Tag Archives: lead

Lisle Licensing seals Hallmark, Moonpig, and Carousel Calendars for US brand Kate Smith Company

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The UK licensing agent, Lisle Licensing has sealed three early deals for the US brand, Kate Smith Company in the greetings card, online greetings, and calendar categories, tapping Hallmark, Moonpig, and Carousel Calendars.

Kate Smith Company is a brand on a mission to make humans smile. Its origins started several years ago in the greetings card sector with its own ‘From Frank’ brand. Lisle Licensing has secured an agreement with Hallmark as master greetings partner which will see a comprehensive range of cards launch later this year.   

Moonpig has also been appointed as the online greeting card partner and will offer a variety of the Kate Smith Company lines which have become so popular across the USA and Canada, but are particularly renowned for sending uplifting, happy, positive vibes blended with its vibrant art design house-style.

The range will also be extended in the coming months with designs that can be personalised to add that extra personal touch and make an even bigger impact.

Lastly, Carousel Calendars will launch 2022 dated calendars and diaries.   

All three licensees were brokered by Lisle Licensing who has already seen strong interest in Kate Smith Company’s brands, demonstrating its potential to expand into further categories. Discussions are already taking place with gifting, stationery, and additional categories.. 

Francesca lisle, managing director at Lisle Licensing, said: “When we first set eyes upon Kate Smith Company and saw their success in the USA and Canada, we instinctively knew they had a fantastic future in the UK quite simply because of their humorous, cheeky and happy brand which will aspire to consumers here. 

“We are thrilled that licensees agree with us, and to have got them off to a fantastic start in key categories and strong partners.”

Jen Stephenson, UK head of licensing, Hallmark added: “We’re delighted to be working with Kate Smith Company and so excited about our partnership. Kate is a wonderful designer and we absolutely love her fun, funny, quirky and playful style. As soon as we saw her card designs they made us smile and we knew straight away her brand would be a perfect fit for Hallmark.”

Martin Rees-Davies, product, licensing lead, at Carousel Calendars, said: “We are delighted to be working with Kate and her amazing designs and captions. With the year that we have all had I have no hesitation that the vibrant colours and designs will bring a much- needed smile to everyone’s face.”

Roy’s Boys launches new baby and toddler leggings as team promises ‘further expansion plans in months to come’

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Roy’s Boys is launching a new addition to its matching family socks range with the introduction of a new line of leggings featuring family favourites Pepper Pig, Hey Duggee, and Little Miss Sunshine. The new leggings range will be added to throughout the year.

The expansion of the family range arrives following a year of ‘unprecedented growth’ via the Roy’s Boys website, marking just the beginning of plans to further build the portfolio over the coming months.

“Since lockdown began last March, we have seen unprecedented growth on our Roy’s Boys site that is incredibly exciting for us all,” said Hannah Lowe, account manager and self-named Roy’s Boys’ favourite child.

“We want to continue to keep things fresh and new for our customers to keep them coming back for more. Leggings are definitely the beginning of our expansion, hold tight for more news in the months to come.”

Ben Lowe, First Boy at the family run business, added: “We have taken Roy’s way of makign the perfect sock, and applied it to these baby and toddler leggings. A soft combed cotton, and a super springy backing yarn create leggings that hug and wear well.

“The only seams are around the nappy panel, and we have made them to lie as flat as possible on the fabric. As always, our aim it to maintain a high quality product that will even last the test of a toddler.”

View the collection of leggings here https://roysboyssocks.co.uk/collections/childrens-character-leggings 

Josh, Roy’s First Marketing Guru, concluded: “Over the past year, like many companies we have experienced constant change and we are rolling with it. One of the main focus’ of our business for the year ahead is our online growth, as this is now over 50 per cent of our business.

“Retail and the way consumers are shopping is evolving rapidly and we as a company pride ourselves in being adaptable, maintaining a rapid response and changing with it. With Roy’s Boys, we believe that the quality and giftable presentation set us aside from other retailers and keep customers coming back for more.”

The Light Fund launches 10,000km for Kelvyn challenge this April with fundraising merchandise range

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The licensing charity The Light Fund has launched a new initiative in memory of late industry legend, Kelvyn Gardner, encouraging the sector’s network to come together and cover 10,000km throughout April.

Gardner – who was a long-standing trustee for The Light Fund – passed away suddenly in January. He was a firm believer in getting 10,000 steps a day which is where the idea for the challenge in his memory was born.

As Covid-19 restrictions begin to lift, and people are able to meet up and exercise with colleagues outdoors, the licensing community is being asked for its help to meet the target of 10,000km by the end of April, with the cumulative effort being tracked via Strava.

In lieu of traditional sponsorship fundraising, a range of special merchandise has been created and is available from www.10000km4Kelvyn.com. Rather than asking for money in the current climate, people can instead purchase a t-shirt or hoodie to wear on their daily activity, a mug to have a well earned refreshment once your run is complete, or a keyring for your car keys on the days you drive out a little further from home to explore a new route.

All profits from the sale of the merchandise – with tees and hoodies available for both adults and children – will go to The Light Fund to help deserving causes in Kelvyn’s name.

For those who would prefer to make a donation can do so via a JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/the-light-fund

People will be encouraged to share photos of their activities on social media, with The Light Fund committee members also logging their fair share of the miles.

