A Full English | Golden Goose on putting English Heritage in the product and on the packaging

With over 400 historical and cultural sites across the country as well as a portfolio that spans the ages, from the mysteries of Stonehenge to the art deco interiors of Eltham Palace, the playground of opportunity for the English Heritage brand to explore through consumer products and licensing is vastly exciting.

Couple all of this with the current spike in demand for cultural IP licensing from consumers the world over, each looking to re-engage with the stories and history channeled through the sector, and it’s an enviable position that the UK licensing agency, Golden Goose finds itself in, representing one of the country’s most revered names in historical and cultural conservation.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Golden Goose’s Helen Webster to learn more about the licensing specialist’s plans for the English Heritage brand, and why developing consumer products for a name so rich with history means ensuring that ‘English Heritage is in the licensed products, as well as on the packaging.’

Hello Helen, thanks for talking to us this month. To kick us off, could you give us an overview of the English Heritage brand, its role in maintaining, safeguarding and promoting some of the country’s most historical sites, and the values that the brand brings to the licensing space?

The English Heritage brand is one of the UK’s best known and most respected heritage brands. English Heritage wants people to experience the story of England where it actually happened so their sites and properties offer an imaginative, true to the story, carefully curated experience aimed at inspiring people of all ages. Alongside this, English Heritage works to ensure their sites and properties  – which include Stonehenge, Osborne House, Kenwood House and Dover Castle –  and the thousands of historic artefacts in their care are conserved and expertly cared for such that they can also be enjoyed by future generations.

As such, the values inherent in the English Heritage brand are authenticity, quality, inspiration, responsibility and fun; all of which are values that will flow through the English Heritage licensing programme and connect with today’s consumers and the way they want to blend history into their lives.

Looking over the English Heritage website and shop, the brand has already made headway in the licensing space. How is Golden Goose leveraging the rich heritage of the brand itself to build on the licensing portfolio?

Also, where do you even begin with building out a programme for such a revered name as English Heritage?

While it is clear from past activity that the English Heritage brand has enormous potential, this is really the first time that licensing is receiving the level of internal focus that it needs to achieve significant scale. Because we are working directly with Kingston Myles who is the Head of Commercial Development, we can leverage all of the EH brand assets, from the trademark to the collections archive right and on to the multi channel commercial operation which includes over 100 retail outlets, 35 café’s and a portfolio of  holiday cottages.

Having an expert point of contact with Kingston allows us to target the biggest potential categories and opportunities cohesively. To date we have even been able to start scoping out international markets where the brand has impact, such as South Korea.

“Our approach to licensing English Heritage means ensuring that the English Heritage brand is ‘in’ the licensed products as well as ‘on’ the packaging.”

How has ‘heritage licensing’ changed over recent years, what do consumers expect in terms of brand narrative and story telling in ‘heritage licensing’ today, and how will this be reflected in your approach to licensing English Heritage?

With the lockdowns causing a massive shortfall of visitation and thus creating income gaps for most heritage brands, there are certainly more heritage brands keen to penetrate the market and benefit from quicker wins. Our approach to licensing English Heritage, however, will be to ensure we put in place a long-term strategic licensing programme that is well aligned with the brand’s core values and purpose. This means ensuring that the English Heritage brand is ‘in’ the licensed products as well as ‘on’ the packaging.

English Heritage is not only a well established brand itself, but with over 400 sites across the country, has a portfolio of rich cultural history that spans the ages. The licensing and story telling potential it boasts must be incredibly exciting. What level of creativity does the portfolio afford you? 

Thanks to the more than 400 properties that English Heritage manages and maintains there is a rich treasure of design inspiration available; from the art deco interiors of Eltham Palace, the beautiful prints and patterns inside Audley End House and of course the Victorian splendour of Osborne House.

There are many design eras available to inspire licensees however, in addition to being a rich asset bank, English Heritage is very much a living brand so our licensees will not only be able to draw from a wonderful design heritage and use these assets as is for specific product categories but others will also be able to use the asset bank to inform and inspire beautiful, useful products for today’s consumers and today’s preferences for colour, scale and detail.

How can licensing unlock history for new generations?

There is plenty that EH is already doing to appeal to new generations and we see that more as a core attribute of the brand rather than something that could be used purely to create licensed products. However, we are looking into toys, puzzles, dress up and other categories that will bring the brand to life for new generations while also helping them learn about and appreciate the rich seam of history that English Heritage represents.

How has the consumer’s relationship with ‘heritage licensing’ changed in the last 12 months? Has lockdown and the pandemic changed the way in which people want to experience art and culture? How does this influence your licensing strategy?

The market was already seeing a resurgence in the consumer’s interest in all things heritage and the authenticity and quality this can represent but the last year has accelerated this and also positioned “heritage” alongside other accelerating consumer interests in and around sustainability and our environment, where authenticity and quality also play their part. This is very much playing into our licensing strategy.

Further, I think consumers have tuned into online shopping more than ever before which means that they expect the products that they can imagine to be available. This presents opportunities for print/manufacture on-demand licensees, of course, but now that things are opening up again, EH are hoping to see visitors return to sites and their shops.

Hopefully, our English Heritage licensees, where relevant, will be able to tap into any opportunities that arise through the English Heritage stores, too.

“We’re looking into toys, puzzles, and dress up to bring the brand to life for new generations while helping them learn about the rich seam of history that English Heritage represents.”

What categories or licensing partners will be key to you as you build on the English Heritage portfolio? What will the lifestyle, home, and garden licensing spaces span, and how will you look to tell the story of English Heritage through these?

All things home, home décor and garden are key to the English Heritage brand and it’s no surprise that we will shortly be unveiling our first tentpole licensee who will be working across fabrics, wallpapers and home décor internationally.

The rich English Heritage asset bank, the stories behind the patterns and designs in their properties, their fabulous gardens and the credibility of the English Heritage brand itself will be essential ingredients in telling the story of English Heritage through their licensed products.

What can we expect from English Heritage in the licensing space in the coming year and beyond? What’s the next step for you guys in the sector?

You can expect us to deliver high quality, aspirational products that appeal to the discerning consumer who wants a product that delivers on everything heritage stands for in their own homes, whether that be  in furniture, fabrics, bedding, fragrance or other lifestyle products.

In addition, you can expect some surprises because, as an agency, we are always looking for ways to move the needle and gain momentum that opens the doors to new product categories and markets.

Rocket Licensing | “There’s real opportunity to make retail an experience and destination again”

For those of the industry who tuned into the special licensing panel discussion at this year’s London Book Fair, albeit in its digital format, you’d have caught Rocket Licensing’s join managing director, Rob Wijeratna waxing lyrical on the virtues of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a phenomenon of the children’s publishing space and extended licensing market, despite the book itself being only 22 pages long.

At the crux of Wijeratna’s point was that building a brand is ‘about telling a story’ no matter the size (or page length) of the source material. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is today a globally loved franchise that is not only a staple of book shelves and schools across the country – or the planet – but of the preschool and nursery space as a whole.

Central to the storytelling that Rocket Licensing weaves through the wider activity around the title is the experiential licensing, a pocket of licensing that so often acts as ‘an anchor point around which the many facets of a licensing programme can centre. A sector that faced some rather ominous hurdles over the last year, experiential licensing has been forced to adapt and change shape over the course of the past 18 months, working to uncover new spaces within the home via virtual and digital means.

But it’s a space now beginning to open up once again. And as such, Licensing.biz thought it wise to catch up with Rocket Licensing brand manager, Melissa Satterly, to discover what the licensing agency has planned for the return of live experiences for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Beano, and a few others among its core portfolio.

Hello Melissa, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions this week. The most obvious point to address first and foremost is the pandemic and the impact this has had on the experiential licensing space. As we begin to ‘unlock’ and remove social distancing measures, what sort of excitement is there around the return of experiential licensing?

With things opening up again and families increasingly looking for, and getting excited about, staycations and days out nearer to home, now feels like the perfect time to be engaging with experiential licensing and family-focused activities. We’ve seen real enthusiasm and high visitor numbers for the branded events that we have put on so far in 2021 and are excited for the roll out of several more initiatives over the summer.

How do you think experiential licensing has evolved over the course of the pandemic and what lasting impression has it left on the market and consumers? How do you begin to reintroduce experiential licensing to a post-pandemic world?

The pandemic saw Rocket and our partners take a very different approach to experiences, with the transition to online and at-home events. For example, our annual The Very Hungry Caterpillar Giant Wiggle partnership with Action for Children took place online in 2020 as an at-home activity pack for families. In addition to this, Action for Children really responded to how families were spending lockdown by launching a Growing Challenge subscription pack for little gardeners, an experiential product that we are excited to see continue to do well post-pandemic as well.

We also worked closely with License to PR to deliver lockdown-suitable content, creating a social media campaign for The Very Hungry Caterpillar that targeted parenting/foodie influencers who provided fun caterpillar-inspired recipes for people to try at home, while also promoting the Feed the Hungry Caterpillar game from University Games, responding to the rising popularity of games and puzzles while families were at home. This was one of our most successful campaigns to date.

