With a master toy line already in the works from the global toy company, Just Play, Nick Jr’s hit pre-school series Blue’s Clues & You has now confirmed a raft of UK partners that include Kids Designs, Imagine8, and Kimm & Miller.
The news of the latest signings was announced during the Festival of Licensing’s Americas week by ViacomCBS Consumer Products, vice president for the UK and Ireland, Venetia Davie. It supports a major licensing programme for the property that is now scheduled to hit shelves in July 2021.
Earlier this year, VCP partnered with Just Play to develop a master toy line for the pre-school series. The toy line, targeting pre-schoolers aged two to five years old, includes plush and interactive toys, developed to ‘enhance the key brand attributes to translate success from screen to shelves across the UK.’
Additional partners for Blue’s Clues & You now include Kid Designs for consumer electronics, Imagine8 on accessories and Kimm & Miller who will work on novelty food gifting.
Meanwhile, Fashion UK, who also partners with VCP for PAW Patrol: The Movie, will cover daywear, while Character World will focus on bedding and Amscan on costume and dress up.
In the publishing space, Egmont have acquired the UK rights for Blue’s Clues & You! themed magazines and Signature Gifts on personalised books.
Since launching in April this year in the UK, Blue’s Clues & You! has quickly become a key driver for Nick Jr. The show now ranks as the number fourth show on the channel, only behind ratings juggernauts PAW Patrol and Peppa Pig as well as recently launched The Adventures of Paddington.
A remake of the curriculum-driven interactive series Blue’s Clues, Blue’s Clues & You! follows Blue as she invites viewers to join her and the host Josh on a clue-led adventure and solve a puzzle in each episode. With each signature paw print, Blue identifies clues in her animated world that propel the story and inspire the audience to interact with the characters.
“It’s indicative of the huge popularity of Blue’s Clues & You! that toys and products have been in such overwhelming demand since the series relaunched earlier this year,” said Davie.
“It’s fantastic that Just Play is on board as master toy licensee, and I cannot wait to see how they, together with our other partners, turn Blue and her universe into toys and playthings for this next generation to enjoy.”
Blue’s Clues & You! will be launching this month on Channel 5’s Milkshake! with a second season heading to Nick Jr. in November and a third season already greenlit for 2021.
The property is also available in different formats, including a dedicated YouTube channel which received over 98M global views between March and July this year alone and the Storytime with Josh & Blue podcast which launched this summer on Spotify, reaching over 100k people in just three weeks.
With a master toy line already in the works from the global toy company, Just Play, Nick Jr’s hit pre-school series Blue’s Clues & You has now confirmed a raft of UK partners that include Kids Designs, Imagine8, and Kimm & Miller.
The news of the latest signings was announced during the Festival of Licensing’s Americas week by ViacomCBS Consumer Products, vice president for the UK and Ireland, Venetia Davie. It supports a major licensing programme for the property that is now scheduled to hit shelves in July 2021.
Earlier this year, VCP partnered with Just Play to develop a master toy line for the pre-school series. The toy line, targeting pre-schoolers aged two to five years old, includes plush and interactive toys, developed to ‘enhance the key brand attributes to translate success from screen to shelves across the UK.’
Additional partners for Blue’s Clues & You now include Kid Designs for consumer electronics, Imagine8 on accessories and Kimm & Miller who will work on novelty food gifting.
Meanwhile, Fashion UK, who also partners with VCP for PAW Patrol: The Movie, will cover daywear, while Character World will focus on bedding and Amscan on costume and dress up.
In the publishing space, Egmont have acquired the UK rights for Blue’s Clues & You! themed magazines and Signature Gifts on personalised books.
Since launching in April this year in the UK, Blue’s Clues & You! has quickly become a key driver for Nick Jr. The show now ranks as the number fourth show on the channel, only behind ratings juggernauts PAW Patrol and Peppa Pig as well as recently launched The Adventures of Paddington.
A remake of the curriculum-driven interactive series Blue’s Clues, Blue’s Clues & You! follows Blue as she invites viewers to join her and the host Josh on a clue-led adventure and solve a puzzle in each episode. With each signature paw print, Blue identifies clues in her animated world that propel the story and inspire the audience to interact with the characters.
“It’s indicative of the huge popularity of Blue’s Clues & You! that toys and products have been in such overwhelming demand since the series relaunched earlier this year,” said Davie.
