Tag Archives: rocket licensing

Rocket Licensing receives ten Licensing Awards 2020 nominations for Hungry Caterpillar, Rebel Girls and more

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Rocket Licensing is enjoying a run of industry success this year, having found itself with no fewer than ten inclusions in the shortlist for the upcoming Licensing Awards. Nominations in the 2020 awards span its work across licensed product ranges and experiential collaborations for a range of its licensors and licensees.

The slew of nominations follows the company’s recent win at the Licensing International Excellence Awards, where The Very Hungry Caterpillar campaign at the Royal Horticultural Society was named the Best Experiential or Location-based initiative.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar has now been shortlisted for seven awards, including the overall Best Preschool Licensed Property in the Licensing Awards. It has also been recognised for its RHS Summer Partnership in the Best Licensed Promotions Campaign category, its Butterfly Dress-up for George@Asda from Christys By Design is nominated in the Best Licensed Dress-up or Partyware award, and its clothing range from Denicci for Tu at Sainsbury’s is shortlisted in the Best Licensed Preschool Apparel Range category.

Rounding out the property’s nominations, its Gardening Range for the RHS from Robert Frederick is in the Best Licensed Giftware Range, Home Décor, Tableware or Housewares Range.

Meanwhile, Rebel Girls has been named a finalist in the Best Sustainable Licensed Product category, a new slot for the 2020 Licensing Awards. It’s the UK games and puzzles specialist, Gibsons and its Rebel Girls jigsaw range that has caught much of the industry attention and secured its place in the shortlist.

The puzzles, which carry Rebel sirls’ mission to highlight female role models, are printed on 100 per cent recycled puzzle board and FSC paper.

Christmas favourite, The Elf on the Shelf, has landed two spots on the finalist list, as contender for the overall Best Children’s or Tween Licensed Property (Age Group five to 12), and also in the Best Licensed Giftware Range, Home Décor, Tableware or Housewares Range category, for its Food Gifting Range from Kimm & Miller.

The Beano brand has been recognised in the Best Licensed Promotions Campaign category for the Beano Time Travellers! exhibition at Mottisfont, which explored the history of the longest running children’s comic in Britain. Meanwhile, the Horrible Science Kits and Board Game from James Galt & Co are in the running for the Best Licensed Toys or Games Range.

 Rob Wijeratna, joint MD, Rocket Licensing, said: “We’re so pleased that these awards have all been able to go ahead virtually despite all of the current restrictions, so that our industries can come together to support one another during a difficult time, and celebrate excellence in the sector.

“We’re thrilled for our licensors and licensees to have been recognised across such a wide range of categories, and would like to congratulate all the other finalists. Fingers crossed for virtual Rocket Licensing corks popping on the 16th December.”

Rocket Licensing named UK agency for hit pre-school series Floogals

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Rocket Licensing has been named the UK licensing agency for the BAFTA and Emmy nominated pre-school animated TV series, Floogals, with plans for a consumer products programme encompassing toys, apparel, publishing, gifting, homewares, and food.

The programme, developed by Nevision, follows the adventures of Fleeker, Flo and Boomer – three pocket-sized aliens from the Planet Floog. The trio embark on a voyage of discovery of the world and its ‘hooman’ inhabitants.

Floogals series one to three airs daily on rotation on Milkshake! where it has ranked as the number three show on the channel in 2020, with a 721,000 reach and 70,000 average audience. Series two of the show also enjoys a daily slot on Nick Jr Too, where it took the number six spot in February and March 2020.

Series one to three of the show are also available on Universal Kids and on demand on Amazon Prime and YouTube Kids, reaching a wide audience of pre-schoolers globally.

Overall, the co-production between NBCUniversal’s Sprout channel, Zodiak Kids and Nevision, offers 130 x 11” episodes over its three series and is created by a prestigious team, including Nevision’s Nigel Pickard, Matt Porter and Ceri Barnes.

To date, Floogals has reached in excess of 11.5 million viewers in the UK, and since its launch, has reached over half of households in the UK with young children and over 60 per cent of four to five year-olds. It has also been sold to broadcasters in more than 50 territories worldwide by Zodiak Kids and Universal.

The brand is supported with an engaged and active social media strategy, and Rocket will be working on marketing partnerships as part of its licensing campaign.

Nevision’s Nigel Pickard said: “We are delighted to be working with Rocket Licensing who have such a great reputation in the licensing business and have delivered so successfully for all the brands they work with.”

