LTW by Lema Publishing

October 2017

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08/09/2017 17:00

For Licensing opportunities, visit us at BLE stand B32 Erik Mogensen

Email: erik.mogensen@gwplc.com Tel: + 44 (0) 115 900 4120

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Christian Dunn

Email: christian.dunn@gwplc.com Tel: + 44 (0) 115 900 4107

Owen Rees

Email: owen.rees@gwplc.com Tel: + 44 (0) 115 900 4122

9/15/17 3:25 PM 20/09/2017 09:09

licensing T O D A Y

W O R L D W I D E October 2017

the team Director

The Leader

News

NEW! Let’s Talk…Gaming

Licensing Talk

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Mark Naish Mark@lemapublishing.co.uk Features 10 BLE Roundtable We get the view on what’s hot at the show

Group Editor Mirella Anstey mirella@lemapublishing.co.uk

Editor Mairead Wilmot mairead@lemapublishing.co.uk

26 Publishing spotlight LTW explores what’s hot in publishing properties 51

Writer Rhys Thomas rhys@lemapublishing.co.uk

Ryan Horwood ryan@lemapublishing.co.uk

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Media Solutions Manager

John Barry johnb@lemapublishing.co.uk

Production Director Paul Naish paul@lemapublishing.co.uk

Brand Licensing Europe 2017 preview The exhibitors, the licenses, the brands – everything you need to know ahead of Europe’s definitive annual licensing event

Special Reports 18

Group Advertising Manager

Cover Story Hasbro takes LTW behind the scenes on new movies and TV shows which will stretch the imagination!

Property Spotlight BBC Worldwide’s Hey Duggee is making friends all over the world

22 Retail Focus We chat to licensing experts about what’s working at the cash register 25 Space Invaders LTW talks to White Space Entertainment CEO Stephanie Sperber 32 Licensor Spotlight SEGA - LTW catches up with Jason Rice, Director of Brand Licensing at SEGA Europe to find out more about their multi IP offering 36 Territory Chat Top licensing execs run us through which territories are gaining traction 38 Agency Spotlight Bulldog Licensing explains its win-win approach to brand management and retail activations

Lema Publishing Ltd

1 Churchgates, The Wilderness, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2UB

Telephone: +44 (0) 1442 289930

www.ltwmag.com The views of the contributors expressed in this journal are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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P 42 Hot property We shine a light on Universal’s top properties 44 Celebrating 20 years LTW ventures into a Smiley World 46 Retail focus e-tailer Farfetch set to launch two techdriven ‘Stores of the Future’ in London and New York. Mariann Wenckheim looks at how other retailers could benefit from concepts like this 47 Special focus, Level 5 LTW takes a look this Japanese game developer who have conceived some of the world’s critically- acclaimed franchises and are set to explore new extensions 48 Interview Hans Stoef, CEO of m4e gives LTW the lowdown on what direction the business is heading 50 Power Brand JoJo Siwa: We task a look at JoJo with the Bow!

Be inspired by the past to design and create product for today Historic Royal Palaces is the independent charity that cares for the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle. Famous around the globe, these palaces attract over 4 million visitors a year and include a UNESCO world heritage site. Our licensees have access to Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich royal history with inspiration taken from the best designers, craftsmen and architects of their day; Peter Paul Rubens, Jean Tijou, Christopher Wren and William Kent to name but a fewâ&#x20AC;Ś To find out more about how your licensing programme can benefit from the scope of inspiration our palaces have to offer, visit stand L30 at Brand Licensing Europe.

Contact: Licensing.hrp.org.uk Tel: 020 3166 6844

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15/09/2017 15:46

PUBLISHING

Also published by Lema Publishing

Leader Mirella Anstey

his year’s BLE is full of promise – as it always is. The excitement and enthusiasm builds in the months leading up to such a big production for exhibitors and visitors alike. But for me, what I have found most interesting in the industry is the emphasis on providing more and more for retailers. Yes, of course, ultimately, the retailers have always been uppermost in the minds of licensors and licensees. But now, more than ever, licensors and agents are working so closely with retail to maximise every opportunity and deliver the best proposition to retailers to help them sell more of the licensees’ product. Now, I’m not suggesting the retailers have it easy by any stretch of the imagination, but speaking to so many of you while putting together this edition of LTW it did make me think about the huge shift in this relationship, just in the past ﬁve or so years. Unquestionably, brands drive customers in store and retail recognises this and wants more. And licensors understand that investing at retail will drive the message through harder and add longevity and category INTERNATIONAL breadth too – so it’s a winwin. Interestingly, nearly everyone we have chatted to has extolled the virtues of key fashion retailers – notably Primark and M&Co. The consumer appetite for the different and the exclusive is certainly not waning and brand promotions tied in with retailers is a great way for everyone – including the end user - to beneﬁt and get the most out of every transaction. While licensing has always been predominately driven by the toy sector, it seems that the fashion side is becoming more and more important and not just with new and emerging licenses but also with evergreens. It Rob Corney, Bulldog certainly is interesting to see how If you would like to the retailers are promoting all these subscribe to any of our initiatives – also largely funded by other market leading titles licensees of course. please call Robert Thomas Turning our attention to BLE exhibitors, we really on 01442 289930 or email loved working with the likes of SEGA, the BBC your request to Worldwide team and also the guys at Bulldog robert@lemapublishing. Licensing in putting together some special stories co.uk with them for this issue. Finding out more about

“

TableWare

what they have to offerr and what they are excited to be talking about at BLE was excellent – you are all sure to have some great conversations brimming with lots of strategic and unique plans. SEGA A for example have recently signed a whole raft of new deals with licensees and are working on an online shop with personalisation at its core, the BBC have got so much new happening with preschool brand Hey Duggee – including a massive North American expansion plan - and Bulldog are working hard on growing the phenomenon that is Shopkins and growing Miraculous even further! An exciting addition to BLE this year is the White Space Entertainment team. This LA-based team, headed up by ex-Universal executive, Stephanie Sperber work hard to extend the lifetime of a brand and are working to breathe life into names that maybe aren’t billion-dollar brands but that hit the spot for consumers – therefore adding to revenue, brand extension and brand awareness and deﬁnition. Stephanie says in our exclusive interview with her: “We work with the rights-owners to create a roadmap for their IP that is focused, custom and takes care of the brand value as well as revenue goals”. It’s certainly what everyone at BLE is working towards! So, on that note, we will see you all at the show and report to you news from the exhibition in the days following!