With lockdowns easing, we have been careful and strategic in the experiences that we have put on, for example focusing on fun outdoor activities while restrictions have remained in place indoors. The first major experiential partnership that we have seen in 2021 was the Big Beano Bonanza at Kew Gardens, which adhered to all guidance on social distancing, with Beano-themed Covid safety signs along the trail, hand gel stations, marshalls and pre-booked visitor slots.

The sale of our branded and co-branded Beano product was initially focused online for the earlier stages of the event while the visitor shops remained closed, and advertising took on an online and local focus.

Can you talk us through some of the key partnerships you’ve secured across the experiential licensing space recently?

We are really excited to have a current partnership for The Very Hungry Caterpillar taking place at London Zoo (running until 16th July). Families can enjoy a fun range of activities, including crawling through a giant fruit story trail, crafting and story-telling sessions throughout the day, as well as the opportunity to visit Butterfly Paradise and Bug House.

For 2021, we have also partnered with Gulliver’s Valley (Rotherham) and Gulliver’s Dinosaur and Farm Park (Milton Keynes) for a range of branded activities for both The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Beano. The Very Hungry Caterpillar presence launched on Saturday, May 1st and includes Meet & Greets, birthday parties, crafting activities and even themed accommodation, so that families can spend the night in their very own cocoons.

The Beano characters will be getting up to all sorts of mischief, including a Beano Blasters! laser tag attraction. We are also very excited to have just finalised a partnership with Escape Live for a Horrible Histories Escape Room, opening later this year and giving families the opportunity to be immersed in a mission that transports them through multiple different time periods.

How important will experiential licensing be for retail in enticing consumers away from the online space? What opportunities are there now available to reboot the retail sector through experiential licensing? Are there any examples of this you can give from your own portfolio?

With the shift to ecommerce and online over lockdown, there is a real opportunity now to make retail more of an experience and destination again, as people get excited to get out and about and enjoy a physical browse in store. Another of our The Very Hungry Caterpillar partners is Bluewater shopping centre who has used experiential licensing to enhance the family shopping experience with the addition of The Very Hungry Caterpillar nature trail and in-mall storytelling telling events.

Bluewater is surrounded by 50 acres of landscaped parkland, which was a popular location for local visitors during the lockdown. They opened a new The Very Hungry Caterpillar storytelling trail this May half term to further build on the existing branded nature trail. The new story trail consists of seven signposts, which are designed using imagery from the book and feature cut outs for photos opportunity and QR codes that tell the story through narration by local school children. It’s a lovely way for families to enjoy time together whilst shopping at Bluewater.

From a Rocket Licensing perspective, what makes a successful partnership in the experiential licensing space?

It’s always so important to be able to match up the brand values of the location with the licensed property. For example, with The Very Hungry Caterpillar, we have really focused on nature-driven partnerships with the likes of the Royal Horticultural Society, the Eden Project and the nature reserve at Bluewater. In terms of execution, we aim to create multi-dimensional experiences, with not only a variety of activities, but opportunities for co-branded merchandise in location-based retail outlets.

Indeed, experiential licensing offers great opportunities to showcase product for our brands in fantastic cross-category displays and really get our licensees working together in collaboration. It is also important for venues to use digital engagement to drive families to the events through comprehensive marketing, advertising and social media promotion.

What do you enjoy the most about the experiential licensing sector, what level of innovation and creativity does it offer you guys and the brands you work with?

It’s always so wonderful to see children and families engaging and having fun with the brand activities; we get so much traction for the partnerships on social media and absolutely love looking at all of the photos! And yes, the creativity of the activities is always fantastic to work on. For example, our recent Beano trail saw a mile long trail including 3D bespoke comic strip, whoopie cushion stepping stones and water pistols over the lake! It’s always really satisfying to see the collaborative effort that goes into these experiences, bringing together marketing, creative and events team with product offerings from our licensees to create brand-immersive events.

What do you think the future looks like for experiential licensing and what are the key points of change in this sector?

We are confident that this sector will continue to grow, generating strong awareness and revenue for brands. Venues like Escape Rooms are only just beginning to engage with licensed IP so this is surely an area that will continue to expand. It’s also likely that experience and retail will draw increasingly close together, exploring more in-store experiences at retail as well as increasing the focus on co-branded product and retail promotion, in association with events and activity venues.

What’s the next big step for you guys in this space?

We are continuing to look for new appropriate experiential partners for our brands and have already started early conversations for next year. We have had great success with experiential licensing in particular for The Very Hungry Caterpillar over recent years and are now increasingly expanding our focus to some of our other fantastic brands, such as Beano and Horrible Histories, to find the perfect location-based fit.

We also have some fantastic adult brands in our portfolio which we would also like to develop in the experiential area. It’s always exciting sharing brand ideas with new partners to create collaborative, engaging and fun experiences for visitors whilst supporting licensed product, and this is what we will continue to do.

Artifacts and the arts effect | ARTiSTORY explores cultural IP licensing’s current burst of energy

With the reopening of cultural and heritage sites and museums across the globe, so too is the cultural IP licensing space seeing a burst of energy, fuelled by increased staffing and a renewed understanding of its importance towards the success of the sector.

Co-founder and managing director of ARTiSTORY, Yizan He, has told Licensing.biz that increased staff across the licensing arms of many global cultural organisations is ‘an excellent sign of the realisation of the value of IP licensing.’

“Many cultural organisations have realised the potential that a licensing programme can achieve for them in terms of revenue stream and engagement with a wider global audience,” Yizan He explained.

“Many have already set up their licensing programmes in recent months, particularly during the pandemic when most museums were closed. On the other hand, cultural organisations are getting a lot more inquiries from brands, retailers, and licensing agencies.

“The cultural licensing sector is undoubtedly growing rapidly.”

ARTiSTORY has witnessed the growth first hand, having seen the business establish a fully global presence in the short few months since it was launched in 2020. The firm’s portfolio now includes the National Palace Museum in Taiwan, while it is close to announcing a new partnership with a major London museum, and making preparations to add a leading American museum and a top performing Chinese IP to the mix in the coming weeks.

With the art and cultural IP space proving to be such a rich ground for licensing right now, we caught up with ARTiSTORY’s Yizan He to learn more about the team’s plans.

Hello Yizan, it’s been a while since we last caught up! How has the ARTiSTORY business and portfolio grown and progressed since then? With cultural sites and museums now reopening, what is the mood in the space like right now?

ARTiSTORY has been growing rapidly since we started our business in 2020. Our portfolio includes the National Palace Museum from Taiwan, we’re close to announcing a leading London museum and we will soon add a leading American museum and a Chinese top IP to our portfolio in the next few weeks. 

Our master license rights with these art and cultural organisations cover all key markets such as the EU/UK, North America and Asia. Our creative teams in Asia and Europe are currently developing the 2022 art and cultural IP licensing trends and themes which will be released in July this year. 

With museums and cultural organisations reopening, many organisations are now adding staff to drive the licensing business, which is an excellent sign as cultural organisations have realised the importance and value of IP licensing.

 

How has the art and culture licensing sector performed over the past year? There have obviously been hardships across the live sector, what impact, if any did this have on the licensing aspect? Did it drive demand further, did it fuel a shift to licensing in any capacity?

Driven by the growing demand for art and cultural IP, the cultural licensing sector is snowballing, which has caught many by surprise. As reported by Licensing International in early May 2021, that art and cultural IP has risen from merely one per cent in 2015 to 18.7 per cent in terms of the retail value of licensed merchandise in China in 2020. Art and cultural IP has become the second most important property type.

There is a visible impact as more and more retailers and consumer brands are embracing art and cultural IP licensing as ways to engage shoppers and improve profit margins. Many companies have tapped into art and cultural IP in recent years from luxury brands such as LVMH to global retailers such as Uniqlo and Zara. That will further inspire more brands and retailers to explore art and cultural IP.

 

What role has ARTiSTORY played in the art and culture/heritage licensing space over this period? What is it that ARTiSTORY brings to the culture licensing sector, and how does this differ from the licensing agencies out there?

ARTiSTORY has a unique business model that sets us apart from licensing agencies. First of all, we secure a multi-year exclusive master license agreement covering a full range of merchandise in our markets, and of course, with a commitment to Minimum Guaranteed Royalties. Secondly, we invest heavily in the annual art and cultural theme and design asset development, an essential component in any cultural licensing program and we own the copyrights of the design assets. We then enter into licensing agreements with consumer brands and retailers directly, and support them with versatile forms of marketing and storytelling such as live stream, short videos, social media campaigns on Tiktok, and immersive store windows and installations.    

As a pioneer and innovator in the cultural licensing sector, ARTiSTORY’s founding members have previously developed some of the most successful licensing programs for the world’s top museums such as the British Museum, the V&A, the MET, Museum of Fine Art, Boston, and National Gallery. We hope to bring our new business model to the cultural licensing sector.

What do museums and galleries gain from working with ARTiSTORY as opposed to other licensing agencies? How do you separate yourselves from the competition in this sector?

There is a wide range of tangible benefits that museums and cultural organisations would benefit from a licensing program.  Firstly, there is immediate and recurrent revenue as ARTiSTORY commits financially with advance payments upon signing the master licensing agreement. On top of the advance payments, there are running royalties that we would share with our museum partners every quarter.  