Rocket Licensing is planning to work its usual magic on the consumer products programme for the Floogals brand, leading with toys, apparel, publishing, gifting, homewares and food.

Charlie Donaldson, joint-MD, Rocket Licensing, said: “Floogals has a uniquely attractive blend of live action and animation and its appeal can be seen in its huge success as a broadcast programme. This success gives us great scope for developing consumer products and promotional campaigns. 

“We’re really excited to roll out products for this fun, bright, popular brand and so far, we have had an overwhelmingly positive response from both licensees and retailers alike.”

H&A teams with Beano Studio to launch mischief-making bath accessories range

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The health, beauty, and bath accessories specialist, H&A has partnered with Beano Studio to launch a new and exclusive range of products inspired by the iconic British comic into Boots stores across the UK. The partnership was brokered by Beano’s UK licensing agency, Rocket Licensing.

Each product in the range will feature an extra element of mischief, such as a whoopie cushion, mini comic book, jokes and more, aligning the collection firmly with the Beano brand ethos. Highlights of the range include a MEga Stink Bath Set, Stink Bath Bomb, and Deniis Mug and Socks.

Licensing and marketing manager at H&A, Holly Orton, said: “We’re really excited to see this hit the shelves. Beano is a brand loved by generations and we’ve had fun developing the range. There’s definitely nothing else like it in the market and we’re looking forward to supplying some entertainment for Boots customers and their loved ones this Christmas.”

The new range from H&A forms part of an extensive licensed product offering for Beano, which continues to grow ahead of Dennis’ 70th anniversary next year.

Vanessa Andreis, franchise planning and partnerships director at Beano Studios, added: “This fantastic H&A range has allowed us to bring our unique creativity and mischievous fun to the health and beauty category. We’re thrilled to have Boots as our retail partner for this range and can’t wait for Beano fans young and small to be able to buy it or receive it across the festive period.” 

Fuzzballs founder Marc Sach scoops Rising Star at Stationery Awards 2020

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Founder of Fuzzballs, Marc Sach has been awarded Rising Star award at the annual Stationery Awards, championed for delivering a business that, according to judges, boasts “great branding, great story, and great products within a tough market.”

On course to achieve significant stand out in a highly competitive market, Fuzzballs is the cute and humorous pop culture brand starring an adorable cat named Whisky, silly tiger named Timmy, mischievous bunny named Ollie and their friends, as they go on the hunt for adventure, food and friendship.

The brand, which is managed worldwide by Rocket Licensing, began life as a Tumblr web comic and has since quickly grown in popularity to now have over 300 products available to its loyal fanbase of millennials, students and pop culture enthusiasts.

Since partnering with Fuzzballs in late 2019, Rocket Licensing has been growing the consumer products offering with carefully selected leading licensees. Recent additions include Pinfinity, with a range of augmented reality pin badges; Indiego is on board to create a collection of adult T-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies; while Pyramid will be introducing posters, wall art and stationery for the cute characters, thereby building upon the brand’s success in the stationery sector.

UK gift and card retailer, Scribbler, features Fuzzballs prominently throughout its stores and online, while the official site – www.fuzzballs.co.uk – also sells a wide range of products directly to fans. Fuzzballs has experienced a stellar year in 2020, with sales in September already four times higher than total sales in 2019. Despite the pandemic, Fuzzballs also experienced a huge 430 per cent increase in sales in April 2020, compared to April 2019, and the relatable, funny property continues to grow in popularity.

The Fuzzballs characters are also incredibly popular as social media stickers on platforms including Instagram, Facebook, the App Store and many more. Since launch, over 115 million stickers have been downloaded, with 17 million in the UK, while over 100,000 people have uploaded a Fuzzballs frame to their Facebook profile picture, clearly demonstrating the consumer affection for the brand.

Rob Wijeratna, joint MD, Rocket Licensing, said: “We’re delighted for Marc and would like to congratulate him for his recent award, which honours the incredible journey that Fuzzballs has been on so far. The property has a place in the hearts of consumers worldwide and Marc has worked tirelessly to create the relatable, popular world of Fuzzballs.

“At Rocket, we’re really excited to help grow the Fuzzballs brand, building on the great work that Marc has already achieved and bringing on board more ‘best in class’ licensees, who’ll deliver exciting new products for retailers and their customers.”