Unquestionably, brands drive customers in store and retail recognises this and wants more

”

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

LTW NEWS

New licensing programme for Imperial War Museum

Mattel powers on! Mattel’s licensing program continues to grow and gain strength, not only through its tried and tested evergreens such as Barbie but with some exciting new properties added to the mix. Barbie continues to launch exciting partnerships across licensee’s and categories including fashion, beauty, dress up, homewares, puzzles, toys, and confectionary. The Barbie x Missguided SS17 collection of 43 must-have pieces was inspired by the girl power spirit of 2017 and was an immediate success; the first drop sold out in 24hours – and Mattel are excited to announce that due to popular demand, second collection will launch exclusively this AW17! Dynamic partnerships include a range with GB Eye launching this and appetite for the popular Barbie Dreamtopia fantasy segment gains momentum as partners Amscan launched a Barbie Dreamtopia dress up along with an upcoming new party range, while Ravensburger launched the Barbie Dreamtopia puzzle. Other exciting licensing deals for the world’s #1 fashion doll include an AW17 partnership with confectionery powerhouse Pez, and a new STEM learning range with Thames & Kosmos. This year Mattel has built momentum with the introduction of Enchantimals, where Caring is Our Everything! A new world of loveable animal-inspired girls who share a special unbreakable bond with their pet besties, Enchantimals encourages kids to celebrate friendship and helps to build compassion for all living things whilst they play. This enchanting new brand is supported by content and significant marketing plans, with has strong licensing potential already venturing into publishing categories in 2018, with further hardlines categories coming for AW18.

New to the Imperial War Museum licensing programme this year is a partnership with Smart Fox, a Koch Media Company, which is launching a new range of construction sets inspired by five of the most iconic objects in IWM’s collection. The construction sets feature packaging that uses archival images of the vehicles as well as informative descriptions. Further expanding IWM’s toy category, specialist toy manufacturer Peterkin also joins the museum’s licensing programme. The museum is looking forward to developing their existing toys and games partnerships with both the Monster Factory and The Lagoon Group. IWM is perfectly positioned to cater for the rising interest in traditional toys and games as well as children’s product with an educational value. The museum would like to expand categories such as kids crafts, construction sets and models, outdoor play, costumes and dress up and puzzles and games, but welcomes innovative ideas from all areas. As well as access to IWM’s rich collections including posters, artworks, photos, textiles, vehicles and more, IWM offers licensees curatorial expertise, design collaboration, dedicated research support and use of its renowned brand. 2018 will mark the centenary of the end of the First World War with national and international events planned. IWM is commemorating the centenary in a number of ways, including through the First World War Centenary Partnership which is leading a five year programme of cultural events across the world. With a regeneration project underway to expand the Second World War galleries IWM is looking forward to an exciting and busy future.

Rainbow flying high Rainbow, the content company renowned through the world for its animated and multimedia productions, has acquired a majority holding in the Iven S.p.A. group. Iven was founded in 1986 by the show business agent and producer Maurizio Totti, and includes film and television production company Colorado Film, artistic management and talent management company Moviement, and recording company San Isidro Edizioni Musicali. It also has a stake in production and distribution company Gavila srl. The combination of these two centres of Italian excellence creates a major entertainment hub whose aim will be to consolidate and build on the two companies’ combined achievements in Italy and to increase expansion abroad.

Iginio Straffi, Chairman and Founder of Rainbow, said: “This acquisition is part of an expansion strategy that includes new fields of entertainment; our aim is to clearly establish Rainbow as a multimedia, multi-genre platform. This union with the Iven Group will enable both companies to expand their reach to more market segments, and to focus more strongly on international markets”. Maurizio Totti, Chairman of the Iven SpA group said: “Our aim from the outset was to position the group as a multimedia content producer: from cinema to advertising, from TV series to entertainment, from soundtracks to talent management. The union with Rainbow and its international platform will grow and expand the quality and quantity of our proposals, making them even more attractive and successful in Italy and abroad.”

www.ltwmag.com

Come be inspired at booth #c70

Annalisa Woods Commercial Director aw@inkgrp.com

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Claus Tømming Managing Partner ct@inkgrp.com

07/09/2017 09:55

LTW NEWS

Pink Key

Lands Pan Am!

Metrostar to represent

Portmeirion Global homewares company, Portmeirion, is working with Metrostar to extend a selection of its patterns into new products. A significant force in the homewares industry, the Portmeirion Group, encompasses Portmeirion, Spode, Royal Worcester, Pimpernel and Wax Lyrical brands. It is a market leader in high quality and innovatively designed tableware, cookware, giftware, table top accessories and home fragrance products. Metrostar’s strategy is to select partners which complement Portmeirion’s current product offering and they will be looking in particular at stationery, toiletries and beauty, bags and accessories, home textiles, home décor, greetings and wrap, fashion “We have known and accessories and Portmeirion for decorative gardening and a long time and outdoor products. love their craft, Phil Atherton, their heritage and Portmeirion’s Group Sales their creativity. and Marketing Director They have a comments : wonderful mix of “We have extended many contemporary and of our patterns from their classic patterns; tableware roots into kitchen which are ideal for textiles, placemats and extension into new home fragrance and we feel the time is right to explore areas and we’re other possibilities. Metrostar looking forward to share our desire to create showing them at high-quality, well-designed BLE.” products and we’re delighted Claire Potter, to be working with them.” Metrostar’s MD

Licensing agency Pink Key Consulting is partnering with Pan Am to extend their highly successful licensing programme to Europe. After many years of developing their licensing programme in the US, taking in products as diverse as chocolate and slot machines, Pan Am is confident they will repeat this success with Pink Key in Europe. Richard Pink of Pink Key says ‘We are really excited to be taking on Pan Am. It fits brilliantly into our group of brands, there is a huge amount of art available and the potential for product development is fantastic. We are delighted to have such a cool brand as part of our portfolio.’ ‘Pink Key’s success with heritage programs makes them a perfect fit for representing the goodwill and character our brand has developed over ninety years’ says Stacy Beck, Vice President of Brands and Licensing for Pan Am. ‘Pink Key not only understands the historical aspect of our brand, but also the endless innovative possibilities that will help write the next chapters of our legacy, making them the ideal choice to represent Pan American World Airways’ legacy in the European market.’

Alpha goes Latin

Following the successful launch of subsidiaries in North America, France, the United Kingdom and Canada, Alpha Group is delighted to announce that Jose Antonio Espinoza has been appointed to head the launch of Latin America operations. Commenting on his appointment, President of Alpha Group US & Europe, Jean-Christophe Pean, said: “One of the integral pillars of our growth strategy is international expansion through the establishment of Alpha subsidiaries in key markets. Having successfully worked for some of the top toy companies in the world, Mattel,Kreisel, and MGA, Jose Antonio brings unparalleled expertise to the role.” Commenting further, Jose Antonio said, “I am delighted to be joining Alpha Group at this exciting time. We have ambitious plans for the LATAM region, especially in Mexico and Brazil. Our portfolio of continuing and new brands has acute potential, and Super Wings in particular provides us with a great opportunity to unlock its untapped potential and replicate our tremendous success from other markets.” Alpha will be showcasing their new 2018 ranges at their Los Angeles showroom in September and in Hong Kong in October.