“It’s fantastic that Just Play is on board as master toy licensee, and I cannot wait to see how they, together with our other partners, turn Blue and her universe into toys and playthings for this next generation to enjoy.”
Blue’s Clues & You! will be launching this month on Channel 5’s Milkshake! with a second season heading to Nick Jr. in November and a third season already greenlit for 2021.
The property is also available in different formats, including a dedicated YouTube channel which received over 98M global views between March and July this year alone and the Storytime with Josh & Blue podcast which launched this summer on Spotify, reaching over 100k people in just three weeks.
It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for – the hit battle royale video gaming title Fall Guys is making a serious play for the licensing space as IP owner Devolver Digital appoints Fée Heyer to lead the games publisher’s licensing efforts.
An industry expert and former Dunlop Sports Licensing Manager, Heyer will lead the firm’s efforts in bringing the multi-million selling hit multiplayer party video game title to licensing as the company’s Head of Licensing.
Heyer brings a deep understanding of the trends and strategies within the sector from more than 15 years of experience spanning consumer products and brand extensions across video games, lifestyle and sports brands, working on rights acquisition, brand development and business affairs.
“I am delighted to join Devolver and Mediatonic to assist them in finding the right partners for what is starting to look like a phenomenon rarely seen before,” Heyer said. “I have been bowled over by the collaborative approach Mediatonic & Devolver have chosen to apply to this partnership and I’m excited to be putting Fall Guys on the licensing map.”
Devolver Digital co-founder Graeme Struthers added: “I am over the moon that Fée has joined us to help lead the charge on Fall Guys, not least because it means we now have somebody that actually knows what they’re doing with regard to licensing.”
The gadget and gift retailer, Menkind has highlighted its plans to expand on its licensed products and exclusive ranges as it heads into the Christmas shopping season, a move that has been driven by the increased consumer engagement with pop culture TV, films, video games and entertainment throughout the pandemic.
Licensed products, according to the retailer, who recently detailed its plans to open concession stores with the UK department store giant Debenhams in the run up to Christmas, have become a “comfort blanket for consumers in difficult times,” and as a result will be increasing its listings as it adapts to current demands.
Last month, Menkind revealed that it was opening 23 concession stores within select Debenhams department stores across the UK, planning to open each from the start of October. The new concessions will be staffed by over 50 new recruits across all locations, and will stock all the core Menkind product range.
Among those ranges will be key trends to have emerged from 2020, including the greater lean on licensed products, as well as a trend for adult party games driven by the increased time consumers are spending socialising from home over virtual gatherings and group chats.
“Being stuck at home, people have turned to movie and TV show online streaming services, as well as games and video gaming as their main entertainment,” Fred Prego, director of marketing and e-commerce at Menkind, told ToyNews.
“Licensed products have become a comfort blanket in these difficult times. We have always stocked a quirky and unique range, so it’s definitely in our plans to expand our offering with new products and exclusive lines that are in high demand. I think it’s crucial to really listen to what consumers want during these times and adapt to trends very quickly.
“Meanwhile, with limited socialising in pubs and restaurants across the country, the biggest trend in my opinion is friends getting together virtually to have fun and relax with a drink. For that reason, we have extended our range of adult and party games that can easily be played in group chats.”
With the nation staring down localised lockdowns in the run-up to Christmas and restrictions in place in varying degrees across the country, Menkind has acted to adapt to the new model of Christmas shopping likely to be adopted this year. Its partnership with Debenhams places the brand within destination shopping zones ahead of the festive season.
Confirmed Debenhams store locations where Menkind will open include Bath, Birmingham, Cardiff, Colchester, Guildford, Manchester, Luton, London Oxford Street, Middlesbrough, Warrington and more.
“With Christmas markets and fairs likely not happening this year, we created an omni-channel proposition called ‘Menkind Wonderland’, to offer our customers a variety of toy, gift and gadget stalls online and in-store,” continued Prego.
“Debenhams felt like the perfect partnership to give shoppers a safe and fun pre-Christmas experience, and their widely accessible network of stores will help us best serve customers throughout the country during the busy holiday shopping period and beyond.
“Our Christmas range includes a wealth of unique gifts, gadgets and licensed merchandise, so we are determined not to have Christmas cancelled this year.”
