LTW

June 2015

DESTINATION PLANET EARTH!

52 X 11’ COMING TO

EARLY 2016

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zodiakkids.com

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E June 2015

the team

Director

Mark Naish Mark@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Group Editor

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Mirella Anstey mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Editor

Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

Writer

Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

P16 Regulars 5 The Leader 6 News 10 People News

Group Advertising Manager

Ryan Horwood ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Media Solutions Manager

Bradley Mason bradley@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director

Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

12 Movie News 20 Licensing Talk

Features

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22 One for the girls ut Girls licensing is big business, LTW finds out what works and why 28 It’s Vegas!

Licensing Expo is all but upon us, we take an indepth look at the properties on show, including cluding the new British Heritage Pavilion 52 Movie madness – Movie licensing is big business, we find out why

Special Reports 14 A classic!

DreamWorks Animation has given an old favourite Noddy a total revamp, find out more ore 16 Licensor Spotlight Smiley is a global favourite, LTW looks into th the most iconic of properties 54 TnP TV is here LTW’s sister title TnP has launched a new product-centric TV show. We give you the lowdown 56 Reach for the Rainbow LTW’s Rhys Thomas visited Rainbow’s HQ in Loreto, Italy

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Columnist 59 Broadcast Insight Media expert Clive Crouch takes a look at the popularity of digital properties

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f more than 400 exhibitors and 5,000 brands all in one place gets you hot under the collar, then the Licensing Expo 2015 in Las Vegas is the place you need to be this June.

Vegas is such a great show because visitor attendance is magnificent and everyone is keen to do business.

It’s not many places where 14,000 key decision-making retailers, manufacturers, marketing, and advertising professionals across all consumer product categories gather with the sole intention of doing deals.

Licensing Expo organisers and its exclusive sponsor, The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA), always ensure they have a range of terrific keynote speakers to inform and discuss the state of the licensing industry today and where its future is heading.

This year’s Big Interview is telling of the times we live in. The digital space is allencompassing in licensing and YouTube sensation Bethany Mota is testament to that.

Bethany has built an incredible brand in five short years and was named by Business Insider and TIME magazine as one of the most powerful people in entertainment.

Remarkably, her YouTube channel has been viewed over 800 million and amongst her talents, her apparel, accessory and home décor line can now be found in over 900 stores. The interview is being moderated by Benjamin Grubbs - the Asia Pacific Head of Family Entertainment & Learning at YouTube and Bethany will discuss the evolution of her licensing programme and her key strategies for finding the right type of licensing partner.

There are also numerous sessions to participate in which suit seasoned licensing professionals and newcomers to the industry alike so make sure to log onto www.licensingexpo.com to find out what has been lined-up and we guarantee something is sure to appeal to you.

We can’t mention Licensing Expo without talking about the newly formed British Heritage Pavilion. Make sure to pop over to Booth C54 to visit classic UK brands such as The Royal Ballet, Imperial War Museum, National Museum of

the Royal Navy, Natural History Museum and Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Our Vegas preview starts on page 28 and you can check out our British Pavilion preview on page 48.

We also must point you in the direction of our cover story on page 14. DreamWorks Animation is introducing you to an incredible revamp of Noddy. The beloved Enid Blyton character, which first appeared in 1949, has been given a complete overhaul and it is very special indeed.

This issue also sees us shine a spotlight on the world of girls’ licensing. We not only take a look at what is happening in this category but also at some key properties within in it – did someone say Shopkins and Frozen?! Turn to page 22 to get a full run down on all that is happening within the sector.

Now, we all know the Smiley icon, right?

Right! This issue, LTW shine it’s a Licensor Spotlight on this, the most iconic of brands.

We chat with CEO Nicolas Loufrani about what the brand represents and its substantial licensing programme.

Well, for those heading out to Las Vegas, please look out for us there – LTW’s editor Mairead Wilmot will be there and will be joined by colleagues Ryan Horwood and Bradley Mason and I know they are ready to meet with as many of you as possible. And of course, if you want to meet with them, drop them a line, mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk, ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk and bradley@ lemapublishing.co.uk

ww.ltwmag.com • www.ltwmag.com • www.ltwmag.com • www.ltwmag.com • www.ltwmag.com • www.ltwmag.com •

LTW NEWS

The Simpsons take two A thundering hit ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) continues to strengthen its licensing programme for its boys’ action adventure series Thunderbirds Are Go, with a slate of new deals for the UK and Eire across key categories. Trudi Hayward, SVP Head of Global Merchandising for ITVS GE says: “We’ve been delighted by the fantastic response to Thunderbirds Are Go and with the licensing programme attracting top class partners, we can’t wait to give consumers a chance to engage with the show beyond its broadcast.”

Bolstering the toy category, ITVS GE has signed Global Solutions for clothing to launch a range of children’s hanging dressup, which will be led by the Scott and Virgil Tracy costumes.

Fashion Lab boosts apparel with boys’ outwear for mid-high end retail, while Xccessories MC’s accessories range will span hats, gloves and scarves. Aykroyd & Sons will produce a line of boys’ nightwear and underwear inspired by the popular TV series, Misirli will debut a collection of children’s socks and Alfred Franks & Bartlett is on board for boys’ sunglasses.

GB Eye expands stationery with its range of posters, prints and gift sets and Star Cutouts Limited will unveil boys’ cardboard face masks and cardboard standees. Paper Projects Ltd has been signed for a selection of sticker formats and UP Global Sourcing broadens the homewares category. DNC UK Limited will produce lunchware and World’s Apart Limited will launch novelty lighting.

Blueprint signs up for stationery for tokidoki in UK In a deal brokered by London based Licensing Agency Bloom, Blueprint will be launching a range of stationery for tokidoki in the UK. tokidoki, the pop culture brand meaning “sometimes” in Japanese, has built a worldwide following with its larger-than-life characters and designs as showcased on its products which include apparel, handbags, cosmetics, accessories and collectible toys. tokidoki product can be found at its flagship retail

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store in Los Angeles, CA, at www. tokidoki.it as well as at department stores and over 1,000 specialty boutiques worldwide.

Blueprint has developed a standout range of stationery including pens, pencils, notebooks, ringbinders and back to school bags aimed at teen girls and launching across high street retailers including Topshop, Boots, Primark, Independents and other retailers later this year.

We know LEGO’s Minifigures are a smash hit and as of last month, the company introduced Series 2 of its Simpsons range to retail.

The licensed range based on the iconic cartoon was released on 1 May and the second series features a collection of 16 of your favourite characters from TV’s longest-running animated comedy.

Characters include Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie along with Comic Book Guy, Groundskeeper Willie, sisters Paddy and Selma, Smithers, Edna Krabappel and Dr. Hibbert all included in the new release.

Tinderbox takes on Halo Tinderbox, the digital division of leading global brand extension agency Beanstalk, has been appointed as the licensing agent for blockbuster science fiction franchise, Halo. Tinderbox will support development studios, Microsoft Studios and 343 Industries, in further expanding Halo’s licensing footprint in Europe. The agency will also collaborate with Mexico City based licensing experts, Tycoon Enterprises and its network on the ground, on pursuing consumer products opportunities for Halo across Latin America.

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COFFEE BREAK It has been a busy year for Zodiak Kids, CEO Jean-Philippe Randisi has a quick Coffee Break with LTW to fill us in on all that has been happening

Jump on the BLE bandwagon Brand Licensing Europe 2015 is go! Registration is now open for the London-based show organised by UBM Advanstar. This year’s exhibition runs from 13 – 15 October 2015 and visitors can register for free at www.brandlicening. eu.

BLE 2015 promises another action packed three days, following the 2014 event – the biggest in the show’s 17-year history. Over 7,164 retailers, licensees and sales promotion professionals attended from over 65 countries. There was also a 28% increase in retailers attending the show.

Floogals

What are your top-three performing shows currently and tell us a little about the licensees attached to them?

We have shows covering the

A new addition to the Jack Daniel’s BBQ family

Peppa adds seven new US partners Entertainment One’s top pre-school brand Peppa Pig is dramatically expanding its footprint in the U.S. with seven new partners.

Based on the brand’s overwhelming success, a host of new licensed merchandise will roll out in the high-profile home décor category from Baby Boom, a division of The Betesh Group; Idea Nuova; Spin Master; and The Bridge Direct, as well as in the key apparel category from Handcraft and Esquire Footwear.

June 2015

different segments of kids content creation and

LoliRock

Iconic American whiskey brand, Jack Daniel’s has expanded its European licensing footprint with the addition of a new flavour to its BBQ sauce range, developed and distributed by premium UK food manufacturer, Baxters Food Group.

The new flavour launched at major UK grocery retailers in April 2015, with th a further roll-out planned for Germany, Hungary, Portugal, ugal, Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, aly, The Netherlands, Sweden and d Czech Republic in the coming months.

A lot has been happening with Zodiak Kids over the past year Jean-Philippe – give us an update?

Yes, it has been a busy year. Essentially, we have been organising Zodiak Kids as a business, joining the dots between the different companies it is made of.

On the production side, it meant creating Zodiak Kids Studios, our new production structure, comprising The Foundation in London and Marathon Media and Tele Images Production in Paris. Zodiak Kids Studios is headed up by CEO Michael Carrington, and has one common development team headed by Eryk Casemiro.

performing well in their respective areas, such as Zack & Quack with pre-school audiences, to The Ranch with girls aged 6+, or Get Blake! in the comedy space. Mister Maker is still very strong, and is developing as a license across a number of categories. Together with BBC Worldwide, we are launching a licensing program pro for Waybuloo in China. And on o LoliRock, in France, after a McDonalds Happy Meal c campaign in March, we have a promotion at Fl Flunch Restaurants in June and July.

Tell us a little about y your new series Floogals and the licensing programme attached to it? Floogals Floo is our new mixed media upp upper pre-school series that will lau launch on Sprout in the US next year year. This comedy tells the adventures of three aliens discovering our human wo world, or more specifically the world as p pre-schoolers know it, with brand new eyes. Details of our licensi licensing programme will be communi communicated at a later stage.

Descri Describe the Zodiak Kids ethos in four words?

Kollaborative, Kreative, Koll Konsistent, Kredible.

Ko Mister Maker

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LTW NEWS

Build your own bear American Greetings Properties and BuildA-Bear Workshop has announced a global collaboration that will feature the Care Bears brand in Build-ABear Workshops for a limited-time, worldwide de promotion beginning in 2016. Guests will be able to create their own stuffable plush toys and choose from a range of accessories to personalise their huggable bears. The Care Bears collection will be available at Build-A-Bear Workshops globally.

Campari go wild Campari has signed a US licensing agent in the form of The Wildflower Group.

Wildflower will act as US licensing agent for several of Campari America’s most popular brands, including Wild Turkey Bourbon, Wild Turkey American Honey, Cabo Wabo Tequila, and SKYY Vodka. The agency is developing wide-ranging licensing and branding programs for these top-shelf spirits, which will give consumers all across the country the opportunity to enjoy them like never before.

“Campari America has an

outstanding portfolio of licensable brands that date back more than 100 years,” said Michael Carlisle, Principal, The Wildflower Group.

“Wild Turkey, American Honey, Cabo Wabo and SKYY Vodka each have unique, easily identifiable personalities and brand equities in the U.S. Our job now is to broaden brand advocacy beyond the back bar and the liquor aisle.”

Initially, the new licensing programs will largely focus on food and beverage products, apparel and accessories, housewares items, and promotions and co-branding opportunities.

Madonna’s Hard Candy brand will be at Vegas Epic Rights will be bringing Madonna’s Hard Candy Fitness brand to Licensing Expo.

It was recently announced that the agency will develop and expand on the global merchandising and licensing rights for the brand.

Leading the day-to-day effort for Hard Candy Fitness is Dan Levin, who spearheads the Epic Rights Celebrity & Lifestyle division through its strategic alliance with Prominent Brand+Talent. Levin will oversee the development and implementation of the brand extension program. Epic Rights will present the Hard Candy Fitness brand to potential partners at the upcoming Licensing Expo in Las Vegas.

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One for the kids JCB Kids is about to be brought to a whole new audience after signing a raft of new licensing deals. The first deal sees Gemma focusing initially on a range of greetings and gift wraps featuring the My First JCB brand.

JCB Kids has also partnered with Zippy Baby which will be manufacturing JCB themed baby garments including baby bandana bibs and baby gifting items.

The agreement with sand art specialists, Kids Bee Happy, will look to appeal to JCB fans of all ages with a range of sand art sets featuring My First JCB characters for pre-schoolers and authentic JCB machines for older children.

Finally, Sambro, will partner with JCB Kids covering a range of key children’s categories including 3D luggage, back to school and lunch and dinnerware product offerings.

A meta-morph-osis After a 15-year absence, Aardman’s classic clay character Morph is coming back to TV. The new adventures of Morph will be broadcast on CBBC this month.

Originally created in 1977 by Aardman, Morph first appeared on the BBC Children’s art programme ‘Take Hart’ alongside the artist and presenter Tony Hart.

Staying true to the original format, the new episodes are shot using clay and traditional stop-frame animation at Morph’s original home at the Aardman studios in Bristol.

Peter Lord, Aardman Co-founder and Co-creator of Morph said: “Both Morph and I are equally delighted that his latest adventures are back on the BBC. Although he’s been away for a while, I’m delighted to report that he’s as lively and full of fun as ever – and rather more youthful than his creators! It’s fantastic to see him back in his rightful home.”

June 2015

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LTW PEOPLE NEWS

New appointment at Mattel Mattel UK has appointed Simon Price as Director, Consumer Products, UK & Nordics.

Simon rejoins the Mattel team after spending time working on the sales team during 2002 and 2004. From here Simon joined The Walt Disney Company working in Sales and Marketing and also Category Management. He was promoted to Category Director for the UK toy and consumer electronics business in 2006

and was responsible for key successes including the substantial licensed proposition for Toy Story 3. Most recently Simon has been working for Universal Music Group as Senior Director for Digital and New Business for the Benelux region and has been responsible for driving new business and strategic partnerships across both marketing and licensed products.

Dominic Geddes, VP & Country Manager, UK, Ireland, Netherlands and Nordics says: “Simon brings with him a wealth of experience built within key licensing businesses in the UK toy industry. I am confident with his skills and experience he will keep us on our journey towards being best in class for consumer products partnerships and executions.”

Disney names new Consumer Products head Leslie Ferraro has been appointed as the new President of Disney Consumer Products, effective immediately. It’s the latest move in a recent reshuffle of Disney’s senior team.

Leslie moves from her former role as Executive Vice President of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts division to fill the space of former DCP President Bob Chapek, who stepped up as Chairman of the Parks and Resorts division in February. Bob moved to fill the Parks and Resorts vacancy left by Thomas Staggs, who was appointed COO of the Walt Disney Company, also in February.

Leslie has held several senior-level positions over her 16-year tenure at Disney, including heading up marketing sales and travel operations for the Parks and Resorts division.

“Leslie is a highly talented, proven executive with a strong track record of creativity and innovation,” said Disney CEO and Chairman, Bob Iger. “Having managed worldwide marketing and sales for one of our largest businesses, she brings a global perspective and deep knowledge of the company and its brands to her new position.”

Thomas Staggs added: “She has a deep understanding of our brands and franchises, as well as a solid vision for how they fit into the global consumer marketplace, both of which will serve her extremely well as she leads the Disney Consumer Products team into the future.

New direction for Bruno Bruno Schwobthaler, a familiar face to those who deal with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, has left the company. After 18 years with WBCP, Bruno stepped down from his role as Senior Vice President Marketing, Sales & Business Development EMEA and will now pursue his own business development projects in licensing and brand management.

Helena MansellStopher joins Bulldog Bulldog Licensing has announced that Helena Mansell-Stopher joins the company as Retail Licensing Director.

Helena’s reputation very much precedes her, having held senior positions at Hit, 4Kids, Marvel and most recently as UK Consumer Products Territory Lead at Mattel. During her career, she has helped boost major brands including Thomas and Friends, Barbie, Monster High, Spider-Man, Hot Wheels, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nintendo, Pokemon and many more. Her move to Bulldog will see her working with one of the industry’s leading licensing agencies, with a strong and diverse portfolio of properties such as the UK’s biggest new property Shopkins, long-standing household favourite Garfield, a stable of hit gaming brands from Electronic Arts, and Iconic Images - the archive for 60s and 70s pop culture and Hollywood glamour.

