The licensed costumes specialist, Rubies is preparing to launch a new Hello Summer campaign this July, a marketing initiative devised to celebrate the summer months through new online content and competitions for kids and dress-up fans of all ages.
The company is encouraging customers to make up for lost time with friends and family this summer, welcoming back holidays as the UK’s holiday makers enjoy a summer of staycationing, or engage little ones with Rubies’ new online summer camp, Camp Kindness, all of which will fall under the hashtag #everyexcusetoparty.
New releases from Rubies will feature officially licensed costumes from a wide range of new media, catering to all age ranges, from the deadly assassins of Marvel’s Black Widow cinematic release, to the Space Jam: A New Legacy kit.
Mike O’Connell, COO, Rubies, said: “We can’t wait to launch our new Hello Summer campaign this July, as it’s understandably a very exciting time in people’s lives as the world opens up again and people start to celebrate with those closest to them.
“Rubies is synonymous with unforgettable party experiences and as an industry leader, we act as a positive role model to our audience who wear our costumes. Kindness, Friendship and Togetherness are imperative to our company values and ethos and we want to encourage these amongst our audience, with the introduction of our virtual summer camp.”
Rubiesworld.com will be the home of Camp Kindness, the virtual summer camp. This brand-new website will focus on celebrating everyday acts of kindness with a competition where you can submit acts of kindness or good deeds that you have witnessed and vote for your favourite.
The winner will be announced on the 22nd August and will receive the Ultimate Party Bundle from Rubies, allowing them to throw a character themed party for all their friends.
The popular animated pre-school series Oddbods is getting into the dress up game thanks to a new partnership the leading dress-up manufacturer, Rubies Masquerade UK.
Under the deal with the award-winning content creation and licensing studio, One Animation, Rubies has secured the dress-up rights for the Oddbods characters across the UK, EMEA, and South East Asia.
The range is set to launch in AW21 and will feature a line of children’s costumes aligned with the latest Oddbods content, bringing key elements of the show, including a Fuse and Pogo costume to retailers and pre-school audiences.
Rob Spindley, SVP commercial development USA and EMEA at One Animation, said: “Rubies is internationally renowned for its high-quality costumes and we know their talented team can capture the quirks andindividuality of the Oddbods’ characters, and bring them to life through a colourful dress-up collection.
“Whether dressing up to play with friends, for a fun occasion or simply to watch their favourite episodes at home, we look forward to giving fans a chance to become one of the Oddbods gang.”
Tracey Devine-Tyley, head of licensing and portfolio at Rubies, added: “We are excited to be bringing these fun and quirky characters to life.”
Oddbods is a three-time Emmy Award-nominated, non-dialogue comedy featuring seven unique pals. Together, despite their differences, they survive the perils of everyday life, unintentionally turning ordinary situations into unexpected, extraordinary and always humorous events.
It didn’t take a global pandemic to facilitate the manner of changes to have taken place at the dress-up and costumes specialist, Rubie’s, over the course of the last 12 months – but it certainly did help.
Having ended 2020 – the year of the great halt – considerably stronger than how it started it, there’s an electricity of excitement running through the Rubies business right now that is almost palpable, even if you are chatting through email.
It was only last month that Rubie’s witnessed the momentous point in its modern day history, as co-owner and managing partner (and also the founder of NECA – what a side project!) Joel Weinshanker take direct oversight of the company’s global business, and since then there’s been a bigger buzz about the costume company than ever before. Then again, this time of year always does seem to get the blood racing for many within the business, because with the dawn of March comes the favourite season of all for so many in the Rubie’s team.
We’re talking, of course, about World Book Day.
It’s by no accident that Rubie’s has become a name somewhat synonymous with the annual charity event developed to encourage reading among children across the UK. Over the years, the firm has carefully aligned itself with the core values that World Book Day promotes; the importance of literacy among children and the rallying of the industry – across its breadth – to do what it can to encourage an enjoyment of reading.
This year, Rubie’s has taken that alignment one step further, through an official partnership with the World Book Day Charity and its mission to change to the lives of the youngsters and families that it acts to serve.
ToyNews catches up with Fran Hales, head of content and marketing at Rubie’s to learn more about the partnership, talk the finer points of developing book character dress-up, and cover the facts of why encouraging children to be active readers is one of the best things the toy industry could for the next generation.
Fran Hales, head of content and marketing, Rubie’s
Hi Fran, thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Just to get us started in a nice orderly fashion, can you tell us how things have been for you guys over the course of 2020?