Most importantly, every licensed product comes with a card that illustrates the artefacts from the museum’s collection where the design inspirations come from.  Additionally, all promotional licensing partnerships across a truly diverse array of industries recognise the collaborating museum, which promote the awareness of the museums. Our licensing programmes have expanded the museums’ reach to a much broader global audience, inspiring them to learn more about the museums.   

What role do you think ARTiSTORY has to play in the future of the art & culture / heritage licensing sector? How are you guys innovating in the sector and helping shape a future for licensing within it?

Our business model has been proven unique and compelling. We will continue to ride on the momentum, beef up our storytelling and marketing capabilities, and expand our licensing program in new markets such as the EU/UK and North America. We aim to become a truly global player.

To stay ahead of the competition, we are already working on various storytelling as an additional dimension to engage more audiences more effectively. For example, our immersive team is working on immersive store window designs, immersive pop-up stores, and installation that our licensees and retailers can leverage for better shopper acquisitions and conversion. We’ve gained an excellent response from our licensees and now offer these immersive components as part of our licensing package.

 

When it comes to licensing, why is this an important sector to get right? What can good licensing do for the heritage or narrative of a cultural brand? Also, when working with brands steeped in history and heritage, what sort of pressure is there to get the licensing tone right first time? 

This is a very good question. The core mission of a museum is about conservation, research, and education. During the development of the licensing themes, artefact selection, and content creation, we work closely with our museum partners so that we can maintain a high level of accuracy in terms of the narratives that we develop while staying sensitive about different cultures and markets. 

We enjoy outstanding support from all our museum partners. For example, the licensing team at National Palace Museum has provided us with their curatorial advice and suggestion of artefacts when we jointly work on the upcoming 2022 themes.  

In the future, we will also be developing art education programs that in one way, extend cultural organisations’ core mission of educating the public and in another, leverage the value of art and culture in key education systems and markets. 

What are some of the most exciting partnerships (your own or others) in the heritage licensing space at the moment? What inspiration do you or can you draw from these?

I am glad that there are more and more inspirational art and cultural IP licensing programs in recent months, such as Spanish fashion retailer Pull & Bear taps into modern and contemporary art as their licensing program with the Tate feature artworks by Kandinsky. 

Uniqlo has already launched many programs with MoMA and recently with the Louvre. In the Far East, National Palace Museum has a wide range of well designed and crafted licensed products. The list goes on…

Is the cultural licensing sector heading in the right direction?

Yes, many cultural organisations have realised the potential that a licensing program can achieve for them in terms of revenue stream and engagement with a wider global audience. Many have already set up their licensing programs in recent months, particularly during the pandemic when most museums were closed. 

On the other hand, cultural organisations are getting a lot more inquiries from brands, retailers and licensing agencies.  The cultural licensing sector is undoubtedly growing rapidly.

And before we let you go, what’s the next step for ARTiSTORY?

ARTiSTORY has assembled a sales team covering various European markets, and sales training is already underway. Our next step is to establish our head office in the US and build a sales network there. It is our strategic goal that we would achieve our coverage on three key markets – the EU/UK, North America, and Asia – making ARTiSTORY a truly global player offering full market coverage to our museum partners as well as our clients.  

Thank you, Yizan. Is there anything you want to leave us with?

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with the audience about my company. ARTiSTORY looks forward to contributing more to the cultural licensing sector. 

Heritage Month | Modern history: The Cartoon Museum and the role of museums in a post-pandemic world

There’s no question that the pandemic had a huge and still reverberating impact on the country’s cultural and heritage sector, forcing shut the doors of establishments across the UK, and applying a financial squeeze on an industry largely dependent on footfall and wallets of the nation’s leisure and tourism market.

According to the latest research from Art Fund – having drawn together some 400 responses from museum directors and museum professionals, the most pressing concern for almost all organisations across the country is safe reopening and attracting audiences back. In fact, 85 per cent of directors have expressed concern over the ability to attract visitors upon the continued easing of restrictions.

Among the many to be hit by the pandemic was London’s Cartoon Museum, an institution that shares strong ties not only with the cultural and heritage sector, but the licensing space, too – housing some of the most iconic comics and cartoons to have populated popular culture of the modern era.

Last year, the museum found itself the focus of a fundraising campaign to help keep its doors open – when doors were allowed to reopen, of course – that had ignited the passions of the comic book and cartoon fan communities across the country. The museum is now happy to report that those doors have firmly swung back open, and the museum is already welcoming back visitors from schools and pre-booked groups looking to get their cultural fix this year.

But from the pandemic, suggests the team, a new era for museums, and the cultural and heritage sector overall, could be arising, as organisations are forced to look towards local communities and audiences and less on the tourist trade. 

Here, Licensing.biz continues its look into the heritage sector and catches up with The Cartoon Museum’s Director, Joe Sullivan, to uncover the museum’s learnings through Covid-19 and what the future role of the museum could like in a post-pandemic world.

Hello Joe, it’s good to catch up with you again, and under happier circumstances with the museum now reopened! What has reopening the museum been like for you? What has reaction been like from visitors and public?

It has been wonderful to finally reopen to the public after another enforced lengthy closure during the Winter. During the downtime we worked hard on enhancing the museum to make it even better for our visitors – painting floors and walls, boxing noisy pipes off, hanging comic art in our learning space, revitalizing the shop, and putting up two new exhibitions. Visitors have enjoyed coming back to the site over the past month, with half term particularly busy, and it has been great to chat with people about cartoons again in person.

A really encouraging thing for us is that we have had a lot of first-time visitors. We hope that this continues as we bed into our new home properly (we still haven’t had a complete year open at the new site), and as people start to feel more comfortable leaving the house. Reopening has also been tinged with sadness however – we lost our Front of House Manager, Alison Brown, to COVID-19 in January. She was the heart and soul of the museum for 14 years and we all miss her terribly.

Can you talk us through some of the latest developments for the museum? You’ve mentioned some new exhibitions – can you talk us through these and what reception has been like so far?

 The two new exhibitions have been received fantastically, and I feel like our visitors can see the direction of travel we are taking and are enthused by it. By taking a larger theme – such as protest in the case of V for Vendetta: Behind the Mask – we can connect with visitors in a more personal way. 

The V exhibition not only displays incredible high-quality original art and rarely-seen film designs, it also encourages visitors to reflect on the world of V, how it relates to the world now, and what a subject like protest means to them individually.

We are very lucky with V as David Lloyd, the artist, is a close friend of the museum (he very kindly auctioned an original V page as a fundraising donation to our survival appeal last year). His support through the exhibition has been invaluable, allowing us to really dig into how V was made, and why certain design choices were made.

This focus on people stories and more universal themes crosses over to our In-Focus exhibition, Natasha Natarajan: FML Comics, a display of the work of British-Indian web cartoonist and animator Natasha Natarjan. The first two people through the door on the day we reopened were two older visitors who had travelled all the way from Scotland, one of whom went away grasping a copy of Natasha Natarajan’s FML Comics book. I was delighted to see this!

The book – which is linked to our current In-Focus display – is full of frank, funny, very personal cartoons about Natasha’s experience as a young millennial woman in modern London. The fact that people from a different demographic and part of the UK related so strongly to Natasha’s work really showed the strength of the stories and art we are sharing, and how it can connect to people’s experiences universally.

 You’ve also mentioned the return to learning and engagement work with young people. What does this look like for the museum? What spurred the decision to return to this kind of work through the museum, and is this indicative of a new ‘post-pandemic’ role of museums and their position in the community?

Engagement work is my personal passion, and has been very high on the agenda since I came to the museum. The great thing about cartooning is it has a very easy ‘in’ – anyone can pick up a pencil, and our collection ranges from the finely engraved detail work of Hogarth to the comedic minimum-line doodles of Times cartoonist (and Museum founder) Mel Calman. The point this makes to me is that anyone can pick up a pencil and draw a cartoon.

Alongside restarting our cartooning workshops in an online form (we hope to return to physical workshops in the summer), we have spent the last few months building local partnerships in our local London borough, Westminster. Westminster has one of the highest indices of deprivation in London (the gap between richest and poorest areas) and it is essential that the museum serves and represents all of our local audiences.

We recently started a project with local youth centres called Life Under Lockdown, which works with local young people to draw comic strips telling their personal stories of their lockdown experiences. We will collect these for the future but will also compile them into a comic book to give to participants and libraries, and will hopefully display some of the work either on the museum site or on our website. 

Our team attended a street festival during the May bank holiday, taking cartoon and drawing resources with them for local families to take part in, and we are currently planning a really exciting local offer for the summer.

So, the big question: What does running a museum post-pandemic look like today? How do you think the public’s method of engaging with heritage and history has changed over the course of the pandemic, and what are you guys doing to tap into the new ‘lay of the land’?

Running a museum right now is based on balancing hope against financial pragmatism! The reality is that it will be a slow road back for visitor numbers, especially as foreign tourism will be absent for a while longer, and it isn’t certain that there will not be further lockdowns.

It is important that we are careful with our spending as 70 per cent of our income is through the door, and we have no idea when fluctuations and growth on that front will happen. On the other side is the hope – we want to be open so people can come in, and we have to move forward hoping that all of the doom and gloom lifts!

During the pandemic a lot more audiences went online, and at the times where there haven’t been lockdowns, people are not travelling far to go on outings. We need to ensure local audiences can find us and enjoy themselves, and we need to keep our online offer in mind.

