Smiffys and Fashion UK are the latest licensees for Rainbow’s TV series Pinocchio and Friends, which has proved a big hit on CBeebies.

Lisle Licensing, the UK licensing agent for Italian entertainment company Rainbow, has announced two new licensees for Pinocchio and Friends, the reimagined TV series by CEO Iginio Straffi, about the world famous wooden puppet.

The series, which quickly became a ratings winner on the BBC’s flagship free-to-air channel, CBeebies, when it launched earlier this year, is poised to launch its master toy range from Flair GP in the spring following a positive unveiling at Brand Licensing Europe.

Fashion UK is on board to create a range of clothing for the series across all age groups for the target audience (4-7 years), which will cover all key apparel categories including daywear, outerwear and pyjamas and expected to launch at retail in late spring.

Smiffys has also signed and will lead on the dress-up category, developing a range of costumes including key characters, Pinocchio and Freeda.

Additionally, in an agreement brokered by Rainbow’s in-house CP team, Kennedy Publishing is producing a bespoke Pinocchio and Friends magazine which launched this autumn, featuring stickers, colouring in-pages and activities for readers.

Francesca Lisle, MD at Lisle Licensing, said: “We are thrilled by the enthusiasm of the industry at this beautiful series which hit the ground running on CBeebies and has continued to grow in popularity.  We look forward to making further announcements in the new year.”

“We are really confident that, thanks to the assets and support from Lisle Licensing, Pinocchio and Friends will achieve even greater results in the UK and more deals will soon be disclosed.” added Matteo Olivetti, sales director, Global Consumer Product, Rainbow Group.