Hasbro joins Festival of Licensing with new Peppa Pig content, PJ Masks toy plans and more

Hasbro will be joining the Festival of Licensing virtual event – the four-week digital event that will run throughout October and replace Brand Licensing Europe this year – to present the latest opportunities across its portfolio of brands including Nerf, My Little Pony, Play-Doh, Monopoly, Transformers, and Power Rangers.

Also being showcased under Hasbro this year will be the 2020 acquisition of Entertainment One and its popular pre-school numbers Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and Ricky Zoom.

The licensor will look to highlight its continued efforts to innovate and expand the ways it brings brands to life through music, publishing, promotions, digital and location-based entertainment alongside an array of consumer products spanning key categories, including toys and games, fashion and lifestyle, homewares, health and beauty, FMCG and gifts, and increasingly, personalised products.

Milestone anniversaries, including the 35th anniversary of Transformers in 2021 and the 85th anniversary of Monopoly commencing Q4 2020, give cause for timely celebration and will be leveraged with exciting collaborations, consumer promotions and retail activations.

Meanwhile, it’s game on for Nerf  as the property is on target for rapid expansion across multiple categories. Hasbro continues to cement its position as an active lifestyle and sports brand with cross-generational appeal and huge consumer relevance as health and wellbeing trends prevail.

Next up, the world of Equestria is expanding to introduce a new generation of ponies to a new generation of fans. With more humor, heart, and music than ever before, Hasbro hopes that audiences will be swept away by the new cast of ponies and the incredible adventure that awaits them. Fall in love with My Little Pony all over again when the all-new, computer-animated theatrical feature hits theaters everywhere in September 2021.

It’s still ‘Go Go Power Rangers’ in 2021 as Season 28 of the enduring hit show debuts. Power Rangers: Dino Fury journeys back to the core roots of the brand with the action being led by the original five rangers. The popularity of the show, beloved by so many kids for so many years, is driven by Hasbro’s commitment to new content but also the vast back catalogue which is streamed on Netflix and therefore continually accessed by a huge worldwide audience.

A new global brand theme for Peppa Pig entitled Peppa’s Adventures is kicking off in 2021, as a celebration of all the places that Peppa, her family and friends have visited since the show began. With trips to the USA lined up in the future, combined with a library of existing content, Peppa’s Adventures is a way for fans to explore and discover the world around them.

New series premieres will be rolling out for Ricky Zoom throughout the year and excitement for the expansion of the brand’s consumer products programme – driven by the strength and reach of best-in-class broadcast partners across the region – will follow the phased roll-out of toys in all key markets in 2020, as secondary categories will be available from SS21.

Finally, a robust plan is in place for PJ Masks which will be boosted by Series 4, set to launch this Q4, the Disney+ roll out in multiple territories, and Series 5 global launch coming in 2021. In a first for the company, Hasbro will be launching its first toy range for the brand with a core range of exciting new products hitting retail for AW21.

Entertainment One to drive growth across LatAm with new toy distribution partnerships

Entertainment One has secured new distribution deals with toy partners across Latin America as part of a move to drive growth for its portfolio of pre-school properties as the licensor heads to Abrin Toy Fair in Sao Paulo this month.

The company has named Sunny as its master toy distributor for both Peppa Pig and Ricky Zoom in Brazil. Under the deal, Sunny will bring Peppa’s best selling toy lines to retail from the second quarter of the year, including Peppa Pig’s house, vehicles, figurines, and new play-sets.

Sunny is also on board to distribute TOMY’s core collection of Ricky Zoom toys and play-sets focused on core characters, Ricky and his Bike Buddies. The range will debut at Abrin Toy Fair in March 2020 before heading to retail in Brazil from May 2020 followed by a launch in Mexico in the second half of 2020.

Meanwhile, Candide will be adding a new line of vehicles to the latest PJ Masks toy range that debuts at retail for second quarter of the year and other new launches from current licensees include Elka, which will be launching a new 20cm vinyl Catboy figurine, and Grow which will be producing new PJ Masks puzzles for Brazil.

Peppa Pig is a top rated show on Discovery Kids Lat Am where it airs throughout the region alongside FTA platforms TV Cultura in Brazil and Televisa in Mexico. New episodes from series eight have been rolling out across the region with a pipeline of new content scheduled throughout 2020.

Series three of PJ Masks continues to bring fresh episodes to its many fans with series four poised to launch from November 20th 2020 on Disney Junior. Entertainment One’s newest TV property, Ricky Zoomlaunched on Discovery Kids Lat Am September 2019 to strong ratings with new episodes dropping throughout 2020 including an Easter special in April 2020 and news of a second series in production.

“Our properties are going from strength to strength in South America and we’re delighted to welcome Sunny as new toy distributor, to further expand our presence in the region,” said eOne’s Murilo Hinojosa, VP Licensing – LatAm, Family & Brands.

“A year-long schedule of new episodes, events and digital engagement will bolster our licensing strategy and we look forward to giving visitors to Abrin Toy Fair an insight into our plans for 2020 and beyond.”

Entertainment One powers up for fifth series of PJ Masks

Entertainment One is powering up for a fifth series of its global pre-school superhero show, PJ Masks, revealing that a new run of 52 episodes is scheduled to land in 2021.

Produced by eOne and Frog Box, in collaboration with Disney Junior and France 5, series five will see the show’s heroes, Catboy, Owlette and Gekko, explore new locations and take on new villains in all new adventures.

“2020 marks five years since PJ Masks first swooped onto TV screens and we’re absolutely thrilled to be announcing that a fifth series is in production,” said eOne’s Olivier Dumont, president, family and brands.

“PJ Masks has won a place in the hearts of families all over the world and has created many happy childhood memories for kids who have grown up with the characters. We look forward to bringing brand new adventures to the show’s fanbase and introducing the series to the next generation of pre-schoolers.”

PJ Masks has been off to a flying start since it debuted on Disney Junior US in 2015. It is now one of the top-rated broadcasts for pre-schoolers airing regularly on multiple FTA and VOD platforms around the world. Annual global retail sales now reach over $1.1 billion with consumer products programmes firmly established in 85 markets worldwide and a growing presence in Asia.

Series four of PJ Masks is currently poised to launch on Disney Junior globally, beginning spring 2020 and autumn on Okoo, France Télévisions kids platform will kick off with an epic 44-minute special episode giving fans a never before seen exciting introduction to new adventures.