We have had good success with our free downloadable drawing resources and our online workshops have reached a wider audience than we have done in the past, so we will be keeping a part-online approach to our engagement work in the future.

What is the role of a museum in today’s culture?

I believe a museum should form the hub of its community, both in terms of topic (in our case cartoon and comic artists) and locality (for us Westminster, and London). For a long time museums have been unique in that they are considered a trusted source of information. The work by academics over the past few years that has led into the so-called ‘culture war’ have started to challenge that, both for good and bad, as questions are being asked of the truth presented and how truly representative they are of Western Europe in the 21st Century.

I personally think that museums need to continue to be upheld as arbiters of truth, but to do that they need to take that responsibility seriously and ensure they are fully representative of the people, audiences, objects and stories that they champion.

 What’s the next big move for you guys? What does the future have in store for the Cartoon Museum?

Excitingly, we are currently pulling together our exhibitions programme for the second half of 2022, and getting ready to announce our next In-Focus exhibition that starts in August. We are also looking forward to getting schools and events back in the building!

With a slightly wider lens, we are beginning a period of collections work that will audit our current collection to understand exactly what we have, and the stories that it tells. This will feed into new collection policies that inform what we will collect and display, to ensure we can tell as full and representative a story of the cartoon art form in Britain as possible in the future.

Oxford’s finest | Start Licensing’s Ian Downes on exploring The Ashmolean through licensing

Founded in 1683, The Ashmolean is the University of Oxford’s museum of art and archaeology, with world famous collections spanning Egyptian mummies to contemporary art. Recognised as the first museum to open its doors to the general public, The Ashmolean holds its ability to tell human stories ‘across cultures and across time’ at the centre of its narrative strain.

And that’s a narrative that the museum has seen vast success in translating into the licensing space, too. Now, with Start Licensing’s own Ian Downes leading the Great British – and one of Oxfordshire’s finest – establishment’s deeper dive into the licensing sector, and with the promise of life springing back into the country’s museum and heritage sector itself, The Ashmolean appears more ready than ever to explore the depths at which its licensing story can be told.

We catch up with Start Licensing’s Ian Downes to learn more about the potential.

With such a wealth of heritage and history not just surrounding the Ashmolean but within it, where do you begin with addressing its potential in the licensing space? Perhaps at the very beginning would make sense, how did the Ashmolean take its first steps into the licensing space?

Like many Museums the Ashmolean has looked at licensing as a way of creating a new revenue stream and a platform for promoting its collection to the public. They have been active in licensing for a number of years and have also had a very active publishing programme. The licensing team at the Ashmolean felt they would benefit from some additional support from a third party agency and ran a tendering process to recruit an agency which I am pleased to say Start Licensing won.

One motivation for the Ashmolean to work with an agency was to extend its reach into new parts of the licensing market and to access new ideas. They had a good foundation of licensees already including well known names such as Surface View, Flametree Publishing, Woodmansterne and Fox & Chave. This has given them exposure in the market and insight into the workings of licensing. Part of our role is to build on this and identify new ways of working.

A key part of this has been to identify core areas for developments such as home decor coupled with identifying design resources. The team at the Ashmolean has been sourcing reference material from the collection on a theme by theme basis to help with business development – for example, we have reference for parts of the collection like ceramic tiles and also design themes like Christmas. This makes it easier to target licensees with ideas. In addition the Ashmolean is working very closely with certain licensees to develop opportunities. For example it’s now working with an apparel company to support it designwise as it responds to retailer briefs and design requests. This hands on approach appeals to licensees and reflects the way that licensees have to pitch to retailers these days.

What has this all taught you about the relationship that the museum could have with the licensing space, and the potential for what the Ashmolean could bring to the ‘heritage licensing’ space?

Given there are some very successful heritage brands in the market already, I think we have to work harder to create a point of difference. I think part of this is being design lead and making it easier for licensees to access the collection in a thematic way.

We need to also be tuned into trends and retailer requests. It is good to know that the Ashmolean is prepared to put time into development work in this way. The fact that licensees can work directly with the Ashmolean team is a good thing and an attractive attribute. Licensees can benefit from the Ashmolean’s detailed knowledge of the collection and its suitability for licensing. We are also working on opportunities that are driven by the Ashmolean’s exhibition programme.

Exhibitions create a real focus on specific parts of the collection and are in a sense, design refreshes. Recently the Ashmolean has had a Pre-Raphaelites exhibition featuring work from John Ruskin. On the back of this we have developed a licensing deal with the Isle of Man Post office and also Conway Stewart for a high end Limited edition pen featuring Ruskin. Both licensees were able to leverage their launches off the publicity the exhibition received.

We are also keen to develop mini programmes fired up by parts of the Ashmolean collections which are particularly strong, such as their coin collection. They have a specific coin gallery that tells the story of money. They have some fabulous coins such as the Oxford Crown minted in Oxford during the English Civil War – we think this sort of thing should interest direct marketing companies who produce collectible coins.

I read that the Ashmolean was the first museum to open its doors to the public, which gives it a rich history in making art and cultural exploration accessible to everyone. Is this an ethos that carries strong within your approach to licensing? What story are you telling through your licensing partnerships and plans? 

Where possible, licensed products are set in the context of the collection. For example the Conway Stewart pen includes a booklet that tells the story of the Museum plus focusses on John Ruskin. The Ashmolean is able to support licensees in this way to add colour and depth to products.

As mentioned earlier, licensing can also create a window for the Ashmolean to shine a light on its collection, helping to bring it to a new audience and to inspire people to visit the Museum. The Museum is a fantastic source and resource. We think licensing can help celebrate the collection and give fresh impetus to it. Seeing designs from the collection feature on licensed products is great and a way of celebrating the original work and creators.

Done well, licensing of a heritage brand can help demystify things and can bring things alive for a new audience. It is also a great chance for licensees to access a wonderful resource that will give them a really authentic story to sell to consumers and retailers.

How is the Ashmolean using licensing to unlock history, art, and different cultures for new generations? What role does the licensing strategy play in preserving the legacy of the museum, and how is this reflected in the partnerships you embark on?

One aspect of this is that licensing is a source of income which helps support the Museum’s work. So there is a direct practical benefit. Licensing can help in bringing parts of the collection to the fore that were maybe overlooked before and it can help draw attention to particular parts of the collection.

Flametree has had great success with Dutch Still Life artwork from the collection. Its calendars have been a great showcase for artwork and may well have encouraged people to come to the museum to see the art in situ.  We are trying to take a product sector and thematic approach to licensing backed up with appropriate materials sourced from the collection. As well as design elements this includes the back story and context for artefacts. This puts the licensing into a context and in some cases helps inspire a direction of travel. For example knowing the story behind the Ashmolean’s ceramic tile collection will help licensees in their product development and also to build a marketing story. In turn this will help consumers gain a better understanding of the collection and the influences behind it.

“I think it is important to innovate in product development terms whilst protecting the legacy of the collection. Innovation can be married with elements of the collection well.”

How has ‘heritage licensing’ changed over recent years? What do consumers expect in terms of brand narrative and storytelling in ‘heritage licensing’ today, and how is this reflected in your approach?

I would say it is a category of licensing that is much more established now and it has moved more into the mainstream. It is less the domain of specialist licensees and a wider cross section of licensees are engaged with it. There is, of course, still a bedrock of licensees that are experts in the category and have built great distribution for heritage brands.

I think consumers are more interested in the authenticity of products these days and products using heritage licenses can provide a very authentic backstory. I think consumers are interested in things like design themes and influences. Heritage licensing by definition has history behind it and that creates a point of difference in a licensing context. Telling the story of objects in conjunction with licensing is a good selling point for licensing and licensees. They can add value to their products and create products that engage with consumers because of the context around them.

The licensing and storytelling potential the Ashmolean boasts must be hugely exciting to explore. What level of creativity does the depth of the portfolio afford you with your licensing plans? 

It has been really enjoyable exploring the museum and its collections with an eye on licensing and design. Pre Lockdown this was something we could do on site, but in recent times this has moved to a more online or virtual process. The Ashmolean has a great website which is a useful reference point for design inspiration.

The licensing team at the Ashmolean has also been very proactive in their support of the licensing programme. They have researched the collections on our behalf to respond to licensing briefs and ideas. This has helped give us a great tool kit to share with licensees. In addition we have created some product concepts and visuals to show licensees how the collection can be translated to licensed products. There is a fair degree of creative freedom for licensees and they can access a whole spectrum of source material to build designs from. We are also exploring specific themes to fit into product opportunities like Male Gifting and Grooming. Here we are accessing specific assets such as art prints and illustrations that fit that category.

We have also created a Curated by design style to allow us to use the Ashmolean name and branding in a different way and to open up the potential for different parts of the collection.

How do you strike the balance in innovating and retaining the heritage and legacy of the museum? 

 I think it is important to innovate in product development terms whilst protecting the legacy of the collection. Innovation can be married with elements of the collection well. We are open to new ideas and new opportunities but would always want to make sure that the Ashmolean’s assets are used in an appropriate way. They work in new categories for licensing such as spirits – there is an Ashmolean Gin, for example. I think part of the skill set is matching products with assets in an appropriate way.

