LINE FRIENDS partners with Starbucks for festive collaboration

LINE FRIENDS, the popular characters based on stickers from messaging app Line, have partnered with Starbucks to unveil a new Christmas collaboration across Asia Pacific, featuring BROWN (“the bear with an unchanging expression”), CONY, and the entire BROWN & FRIENDS character lineup.

The Starbucks x LINE FRIENDS collaboration offers gift-worthy lifestyle accessories, as well as also a video featuring BROWN on LINE FRIENDS’ official Youtube and Instagram to inspire Millennials and Gen Z with the heartwarming message of “Yet still merry”. 

The collaboration unfolds with the story of how BROWN encounters himself from the past at a Starbucks store, and gains heartwarming cheer and hope after reading a touching message from BROWN in the past.

LINE FRIENDS has also produced a selection of festive-themed LINE messenger stickers and a Zoom virtual background.

“This collaboration brings together Starbucks and LINE FRIENDS’ shared passion for creating meaningful moments and making every day special,” says Erin Silvoy, vice president, Product and Marketing, Starbucks Asia Pacific. “This partnership brings our customers merry fun and holiday cheer, along with a new way to connect with loved ones and share a special moment this holiday season.”

The limited-edition lifestyle essentials – including planners, tumblers, plush toys, tote bags and many more – are now available to purchase at select Starbucks stores across 12 regions in Asia Pacific – Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam – while supplies last. More updates on the Starbucks® X LINE FRIENDS collaboration will follow in 2022.

 

 

 

 

 

Line Friends partners with Universal to launch Minions x Brown & Friends collaboration

The internationally celebrated character brand, Line Friends, has partnered with Illumination and Universal Brand Development to unveil its Minions x Brown & Friends collection, a new line-up of products that will feature the Minions’ Stuart, Kevin, and Bob alongside Line Friends’ own Brown and Sally.

A collaboration long over-due, early reaction among Millennials and Gen Z has – understandably – gone viral, as the first glimpse of Brown and Sally dressed in the signature Minions’ get up of overalls and goggles ignited the imaginations of its core audience the world over.

 Launched as part of the collaboration between these two powerhouse brands, the Minions x Brown & Friends collection consists of fashion and tech accessories ranging from AirPods cases to phone grips to canvas tote bags, as well as to golf accessories and camping gear. Collection items are anticipated to hit a record-breaking sellout worldwide.

The Minions x Brown & Friends collection is available for global purchase on the official on- and offline stores of Line Friends in countries and regions including Korea, the US, Japan, and China, from July 22. Line Friends is also slated to drop big surprises of digital contents, including Line messenger stickers and Instagram AR GIFs for this collaboration, sparking viral sensation among Millennials and Generation Z.

“With our unrivalled creative capabilities, Line Friends once again captures the hearts of Millennials and Generation Z across the world with this collection jointly collaborated with long-standing partners Universal Brand Development and Illumination,” said the Line Friends team.

“We anticipate that this phenomenal collaboration between Brown & Friends, originally created for use as Line messenger stickers, and the beloved Minions will stir up fun and excitement for fans worldwide.”

WildBrain CPLG signs popular mobile gaming IP Brawl Stars in latest Line Friends deal

WildBrain CPLG has secured a multi-territory representation deal for the popular online mobile game, Brawl Stars, with the brand’s global rights holder, Line Friends. The deal marks an existing partnership between the two that covers the Line Friends characters brands, Brown & Friends and BT21.

WildBrain CPLG will now represent Brawl Stars across the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Iberia, Benelux, Nordics, CEE, Greece, Turkey, Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine with a licensing programme aimed at fans of all ages. Key target categories will include apparel, accessories, toys, homewares, and stationery.

Brawl Stars is a multiplayer online battle-arena and hero-shooter game with multiple game modes. It was originally created and produced by the Finnish mobile game developer, Supercell, and provided the foundation for a global partnership with Line Friends to exploit all opportunities for the Brawl Stars IP. This includes licensing, content creation, and merchandise production.

The game first launched in 2018 and has since generated a significant user base in Europe with over 280M downloads.

Maarten Weck, executive vice president and managing director at WildBrain CPLG, said: “We’ve established a very successful partnership with Line Friends across their beloved character brands, so it’s fantastic to extend the relationship and welcome the hugely popular Brawl Stars to our portfolio.

“The game has an impressive footprint across Europe, which will provide a solid foundation as we assemble a compelling cross-category consumer products programme for fans and gamers. We already have a number of exciting deals in the pipeline, so watch this space.”

WildBrain CPLG secures Line Friends partnership with Brighton’s Artbox Cafe

WildBrain CPLG has secured a new deal for the global character brand Line Friends that will see it open a new, branded activation at the Artbox Cafe in Brighton.