A 10000km4kelvyn club has been created on Strava https://www.strava.com/clubs/893847 and will keep track of the overall distance covered.

Simply log in to the app – or it can be downloaded for free from the App Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices – search for ‘10000km4kelvyn’ and click to join. The app will track your distance, route and time by starting and stopping an activity within it. Y

ou can also link it to a smart watch or upload it manually. Kilometres notched up via cycling or swimming will need to be uploaded manually as a run for the distance to be tracked.

“Kelvyn was a true legend in the IP licensing industry which he graced for many decades,” said David Scott, treasurer of The Light Fund. “He was both a passionate advocate of licensing to those outside the industry and a massive support to all of us within it. Approachable, enthusiastic, witty and wise, Kelvyn was a treasured friend to countless numbers of people around the world and we shall all miss him dearly.

“One of his many virtues was to serve as a long-standing trustee for The Light Fund charity and, to remember this wonderful man, The Light Fund invites you to help us raise funds for deserving causes in his name, by joining with us in together completing 10,000km for Kelvyn.”

Kelvyn’s wife, Michelle, and his children Regan and Eliot, commented: “We are very pleased to support this amazing fundraiser for Kelvyn as organised by The Light Fund. Kelvyn would have loved it! We wish everyone great success in their endeavours. We’ll see you out there in our t-shirts and hoodies.”

Royal Horticultural Society plants major kids’ clothing deal with George

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The Royal Horticultural Society has secured a new partnership with the award-winning George brand to produce a collection of children’s clothing and accessories to be made available in Asda stores across the UK from April 1st this year.

The new range will be aimed at kids aged one to seven years old and will span shirts, t-shirts, hoodies, dresses, shorts, boots, backpacks, and rainhats. It will include a selected mix of apparel for wearing in the garden, at picnics, during outings to the park, and more. With the British weather in mind, there will be items for both sunny and rainy days, too.

The collection is the result of a collaboration between the RHS and George who came together to create a unique print direction featuring hand-drawn illustrations of smiling vegetables, bright garden tools and colourful tractors. There are also slogans encouraging kids to connect with nature and grow plants and veg such as ‘I’m growing every day’, ‘You can find me in the back garden’, and ‘Let’s go and grow.’

To further underline the joys of gardening, swing tags have been designed in the shape of flower pots, while the RHS branding, highlighting the RHS tree and shield, is clearly visible on the sew-in tags and packaging.

The range launches on the 1st of April in Asda stores where it will be supported by a marketing campaign that will include consumer press releases, product placement and influencer support.

Launched in 1990, George is now sold in over 580 stores and through George.com with over two million customer transactions per week combined. George is a household name and has built up a reputation for quality, style and value, leading the changing face of British fashion over the past decades and making Asda one of the largest fashion retailers in Britain.

Estella Arroyo, product design profession lead at George, said: “This collaboration between George and the RHS is aimed at producing a collection of products that are beautiful to look at, great to wear and support a worthwhile message in a fun way. We are very proud to be collaborating with the RHS on this wonderful range which has been worked through by two companies who have the same values in mind. We‘re delighted with the final product which displays both quality and style and encourages children to get outside and grow.”

Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, added: “This is our very first collaboration on children’s clothing and the results, in terms of products, packaging and design, have exceeded our expectations. And, of course, the whole range brilliantly supports our key message – to encourage everyone, no matter their age or ability, to ’get growing’. This line has been a joy to work on and I think it will delight its young target market as much as it has delighted us.”

Opinion | Foundation of success: What can retailers learn from the LEGO approach?

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As global pandemics go, the onset of Coronavirus, while forcing many to navigate a treacherously rocky road to begin with, hasn’t fared too badly for the toy industry; a global business that has provided support and entertainment to families and children worldwide. Among some of the last year’s biggest successes was LEGO, who achieved a 13 per cent growth on sales over the course of 2020.

With an eye for analysis, Utku Tansel LLB, MBA, an industry analyst who has led global research programmes across the entire toys, games, and licensed consumer products spectrum, turns his attention to the Danish toy maker and how shifting focus onto new and emerging audiences has helped the art of LEGO building continue to go from strength to strength.

While the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing some retailers around the world to close, LEGO opened 134 new stores – of which 91 were in China – last year. The company plans to open a further 120 new shops in 2021, including 80 in China alone, expanding its total global store count to almost 800 in 2021.

This is part of LEGO’s business strategy towards – what it calls an ‘omnichannel network’ – operating in tandem with LEGO.com, whose online visits doubled over the last year. This ties with Mintel’s COVID-19 tracker showing that nearly half of British consumers are now doing more shopping online – a double digit increase since mid-April 2020.

LEGO’s sales in 2020 grew by a substantial 13 per cent, while operating profit rose by 19 per cent worldwide. Its retail strategy is definitely working.

Merging online and offline

 

In terms of new product launches, the LEGO Super Mario set from 2020, which uniquely blends physical bricks with online games, has been one of LEGO’s most successful theme launches. The product line featured an interactive LEGO Mario figure that collects coins in real life game levels created with LEGO bricks. The figure has LCD screens in its eyes, mouth and belly to display a wide range of instant reactions to movement, colour and action bricks.