Zodiak Kids Studios appoints Michael Carrington as CEO Zodiak Kids recently announced that it has created Zodiak Kids Studios which will encompass all of its production across the UK and France. Zodiak Kids Studios will consist of French production companies Marathon Media and Tele Images Productions, and UK based The Foundation.

Zodiak Kids has also created a new role to oversee the studios and appointed current CEO of The Foundation Michael Carrington as CEO Zodiak Kids Studios. Marathon Media’s Chief Creative Officer (CCO) Eryk Casemiro has been appointed CCO of Zodiak Kids Studios heading up development teams.

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LTW MEDIA NEWS

Animal magic Emmy-nominated TV series Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood can now boast of an additional five new licensing partners.

The Fred Rogers Company series now includes new product from Bakery Craft (cake decoration and kits), Bendon, Inc. (coloring and activity books and sets), Buy Seasons (party supplies), Colorforms (2D and 3D activity sets), and Komar Kids (sleepwear). The new licensed merchandise will be available at retailers nationwide beginning Autumn 2015. Licensing agency Out of the Blue Enterprises represent the property.

In other news, Peg + Cat, the Emmy-winning hit animated PBS KIDS series from The Fred Rogers Company, will take center-stage in a new collection of books from Candlewick Press. The extensive range of titles will begin rolling out everywhere books are sold, beginning this September.

Boj launches first DVD Top rated CBeebies pre-school television programme Boj, created by BAFTA award winning Pesky Productions, celebrated the recent release of its first DVD, Blast Off Buddies. The DVD is available to buy in UK stores Asda, Sainsbury’s and online at Amazon.

Boj’s popularity has continued to grow, not only in the UK where over 500,000 viewers tune in regularly, but at a global level. The programme is now showing on France 5 (France), preschool channel Sprout (USA) and on the ABCKids (Australia) with many more international broadcasters due to be announced soon.

A towering deal Zodiak Kids is bringing the Tiger Team book series to life. It has entered a production and distribution deal with Tower 10, the Austrian production company founded by best-selling children’s author Thomas Brezina.

The deal will cover a string of co-productions, the first of which will be an animated TV series based upon Thomas Brezina’s book series.

Tiger Team is already an acclaimed book series, having sold more than 30 million copies worldwide with over 100 editions published and translated into 24 languages.

Thomas Brezina

JUNE 2015

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LTW MOVIE NEWS

Inside Out in Cannes

Age of Ultron smashes records Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron had a phenomenal run at the UK box office taking an incredible £22.5 million in just one week, setting a new record for the studio as the highestgrossing Disney seven-day opening of all time.

The film has already dominated the UK box office since its release, delivering a bigger opening weekend than any other film in 2015 and entering the record books as the biggest ever April opening. Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron not only recorded the highest-grossing opening weekend for a Marvel title, but the alltime biggest opening for a superhero movie.

On one Saturday alone, Avengers: Age of Ultron garnered an astounding £6.18million as it set records as not only the biggest single day for a Marvel or Disney film ever, but also the biggest ever single day for a superhero movie.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron is the latest superhero offering from Marvel Studios and looks on course to outperform 2012’s blockbuster success Avengers Assemble, which took a mighty £51.9million at the UK box office in 2012.

Fedoras at the ready – Indy’s back Star Wars wasn’t the only blockbuster film franchise Disney added to its growing list of cultural icons when it picked up Lucasfilm for a cool $4 billion in 2012. Alongside the beloved space opera came globetrotter Indiana Jones, last seen in 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Disney has already begun talks for a new movie according to Lucasfilm’s president. Men of the moment Bradley Cooper and Chris Pratt are favourites for the role of Indiana Jones should Harrison Ford not return.

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We’re sure a lot of folk felt a bit inside out after their trip to the Cannes Film Festival, but none more so than the Disney Pixar team who debuted the upcoming movie.

Already with a host of licensees on board, hopes are high for the film which releases this month. The film has quite a complex storyline, delving into the thoughts, feelings and emotions of an 11-year-old girl called Riley. Each emotion has a character voiced by the likes of Amy Poehler (Joy) and Phyllis Smith (Sadness). We don’t know about you, but we have a good feeling about this one.

Turtles fanfav spotted on set The first glimpse of a classic TMNT character’s debut in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 movie had fans young and old excited recently. Director Michael Bay posted a photo from the set of the movie, currently filming, depicting fan favourite character Casey Jones, a handyman-turnedvigilante that uses his tools of the trade as weapons.

War is a craft Stills from the hotly anticipated icipated Duncan Jones ntly released.

Warcraft film were recently The film, based on Activision Blizzard’s popular video game, is sure to be hit with fans who got a first glimpse at logos and props during last year’s Comic Con. e Wired magazine was the first to print stills of Orgrim Doomhammer, the orc warchief played

by Robert Kazinsky (who UK soap fans will recall once appeared in Eastenders).

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Movie calendar 2015 Cinema operators have already been blessed with record breaking box office takings almost every month this year, with superhero smash hits and family animations from the world’s biggest studios leading the way. And that’s only a good thing for the licensing industry, a market that feels the full force of a blockbuster and the full disappointment of a damp squib.

As we head into the summer months there’s even more big-screen excitement, with potential hits releasing every month until year’s end.

Here, LTW has rounded up 10 of the biggest for the second half of the year – a director’s cut if you will. All promise to inject life into the licensing industry, and drum up big sales throughout the summer and all the way up to Christmas.

June: Jurassic World 11 June: Action, A-list actors and dinosaurs - a killer combination.

Minions, 26 June: These yellow fellows are taking over

group gets a modern reimagining.

Shaun The Sheep: The movie 7 Aug

October: Pan, 9 October: Hugh Jackman stars as Blackbeard in a new adventure in Neverland.

Spectre, 23 October: Bond is back. Let the bad Connery impressions and love for Aston Martin die cast cars commence!

November:

the world!

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part Two, 20 November: Jennifer Lawrence’s time as heroine Katniss Everdeen comes to its action-packed conclusion.

The Good Dinosaur, 27 November: Pixar’s second original release of the year also gives us our second dose of dino action.

July:

December:

Inside Out 24 July: A hilarious-looking return for the world class animation studio after a quiet 2014.

Ant-Man 17 July Pixel 24 July

August:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 18 December: The biggest film franchise in the universe returns.

Jem and the Holograms, 26 December: The 80s pop music classic is back in this reboot.

The Fantastic Four, 6 August: Marvel’s original superhero

All UK release dates taken from IMDb.com

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Cover Story

What’s new in Toyland?

Beloved children’s character Noddy was taken under the caring wing of DreamWorks Animation after their 2012 acquisition of Classic Media.

Now, the famous Enid Blyton character has been given a complete overhaul. Richard Hollis, DreamWorks Animation’s Head of Consumer Products UK, introduces us to the fresh, new concept which sees Noddy hit TV screens in 2016 as a Toyland Detective. Richard also delves into the exciting consumer products rollout plans Richard, Noddy has such a rich global heritage – tell us what DreamWorks Animation has been doing with the property since the acquisition of Classic Media in 2012?

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“

The series marks the first time in Noddy’s TV history that his car will come “alive” with his own unique p y personality

“

Noddy has been entertaining children for generations through a robust publishing franchise, having sold more than 250 million books worldwide. With such a rich, global history of more than 60 years, and with values that are aligned with the type of quality content that DreamWorks brings to families, it was clear Noddy provides numerous possibilities across DreamWorks Animation’s various channels and programmes.

Since the acquisition we have been hard at work developing the relaunch of the Noddy franchise which involves an exciting and

imaginative expansion of the Toyland world and his role within it. Because he’s been a fixture in the childhood of millions around the world we took great care in evolving this beloved character with a smart new series.

While Noddy remains immediately identifiable, his iconic look, from the tip of his blue hat to soles of his red shoes, has been given a contemporary makeover to suit the more adventurous and clever Noddy for a new generation.

Toyland has moved on, instead of consisting of traditional toys, such as wooden blocks and skittles, it now includes the recognisably modern toys that today’s children love.

In terms of brand extension, what plans are there for Noddy?

DreamWorks Animation is committed to reigniting the fan base for Noddy around the globe. Millions of people who grew up with Noddy now have children, or even grandchildren, of their own. We saw a tremendous opportunity

Noddy with Bumpy and the new look Revs

Richard Hollis

A TV dream So what will Noddy, Toyland Detective look and feel like? Richard fills us in Co-produced with Gaumont Animation and premiering on France Televisions’ France 5, Noddy, Toyland Detective is an exciting evolution in the world of Noddy.

Viewers will join Noddy on adventures throughout Toyland, accompanied by friends both new and familiar – including his iconic car, as well as Big Ears and Bumpy the dog.

Through Noddy’s newly established role as Toyland Detective, Det he’ll show children how to investigate i their world and make mak their own discoveries as he llooks for clues to mysteries in each eac episode.

The series marks the first time T in Noddy’s N TV history that his car will come alive with his own unique uniq personality. Named Revs, it eagerly ea races around as Noddy’s sidekick. side In addition to the refreshed look of Noddy and his friends, the world wor of Toyland will expand in the new series. Noddy’s investigations will take audiences on adventures through thro new lands – the fantastical Fable Fab Fields, the Animal Acres, the busy bus metropolis of Brickabuild, and the exciting Daredale introducing intr new characters and locations loca along the way.

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Noddy, Toyland Detective: Richard gives an introduction to the consumer products rollout plans Television: The new look Noddy, Toyland Detective TV series

to reintroduce a new, more adventurous Noddy to those parents and their children, where they’ll find he has more purpose than ever before. To do that, we are building robust business plans across television, publishing, toys and more.

We know that 2016 is going to be a pretty exciting year for Noddy with the release of the brand new series, Noddy, Toyland Detective. What can you tell us about this?

project?

Collaborating with Gaumont has been an incredible creative process. When a property is as cherished and precious as Noddy, it presents an exciting challenge to create a whole new narrative with original elements without losing the essence of the brand.

Gaumont has met this challenge head on and has partnered seamlessly with DreamWorks and France Televisions to create something very special.

“

Since the acquisition we have been hard at work developing the relaunch of the Noddy franchise which involves an exciting and imaginative expansion of the Toyland world and his role within it

“

We are so excited for audiences to meet the new Noddy and the entertaining cast of characters populating Toyland.

Beginning with France 5’s premiere broadcast in spring 2016, Noddy, Toyland Detective will continue to rollout in key markets around the globe, with the accompanying consumer products and publishing programs in full swing.

In terms of release dates, where and when will audiences and consumers see Noddy, Toyland Detective and Noddy merchandise?

Noddy, Toyland Detective premieres on France 5 in spring 2016, with toys and books hitting g shelves in conjunction j with the e launch.

How has collaborating with Gaumont Animation been on the

Noddy’s Fun Facts: ■

New TV series is called Noddy, Toyland land Detective

■

Series premiers on France 5 in spring ng 2016

■

Noddy was created by acclaimed writer Enid Blyton and first published in 1949

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There have been 250 million books s sold

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For the first time, Noddy’s car Revs s will come alive and have a personality all of its ts own

June 2015

Noddy has an incredible legacy in television programming. His television debut came in 1954 with The Adventures of Noddy and he has since amassed a vast programming library consisting of more than 250 episodes. On the small screen, Noddy has been seen in more than 100 countries worldwide.

We recently announced the new CG-animated series Noddy, Toyland Detective (52 x 11), which is produced

by Gaumont Animation in association with DreamWorks Animation Television and in partnership with France Télévisions. It will premiere on commissioning broadcaster France 5’s “Zouzous” in spring 2016.

Additional broadcasters will be announced including the UK, Noddy’s heritage market. Gaumont Animation will distribute the series in France and French-speaking Europe. DreamWorks Animation retains the additional global distribution rights.

Publishing: Noddy began as a publishing phenomenon and quickly became a pre-school favourite passed down from generation to generation. Created by renowned children’s author Enid Blyton, Noddy was first published in Noddy Goes To Toyland in 1949, and remains one of Britain’s most beloved characters.

Noddy’s popularity took him to France in 1962 where he is known as Oui-Oui and remains a perennial favorite.

Over 250 million books have sold across 38 markets.

This incredible heritage sets DreamWorks up to create a rich publishing programme in all markets where Noddy, Toyland Detective is distributed.

In France, Hachette remains an integral partner to Oui-Oui’s publishing success. New product will be released tied to the spring launch on France 5. Additional international publishing partners will be announced.

Toys: Because Noddy and his friends are themselves toys, Be the show immediately offers very exciting licensing s possibilities.

The evolution of the characters and world poss of Toyland have positioned DreamWorks and its toy To and product partners to begin developing an exciting range ran of new merchandise for pre-schoolers. We’ll be announcing our master toy partner very soon in 2015, an with wi toys slated to hit shelves in spring 2016 alongside the new series.

Playsets, role-play, action figures and plush will be Pl central cent to the range, but Noddy covers many play patterns, and outdoor play, creative play, games and patt collectibles will all be part of the range. The vibrant colle colors colo and diverse characters are ideal for inspiring appealing and innovative childrenswear, so we expect appe the clothing category to be a big success. Home décor, c tableware, stationery and food opportunites will also be table strong.

We have already signed some key licensees, and stro are actively recruiting the remaining categories, so a full a product range will roll out in 2016 and early 2017. prod

Noddy as we knew him

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Licensor Spotlight

Get Smiley For over 40 years, Smiley has been the most iconic of icons. With two core brands, more than 230 global licensees and a continuous drive to spread their message – Smiley is a property to be reckoned with. LTW delves deeper into this extraordinary company whose ethos is to spread the smile

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n Saturday 1 January, 1972, a brand was born when Frankln Loufrani had an idea. The premise was simple, Frankln wanted to spread a little happiness in a time when bad news seemed to prevail.

So, on New Year’s Day, French newspaper France Soir printed Frankln’s happiness promotion in which he used the now iconic Smiley logo to highlight good news. Before long, the promotion gained traction and took on a life of its own. It was only in 1988 that Frankln trademarked the name Smiley and took control of a brand which has become one of the most iconic and recognisable in the globe.

Synonymous with music, fashion, freedom, creativity, expression, youth, and above all, happiness – Smiley is now a global business with a 97% recognition rate.

Two core brands Today, Smiley is made up of two core brands.

The first is the

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“

evergreen Smiley, a unique concept which has influenced musical generations, social movements and the pursuits of happiness. Smiley is the most recognisable icon in the world, transcending visual perception to remind us how powerful a smile can be.

The second is SmileyWorld, a brand that embodies the spirit of the digital generation – thanks to Frankln’s son Nicolas who decided to explore digital communication in 1997.

SmileyWorld is dedicated to those who are inspired by technology, music and today’s digital lifestyle.

Delivering bold, emotive and engaging collections that are inspired by a world of emoticons and underpinned by a desire for individualism and self-expression, SmileyWorld has established itself as a universal digital language that plays

Synonymous with music, fashion, freedom, creativity, expression, youth, and above all, happiness – Smiley is now a global business with a 97% recognition rate

”

a key part in our daily vocabulary with billions of emoticons shared every day.

A unique success story Smiley has an innovative and customer-centric approach to PR and marketing which delivers exciting and emotive campaigns in partnership with some of the world’s leading retail stores, chains and licensees including the likes of McDonald’s, Topman, TV Mania/Fashion Lab, Nici, Landmark Group, Incidence, Herlitz, Hallmark, Ferrero, Panini, River Island, Renault, Moschino, Sony, H&M and Zara - as well as thousands of retail stores around the world.

Growth As the brand continues to expand and reach new audiences, LTW explores how the company collaborates with licensees and retailers.

For all licensing queries contact Margherita Vecchio.

Tel: +4420 7378 8231 - Ex.220 Email: margherita@smiley.com Web: www.smiley.com Vegas: Smiley will be at Licensing Expo in Vegas at Booth E77

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Licensed to spread joy

Smiley CEO Nicolas Loufrani

If you were ever to meet a happy man, it has to be Nicolas Loufrani. Why? Well he is CEO of The Smiley Company, after all. LTW finds out more about the company behind one of the most universally recognised logos in the world Nicolas, tell us about The Smiley Company’s origins?

Smiley was founded by my father Frankln in 1972. He created a newspaper promotion to highlight good news and Smiley was used to highlight to readers the bright side of life through uplifting new stories.

This was the early origins of our licensing programme and we worked with a host of Europe’s leading media titles with this concept until we eventually started to extend this to Smiley being licensed for promotional

use by brands. It’s interesting because over 40 years on and the trend for using Smiley for promotional campaigns by brands has never been stronger, we even have a really cool campaign in the market this month with McDonald’s.