How has the consumer’s relationship with ‘heritage licensing’ changed in the last 12 months? Has lockdown and the pandemic changed the way in which people want to experience art and culture? How does this influence your licensing strategy?

 I think museums, galleries and other institutions worked hard to provide opportunities for the public to remain engaged with them. This ranged from virtual tours to online talks and in other cases collaborating with third parties to develop easy to access content. For example, the Ashmolean worked with the BBC in the early days of Lockdown to produce a programme that was a tour of their Young Rembrandt exhibition. People couldn’t visit the Museum but by filming the exhibition in situ people could still see it and get a sense of it.

The Ashmolean also has a strong following of members and supporters. It has stayed in touch with them throughout the lockdown and has still published the members’ magazine. The magazine has featured licensed products such as the John Ruskin pen. My sense is that people are keen to get back into museums and early indications are that visitors are coming back to the Ashmolean.

The Ashmolean normally has a significant percentage of visitors from outside the UK most notably from the US, China and Japan. We would expect these visitors to return in due course. From a licensing point of view, I think we are keen to showcase and represent all aspects of the Museum’s collection. My sense is that Ashmolean visitors enjoy the rich mixture of the collection and enjoy strolling around the whole Museum. It is important we allow licensees and licensing to reflect this.

What categories or licensing partners will be key to you as you continue to build on the Ashmolean portfolio? Are there any categories you’d like to take the brand into, or boundaries you’d like to push to the next level in art and heritage licensing?

There are a number of categories already in place including Woodmansterne for greetings cards, Surface View for print on demand wall art and coverings, Fox & Chave for ties, The Oxford Artisan Distillery for gin, Flametree for calendars and PJ Studio Accessories for scarves.

In addition, there art good relationships with companies like King & McGaw who work with the museum on print on demand art prints. We have added in the Isle of Man Post Office and Conway Stewart recently. There is also a new deal with start up business Blu Goblin for special edition postcard prints.

We are in active conversations with an apparel company, home decor companies and soft furnishing companies. We are keen to develop these further and also to broker partnerships with brand owners to develop collections in tandem with the Ashmolean.

Beyond the collection, the Ashmolean can support licensees in areas like PR , photo shoots, displays and sponsorship. There is scope for partners to create very rounded partnerships that feature licensing but go beyond a straight product relationship – for example, a paint company could sponsor an exhibition, have their paints used on the gallery walls and sell a licensed range. We are also keen to engage with companies from the arts and crafts area – the Ashmolean has been inspiring people for years. It seems sensible to think that companies who manufacture art kits, craft kits and accessories might see a value in partnering with the Museum to build new collections which can be linked to content from the Museum and featuring well known artists.

We also think it would be great to work with companies based in and around Oxford. One idea is to try to persuade Mini to develop a Limited Edition Mini featuring design elements sourced from the Museum and then feature the Mini at the Museum. The Mini is manufactured roughly three miles from the Ashmolean. Would be great to see two of Oxfordshire’s best known names work together.

What can we expect from the Ashmoelan in the licensing space in the coming year and beyond? What’s the next step for you guys in the sector?

We are keen to keep the momentum going – we have new partners and a number of the existing partners are adding to their ranges. It has also been great see how partners like Woodmansterne have embraced the opportunity and partnership. at the last Spring Fair Woodmansterne used an Ashmolean artwork to theme their stand featuring a large scale artwork as the centrepiece.

It is great to see an experienced licensee like Woodmansterne recognise the quality of the Ashmolean’s collection and to celebrate it in such grand style. We hope to develop some more partnerships that work across different levels and allow both partners to build the partnership beyond a product relationship.

We are always opening up the archive to inspire fresh thinking and ideas. We hope to invite more licensees and retailers to visit the Ashmolean and see the collection for themselves. It won’t fail to inspire and impress.

KFC Bucket Hats and the sell-out success of INK Branded

KFC, Warburtons, and the World of David Walliams, if you’ve spotted licensing activity across any or all of these brands over the past few weeks and months, then you’ll be aware of the work INK Branded, a specialists in the licensed apparel and merchandise space that is currently working with some of the tastiest… yes, we’ll stick by that… in the market right now.

While finger lickin’ may have been taken off the menu thanks to social distancing this past 12 months, the cookers certainly haven’t been switched off at KFC HQ, who, via the now-traditional licensing ‘pivot’ has managed to maintain plans to build out a merchandise and retail strategy with the help of the licensing chiefs at INK Branded.

KFC UK and Ireland has now joined the ranks of global lifestyle brands to roll out its own merchandise range, as well as found a new way to reach consumers through the launch of its direct to consumer merchandise platform, KFCshop.co.uk. Meanwhile, Warburtons, too, has been keeping things fresh, taking a humourous approach to its own licensing plans.

In essence, 2020 was anything but a slow year for the team behind so much of the plans put into action across these globally favoured brands. And with business only set to increase over the course of 2021, Licensing.biz thought it high time it got chatting with INK Branded’s director, David Taylor to learn a bit more.

Hi David, thanks for joining us. To start then, how has business been for you guys over the past year?

We’ve been really fortunate over the last year to work with some amazing brands that give us the opportunity to work on a number of exciting projects.

We began working with KFC at the start of the year, developing a line of merch products, while building an overall merchandise and retail strategy. However, many of the plans were delayed due to Covid. Given the circumstances, we worked on a number of internal merch and gifting projects with KFC, creating gift boxes filled with merch that were posted to staff as a thank you for their hard work throughout the pandemic.

From the middle of 2020 we started developing KFC UK&I’s first ever merch range, while also building KFCshop.co.uk, where the merch could be sold direct to consumer. The range and store was launched in November, focusing on four Christmas jumpers which were used as part of KFC’s overall Christmas marketing strategy. They even appeared in the Channel 4 documentary, ‘Inside KFC at Christmas’. The store did great over the festive period – and with 10 per cent of sales going to Comic Relief, it meant we were raising funds for a good cause.

In November we also developed a pair of Crumpet slippers and launched a similar DTC store for Warburtons. To be involved in another big product launch at Christmas time was brilliant. The slippers sold out inside a week and were seen on the likes of Rosie Ramsey, Ollie Murs and Jax Jones. All proceeds were donated to Fair Share which was amazing to be involved in.

How is INK Branded reflective of the current trends in licensing/consumer products? How are you guys pushing innovation in licensing?

We have a talented design team who keep up to date with current and predicted future trends, which informs our product or collection design process.

We also have great supply partners that allow us to manufacture or source just about any product we can imagine. So, innovation for us really starts with the idea and developing products that are different and can stand out. Sometimes that’s creating a product that hasn’t been seen before, or our client hasn’t been involved with before. A hero product that our client can build a piece of marketing around or even challenge our client to innovate.

We’ve also had to innovate how we take products to market. The pandemic has had such an impact on retail, we’ve pushed ourselves to offer a direct to customer solution to our clients, setting up supply chains, create good looking and interactive webstores, overseeing customer care. We’re really proud of our work within this service that we’ve provided over the last year.

What projects have you got lined up for 2021? How are you guys moving with the ever-changing licensing/retail space?

We’re continuing to work with KFC on their merch and retail plans, we have some really exciting things lined up… stay tuned! We’re also continuing to develop and evolve the DTC store; with lots of new product drops planned across daywear and accessories throughout the year.

What’s the next big move for you guys?

I guess it’s working with more big brands, taking the model of both DTC and Retail opportunities to other brands along with our creative approach to product design and development. We’ve got some interesting conversations lined up so hopefully 2021 is exciting for the right reasons.

Environment | “Toy recycling is key to educating children”: Wastebuster’s call to the industry

An underwater photographer turned campaigner, conservationist, and educator on the environmental impact of climate change and pollution on the world’s oceans, Katy Newnham is about to embark on her latest venture to help change the course of history.

Last week, Wastebuster launched its Recycle to Read and Toy Take Back scheme, an initiative that has called on the toy industry to support in the efforts to find better and more sustainable methods of keeping the hard to recycle toy plastics out of landfills and out of the natural ecosystem.

Landing initially as a reward system for schools, the programme aims to engage consumers to recycle toys in selected schools and retailers across the country, and to reward those participating schools and communities with books and reading resources for children.

With toy and publishing firms already signed up to the initiative, Newnham is doubling down on her appeal to an industry to help educate children no environmental issues and taking a lead in the fight for a better, sustainable future.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Katy Newnham, founder of Wastebuster and the Recycle to Read programme, to learn more about it all.

Hi Katy, thanks for chatting with us. To start, can you tell us a bit about yourself and your role with Wastebuster. What is the Wastebuster mission?

I began my career as a commercial underwater photographer but having witnessed the impact of climate change and pollution on the oceans’ ecosystems, I moved into conservation and education. In 2006 I created Wastebuster, becoming the founder and CEO of the not-for-profit environmental education company.

With partners and supporters that have ranged from UN Environment to Pinewood Film Studios and Google, Wastebuster now supports over 20,000 schools, and 30,000 teachers worldwide. Specialising in delivering national and international, cross-sector education and awareness campaigns, designed to promote responsible consumption in primary aged school children.