Following its launch on December 12 this year, the Line Friends at Artbox Cafe partnership is now underway and sees Artbox Cafe bring Line Friends’ Brown and Friends, as well as BT21 characters across its take-away and sit-down cafe.

 Danielle Brosnan, brand and retail manager at WildBrain CPLG, said: “During these times, consumers are seeking out fun experiences, which are also executed in a Covid-safe way.

“This exciting new partnership with Artbox Cafe delivers exactly that, as fans of Line Friends’ beloved Brown and Friends and BT21 brands now have a destination to immerse themselves in the world of their favourite characters, and also purchase merchandise to continue the experience at home.”

As part of the partnership, the café has been renamed Line Friends and BT21 Tasty Universe and a branded eat-in menu has been introduced with a range of savoury dishes, desserts and drinks. Themed ice creams are also available from its takeaway parlour.

The cafe’s shop is selling products from UK licensees including GB Eye, Paladone and Aurora, alongside its own exclusive collection of pins, tote bags, mugs, face masks and notebooks.

WildBrain CPLG signs raft of UK and European partners for Line Friends’ Brown & Friends

WildBrain CPLG has secured a raft of new European deals on behalf of the Line Friends brand’s Brown & Friends, an off-shoot IP that features the brand’s signature characters Brown, Choco, Cony, Sally, and others.

Blueprint Collections has signed up with the IP for a stationery range, Gund will develop new plush lines, Kokomo is working on a health and beauty collection, Misirli is developing its signature socks, and Poetic Brands is readying a collection of daywear and nightwear.

WildBrain CPLG – which represents Line Friends across Europe and in the UK – has also struck up partnerships with Portico Design for calendars, and Zak Designs for melamine. For France, WildBrain CPLG has secured a deal with Undiz for an underwear and nightwear range, and in Switzerland with Confiland for confectionery.

The new products have already started to roll out at retail and will continue to launch throughout the year, joining Line Friends’ existing global deals with Funko and Uniqlo.

Additionally, Atomic10 has been appointed as the PR agency for Line Friends in the UK. The agency will work with influencers and media partners to support licensees’ product launches and expand Line Friends’ fan base in the market.

John Taylor, VP Northern Europe and managing director UK and France at WildBrain CPLG, said: “Instantly recognisable, the Line Friends and Brown & Friends characters have quickly become part of Gen Z and Millennials’ daily lives internationally.

“We’re excited to be expanding the brand’s European licensee base with bold new products which are ideal for fashion conscious fans, and having Atomic10 on board in the UK will provide invaluable support as we get the word out to tweens, teens and young adults in the market.”

These new partnerships follow Line Friends’ recent win at the Licensing International Excellence Awards 2020, where Brown & Friends was named the Best Digital / App / Video Game Brand.

WildBrain CPLG teams with creator Alessandro Enriquez to launch Line Friends designer capsule collections

WildBrain CPLG has brokered a new deal with the creator and influencer Alessandro Enriquez to launch Line Friends designer capsule collections with some of the biggest names in Italian fashion today.

Featuring signature characters Brown, Choco, Cony, and Sally, Line Friends originated as a collection of stickers for the mobile messenger app, Line and its 200 million active users worldwide. It has since made its presence known across the lifestyle and fashion space.

Developed in collaboration with Enriquez, the collection is the latest instalment of the influencer’s annual Fashion Comics project for Pitti Bimbo. It debuted at the event’s 90th edition in Florence last month.

The project saw designers including Monnalisa, Mc2 Saint Barth, Diadora, Pinko Up, Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini Kids, 2Star, and Akep launch new capsule collections each inspired by the popular Line Friends character brand.

Monnalisa unveiled its range of velvet printed patch sweatshirts and a dress with tulle application on the shoulders, MC2 Saint Barth launched a collection of swimsuits for adults and kids featuring Choco and Sally, and Diadora debuted all-over print sweatshirts.

Meanwhile Pinko Up designed a range of sweatshirts in black and pink, while the Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini Kids capsule collection celebrated Line Friends with a cotton sweater and sweatshirt featuring Brown, Sally, and Choco prints.

Enriquez said: “The Fashion Comics Project created with Line Friends, in collaboration with Pitti Bimbo, has been hugely successful due to the quality and mix of products, the calibre of the brands involved and the impressive feedback from media.

“It was fantastic to see Brown, Sally, Choco, and Cony be such a hit with visitors of all ages at Pitti Bimbo, and I’m confident the popularity of these characters will continue to grow in our country as they have done in the rest of the world.”

Maria Gurrieri, managing director at WildBrain CPLG Southern Europe, added: “It has been an incredible creative process combining the distinctive visual style of Line Friends with the visionary Alessandro Enriquez and innovation of our Italian designers.

“The fantastic response to the capsule collections at Pitti Bimbo shows how exciting this new Fashion Comics collaboration is and we’re sure it will be a huge hit with consumers across Italy.”