The Very Hungry Caterpillar extends its partnership with Action for Children

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar is extending its partnership with the UK kids’ charity, Action for Children, with a special growing pack for new subscribers to the organisation that will include a host of gardening projects for youngsters.

The initiative will see the inclusion of a bug hotel, how to make a bird feeder, and grow your own lettuce and cress projects for all newly subscribed families. Those subscribers will also gain access to exclusive online The Very Hungry Caterpillar activities, incorporating crafting, growing, and cooking challenges based on what they are nurturing from The Growing Challenge.

Families who make a one off donation will be sent digital copies of the pack.

The new initiative emphasises The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s key values such as to inspire, explore, grow, educate and go green, and offers educational play activities for the many children whose usual pastimes have been restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Action for Children is promoting The Growing Challenge across its social media platforms and online.

The newest initiative is an extension of the partnership Rocket Licensing – the UK licensing agent for The Very Hungry Caterpillar – already has in place with Action for Children, having organised the popular The Giant Wiggle with The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the past seven years and having raised in excess of £300,000.

Over recent months, Action for Children has been working to support families who, before Coronavirus hit, may have already been struggling to feed their children, but have now lost their income overnight, leaving them frightened and vulnerable. The charity’s Emergency Appeal in response to Covid-19 has already helped support over 10,000 children and young people, and a new digital parenting site has been launched to support parents adapting to the challenges presented as a result of the pandemic. 

Published over 50 years ago, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is still a firm favourite among families worldwide, and over 160 million of the Eric Carle books have been sold worldwide. The multi-award-winning title now has 32 carefully selected licensing partners in the UK, in a robust programme curated by Rocket Licensing.

Charlie Donaldson, joint MD, Rocket Licensing, commented: “We are really pleased to be able to further support this wonderful charity through their work with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Having launched at the beginning of the month, we have already seen a very positive response to the campaign and I’m sure the worldwide recognition of this literary classic will help to leverage Action for Children’s work and support them in raising valuable funds.”

Ellen Smyth, innovation manager, Action for Children, added: “We’re very excited to be exploring new and innovative ways to fundraise with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It’s a brand our supporters know and love.

“Since the Covid-19 crisis hit, Action for Children has supported thousands of children and young people, and brilliant partnerships like this one help us continue to be a vital lifeline in our communities for children all over the country.”

The Very Hungry Caterpillar extends its partnership with Action for Children

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar is extending its partnership with the UK kids’ charity, Action for Children, with a special growing pack for new subscribers to the organisation that will include a host of gardening projects for youngsters.

The initiative will see the inclusion of a bug hotel, how to make a bird feeder, and grow your own lettuce and cress projects for all newly subscribed families. Those subscribers will also gain access to exclusive online The Very Hungry Caterpillar activities, incorporating crafting, growing, and cooking challenges based on what they are nurturing from The Growing Challenge.

Families who make a one off donation will be sent digital copies of the pack.

The new initiative emphasises The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s key values such as to inspire, explore, grow, educate and go green, and offers educational play activities for the many children whose usual pastimes have been restricted due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Action for Children is promoting The Growing Challenge across its social media platforms and online.

The newest initiative is an extension of the partnership Rocket Licensing – the UK licensing agent for The Very Hungry Caterpillar – already has in place with Action for Children, having organised the popular The Giant Wiggle with The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the past seven years and having raised in excess of £300,000.

Over recent months, Action for Children has been working to support families who, before Coronavirus hit, may have already been struggling to feed their children, but have now lost their income overnight, leaving them frightened and vulnerable. The charity’s Emergency Appeal in response to Covid-19 has already helped support over 10,000 children and young people, and a new digital parenting site has been launched to support parents adapting to the challenges presented as a result of the pandemic. 

Published over 50 years ago, The Very Hungry Caterpillar is still a firm favourite among families worldwide, and over 160 million of the Eric Carle books have been sold worldwide. The multi-award-winning title now has 32 carefully selected licensing partners in the UK, in a robust programme curated by Rocket Licensing.

Charlie Donaldson, joint MD, Rocket Licensing, commented: “We are really pleased to be able to further support this wonderful charity through their work with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Having launched at the beginning of the month, we have already seen a very positive response to the campaign and I’m sure the worldwide recognition of this literary classic will help to leverage Action for Children’s work and support them in raising valuable funds.”