Meanwhile, and collaborating with Universal Music Group, the innovative company continues with this strategy in 2021 with the LEGO Vidiyo release –  which taps into kids’ creativity through music and play. Through LEGO Vidiyo, children can direct, produce, star in, and share their own music videos, using chart-topping tracks from Universal Music’s extensive variety of global artists. Its playful music video maker experience combines physical and digital play as special effect ‘BeatBits’ and music inspired minifigures integrate and come to life through AR in a vibrant new app.

Mintel Trend Extend My Brand investigates how brands are expanding into new categories and demographics to find new business as well as intrigue consumers. Brands are advised to assess the opportunity to use their company’s established image, visibility, and strong brand following to launch new product lines – which LEGO has been utilising very successfully in recent years. They are encouraged to explore new categories and price points that may cater to an extended clientele while still aligning with the brand’s identity.

Brick by brick, LEGO, which dominates the construction category globally, has been expanding its presence in toys targeting beyond its core business. In 2020, the company entered the arts and crafts category with the introduction of LEGO DOTS – a concept which offers kids a creative canvas for self-expression. Based on multiple shapes and colourful tiles, the line featured bracelets and items for home décor.

Targeting stressed-out adults

Aiming at adults, LEGO also released its 2nd 2D tile building theme, LEGO Arts, in 2020 featuring Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe, The Beatles, Marvel Studios Iron Man, and Star Wars The Sith. Mintel Traditional Toys and Games, US, May 2020 report highlights that consumers need toys and games to bring more than just fun and brands can connect with adults by appealing to their need for wellness.

With products for adults that can tout stress relief and relaxation, each LEGO Art design is accompanied by a bespoke soundtrack. These soundtracks dive deep into the inspiration behind each wall art set helping adults unwind and fully immerse themselves in the building experience. Our consumer research (US, March 2020) confirms that there is a large market for toys and games for adults, since half of consumers who have purchased toys and games in the previous 12 months have done so for an adult.

 

Providing a unique retail theatre experience             

LEGO stores are a great example of retail theatre with plenty of life sized models and figurines as well as play stations. Their outlets are seen as a destination in their own right by consumers. Mintel Trend Experience Is All highlights that most consumers still put a premium on the advantages of shopping in-store, which includes the ability to try products in person and to be helped by customer service associates.

This trend is not about countering online sales, but rather turning shops into enjoyable experiences that promote purchases – either in-store or remotely. Retailers are reminded that shops are windows and adverts as much as places to purchase stock and they need to extend the time people spend there as well as the frequency of their visits.

So, what’s next?

Post-pandemic (or when the restrictions are eased), LEGO should be able to continue to build on its success. As I also investigated in my West End Farewells? – Regent Street’s Hamleys has met a modern cross-roads Opinion piece in ToyNews recently, for consumers, a shopping day out will continue to be a leisure activity and it will increasingly be a choice rather than a necessity.

Overall,the retail landscape will be leaner, the battle for consumer attention will be fierce and when the economy recovers, consumers will remain value conscious. In city centres, particularly, newer and better retailers are coming in which will undoubtedly help with the footfall into the high street, moving forward.

There is a huge opportunity and good retailers will continue to do well. LEGO is in a very good position to capitalise on these.

Utku Tansel has 17 years of success in driving global thought leadership, project and content management, delivering strategic business intelligence and insight to major international companies. He can be contacted via LinkedIn

Industry caught in Suez Canal block; KAP Toys calls on ‘Leviosa spell’ to lift Harry Potter Sorting Hats

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The toy industry is among the hundreds of global businesses to be caught up in the Suez Canal as the beaching of the container ship Ever Given runs into its fourth day, with suggestions that a solution could be weeks in the taking.

Officials at the scene have deliberated plans to move the vessel, a container ship that has run aground on the sand banks of the 250 meter wide canal, that include removing the cargo, oil and water from aboard the ship in order to lighten its load.

The suggestion made by the Suez Canal Authority as it works a plan to refloat the ship and resume traffic on one of the world’s key trade routes, could take a matter of weeks to complete.

The 220,000 tonne, 400 meter long vessel currently has 13 ships behind it. At least 150 ships in total have been delayed by the blockage, the canal service provider Leth Agencies said, including ships near Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea and Port Suez on the Red Sea.

Among the hundreds of containers stacked aboard the ship and the thousands of businesses now impacted by the blockage is the UK’s own KAP Toys who currently has a 40-foot container of Harry Potter Sorting Hats aboard the vessel.

KAP Toys’ managing director, Nathaniel Southworth, told ToyNews: “If there are plans to lift the cargo off the ship I’m sure the Wingardium Leviosa spell would be the Hogwart’s recommendation! We just hope for everyone affected that normal service is resumed and impacts kept to a minimum.

“Whether this delay will result in stock shortages we just don’t know but we want it sorted because it is one of our best sellers and Harry Potter fans love their Sorting Hats.”

Radar Licensing named global agent for Nic Cage horror film Willy’s Wonderland

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Radar Licensing has been appointed the global licensing agent for the 2021 horror film Willy’s Wonderland, a role in which it will spearhead a worldwide consumer products retail programme spanning apparel, accessories, publishing, electronics, toys, and costumes.

Starring Nicolas Cage alongside Emily Tosta, Ric Reitz, and Chris Warner, Willy’s Wonderland enjoyed a successful PVOD premiere this February. Since then, the t-shirt worn in Willy’s Wonderland by Cage has been consistently selling out of stock.