The brand is so recognisable – how did you work to establish this level of awareness?

Our unique heritage and history has always given us iconic links to popular culture, Smiley has carved out a niche whereby it’s a brand championed by

June 2015

both the DJ culture and the digital generation.

We also recruit designers that come from fashion backgrounds and who have a keen interest in popular culture today, which allows us to always to be at the cutting edge of trends.

Smiley is in a unique position whereby we have collaborations on the catwalk with some of the world’s leading fashion designers and, at the same time, we have collections accessible to the mass market through some of the high street’s most popular multiple retail stores.

I think these core ingredients allow us to stay front of consumer mind and keep Smiley always relevant.

visibility at the most lucrative levels.

“

We also work with some of the strongest licensees, while retail has also become a key focus into nurturing commercial success and traction is an ever competitive marketplace

Tell us about your licensing programme?

Smiley’s licensing programme is global, and spans across Europe, the Americas, Middle East and China with a strategy that remains focused on working with best-in-class leaders in various categories and industries. We achieve this on both a local and international level by ensuring the brand is represented at the highest level with the best possible support across marketing, POS, product design, distribution and retailer partnerships.

We also work with some of the strongest licensees, while retail has also become a key focus in nurturing commercial success and traction in an ever competitive marketplace. Direct to retail partnerships is a new way forward for us and we continue to establish powerful consumer connectivity and

”

How many licensees do you have and are you looking to secure more?

We already have over 230 licensees around the world, and we are currently seeing tremendous growth in markets such as India, Middle East and China through our local offices.

We’ve started seeing really steady growth in North America where we are beginning to work with retailers such as Macy’s and Kohl’s, as well as discussing new programmes in the mass markets.

We are also looking to bring the world of Smiley to a broader range of products – with special emphasis on FMCG, publishing and toys for all ages. Smiley has also just signed a global distribution deal with Grund on our incredibly successful range of books that include diaries, calendars, colouring-in activity books, as well as an icon dictionary using SmileyWorld emoticons and this is creating opportunities throughout the world of publishing.

Tell us about your retail presence – we know Smiley has its own store in London but what about a presence on the high street?

As well as our concept store in Shoredtich we have DTR deals in place with the biggest and best names on the high street, we currently have Smiley collections in-store with Topman, River Island, H&M, Urban Outfitters, Etam, Primark and Zara – we also have capsule collections in Moschino and Anya Hindmarch stores.

Our presence on the high street extends well beyond Europe where we currently have over 50 franchised stores in APAC, we already have 60 stores in China, for both adults and kids and will have 200 by the end of the year.

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Licensor Spotlight

Make me smile…

Spreading happiness, one product at a time, is what The Smiley Company is all about. But what we are interested in is how they liaise and work with their licensees and retailers.

LTW caught up with some of them to find out more Name: Raza Beig Company: Splash & ICONIC Position: CEO

Name: Thomas Pfau Company: NICI GmbH Position: CEO

What Smiley products do you sell?

The first-ever launch of SmileyWorld in Splash was on 10 March 2010. We, at Splash, have a wide variety of product offerings for the customer which is segregated between apparel and non-apparel items. The apparel collection includes t-shirts, pants, sweatshirts and socks.

The non-apparel category offers an array of stationery options like bags, box files, iPad cases, mugs, notebooks.

What sort of Smiley branded products do you produce? Our collaboration started in summer 2012. We produce accessories with and without plush elements, such as cushions, keyrings, mugs, charms, and shoulder bags. There is something for every Smiley fan; our products appeal to kids and grown-ups alike.

other NICI products and place them on additional displays in Smiley-design to catch everybody’s eye as well.

What is distribution like on the Smiley plush products, and how is performance at retail?

What is special about our Smiley products is that they do not only appeal to our regular target group which is children and their parents, but also to teenagers and grown-ups in general.

We present Smiley on the shelves next to our

As a licensee, how do you find the creative process with Smiley? We work very closely with The Smiley Company. They send us their current style guides and our NICI designers give free rein to their creativity. Every single idea is then discussed and shaped with Smiley until the final product emerges.

How many Splash stores are they distributed in?

SmileyWorld is retailed from 138 of the 225 Splash brand stores across the GCC. Why did you choose to stock Smiley products in store?

Smiley was taken on board because it has a universal appeal to all ages, market segment and genders, it is almost a logo for happiness.

What has been your best-selling Smiley product?

Smiley as a brand completes the offering for our customer and therefore all products do well for us.

As a retailer, have you been surprised by the popularity of the Smiley-branded products with consumers?

Not at all, we were sure the brand would be loved by the consumers in the region. It a wellknown, established brand that offers products that have a strong aesthetic value and are of high quality.

Name: Meinert, Josefine Company: Pelikan Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH & Co.KG Position: Marketing Manager

Name: Olivier Flahault Company: INCIDENCE Paris Position: President Why did INCIDENCE choose to partner with Smiley? It seemed natural. There was a common approach to happiness and colors between Smiley and INCIDENCE. How the your products performing at retail? We started with a range of around 30 SKUs, mainly tableware. As they proved to be very successful at retail, we extended the range to reach almost 200 SKUs covering many different categories.

And what is your best-selling Smiley product? The tableware range turned out to be a real success, but we also sold all pouches and stools very well.

Tell us about your relationship with Smiley, when did it first begin?

We have been working with SmileyWorld since 2011. Of course, we knew about the topic before that. We entered into talks at BLE in London and started working with the first retail partners in Germany that very same year.

As a licensee, how do you find the collaborative process working with Smiley?

The collaborative process is easy, uncomplicated and characterised by trust.

We also find it inspiring that Smiley puts a lot of trend research into its new style guides and that its designs are always up to date.

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licensing

TALK In this issue, we talk to some of the industry’s finest about their views on labelslapping, opportunities outside of the US and Europe, which stories they think are making the most noise in the indsutry Greg Economos Senior Vice President, Global Consumer Products, Sony Pictures Consumer Products What is the most impactful global brand/license currently, in your view?

This year is going to be a very exciting one for the Entertainment Licensing business with the return of proven franchises like Avengers, Minions, Jurassic World and Star Wars.

At Sony Pictures, we are excited about our portfolio and the level of reception we have been receiving across the board. Starting with Pixels, whose trailer amassed 71 million views in its first week of release to become the fourth most shared movie trailer yet on Facebook. Hotel Transylvania 2 and Goosebumps round out our slate, leading us into next year as we get ready to release Ghostbusters, one of our biggest studio franchises, with a movie that will offer a complete re-invention of how the team was founded.

Are you always looking for opportunities for brand extension in regions where licensing is not as influential as Europe and the US? Absolutely! China has become an incredible engine of growth for our industry. With an impressive infrastructure, and a growing middle class, brands and entertainment properties continue to offer solutions specific to their demographics. Russia is another area of growth. They love movies and love to consume content. While the country is having its financial challenges, we still feel the potential is huge. Finally, Brazil is another important source of growth. As one of the gateways into Latin America, Brazil has a well-defined retail landscape that offers access and reach.

We talk a lot about label-slapping in licensing, what processes do you go to ensure your licenses are attached to the right product for your brand?

We partner with licensees who have a strong affinity for the properties, and are fans themselves. We also work very closely with their teams, our product development arm, and retailers to ultimately create a programme that will result in successful results What, in your view, is the biggest story in the licensing industry today?

More than the biggest story, I would say one of the biggest challenges is how to remain relevant in a very crowded and competitive space. Another important challenge is how to keep properties relevant, especially in those off-content years.

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Andrew Alsop DreamWorks Animations, Head of Licensing, EMEA Are you always looking for opportunities for brand extension in regions where licensing is not as influential as Europe and the US? Part of DreamWorks Animation’s mission as a global entertainment brand is to ensure that we grow a significant presence across multiple territories with brands that are locally loved and endorsed by fans. We have made great strides in this area through our partnerships with Oriental DreamWorks in China, as well as newly-appointed agents in South Africa, Middle East, Israel and soon to be announced, Hong Kong.

We talk a lot about label-slapping in licensing, what processes do you go to to ensure your licenses are attached to the right product for your brand?

Consumer insights are an extremely important part of our process in determining the direction of our brands. Once we are confident that we are aligned with our consumers, licensee selection is the next critical element. We have a number of criteria for selecting licensees, some of the most important being a licensee’s creative and product development capabilities, along with their ability to work proactively with us each step of the way to help ensure success. From the beginning of any given programme, we clearly establish a brand’s key franchise and content attributes, to ensure that all product aligns with the property and is compelling to consumers. Maintaining an open dialogue with retailers to know what is and isn’t selling is another critical piece of the puzzle.

What, in your view, is the biggest story in the licensing industry today?

Undoubtedly it is the evolution of how media is being consumed. The concept of entertainment is far more broad than it once was. DreamWorks Animation is at the forefront of this with our AwesomenessTV and DreamWorksTV brands evolving into multi-media companies in their own right, along with our landmark Netflix slate deal, which gives us more than 1,100 pieces of original content on the world’s fastest growing platform. Traditional box office and linear television, of course, remain crucial to our business. On the television side for example, we recently announced a stand-alone DreanWorks Animation TV channel that will debut in several territories across Asia. It is fascinating to try to predict how the evolving media landscape will affect consumer buying patters in the months and years to come.

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Liz Kalodner

Hannah Mungo

Executive Vice-President and General Manager, CBS Consumer Products

Head of UK Licensing, Entertainment One

What is the most impactful global brand/license currently, in your view?

In the entertainment segment, you can’t ignore the impact of Disney’s Frozen - cross category, multichannel, boy and girl, and even a hint of adult – it’s pervasive and impressive.

And what about up and coming licenses that retailers really need to look out for?

It’s getting harder and harder to survey the landscape with the proliferation of compelling content from more and more cable and subscriber channels and licenses coming increasingly from places like YouTube and social media. Manufacturers and retailers have to be vigilant now about all media.

Are you always looking for opportunities for brand extension in regions where licensing is not as influential as Europe and the US? Yes and no. We’re certainly always looking for opportunity but with limited resources, we’re also striving for efficiency and the best ROI. Consequently, we focus on the bigger opportunities over the niche ones.

What is the most impactful global brand/license currently, in your view?

It would be difficult to pinpoint one brand specifically as there are a number of licenses that dominate in different sectors. Frozen has clearly been a strong breakout brand for girls in the past year and Star Wars, which is always a strong boys’ brand, will be huge when the new movie opens. Our own brand Peppa Pig is building its profile internationally and is on track to deliver $1 billion in retail sales this year making it a leading pre-school license in several territories including UK, Spain, Italy, Australia and South America with a growing presence in the US and Asia.

We talk a lot about label-slapping in licensing, what processes do you go to to ensure your licenses are attached to the right product for your brand?

The selection process is very important – appointing the right licensee from the outset is key. We go through a very considered selection process analyzing licensee’s distribution, creativity, marketing support and general business acumen. What sort of products they’re capable of producing is one of the most important factors. We try to ensure that each product looks unique and isn’t just a version of another licensed or generic product. This helps to sustain a licensing program long term and keeps consumers engaged with the brand. The brand must interact with the product.

Shuffle has a game for everyone!

approval

Monopoly Jnr Jnr available y for deliver delivery AW15.

subject to licensor

© 2015 Disney/Pixar. © 2015 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.

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More great Shuffle titles coming soon!

Sales@Cartamundi.co.uk Ph: +44 1286 511 522 www.shuffle.cards

Girls2014 Licenses BLE Show Preview

One for the girls While the girls licensed category is one of the most competitive it is also the key driver for the industry.

We take a look at this tough but profitable category

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d

ne of the hottest properties of 2014 was undoubtedly Disney’s Frozen. It was everywhere, from pocket money items on the shelves of every major supermarket to enterprising UK-based retailers coming up with ingenious Frozen-themed bags of penny sweets. Everyone wanted a piece of the action, and they still do. But what Frozen really did, was give everyone a piece of the licensing pie – and consumers loved it. It also put girls licensing to the fore of everyone’s minds. While the Frozen ember still burns brightly, other licensed properties are having their moment in the sun too.

Hasbro with MY LITTLE PONY and LITTLEST PET SHOP, Disney with Princesses, Sheriff Callie and Doc McStuffins, AG Properties with Care Bears, Dracco with Filly, and Mattel with Barbie and Monster High. Oh – and Shopkins, of course! The list is numerous, endless even, and as we all know, a trend-based license is gold dust when you have it.

While girls can be demanding consumers, they tend to remain loyal to a property – any former boyband member worth their salt will tell you that. But what makes a hot license successful? What makes a consumer’s heart beat a little faster?

“It’s a combination of things,” reflects Warren Traeger, Licensing Director at Icon Live. ”Strong animation, good storytelling, friendship, relevance, collectability and every now and then something comes along with a mix of these and, in the case of Frozen, an iconic song and great soundtrack was the magic ingredient X which helped

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take it beyond its core younger girls audience.”

And with that Warren has hit the nail on the head, Frozen wasn’t just a Disney flick – it had a certain je ne sais quoi that doesn’t come along every day, it had something which made it different to everything else - a great soundtrack that girls identified with. Jackpot.

Rob Corney from Bulldog Licensing, agent for Shopkins, the Australian brand from Moose Toys is another man in the know. Shopkins is currently riding high on the retail scene with the cute collectables tapping into the consumer’s psyche.

“There are certain traits that remain true across all significant brand licensing opportunities. In order to have traction and longevity, every brand must demonstrate strong characterisation, an attractive storyline, strong design, have an emotional driver like humour or attraction or horror and significant reach.”

Style and substance Interestingly, Rob highlights the differences in the ways boys and girls consume and play.

“There are clear differences between the ways in which girls choose to play and the play patterns of boys, with girls tending to specialise where boys are generalists. This character trait is evident from a quick look in a boy’s bedroom, where he will have multiple properties interacting with each other, where a girl will be much more selective in the number of properties on display, but will show much greater brand loyalty. Girls’ properties need a keen sense of emotional attachment

Icon Live

Retail Talk Retailers are the core people on the ground, selling the end product to consumers. They, knows what is selling well. Brian Simpson of SMF Toytown, a retail business with 27 shops in the UK and Ireland, spoke to LTW As a retailer, how do you predict what will be a hit within girls licensed product?

Honestly, gut instinct. I have heard a lot of people say that men can’t buy accurately for girls. Our buying team is made up of two men, me being one of them, and we seem to have things covered well for products that seem to be in high demand. It may be because we both have daughters, That, of course, and pretty much anything that sparkles or is glittery will sell.

Do you keep a close eye on movies and TV scheduling to give you a nod to what may or may not work as a license?

We always keep on top of movie launches as these, even when the movie isn’t terribly successful, do sell for brief periods during the year. In a business where growth comes by marginal gains over your competitors, we like to make sure we have what people are looking for, even if this means we have to get out of it quickly before the next movie launch.

Finally, which girls licenses are you putting your faith in for the remainder of the year?

I really love the Care Bears lines. As for new licenses for AW15 the one I am most looking forward to is Sheriff Callie. I picked this range as one to watch when I saw it in Hong Kong a while ago, and stock has just arrived in so it won’t be long before we find out if I was right or not.

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with characters that encourage a sympathetic response from the audience.”

So to surmise, a property aimed at girls needs to have style and substance, something for them to relate to and identify with.

Icon Live’s Warren picks up on the design aspect of things. “I would say a strong style guide is important. It’s all very well having a great brand, but if licensors don’t invest in great assets for licensees and retailers to use, then the product offer is going to be weak and limit the commerciality.

Consumers are looking for more than just a character slapped on a product. Licensees need to be innovative and more and more, bringing fashion, fun, humour or added value to the product to stand out in very crowded retail space. It’s also important that there is the parental buy in and as much as a girl may like something, parents still have a say in what they want their kids to have!

Collectability is always a benefit too.”

Staying power This is a trend based business, we all know that. So giving a license longevity often has people pulling their hair out.

“I think girls are more loyal to brands than boys, who are more inclined to flit between the brands they like,” encourages Warren.

“Girls on the other hand, in my experience as a dad, are a bit more all or nothing and will immerse themselves in less things but want everything they feasibly can get hold of. However, once a girl has moved on then that’s it!”

Addressing the longevity issue, Rob says long term planning is crucial for any brand from the outset.