It’s a very exciting time for Rubies! We welcomed Joel Weinshanker, our co-owner and managing partner, who will have direct oversight over the entire worldwide Rubie’s business (Rubie’s One World).
Rubies ended 2020 in a much stronger position than it was in at the beginning of the year. We are very confident moving forward into 2021 that we will see our industry rise as a result of the hard work that has been put in by the team over the past months, as we continue to support our retailers who are the core focus of our business.
It’s important to note that the changes we have made this year were always scheduled to happen and were not a result of Covid-19. If anything, the pandemic has hastened the progress, ensuring that we bought a consolidated Rubies UK operation quicker than it was perhaps originally planned.
How resilient has dress-up been throughout the pandemic? How important has book character licensing been in the wake of big movie releases at cinema etc?
License ranges have certainly held their own throughout the pandemic, with our new ranges such as The Mandalorian proving to be massive success and sold out of stock within weeks. While licensed product remains desirable, the industry has seen a significant fall in general costume sales because of the hospitality and events industry being hit with severe restrictions throughout 2020 and continuing into 2021.
On the flip side of this, we found lockdowns inspired the nation by providing more focus on dress-up, with parents keen to keep the children entertained at home. We also made sure we were proactively prominent in the national media, which really helped keep the dress-up industry at the forefront during key seasons.
As we haven’t seen as many theatrical releases this year it has had a knock-on impact with product releases also being delayed. There are plenty of new ranges in the pipeline though, not just for movie theatres but from streaming site productions with Disney+ leading the way with epic original series such as WondaVision and Falcon and The Winter Soldier – the next big release on the hugely popular platform.
It’s March, which means we’re coming up to the big day in the Rubie’s calendar… Can we talk about your relationship with World Book Day? Why has the annual event become such an important one for you guys?
We are very excited about our new collaboration. It brings together Rubie’s global experience of delivering best in class costumes and accessories as a trusted manufacturer of licensed and generic dress-up products and the World Book Day Charity who is actively changing lives through a love of books and shared reading.
World Book Day is personally one of my favourite times of year. The event encourages children across the globe to get creative through reading, which can benefit lives an immeasurable amount through such a simple activity. Over the years the day has grown to be a remarkable success. It’s due to the hard work by the charity and the backing they’ve received from publishers and booksellers along with the help of schools to reach out and engage with pupils of all ages.
Our approach when it comes to costumes is for them to be utilised more so as a tool to encourage creativity and nurture the joy experienced from reading or reading to others. It is important that we also recognise the core principle of World Book Day which is to celebrate reading and to share books together this year.
Reading for pleasure is in decline with only 29 per cent of 0-13s reading for pleasure daily (down from 30 per cent in 2017). Fewer than 19 per cent of eight to ten-year-olds are read to daily.
What does the Rubie’s offering bring to the World Book Day event, how does it help heighten children’s engagement with the event and reading in general?
It’s easy to lose sight of what World Book Day is actually about. Here at Rubies, we fully believe that reading knows no bounds, if you can encourage engagement with reading a book through say the use of a costume, as it can only be beneficial to aide enjoying the experience.
It’s proven that wearing costumes motivates children when learning to read, which is the reason schools encourage dressing up as part of the event. We fully endorse any resource to support the education of a child and open their eyes to the joys and endless possibilities of creativity through reading.
There are many children that are compromised by reading and some have parents who may not feel confident reading themselves or have the time to do so. A costume can open those doors by bringing the story to life, help to visualise the characters, and inspire the imagination. Some children need the visual stimulation to get started and once they start, what could be more fun than recreating some scenes dressed as their favourite character to show parents, grandparents, or even friends across video calls helping with much-needed social interaction.
Kids love dressing up, especially in clothes that make them feel grown-up or looking like one of their favourite characters. Adults like dressing up because it reminds them of that feeling of being a child again and getting excited about dressing like a grownup. In a time when we may need to have a break from reality, a costume offers escapism from the world, along with newfound confidence or just making someone else smile and who could argue with putting a smile on someone’s face in these testing times?
Why is children’s literacy such an important issue for you guys, particularly this year and following the events of 2020?
Every hero starts with a story! That’s our saying and the power of literature spreads far and wide through storytelling, it’s fundamental to shaping and forming a child’s imagination. The core reasoning behind WBD is that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background, or their income.
Every child should have the opportunity to own their own book and we feel very strongly about this core message from World Book Day, it’s one reason why we fully support the day in our own way by bringing the stories to life through dress-up.
“We as an industry can work together to help utilise the power of dress-up to help the cause when it comes to inspiring children to develop key skills from reading.”