Radar Licensing has now appointed its first licensee, Changes, as apparel partner to replicate the t-shirt for availability this spring. Radar, in partnership with Landmark Studio Group, anticipate additional products for Willy’s Wonderland to begin hitting retail in Q3 this year.

“We are thrilled with the fan and critic reception of Willy’s Wonderland, which has received great reviews and millions of impressions to date across YouTube and social media platforms,” said David Ozer, CEO, Landmark. “Fans want more engagement with the film, and this is the opportune time to partner with a seasoned licensing agent like Radar to create a line of products that reflect the quirky, fun, and adventurous vibe of the film delivered by the talents of Nic Cage to the marketplace.”

David Imhoff, president, Radar Licensing, added: “With its multi-genre appeal, Willy’s Wonderland has so many fantastical elements from which we can develop a merch program. We look forward to working with Landmark to develop and bring these products to retail.”

Directed by Kevin Lewis from a screenplay written by G.O. Parsons, in Willy’s Wonderland a quiet loner (Cage) finds himself stranded in a remote town when his car breaks down. Unable to pay for the repairs he needs, he agrees to spend the night cleaning Willy’s Wonderland, an abandoned family fun center. But this wonderland has a dark secret that the “Janitor” is about to discover. He soon finds himself trapped inside Willy’s and locked in an epic battle with the possessed animatronic mascots that roam the halls. To survive, he must fight his way through each of them.

View the official trailer below:

Making sound waves | “Tonies has got to the heart of what a generation of parents has been looking for”

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For a company with high expectations, Tonies continues to surprise itself. The German-born audio toy platform has never been quiet about its plans for the UK and international market, not since its emergence on the scene only a few years ago. But it never expected success on the scale it has seen this past year.

If the pandemic has thrust into the limelight the technology used to keep us all connected throughout this year of unrest, then Tonies is one among the antidotes. A screen-free device that uses tangible (lovingly hand-painted) characters as a means of escapism for children – and parents – overwhelmed by a dependence on screen-time these past 12 months, Tonies placing above all else, the power of story-telling.

It’s the company’s own admission that the “multifold growth it has achieved in the UK market this past year” has been far beyond its expectations, yet it is a position it has been quick to capitalise on, bolstering its ranks with a senior team comprising ex Universal and Skip Hop experts in the children’s market in a move to ready itself for further international growth this coming year.

Among them is Lucia Kreuzer, the former global commercial director of Hello Fresh who now heads up Tonies UK and IE, having been appointed by the board to accelerate the growth of Tonies and steer its business into its next phase.

This week, associate title, ToyNews caught up with Kreuzer to learn more about those plans and delve deeper into the innovation of the Tonies brand, and its secret formula that has placed it “at the heart of what a generation of parents are looking for right now.”

Hello Lucia, thanks for chatting with us. Can we kick off by talking about business at Tonies over the past year. The pandemic saw families re-establish relationships with toys and play, what role did Tonies have to play and what success did you see through this? 

The pandemic has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the family dynamic in so many households. With the huge move to home working, there has been a real challenge in keeping children happy, occupied and entertained for hours on end – and it can be so easy for children to spend entire days in front of a screen while parents are trying to get their work done.

I think parents are now much more concerned with the effects of too much screen time, and this is where Tonies comes into its own as a screen-free antidote to iPads, computer games, and TV, while sparking children’s imagination and independent play. What we really believe is key to the appeal of Tonies is its versatility – children can enjoy creative play to unwind from schoolwork, listen to the fun educational content, and stay connected to the family members they’ve sadly been separated from due to the pandemic.

Children also love the beautiful Tonies, our hand-painted figurines, as they are so unique and have that collectability element – even our  youngest customers love to play with them as they listen to their stories or songs, which is wonderful.

We had big plans for Tonies in the UK last year but the multifold growth we have seen has been far beyond our expectations. We have been so overwhelmed by the positive customer feedback, press and awards we received last year.

“We will continue to innovate every aspect of the kids’ audio experience to ensure we stay at the forefront of this category that we love.”

The team’s been bolstered with some key new hires. Can you talk us through what your roles will now be with Tonies, your areas of focus, and how this will prime the business for growth in the coming months and years? 

Just as our business is experiencing huge growth, our team at Tonies is growing rapidly too. We have been so lucky to attract very talented people to build up further areas of the team.

Liz Peters (ex Universal) has joined our Product team as Portfolio Manager, Gemma Stokes (ex Skip Hop) has joined our team as Senior Marketing Manager and comes with a wealth of experience in the baby and toy industries, and Paul Chattaway (ex Ring) will be driving our retail growth as Head of Sales. They all come with real expertise in their fields that I know will help to spark the creativity, purpose, and success of the Tonies brand going forward.

What will be the strategy for international growth? Why is now the right time for Tonies to be  planning for global expansion like this? 

Our continued growth and influence in our German home market provides the basis for our solid  international expansion. We are currently active in five countries, enabling over two million kids to let their imagination run free. Tonies launched last September to the US market, offering children there a completely new way of listening to stories and music. We will launch in France later this year.

While we are expanding internationally, there is still immense potential for us to grow in existing markets through adding to our portfolio, expanding our retail footprint, adding new product categories and functionalities and more – the possibilities are endless!