“By ensuring product development is delivering a

constantly refreshing look across all key drive categories (toy, apparel, publishing, accessories, etc) the brand will constantly evolve and maintain the interest of the audience. By ensuring a property achieves a critical mass of available product as quickly as possible and adapting the product to constantly meet audience demands, a property with strong reach and the resources to maintain share of voice through a wellplanned promotions and advertising programme can ensure it maintains its market position for the long term.”

And while Warren agrees in principal, he adds: “Giving a license longevity, it’s the magic question that if we had the perfect answer for then we’d all be laughing. I think sometimes we focus too much as an industry on things having to have longevity.

Yes, it’s always great if a brand can withstand the test of time and keep generating revenue year in year out, but I also think it’s important that other brands come along and throw things out of kilter for a bit and whether that’s just one, two or three years, then make hay whilst the sun shines! For brands that do have the ingredient ‘x’ of longevity then my advice to rights owners is do not be complacent.

What is huge today can be gone tomorrow if you do not take notice of the other brands coming down the line and keep things fresh and relevant.”

A real icon Icon Live 01444 238365 www.iconlive.com Icon Live has experienced an extremely successful 2015 to date with their range of girls licensed accessories and this certainly seems set to continue.

With ‘Frozen Fever’ hitting the nation in 2014, Icon Lives’ range of accessories proved extremely popular and continues to be the retailers’ top seller as Icon Live extends the ranges in time for summer, including accessories from the Frozen Fever short film. Frozen is still a key driver but the recent release of Cinderella has further reinvigorated sales of girls’ accessories and has also captured the imagination of the adult market with ASOS and Truffle Shuffle selling out of their statement pieces within weeks of launch.

Additionally Icon Live and Universal are expecting Minions madness to hit heady heights this summer! The movie will be released in June and the wide range of licensed gender neutral merchandise, including a broad range of accessories, impulse and gift products from Icon Live, will ensure all fans can celebrate and dress in style!

The following month, Inside Out will be a major focus for Icon Live, supporting the movie launch with a range of jewellery and accessories to bring the animation to life for movie-goers.

You’ve got style Clementoni +4420320613 www.clementoni.com Clementoni is expanding its range of licensed products into new areas with popular brands including Frozen and many others.

Stimulating creativity and imagination, the Style your Hair Frozen set allows young girls to create their very own hair pieces. The kit includes an ice coloured hair extension, water removable hair colour as well as accessories with personalised stickers so they can look like a princess too! The range also includes a Necklace and Charm craft set and with the Frozen Ice Cream Crafts, children can discover how to make delicious ice cream The range also includes Precious Tiaras and Style your Bangles.

Bulldog June 2015

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In the pink Entertainment One +442036918509 www.eonelicensing.com

One for the girls Hasbro Global Licensing & Publishing +14014318697 www.hasbro.com Hasbro has a whole host of recognisable girls properties in its stable. The MY LITTLE PONY brand, with a global presence in 71 countries and across all major consumer products and promotional categories, has grown to more than $1 billion at retail and continued momentum with the MY LITTLE PONY EQUESTRIA GIRLS doll line. The MY h LITTLE PONY brand’s popularity continues with ome, key retail relationships expanding in areas of home, ed beauty, fashion and outdoor items. The animated ed series My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, created 0

by Hasbro Studios, airs on television in over 180 buted territories, on over 24 networks and also distributed rl on iTunes, Google Play and Netflix. Another girl favourite is The LITTLEST PET SHOP franchise g, which has continued to build a strong following, ith expanding and growing its global audiences with bro its popular animated TV series, created by Hasbro Studios and distributed in over 117 countries.

Peppa Pig, the global pre-school powerhouse from Entertainment One (eOne) continues to go from strength to strength. Retail sales in the UK were recently buoyed by the brand’s 10th anniversary and the nationwide theatrical release of The Golden Boots. A slate of marketing activity is planned for 2015 to support new product launches.

Key themes include ‘Holiday’ and ‘Once Upon a Time’ to promote Character Options’ new toy ranges, in addition to a brand new app, DVD and publishing formats. Beyond the UK there is a steady and stabilised business in Australia and Spain after four years of continued growth. The brand is also stabilising in Italy after a period of exponential growth and is gathering gat athe heri ring ng m momentum omen om entu tum m in o other ther th er key territories. territo ories. i

Power to the puff Turner CN Enterprises +442076931000 www.cartoonnetwork.com Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are back and on a mission to save Townsville before bedtime, as Cartoon Network Enterprises prepares for the 2016 global relaunch of The Powerpuff Girls.

The original ambassadors of girl power, The Powerpuff Girls are perfectly positioned to capitalise upon the growing demand for properties that empower and entertain. Cartoon Network has signed Spin Master as the global master toy partner. The deal will see Spin Master create a full line of products including plush, figures and playsets, dolls, and role-play, select electronic, activity and remote control toys, and novelty and impulse items. The product will begin its global retail rollout in Q3 2016.

Caring for your toys Vivid +441483449944 www.vividtoysandgames.co.uk Care Bears, power brand of the 1980s, are now more huggable than ever!

To accompany the CGI TV series, Welcome to Care-a-Lot, on Tiny Pop, Vivid launched a range of super soft plush Care Bears from Just Play earlier this year in the UK, Eire and Europe. Available nationwide, the range includes 8 inch Bean Bag Plush, 14 inch Medium Plush which come with a full length Care Bears episode on DVD, and very cuddly 20 inch Large Plush.

The entire range has been a great success at retail and demonstrates again the power of nostalgia brands.

Vivid is set to launch new additions to the range this summer. Besides refreshing the current assortments, eight-inch Pyjama Party Bean Bags are utterly adorable in their pyjamas with removable hoods, and the Sing-aLongs will bring the brand up-to-date as interactive plush which talk, sing and dance either on their own or as a group by sensing another Sing-aLong is nearby.

The Care Bears range will continue to be supported by TV advertising throughout 2015.

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The epic battle of bloom vs. doom featuring fun-loving zombies and powerful plants has over 500 million installs (350 in the last 18 months), over 11.7 million Facebook fans, and a licensing program blooming with toys, apparel, and publishing – and there’s a horde of new product launching in 2015 and 2016. Don’t get caught with your plants down, visit us in Booth H177 to talk about European licensing opportunities!

©2015 Electronic Arts Inc. Plants vs. Zombies and PopCap are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.

www.bulldog-licensing.com Tel: +44 (0) 20 8325 5455 Email: info@bulldog-licensing.com

Girls Licenses

Party in style Amscan International +441908 288500 www.amscan.co.uk

Taking shop to the top Bulldog Licensing +442083255455 www.bulldog-licensing.com Shopkins, represented by Bulldog Licensing, is the phenomenally successful collectable.

There are 148 Shopkins characters to collect in each series, including a few ultra-rare special characters, and they are sold inside adorable little shopping bags. Two series have so far launched in the UK and taken the market by storm, becoming the biggest new property in the territory and topping the dolls and accessories sales charts.

Although the characters have only been on the market for less than a year the brand has sparked a craze that has swept the world, fuelled by an online presence that has seen over 400 million views of fan videos on Youtube and huge numbers of visitors to the official Shopkins Youtube Channel. Retailers across the UK are struggling to satisfy demand and are airlifting in new supplies to cope.

Despite only launching at BLE last October, the licensing programme for the brand is growing fast.

Existing partners includes Spearmark (lunchware, tableware, drinkware and lighting), Topps (collectible and trading cards, sticker products and accessories) VMC (headwear, scarves, sunglasses and more) Aykroyds TDP (nightwear and underwear), Bonnier Publishing (publishing), Character World (bedding, inflatable chairs and beanbags), Flair (toys, plush, Cool Cardz, Shaker Maker), RMS International (stationery arts and crafts), Pedigree (annuals), DJ Murphy (magazines), Winning Moves (games), Pyramid (posters) and Whitehouse Leisure (amusement plush).

Bulldog is also in advanced talks with a host of other licensees across various categories.

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Party products company Amscan International has recently added a new My Little Pony range of partyware to its UK licensed offering.

Ideal for the younger girls market the 15 piece ensemble includes; tableware, decorations, party accessories and favours. The new items complement Amscan’s variety of foil balloons to create the ultimate My Little Pony party theme! The cute and colourful designs feature key characters including Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. Also recently added to the collection is an impressive Pinky Pie AirWalker measuring 78cm high, the foil balloon can move around freely by itself providing a greater play factor than a standard balloon.

The range is available to order now.

Feeling Frozen Cartamundi +441268 511522 www.cartimundi.co.uk Cartamundi has launched a Frozen Tripack, a three-in-one pack of card games inspired by Disney’s biggest hit to date.

Arriving at toyshops, gift shops and supermarkets in July, the card game was released following unprecedented demand for last year’s Frozen two-in-one game and the enormous continuing popularity of the film. It will contain a happy families game, a Mega Memo game and a specially designed Frozen action game. With a core market of girls aged 5-8, the tri-pack will be housed in a triple tuckbox format. Not only that but the pack contains stunning artwork featuring the leading characters.

Queen Elsa and her sister Anna, Olaf the snowman, Kristoff and his reindeer Sven, Prince Hans and Marshmallow the ice monster all appear on the game cards.

The new tripack is expected to enjoy a strong retail performance in the run-up to Christmas thanks to the amazing success of the film and the enormous popularity of the DVD. Cartamundi has also produced a version of Frozen for its digitally enhanced Shuffle range.

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Girl power Warner Bros.

Consumer Products +442079846100 www.wbcpmedia. warnerbros.com Is it a bird, is it a plane, no it’s DC Super Hero Girls, the brand new super hero storytelling universe that is geared entirely towards young girls.

Just launched by DC Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Mattel, DC Super Hero Girls will feature DC Comics’ female characters as relatable teens and will hit multiple platforms and product lines starting this autumn.

Proving that super heroes aren’t just for boys, DC Super Hero Girls targets six-12 year olds and will feature iconic super heroes including Wonder Woman, Supergirl and Batgirl offering girls relatable and strong role models in a unique way.

Digital content and publishing will roll out first, followed by an action figure line from Mattel and a robust cross category licensing programme that will hit global retail in 2016.

Enter the world of Funtasia Dracco +852 2157 5988 www.dracco.com.hk Filly is now an entertainment IP, with Dracco producing 26 half hours of TV programming called Fillly Funtasia with its appointed studio and distributor BRB/Screen 21. Created in 3D high-definition, Filly Funtasia tells of the adventures of a group of Fillys at the Royal Academy of Magic called Funtasia. Filly Funtasia comes with a powerful 360º strategy

by Dracco and it will have a strong presence on traditional and new broadcast platforms too, such as YouTube, SmartTVs and On-Demand Video Channels. The animation quality is being highly regarded already and Dracco is looking forward to bringing the Filly figurines to life. International TV, home video and VOD deals are already being signed. The full series launch is planned for 2016 with tease-in campaigns and prereleases in 2015. A Dracco dedicated toy and confectionery range and a creative toy range will support the brand.

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BLE 2014 Show Licensing Expo Show Preview Preview

It’s show time!

The 35th annual Licensing Expo is taking place from Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 June and boy, what a line-up. LTW delves into the show and gives you a comprehensive guide to what is what at Vegas 2015

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et’s talk Vegas.

At Licensing Global experts with a keen eye for Expo 2015, we will what’s hot, what’s not, what has the potential continue to to become a global trend and what lacks that certain tell our brand stories across je ne sais quoi, will be gathered in one place from multiple Tuesday 9 to Thursday mediums 11 June. And that is the including Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas. entertainment, It is a must-attend show digital, for anyone who is serious about the licensing industry publishing, and this year, the 35th and branded annual Licensing Expo experiences offers visitors more than ever before.

James Walker, Jessica Blue, ViceVP Brand President of Licensing Licensing, Expo, explains why the show is so crucial: “Licensing Expo is a must-attend show for because attendees can see the largest

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selection of brands in the world available for license, all in one place. Nearly 400 of our exhibitors don’t exhibit at any other licensing trade shows and only 80 of our 450+ exhibitors show at our sister show, BLE. Licensing Expo is a unique opportunity to meet-andgreet and make deals with the industry’s leading power brokers, all in three days!”

More than 5,000 brands and properties will be represented at Vegas with 482 exhibitors spanning various categories such as characters and entertainment, brands and agents, fashion and, art and design.

In 2014, 15,702 visitors attended the show representing a five percent increase on the previous year and there was a 33% increase in retail attendance.

BBC Worldwide’s Head of Merchandising Clare Piggott knows Vegas like the back of

Facts: What: Licensing Expo 2015 When: Tuesday 9 to Thursday 11 June Where: Mandalay Bay Convention Centre, Las Vegas

her hand, with the BBC having exhibited there since the show moved from New York: “Vegas is the place where licensors and licensees from around the world come together – this makes for an exciting and commercially rewarding week,” says Clare.

“It’s an opportunity to talk market trends, network with key influencers and forge new partnerships.”

One of the major appeals of a show like Vegas is that it brings world-class and serious contenders together for a moneymaking show, something which appeals to Hasbro.

“Licensing Expo provides a great opportunity to align our company to best in class licensees both existing and new to help bring products to fans and consumers around the

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Looking ahead, what are you hoping to get out of Licensing Expo 2015?

Liz Kalodner, Executive Vice President and General Manager, CBS Consumer Products “As usual, we’re looking forward to meeting with current licensees to deepen our partnerships and potential new licensees to generate ideas. This is a big year for CBS as we’re launching our celebration of Star Trek’s 50th anniversary in 2016.”

Hannah Mungo, Head of UK Licensing, Entertainment One “We’re hoping to appoint European licensees for The BFG and to build

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Licensing Expo is a fantastic platform for all the key players in the entertainment industry to come together under one roof

Greg Economos, Senior Vice President, Global Consumer Products, Sony Pictures Consumer Products “We are hoping our partners get as excited for our portfolio as we are, especially as it provides something for everyone, starting in 2015 with Pixels (24 July, 2015) in which iconic 80s vide-arcade games invade Earth, followed by the second instalment of the global favourite spooky fun Hotel Transylvania 2 (25 September, 2015), and Goosebumps (16 October , 2015) based on the successful RL Stine book franchise that sold more than 400 million copies worldwide.

“Moving on to 2016, we will focus on the release of one of our biggest franchises in our studio history.

“Directed by Paul Feig, and featuring an allfemale lead cast, the new Ghostbusters movie will be a complete re-imagining of how the team was formed.”

the potent mix of business makers all under one roof and Vegas is no different.

Licensees, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, agents – they are all there.

One visiting licensee will be the team from Icon Live with Dominic Galvin, CEO and Joint Owner, and Warren Traeger, Licensing Director, arriving in Vegas

to meet existing and prospective licensing teams at the show. Their aim? To find more partners to extend their accessories portfolio.

Hot on the heels of a very successful 2014 driven by their Disney Frozen line, a big focus for Icon Live in 2015 is their Minions and Inside Out lines.

Speaking about the appeal of Vegas to Icon Live, Warren says: “Licensing Expo offers a multitude

Trudi Hayward, SVP Head of Global Merchandise, ITV Studios Global Entertainment

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globe,” says Hasbro’s VP of Brand Licensing James Walker.

Describing Licensing Expo as “a fantastic platform for all the key players in the entertainment industry to come together under one roof,” Trudi Hayward, SVP Head of Global Merchandise at ITV Studios Global Entertainment, says the show also gives retailers an opportunity to see what is causing a stir in the industry and gives them a steer on what they need to look out for.

The same is true for Johanne Broadfield, Vice-President of Cartoon Network Enterprises, Turner Broadcasting System, EMEA: “For Cartoon Network, as a licensor operating globally, Vegas is a great opportunity to showcase our portfolio of properties to retailers and licensees from right around the world. It’s the event to observe your competition and network with the industry, together with Brand Licensing Europe later in the year.”

Andrew Alsop, DreamWorks Animation’s head of Licensing, EMEA “While at Licensing Expo we look forward to continuing recruitment of our licensing base across EMEA for all DreamWorks Animation properties via our fantastic collection of agents.

“We’re really excited about a number of properties including Trolls, which arrives in theatres next year, along with two upcoming Netflix shows: Dragons: Race to the Edge and Dinotrux. Spin Master continues to do incredible work as the lead toy partner for the Dragons franchise and we’re thrilled to have aligned with Mattel on Dinotrux.

At the show, we’ll also conduct strategic reviews with our agents and look forward to networking and reconnecting with friends within our amazing industry!”

awareness of the brand with retailers.