What is the process like in bringing children’s book characters to life through dress-up? How closely do you guys work with source material and publishers throughout the process?
We work closely with our licensors to ensure we capture the true spirit of the character and their story, from concept to final costume approval.
To start a project, the Design Team hold creative brainstorm meetings discussing all elements of the characters personalities, colour pallets, fabrications and environments. They use this information to design a range of costumes capturing the characters essence.
It gives the team such pleasure to be able to lift a character from the page and bring it to life in a 3D form, enabling children to become their most treasured characters from literature.
What sort of growth have you guys seen in engagement with World Book Day over the last few years? How important is the event to Rubies’ UK business?
World Book Day plays a significant part on any costume calendar, it’s up there with Halloween as the second largest dress-up season of the calendar year. It’s a celebration of the characters and narratives that we’ve all grown up with and can share with younger generations.
The event has been seen to shift in recent years, in the way it has adapted to reflect the way children now engage and interact with stories, whether on the page or screen. The potential that World Book Day offers has grown exponentially over the years, by providing vast opportunities for collaborations between retailers, publishers and licensees.
Last year the charity encouraged at least 25,000,000 minutes of shared reading and made an impact with 64 per cent of early years settings and 66 per cent primary schools confirming World Book Day changed reading habits. However, there is still work to be done, as reading for pleasure is in decline with only 29 per cent of 0-13s reading for pleasure daily (down from 30 per cent in 2017). Fewer than 19 per cent of eight to ten-year-olds are read to daily or nearly every day and 383,755 children and young people in the UK don’t have a book of their own.
We as an industry can work together to help utilise the power of dress-up to help the cause when it comes to inspiring children to develop key skills from reading, encourage autonomy, enthusiasm, achievement and a sense of enjoyment.
What kind of growth have you seen in the children’s book IP licensing space? Are more and more publishers engaging with it?
Yes indeed, more and more publishers have absolutely seen the benefit of working in the licensing space and engaging with our category. Bringing stories to life is a mutual objective. At a time when encouraging children to read has never been more important it is great to work together with this aim.
Why should retailers be keen to work with Rubies for the coming year?
Well, not only do we have Joel’s arrival, but we have also been working very hard behind the scenes to provide our customers with an improved 365 wholesale experience from Rubie’s.
It’s a giant step forward in the industry with our innovative systems now in place to support our expansive range of the best licensed and generic dress-up product in the world.
Over the past year, we have moved to address the diverse challenges of a changing global market, to provide retailers with the opportunity to grow on today’s marketplaces and ecommerce platforms.
The services we offer have also had to adapt to the changing digital landscape, one example of this would be our live virtual shows from our dedicated showroom in Nuremberg – in addition to our new Rubie’s showroom, complete with a media studio, in our Bristol site.
It all signifies part of our continuing promise to offer innovative and sophisticated solutions to elevate customer’s experience throughout the seasons.
What’s the next step for you guys in terms of the World Book Day partnership? How will you guys look to continue to build in this relationship?
Of course, we have the long term in mind for this partnership as we work closely together to understand each other’s requirements, objective and to ultimately benefit one another for the foreseeable future. The partnership provides reassurance for World Book Day by ensuring they are represented in the correct manner within our industry.
Rubies has secured an official partnership with the World Book Day charity and its annual event developed to change lives through a love of books and shared reading.
The new collaboration is founded on Rubies’ own global experience of delivering best-in-class costumes and accessories as a trusted manufacturer of licensed dress-up products. The partnership will work to strengthen World Book Day’s ongoing mission to promote reading for pleasure and offer every child the chance to have a book of their own.
World Book Day is a key date in the diary for the costume industry and the exclusive partnership signifies a huge step forward to ensure that World Book Day’s charitable purpose is represented within the industry, along with their cores aims and messages.
Tracey Devine-Tyley, head of licensing and portfolio EMEA, Rubies, said: “Rubies’ has always been instrumental in bringing world book day to life for children and teachers. Allowing children to relate to characters through dressing up and reading equips them for all obstacles and adversities they may face and we could not be more thrilled to be working with World Book Day on their mission to ensure we are actively encouraging every child and young person to read and also have the opportunity to own a book.
“This year has been a particularly challenging time for children and parents and this partnership will be instrumental in allowing children to start a new chapter.”
Cassie Chadderton, chief executive of World Book Day, added: “It’s wonderful that children and families engage with reading creatively, including bringing their favourite book characters to life through dressing up.