It’s a dog’s life

Simba named as licensee for The Deep Under the Simba brand, the toy company will initially release a range of figures, playsets and role-play toys and accessories, before expanding into outdoor, die-cast and radiocontrolled vehicles and wheeled toys. The first toys will roll out at retail in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, UK and Nordic countries in Q3 of 2018. “We are thrilled to be working together with a world-class company like Simba Toys,” said Pam Kunick Cohen, Head of Brand Management, Licensing and Merchandising, Technicolor. “Their enthusiasm for The Deep and willingness to collaborate at every stage of development ensures a robust toy line that will truly capture the essence of the brand.” Werner Lenzner, Licensing & Strategic Development Manager of the Simba Dickie Group, said:

“The Deep is a top-rated animated series in several countries already and expanding in others rapidly. The key elements of these undersea adventures such as action, cool vehicles, animals and good versus evil, fit perfectly for the target group of kids 6-9 years.” The Deep series airs in over 130 markets around the world and follows the adventures of the Nekton family, a brilliant team of underwater explorers. CPLG’s EVP, Steve Manners says: “With an instinctive flair and knowledge of the industry, we are confident that Simba Toys will develop products with a distinctive design to capture the excitement and fantastical elements of the series and bring them to life in a unique toy line.”

FremantleMedia Kids

& Family and Galaxy Optical Sign Danger Mouse Deal

World’s greatest secret agent undertakes new eye-catching mission A deal struck by agency Brand & Deliver, the range will be available from August and distributed by Galaxy Optical through 206 Tesco Opticians stores. Tessa Moore, SVP Global Brand Management FremantleMedia Kids & Family said: “Danger Mouse has captured a whole new generation of fans since its launch on CBBC. With the second series launching on CBBC ready for the new school year, we are thrilled to be working with Galaxy Opticalon this exciting new partnership. We’re sure our young fans will enjoy this brand new range of frames.”

October 2017

Battersea Dogs &Cats Home is one of the oldest and bestknown animal rescue centres in the world, and now it has teamed up with Laurence King Publishing to launch an exciting new series of books and gifts. The newly licensed line will launch in October 2017, and will feature a colouring book and three games - All About the Dog: A Battersea Dogs & Cats Home Colouring Book will be available from the autumn, with Cats & Kittens: A Memory Game, Do You Look Like Your Dog? and Dogs & Puppies: A Memory Game, to follow in Spring 2018. Sarah Batten, Commissioning Editor for Gift, LKP, commented: “We are delighted to be partnering with one of the UK’s most loved charities. “

RHS on trend with Shruti

Designs

The RHS has announced the signing of a new licensee to its successful and growing licensing programme. Shruti Designs, which creates gift products and fashion accessories, has been licensed to create a large new collection of gift and fashion items. The official launch of the scarves will be in March 2018. Further items in the RHS-Shruti collection will follow later in the year. Sarah Lane, Key Account Manager, Shruti Designs, says: “We’re delighted to be bringing the treasures of the RHS Lindley Library to this new and distinctive range of scarves. We are certain our retail partners — and their customers — will be delighted with these wonderful fashion accessories.” Cathy Snow, Licensing Manager, RHS, says: “Our licensing programme is attracting a growing number of respected designers of elegant apparel and accessories and Shruti is a welcome addition to the list. The elegance and comfort of Shruti scarves and some truly delightful floral designs adapted from the RHS Lindley Library have combined to glorious effect in this new range.

BLE Roundtable Hear ye! LTW sits down and talks to some of the major players in the licensing industry about what is happening at BLE and what they are exhibiting Name:

Jamie Stevens

Position:

EVP, Worldwide Consumer Products

Company:

Sony Pictures Consumer Products

Key brands and properties: Hotel Transylvania 3, Hotel Transylvania: The TV Series, Barbie, Peter Rabbit, Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary

Tell us what you are exhibiting at the show? The Hotel Transylvania Franchise is an IP that we continue to build upon and it is a cornerstone in our brand portfolio. We just launched the all-new Hotel Transylvania TV series on Disney Channel in the US with strong ratings across key demos. The series began rolling out on Disney Channel worldwide in key territories this Autumn. The third Hotel Transylvania film will have its first summer release date in 2018 featuring the cast of characters you know and love, all new characters and exotic locations. On iconic franchises, we are thrilled to be the studio to adapt the Barbie brand into its first live-action film. Finally, we have Peter Rabbit, another iconic classic brand which is being made into a live-action CG film premiering Spring

Name:

Maria Maranesi

Position:

Vice President of Consumer Products & Experiences at National Geographic Partners, Europe & Africa

Company:

National Geographic

Key brands and properties: Brand highlights include National Geographic, National Geographic Kids and National Geographic Photo Ark.

Tell us what you are exhibiting at the show? National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between 21st Century Fox and the National Geographic Society, is excited to be making its debut at Brand Licensing Europe, introducing the region to its new and revitalized global licensing business, following its launch at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas. At BLE, we plan to showcase how we bring the National Geographic brand to life through authentic and enriching products and experiences that inspire curiosity. The ﬁrst phase of the company’s consumer products rollout will focus on Apparel, Outerwear, Accessories, Footwear, and STEAM toys.

Who should be linking up with you at BLE? Our expansion in Europe is a focus for our business, and over a quarter of our profits are directly reinvested back to the non-profit National Geographic Society that funds work in science, education, conservation, and exploration. We’re excited to meet with like-minded, best-in-class licensing partners across various consumer product categories who share the same values as our organization and are passionate about protecting the world in which we all live. Consumers are responding to brands that demonstrate a clear purpose and reflect values that they care about, and through our new licensing strategy, we can collaborate with organizations to create engaging and authentic products and experiences that encourage the curiosity in all.

What will be new and fresh about your stand and brands at the show?

We are looking to engage with all potential licensees and categories globally. Our focus is on creating innovative and original products that connect our fans to our properties.

National Geographic is the definition of new and fresh, given that this is the first time that we will be participating at BLE. We will showcase the formidable power of our brand, that reaches over 760 million consumers every month. Come and see us at the Twentieth century Fox stand - E30 on the ground floor.

www.ltwmag.com

2018. In 2019 we’ll be celebrating the 35th anniversary of Ghostbusters.

Who should be linking up with you at BLE 2017?

Name:

Richard Pink

Name: David Fenton

Position:

Managing Director

Position: Head of Brand Licensing

Company Pink Key Consulting

Company: IWM (Imperial War Museums) Key brands and properties: Imperial War Museums Collections include; posters, artworks, photographs, ﬁlm, objects, vehicles, maps, documents, diaries, letters and more.

Tell us what you are exhibiting at the show? We’re really looking forward to showing off our new products, in particular our new range of construction sets with Smart Fox (a Koch Media Company) which were well received at Autumn Fair recently.

Who should be linking up with you at BLE 2017? We are hoping to attract new partners in the Toys and Games market which we see as a very strong area of growth for IWM. We’re also looking forward to meeting new companies and sharing ideas - the brand is so unique and can lend itself to lots of areas including homewares, gifting, food and drinks, collectables and fashion - so we’re excited to meet all sorts of potential licensees and get inspired! We are also working with an agent in the US, Spotlight Licensing, who will be at the show, and would be interested to hear from companies wishing to expand the brand into the American market.

What will be new and fresh about your stand and brands at the show? We’re really excited to be giving a seminar on day one of the show about Toys and Games Licensing with a heritage brand. We’re welcoming guest speakers and licensing partners, Smart Fox (a Koch Media company) who will discuss their experience working with IWM, the beneﬁts and added value and also walk us through their product development process. We will be discussing emerging trends in the “kidult” market - and explore why toys which involve both parents and children are becoming increasingly popular.