In 2019, Wastebuster acquired The Pod, an education platform for schools and together they have become one of the largest providers of free education for sustainable development, to children all over the world. Our goal is to harness the power of entertainment to inspire social change.

Can you give us a bit of an overview of the campaigns and initiatives you guys have led and the kind of partners you have worked with?

We work with partners ranging from international corporates, local authorities, NGO’s, Governments and the UN to deliver education and awareness programmes that support development of the circular economy, in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Wastebuster has worked with WRAP since 2008, with the Wastebuster characters fronting the Recycle now Schools programme. For our 2012 Sport into Schools campaign, Wastebuster worked with the 2012 Olympic Committee, LOCOG, to use the increased interest in sport to initiate a UK wide textile recycling campaign that exchanged unwanted textiles for thousands of UK under resourced schools, for new sports equipment.

More recently Wastebuster have delivered circular economy education and school engagement programmes in South Africa and the Middle East, to support the development of new recycling infrastructure for hard to recycle plastics. This led Wastebuster to be instrumental in the formation of EPPIC (Extended Plastics Partnership for Innovation in Circularity) alongside DOW, Marks and Spencer and Ecosurety.

EPPIC is a new nationwide initiative that aims to create the infrastructure and mechanisms for the collection and recycling of ‘hard to recycle’ flexible and hard plastics. By bringing together a critical mass of key stakeholders we can deliver a functioning and profitable recycling system that benefits retailers and brand owners, publishers, recyclers, citizens and most importantly, the environment.

Currently, Wastebuster is leading the workstream on hard to recycle toy plastics, which has led to the formation of the Recycle to Read campaign, in association with Products of Change.

“We feel that toy recycling, is a key to educating children in the importance of recycling and living a more sustainable lifestyle.”

Can you talk us through the latest initiative – the Recycle to Read campaign and the Toy Take Back scheme? Who is this campaign targeting and how?

For the Recycle to Read Campaign, Wastebuster is working with EPPIC and Products of Change to bring together cross-sector stakeholders (toy companies, brand, owners, publishers, government) to develop an efficient, environmental, and sustainable infrastructure for recycling plastic toys, initially in the UK.

Initially, the programme will engage consumers to recycle toys (including electricals and textiles) in selected schools and retailers, and to reward participating schools and communities with books and reading resources to improve children’s literacy.

The Recycle to Read toy recycling programme unlocks the value of collaborative advantage. It provides an industry-wide infrastructure solution for recycling all plastic toys that consumers can engage with easily, whilst unlocking considerable social, economic and environmental benefits for the communities in which it operates.

The programme also provides research and industry insight into toy design for recyclability to support the move towards a more circular future for toy production.

Recycle to Read is more than just a recycling campaign and environmental educational programme, it is a collective impact programme and dynamic research project that provides a solution to a complex issue, through multi-stakeholder collaboration including industry, government, and consumers.

How are you guys now tapping directly into the children’s sector? And why is this such an important sector to tap into?

We feel that toy recycling, is a key to educating children in the importance of recycling and living a more sustainable lifestyle. The Recycle to Read junior board members (made up of six to 11-year-olds) made it very clear to us that they have a unique and emotional bond with their toys and understanding how they can help their toys to be reused or recycled when they are no longer wanted is a huge step in creating positive messaging around the concept of recycling.

Helena Stopher at Products of Change and the Children’s Magazine Forum have been instrumental in introducing us to the children’s sector and so far it’s been hugely rewarding working with such a positive and forward thinking industry.

Why is now the right time for toy companies to be joining this campaign? Why are they so integral to the initiative?

There is no time like now to change the future of the toy industry.

Many companies are already taking this issue seriously, especially in terms of packaging and design. Those who become members of the R2R campaign will be:

  • Helping to ensure the toy industry has a sustainable future and recycling solution
  • Proactively leading change ahead of government legislation
  • Supporting and contributing to new and better intelligence on the recyclability of toys and product design
  • Demonstrating responsibility for their products in the market giving assurance to their consumers
  • Able to utilise resources for the promotion of responsible consumption to your consumers

Acting as a responsible business sector is no longer a ‘nice to have’. It is a commercial necessity and environmental imperative. We can turn the dial for a whole generation, to promote and enable responsible consumption and production.

Let’s make this a good news story for industry, for children and for the planet. Let’s work together to do that.

The Recycle to Read campaign is financed purely by members fees and we are engaging with all brands, retailers, manufacturers, and publishers who market to children, to get behind this scheme in order to create a sustainable future for their businesses.

The programme is run on a “not for profit” basis and all members will have the opportunity to vote on how any potential profit from the value of recycled material is spent – be that more school resources, scaling up the infrastructure or reducing member fees.

What sort of reception have you had to it so far?

The sector is more than ready for this and we have had nothing but support so far.

Over 40 companies and 70 local authorities took part in a special round table webinar in November, to find out more about the campaign and we are delighted that Immediate Media and Smart Games have become founder members and are looking forward to be announcing a host of other members in the New Year.

What are you setting out to achieve, what is the mission statement for the Recycle to Read campaign and why is it more important than ever that the toy industry sits up and takes part?

Our goals are as follows:

  • To provide a new, robust, and economical infrastructure for the collection and recycling of toys, small WEEE and textiles in the UK including schools, retailers, household waste and recycling sites, businesses, community groups and more.
  • To engage, educate and encourage families to reuse and recycle more.
  • To supply industry with the research and science to create more sustainable products.
  • To create greater circularity within the UK toy industry, in a manner that can be replicated in other territories

We are working as a non-profit organisation to help the toy industry to come together to create a solution to its’ sustainability problem and help us to educate children in the importance of recycling. This is not going to happen overnight, we have a five year plan to get the UK to the point where toy recycling can be carried out via local household waste and recycling centres.

It’s a big goal and we can only achieve it if we all work together, for the common good.

How can toy companies get involved in the programme?

Visit our website www.recycletoread.org and sign up to the Webinar on 18th February, where you will be able to find out all you need about the campaign. If you don’t want to wait until then you can contact any of the members of R2R leadership team to discuss the programme in more detail – contact details are also on the website.

We will be working hard to get members fully registered by the end of February, so that we can launch phase one of the Recycle to Read Toy and Tech Take Backs in Schools in the summer term.

We can’t wait to get started!

Culture sculpture: Beer Buddies and the fine art of merchandising

A two-man operation working out of a headquarters in Wheal Vor, in Cornwall, Beer Buddies has started to make its presence known on the pop culture licensing and merchandise scene through its range of best-selling Motorhead, Iron Maiden, and now Original Stormtrooper bottle openers.

Using traditional sculpting methods put to use from its Cornish workshop, this is a company that has not only struck upon a unique angle within the traditional licensing space, but continues to champion an artisan approach within the sector, finding and bridging that gap between today’s demand for pop culture merchandise and the consumer’s desire for artistry.

Here, Licensing.biz grabs a quick five minutes with Beer Buddies co-founder Richard House to talk about the firm’s foray into licensing, its successes, and what’s on the horizon for the UK business.

Hi Richard, good to catch up with you. To start, can you give us a bit of history on the Beer Buddies company? How did this all come about for you guys, and what was the moment that got you into the licensing space?

Beer Buddies is just two people: myself and Seamus Moran. We both did design based degrees and formed Beer Buddies 10 years ago, we’ve worked together ever since moving to Cornwall from the Midlands in 1988.

Buddies started almost by accident when we were asked to design and produce a Green Man wall plaque. Seamus realised that a bottled opener could be incorporated into the mouth and I came up with the name Beer Buddies. We came up with a few more designs, made them in our workshop and began selling, as demand grew and the range increased and we moved the manufacturing to China.

We had never considered doing licensed products until Jens Drinkwater of Global Merch introduced himself to us at a trade show about three years ago. Motorhead bottled beer Road Crew was selling strongly and Jens suggested a bottle opener would be a great addition to Motorhead merchandise line.

The trail went quiet for about 12 months and then out the blue we got the green light from Global and six months later the first Beer Buddies licensed product was on sale. It immediately opened our eyes to the potential of the licensing world. Motorhead sold more than the rest of our range put together.

You pay homage to a real artisan aspect of creating Beer Buddies. How do you guys strike that balance of bringing the artisan to the licensing space? What do you think this brings to the licensing space itself and is it proof that artistry and merchandise can work together?

The artisan element of our working methods probably has much to do with our age. Seamus is a sculptor in his own right and totally at home working with traditional modelling materials such as clay and plaster. Neither of us are of the Cad era. Seamus has a meticulous modelling style and an eye for detail that is unique to him and that translates into the designs and brings a very human element to the work that a computer generated design can’t.

We look for brand icons that will translate into what we do without making too many compromises to the original concept. Also, because this is so new to us having good support from the licensee is very important. Global has been fantastic in this regard and Jens has introduced us to new customers and spread the cost of royalty fees when our cash flow has been tight.

What has reception been like to the Beer Buddies’ licensed roll out to date? 

The response to our licensed roll outs to date has been very positive. Motorhead and Iron Maiden are our biggest sellers. Original Stormtrooper arrived late due to the chaotic situation at UK ports but the initial signs are that it’s going to be very strong .

How has business been for you guys over the course of 2020? With lockdown keeping people in their homes for longer, has Beer Buddies spotted an opportunity here?