“We’re excited to be teaming up with Rubies to bring more of the joy and fun of World Book Day to children, whether they are at home or at school, this year.”
Whether you’re celebrating at home or at school, head to www.worldbookday.com for loads of ways to take part, including events, resource packs, videos, activities and lots of book-filled fun.
Reading for pleasure has been highlighted as ‘the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success’ by researches behind the World Book Day initiative, placing it above factors such as family circumstances, parents’ educational background, or income.
“We want to see more children, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a life-long habit of reading for pleasure and the improved life chances this brings them,” said the charity.
Costume company Rubies has released the details of a deal that will see the company’s co-owner and managing partner, and founder of NECA, Joel Weinshanker, take over the direct oversight of the entire worldwide Rubie’s business.
In the new position, Weinshanker will look to harness the full power of over 1,000 Rubies employees around the world to maintain the firm’s position as a leader and innovator in the design, manufacture, and distribution of costumes globally.
The Rubie’s boss will rely on his many years of experience as the founder of the National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA) – a leader in the licensed consumer products industry – to carry out the role.
Rubie’s is the largest costume designer, manufacturer, and distributor in the United States. Following a recent asset purchase acquisition in October 2020, Rubie’s is now owned by Joel Weinshanker, funds managed by Atalaya Capital Management LP, and members of the Beige family, which founded the company in 1950.
The original Rubie’s Costume Company was founded 70 years ago by Rubin and Tillie Beige in Queens, New York. In addition to costumes for Easter, Mardi Gras, St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, bachelorette parties, and more, its assortment of licenses includes Marvel Comics, Star Wars, Jurassic World, Star Trek, DC Comics, Barbie, Disney, Elvis Presley, Stranger Things, and more.
Rubie’s costumes are sold by retail partners across the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, South America, Asia, and Australia.
Weinshanker’s leadership at NECA has grown the company into a world-class retailer with permanent sections in Walmart and Target. Rubie’s currently has the capacity to distribute thousands of wholesale and over 100,000 B2C orders each day, and Weinshanker says he ‘looks forward to further enhancing Rubie’s position as the only truly full-service global Halloween manufacturer and distributor in the world with even more omni-channel retailing capabilities.’
“The future remains bright at Rubie’s. We will continue to be the market leader in the Halloween, Dress Up and Carnival space. There is only once place like home for dress-up and cosplay – Rubie’s,” said Weinshanker.
Jazwares its advances its plans for European expansion with the promotion of Jonny Taylor to the role of senior vice president, Europe, and the appointment of Holly Oldham to the position of managing director for the UK and Nordics.
The latest development is part of Jazwares’ ongoing plans for European expansion, a strategy that has been in place for the past eight years with the establishment of offices in the UK and Germany.
Having established the UK office in 2012 and managed the German office since February 2020, Taylor will continue to support development in these markets, while also focusing on growth in other key territories.
Stepping into Taylor’s previous role of managing director, UK and Nordics is Holly Oldham. Oldham has worked in the UK toy industry for over 15 years, most recently as the managing director at Rubie’s Masquerade Ltd and previously leading Hasbro’s UK consumer products business.
Oldham is looking forward to bringing her extensive experience within the licensed consumer goods industry, working with world-class brands and market-leading partnerships to Jazwares.
Laura Zebersky, chief commercial officer, Jazwares, said: “Over the last eight years we’ve built a solid foundation in Europe with successful offices in both the UK & Germany. We are excited to have Jonny lead our expansion plans in Europe and we are thrilled with the arrival of Holly to the team. We have a talented European team coupled with a strong product portfolio, now is the time to take things to the next level.”
Giants of the costumes and dress up market, Rubie’s isn’t letting the postponed calendar of trade shows stop it from putting on a show early next year, as it prepares to open the digital doors of its 365 dedicated Nuremberg showroom with exclusive virtual tours and live appointments.
The new Virtual Showroom will be streamed through private viewings, providing buyers with an experiential approach to remotely research, interact and place orders from their expansive portfolio of global licensed brands.
Graham Gardiner, general manager EMEA, said: “Online retail and remote selling is one of the big growth areas for our sector. With the Virtual Showroom, we are bringing the same tailored personal showroom experience our customers are used to when they visit our Nuremberg venue, from the comfort of their home or office.
“At Rubie’s we’re keen to position ourselves at the forefront of digital excellence through our ecommerce website, HUB platform and now our virtual Showroom. We are adapting the way our business operates to respond not only to the current crisis but also to be at the forefront of long-term trends and adapt to the shifts in consumer behaviours.”