Key brands and properties: Kellogg Vintage, Pringles, Slush Puppie, Jane Asher, Pan Am

Tell us what you are exhibiting at the show? We’ll be showing some of the best examples of new products from our most established license, Kellogg Vintage; some brand new inventive products from our newer licenses Pringles and Slush Puppie (including the award winning Slush Puppie maker) and some of the designs and style guide from our newest brand Pan Am.

Who should be linking up with you at BLE 2017? Well it sounds like a cliché but we are interested in meeting retailers and licensees from all European territories. However this year we are particularly interested in meeting gift and accessory companies for Pringles and Pan Am.

What will be new and fresh about your stand and brands at the show? The big new change for us is the launch of Pan Am - it looks visually stunning - very vintage but also very much on trend with some beautiful artwork evoking all the romance of a bygone age of travel.

Name:

Francesca Lisle

Position:

Director

Company: Lisle Licensing Key brands and properties: Tetris, Nitro Circus, Bottersnikes & Gumbles, Masha and The Bear, Studio Pets by Myrna, Nicky Romero, Shoot!

Tell us what you are exhibiting at the show? Name: Gloria Gisbert Position: Marketing Coordinator Company: El Ocho Licencias y Promociones Key brands and properties: Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, Lunnis de Leyenda, Dragon Ball, Molang, Anekke, Distroller

October 2017

Tell us what you are exhibiting at the show?

We will be exhibiting our full portfolio. You can see more on our website www. lislelicensing.com There will also be some new brands featured for the ﬁrst time.

What will be new and fresh about your stand and brands at the show?

We will be exhibiting all the brands we represent in our catalogue, the new brands we are presenting in BLE and the new deals we have successfully closed in the past year since our last presence in the fair.

Various new licenses, some of which haven’t been announced yet…but learn about them at BLE!

Who should be linking up with you at BLE 2017?

Where can we e ﬁnd you at BLE 2017?

We are happy to meet new partners, licensees, licensors and retailers.

Easy – we are at Stand C45 1

Step up Vans x Nintendo This fashion mash-up is for fans who can talk the talk and walk the walk. Footwear brand Vans brought a range of print designs inspired by Nintendo’s ﬁrst console, the NES, to its legendary footwear silhouettes. From Super Mario Bros. to The Legend of Zelda and fan-favourite Duck Hunt, the pixelperfect designs are carried across a selection of apparel and accessories to complete the look.

Super stuff Nintendo x Uniqlo

Let’s talk… Video Games Generating more revenue than the movie or music industries, video games are big business. And you’d be hard pressed to ﬁnd a more diehard bunch of fans than those who dedicate time to their favourite polygonal characters, stories and worlds. With an already huge audience growing by the day, LTW takes a look at some of the most creative licensing collaborations and merchandise to date

Steamforged Games x Dark Souls

This unique collaboration between Nintendo and Uniqlo gave fans the opportunity to make their pipe dream a reality. Gamers could enter their best t-shirt designs featuring Super Mario, Pokémon, Donkey Kong or any of the video game giant’s best-known characters, with the winning looks going on sale at the fashion retailer around the world. The overall winner featured a minimalist, 8-bit Mario – what 80s or 90s kid wouldn’t want that?

Above board

One for the hardcore gamers, Steamforged Games licensed the rights to Bandai Namco Entertainment’s notoriously tricky Dark Souls series for a board game adaptation. One of the biggest KickStarter success stories, the company smashed its £50,000 goal with ﬁnal funding of £3,771,474! Designed speciﬁcally for the Dark Souls universe and introducing a number of innovative gameplay mechanics with world-class miniatures faithful to the rich universe, this game delivers an experience that captures the very essence of the original video games. 12

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Master crafters Minecraft x Egmont Publishing A new chapter for Minecraft got underway with the launch of The Minecraft: Ofﬁcial Magazine in July this year. Egmont Publishing’s launch issue gave fans 60 pages of hints and tips, games and behind-the-scenes features to dig into, along with stickers and other goodies. Minecraft and Mojang, the studio behind the 55m-plus selling game, were picked up by Microsoft in 2014 for a landmark $2.5b.

South Park x Ubisoft This licensed line of collectable figures is tied to the forthcoming licensed South Park video game, itself riffing on some of the biggest superhero licenses around. If that’s not the perfect analogue to the complex and vibrant world of brand licensing, then what is? The UbiCollectibles figures will be sold alongside game publisher Ubisoft’s South Park: The Fractured But Whole later this year.

Go ﬁgure!

Express your selfie Pokémon x Snapchat Not since the Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap has Pikachu hogged the lens quite so much as when The Pokémon Company International teamed up with Snap Inc. earlier this year. A special Snapchat filter helped every Poké-fan step up their selfie game with Pikachu ears, nose, mouth and even special sound effects. A unique experience that fans adored.

October 2017

licensing

TALK We chat to some leading lights in the industry and find out their business highlights of 2017 Lloyd Mintz Genius Brands International. VP, Global Consumer Products Key brands and properties: Rainbow Rangers, Llama Llama, Baby Genius, SpacePOP, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab, Secret Millionaires Club Tell us about some of the most exciting collaborations you have come across recently? We have an amazing direct-to-retail partnership with Calendar Club for our STEM-based children’s property, Thomas Edison’s Secret Lab that will bring a line of branded products into 1200 of their locations across the US starting in October. The end-cap program consists of more than a dozen items, including very cool interactive science and experiment kits along with all sorts of slime and other compounds, which we know kids will love. In addition, we have partnered with Claire’s on a compound programme to support our girls’ tween brand, SpacePOP, with ‘Galactic Goo’ hitting their stores nationally in time for holiday 2017. What have been the 2017 highlights in your business so far? Developing and producing an animated series for Netfl ix based on the NY Times bestselling children’s book series, Llama Llama, starring Jennifer Garner, is a huge highlight for us this year. The series will premiere early next year, and we are currently developing a major licensing, merchandising and retail programme that we believe will support it due to its unique positioning and heritage. Unlike many programmes on these digital platforms that are launching with zero brand awareness, Llama Llama, has built up 10 years of brand equity and awareness! Anyone who has children under the age of 10-12 is aware of Llama Llama so that book legacy provides a tremendous built-in audience and awareness. Secondly, the animation is top-quality and the stories themselves speak to children and their parents anywhere in the world. They are stories that address and revolve around the trials and tribulations of every child’s fi rst experiences, such as their fi rst day of school. Finally, Llama Llama is a gender-neutral property that appeals equally to boys and girls. What are some emerging trends in licensing at the moment I think many of us in the industry are watching for that fi rst property to emerge from SVOD and OTT that generates enough of an audience to support and drive a major merchandise programme. We are looking for that proof of concept, and I don’t think it’s a matter of “if” as opposed to “when.”