There has never been a better time for us to be thinking about growth, Tonies has got right to the heart of what a whole generation of parents has been looking for. More than ever, they are searching for alternative ways to entertain, educate and inspire their children and enable their  minds to grow. Most of all, they want what is best for their child.

You guys pioneered what has become an exciting audio-toy space. How is Tonies taking that  reputation for innovation forward for the coming year? How will you be leading the space through new developments? 

Innovation is part of our brand’s DNA. We were first to market and created a new category from scratch. We will continue to innovate every aspect of the kids’ audio experience to ensure we stay at the forefront of this category that we love.

We have an amazing line-up of strong content launches and accessories, partnerships with exciting brands and organisations, and will further broaden our retail coverage with existing and new retailers. Our aim is to be synonymous with fantastic audio storytelling for children.

“We want our little listeners to become familiar with different cultures and ways of life through our audio content. At Tonies, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that reflects society.”

Key to the Tonies success is the library of children’s stories you guys have and your licensing  partnerships. What plans have you got for building out the portfolio over this year? What licensed lines can we expect from you guys?

Our product and audio system is unrivalled in the market. Last year we added further strong licenses, from much-loved classics like Toy Story and Frozen to Elmer and Spot the Dog to our ever increasing portfolio – offering a curated and appealing range of stories, music and educational content for children.

This year we have already launched our Peter Rabbit and In the Night Garden Tonies, as well as adding to our range of Disney Tonies with Aladdin. We have lots of exciting blockbusters from the page and screen coming to life as Tonies later this year, and we are so excited to expand our partnerships with Hachette Children’s Group, Viacom Consumer Products, Mattel Inc, and NBC Universal and many more wonderful partners.

What is the Tonies approach to representation and diversity within the story portfolio? How will you guys promote this message as you continue to grow internationally and tap into new  audiences?

The world of storytelling is certainly far more diverse than it used to be and we want children using their Toniebox to be able to identify with the Tonies they put on their box. Additionally, we want our little listeners to become familiar with different cultures and ways of life through our audio content. At Tonies, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that reflects society.

What do you look for in the IP that you bring to the Tonies platform? 

We put a great deal of thought and work into the content that we bring to Tonies as we want to ensure that there is a huge amount of variety in our portfolio. We really foster strong bonds between children and parents through the magic of storytelling – whether parents are introducing their children to their own nostalgic stories, listening together to the latest blockbuster story that their child loves, as well as our wonderful music and educational content. And, of course, we are always looking to consumer trends and insights to predict the next bestseller.

You guys have obviously got new agencies on board for the marketing and PR strategies, how is this reflective of the wider plans for this year and beyond? 

We are incredibly excited to partner with VCCP as our new creative agency and Diffusion as our new  PR agency. Both agencies really impressed us with work that they have done in the past and their passion for Tonies. We have some exciting campaigns coming up – so watch this space!

You’ve aligned yourselves with a number of children’s causes, among them children’s mental wellness. Can we explore the Tonies relationship with this topic? Why is it important for  you, and what does storytelling and story time do to help the issue? 

Children’s mental wellness is a topic that is so close to our heart. As a brand we want to continue to build on our great work, as it is so incredibly important. We recently ran a campaign in February to support Children’s Mental Health charity, The Place2B and raised funds for them by asking our audience to share our post and we donated per share.

The pandemic has seen so many children suffer with their mental health amid so much upheaval and  increased social isolation. We have found that the Tonies audio can help children to feel like they have some company and can be a real source of solace in such a confusing time.

While so much has changed over the past year, children’s bedtime stories, for example, can act as a real anchor in their daily routine and bring some much-needed familiarity. The outside of the Toniebox itself too is so soft that children can often be seen cuddling it while they listen to stories or music – it can be incredibly soothing to them.

During the first lockdown, one mother from our community told us how her husband was on the Front Line NHS Covid ward and therefore was unable to see both his wife and young child for 19 weeks. Every night he would leave a new message for his young son on his Creative-Tonie (that you  can record yourself), who hugged it nightly whilst listening and the Toniebox became almost  synonymous with his father’s voice. A truly touching story.

What’s the next step for you guys? What can we expect to see from Tonies in the coming  weeks/months? 

We have big ideas and plans for this year – from amazing content and an accessories line-up to new  partnerships and co-operations. It will be an exciting year for Tonies and our partners.

Thank you Lucia, and just before you go, is there anything else you want to be shouting about right now?

Our wonderful founders, Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl, started Tonies with the belief that childhood should be a magical time, full of big adventures and loving memories. They wanted to create a way for kids to experience storytelling in a digital age, stimulating their imagination and  creativity in ways that a screen simply cannot.

Patric and Marcus originally dreamed of every child having a Toniebox in their bedroom and it’s so wonderful to see that dream is now becoming a reality: so far, we have sold over 20 million Tonies globally.

Tonies offers an immersive, wondrous experience you can feel good about, but more importantly a community you can be part of now and  for many years to come.

Making sound waves | “Tonies has got to the heart of what a generation of parents has been looking for”

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For a company with high expectations, Tonies continues to surprise itself. The German-born audio toy platform has never been quiet about its plans for the UK and international market, not since its emergence on the scene only a few years ago. But it never expected success on the scale it has seen this past year.