When lockdown was first announced in March this year, Menkind swiftly began to introduce new products ranges such as puzzles and card games, in order to tap into the rising trend for family entertainment over the earlier part of the year.
“We also gave our online channels extra attention to ensure our customers are having a seamless shopping experience,” said Prego. “More recently, we’ve launched a range of exclusives and have implemented all the necessary safety measures during and post-lockdown. We are constantly listening to government advice in order to react as quickly as possible to any changes that affect retailers.
“Another initiative we’ve been working on has been releasing dedicated product ranges for key events earlier, to give people the opportunity to plan their shopping better, especially if it involves trips to the store. We started selling advent calendars as early as August, and it’s been very well received by our customers.
“Whilst we are continuously implementing all the safety measures recommended by authorities, we have made it our mission to communicate the same sense of fun and positiveness our customers are used to, and offer them the best experience possible in-store and across our online channels,” Prego concluded.
Wallace & Gromit is heading to the crowdfunding platform, Kickstarter in a bid to bring to life a detailed collectors’ model to celebrate the silver anniversary of the Academy Award winning short film, Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave.
The project is the combined work of Aardman and The Vine Lab, who together are looking to celebrate the 1995 film, the third in director Nick Park’s trilogy, recognised as the team’s most ambitious project to date.
Designed using rare production images from the making of the film, the intricately detailed, silver-effect model will depict the moment that Gromit flies into the air in his sidecar plane at the end of the sequence that ultimately leads to the demise of the film’s villain, Preston.
The model will include a host of special features to add to its collectability, including limited edition numbering and a unique Aardman fingerprint signature.
In a nod the film’s original release date, there will be just 1,995 models available as part of the special edition release. However, in order to make the concept a reality, The Vine Lab is asking fans to pledge their interest in securing one of the unique models via Kickstarter.
The site will be live from 22nd October and will remain open for just 35 days, or until all the models have been claimed.
Pledgers will not only get their hands on one of the ultra-rare anniversary models but, in a first for Wallace & Gromit fans, will also be invited to become a vital part of the product development team. Throughout the project, fans who back the campaign will be able to see how the product develops as well as gain access to never-seen-before seen photos and videos from the original production.
Merlin Crossingham, creative director of Wallace & Gromit said: “We are really excited to have teamed up with The Vine Lab to create a very special 25th anniversary collectable. It’s obvious to us that the team at The Vine Lab are huge fans of our work and they have crammed in all of the amazing detail we expect from our models into this collectable and the packaging.
“We are so pleased to offer something truly unique to our fans and know that they will value getting involved in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
There are a number of pledge packages available across various price brackets, each offering buyers the opportunity to access original sketches and unseen behind-the-scenes content from the making of the film.
Early-bird prices for the model start at £225, and come complete with white handling gloves, a certificate of authenticity, a storyboard print, behind the scenes art cards, and an acknowledgement in the end credits. In addition, there are five deluxe packages available for £2,500, which include an illustration signed by Nick Park, The Making Of book signed by Merlin Crossingham, and the money-can’t-buy opportunity for pledgers to receive an Aardman model of themselves.
Emma Beeson, co-founder of The Vine Lab, commented: “At The Vine Lab, we live and breathe pop culture and are huge fans of Aardman.
“We have worked painstakingly to recreate Gromit’s plane using hundreds of archived images and rare footage in order to guarantee an intricately detailed collectors’ model that we know will appeal to film fans, collectors and investors alike. We’re looking forward to working alongside our pledgers to create something truly unique.”
Steamforged Games has partnered with Bandai Namco Entertainment to launch the iconic 1980 arcade game Pac-Man to the tabletop gaming space with Pac-Man: The Card Game.
The game is billed as an easy-to-learn family game that will see players gobble up fruit and Pac-Dot cards for points, while avoiding ghosts Blinky, Pinky. Inky, and Clyde at all costs. The title will be distributed in the UK and Ireland by John Adams Leisure and will hit stores in November this year.
With three game modes, players can get to know the game in Beginner Mode, level up for a greater challenge, or combine both decks in Bonus Mode to create an experience for up to eight players.
Mat Hart, co-founder and creative lead at Steamforged Games, said: “We’re stoked to be collaborating with our partner Bandai Namco on another household IP. The game will be a brand new experience that feels authentically like the PAC-MAN we all know and love, with art inspired by the retro arcade classic.”