Stephanie Griggs The Roald Dahl Literary Estate, Licensing and Design Director Key brands and properties: Roald Dahl, James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Tell us what you are exhibiting at the show? We will be showcasing new licensed product across Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, the BFG and brand new, for 2018 – James and the Giant Peach! 2018 will be a whole peachy year of adventure, friendship and exploration and will see brand new publishing land with a bump in Q1 2018. A whole host of other product categories will follow, including homewares, stationery, outdoor, health and beauty, food and dress-up. We’re really excited for licensees and retailers to see what we’ve been up to over the last year. The inclusion of James in the programme for next year was a natural step to take, following our ‘Hero Strategy’ of focusing on one title a year to build activity around. Last year was of course, the BFG – and this year was George’s Marvellous Medicine. There’s so much scope of product with the story of James and his insect friends. Key themes include adventure, nature and exploration – so we’re looking at partnering with some key brands and locations to provide a delicious calendar of events. We’ve been busy launching new categories of product this year, and one of the most exciting ones for us is the extensive homewares range that Creative Tops have done. It looks so fresh, and is getting excellent retail pick up. Next year, we’ve got new product launching from some wonderful licensees, including Helix, Danilo, Fiesta Crafts, Rainbow, Bloom & Blossom, Ashley Wilde and Winning Moves – who are working on a Roald Dahl Monopoly as we speak! Who should be linking up with you at BLE 2017)? We’re always looking to work with exciting new partners! Whether you’re a buyer, a licensee, or just someone who wants to stop by and say hi – please do! What will be new and fresh about your stand and brands at the show? BLE is a great opportunity to showcase all of the product that we’ve been working hard on this year, and each one of our properties has something exciting and new to showcase that we’re super proud of. My personal favourite is the collaboration that we did with Storybook Cosmetics for a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory eyeshadow palette. It’s only just launched, and has gone down a storm. There’s some amazing colours in the palette, including, of course, Golden Ticket. A BLE must-have shade, and we welcome passers-by who would like to sample! Of course, with the launch of James and the Giant Peach into our licensed programme, we will have lots of nice new product on display. Star Editions have developed a gorgeous line of peachy gifts which we will have on show. We’ve just announced the signing of our new agent for the US, and so next year we look forward to showing product from across the pond, too.

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Daryl Shute, Magic Light Pictures, Brand Director What have been the 2017 highlights in your business so far? Continuing our partnership with Forestry Commission England, we have welcomed well over a million visitors to their sites this year to enjoy The Gruffalo Spotter App. Merging advancing digital technology and encouraging kids to be active, it results in a really great family day out. Seeing the delight the collaboration has brought to new audiences has been a real pleasure and testament to the brand being perfect to expand into innovative areas outside of traditional routes to market. Also topping the number one spot on the app chart with our fi rst augmented reality app was a pretty good result. And what about in consumer products? The momentum in consumer products goes from strength to strength as The Gruffalo brand enjoys great results with our DTR relationships at Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Specsavers. New product launches for 2017 have included ice lollies from Brand of Brothers, who are on course to sell a million ‘Gruffalo Ice Tusks’ this year; creative and outdoor play lines from PMS and Aurora World are diversifying the category by launching nursery plush and plush toys as the fi rst Gruffalo Baby collection. All this, on top of our launch of the Gruffalo River Ride Adventure - our fi rst theme park ride - has meant that 2017 has been not only bigger than ever, but also varied and exciting! What are some emerging trends in licensing at the moment? The focus brands now give to quality and longevity (which we’ve always done). How interactive experiences and retail activations are used in so many innovative ways is another key trend. Consumer insights tell us that people are spending more money than ever before on experiences and less on physical products. We’ve worked with Merlin Entertainments this year to create The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure at Chessington World of Adventures Resort. We’re incredibly proud of the way we have integrated our brand into every area of the park, not just the ride but the hotel, restaurants, retail outlets and The Gruffalo Arena entertainment space. And looking ahead to 2018 - what do we need to keep an eye out for from you? We are excited to see the fi rst nursery plush range for The Gruffalo!

Pam Kunick-Cohen Technicolor, Head of Brand Management, Licensing & Merchandising Key brands and properties: The Deep Tell us about some of the most exciting collaborations you have come across recently? This might be a shameless plug for Technicolor, but it’s not a brand I manage, so I’ll go for it! We are really excited about the collaboration between Technicolor Animation Productions, France Télévisions, and Gloob, for the new 26 x 22’ animated series Team DroniX, and their partnership with leading worldwide drone manufacturer, Silverlit, as the master toy licensee. Silverlit looked at various projects, but said that Team DroniX stood out with its compelling characters, sense of fun, storytelling and overall design. What have been the 2017 highlights in your business so far? It is incredibly exciting to be a part of a growing global brand like The Deep, with season one now available in over 130 markets. Season two debuted on Australia’s ABC ME on August 22, and ranked as the top-rated show for the channel that day.

Sashim Parmanand

One Animation Pte Ltd, CEO Key brands and properties: Founded in 2008, One Animation is a CG Animation studio, operating globally, with an international team of award winning talent. The company has produced a vast portfolio of highly successful animation titles that are broadcast on global networks such as Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Netflix, Discovery Kids and Amazon with content seen across more than 100 countries worldwide.. What have been the 2017 highlights in your business so far? 2017 has been all about growing our fan base and engaging with viewers across a variety of platforms. In addition to our aforementioned brand collaborations, we are celebrating a worldwide roll out of Oddbods on Netfl ix, now streaming the long form (7 minutes) and with over 2 billion views on YouTube and over one million subscribers on our channel we are enjoying incredible growth as one of the fastest growing channels on the platform. Insectibles, the Award-Winning 3D animated co-production between One Animation, KIKA and Discovery Kids, has topped the ratings charts for kids’ TV in Germany seeing off stiff competition from shows on Nickelodeon, Super RTL and Disney. What are some emerging trends in licensing at the moment? There has been a seismic shift in the way that kids view content. Brands and infl uencers which are strong on YouTube and other digital platforms are infl uencing content and driving new consumer product opportunities. Indie brands are the new infl uencers! We are perfectly placed to be delivering to the heart of what consumers are demanding through fun, everyday, relatable content across a variety of on demand platforms. New technology is enhancing product development through deeper brand engagement and interaction. AR is increasingly being incorporated across a myriad of product categories to bring the physical and digital worlds together. We are really pleased to incorporate this technology into our toys and promotional partnerships, so we expect to be making announcements very soon. And looking ahead to 2018 - what do we need to keep an eye out for from you? Through our partnerships with Brandgenuity and Tycoon, we are penetrating the US and LATAM markets with a broad range of product categories from next year including toys, apparel and food and beverage. Oddbods is all about unexpected twists, fun and humour. As a result, you will be seeing a number of aspirational and unconventional partnerships launching.