If the pandemic has thrust into the limelight the technology used to keep us all connected throughout this year of unrest, then Tonies is one among the antidotes. A screen-free device that uses tangible (lovingly hand-painted) characters as a means of escapism for children – and parents – overwhelmed by a dependence on screen-time these past 12 months, Tonies placing above all else, the power of story-telling.

It’s the company’s own admission that the “multifold growth it has achieved in the UK market this past year” has been far beyond its expectations, yet it is a position it has been quick to capitalise on, bolstering its ranks with a senior team comprising ex Universal and Skip Hop experts in the children’s market in a move to ready itself for further international growth this coming year.

Among them is Lucia Kreuzer, the former global commercial director of Hello Fresh who now heads up Tonies UK and IE, having been appointed by the board to accelerate the growth of Tonies and steer its business into its next phase.

This week, associate title, ToyNews caught up with Kreuzer to learn more about those plans and delve deeper into the innovation of the Tonies brand, and its secret formula that has placed it “at the heart of what a generation of parents are looking for right now.”

Hello Lucia, thanks for chatting with us. Can we kick off by talking about business at Tonies over the past year. The pandemic saw families re-establish relationships with toys and play, what role did Tonies have to play and what success did you see through this? 

The pandemic has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the family dynamic in so many households. With the huge move to home working, there has been a real challenge in keeping children happy, occupied and entertained for hours on end – and it can be so easy for children to spend entire days in front of a screen while parents are trying to get their work done.

I think parents are now much more concerned with the effects of too much screen time, and this is where Tonies comes into its own as a screen-free antidote to iPads, computer games, and TV, while sparking children’s imagination and independent play. What we really believe is key to the appeal of Tonies is its versatility – children can enjoy creative play to unwind from schoolwork, listen to the fun educational content, and stay connected to the family members they’ve sadly been separated from due to the pandemic.

Children also love the beautiful Tonies, our hand-painted figurines, as they are so unique and have that collectability element – even our  youngest customers love to play with them as they listen to their stories or songs, which is wonderful.

We had big plans for Tonies in the UK last year but the multifold growth we have seen has been far beyond our expectations. We have been so overwhelmed by the positive customer feedback, press and awards we received last year.

“We will continue to innovate every aspect of the kids’ audio experience to ensure we stay at the forefront of this category that we love.”

The team’s been bolstered with some key new hires. Can you talk us through what your roles will now be with Tonies, your areas of focus, and how this will prime the business for growth in the coming months and years? 

Just as our business is experiencing huge growth, our team at Tonies is growing rapidly too. We have been so lucky to attract very talented people to build up further areas of the team.

Liz Peters (ex Universal) has joined our Product team as Portfolio Manager, Gemma Stokes (ex Skip Hop) has joined our team as Senior Marketing Manager and comes with a wealth of experience in the baby and toy industries, and Paul Chattaway (ex Ring) will be driving our retail growth as Head of Sales. They all come with real expertise in their fields that I know will help to spark the creativity, purpose, and success of the Tonies brand going forward.

What will be the strategy for international growth? Why is now the right time for Tonies to be  planning for global expansion like this? 

Our continued growth and influence in our German home market provides the basis for our solid  international expansion. We are currently active in five countries, enabling over two million kids to let their imagination run free. Tonies launched last September to the US market, offering children there a completely new way of listening to stories and music. We will launch in France later this year.

While we are expanding internationally, there is still immense potential for us to grow in existing markets through adding to our portfolio, expanding our retail footprint, adding new product categories and functionalities and more – the possibilities are endless!

There has never been a better time for us to be thinking about growth, Tonies has got right to the heart of what a whole generation of parents has been looking for. More than ever, they are searching for alternative ways to entertain, educate and inspire their children and enable their  minds to grow. Most of all, they want what is best for their child.

You guys pioneered what has become an exciting audio-toy space. How is Tonies taking that  reputation for innovation forward for the coming year? How will you be leading the space through new developments? 

Innovation is part of our brand’s DNA. We were first to market and created a new category from scratch. We will continue to innovate every aspect of the kids’ audio experience to ensure we stay at the forefront of this category that we love.

We have an amazing line-up of strong content launches and accessories, partnerships with exciting brands and organisations, and will further broaden our retail coverage with existing and new retailers. Our aim is to be synonymous with fantastic audio storytelling for children.

“We want our little listeners to become familiar with different cultures and ways of life through our audio content. At Tonies, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that reflects society.”

Key to the Tonies success is the library of children’s stories you guys have and your licensing  partnerships. What plans have you got for building out the portfolio over this year? What licensed lines can we expect from you guys?

Our product and audio system is unrivalled in the market. Last year we added further strong licenses, from much-loved classics like Toy Story and Frozen to Elmer and Spot the Dog to our ever increasing portfolio – offering a curated and appealing range of stories, music and educational content for children.

This year we have already launched our Peter Rabbit and In the Night Garden Tonies, as well as adding to our range of Disney Tonies with Aladdin. We have lots of exciting blockbusters from the page and screen coming to life as Tonies later this year, and we are so excited to expand our partnerships with Hachette Children’s Group, Viacom Consumer Products, Mattel Inc, and NBC Universal and many more wonderful partners.

What is the Tonies approach to representation and diversity within the story portfolio? How will you guys promote this message as you continue to grow internationally and tap into new  audiences?

