Magic Light Pictures has partnered with the National Olympic Team to launch a children’s fitness and wellbeing campaign and apparel line. 

Dame Laura Kenny at the Tokyo Olympics

Magic Light Pictures has announced a collaboration with Team GB to create a multi-layered Gruffalo and Friends x Team GB summer activation that includes a clothing and accessories line and themed activities for kids aged between three and eight years to get involved in an action-packed summer of sport.

Working with five-time Olympic track cycling champion and mum of two, Dame Laura Kenny, as the campaign ambassador, the activation – which focuses on different areas of fitness, wellbeing and friendship based around values including resilience, determination and inclusivity, shared by both the well-loved children’s characters and elite athletes – will run in-store, online and across media outlets via influencer and marketing activity.

A product range of children’s sporting apparel and accessories will be made exclusively available to Asda customers online from the end of June and in-store from the 17th July. The range of products includes t-shirts, shorts, bucket hats, backpacks, socks, clogs and pyjamas, combining the iconic Team GB brand with the illustrated characters based on the hugely popular books by writer Julia Donaldson and illustrator Axel Scheffler. The partnership coincides with the 25th Anniversary of The Gruffalo, but also features characters from Zog and the Flying Doctors, Superworm, Stick Man, The Smeds and The Smoos and The Snail and the Whale.

The far-reaching campaign will include a downloadable activity pack on a bespoke microsite, alongside a series of short videos illustrating how kids can keep active and celebrate the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect.

The activities will be circulated to schools via Scholastic Book Club’s newsletter, and will also be available to download from The Gruffalo and Friends x Team GB website for families and play groups to take part in.

Dame Laura Kenny will act as the official media ambassador for the campaign, to help inspire children and their families to prioritise building healthy habits for a healthy body and mind.

Alex Sanson, senior brand manager, Magic Light Pictures, said: “The Gruffalo and Friends have long brought a sense of exploration and fun to kids and families, and this new partnership with Team GB allows us to explore these stories and their themes in a new way. We want to give children the tools to understand their health and wellbeing from a young age, and inspire them to be confident team players, try their best and enjoy healthy habits that will last a lifetime.”

Amber Jeffries Keel, senior licensing and retail manager, Team GB, added: “Part of our mission is to inspire the next generation of athletes and to encourage us all to get active, and this collaboration is a great example of how this can be brought to life by some of the most-loved characters for children and their families.”

As well as the Gruffalo and Friends x Team GB summer activation, there is a range of events for families to get involved with over the summer holidays, including the long-standing Magic Light partnership with Forestry England, which, at 21 of its sites across England, is challenging visitors to search for hidden Gruffalo characters and take on sport-inspired challenges.