Cover Story

From toys to action! With signature stalwarts like My Little Pony and Transformers alongside brand new Netflix Original series Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, Hasbro Consumer Products is behind some of the biggest franchises in the world, with a recipe that stands the test of time. LTW caught up with Katherine Buckland, Senior Director of Consumer Products, EMEA, to learn what’s exciting for 2017 and what’s in the pipeline for 2018 Before revealing what Hasbro is bringing us in 2018 — can you sum up the past year for Hasbro’s licensing division? 2017 has been a tremendous year of successful growth for Hasbro Consumer Products. Hasbro released Transformers: The Last Knight in June 2017 and has also announced a Bumblebee movie due out in theatres December 2018. The My Little Pony franchise remains a cherished brand worldwide and its popularity continues to be boosted by the successful hit animated series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. One of the bigger news stories coming out of the Hasbro stable is the big screen movie release of My Little Pony in October 2017 and the Bumblebee movie in 2018. Tell us more, There will be the first-ever full-length animated feature film My Little Pony: The

Movie. Pop music icon Sia will be cast as Songbird Serenade, where she will not only lend her voice to acting but will contribute two new original songs to the ﬁlm’s soundtrack. Next December, Bumblebee will hit theatres from Academy Awardnominated director Travis Knight and will star Academy Award-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld and John Cena to offer fans a rich storyline surrounding fan favourite Autobot Bumblebee.

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Storytelling is the centre of everything at Hasbro, and it’s the key to our successful consumer products growth

Tell us about the licensing progrmme for both movies. Storytelling is the centre of everything we do at Hasbro, and it’s the key to the company’s successful consumer products growth. As the Mane

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6 travel outside the land of Equestria for the very first time, these new stories have opened further opportunities for collaborations and partnerships as we leverage existing relationships and bring additional licensees on board where there are potential incremental opportunities relative to new categories and/or innovative product. Let’s move onto Transformers – Hasbro has really created a cinematic universe here. With each new film, what approach does the team make to its licensing programme? Hasbro takes a pragmatic approach when developing product ranges for upcoming films. From the start, we pay specific attention to detail to ensure the characters and storylines fans see on the screen translate into the products people see on the shelves. The product needs to deliver a level of innovation

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Success in numbers Hasbro net revenues up 11 per cent YOY Franchise brands up 21 per cent Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters: New original content debuts worldwide late 2017 Originally introduced in 1976 26 episodes available for Netﬂix viewers

Transformers: Hasbro’s most successful franchise Earned $10 billion since 2004 Bumblebee ﬁlm for 2018 Unveiling of brand new storyline in 2019

My Little Pony:

Talk us through the next steps in the movie franchise for Transformers. We still have several action-packed years coming up for the Transformers brand. Beginning this year, there will be a movie every year for the next three years, helping fans connect with the brand and its characters like never before. With Michael Bay at the helm, Transformers: The Last Knight — the ﬁfth instalment in the Transformers franchise — hit theatres in June 2017, and featured leading actors like Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins, Isabela Moner, and Josh Duhamel. For December 2018, Hasbro is working on a ﬁlm centred on the never-beforeheard story of Bumblebee, and in June 2019, Hasbro will unveil an entirely new, exciting storyline for the beloved brand.

Legendary fashion house Moschino featured Transformers in a collection available globally now. Inspired by the original Transformers look from the 1980s, the line is kept up to date with a vibrant gender neutral palette, action packed graphics and stylish silhouettes across men’s, women’s, and kids’ apparel and accessories. Then, we have our Hasbro classic Stretch Armstrong, which we are reimagining for an entirely new generation of viewers.

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What’s the one common thread in everything the company does? Hasbro’s brands are overﬂowing with rich stories and dynamic, multi-faceted characters, providing an incredible platform to expand the company’s key franchises and capture a greater share of consumers’ lives. Storytelling will always be the centre of everything Hasbro does and we continue to work hard to expand our multi-screen storytelling capabilities. Hasbro and its licensees work hard to deliver powerful retail statements across multiple brands that help shape and share these stories. Whether that is a television or web series, a feature ﬁlm or a consumer products’ programme, storytelling is truly the heart of Hasbro’s brands. At heart, Hasbro engages fans with stories that connect to people on a personal, emotional level. It’s this personal connection with a brand that continues to drive success across a franchise.

Let’s talk about Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters . Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters is Hasbro’s ﬁrst Netﬂix Original series and will premiere in fall 2017. The new teenage superhero animated series will reimagine the classic Hasbro brand Stretch Armstrong into a relatable kids adventure that features diverse characters with wacky powers and a playfully humorous storyline. Hasbro is extremely excited to bring Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters to fans and will talk more about licensing plans soon.

Hasbro and its licensees work hard to deliver powerful retail statements across multiple brands

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that’s more than meets the eye. Consumers and fans expect that from us. The robust Transformers entertainment offering — which spans television, gaming, and full-length features — lends itself to products, and we’ve enjoyed ﬁnding like-minded partners to grow the brand and its consumer product portfolio.

Broadcast in 193 global territories Running for 30 years

Do Hasbro ever ﬁnd themselves at a crossroads with brands such as Transformers and My Little Pony? How do you ensure you are catering for all aspects of your fan base that spans such a wide age range? Hasbro is always innovating for the new generation of kids while ensuring that it maintains the brand promise to fans. We like to say that Hasbro is always at a point of departure with the key franchise brands, so it’s constantly evolving to reach new fans in unique ways across multiple entertainment and product categories. For example, the My Little Pony brand reaches young fans through series like the global hit My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic, as well as older audiences with high-end fashion from designers like Paris-based Manish Arora and Mexico City’s Alexia Ulibarri.

October 2017

ldwide: r o W C BB tlight o p S y t r Prope

Hugs all Inclusivity and a can-do attitude has made Hey Duggee a cherished part of life for pre-schoolers and parents around the world. With major moves into the US market and series three recently greenlit, BBC Worldwide’s licensing programme is one to watch

nown as the most fun, happy and happening ng place on Children’s TV, Hey Duggee is from the creative genius of Studio AKA’s KA’s Grant Orchard and has become a huge hit with audiences on CBeebies, the number one pre-school e-school channel in the UK. Since first gracing the screens of CBeebies in December 2014, the hit animation has picked up a swathe wathe of awards, including a Children’s n’s BAFTA and an y® Kids Award International Emmy® and has since become ome a favourite for adventurous fun loving ving pre-schoolers and their parents around the world. Inspired by creator Grant’s mission to ﬁnd new activities to enjoy oy doing and spending ch episode sees Duggee and time with his kids, each the Squirrel Club tackle kle a new challenge together and earn a badge as a reward. ward. With a focus on introducing kids to new experiences ces and having fun, the show has won a huge co-viewership ership fan base of preschoolers and their parents, who use each episode to spend time me together. “The show is very much about trying new things,” explains Harriet Newby-Hill, r, Pre-School at BBC Global Brand Director, Worldwide. “Hey Duggee gee naturally ﬁts into the play patterns and answers many developmental needs of a pre-schooler. What is bout Hey Duggee is that it brings particularly special about this to parents as well as their children — it truly is a show with something for everyone.” e bold, While kids love the colourful animations and storytelling, there’s plenty lenty for mum and dad, too, with nods to popular culture, witty y dialogue, and the chance to have a smile and a hug with their little

#HeyDug gee socia l 109,000+ Facebook fans

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Global audience Viewing ﬁgures for Hey Duggee ar are going from stre strength to strength, wit with a footprint in ove over 150 territories. In th the UK, Hey Dugge Duggee is consistently a ttop performing sho show for CBeebies both on air and on iPlayer. It was number one in its time slot for ch children four to 10 on F France 5, it frequently features as a to top ﬁve brand in Austra Australia, and is enjoying great results in Ch China.

ones, with each episode closing out with a signature Duggee Hug. These shared moments are set to continue as the BBC has just announced the series three commission, delivering a further 52 episodes, a sign of the commitment to the show. Series three will take the total episode count on Hey Duggee to 156 answering the need of broadcast partners (as well as fans!) who are clamouring for more volume of their favourite dog and his squirrels.