Ellen Smyth, innovation manager, Action for Children, added: “We’re very excited to be exploring new and innovative ways to fundraise with The Very Hungry Caterpillar. It’s a brand our supporters know and love.

“Since the Covid-19 crisis hit, Action for Children has supported thousands of children and young people, and brilliant partnerships like this one help us continue to be a vital lifeline in our communities for children all over the country.”

JoJo Maman Bébé extends its Very Hungry Caterpillar clothing range in Rocket Licensing deal

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Rocket Licensing has facilitated a renewed partnership between the leading nursery retailer JoJo Maman Bébé and the World of Eric Carle that will see the baby brand extend its successful Very Hungry Caterpillar range of children’s clothing.

Launched on July 27th, the second phase of the JoJo Maman Bébé and The Very Hungry Caterpillar partnership builds on the success of the initial range launched in 2019. The extended collection features eight special designs, available in an increased range of sizes up to the age of four, and including toddler sizes.

The designs carry the signature JoJo Maman Bébé stripes, coupled with phrases from the storybook such as ‘hungry, hungry, hungry’ and ‘tiny and very hungry’, as well as appliqué, embroidery and prints to capture The Very Hungry Caterpillar brand.

Iconic images from the Eric Carle book are used to create individual and recognisable pieces including rompers, baby grows, jogger and T-shirt sets, and dresses.

Also new to the range are two additional Very Hungry Caterpillar gift box designs. The collection will be supported by a heavyweight social media campaign, as well as a central in-store display unit, and will be accompanied by other Very Hungry Caterpillar products including toys and books to provide an immersive brand offering to JoJo Maman Bébé customers.

Melissa Satterly, brand manager for The Very Hungry Caterpillar at Rocket Licensing, said: “The initial range from JoJo Maman Bébé last year was so well received, that it was only right to extend the deal for a new season, and we’re thrilled to be expanding the offering with this best-in-class partner.

“The momentum with consumers created during The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 50th anniversary in 2019, is continuing apace and we will soon be announcing more partnerships for the beloved Eric Carle property.”

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the centrepiece of the successful global licensing campaign around The World of Eric Carle brand, which brings together the much-loved, multi-million-selling works of author and artist Eric Carle.

 

Rocket Licensing picks up CBeebies’ English language learning series Yakka Dee!

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Rocket Licensing has been appointed as the international licensing agent (territories excluding China) for the popular CBeebies show, Yakka Dee! Currently in its third series, the animation and live action programme is now in production for series four and five, which are due to air in 2021.

Yakka Dee! is focused on English language learning for pre-schoolers learning to talk, children with speech difficulties, and those learning English as a second language.

The series has been developed by the writer and director, Katie Simmons (Go Jetters, Show Me Show Me, and Mr Bloom’s Nursery) and director and producer, Lotte Elwell (Peppa Pig cinema experience, Teletubbies, My World Kitchen and more) alongside Steve Smith at Beakus animation studio (Olobob Top).

Dee helps children learn language through play, visual representation and repetition. Each five-minute episode focuses on one word, with a mixture of live action and animated content and bright, bold colours. The branding is modern and vibrant, eye catching and idiosyncratic and hugely appealing to the young audience.

Yakka Dee! launched in 2017, with a peak audience of 474,000 viewers (8.9 per cent audience share) and is currently aired twice daily on CBeebies. BBC Studios has also signed for distribution in Ireland, Brazil, China, South Korea, Latin America and Turkey.

In 2019, a YouTube channel was launched, experiencing 5.3 million views in the first two months. The channel now has 161K subscribers and 46 million views, and is growing exponentially on a daily basis. ‘Aprende con Yakka Dee: Panza’, a Spanish episode via CBeebies Español, has had over 80 million views on the channel since launch, while ‘Yakka Dee: Banana’ has received 30 million views and ‘Can you Say Tummy?’ has reached 17 million in just three months.

Initially, Rocket’s core focus for the property will be on toy and publishing categories, as well as educational product and resources, followed by other preschool product categories including apparel, accessories, social stationery, and games. Consumer demand for licensed product is high, with weekly requests from parents via the brand’s social media pages for toys.

Rob Wijeratna, joint MD, Rocket Licensing, said: “Yakka Dee! is a real gem in CBeebies’ programming, and combines all of the must-have attributes of a successful preschool property – fun, education and great characters – with contemporary, bright and instantly recognisable production.