The world of storytelling is certainly far more diverse than it used to be and we want children using their Toniebox to be able to identify with the Tonies they put on their box. Additionally, we want our little listeners to become familiar with different cultures and ways of life through our audio content. At Tonies, we’re committed to building a diverse and inclusive portfolio that reflects society.

What do you look for in the IP that you bring to the Tonies platform? 

We put a great deal of thought and work into the content that we bring to Tonies as we want to ensure that there is a huge amount of variety in our portfolio. We really foster strong bonds between children and parents through the magic of storytelling – whether parents are introducing their children to their own nostalgic stories, listening together to the latest blockbuster story that their child loves, as well as our wonderful music and educational content. And, of course, we are always looking to consumer trends and insights to predict the next bestseller.

You guys have obviously got new agencies on board for the marketing and PR strategies, how is this reflective of the wider plans for this year and beyond? 

We are incredibly excited to partner with VCCP as our new creative agency and Diffusion as our new  PR agency. Both agencies really impressed us with work that they have done in the past and their passion for Tonies. We have some exciting campaigns coming up – so watch this space!

You’ve aligned yourselves with a number of children’s causes, among them children’s mental wellness. Can we explore the Tonies relationship with this topic? Why is it important for  you, and what does storytelling and story time do to help the issue? 

Children’s mental wellness is a topic that is so close to our heart. As a brand we want to continue to build on our great work, as it is so incredibly important. We recently ran a campaign in February to support Children’s Mental Health charity, The Place2B and raised funds for them by asking our audience to share our post and we donated per share.

The pandemic has seen so many children suffer with their mental health amid so much upheaval and  increased social isolation. We have found that the Tonies audio can help children to feel like they have some company and can be a real source of solace in such a confusing time.

While so much has changed over the past year, children’s bedtime stories, for example, can act as a real anchor in their daily routine and bring some much-needed familiarity. The outside of the Toniebox itself too is so soft that children can often be seen cuddling it while they listen to stories or music – it can be incredibly soothing to them.

During the first lockdown, one mother from our community told us how her husband was on the Front Line NHS Covid ward and therefore was unable to see both his wife and young child for 19 weeks. Every night he would leave a new message for his young son on his Creative-Tonie (that you  can record yourself), who hugged it nightly whilst listening and the Toniebox became almost  synonymous with his father’s voice. A truly touching story.

What’s the next step for you guys? What can we expect to see from Tonies in the coming  weeks/months? 

We have big ideas and plans for this year – from amazing content and an accessories line-up to new  partnerships and co-operations. It will be an exciting year for Tonies and our partners.

Thank you Lucia, and just before you go, is there anything else you want to be shouting about right now?

Our wonderful founders, Patric Faßbender and Marcus Stahl, started Tonies with the belief that childhood should be a magical time, full of big adventures and loving memories. They wanted to create a way for kids to experience storytelling in a digital age, stimulating their imagination and  creativity in ways that a screen simply cannot.

Patric and Marcus originally dreamed of every child having a Toniebox in their bedroom and it’s so wonderful to see that dream is now becoming a reality: so far, we have sold over 20 million Tonies globally.

Tonies offers an immersive, wondrous experience you can feel good about, but more importantly a community you can be part of now and  for many years to come.

The art of Hatsune Miku | The virtual pop sensation that’s selling out concerts, inspiring art projects, and growing a global licensing programme

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Even by the standards of a generation that grew up on the animated band, Gorillaz or witnessed the explosion of the BT21 brand (a lifestyle brand comprising characters devised by members of the K-Pop brand BTS), Hatsune Miku presents an interesting concept.

Officially, Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid software voicebank that has been developed by Crypton Future Media that takes on the appearance of a 16 year old singer designed in the style of the Japanese anime art form. To the legions of fans of Hatsune Miku across Japan and increasingly, the Western World, she is a virtual pop sensation.

Utilising Yamaha Corporation’s Vocaloid 2, Vocaloid 3, and Vocaloid 4 singing synthesizing technologies, Hatsune Miku has performed at sell-out concerts onstage as an animated projection with a definitive look that has led to a large scale licensing operation across Japan. And the appeal is spreading.

Most recently, this virtual pop-star was announced the first licensed partner for the Japanese restaurant Shoryu Ramen and its range of DIY Ramen Kits. The partnership marked the latest development for the brand’s move in on the UK market,and, while there is still some distance to go before its popularity hits the same notes as its Japanese reverence, the European licensing agency, Reemsborko is excited by the potential.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Max Arguile, director of Reemsborko to learn more about Hatsune Miku’s global licensing plans and understand the deep passion that the virtual pop star’s audience has for the brand.

Hello Max, thanks for chatting. So, Hatsune Miku is an interesting concept. A vocal software package that takes on the shape of an anime 16 year old pop star. It sounds like a hard sell, but we’ve seen the extensive list of licensing partners signed to the brand already. It’s clear this brand works. But what drives it? What is it about Hatsune Miku that caught the audience attention?

It is interesting, and with Hatsune Miku, the fans are involved from the very beginning via the creative aspect of the property. Hatsune Miku and five other characters originate from a voice software package that allows you to generate a song from scratch. Using that software, fans have created music and video contents featuring the characters, and published them on the internet for other fans to enjoy. There are more than half a million of these fan-created videos that can be viewed online.

The fans also make a lot of artwork of Miku and friends, which is also uploaded. The whole thing adds up to a vibrant online community of Miku fans that sometimes don’t even have the chance to meet up in real life, like when the Miku Expos happen.

