a home printer. We complained to show organisers and they just didn’t care, they had to sell the space and they didn’t care who they sold it to.

The most faked brands that we noticed always seemed to be Nintendo, Star Trek and Pokemon. I couldn’t understand why the brands weren’t sending representatives to these shows which were mostly in major cities, easily commutable from their or their agents offices.

A colleague used to take pictures of stands selling fake keyrings, pin badges, glassware etc but after being threatened by stall holders numerous times he decided it wasn’t worth doing anymore, especially as the show organisers and the brands we were sending the pictures to wouldn’t act on them anyway.

Licensees invest a lot of money in testing, especially on items such as jewellery as it comes into contact with the skin, the last thing the industry needs is a red top to report how a child’s neck turned green because they were wearing a necklace bought at a show. The press won’t care that the item was unlicensed they will just report the brand featured.

These stands are not always run by someone who just wants to make a little bit of extra money by selling product they produced at home, there is one large organised group which has multiple stands not just at the London shows but I have seen them at Frankfurt, Amsterdam as well as many of the regional UK shows, blatantly selling unlicensed product imported direct from China (I saw the packing boxes behind their stands). The show organisers know who they are but don’t want to get rid of them because of the number of stands they book all in one go.

A few years ago I offered my services to one event, I would travel down to their show at my own expense and walk the halls with one of their team to try and clean things up, they wouldn’t even have to buy me a sandwich for lunch, but they turned me down.

Things are changing though.

Newham Council – which covers Excel where a lot of the London events are held – sends a team to each event, they are very good at shutting down stands selling plush if they don’t have the CE mark on them, but when it comes to other product they are a little lost and they could do with brand representatives alongside to point out what shouldn’t be for sale.

An example of a pro-active brand is Bethesda. I saw its head of European licensing at an event last year visiting existing licensee’s and the smaller stands. When he saw unlicensed product, he showed the stall holder his card and stated calmly that his legal team were at the show and would be along in half an hour, so the offending product had to be taken down.

Sure, it helped that this man was built like he could go ten rounds with a professional boxer but the fact that he could prove he was an official representative of the brand was enough to persuade the exhibitor to co-operate.

With the bigger shows wanting to form more commercial relationships in the form of sponsorship deals with the brands, things are going in the right direction. In the future the Wild West may not be totally tamed, but it will at least be a safer place for fans and licensee’s to visit.

Brands In doubles down on sustainability efforts: “Sustainability is here to stay”

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The licensed fashion apparel firm, Brands In, is focusing its efforts on sustainability for 2020 and beyond, aligning itself with a recent surge in both global industry and consumer awareness around the issue.

Since mid-2019 the London-based business has been consciously reviewing all aspects of its supply chain to address sustainability issues and take progressive steps forward. By early 2020, Brands In’s 24/7 apparel print operation had implemented several sustainable ‘ticked-that-box’ elements to its business.

It will continue to develop further initiatives throughout this year.

Firstly, garments are sourced locally in the UK and the business, which has more than 750,000 SKUs across its catalogue, has also achieved a stockless model for 2020 meaning it does not need to hold any blank stock on the factory floor and will only buy in the garments as required.

These are delivered to the business within 24 hours. All product is printed on demand, according to retailer ordering, or consumer online purchases and can be drop-shipped within 48 hours.

The on-shore sourcing, coupled with the drop-shipping means that Brands In has significantly reduced its carbon footprint in the last twelve months.

Meanwhile, in the first quarter of 2020 the company appointed a Sustainability Ambassador from within the business who is responsible for ensuring the efforts are maintained, looking at new ways of building upon achievements to date, as well as observing global trends and new methods of sustainability that can be incorporated into the business. 

Most recently, the company has ensured that associated license label materials will be sustainable from the second half of the year. Additionally, Brands In is currently in development of a number of capsule collections on organic cotton products.

Rick Lowe, managing director at Brands In, said: “We’ve always been conscious of doing our part for the environment, particularly because we operate in a factory environment. Over time it became an increasingly important discussion amongst the team, and we realised there were simple things we could do to make change, but other elements we could work on to make a difference in conversation with our suppliers and clients. 

“Sustainability is here to stay, and we will continue to invest in doing our part for positive change.”

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh celebrates 350th anniversary with new licensing programme

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The Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh is celebrating its 350th anniversary this year with the unveiling of two new licensing partners in Caithness Glass and Flame Tree Publishing.

RBGE was established in 1670 as a physic garden near the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The purpose of the garden was to supply fresh plants for medical prescriptions and to help teach medical botany to students. Almost 20 years later, in 1699, it received a royal warrant.

Over the years many intrepid botanists introduced exotic plants from all over the world and innovative techniques into the gardens. Moving to its present site in Inverleith in 1823, RGBE  is one of the world’s leading botanical gardens and today delivers world-leading plant science and conservation programmes and cares for large archives of botanical art as well four gardens in Scotland.

In this anniversary year, RGBE is hosting a programme of exhibitions and events, and has kickstarted an ambitious plan to rebuild its existing glasshouses and create a new one under its Edingburgh Biomes project – one which aims to secure the Garden’s work for future generations.

RGBE’s licensing programme is focused on using its archive and environmental message to work with companies that reflect its brand values. Royalties from products sold help to directly fund and support the work RGBE does to develop its collections to maximise their value as a research, education, conservation and heritage resource.

Inspired by the 350th anniversary, Caithness Glass will produce a range of collectable artglass  featuring a ‘Water lily – Nymphaea’, ‘Blue Poppy – Meconopsis’ ‘Rhodoendron Ferrugineum’ and ‘Ferns’. 

All of these plants have a special connection to the gardens.

Caithness Glass was founded in 1961 and is now a world leading producer of  paperweights and artglass. Each piece is a unique work of art and hand crafted to the highest standards by skilled makers.

Jacqueline McCulloch, area sales manager of Caithness Glass, said: “Caithness is delighted to be working with RGBE in its anniversary year. The first in a series of planned items launched at Spring Fair were received very well with many orders taken – we are confident that this will be an excellent collaboration for years to come.”

Meanwhile, Flame Tree Publishing works with many prestigious museums and galleries creating published content under license including books calendars and greetings cards. For its RGBE 2021 calendar – which is on sale now – Flame Tree is publishing botanical imagery by the victorian artist Charlotte Cowan, discovered in the RGBE archives.

Frances Bodiam, managing director of Flame Tree Publishing, said: “Looking through the archives at the RGBE was a revelation and we were thrilled to unearth the work of Charlotte Cowan. There are many other wonderful images to discover and we look forward to working with RGBE in the future.”

Helena Lawrence, head of retail and brand licensing at RGBE, added: “In our anniversary year, signing these two licenses emphasises how much our brand values resonate with licensees. We are very pleased to be working with Caithness and Flame Tree and also to launch our new style guide which will show how our wonderful collections can inspire new product.

“Further licenses are already in the pipeline which will showcase our collections.”