Macmillan Children’s Books has launched a new clothing range for Tesco based on the classic and much-loved children’s story, Dear Zoo, created by Rod Campbell. The latest collection follows the success of the first Dear Zoo apparel range across Tesco stores in 2020.
The babywear collection is now available in-store and is made up of six garments for babies aged 0 to 24 months, including a sleepsuit, sleeping bag, pyjama sets, vests, and bibs. The new designs introduce two new colours to the Dear Zoo palette, which fit alongside the existing and classic Dear Zoo imagery.
A large social media influencer campaign accompanies this launch and will showcase sample outfits and books to over 350k consumers.
Stephanie Barton, publisher, preschool, brands and classics, Macmillan Children’s Books, said: “We were delighted by the success of the Dear Zoo babywear in Tesco last year and couldn’t have been more pleased when they wanted to do a new range for 2021. They are a brilliant partner, and the clothing sits well alongside the other bespoke licensing that we have for Dear Zoo.
“The classic story continues to grow in popularity each year and has now been loved across three generations of families. This new apparel gives something extra to families who really love the brand, while introducing new families to the animals and the story.”
The Dear Zoo classic storybook offers the magic of a shared storytelling experience as a variety of animals are sent from the zoo. The story brings a sense of humour, anticipation and discovery as the child turns the pages. It continues to be at the heart of families throughout the UK and around the world and was the bestselling picture board book in the UK in 2019.
Macmillan Children’s Books will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of Dear Zoo in 2022 and plans are being laid for an extensive on- and off-line consumer marketing campaign across the brand. The Dear Zoo Live on Stage play production hopes to tour 20 venues with 80 shows nationwide in autumn 2021, depending on COVID regulations. Since its launch in 2018, nearly 85,000 children and families have already enjoyed the performances and it has also successfully toured in the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore.
This new clothing launch continues the growing story around Dear Zoo and Macmillan is looking forward to building on its success in the soft toy, nursery, gifting and stationery sectors shortly.