“We will continue to build the UK and international consumer products programmes for Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly’s little Kingdom which are gaining traction in a number of overseas territories.

“We’ll be liaising with key retailers present at the show to drive our brands forward in 2016 through events and activity.

“And finally, well be introducing our lifestyle brands SO SO Happy and Skelanimals to international markets where rollout is just taking place.”

The beauty of Vegas The beauty of trade shows is

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Licensing Expo Show Preview

We asked…

Give us your three top tips for a novice Vegas attendee to help make the show work for them?

“Firstly plan your meetings well with appointments scheduled in advance as it’s hard to walk into someone’s booth and chat without an appointment.

Secondly, know what you are looking for from a consumer perspective. Finally wear comfortable shoes, it’s a big show!”

Events:

James Walker, Hasbro “Quickly get to know the shortcuts through the Mandalay Bay resort - this can save you quite a bit of time every morning.

Make sure you have everything you need for the whole day – if you forget anything it’s a long round-trip back to your room. Book in your restaurant reservations well ahead of time!”

Clare Piggott, BBC Worldwide “On the final day of the show, make sure there are a few slots in the diary for any last minute appointments. Some of the best business deals are done in the bar so make sure you leave time for the social side of the show. Remember to wear a pair of comfy shoes while at the show. It’s an especially long walk from the Mandalay Bay hotel to the exhibition centre as I found out the hard way last year when wearing a pair of stiletto shoes!”

Trudi Hayward, ITV Studios Global Entertainment

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of opportunities for Icon Live and Dominic and I are looking forward to meeting the industry to shape the future of our portfolio.

Licensing Expo is a hot bed of opportunities for us to identify the next hot licenses and to plan our product focuses for 2016 and beyond. Therefore Licensing Expo builds the basis for next year’s plans so is high on our list of priorities.”

After attending Licensing Expo 2014, Warren says Icon Live made the decision to return based on the quality of business done: “2014 was a massive year for Icon Live and Licensing Expo last year played a key part in that.

There were meetings that took place that helped develop our business both in terms of distribution agreements as well as conversations that led to us signing a number of licensing deals that are coming to fruition this year and next.

The Icon Live portfolio has expanded greatly in a year and we are looking to this year’s show to pave the path for further expansion.

Opening Keynote Panel: The Future of Retail takes places on Tuesday 9 June at 8am with speakers including Richard Barry, Executive Vice-President, Chief Merchandising Officer Toys R Us, Lisa Harper CEO of Hot Topic, Dow Famulak, President of Global Brands Group and Mike Fitzsimmons Founder and CEO of Delivery Agent Inc.

Party: Opening Night Party on Tuesday 9 June from 8.30pm at Mandalay Bay Beach with entertainment by Fifth Harmony.

An introduction to our new PR company miPR came from last years show too.”

What are licensors looking for?

Meeting with key industry personnel is key at Vegas, but just what are licensors looking for? We posed the question to Cartoon Network’s Johanne.

“Our prerequisite for any potential licensee is that their creativity and ability to execute matches that of ours. Cartoon Network channel was voted BATFA’s Children’s Channel of the Year. Our channel and our brands stand out – we partner with licensees who can deliver on the expectations of our consumers.”

Johanne adds that the beloved Powerpuff Girls will be front and centre for the company at Vegas.

“Since we announced the return of Powerpuff Girls at New York Toy Fair, the level of industry interest has been extraordinary. We will also be showcasing the growing momentum globally of Adventure Time, which has evolved into a top performing brand at retail across multiple demos, and The Amazing World of Gumball, which is a top rating show around the world.”

“We will also be unveiling new IP

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June 2015

Trudi explains: “We’re seeking partners that share our enthusiasm, commitment and passion. We’re keen to sign partners who share our belief in driving innovation and pushing the boundaries of creativity and to develop products that remain true to the uniqueness of each of our properties.”

What’s hot right now?

Given that we are all in the game of selling product to consumers, knowing what is going down well with consumers is important. For Hasbro, James says MY LITTLE PONY and TRANSFORMERS have continued to gain momentum over the past 12 months. “This has been anchored around multiple categories, most significantly the fashion category which has been a focus for us.”

For ITV Studios Global Entertainment, Trudi says the company is preparing for the roll out of Thunderbirds Are Go consumer products and this is something retailers are getting excited about.

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Since we announced the return of Powerpuff Girls at New York Toy Fair, the level of industry interest has been extraordinary

Cartoon Network’s Johanne Broadfield

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and some big global deals that are in the pipeline.”

For BBC Worldwide, Clare tells us they look for licensees who have fresh ideas that bring new audiences to an established brand and products.

“At the heart of this, we look for anything that will extend fans enjoyment of their favourite BBC shows. We are also always on the lookout for strong strategic partnerships that commercialise our latest brands, be they for preschoolers, teenagers or adults.”

Clare explains that a focus for BBC Worldwide will be the launch of their new property Hey Duggee which is complimented by a range of toys from UK Master Toy Licensee Golden Bear.

“Of course our established global brands Doctor Who, Sherlock, BBC Earth and Top Gear will also be a main focus,” Clare adds..

For Hasbro, working with bestin-class licensees is key. James tells us that the company is also “continuing to push its commitment to being the world’s most creative, collaborative and responsive licensor of brands, stories and experiences”.

A focus for Hasbro at this year’s Licensing Expo will be well-known brands such as TRANSFORMERS, MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF and PLAY-DOH. “At Licensing Expo 2015, we will continue to tell our brand stories across multiple mediums including entertainment, digital, publishing, and branded experiences, including a showcase of a broad range of consumer products including fashion, home goods, sporting goods, toys and games and party goods at the show,” says James.

This year’s show will be an interesting one for ITV Studios Global Entertainment with the recent launch of the newlyrebranded Thunderbirds. Along with their other properties, Trudi tells us: “In particular, we’re looking for some interesting global partners to work with us on the recently launched Thunderbirds Are Go.” When it comes to working with potential new licensees,

Thunderbirds talk in Vegas!

In terms of what is selling well for BBC Worldwide at the moment, Clare says: “Doctor Who merchandise continues to sell strongly across many regions and we have some brand new global partnerships which we anticipate will encourage deeper engagement and bring even more fans into the franchise.”

See you there The opportunity to liaise in a real and meaningful way with thousands of licensing professionals is one of Vegas’s real draws. But another draw is the social side of the event and of course, organisers Advanstar place huge emphasis on education too with the popular Licensing University, which begins on Monday 8 June. This year will see a series of roundtable events, key talks on relevant topics like art licensing, law and more will also be discussed.

The Big Interview will be with YouTube sensation Bethany Mota on Tuesday at 2.30pm.

“It’s all kicking off with the launch of the Vivid range, which is launching in June in Australia and New Zealand, and then July in the UK. Then from Q3 this year, other products will begin rolling out from GB Eye, MV Sports, Smith & Brooks, Simon & Shuster, Kokomo, in time for the Christmas gifting season. We’re sure the merchandise is going to be a success around the world.”

So expect to hear a lot of

Contact us LTW will be in Vegas en masse and we look forward to seeing you there. Please contact our Media Solutions Manager Bradley Mason, bradley@lemapublishing.co.uk, Group Head of Media Solutions Ryan Horwood, ryan@ lemapublishing.co.uk or editor Mairead Wilmot, mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk to book an appointment.

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Licensing Expo Show Preview Fit for a king King Features +1212 969 7550 www.kingfeatures.com/ licensing

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At the 2015 Licensing Expo, King Features will focus on licensing programmes for iconic characters Popeye and Betty Boop, along with an exciting relaunch for Archie. Popeye apparel programmes continue to grow with cool, fashion forward lines at Uniqlo, Urban Outfitters, and Chuck Originals launching in recent months.

There are several new street wear collaborations set to debut in 2015 including a line of trendy socks from Odd Socks.

This year Betty Boop is getting an online refresh with a newly-redesigned BettyBoop.com, official website.

King Features is also bringing back Archie in 2015 with a new licensing programme to kick of the brand’s relaunch.

Boom goes Sonic SEGA Veg as

+1206 418 6400 www.sonicthehedgehog.com

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After more than 20 years as one of the world’s biggest entertainment characters with more than 140 million video games sold or downloaded worldwide, the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise is continuing its momentum in 2015.

SEGA fuelled the franchise by introducing a new look and feel to the blue blur and his friends with the Sonic Boom branch of the franchise. Led by TOMY as the global master toy partner and anchored by a top rated series that successfully debuted on Cartoon Network in the US, and on CANAL J and GULLI in France in November 2014, the Sonic Boom TV series will be racing onto screens across EMEA from summer 2015 onwards.

SEGA of America’s merchandising programme set a foundation with Bioworld, Fifth Sun, and Isaac Morris; and is bolstered by recent signings of Accessory Innovations, Rubie’s Costume Company, Inc., Franco, Bulls I Toys, World Tech Toys, Bakery Crafts, Advanced Graphics, and teNeues to create a brand new line of Sonic Boom toys, comics, apparel, and novelty. SEGA of Europe continues to also acquire new partners for the Sonic Boom franchise including recent signings with Hachette for publishing in France,Winning Moves for Top Trumps and Monopoly for EMEA, and TVM Fashion Lab for the UK market to launch a range of apparel.

Living an awesome dream

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DreamWorks Animation arrives at Licensing Expo with a deep portfolio of new and classic properties for film, television and online across multiple categories. Led by a talented, global team of veteran consumer products executives, the company is poised to make a splash at retail in 2015 and beyond.

Highlighted properties include the upcoming Trolls and DinoTrux, as well as DreamWorks Dragons, Kung Fu Panda and Voltron. DreamWorks Classics will continue to engage fans with initiatives around Felix, Noddy, Lassie, and Waldo.

Franchise favourites Shrek and Madagascar, along with the recent smash hit HOME also join in the fun at Licensing Show.

The show will also see the debut of AwesomenessTV as a standalone presence on the show floor. The exploding multiplatform media company continues to captivate an enormous p audience with short and long form content, led by an everaudie expanding roster of incredible talent. expan

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Licensing Expo Show Preview

Licensing is go ITVS GE

+44 207 157 6163 consumer.products@itv.com

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A fi ne fi lly Dracco +852 2157 5988 www.dracco.com.hk

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Dracco will be bringing ng their successful girls’ brand Filly and other new licenses nses to Vegas.

Vegas Stan Filly has created its success on the value for money d E0 05 philosophy, and focusing on magical storylines that allow kids to expand their imaginations. Each Filly figurine is beautifully detailed with a crown that is made with real Swarovski Elements crystals. To date, Filly has sold more than 70 million figurines, with over 200 individual characters, in over 50 countries around the world. The Filly brand continues to win the hearts of fans and the 26 half hours CGI Animation TV series FILLY FUNTASIA is scheduled for spring 2016.

The Filly magazines have sold 13 million copies to date in Germany alone and still selling 200000 copies per month. Dracco’s Filly has more than 40 0 top licensees and continues to expand. Jakks Pacific has been named as toy oy distributor for North America. In Italy Filly is ranking as the #2 best-selling collectible toy at press & kiosk distribution. Discovery Kids Italy bought the e TV series. Major toy distributor Unitoys distributes the t Filly brand and other er Dracco product lines in Russia. 2015 will bring a lot more exciting Filly news. s.

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A121 ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) will be heading to Licensing Expo this year to forge new global partnerships and strike deals for its spectacular portfolio of ITV owned and third party brands.

Thunderbirds Are Go, the highly anticipated new boys’ action adventure series, will spearhead this year’s presentation slate which will also feature Classic Thunderbirds, the iconic toy property Playmobil, the new “inspired by Playmobil” kids’ TV series Super 4; digital game sensation Cut The Rope, and 1970s iconic music brand Village People.

Thunderbirds Are Go is the ground-breaking remake of the classic 1960s TV series. The new show, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Classic Thunderbirds later this year, is produced by ITV Studios in partnership with Pukeko Pictures and the highly acclaimed Weta Workshop.

Paying tribute to the original show, Thunderbirds Are Go is produced using a unique cutting-edge blend of CG animation and live-action miniatures.

The long-awaited series successfully debuted on TV screens in the UK at the beginning of April and has international broadcast partners secured in Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Middle East.

ITVS GE is making significant strides in bringing the Thunderbirds Are Go franchise to a new generation of children aged five-11 years and to new international audiences. The brand has already secured an extensive raft of top tier licensing partners in the UK and with products poised to launch at retail from Q3 2015, the licensing programme for the series already spans all major categories including toys, publishing, digital, apparel accessories, wheeled, lunchwares, health and beauty, nightware and homewares.

ITVS GE has the expertise to build an evergreen global franchise as the firm is one of few licensors that can offer a strong broadcast platform, in addition to content production, consumer products management, brand support and distribution.

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Licensing Expo Show Preview

Who you gonna call?

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Sony Pictures Consumer Products +1 310 244 4188 www.sonypictures.com Sony Pictures Consumers Product is gearing up for a very good year with a strong portfolio of film properties, starting with Pixels, whose trailer amassed 71 million views in its first week of release to become the number four most shared movie trailer on Facebook. This movie is supported by a nostalgic-based merchandise program featuring t-shirts, small accessories and costumes.

Following is Hotel Transylvania 2, providing families another opportunity to interact with their favourite monsters and their spooky and funny antics. This new instalment brings back all favourite characters while introduces new ones. The film’s safe scares affords Sony the opportunity to leverage Halloween as the key selling-period with product comprised of apparel, costumes, impulse toys, publishing and food extensions.

Goosebumps rounds out the slate for 2015. This live action/adventure film targets families and brings together all the howls of laughter and the all-star-monster cast. In partnership with Scholastic, they are offering a merchandising programme covering apparel, accessories, publishing, digital, home-furnishing, toys, gifts, stationary, and games and puzzles.

Moving into 2016, Sony is excited for the release of one of the biggest franchises in the studio’s history. Directed by Paul Feig, and featuring an all-female cast, the new Ghostbusters movie will be a complete re-imagining of how the team was formed.

Merchandising-wise, it will expand its very successful Classics programme with new partners and product launches, while it will also work to maximise the movie programme with new product categories and retail partners as a way to invite new fans into the franchise.

Leaders in play Hasbro Global Licensing & Publishing +1 401 431 8697 www.hasbro.com

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Hasbro is committed to leveraging its Stan beloved brands, including TRANSFORMERS, d F1 21 MY LITTLE PONY, MONOPOLY, LITTLEST PET SHOP, NERF, PLAY-DOH, MAGIC: THE GATHERING and JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS to help create the world’s best play experiences.

At Licensing Expo 2015, Hasbro will continue to tell brand

stories across multiple mediums including entertainment, digital, publishing, and branded experiences.

Hasbro’s brands will also showcase a broad range of consumer products including fashion, home goods, sporting goods, toys and games and party goods at the show.

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Licensing Expo Show Preview

Let’s go on a zafari Ink Global +45 335 56100

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A136 Following on from the incredible global success of Masha and the Bear, Ink Global will be showcasing a brand new property in Las Vegas – ZAFARI. ZAFARI is the brainchild of David Dozoretz – an animation visionary who worked on the Star Wars prequels and contributed to major movies such as Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. With a multi-million euro budget in place, this sumptuous animation tells the story of a group of animal friends who live together in ZAFARI – a land that’s home to a collection of unique inhabitants who have all been magically born with the skin of other animals. The series follows the adventures of Zoomba – a little elephant with zebra stripes – as he explores and makes sense of the world. Vegas visitors will also get the chance to find out more about Masha and the Bear.

The global hit comprises 52 x 7 minute episodes (with 12 episodes more planned by mid-2017) and 26 x 5.5min Masha Tales, all of which chronicle the adventures of a little girl called Masha and the bear who becomes her reluctant playmate.

The cartoon is the work of leading Russian animation studio Animaccord and was named best animation in the Creative Talent category at the 2015 Kidscreen Awards. Licensees have been quick to tap into the brand’s brand s popularity, which is bolstered by a strong presence on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, and the property boasts hundreds of partners across Europe.

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Shop till you drop Bulldog Licensing +44 20 8325 5455 www.bulldog-licensing.com Bulldog Licensing will be showcasing a strong and diverse portfolio of properties at the Las Vegas Licensing Expo.

Shopkins is the phenomenally successful collectable. There are 148 characters to collect in each series, which are sold inside adorable little shopping bags.

