BRAND BULLETIN
November 2012
2 This month’s November edition of the DCT Brand Bulletin showcases news updates, current and new licensed products from the Consumer Products Team. ● The future certainly looks bright for the next 12 months with this Dandy & Beano calendar from Portico Designs. The vivid and colourful designs also include mini biographies of the famous comic titles and characters including Dennis & Gnasher, Minnie the Minx, Bananaman and Biffo.
● Oh-oh! Dennis isn’t the only one now who can rightly call himself a menace thanks to Signature Gifts’ personalised gift range of T-shirts, mugs, notebooks, jigsaw and calendars. These are the perfect gifts ideas for the youngest apprentice menaces as well as the more (or less) mature fan. A very special gift option is The Beano Birthday Book – a personalised Beano “Happy Birthday” A4 hardback book where the name you choose features wherever the word ‘Dennis’ originally appeared in the full length strip. The front cover contains your personalisation details embossed in silver. A true collector piece.
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● DC Thomson were recently approached to create unique artworks on canvas of Dennis the Menace and Gnasher for Stars on Canvas, a public exhibition of more than 300 canvases each created by artists and celebrities in aid of the Willow Foundation. The Dennis the Menace and Gnasher artworks were created through collaboration between artist Nigel Parkinson and Consumer Products’ Gordon Tait. All the artworks were put up for auction on eBay. The winning bid for Dennis was £214.29 and Gnasher went for £122.52. The Willow Foundation is a national charity that provides morale-boosting and memorable special days for seriously ill 16 to 40 year olds. A public exhibition was held at the Maddox Arts Gallery in London, W1K 4ED. To view the full Stars on Canvas collection visit www.starsoncanvas.org.uk
● This hand painted Limited Edition set of ceramic resin figurines is the latest in a long line of amazing Christmas themed figurines from The Beano & Dandy Collection. Robert Harrop Designs have put a novel twist to the traditional celebration at this time of year of the three wise men bearing gifts. The set stars Fatty, Plug and Smiffy from The Bash Street Kids and is entitled ‘Mould, Frankenstein & Duh!’
● The Cartoon Museum in London and the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh are exhibiting the art and history of The Dandy. The Cartoon Museum is showing some of the many highlights spanning the first 75 years of The Dandy featuring iconic comic characters throughout the history of the comic to present day, including exclusive material from the all new Digital Dandy - www.dandy.com - which will combine some favourites from the comic’s great heritage along with specially created new material. The exhibition is open to 24th December this year. Over at the National Library of Scotland exhibition, visitors can delve into the unique world of Desperate Dan, Korky the Cat, Beryl the Peril among others and enjoy selected original illustrations and artboards from DC Thomson's archives and The Dandy annuals from the National Library of Scotland's collections. It runs from 21st November to 3rd February 2013. www.cartoonmuseum.org www.nls.uk
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● Scotland’s favourite characters The Broons and Oor Wullie have now been immortalised in bronze by one of the nation’s top sculptors, Dundee-born Steve Paterson. They are based on the original sketches of the legendary Dudley D. Watkins, the original illustrator of these iconic characters. The Broons series is a Limited Edition to 350 of each character and the Oor Wullie and PC Murdoch piece is limited to 250. Each piece is numbered, comes with a special signed certificate complete with exclusive gift wrap.
Oor Wullie - Jings! Crivvens! Help Ma Boab! This mischievous wee laddie loves life, fun and laughter and even the figures of authority in his world, in particular, his Ma, his Pa and PC Murdoch can’t begrudge a smile at his boundless energy. The Bairn – what a cutie! The baby of the family can melt your heart and at the same time twist you round her little finger. Granpaw refers to her as his ‘wee lamb’ and he is her most trusted crony.
The Twins – defined as Ae Twin and The Ither Twin. They are a couple of wild ones forever battling and squabbling with each other. When left to their own devices the resulting devastation is enough to put a wrecking ball to shame. Horace Broon – who’s a clever boy, then! Horace is the studious type, often seen with his head in a book. He is a fountain of knowledge and there isn’t much he doesn’t know and what he doesn’t know isn’t worth knowing.