Rubie’s states that increasingly, digital viewing platforms are on the rise and quickly becoming key tools to accommodate growing expectations in the current climate. They’ve been adopted as a means of promoting brand to the marketplace in the absence of physical events.
Gardiner continued: “Last weekend over 40 Key Customers from around the world were treated to a one-on-one interactive experience by using a live broadcast demonstrations of all the new products from Marvel, Disney, Lucas, Sony, DC, Harry Potter, Universal, Looney Tunes, Power Rangers, and many others major licenses.
“By using our Nuremberg Showroom, we were able to meet and present with our key partners. Customers have appreciated the personal approach and effort we have made in bringing our inspirational showroom to their desks.”
Rubie’s is looking to repeat the event early next year in the absence of physical Trade Shows and will be expanding these events in order to accommodate access for more customers throughout the UK and rest of the world.
Rubies Masquerade and Bristol Novelty have detailed the merger of its operations and office functions in a forward looking move to house all of its products under one banner as the industry begins to shake itself off from lockdown. It comes, the firm has stated, as companies the world over look to adapt to navigate the economic consequences of Covid-19.
Amid the changes at the firm, Rubies Masquerade has bid a fond farewell to its managing director, Holly Oldham, who returned to the firm in the managerial role, having previously held a long term role within its licensing business.
The launch of the company’s new Rubies Ecommerce trade website in July marked the beginning of the firm’s transition to ecommerce and ‘tech led partner engagement’, with forward ordering, fulfilment services, and bulk order upload tools available for customers. Add to that an effective window into all corners or Rubies’ consolidated group product warehouses, states the firm, and the entire portfolio is at customers’ fingertips.
“It’s a real Marquee licenses meets fashion forward fun proposition for all our retail partners,” said executive director Peter Warton. “The Rubies and Bristol product lines just complement each other so well. Harry and Sally, Butch and Sundance, MIB, Mr and Mrs Smith, Buzz and Woody, Batman and Robin… The list goes on.”
Mike O’Connell, COO Rubies Masquerade and MD Bristol Novelty will lead the integration and merger of resources, facilities and processes. Having successfully restructured and modernised the Bristol business over a two year period, O’Connell has been building the foundations to bring the Rubies UK group of companies together.
‘Having already rolled Mask- Arade Co into Bristol earlier this year, we now close the loop to consolidate considerable resources toward bringing fun and laughter to consumers across the UK,’ said the firm in a press release. ‘Our remit is to make it easier than ever for our retail partners to offer our great products to their customers.’
“Like many organisations around the world, Rubies group of companies must adapt and change to navigate the significant economic consequences of Covid 19,” said the firm.
On top of that, Peter Warton, executive director at Rubies, has expressed his gratitude onto leaving MD Holly Oldham.
“We of course thank her for her significant efforts,” he said. “In addition to her return stint as MD, Holly has been a long term and talented licensing executive with Rubies UK over many years. Particularly gifted in the art of public speaking and persuasive presentations, Holly has a thoroughly engaging demeanor and sharp wit. Rubies wishes her well for the future.”
Chris Isitt is stepping down from his role as vice president of EMEA and Australia and managing director of Rubie’s Masquerade by the end of next month.
Over his 22 year tenure with Rubie’s, Isitt has helped to build its international team as well as oversee major licensing portfolio acquisitions while setting the firm on a path to success in the UK and European markets.
‘He will always be a treasured member of the Rubie’s family and we wish him continued success in all of his endeavours,” read a statement from the firm.
Meanwhile, Rubie’s has appointed Peter Warton to the role of executive director of Rubie’s Masquerade and International Licensing. Warton currently serves as the chief executive officer of Rubie’s Deerfield, and previously served as the managing director of Deerfield Pty.
‘He is a proven leader with expertise in motivating individuals and teams, building strong partnerships with licensors and customers, and expanding operations,’ said the company. ‘Under Pete’s leadership, Rubie’s Deerfield has grown exponentially, and we are confident that he will see the same success in his new role.’
Warton will be spending the majority of his time in the UK to work closely with Holly Oldham as the managing director of Rubie’s Masquerade to continue to grow the business in addition to his responsibilities at Rubie’s Deerfield.
He will also be working with Mike O’Connell at Bristol Novelties and Graham Gardiner’s international sales team as Rubie’s continues its ongoing initiatives to evolve and transform the business in the new decade.
Warton will be in the Wallingford offices beginning in February.
‘The Rubie’s family looks forward to continuing to foster its relationships with customers and licensors as well as this next chapter of ambitious international growth and development,’ said the firm.