Stan Despite only having been on the market since last d H1 77 year the brand has sparked a craze that has swept the world, fuelled by an online presence that has seen over 17 million hits on the official Shopkins YouTube channel and hundreds of millions of views across fan content on the site.

A rapidly growing licensing programme includes Spearmark (lunchware, tableware, drinkware and lighting), Flair (plush), Topps (collectable and trading cards, sticker products and accessories) VMC (accessories) Aykroyds TDP (nightwear and underwear), Autumn Publishing (publishing), Character World (bedding and beanbags), RMS International (stationery arts and crafts), Pedigree (annuals), DJ Murphy (magazines), Winning Moves (Top Trumps cards), Pyramid International (posters) and Whitehouse Leisure (amusement plush).

Next, Garfield is the instantly recognisable cartoon cat featured in over 2,100 newspapers across the globe. Current licensees include Five Mile Press (publishing and puzzles), Roy Lowe and Sons (socks and tights), Sambro (bags and stationery), Brand International (slippers), Ravette (publishing), Wicked Cool (toys) and J Fox (accessories). Garfield apparel (pub also a major seller on the high street with the fashion line from Lazy Oaf is als selling in huge numbers and achieving a well-deserved LIMA nomination, sellin while Blues, Poeticgem, BCI and Brand Alliance are also on board and seeing strong sales across UK retail. seein Bulldog will also showcase Plants vs. Zombies - from PopCap Games, Bu division of Electronic Arts Inc - which requires players to stop an a div approaching fun-dead horde by using a host of zombie-zapping plants. appr Plants vs. Zombies is represented by a host of licensees, including Pla Pedigree (annuals), Smith & Brooks (apparel) and Cooneen and BCI Pedi (nightwear and underwear), K’Nex (construction toys), Portico (greeting (nigh cards), Digital Giving (personalised t-shirts), Character World (homewares), card Forbidden Planet (gift product), and Jazwares (plush and toys).

Forb Finally, Iconic Images is the company behind the legendary portfolios of Fin renowned photographers such as Terry O’Neill, Baron Wolman and Gered reno Mankowitz and The London Taxi Company is the only manufacturer and Man retailer of the world famous Black Cab, globally recognised as the hackney retai carriage of choice for use in London and around the world. carri

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New products and new episodes launching throughout 2015 Contact Graham.Saltmarsh@turner.com ADVENTURE TIME, CARTOON NETWORK, the logos, and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and Š 2015 Cartoon Network.

Licensing Expo Show Preview

Calling planet earth Zodiak Kids +44 207 0134 400 www.zodiakrights.com

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Zodiak Kids’ is taking its brand new comedyadventure pre-school show Floogals to Licensing Expo.

The 52 x 11 minute series has been commissioned by Sprout, the NBC-Universal owned kids channel with a 55 million audience reach, who will also co-produce.

The series is set to launch in early 2016 in the US. Floogal’s is a state-of-the-art combination of photo real CGI and liveaction never seen before in preschool television.

It follows the wild and comedic adventures of three teeny aliens who’ve landed in a suburban house near you. Their Planet Floog is very different to Planet Earth, of course, and everything we take for granted is fascinating to them - from ice cubes to bubble baths, birthday cakes to wild rabbits, garden hoses, trumpets and escaped hamsters.

The trio of aliens are keen to impress with their daily reports to Floog on what they’ve discovered. Their investigations involve theories and clue following that lead them and our viewers to fun revelations.

Through the daily missions of our little aliens, children will gain a greater appreciation and understanding of the uniqueness of the world around them just as they are learning about the world and how it works themselves, with a hearty helping of giggles and classic entertaining slapstick along the way. Floogals is produced by Zodiak Kids production arm Zodiak Kids Studios.

Talking entertainment Outfit 7 +44 207 432 4567 www.outfit7.com Outfit7 Ltd is new to the field of entertainment, but has come out in a big way with their Talking Tom and Friends series which premiered on the YouTube Kids App and www. talkingtom.tv.

Based on the wildly popular Talking Tom and Friends franchise, the series follows the adventures and Stan hijinks of the optimistic gang as they make their d B1 47 own show from the (relative) comfort of Tom’s garage-turned-app studio.

Outfit7 started less than six years ago with one app Talking Tom to a series of 15 apps boasting 2.6 billion downloads and 250 active users a month. Now the company is launching into a full blown multi-media company, from their former webisodes with Disney, to their new Talking Tom and Friends Series (52x11) and their feature film in the works with Mythology Entertainment.

Outfit7 also looks to expand its consumer products line in the area of toys, apparel, publishing, gift and novelty, home entertainment and much more.

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Licensing Expo Show Preview

A new dawn Warner Bros. Consumer Products +1 818 954 7980 www.WarnerBros.com

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Warner Bros. Consumer Products is heading into 2015 with an Stan d N1 unprecedented line-up of global 39 licensees on board to support the vault of beloved properties and groundbreaking content across ss the studio. The worldrenowned DC Comics universe leads the charge with support for the highly anticipated Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, from Warner Bros. Pictures, set for release on 25 March ch 2016.

All-new animated content, ntent, entitled Batman Unlimited, mited, inspired by Mattel’s new Batman B t toy line, will see support from master toy partner Mattel, Rubies and more.

Pre-school partner Fisher-Price will expand its successful Imaginext DC Super Friends toy line as new animated content is announced in support of the brand.

WBCP will continue to grow its rich DC Comics TV portfolio, including series The Flash, Arrow and Gotham, with all-new licensee support. DC Super Hero Girls, the new girl-targeted Super Hero universe from WBCP, WBA, and DCE, and in partnership with Mattel, is set to take the girls space by storm when it launches in fall of 2015.

Starring the female Super Heroes and SuperVillains of DC Comics, this unprecedented initiative will include digital content and TV specials, while made-for-videos, publishing, toys, apparel and other products will begin to rollout in 2016.

Currently in production as part of an expanded creative partnership between Warner Bros.

Entertainment and JK Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the first in a new film series from Rowling’s world of witches and wizards, inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and the adventures of the book’s fictitious author, Newt Scamander.

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them will mark JK Rowling’s screenwriting debut and will be fully supported by WBCP, with global partners offering fans an exciting licensing and merchandising program. Everyone’s favorite canine, ScoobyDoo, is building excitement at retail with all-new licensing support from The LEGO Group, featuring Scooby-Doo and the Gang in five all-new sets and in never-before-seen animated content in LEGO form.

Beloved classic animation properties such as Looney Tunes will continue to drive new trends with hot new partnerships such as Hare Jordan for NIKE and haute couture apparel and accessories with globally renowned label Moschino.

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A worldwide force BBC Worldwide product.licensing@bbc.com www.bbcworldwide.com

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0145 BBC Worldwide returns to Vegas with the brand-new loveable character Hey Duggee, the hit new children’s show from the CBeebies channel, complimented by a beautifully designed range of toys from Master Toy licensee Golden Bear. Established global brands Doctor Who, Sherlock and Top Gear will also be represented showcasing new product and licensees extending these popular brands to new audiences.

Doctor Who returns to Vegas with Master Toy licensee Character Options, featuring new additions; the Hovering Dalek, Cyber Attack! Sonic Blast Game and Walking Talking Cyberman. New licensee Black Milk is developing a clothing range and they’re welcoming new products from Universal Poster, Moonpig, Legends Wall Art, Zeon, Funko, Vibe and publishing from Panini and Titan.

Top Gear is the world’s biggest factual entertainment show and broadcasts in over 170 territories. New product for this A/W includes men’s and children’s apparel, car wash kits, remote control cars, male grooming kits and toiletries as well as products from new licensees Vibe, Plantronics, Moonpig, Topps and Danilo.

Something Special increases product lines and licensees for 2015. New product and licensees for 2015 include, HTI for move and groove scooters, quad skates, bikes and balance bikes. books from Egmont and more.

What’s your tipple of choice?

Beanstalk +1 212 421 6060 www.beanstalk.com Beanstalk is thrilled to announce two new clients to its roster, Diageo and Romero Britto. Beanstalk is now representing Stan global iconic brands Baileys and Guinness, on behalf of d G8 9 Diageo, and is tasked with the management and expansion of Diageo’s already extensive licensing programmes, comprising more than 40 licensees globally in the categories of food, gift and fashion/lifestyle. Additionally, Beanstalk has signed internationallyrenowned pop-artist Romero Britto for representation.

Capturing Britto’s iconic visual style and universal themes of love, happiness, and hope, Beanstalk will strategically extend the brand in North America and Europe.

The agency will continue to focus on expanding the programs of its established clients, including STANLEY, BLACK+DECKER, DeWalt, got milk?, Energizer, TGI Fridays, McCormick Grill Mates, Coby, Chiquita, Coppertone, The Limited, HUE, Genevieve Gorder, Wolfgang Puck, Airheads, Mentos, Honda, Honda Powersports, and Acura, among others.

Tinderbox, Beanstalk’s dedicated digital division, is kicking off consumer products programs for several titles within the Microsoft Xbox portfolio: Forza, Fable, State of Decay, Killer Instinct, and Ori and the Blind Forest.

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Licensing Expo Show Preview

Do you care for the bear?

AG Properties +1 818 514 5348 www.agpbrands.com ww Care Bea Bears is the 30-year-old equity brand owned by American Greetings Properties that has more tahn $3 billion in sales and over 90 million plush bears sold just in the last decade alone. AGP has what they refer to as an Stan d N1 omni-platform strategy for the Care Bears which includes entertainment, toys, omni-platfo 57 consumer products, promotions, digital, social media and online focuses. p more than 100 global licensees for Care Bears and a themed Halloween AG has m straight-to-DVD special premiering in 2015. animated st equity brand is snuggling up to fans digitally with more than a million downloads for each This equi app under their belts/bellies on the iTunes and Playstore and play times ten times longer the average pre-school apps on the market today. p Care Bears entertainment can now be streamed on all of the largest video platforms including Be YouTube, where they share five million views, HULU, Netflix and Amazon. The new Care Bears Cousins show premieres on Netflix in September 2016. And with hundreds of thousands of fans sh and followers followe on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, the Care Bears are becoming quite the entertainment entertainme social media moguls.

This June, the Care Bears are taking a walk down the red carpet on a theatrical promotion with Studio Mov Movie Grill (SMG.) Care Bears is premiering A Belly Badge for Wonderheart movie for the first time in on the big screen. This feature will run in SMG’s 20 locations each weekend in June 2015 as pa part of their SMG Toons programme.

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Gearing up for their big 4-0 Vega Stan s Aardman Animations dN +44117 984 8485 www.aardman.com

Genius Brands International +1 310 273 4222 www.gnusbrands.com

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Aardman has enjoyed a successful start to the year with Shaun the Sheep The Movie launching in spring to international acclaim, with a strong box office performance and achieving four and five star reviews across the board. The TV show, now in production for its fifth series, is already enjoyed on kids’ channels in 170 territories making sure it stands strong as one of the top-rated children’s series enjoyed by families around the world.

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That’s genius Reach for the sky Rainbow +39 0717 5067500 www.rbw.it

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Rainbow has chosen to showcase three new animated series with huge licensing potential at Vegas. These are Winx series 7, Mia and me series 2, and a brand-new show with the working title of Royal Academy. Winx Club series 7 carries on the theme of recent Winx releases by carrying an environmental message. Royal Academy is a hilarious and exciting new take on some of our best-loved fairy tales and focuses on the adventures of Rose Cinderella while Mia and me is the award-winning coproduction with Lucky Punch GmbH/M4e.

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Genius Brands International (GBI) returns to Licensing Expo 2015 with a new booth and a slate of properties, including Baby Genius, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, Llama Llama, Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club and a soon to be announced new tween girl’s property, as well as several new properties.

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Twenty years strong Pokémon +1 425 229 6000 www.pokemon.com In the late 90s, Pokémon captured hearts and minds with the launch of Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version on Nintendo Game Boy— games which, along with subsequent game releases, have gone on to sell over 200 million copies Stan around the world. d R1 97 The iconic franchise has become a global brand and includes Pokémon TV and movie animations, the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG), and numerous licensed products.

Commercial successes have been coupled with the growth of a comprehensive slate of new European licensees across a variety of categories including confectionery, apparel and footwear, stationery and posters, and video game accessories. These new deals have complemented The Pokémon Company International’s existing slate of licensees, including master toy partner TOMY, Sun City (apparel and accessories), CTI (bedding), CyP (backto-school products), and Winning Moves (board games). BIOWORLD Europe also recently announced that it will be developing new apparel and accessory ranges.

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Free to watch TV FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment +44 20 7691 6000 www.fremantlemedia.com

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FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment works with innovative, best-in-class partners around the world to build engaging, entertaining and ground-breaking global franchises that connect with children and families across multiple platforms its key properties for Licensing Expo are Danger Mouse, Kate & Mim-Mim, Tree Fu Tom, and Ella the Elephant.

International super-spy Danger Mouse and best friend Penfold are back! Following the series premiere on CBBC later this year, Danger Mouse will air in multiple territories on Netflix in 2016.

From June the original iconic 80s series airs on Netflix in key territories. The licensing team is capitalising on this by extending its nostalgia-based licensing ranges.

Kate & Mim-Mim is a lively animated pre-school series about the special friendship between spirited five-year-old Kate and her toy bunny Mim-Mim and it quickly became the number one rated show in its time slot on every broadcaster it has launched on.

UK consumer products activity began in the spring with the launch of the first DVD, app and magazine special, supported by an Easter holiday character shopping centre tour. The DVD rolls out internationally this year and the show will air in France, the Nordics and CEE. Tree Fu Tom has been delighting pre-schoolers on CBeebies in the UK since 2012 and now airs in 123 territories, with more than 25 UK licensees and 43 internationally. Tree Fu Tom enjoyed further growth in 2014 with a brand new series and the expansion of the international consumer products programme. New master toy licensee Jazwares launches its first products in Australia this summer, followed by a wider roll out in the UK and other key territories.

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Movie madness Rovio Entertainment +358 207 888 300 www.rovio.com

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Rovio Entertainment returns to Licensing Expo 2015 with the hugely anticipated Angry Birds movie under its wings. Set to hit the big screen in May 2016, Angry Birds is being produced by the creative geniuses at Rovio Entertainment in association with Sony Pictures Entertainment who are expertly managing all film distribution and marketing.

The first full-length movie from the Angry Birds franchise marks a significant stride forward towards Rovio’s ambition of being an allencompassing entertainment company for modern times with games at its heart.

A raft of top tier licensing partners have already signed up to the Angry Birds movie-licensing programme for the UK across all key categories including Aykroyds/TDP, Fashion UK, VMC Accessories, Spearmark, Character World, Roy Lowe & Sons and Grosvenor with additional partners to be announced in the run up to the show.

With over 2.8 billion downloads, Angry Birds continues to celebrate its position as the most downloaded game of all time.

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What will you discover?

Discovery Consumer Products +1 240 662 0000 www.thestudiosgroup.com

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Making it matter DHX Brands +44 208 5636 400 www.dhxmedia.com

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DHX Brands heads to Licensing Expo with an exciting, diverse slate of properties this year - headlined by brand-new additions Make It Pop and Slugterra, alongside preschool phenomena Teletubbies and Twirlywoos.

The original Teletubbies is one of the most successful children’s brands of all time. The hotly-anticipated new version, set to air late 2015 on CBeebies, features the characters with a refreshed, contemporary look and will be supported by heavyweight national PR and advertising campaigns.

Twirlywoos is innovative, inspiring entertainment with slapstick humour - encouraging young audiences to gain confidence in their perceptions of the world through laughter.

Currently airing on CBeebies with strong ratings, the property is going from strength to strength in the licensing arena. Leading toy partner Golden Bear has come on board as master toy partner for the brand, and will launch toys from July.

With the acquisition by DHX Media of Vancouver’s Nerd Corps, hit boys action property Slugterra has joined the DHX Brands line up with top ratings, toy sell-outs and new licensing deals for the brand around the globe.

Recently debuted on Nickelodeon US with exceptional ratings, Make It Pop is fast becoming a tween sensation.

The series, which will feature original songs and performances in every episode, is co-created by Thomas W Lynch and Nick Cannon and produced by DHX Media, and licensing for the property is managed by DHX Brands.

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S187 Discovery Channel is the flagship brand for Discovery Communications and the consumer products programme translates top series into merchandise worldwide.

Discovery Channel continues to grow its merchandising programs worldwide inspired by the core Discovery Channel DNA and top-rated broadcast programs. The brand can be found in the publishing, apparel, gift and novelty, home, toys and games categories and continues to seek new opportunities to bring the Discovery brand and its TV based properties to retail.