Going social Beyond the small screen, BBC Worldwide has created a truly inclusive brand that promotes development, fun and friendship for all. “Hey Duggee is loved equally by boys and girls,” says Nancy Twynam, UK Head of Marketing at BBC Worldwide. “We see this coming through on the ratings data globally and also in parent comments on social. Many parents like the fact that Duggee isn’t overtly targeted at either sex and want to see merchandise that offers something to both boys and girls girls.”” As well as unmissable viewing on linear ear e, TV, Hey Duggee is a catch-up favourite, with fans returning for repeat views on digital services. But fans are also e engaging with Hey Duggee beyond the programming. With fans taking to social al media in their droves for more from their eir

We’ve e’ve

been ate to fortunate ome have some great partners in the US who understand and love Hey Duggee as much as we do

favourite show, staying social is a key part of the experience. Nancy says social media helps to “amplify f an already much loved and successful brand”. nd”. But as well as entertaining fans, BBC Worldwide uses these platforms to keep consumers in the loop on when new product is launching, and when the most popular lines will be available again in-store. With Hey Duggee selling out Harriet Newbyacross the categories, Nancy says Hill, BBC the messaging becomes less like a Worldwide marketing mouthp mouthpiece and more like a “genuine serv service and point of engagement wit with audiences”. “We regularly see produ product sell out in store following promotion on social and have tangibly driven retail re-orders while providing our audiences w with engaging and useful content,” she ad adds.

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Retail successes From a raft of top-selling clothing with leading licensees, to upcoming launches into new catego categories, engaging content across all key soc social media platforms and more platforms, more,, parents

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ldwide: r o W C BB tlight o p S y t r Prope

Hey Duggee at retail

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One of our most popular new characters

Abi Wilson – Head of Childrenswear, Tu at Sainsbury’s

Meet the BBC Worldwide UK team

Anita Majhu Licensing Manager Softlines

Harriet Newby-Hill Global Brand Director – Pre-School

Katie Ball Retail Partnership Manager Consumer Products

Nancy Twynam Head Of Marketing UK – Consumer Products & Publishing

and pre-schoolers can bring Hey Duggee magic to all aspects of their lives. At retail in particular Katie Ball, Retail Partnerships Manager, BBC Worldwide, says the brand has had “huge success” with clothing ﬂying off the shelves. “Our Hey Duggee strategy has been to focus on growing the softline categories at retail,” she adds. “We’re ready to expand the product offering beyond clothing and are looking forward to seeing similar success stories across homeware, lunchware, plush, footwear and bags to name a few. “Tu Sainsbury’s are supporting across all categories – Nightwear, Daywear, Footwear and Bags and we’ve also launched within Tesco, Mothercare and Character.com. Hey Duggee’s mass appeal means we can enjoy mass distribution as well!” As Katie notes, softlines have been at the heart of the Hey Duggee consumer products success story since the beginning. Anita Majhu, Licensing Manager, BBC Worldwide, explains more: “Our softlines programme is going from strength to strength,” she says “Working with best in class partners – Blues Clothing, TDP and Aykroyd & Sons – we have been able to create an exciting and innovative range that is fun and engaging. From sold out styles to growth in retailers’ ranges across width and depth, Hey Duggee is building to be a pleasing success at retail.” David Aykroyd, Joint MD of Aykroyd & Sons says the company is “delighted” with the response at retail, adding: “It is proving to be a very successful pre-school property for us.” Likewise, Blues Clothing is experiencing similar success, with Licensing Director, Patrick Bailey saying: “It is fantastic that clothing is proving to be so popular with both children and their parents.”

Taking the US by storm Already a hit with pre-school audiences in the UK, Hey Duggee’s growing audience is going global, with Duggee and The

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Squirrel Club cracking the US market. Series one of the TV series launched on Nick Jr. last summer, where it remains a consistent strong performer. “Nick Jr.’s marketing campaign for Series one Hey Duggee in July 2016 gave the brand a really strong launch,” says Carla Peyton, SVP Licensing in the BBC Worldwide US team. “We look forward to seeing series two launch in fall this year.” This year the licensing programme got underway with some of the US’s marketleading licensees and retailers, with Carla saying: “We’ve been fortunate to have some great partners in the US who understand and love Hey Duggee as much as we do. Nick Jr.’s marketing campaign for series one in July 2016 was beautifully crafted and gave the brand a really strong launch. We look forward to seeing series two launch in fall this year.” Jazwares is spearheading BBC Worldwide’s consumer product roll out in the states, creating a toy line that launched this summer in partnership with leading retailers Walmart and Target. Jason Barrett, Business Director, Jazwares, says: “We are thrilled to be working with BBC Worldwide on Hey Duggee to create super fun toys that amplify experiences and characters from the show and inspire little learners through play.” That’s just the beginning for Hey Duggee’s American takeover, with a raft of new product set to roll out across new categories and retail sectors. Carla says: “We delivered a ﬁrst to market with Walmart and product is now rolling out trade wide across AW17. It is early days, but the sales reaction so far has been really positive!”With series three conﬁrmed as green lit this week, Hey Duggee is set to continue winning over families around the globe. Catch the brand new Hey Duggee Halloween special The Spooky Badge on CBeebies in October.

What next for Hey Duggee in the UK? Building on the brand’s momentum with new product categories, driving consumers to retail and more, BBC Worldwide shares the key aims for the brand in the coming year

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To build on a successful apparel launch across grocery channels

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The roll out of new categories, including footwear, essentials, swimwear and lunchware

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Continue building on the AW18 strategy to roll out further categories of greetings, homeware and food

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To support and build on consumer social campaigns, showcasing product and drive to retail

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To engage with buyers on cross-category opportunities, seasonal activity and promotions and to drive critical mass

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Special delivery Something Special has been entertaining pre-schoolers and children with special needs on CBeebies for over 10 years. Regularly appearing in the top three most watched shows on the channel, series 11 is expected to air later this year. Golden Bear recently renewed its master toy license. New additions to its Mr Tumble Something Special range include Sing Along with Mr Tumble and Large Talking Mr Tumble.