“We are also proud to be representing an ethnically inclusive brand, with Dee as a non-white lead character having become an inspiring role model for many. The loyal fan-base is ready and waiting for consumer products and we’re excited to start talking to licensees.”

Yakka Dee producers Steve Smith, Lotte Elwell and Katie Simmons comment: “We are thrilled to partner with Rocket for Yakka Dee! licensing. We are so proud of our character, Dee, and have seen first-hand how she empowers children to speak with confidence, energising them and connecting deeply with them. We are looking forward to working with Rocket to create more touchpoints for our audience, and in so doing help more children.”

Rocket Licensing named UK and Ireland agent for ’80s icon Bob Ross

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Rocket Licensing has been appointed as the UK and Ireland’s licensing agent for the ’80s TV sensation Bob Ross, on behalf of the US agent, Firefly Brand Management LLC.

The TV painter and personality Bob Ross was the face of popular The Joy of Painting TV show, which originally ran from 1983 to 1994, and is now available on Netflix and Twitch. The series also recently launched on Vice in the UK and has a successful YouTube channel boasting 4 million subscribers.

The recent resurgence of The Joy of Painting programme has sparked a huge interest among millennials and students for its calming, meditative, mindful qualities. A consumer products programme has already been well-established in the US, with products from over 60 licensees over a range of categories including games and puzzles, collectables, partyware, homewares, apparel and more, along with direct to retail deals and major retail placement.

In the US, the brand has been shown in the inflight entertainment on Delta Airlines, and other airlines. Bob Ross enjoys a growing following on social media and has over 1.5 million followers on both Facebook and Twitch.

Rocket Licensing will be working with partners to build on the brand’s success in the US market for the UK market. The agency will be discussing with potential partners across categories including apparel, dress-up, gifting and homewares, arts and crafts, stationery and social stationery, accessories and publishing.

Charlie Donaldson, joint MD, Rocket Licensing, said: “Bob Ross is a real heritage brand with unique charm, which brings the relaxed, slower pace of the ’80s to busy modern lives and as such, has gained a pop culture status among millennials and students.

“There is an enormous asset bank for licensees to tap into in order to capture the essence of the iconic heritage of the property, and a wealth of opportunities for partners to leverage the popularity in the UK market.”

Beano secures five new licensing partners including games and health and beauty via Rocket Licensing

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Beano is expanding its presence across the apparel, games, health and beauty, food and beverage, and partyware sectors thanks to a string of five new licensing deals brokered by its licensing agency, Rocket Licensing.

On board for a fun new range of paper partyware, Smiffy’s will be offering a myriad of products including paper plates, bowls, cups, napkins and straws, as well as paper decorations and bunting to complete the Beano party set-up. The range will be sold across the High Street, grocery, independents and online.

Meanwhile, growing the offering in games and puzzles, Rocket has teamed up with Rachel Lowe to create a collection of puzzles, board games and card games for Dennis and his Beanotown friends. Product will be developed to appeal to both the adult gifting market and to kids, reflecting the cross-generational appeal of this classic British brand.

Beano confectionery in personalised packaging will also be created by Great Gifts. The unique gifting lines are set to include gift boxes, jars and advent calendars and launch across retail later this year.

Health and beauty experts H&A will also be developing a creative range of Beano products to include everyday essentials, play cosmetics, health and beauty accessories and hair care. These will be targeted at both boys and girls and launching into high street retail for autumn/winter 2020.

In licensed apparel, Park Agencies are supporting the brand, with adult and kids tees and sweats currently in development to launch into high street and online retail.

These new deals take place in the run up to Dennis’ 70th birthday in 2021, for which Beano Studios and Rocket Licensing are planning a raft of celebrations, partnerships and new product launches.

Rob Wijeratna, joint managing director of Rocket Licensing, said: “2019 was an incredibly busy and successful year for Beano, with a fabulous calendar of consumer products deals, marketing initiatives and campaigns. It’s great to be able to start 2020 with the same momentum, and five new best-in-class licensing deals for the brand, as we look ahead to a big celebration year in 2021.

“Beano continues to capture the hearts of the British public and offers a huge depth of content for great consumer products partnerships.”

Angeles Blanco, director of Global Licensing at Beano Studios, added “Adding five new partners to our licensing programme shows huge momentum as we build up to Dennis’ 70th birthday next year. We plan to continue this, adding more partners to bring Beano products to more fans, young and across the globe.”