Brand power Saban Brands +1 310 557 5230 www.sabanbrands.com

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Saban Brands is continuing its global growth as a company and across its core and new brands, maintaining a diverse portfolio of properties.

With the company’s rapid growth in 2014, Saban Brands announced the formation of two new units within the company, Saban Brands Lifestyle Group (SBLG) and Saban Brands Entertainment Group (SBEG).

SBLG was established to drive major expansion within the company’s fashion and lifestyle properties. SBLG currently includes Paul Frank, Macbeth, Mambo and Piping Hot. Alongside SBLG is Saban Brands Entertainment Group (SBEG), which was formed to oversee the company’s growing entertainment portfolio of brands including Power Rangers, Popples, Cirque du Soleil’s Luna Petunia, Julius Jr, Emojiville and others in development.

Saban Brands is also looking to further grow its portfolio with additional new properties and acquisitions for both SBEG and SBLG in the future.

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Comedy gold Universal Partnerships & Licensing

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+1 818 777 1000 www.nbcuniversal.com Universal Partnerships & Licensing (UP&L) oversees NBCUniversal’s consumer product and digital licensing for Universal Pictures, NBC Television, Focus Features and Sprout Channel.

This dedicated division is also responsible for film, home entertainment and television promotions.

At this year’s Licensing Show, UP&L will continue to focus on its blockbuster film franchises, Minions and Jurassic World. The company will also introduce several new properties from Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment including The Secret Life of Pets, a comedy about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day, which will release in February 2016.

Despicable Me 3 which will continue the adventures of Gru, Lucy, their adorable girls and the Minions.

On the TV side of the business, UP&L will continue expanding the successful The Biggest Loser franchise while introducing new opportunities from kids network Sprout.

Entertainment at its best Entertainment One

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+44 203 691 8509 www.eonelicensing.com Entertainment One Licensing (eOne) brings its award-winning slate of properties to Licensing Expo 2015. Rapidly gaining momentum in international territories, pre-school properties Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom lead the charge. Lifestyle design brands SO SO Happy and Skelanimals and new film property The BFG round out the licensor’s portfolio. eOne continues to accelerate the international expansion of its pre-school entertainment property, Peppa Pig, which has reported significant growth in Australia, Latin America and CEE. Merchandise has launched in new European markets, France and Germany in addition to Russia, and South East Asia, where the TV show is attracting strong ratings. In the US, the property is poised for the mass market roll-out of Peppa merchandise at retailers including Walmart and Target for the first time.

With more than 65 licensees globally, Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom is also gaining momentum in a number of international territories. The property expanded in the UK last year following a brand refresh and the addition of new master toy partner. Spain now has a successful consumer products programme and there are early signs of commercial success in Australia. eOne’s LA based design brands SO SO Happy and Skelanimals spearhead the licensor’s Lifestyle division and are rapidly building credibility through partnerships with the boutique fashion label Iron Fist and the accessories supplier Loungefly.

A new addition to its licensed portfolio, eOne will showcase pan-European licensing opportunities for the upcoming DreamWorks Studios film The BFG at Licensing Expo.

Educating the kids Out of the Blue +1 212 764 0266 www.outoftheblueenterprises.com Out of the Blue is a pre-school powerhouse with top educationally-based shows on PBS, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Super WHY!, and Wishenpoof and Creative Galaxy ,both just greenlit for a second season, on Amazon.

The company is headed up by Emmy-nominated, Samantha

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Freeman (former Nickelodeon) and Angela Santomero (creator of Blue’s Clues) who have been changing the way children watch television for over 15 years.

Their mission and vision is to bring educational entertainment to a whole new level with integration of education, entertainment and active participation.

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Licensing Expo Show Preview

A Brit of all right Imperial War Museum

The very best of the British heritage will be exhibiting at Licensing Expo 2015. LTW gets to grips with the five brands exhibiting under the British Heritage Pavilion banner working for years with the heritage sector to develop their presence at BLE in London, and now is a great time to do the same at the Licensing Expo and on the world stage.”

Why now?

With all things quintessentially English now in vogue, think Downton Abbey and Wedgewood’s Beatrix Potter collection which is going down a storm Stateside, the time is right for a Brit brand explosion.

“We’ve never exhibited, or visited, the Licensing Expo at Las Vegas,” explains Gwyneth Campling, Head of Brand and Image Licensing at The Royal Ballet.

“Exhibiting as part of the British Pavilion seemed like a great way to make our debut at the show. We are looking forward to connecting with licensees in new territories, and talking to them about

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With London firmly established as one of the most culturally vibrant cities in the world, the energy associated with the British brands has never been more palpable

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n a first for Licensing Expo, five iconic UK institutions will exhibit under the collective British Heritage banner.

Positioned at Booth C54, this new venture will see recognised brands The Royal Ballet, Imperial War Museum, The National Museum of the Royal Navy Natural History Museum and Shakespeare Birthplace Trust grouped together for maximum impact.

Speaking about the new heritage sector Jessica Blue, vice president, Licensing Expo says: “As the former director of Brand Licensing Europe and a Brit myself, I’ve grown up with these brands. I am thrilled that licensees from the US and around the world will be introduced to these truly unique institutions and the breadth of opportunities they present. We’ve been

Gwyneth Campling, The Royal Ballet

the benefits of associating with our dynamic, heritage and classic brand.”

Gwyneth’s enthusiasm for exhibiting at Licensing Expo 2015 is matched by everyone showcasing their brands at the British Pavillion.

Speaking to LTW, Giles Gould Head of Commercial Services at The National Museum of the Royal Navy, points out that Vegas offers an opportunity to showcase brands on a world stage: “Exhibiting at Vegas raises our profile, expands our markets, and appeals to any licensee that can demonstrate an affinity with the brand.”

Natural History Museum’s Licensing Manager Zuzi Wojciechowska says exhibiting at Vegas is a must for them: “We have some exciting new signings to announce and this is a great platform to do so, as everyone is thinking ahead and planning their ranges. Additionally we are really looking at developing the brand internationally, reaching new audiences and inspiring licensees and retailers with new artwork from our archives, much of which has never been used on retail product before.”

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Royal Navy

The Royal Ballet

Natural History Museum

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The combination of multiple British Heritage institutions exhibiting together is a good opportunity to put a little bit of extra power behind the offering. In the UK we are mostly associated with our fantastic dinosaur collection, however there is a lot more to us than that!

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Zuzi Wojciechowska, Natural History Museum

The lowdown on the British: The Royal Ballet - one of the most acclaimed ballet companies in the world, resident at the Royal Opera House in London and this year touring in the United States.

Imperial War Museums (IWM) - five museums, including the atmospheric Churchill War Rooms in London, exploring the inspiring stories of people caught up in conflict, IWM’s huge collections include tens of thousands of posters, works of art, photographs, film footage and artefacts.

The power of the pavilion Grouping five iconic British brands together means visiting licensees can target a core group in one fell swoop.

The idea is one which has previously worked at BLE and, while using the same premise for Vegas is a trial, it will surely result in dividends.

Philippa Rawlinson, Director of Operations of the Shakespeare Birthplace

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Trust, says: “America has a tradition of Shakespearean theatre-making which leaves the rest of the world standing, and a real affinity with the world’s bestknown playwright.

Today, Americans account one in eight of the 820,000 visitors we welcome each year to the Shakespeare family homes.

This is the first time we have opened our brand licensing to the USA, and we’re looking forward to meeting potential partners

National Museum of the Royal Navy - including HMS Victory, celebrating 250 years since it was launched, and museum and ship collections focusing on Britain’s naval heritage.

for our Shakespeare inspired brand at Expo.”

Agreeing that the pavilion is an appealing prospect for visitors to Licensing Expo, The Royal Ballet’s Gwyneth says:

Natural History Museum, London - home to more than 80 million specimens, from Darwin’s original collections to the most complete specimen of a Stegosaurus yet uncovered, the museum is a British institution and an authority on the natural world. It is also home to the phenomenal Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition which tours worldwide, seen by more than one million visitors.

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust - custodian of the five Shakespeare family homes in Stratford-uponAvon and leader of the world’s enjoyment of Shakespeare, will unveil its new brand identity Shakespeare inspired.

Visit Booth C54

“We’re exhibiting a diverse range of British Heritage institutions, each with a distinct cultural identity, but each one essentially British which I think will hold great appeal.”

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+44 207 091 3072 www.iwm.org.uk

Prestigious brand power The Royal Ballet +44 207 212 9395 www.roh.org.uk/licensing The Royal Ballet is delighted to be exhibiting at this year’s Licensing Expo for the first time, where they will be part of the new British Heritage Pavilion, together with four other iconic British Stan organisations. d C5 4 The Royal Ballet enjoys great popularity and reaches audiences far beyond its famous Covent Garden home. It has over 350,000 Facebook and Twitter followers, while its Royal Opera House Live cinema screenings are seen on more than 2,000 screens in almost 60 countries.

The Royal Ballet’s debut in Las Vegas coincides with The Royal Ballet’s USA tour, which runs from 9–28 June and includes performances in Washington, Chicago and New York.

The Royal Ballet, resident at London’s Royal Opera House, is one of the greatest and most prestigious ballet companies in the world. It is a brand that epitomises elegance, beauty, and athleticism. With its British heritage, London base and Royal patronage, it is a highly aspirational brand.

Ballet enjoys exceptional visual appeal combining grace, artistry and phenomenal strength and agility. The company will be showcasing this appeal in its new Look Book, which presents exciting and innovative artwork, inspired by some of the company’s most famous classical productions, and closely reflects their prestigious brand.

There are great opportunities to join The Royal Ballet’s successful licensing programme and to be among the first to work with the company in the USA. The team look forward to conversations with potential licensees about the benefits of associating with this dynamic, classic brand.

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Following the successful growth of its licensing programme, IWM is exhibiting at the Licensing Expo for the first time.

The museum reopened last July to great acclaim after a significant refurbishment and a new interpretation of the First World War galleries. The licensing programme has worked for four years in the build-up to this event and the museum now has more than 30 licensees who are exploring the world-class expertise and rich archive of material that have the potential to inspire some very special licensed product.

IWM works with a number of exciting licensees including Airfix, J Salmon, Flame Tree, Star Editions, Pomegranate, Realm and Empire and Go Entertain and since last year have added others including Royal Mail and Royal Mint, Kimm & Miller and The Caledonian Brewery with the iconic Old Contemptible beer. Products are on sale in major UK and overseas retailers and the toiletry range designed by SLG for Marks and Spencer was the bestselling male toiletry range in M&S last Christmas for the third year running.

At Licensing Expo, IWM will show some of its vast archive of art and images to new licensees and retailers keen to take advantage of the wealth of knowledge, design themes and access to iconic spaces such as the Churchill War Rooms where over half of the annual visitors come from the USA.

Victory for all The National Museum of the Royal Navy +44 239 272 7574 www.nmrn.org.uk This year will be the first time that The National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) has exhibited at Licensing Expo, and it is very excited to be opening up its collections and archives to a global audience, as it seeks to grow its burgeoning licensing programme.

NMRN has been in existence for nearly seven years, comprising five museum sites: NMRN (Portsmouth), the Royal Marines Museum, the Royal Navy Submarine Museum, the Fleet Air Arm Museum and Explosion!

The Museum of Naval Fire Power.

The NMRN’s Historic Fleet consists of 10 ships and submarines and 99 historic aircraft. Among the submarines it has HMS Alliance, X51 and Holland 1, and the major ships include HMS Victory, HMS Caroline, HMS Trincomalee and HMS M.33.

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The bard!

Shakespeare

A British institution

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Natural History Museum

Licensing with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust offers a unique brand endorsement, a wealth of design resources and unparalleled access to Shakespeare’s world.

As well as the five historic properties where Shakespeare and his family lived and worked - including his birthplace, Anne Hathaway’s cottage and the site of his final home, New Place - the Trust also cares for the world’s largest collection of Shakespeare related material accessible by the public and holds over 1 million archive Stan items, 50,000 books and d C5 4 11,000 museum objects.

The Trust’s newly launched ‘Shakespeare Inspired’ brand takes inspiration from these collections - the packaging design is derived from an exquisite Jacobean nightcap and the ‘WS’ logo is based on Shakespeare’s gold seal ring.

Licensees can discover the world of Shakespeare with the help of expert curators and Shakespeare specialists: from rare books and the words that have inspired the world, through to unique objects, herbs and flowers, and cookery and crafts.

The 23 April 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and throughout 2016 the world will celebrate 400 years of Shakespeare’s legacy. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust is the independent charity that cares for the world’s greatest Shakespeare heritage sites in Stratfordupon-Avon, England, and promotes the enjoyment and understanding of Shakespeare’s work, life and times all over the world.

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Home to over 80 million specimens, from Darwin’s original collections to the most complete specimen of a d Stegosaurus yet uncovered, the museum is a British institution Stan and an authority on the natural world. It is also home to the phenomenal Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition which tours worldwide, seen by over one million visitors.

With access to the world’s largest collection of natural history artwork and 300 onsite scientists, they aim to inspire all ages with their branded product. From dodos to dandelions, dinosaurs to diamonds, the museum has it all. Take time to explore the collections and the captivating stories behind them.

They are pleased to announce several new signings in key categories such as toys, games, apparel and dress-up. Additionally the museum is developing some beautiful new design-led products targeting adults, including stationery, apparel and wall art.

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British Heritage exhibiting for the first time at Licensing Expo. Booth C54

June 2015

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Movie Licensing Feature

The reel deal There is nothing quite like a bit of movie madness to drive film fans towards consumer outlets. We take a look at what properties work and why

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ovies - they certainly help drive the licensing industry forward. Every major studio is in the licensing game, and for good reason. Die-hard flick fans lap up produce fast and if the film transcends genres and appeals to all consumers, you’re onto a real winner.

With a slew of big budget movies coming our way, will these dominate the retail scene?

“This is definitely an exciting year for entertainment licensing with a string slate of proven franchises like Avengers, Minions, Jurassic World and Star Wars,” Harrison Ford in Disney’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens says Greg Economos, Senior Vice to secure.”

President, Global Consumer Movie merchandise is critically Products, Sony Pictures important, says Christophe Drevet, Consumer Products.

International Consumer Products “We can expect those Director, Studio 100. properties will dominate the “The merchandise that accompanies retail and social footprints, and film releases is always a major part also elevate the industry with of ensuring consumers truly engage innovative product offerings. with the brand, as opposed to simply “At Sony Pictures, we are going to purchase a cinema ticket. In excited about our portfolio and addition to the release of our own first the level of reception we have feature film, Maya the Bee: Movie, there been receiving across the board. are some very exciting film releases Starting with Pixels, whose trailer this year that appeal to all the family; amassed 71 million views in its Minions Movie, Inside Out first week of release to become and Star Wars. the number four most shared Encompassing movie trailer ever on Facebook.

Greg Economos, Sony everything from While our merchandising Pictures Consumer completely new program is very selective, we are Products offerings to excited about the opportunities extensions and partners we have been able

“

This is definitely an exciting year for entertainment licensing with a string slate of proven franchises like Avengers, Minions, Jurassic World and Star Wars

”

of popular franchises, 2015 looks to be another exciting year for those in film licensing.”

Movie madness With consumers lapping movie-branded merchandise up, Grey tells us that the licensed categories which work well depend entirely on the property.

“It depends on the property really and the main consumer demo,” he says. “For younger kids, it is all about the toys, the apparel like loungewear, and role-play. For older demos, collectability, customisation and details take precedence, making collectable dolls, t-shirts, gifts, novelty and, in some cases, high end accessories key product choices.” And while Christophe agrees, he adds: “A number of our global brands have had success in a multitude of categories, from toys and games to grocery products but I would say the most obvious categories are publishing and promotion.”

A digital age Times have changed considerably since the very first Star Wars film was released, now we live in a digital age and studios like Disney have to engage fans across a variety of mediums. So what do these studios have to do to engage young audiences in a multiscreen, digital world?

“Although the digital space has expanded considerably and will continue to do so, the ingredients it takes to ensure movies get it right remains the same,” says Studio 100’s Christophe. “To

Chris Pratt in Universal’s Jurassic World

52

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ensure a young audience engage with the movie, supporting merchandise and digital platforms, the movie needs to have identified their brand values, strong storyline and likeable characters. It is obviously also beneficial if children view their favourite characters on a regular TV programme. However, even with these components tied down, we cannot account for whether a movie will ‘take off’- essentially it all comes down to the kids.”