And what are these Miku Expos, because they sound fun?

Miku Expos are live tours, the last of which was in early 2020 – five dates starting with Brixton Academy in London, then France, Germany, Holland, and Spain. I went to the London date and was blown away by the ardour of the fans, many of whom (men and women) were in cosplay, dressed as Miku or one of the other characters.

The next day, keen for a chance to congregate once more, hundreds of them came to an in-store event at Westfield Shepherds Bush in order to meet up and contribute to a collaborative art project.

OK, let’s explore that a bit more… what do these collaborative art projects look like?

Alongside every Miku Expo, wherever possible, Crypton will organise a meet-up in the same town as the concert. This is advertised in advance and they will have the tour merchandise and other Miku merchandise on sale at the venue for perhaps two weeks in advance of the concert, culminating in a collaborative art project.

The venues can be a local comic shop, but in our case it was a Japanese restaurant/supermarket. The venue gets increased traffic in the lead up to the gig (the merch often sells out and needs to be replenished by the day of the concert) and on the activity day there can be 100 to 200 people that arrive and take part in the project.

It used to be old school felt tip pens and paper but in this case it was mostly digital. On arriving at the front of the queue, the fans were invited to download an app to their phone or tablet – this revealed black and white artwork. The first 50 people got an exclusive Miku stylus to use when doing the colouring. Once they had finished, they uploaded the artwork to a site to be shared with other fans. The venue had a hugely increased footfall on Sunday morning in January and they sold a lot of product in general, the fans loved being able to make Miku artwork together and just hang out.

So, art projects and cosplay events to one side, for the moment, what do you think Hatsune Miku is bringing to the licensing space? Why does it translate well for European audiences, and how does the licensing approach differ between the Japanese and the European markets?

Hatsune Miku is essentially, a fun property based around creativity. It has the loo and feel of anime, which is one of the biggest trends in licensing right now. Miku’s appeal is international, so is perfect for licensees with that distribution but for me it means I can also now talk to licensees in other territories that may only need to service their local market.

In Japan, this is a brand that is licensed on a very large scale, but internationally it still has some distance to go before reaching the same level. Although buyers can still be resistant to change and wary of something unfamiliar, once in-store, it always works. The reactions we’ve had from licensees once their product goes into retail just exceeds all expectations. Trademark has told that the brand has become one of the top selling properties in HMV, and it has sustained that popularity.

Given the brand’s roots and creation, is Hatsune Miku a good representation of the surge in popularity of anime and manga across the European markets?

Yes and no. Unlike most animé, there is no narrative content behind the brand – in that sense it is closer to Hello Kitty than traditional animé, but there is no committee that meets once a week and might get to review your submissions (but might not) so the approval process on Miku is much slicker.

The team at Crypton are not just the best for approvals in animé, they are one of the best I have ever worked with in 25 years of licensing. In terms of markets, Ben Woodman from GB eye put it very well when he told me that “Miku is a key animé property, her popularity has grown across Europe in the last 12 months and despite the pandemic, we’ve seen our Miku sales increase year on year.”

With various streaming platform really ramping up their anime content over the past 12 months, it seems like the pandemic could have presented a real opportunity to tap directly into emerging audiences. What lasting effect do you think the past year will have in the popularity of manga/anime IP?

Licensing around tent-pole theatrical releases will come back, eventually,  but right now, while cinemas are closed, licensees could be forgiven for avoiding film licenses. Everyone stayed home in 2020 and 2021 will unfortunately see much of the same. People have been used to getting entertained at home and the big winners, I have been told umpteen times by licensees, are gaming and animé brands.

Investment in the production of original animé by Netflix is expanding, Amazon and HBO are continuing to secure classic animé properties, and Crunchyroll has just hit 4 million paid subscribers (their fastest growth to date because they only reached 3 million last year).

Beyond that, the purchase of Crunchyroll by Funimation will soon yield an animé powerhouse in the West. So yes, there is a lot of activity in the industry which will ensure not only that classic properties are more available but that new content continues to be created. It is a great time to be an animé fan.

You’ve shown us a list of the licensing partners that Hatsune Miku is already signed up. There are 18 of them, signed in just the past year, including AR badges and pop-up restaurants. It was only a year ago that you had just two deals. That’s some impressive licensing there, Max. How will you continue to innovate and push the envelope in the licensing of the brand?

I have lots of plans in place to keep the Hatsune Miku brand innovative in the licensing space. The adult colouring book from Anthem fits very nicely from a creative perspective, and the WristWorld mobile game (a company run by teenagers in Oklahoma) is also notable. I also love the limited edition screen-prints from Under The Floorboards and the Rubber Road range – the Christmas decoration is sold out and the rubber duck is in progress. If we can do that and it be commercial, then surely the sky is the limit?

What are your expectations for the brand this year and beyond? Will anime/manga continue to grow in popularity across Europe, and what does the future hold for Hatsune Miku?

The expectations are that yes, anime/manga will continue to grow across Europe. For Miku, there should be return to live touring next year but since performing in front of fans is not possible right now (not even for virtual pop stars), Crypton is putting on a free online gig this summer.

Launched on Kickstarter, the target of $240K was reached in 24 hours – the fans sure love Miku. Check out the Kickstarter campaign here.