Steamforged Games has partnered with Bandai Namco Entertainment to launch the iconic 1980 arcade game Pac-Man to the tabletop gaming space with Pac-Man: The Card Game.
The game is billed as an easy-to-learn family game that will see players gobble up fruit and Pac-Dot cards for points, while avoiding ghosts Blinky, Pinky. Inky, and Clyde at all costs. The title will be distributed in the UK and Ireland by John Adams Leisure and will hit stores in November this year.
With three game modes, players can get to know the game in Beginner Mode, level up for a greater challenge, or combine both decks in Bonus Mode to create an experience for up to eight players.
Mat Hart, co-founder and creative lead at Steamforged Games, said: “We’re stoked to be collaborating with our partner Bandai Namco on another household IP. The game will be a brand new experience that feels authentically like the PAC-MAN we all know and love, with art inspired by the retro arcade classic.”
WildBrain CPLG has inked a wave of pan-regional deals in Middle East and North Africa on behalf of the European football clubs the agency represents in the market: Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Juventus, Liverpool FC, and Manchester City.
For Arsenal, FC Barcelona and Manchester City, WildBrain CPLG has secured a direct-to-retail licensing deal with the fashion retailer RIVA that will see a line of apparel and accessories hit stores across the region.
Meanwhile, Andy Enterprises is now on board for an apparel and accessories range across Arsenal and Liverpool FC; Trucare is launching bedding and homewares across FC Barcelona and Manchester City; and ESAL is creating footballs for FC Barcelona and Liverpool FC.
Further partners secured include Hollywood Magic for FC Barcelona and Manchester City apparel ranges, and Sun CE for back-to-school products across all five clubs.
Roberto Pallottini, licensing manager at WildBrain CPLG MENA, said: “Football continues to be the most popular sport across the Middle East and North Africa and is also a significant trend at retail.
“We are proud to welcome these partners to the local licensing programmes for these internationally renowned European football clubs and to create lifestyle-focused products for the brands in the region.”
“The world is going to look very different now that Asmodee – one of the biggest players in the board gaming sector – is very actively pushing into licensing,” Alexander Thieme, manager of licensed publishing and consumer products, Asmodee Entertainment, promises.
The board game giant kicked off October with a show of force when it entered Festival of Licensing’s European leg with a tranche of partnership announcements covering both its hobby gaming portfolio and publishing imprint Aconyte Books.
Tapping into a fanbase and core audience of gamers and pop culture fans that are “positively starving for Asmodee licensing,” all of a sudden, the international hobby gaming specialist was landing graphic novel deals with CMON, bringing its artwork to the fore in pop culture collaborations, and partnering with the major entertainment studio, Ubisoft, to develop novels based on some of the largest video gaming IP on the planet.
Alexander Thieme, licensing manager of publishing and consumer products, Asmodee Entertainment
Yet while it may seem there’s not been a day over the last two weeks that a new development hasn’t emerged from Asmodee Entertainment, Thieme confidently informs us this is just the beginning.
“It’s about time this happened,” he tells Licensing.biz. “The fans out there are hungry, they are starving for stuff. Whenever I talk to fans and tell that I do the licensing, I ask them what they are looking for – is it comics, is it this, or that? And they bite my hand off. They are really crazy for it right now.
“But it’s the truth to say that we are just getting started.”
And that must be music to the ears. As dedication to a cause goes, you’ll find few more resolute than the tabletop gaming audience and the connection they have with their favourite titles. Yet, for so long, this has been a vastly under-served, if not, unrecognised market. With tabletop, hobby, and board gaming reaching new global heights, Asmodee Entertainment is on a mission to change all of that.
“I was part of the inventory at Games Workshop for many years, and I know the fanbase and the depths of their immersion,” says Thieme. “But I was surprised at how strong the connection is here, between fans and their board game titles.
“Arkham Horror is one of those that I am just super fascinated with how positive or how engaged the fans are when we announce something. It is incredible, they just pour out their love. The trick now is to find the right partners that are willing to jump into the boat with us.”
This will be Thieme’s remit. In the ten short months since he joined the board gaming giant, he has already seen this side to the business begin to flourish. The formation of Aconyte Books last has been an ace up the sleeve for the games publisher, having given the company a swinging door through which to license in and license out. It’s allowed the company to align itself with major entertainment companies such as Marvel and Ubisoft, as well as a platform from which it can propel titles like Twilight Imperium or Arkham Horror outside of the board game space.