Like virtually all businesses this year, Covid-19 has caused us problems. Most of our trade accounts have been closed for 25 per cent of the year and some may have closed for good. We probably won’t know the full extent of the damage until next year. On the plus side our own website sales have more than doubled as lockdown has sent online shopping go off the chart .

What’s the next big move for Beer Buddies, what can we expect from you guys in 2021?

Next year we hope to get some more Heavy Metal under our belts with Metallica, they have the right look and like Motorhead and Iron Maiden already have a licensed beer and a huge loyal fan base.

Plush toy specialist Posh Paws readies for “biggest year yet” thanks to heavyweight licensing portfolio

The plush toy specialist, Posh Paws International, is preparing for what looks to be its ‘biggest year yet,’ as it readies for 2021 with a raft of new releases and licensed launches based on some of the biggest children’s entertainment franchises of the past decade.

With a portfolio brimming with blockbuster movie licenses, including Minions 2: Rise of Gru and Jurassic World, as well as the perennial evergreen, Sesame Street, and the fan-favourite Swizzels confectionery branded range, the Essex-based pre-school and soft toy expert states that it’s ‘in a great position going into the New Year.’

While you could be forgiven for thinking that – with 2020 a year of dampened box office sales, widespread cinema closures, and a roster of delayed major film releases – the licensed gift market would be feeling rather sheepish over the prospects of an entertainment industry emerging from the mire of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s with a diverse portfolio of some of the most in-demand licenses of the moment that Posh Paws maintains an unerring confidence.

Licensing.biz catches up with Lauren Shipman, group brand and marketing director at Posh Paws International to talk about navigating the pandemic, the current strength in the gifting and ‘self-care’ markets, and what will be driving the firm to further success over the coming year.

 Hello Lauren, it’s been too long since we last caught up! I hope everyone there has their sanity intact. How has business been for you guys, and how has Posh Paws navigated the events of 2020?

It’s been a challenging year, I think we can all relate to that, but we’ve been able to remain positive and focus on what we do best, which is bring the highest quality products to market and support both retail partners and licensors during a time when it’s been crucial for us all to come together and stay strong.

We’re well overdue a run through of the brands you guys are working with today. Can you talk us through the strength of the portfolio, and how it has positioned the business for a strong Q4 and 2021?

Our portfolio for next year is incredibly strong and we’re delighted to be working with some of the biggest global brands and franchises across our pre-school toys ranges and our plush gifting catalogue.

We’re in a great position going into the new year with some blockbuster movie licenses like Minions 2: Rise of Gru and Jurassic World soft toys, as well as ever-green TV show Sesame Street, to confectionary favourites with our scented and very squidgy Rainbow Drops by Swizzels soft toys.

2021 is lining up to be one of our biggest yet for new releases and we’re fully committed to making sure it’s a big year for our customers too.

We’re in a strong position to finish such a difficult year for us all, and we’re doing all we can to work closely with our customers to ensure we can help them as much as we can. We are constantly encouraging our customers to reach out to us, as we can support them with a variety of marketing initiatives to increase awareness of our products in their stores and to drive sales, so we can enter 2021 in a good place.

We’ve launched some fantastic new products this year that appeal to a wide audience, from our new Sunny Bunnies soft toys with special voice and movements features, new BBC baby animals soft toys made with stuffing from 100 per cent recycled plastic, our adorable feel-good Love Hearts Foodie Friends characters and our beautiful British designed range of Ragtales toys that make for perfect Christmas gifts for babies and pre-schoolers.

With Minions 2, Jurassic World, and Sesame Street you guys seem to be covering all bases across pre-school, film, TV (on demand) etc. What has reception been like to the range so far? 

The reaction and support from retail for our 2021 ranges has been incredible and we’re busy finalising how we can maximise their support so that our launch activities are aligned to build awareness and drive growth.

With Minions: The Rise of Gru being postponed to 2021, we’ve been able to look at how we can make it bigger and better from marketing and product development, working closely with customers who have orders in already. We have some fantastic exclusive products ready to hit the shelves and working with one of the best-in-class licensors, Universal, 2021 will be the year of the Minions with Posh Paws.

Despite Jurassic World III being moved back to 2022, we’re roaring into the new year with a range of soft toys with everyone’s ‘favourite’ T-Rex, Blue the velociraptor and more. With the success of Netflix’s Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous, and brand new content scheduled for release next year, we’ve developed a range of toys to meet the demand by fans for Jurassic World product, while we wait for the next movie.

And of course, who doesn’t know and love Sesame Street? The brand and its values are very closely aligned with ours at Posh Paws, so it was the perfect partnership and we’re delighted to be joining such a globally heart-warming brand to bring some incredible toys to market next year. As well as standard soft toys, we’ll be launching an educational development range of characters that allow children to interact with Elmo and Cookie Monster, incorporating fun and learning in our soft feature toys.

It’s not just about licensed product with us and we have been working tirelessly on developing new own-brand ranges for pre-schoolers that incorporate educational play patterns and the comfort that soft toys bring little ones. So, if you’re looking for non-licensed toys and gifts, we’ll be happy to show you what we have planned and how we can work together.

How have the events of 2020 shaped or evolved the Posh Paws perspective? Has it impacted on the kind of brands that consumers are turning to? Looking at something like the BBC Earth partnership, have brand values come to play more of a role in consumer’s shopping habits?

We have seen an increase in shoppers buying more gifts for others within toys and games this year and this has been evident with our Swizzels Love Hearts plush toys. It’s been a year when people need to treat others and are buying products that can give a ‘feel good’ factor and put a smile on their face, which is exactly what our Love Hearts toys do, with fan-favourites like Alan the Avocado and his ‘Let’s Avo Cuddle’ message and our new Patrick the Pizza with his ‘Have a slice day’ giving positivity and personal messages during a socially-distanced year.

Seeing the growth in popularity for ‘gifts for me’, we’re expanding the range for next year with more positive messages and fun characters that will continue putting smiles on faces and contactless cuddles.

Sustainable products continue to be a huge talking point and driving the industry forward with new developments, which is why our BBC Earth collections of Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II and our new Baby Animals, with their stuffing made from 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles, have seen a big increase this year and appeal to both kids and adults.

Our long-standing partnership with the BBC has gone from strength-to-strength and their core brand values are reflected across all our animal toys and consumers see this and want to buy the highest quality products from brands that they trust.

Looking ahead to next year and our BBC range, we’ve got some fantastic new animal soft toys joining our existing eco-friendly portfolio, that are focussed on our much-loved British wildlife.

How have you guys reacted to or adapted the changes we’ve seen throughout the year, at a retail or consumer level, or a day to day business level?

We invested in increasing awareness of our products, and where they are available, across digital platforms and focussing on Social Media marketing campaigns to be where consumers are spending more time.

With soft toys specifically, consumers want to pick-up and feel the product, but with that being difficult this year, we’ve focussed on creating eye-catching and engaging digital content to bring our products to life for viewers, so they can almost touch them and get a feel for the quality and how great they are.

Working with retailers, we’re always looking at how we can best support them in-store and especially digitally, to build awareness and increase visibility through stand-out displays and content that captures consumers attentions.

How confident are you guys as we plough into Christmas? 

We’re confident that soft toys and gifts will remain a favourite for consumers this Christmas, with fun and quirky adult gifting seeing an increase during a time where being able to spend time together will be challenged. Soft toys for adult gifting are a great way of showing someone you care and have sentimental value, while also being a gift that keep close to them throughout the year ahead.

Children’s soft toys will always be perfect for Christmas ideas and if they do have added play patterns to them, like our Sunny Bunnies with sound and movement features, then it offers more value for money and something children can interact with on a more stimulating level – something we’ll all need this Christmas.

What’s the next big step for you guys?

It’s now all about how we can make sure 2021 is a great year for our customers and delivering high quality products that can joy and create unforgettable memories in the year ahead.

While we have a lot of great products planned for 2021, we’re constantly working on and looking for new inspirations to develop the best ranges.

Comic effect: How the UK’s love for comic books is keeping The Cartoon Museum Covid-secure

Whether it was at its former home along Little Russell Street in London’s Bloomsbury, or its new Wells Street, Fitzrovia abode, The Cartoon Museum had never previously had an issue with footfall. At the height of its popularity in the former location, the museum was pulling in 38,000 visitors a year. In its new site, it was on track to hit an all-time record.

But that was a time before the coronavirus had hit 2020 like an over-sized mallet over the head. By March this year, it was inevitable that numbers wouldn’t hold, with fewer and fewer making the journey to the UK’s capital. In the same week that the museum’s doors were finally closed at the hands of Covid-19 on March 18th, visitor numbers had hit an all time low of 50 per cent of its average.

Six months later, the museum’s doors remain closed, and the some 18,000 pieces housed within, decorate the walls of empty rooms. The Cartoon Museum has missed its key Easter to summer period – the period during which UK museums make most of their money – and subsequently has lost as much as 75 per cent of its income for this year. But however bleak this picture may seem, the optimism and support surrounding the museum and the community it embodies tells a very different story.

In a firm stance against the plight, The Cartoon Museum has found itself at the centre of a rallying cry from the comic and cartooning communities, with some of the biggest names on the scene throwing their weight behind actions taken to preserve this staple of modern British history. 