Greg echoes this and points out that it all starts with good content. “The more excited and engaged the property and its characters are, the more consumers will want to engage with that property.

The next key element is to make sure that property can also offer products and experiences across different platforms.

Whether the connection is with a t-shirt that you can find online, a digital app you can download on your mobile device, or a strategic partnership with other popular or relevant brands that will make your movie or property topical and take center place in everyday life.”

Supporting content online is now an everyday part of driving a film’s commercial success and therefore it is now a necessity rather than a choice, as Greg points out.

“Thanks to mobile technology, and how accessible it has become, consumers are now connected 24/7 and have an expectation that their favorite brands and entertainment properties have to be connected with them. Digital licensing has experienced significant growth in the last few years. From games, apps, brand extensions and integrations into existing games, digital has become a very useful tool not only to create engagement, but also drive awareness.”

Christophe adds: “Creating digital material is a vital part of a movie release and is something we look to set-up pre-premiere. Setting up an engaging website, app and social media pages is all part of reaching-out to the fans and further communicating the brand’s message far beyond sitting in front of a cinema screen. The importance of the digital space extends beyond movies, as we have found with the first series of Maya the Bee, with a brand benefiting from online engagement. Maya the Bee is a perfect example of a brand transitioning from TV to cinema with further releases this year in Latin America, Nordics and the UK.” So as consumers await upcoming hotly anticipated releases, keep an eye out for the licensing programme attached to the films – it can make or break you.

June 2015

Pixel perfect

Sony Pictures Consumer Products +1310244-4188 www.sonypictures.com

Box office buzz!

Studio 100

Sony Pictures Consumer Products will kick a fantastic 2015 off with Pixels this year. The video game inspired movie has already become a viral success thanks to the popularity of its trailer and will be supported by a nostalgic licensing programme.

With Hotel Transylvania and Goosebumps coming later this year, and an all-new Ghostbusters releasing in 2016, don’t be spooked by the Sony Pictures Entertainment’s portfolio of upcoming films.

Hotel Transylvania 2 gives families another chance to have fun with their favourite monsters and safe scares. In partnership with Scholastic, Goosebumps will also be a family favourite with plenty of merchandising opportunities covering appare, publishing, digital and more. In 2016, Sony will return to one of its biggest franchises yet with Ghostbusters, featuring an all female lead cast.

The re-imagining will expand a successful Classics merchandising programme as well as bringing in new fans.

+31765245394 www.studio100.tv The girls’ market continues to be a major focus for Studio 100 International with further development of global brand, Maya the Bee, and new addition to their CGI animation roster, Heidi on TV. Maya the Bee, who celebrated Studio 100’s first foray into film last year, continues to be released on cinema screens with the arrival of the movie in major territories such as Latin America (Q4 2015), Nordics and the UK (October 2015). To date, the pre-school feature film has already reached over 4.2 million admissions in 20 countries.

One in a Minion Universal Partnerships & Licensing +44 203 618 8645 www.universalstudios.com There’s lots of exciting new releases this year and beyond from Universal Partnerships and Licensing.

Steven Spielberg returns to executive produce the longawaited next installment of his groundbreaking Jurassic Park series, with Jurassic World. Licensees include: Hasbro (global master toy partner), The LEGO Group (construction partner), TT Games (LEGO Jurassic World videogame), Ludia (mobile game) The story of Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s Minions begins at the dawn of time in Minions, releasing 10 July, 2015.

53

TV

TNP TV IS HERE It is TV, but not as you know it LEGO UK’s Country Manager, Fiona Wright

L

et us introduce you to something a bit different. Licensing Today Worldwide’s sister title Toys n Playthings - the leading toy trade magazine in the UK, which is fondly known as TnP, has introduced a dynamic, exciting new string to its bow.

TnP TV launched to rapturous reception in January and we want you – licensees, licensors, retailers, agents, everyone and anyone in the global licensing trade to be involved.

Presented by Lema Publishing’s Group Editor, Mirella Anstey, the show is designed to bring the latest news and hottest products straight to the inbox of every decision maker in the toy and licensing industries.

And not only that, the show is broadcast across the entire span of Lema Publishing’s extensive B2B portfolio including Nursery, Gifts, Greetings, Party, Tableware and Art. Speaking about TnP TV, Lema Publishing’s MD and Founder, Malcolm Naish says: “It is marvellous and terrifically exciting to think that my magazine which launched in 1981 has come so far that it now even has it’s own TV show! What a great testament to my team but also to the fantastic supporters and readers.

Without those buyers and retailers reading us month in and month out and our great clients, this would not have been possible.”

Mirella adds: “It is utterly exhilarating to be able to deliver something fresh and exciting to this fabulous industry. Our readers - retail and supplier alike - richly deserve a fun, lively and stimulating TV show, which is a superb reflection and extension of our magazine that will help them keep up-to-date with all the happenings in the toy industry.”

The show is the perfect vehicle for licensees and licensors to get the word out about their product and properties, and it is peppered with interviews, demos and video from suppliers showcasing their latest must-haves.

54

Mirella with Flair’s Product Manager Boys Mayur Pattni

Barry Hughes, GM, Golden Bear Toys speaks with Mirella

VTech UK & Ireland’s Marketing Director Clive Richardson

MV Sports sent in a video clip of their product in action

TnP TV host Mirella Anstey

Spin Master UK’s MD Kevin Jones

TnP TV airs every week and is delivered to your inbox as well as being available on www.toysnplaythings.co.uk If you want to be part of TnP TV get in touch with Ryan Horwood now, on 01442 289 930 or at ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

www.ltwmag.com

It’s here!

TV Helping everyone sell EVEN more!

For more details on how you could proďŹ le your company and products to 60,000+ viewers contact Ryan Horwood on 01442 289930 ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

Rainbow

Across the spectrum Ten years on from the launch of Winx Club, Rainbow has become a household name in the world of children’s entertainment.

With the launch of two ambitious new properties just on the horizon, LTW traveled to the company’s headquarters in Italy to find out more

T

ucked away among the surrounding hills of Loreto, Italy, one building stands out above the rest. The headquarters of Rainbow s.r.l looks more Beverly Hills mansion than a traditional place of work, with its glass-panelled façade, open-plan design and multitude of extra-curricular facilities – think on-site gym, tennis courts and restaurant. But inside are the studios and office spaces that house the creative talent behind some of Europe’s best-loved children’s entertainment properties - and they are hard at work.

It’s here that the latest content for Rainbow’s hit properties, like Winx Club, are brought to life. Where concept artists, special effects teams, animators, fashion designers and a whole host of other departments all collaborate. From animated and liveaction content to consumer product designs, fashion lines, and brand new IP, this is where Rainbow’s creations and fictional worlds are brought to life, all led by the creative vision of Iginio Straffi, Founder, President and CEO, Iginio President and CEO Straffi.

“

My idea from the start was to build a company on fantastic content for the kids of today, and transform that content into a lifestyle brand

“

56

Established in 1995, the company enjoyed early success with The Adventures of Tommy & Oscar and follow up Prezzy.

But in 2004, the company poured all its talent into its most ambitious project to date, the Winx Club. With immediate and widespread popularity, the first Winx Club TV series shot the company to global fame, and it has been busy developing the property and new IP ever since.

Speaking to LTW at the Loreto head office earlier this year, Mr. Straffi recalls the early years and original vision for Winx Club: “In the beginning, I spent nine or 10 months working on a big document for the writers to develop scripts from. I imagined that we already had three or four seasons’ worth of material, and already some strong licensing opportunities.”

Consumer products and a strong licensing operation, it seems, were always part of the equation for Winx Club. And although Mr. Straffi says Rainbow is a content company first and foremost, he believes no true distinction exists between content creation and the licensing side of modern kids entertainment.

“My idea from the start was to build a company on fantastic content for the kids

of today, and transform that content into a lifestyle brand. At that time, creating TV series through co-production was enough to secure good profit, but as the market changed, licensing and consumer products became the key to growth and a profitable business.

“We really focused on making that first Winx Club series special, the best it could be. We trialled the first Winx Club content with kids, saw what they liked and didn’t like, corrected any consistent criticisms, and when we finally launched we had good ratings and success. This gave our content credibility,” Mr Straffi says.

That process took almost five years, and while production of the Winx Club TV series was always the driver, Mr. Straffi was busy working on other opportunities to maximise the content’s potential.

“Throughout that time, I had also been planting the seeds for a strong licensing programme. I was building up my contacts and networking, attending all the licensing shows and exhibitions. Little by little, with our content at the heart of things, we had the right seeds for growing the company.

“Winx Club was built from the start with a strong consumer product appeal

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“Fashion is a very important category “In Italy, Turkey and Russia, Back for us as well as Back to School, and both to School and Fashion are incredibly of these new brands work really well important categories. In Germany this for these,” she says. “Our licensees and is not the case, the audience skews partners take our fabulous style guides slightly older at eight to 12-year-olds, and and create great new products, and all publishing is the main category. To ensure of this is promoted and linked with new that we’re hitting the right audience in the content.” right territories, we work closely, and build But it’s not just strengthening existing long-term relationships with local agents categories that makes My American who know their market. We’ve certainly Friend and Royal Acadmey such learned a lot over the past 10 years important new properties for Rainbow; through our success with Winx Club.” it’s the opportunity for brand new Rainbow’s final trump card is its theme business. park, Rainbow MagicLand. Alongside “We are always looking to expand giving fans a new way to experience our categories,” says Valentina. “We their favourite fictional worlds, Rainbow have already covered so many with MagicLand gives the company a place Winx Club and Mia and Me though, so to trial new product, offer prizes for with this new content we can really competitions, host events and much tackle new markets. With these new more. series, we can build the opportunity for “It’s a great marketing tool,” explains new business and categories into the Valentina. “Of course, we spent a lot of content in advance. time researching and developing a theme Valentina La “For instance, where Winx Club is park to give our fans a great day out, but Macchia, Head of aimed towards eight-year-olds here in it also helps to bring in new licensees. Our Licensing Italy, My American Friend is targeted partners can perfect their ranges before at a slightly older, eight to 12-yearlaunching to the wider market, sampling old audience. This immediately opens their new products in the stores on-site.” new doors for us in licensing, bringing With the launch of two brand new new fans on board and giving us the properties on the horizon, it’s an exciting chance to expand into new categories time for Rainbow, and one of real growth. and strengthen our position in current Visitors to Licensing Expo in Las Vegas categories.” can see the new developments on the As a global company, things get a Rainbow stand R181. little trickier when you step outside the domestic Italian market. But Valentina explains that Rainbow’s network of local agents around the world ensure Rainbow’s property portfolio includes: each country is catered for to reach its ■ Tommy & Oscar greatest potential.

“

This immediately opens new doors for us in licensing, bringing new fans on board and giving us the chance to expand into new categories

“

and translatable design. We had a good strategy in place and were able to execute on that strategy with good exploitation of the content.

“We never saw consumer products and content as these totally different things. In fact, the consumer products contributed to building the world of Winx Club. When the show was not on air, the books, toys, clothes and so on kept that world alive.

Then, when the show returned either as a re-run or with a brand new series, it felt like the characters had never been away. It was a win-win approach, and we couldn’t help but do it this way.”

Winx Club has been a big success in the domestic Italian market and throughout Europe for the past 10 years. But alongside supporting Winx Club, Rainbow has been busy with new IP and bringing new worlds to life. The two most recent of these are the brand new My American Friend, a live-action series aimed at pre-teens that follows the adventures of a budding fashion designer, and Royal Acadmey, an animation set in a very special school that puts a new spin on the world’s best-loved fairy tales.

“We have been working on these new properties for a long time now. Royal Academy has existed in some form for more than six years,” says Mr. Straffi. “You could fill an encyclopaedia with all the character revisions and versions we’ve been through over the years. It’s a lot of very hard work, but worth it. I think these new properties have huge licensing potential.”

Valentina La Macchia, Rainbow’s Head of Licensing, says these new properties will give Rainbow’s licensing business even greater reach.

The story so far…

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Prezzy Monster Allergy Winx Club Huntik Secret and Seekers PopPixie Maya Fox Gladiators of Rome BRAND NEW - My American Friend BRAND NEW - Royal Academy

Third Party ■ ■

June 2015

Mia and Me Gon 57

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June 2015

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Broadcast insight

How popular are you?

The popularity of digital properties shows no sign of abating.

Media expert Clive Crouch takes a closer look

S

electing a license to build a brand in today’s world of digital communications is a challenge not far short of an exam.

The multi-choice of available licensed properties, in an oversupplied market, makes the process even more demanding.

In the business world, academics can often provide an overview of a business sector, and simplify a position with a logic-based statement.

Paul Ormerod is a prominent economist and visiting professor at the UCL Centre for Decision Making Uncertainty, a title that perhaps should have ended after making?. However there are no signs of uncertainty in a statement made by Mr Ormerod in an article he posted. He said: “Things which become popular become even more popular simply because they are popular.

And because of communications technology we know what is popular.”

Brilliant Paul!

Angry Birds, Club Penguin and more recent Minecraft, come to mind immediately as brands that are popular and where communication technology (aka digital media) made these brands all the more popular. They are all part of that self-reinforcing process.

Arriving at a licensing shows like Licensing Expo or BLE, we are immediately presented with the multi-choice offering of thousands upon thousands of licensing properties

“

The theory has proven sound many times over. However, it does bring me back to the examination question and selecting the right licensing opportunity which will capture this self-reinforcing process.

Arriving at a licensing shows such as Licensing Expo or BLE, we are immediately presented with the multichoice offering of thousands upon thousands of licensing properties.

The stands tower above eye levels in a mass of colour, with people moving around in a sea of muted conversation.

At BLE, for example, I draw upon the wisdom of Robin Williams and make straight for the Upper Gallery.

In the film Dead Poet’s Society, Williams is struggling to relate to his class so, one by one he orders them to step up on to his raised teaching platform to see how different his perspective is to that of his pupils within the same room, under the same ceiling.

From the Upper Gallery, BLE looks like a very different show to the mood and the pace on the ground floor.

The brands I mentioned earlier were born into the digital world. Arriving as digital play and entertainment they successfully developed licensing programmes beyond the digital space into hard products in publishing, toys, games, and many other categories.

In 2015, UK advertising spend is forecast to reach £15.8bn, an increase of 5.4% while the UK digital ad spend in 2015 is forecast to grow by 9.5% to £8bn (source: advertising forecasts by Analytics).

These forecasts have stories themselves within the extremely encouraging numbers for growth which are driven by mobile, social media and video.

Digital advertising has exploded, it accounted for 35.5% of UK advertising

spend in 2010 and is set to hit an expected high this year of 50.4%. As digital spend crosses the 50% market share in the UK, it marks a seminal moment in the history of the advertising industry.

When you compare this 50% market share in the UK to other developed, established advertising markets, the UK leads the way in terms of share compared to digital spend in Western Europe, at 30% and just over a quarter in the US. Television remains the market leader in the USA by a huge margin compared to the UK and Western Europe.

Despite digital spend becoming the leading ad spend sector, both cinema and TV advertising are forecast to be two of the fastest-growing advertising sectors in 2015 at 4.8% and 3% respectively, but both will trail digital’s 9.5% growth forecast.

On that note, to put a perspective on the role of cinema within a licensing context, Paddington was the highest grossing UK-produced film last year taking £34.07 million at the box office.

Finally, it’s not just about spending but how advertisers reach their potential customers and how people consume these messages.

By the end of January 2015 Britons purchasing goods and services with their tablets and smartphones had reached 40% of online retail sales.

I could go on, but it does not make the process of evaluation and selection of a license any easier.

Whatever dynamics are apparent in the mass digital media world, I take comfort from Mr Ormerod’s words and how popular learning can encourage one and all to make the whole process seem so simple, or not.

“

Clive Crouch is a TV expert with a career spanning more than 35 years in the medium.

He joined GMTV at its very inception – long before it began broadcasting - as Sales and Marketing Director during which time he was responsible for managing more than £1.5billion of commercial revenues. Clive rose through the ranks to be appointed Chief Operating Officer in 2007. Clive runs his own media insights company and you can get in touch with him by emailing; insight@clivecrouch.com or go to his website, www.clivecrouch.com

Annalisa Woods Commercial Director aw@ink-brands.com

Claus Tømming Managing Partner ct@ink-brands.com