Moomin has bolstered its global network of licensing partners with the recent appointment of Bavaria Sonor Licensing, the licensing division of Bavaria Media GmbH, to manage the character brand’s licensing across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
The move was made by Moomin’s master agent, Rights & Brands in part of its ongoing efforts that have seen the firm revamp the Moomin licensing programme over the past year to mark its 75th anniversary.
Moomin has seen turnover grow ‘at a tremendous rate’ over the pas ten years with the number of licensee almost tripling worldwide.
The Moomins are the central characters in a series of books and a comic strip created by Finnish-Swedish writer and artist Tove Jansson between 1944 and 1971. Jansson achieved worldwide fame as writer of the stories which follow the characters’ adventures in the idyllic and peaceful Moomin Valley.
Meanwhile, Bavaria Media has a track record helping its brands produce memorable moments and create stories in people’s minds. Founded in 1983 and based in Germany, the company manages international film, tv and music licensing, as well as content distribution. Bavaria Sonor Licensing – the licensing division of Bavaria Media – was named ‘Licensing Agency of the Year 2019’ at the Licensing International Awards in Germany. Its numerous clients Include Playmobil, Emoji, Bud Spencer & Terence Hill, Janosch, Big-Bobby-Car and Panini.
“We are delighted to welcome the Moomins to Bavaria Media – we feel honoured to have the opportunity to represent this timeless, classic brand,” said Ivica Maracic, licensing and sales director at Bavaria Sonor Licensing.
“The Moomin Characters have been loved for generations and we are thrilled to extend the licensing success story into Germany, Austria and Switzerland.”
“It’s wonderful to add a new sub-agent in these important markets,” added Roleff Kråkström, CEO of Moomin Characters. “And it’s great timing to have Bavaria Media onboard when the Moominvalley TV show is about to launch in Germany and Switzerland.
“The Moomin brand is constantly growing, both in revenue and awareness and we are actively building on this momentum. Bavaria Media is exactly the kind of partner we need in order to expand the Moomin market share in this region.”
The appointmet coincides with the recent acquisition of Moominvalley by ZDF, the German public-service television broadcaster, to be shown on ZDF’s platforms and on KiKA, their free-to-air children’s channel.
“I feel happy and proud that ZDF is our partner in Germany,” said Marika Makaroff, executive producer and creative director of Moominvalley at Gutsy Animations.
Moomin first ventured into brand licensing in the 1950s with a range of hand-painted mugs released by Tove and her mother. Moomin now has an established global licensing programme with over 700 licensees worldwide. These include theme parks and branded cafés, as well as companies selling homeware, food and apparel.
This global network has increased the dedicated customer base – working with Bavaria Media will help reach an even wider range of retailers, to offer fans a more diverse range of products.
Patrick Ullman, CEO of Rights & Brands, has said that this partnership is ‘another step in the plan to maximise the Moomin’s international presence.’
“We are excited to welcome Bavaria Media into the family as part of our strategy – they are a great company with a lot of experience and success managing iconic brands,” he said. “The Moomins and Nordic literature are very popular in Germany, so it’s a huge potential market.”