Joe Broon – what a man! Good looking, rough and tough, Joe steps in when the family need a bit of muscle. Joe may be a bit of eye candy but there’s much more to this decent and honest man. Hen Broon – the tall guy. Hen is the opposite of his brother Joe – ungainly and lacking co-ordination. But Hen can use his beanpole stature to advantage. On occasion he has stood in for a missing tent pole and can tell if there are enough seats for everyone on the top deck of the bus. Maggie Broon – what a cracker! This blonde bombshell sure knows how to turns heads and will often use her good looks to benefit members of the family.
Daphne Broon – she spends a great deal of time and money on trying to improve herself. Daphne wants a boyfriend and her family hope that one day she’ll get her wish and the right man comes along
to find she has a heart of gold.
Granpaw Broon – this golden oldie is young at heart and has a cheeky twinkle in his eye. Maw is forever telling him to act his age and not his shoe size but that’s his secret for a full and lively life. Granpaw will often come round to visit his family usually just as dinner is being put on the table.
Paw Broon – a working class hero. Paw is always plotting grand schemes to make or save money but usually ending up coming to grief with hilarious consequences. He likes to enjoy himself in simple pleasures like having a wee dram and a jig in the livingroom. Maw Broon – she is simply amazing! This much-loved mother to eight is very much the homemaker who takes charge of most of the household affairs. Her home-cooked meals are legendary and the family always look forward to sitting down at the table together for Maw’s delicious plain Scots fare.
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● The Just Slate Company has launched a new range of Home and Kitchen products. Inspired by the iconic matriarch of Scotland’s most cherished family, the brand new range offers a collection of vintage-inspired items which make attractive yet practical additions to the home and are beautifully packaged to make the perfect gift. Each piece combines the character and nostalgia of the famous Broons family with a contemporary design to create a range which will look great in any home. Designer Emma Carstairs, “These quality, stylish home wares include Paw’s Porcelain Soup Mug, an Egg Cup Set featuring a fabulous four of the family, Recipe Book Stand, Tea Towel, Shortbread Mould and Utensil Jug Set among others in the range. All the products have been created with the nation’s fondness for The Broons and Maw’s love of cooking and home comforts in mind. It’s not all about the baking however, our retro Ceramic Soap Dish which comes with its very own truly delicious-smelling handmade Rhubarb and Custard Soap for cleaning grubby paws and is just a small taste of other exciting products to come. A range that is truly unique with just a little bit of fun.”
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● This fantastic selection of DC Thomson 2013 annuals and books are just some of the many classic family favourites and new titles available this year. And it wouldn’t be Christmas without the nation’s favourite fun read from Santa - the best-selling Beano Annual 2013. Great bundle and gift pack offers also available. There’s something for everyone.
● Gardiners of Scotland have introduced three new lines to complement their existing range of gift presentations with Limited Edition Oor Wullie and The Broons Vanilla Fudge Christmas Tins and The Broons Christmas Shortbread Tin. The new designs have already been a great success. Tom Gardiner, “Gardiners of Scotland are particularly pleased to have been granted the licence from DC Thomson which brought together two iconic brand names with high quality products. The branding aspect is important to Gardiners of Scotland and this has been reflected in the quality of the designs on all three tins. Each presentation was created to present consumers with a highly attractive, colourful, bright and eye-catching tin and this approach has seen combined sales of over 100,000 units. This level of sale has proved the strength of bringing together two recognised Scottish companies and how branding can generate both increased sales levels and exposure.” Log on to http://www.dcthomsonshop.co.uk/ for a wide selection of licensed product and exclusives. For more information contact Roddie Watt, Consumer Products Department, Kingsway. rwatt@dcthomson.co.uk (Information correct at time of writing) ©DC Thomson