It’s without doubt a reflection of the size and passion of the UK’s comic book community that The Cartoon Museum has seen donations come in from its members and visitors, found itself the focus of an exclusive fundraising t-shirt by the UK comic book publisher Rebellion, the subject of a cover price percentage donation from ComicScene Magazine, and at the heart of a fundraising sale of The Bad, Bad Place by Soaring Penguin Press, as well as an art sale of unique pieces by the artist Dan Digby.

Not only all of this, but the museum curator’s husband has even ran a half marathon, all to help raise money for the cultural attraction. Then there’s the matter that it recently managed to secure a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

It would appear that, even as the UK navigates some of its toughest months in recent history, the nation’s affinity for and history with comic books has held as firm as ever. If ever there’s a story that exemplifies the passion of a homegrown fan base, it’s surely this one.

Licensing.biz catches up with The Cartoon Museum’s Director, Joe Sullivan and its Learning and Outreach Officer, Steve Marchant to tell the story of The Cartoon Museum and Britain’s undying love for the comic book.

Comic and cartoon aficionados Joe and Steve, hello to both of you, and thank you for chatting with us. By way of an introduction, can you talk about the history of the Cartoon Museum – when was it established, why so, and your roles at the museum?

The Cartoon Arts Trust was founded in 1989, as a way to collect and preserve key elements of Britain’s unique and nationally-important cartooning history. In 2006, The Cartoon Museum opened on Little Russell Street in Bloomsbury, London. In July 2019, the museum moved across London to a new, larger premises on Wells Street in Fitzrovia.

As of 2006, the museum has developed a reputation as a key champion of British cartoon and comic art, and a strong track record of innovative ways to democratise access to the arts. We have received 420,000 visitors, and built a nationally important collection of cartoons, comics and caricature, as well as a reference library of 18,000 items.

Over 50,000 children and adults have attended workshops, and we receive 3,000 student visits a year. We work in partnership with community-based organisations, including Laydeez do Comics, Geek Syndicate, Sketch Appeal, and MIND. We also work closely with universities and colleges, including Staffordshire, Dundee, Exeter, Westminster and Syracuse (in the USA).

Joe Sullivan is the Director of the museum, setting the vision for the future, and leading the museum forward to increase visitor numbers, and develop the collection and exhibitions programme., 

Steve Marchant is the museum’s Learning and Outreach Officer, and has been with the museum since 1991. He develops and leads the museums learning programme, teaching drawing skills to children and adults, and opening new pathways into careers and hobbies in the arts. 

How have you guys been impacted by the ‘explosion’ of the pop culture scene in recent years? What has the matter of underground culture going mainstream done for the museum?

The ‘mainstream-ification’ of pop culture has definitely been a benefit to the museum, with increased interest particularly in comics, which gave us some of our highest exhibition attendance figures. This created the opportunity for us to run the Comic Creators project, from 2015 – 2019, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We collected 402 pages of original British comic art, including ages from the Beano and Dandy alongside pages from legendary comics such as Judge Dredd, Asterix and Watchmen.

We also are beginning to see interesting patterns relating to pop culture – for example, the highest attended UK exhibition last year was Manga at the British Museum, and our Manga half-term workshops have been incredibly popular and over-subscribed. This is a clear response to the current popularity of anime, manga and Japanese video games among children, teenagers and young adults.

So, what kind of collections and exhibits do you house at the Cartoon Museum? And what are some of the most popular?

We have a large and varied collection of cartoon and comic art, but only five to 10 per cent of our collection is on display at any one time, meaning we have a veritable treasure trove stored away. Our cartoon collection traces the history of satirical cartoons, from Heath Robinson and Gillray through to current Cartoonists Martin Rowson and Steve Bell – both of whom are Trustees.

Our comic collection of 402 items contains pages from key British comics such as the Beano and Dandy, as well as famed graphic novels including Dave Gibbon’s work on Watchmen.

In addition, we have a large library and some interesting items and ephemera, including an original Spitting Image puppet and a replica of William Heath Robinson’s infamous ‘pea counting machine’. Our collection is almost entirely original pieces of art, and part of the fascination for me is the look you get into the artists mind-set. On some of our comics you can see how the page has been assembled, with cut-out word balloons positioned over the artwork.

Our current temporary exhibitions, Hail to the Chief: The Best and Worst US Presidents, and Dear Mr. Poole (which you can view online) celebrate a theme around ‘tools of the trade’, and delve into the types of pen nibs different artists use, their relationship with specialist art stores, and what a cartoonist’s work space looks like.

How do you think the way we as a society engages with comic books has evolved across the generations?

If you look back 17,000 years into the past, Stone Age cave art shows us how narrative art has always been an essential communication for humans. It is an older form of communication than writing, and potentially older than formalised language.

Cartoons and comic books are the successor to this form of narrative art. Like anything, there are ebbs, flows and reactions in style, content and readership. Right now, the age of the internet has changed the landscape for comics. Anyone can self-publish widely on the internet, and often do, leading to a huge rise in webcomics and other narrative artforms, such as memes.

How far do comic books and cartoons go to reflect the sensibilities of their generation?

Like many mediums that are consumed en-masse, comics have evolved in response to political and social situations, which often change on a generational basis. For example, in the 1950s and ’60s, ‘girls comics’ presented a specific view of what was expected of girls at the time, with stories about boarding schools and relationships. At the time this led a lot of girls to pick up a ‘boys comic’, like Eagle, and read that instead.

‘Boys comics’ featured topics such as war, or sport. If you compare that to today, these lines are much more blurred and comics are largely written for and read by a more general audience – Roy of the Rovers, for instance, a football strip previously a bastion of ‘boys comics’ relaunched in 2016, and was quickly followed by a new strip starring his female cousin, Rocky of the Rovers.

What would you highlight as some of the most notable steps of evolution of the comic book? How do you think engagement with the medium today compares to that decades ago?

One of the earliest steps towards modern comic books in the UK was the change from featuring single-panel cartoons and prints in newspapers, to using two or three panels to create cartoon strips. One of the earliest popular characters was Ally Sloper in the late 1800s, who set a type for a lazy ne’er-do-well surrounded by a troupe of colourful characters drawn in grotesque stereotyped ways. He is considered the first ‘recurring character’, which set a precedent for new regular newspaper and magazine strips with readers returning to check in with their favourite characters.

DC Thomson started the Dandy and the Beano in the 1930s, starting a boom in comic anthologies and books. This continued through to the 1970s, where independently drawn and published ‘comix’ started to pop up, often featuring more adult-orientated material. In the 1990s web comics started to gain popularity, and in 2020 we see a mix of all that has gone before – beloved characters in long-running formats (The Beano is still being published) sit alongside deep, thoughtful graphic novel material, all of which is published often in both physical and digital formats.

Can you describe for us, the British affinity with comic books? How does the UK’s engagement differ to the likes of the US, for example?

Comics and comic readers of today are largely viewed in a different light by the mainstream today in Britain than they are in America. In Britain, the over-riding view is (and has been for a few decades) that comics are only for children. This is of course, nonsense, but you do generally see a graduation towards other entertainment mediums as children get older. However, in America comics are viewed as a viable medium for all ages, making the market bigger and healthier. Part of this may come down to the cheap and disposable nature of comics – in the US this led to a wider variety of children and adults having easy access to them before disposing of them or passing them on.

What makes a British comic British? Across the decades, has there been a common thread that holds it together as a particular ‘genre’ within comics?

British comics are often more inherently satirical in nature – 2000 AD in particular filters its action and square-jawed heroes through a lens of social collapse, providing commentary and warning on the importance of working together to make a better society. Perhaps there is a strong link to political and satirical cartooning in this, something which is a very British tradition of narrative art.

Modern comics continue this trend, and are easy to digest, and provide a great entry point into reading and telling stories. Comic books also offer a mid-point between the voyeurism of films and the imagination needed to create images in your head when reading a book. Comic books encourage the reader to create the voices of the characters and the movement between panels themselves, but in return show the reader fantastical images, design and art.

There is a give-and-take element not seen in other media.

We know that you guys have felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the temporary closure of the museum… How has it been, seeing the action that’s been taken by the community to support you guys?

The museum has been very lucky during its closure, as the UK cartooning and comic communities have rallied around us to lend their support – it has been very humbling to be a part of.

We have had donations from our members and visitors, an exclusive fundraising t-shirt by Rebellion, a cover price percentage donation from ComicScene Magazine, a fundraising sale of The Bad, Bad Place by Soaring Penguin Press, an art sale of unique pieces by artist Dan Digby, and our Curator’s husband even ran a half marathon to help raise money! In addition to that, we received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

We hope to reopen soon, but things will remain quiet for a while, and 2021 and 2022 will be difficult years for both us and other museums, with school visits not happening for a year, and a huge reduction in overseas tourists. We are safe for now and continue to fundraise, and hope to get back on our feet properly over the next year.

How can those interested help support the museum through this period?

We are expecting 2021 to be very quiet in terms of visitors, so we are still fundraising for our long-term survival. If you would like to donate to our appeal, please visit: https://www.cartoonmuseum.org/

You can also buy an amazing exclusive t-shirt from our friends at 2000AD, with all profits going to the museum: https://shop.2000ad.com/catalogue/XRC032