“For me,” says Thieme, “as much as Asmodee’s statement is that there is a game for every gamer, I believe that here, there is a brand for every licensee. It’s about finding the right commercial endeavours.
“Dobble behaves very differently and has different opportunities to Arkham Horror. Catan is a beautiful hybrid of a mass market casual game and a super-ingrained hobby game. All of this produces very distinct audiences and very distinct opportunities.”
It’s just a matter of unearthing them. And that is what excites Thieme the most. His is a vision for Asmodee Entertainment unburdened by limitations of the IP. His is a belief that the opportunities are boundless, and that the success can be big. Bigger even than video gaming.
“How far can the medium be taken into licensing? That’s a simple answer,” he says. “Look at other media, such as video games, and how they are branching out. We have three licensing managers here at Asmodee; me for publishing and consumer products, a licensing manager for interactive games – so we can do interactive licensing next to us having our own publisher, and we have someone in Los Angeles talking television and film.
“There is no segment or category that won’t work. Of course, it won’t be everything for all of it. Dobble as a movie will not work. Dobble in a TV show… that can work. Dobble in apparel? Absolutely. Dobble in publishing? Oh yes. Comics or a Dobble Kids’ magazine? Hell yes.
The chances that Asmodee has as a licensor are gigantic. But it is early days right now; we are getting the first people in the boat and getting the market used to the idea that there is more to a board game than just rolling a dice. Customers and consumers are emotionally linked to them.”
What is intrinsic to Asmodee’s output is its storytelling. The board gaming scene thrives off its immersive storytelling; it’s ability to bring an audience one level deeper into a narrative by having them play a role within it. Of course, you can argue that video games do it just as well. Thieme will argue back that what analogue gaming delivers, however, is a social, shared-experience of living a narrative together.
“There’s a social story happening with every board game,” he explains. “I and many others find stories in board games that we remember for the rest of our lives. These social stories are extremely strong, and strong for licensing because what you want is a brand that someone will wear in their heart.
“Board games are in the home, on the table and a part of your life, more so, I would say, than digital games. You see the people around you. You have a drink with them, it’s a shared experience and it creates social fabric, and this is the canvass that we paint the licensing programme on.”
It’s with this that Asmodee Entertainment can start to have fun with the licensing endeavours it embarks upon. Over the coming months or years, promises Thieme, fans will begin to see what he calls ‘licensing with secret handshakes,’ or ‘guerrilla licensing’; the kind that will nod to the internal jokes or idiosyncrasies found in individual gaming titles.
“I call them the secret handshake of the geek, the kind where you’ll have just a symbol on a hat or something subtle,” says Thieme. “Of course you’ll have more obvious ones, but games like Arkham Horror or Pandemic are good for those idiosyncrasies.
“I think this will all be very welcomed. I think there has been a media fatigue in licensing and people are looking to break the monotony and be more dynamic. It’s why I can assure you, Asmodee Entertainment has plenty more to come.”
The apparel licensee, Poetic Brands, has added the international governing body of football, FIFA, to its portfolio of brands with the launch of a new range of FIFA themed clothing. The range will capitalise on the body’s historical marques and logos, the kind of which have been recognised worldwide for more than 100 years.
The Poetic Brands collection will feature t-shirts, sweatshirts, and nightwear and will launch into the UK with retailers stocking ranges from spring/summer 2021.
Founded in 1904, FIFA is the umbrella organisation of its members, currently 211 national football associations. Its objectives include developing football around the world, staging international competitions, and ensuring that the game of football is available to all who wish to participate.
The member associations of FIFA take part in the FIFA World Cup every four years, with the next edition taking place in 2022, providing a key selling point after the launch of the clothing line.
“Together with Poetic Brands, we’ll be bringing new energy to FIFA’s beloved historical emblems,” said FIFA head of licensing and retail, Sarah Bohner. “We look forward to helping fans relive and celebrate their favourite tournaments through unique, creative designs.”
Elliott Matthews, executive director of Poetic Brands, added: “We are really excited to be adding FIFA to our portfolio of properties. The brand is instantly recognisable not only to football fans, but to the vast majority of consumers. We are sure the collection will reach fans of the game throughout the UK and prove popular with supporters of all clubs.”