“We are delighted to extend our commitment to Something Special. We share the BBC’s passion about the programme and the entertainment, learning and inclusiveness it delivers to pre-schoolers and kids of all ages and abilities. The show consistently reaches more children than any other programme me in the UK and the toy range has become an evergreen within pre-school licenses. We are looking forward to bringing many y more Mr Tumble toys to the market in the forthcoming years” ” Barry Hughes, Commercial Director, Golden Bear

The home of pre-school BBC Worldwide’s portfolio of pre-school brands is as vibrant and varied as its audience. From the adventure-loving Go Jetters to BAFTA-winning Sarah and Duck and the inimitable Mr Tumble, there’s something special for every fun-loving little one

Go explore Go Jetters is a huge hit across the globe. In the UK, it is one of the top ﬁve programme requests for CBeebies content on BBC iPlayer this year. Series two launched on CBeebies in September with fantastic marketing support from the BBC, including a BBC iPlayerexclusive collaboration with Sir David Attenborough, which was viewed over 150,000 times. The new Cadet Rescue game has been hugely popular on CBeebies.com, and the Go Jetters took over the CBeebies house for launch week. Fisher-Price, the global master toy licensee for Go Jetters, launched its ﬁrst range of toys in the UK in AW16, including ing the Jet Pad, the Grimbler and the Vroomster. er. In March this year, the Go Jetters brought the adventure to CBeebies Land at Alton Towers with the opening of The he Vroomster Ride. de.

Bestt off ffriends B i d The BAFTA award-winning CBeebies show Sarah & Duck will see its very own eShop launch on sarahandduck.com this autumn, enabling fans to purchase a range of exclusive print-to-order items featuring their favourite characters. The most recent licensee for the brand is Carte Blanche, adding to existing products that include Dreamtex for bedding, plush toys, BBC DVDs of the funny pair and a number of best-selling apps. The enchanting animation was also brought to life on stage this year for the ﬁrst time with a UK-wide tour.

“Go Jetters is proving to be such a huge success with our audiences across the globe, with early ratings for series two indicating that this will again be a top performing show for pe CBeebies and a real CB hig highlight in the afterschool slot” schoo Nancy Twynam, UK Head Nanc of Marketing, BBC Worldwide

“We are excited to continue to offer fans new ways to extend their enjoyment of this enchanting animation, which inspires and stretches the imaginations of little learners all over the world” Harriet Newby-Hill, Global Brand Director Pre-School, BBC Worldwide

Octoberr 2017 2017

Retail landscape

Getting the tills ringing The ultimate licensing success is realised at the cash register – LTW finds out what’s working for some top licensors

Name: Jens Rothfuss Position: Retail Marketing Manager Company: Studio 100 Media Key brands and properties: MAYA THE BEE, MIA AND ME, HEIDI, VIC THE VIKING, TIP THE MOUSE, WISSPER, ARTHUR & THE MINIMOYS, NILS HOLGERSSON What’s working really well for you in retail at the moment? Our portfolio of mainly classic brands is always very well received and classic brands mean a lower risk for a retailer to take. The chance for any retail partner is to build on an emotional environment that the brand and we are offering. As the IP holder, Studio 100 is in the lucky position to live a 360 approach, from production to live entertainment at theme parks including marketing and promotion activities like raffles. We are also controlling all social media activities for our brands, enabling third party tie-ins and promotions and can offer additional platforms like feature films with theatrical releases and of course home entertainment releases, all supported by fresh pop material. We are also always in very close dialogue with retail partners in order to create customized concepts to achieve the best solution they need. And last but not least we are able to create bundling concepts with our own home entertainment label. Here we have the possibility to produce own, retailerspecific content based on our brands. Which retailers do you have a great relationship with and in which territories? We realise that nearly every retailer tries to get a piece of the cake when a property is en vogue in order to attract new potential customers. For our core market, the German-speaking territories, we are working closely and successfully with these retailers: Toys R us, Vedes, idee & spiel, Ernstings Family, Müller, Rossmann, Lidl and Aldli, as well as with the online retailers amazon or Zalando, also on an international level. Why are those partnerships working so well? Of course these partnerships are working well, because we are always in a close dialogue with these partners in order to achieve a win-win-situation for both sides, by making use of all available platforms every side has to offer. For every retailer we are offering different approaches, oriented by specific needs, which vary from wholesalers to discounters. We respond to this challenge with different strategies.

Daryl Shute Brand Director, Magic Light Pictures What’s working really well for you in retail at the moment? We are fortunate to have strong and long-standing retail partners across our portfolio of brands. We have followed a deliberate strategy over the last eight years to nurture relations with key licensees who have represented our brands beautifully throughout this time. Each licensee is handpicked for their innovation in product development or retail reach, meaning we continue to delight consumers with refreshed ranges and new introductions each season. We continue to smash records with our robust DTR relations at Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and Specsavers. New licensee Brand of Brothers this summer has sold nearly half a million Gruffalo ‘iced tusks’ into Morrisons which we’re really delighted about. Which retailers do you have a great relationship with and in which territories? We enjoy working with retailers that see our brands as long-term propositions and real classics to have in their portfolio. Whilst it is great to maximise promotional periods throughout the year, we are mindful that the success we continue to have is down to working with retailers that are keen to build relations for the long term with our agents and licensees. Our DTR relations as mentioned above are crucially important to us along with WHSmith, Waterstones, Mothercare and Debenhams. Also this year we have some exciting initiatives happening in John Lewis, who have been wonderfully supportive across key categories for many years, and JoJo Maman Bébé have recently launched our new plush lines from Aurora, as the perfect boutique retailer for us to showcase our nursery proposition.

And lastly, what do you look for in a great retailer? We are fond of every retailer that works jointly with us on dedicated concepts and solutions, that offer our brands the right exposure and bundles their marketing power with ours.

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Name: Zuzi Wojciechowska Position: Senior Account Manager – Brand Licensing Company: Science Museum Group Enterprises Key brands and properties: Science Museum, Flying Scotsman, National Railway Museum What›s working really well for you in retail at the moment? At the moment we have several ranges which have done very well at retail. Our range of t-shirts with licensee Fashion UK launched earlier this year and is selling very well. Also our new robotics and mechanics ranges with Clementoni have seen great success in toy retailers such as Toys R Us, helping to branch the range out into new retailers. Which retailers do you have a great relationship with and in which territories? Our key territory is the UK as we are a group of UK-based museums. For the Science Museum brand, one of our key retailers is Debenhams, who support our brand with FSDUs and a product refresh every year. This is both in gifting and in toys. This year we have an exclusive look for several products in store to highlight their tech-feel.

M&Co have seen great success with our licensed t-shirts, they have really supported the brand. This is a new product area for us which has so far exceeded expectations. More is definitely to come with this retailer! The demonstrators at Hamleys are world-famous, and because our ranges feature a lot of flying and interactive toys this partnership works really well. Products such as My Mystery UFO and the VR Viewer all have dedicated shelf space in store with video displays and demonstrators getting audiences excited about using them. Why are those partnerships working so well? I think where these partnerships work best is when retailers really ‘get’ the brand. With M&Co for example they immediately saw the unique selling points of the Science Museum and how this can be translated onto apparel that kids really love. Fashion UK have done a fantastic job designing product that is fun with great designs, using foils and glow-in-thedark finishes, but yet still has that educational element that we try and include in every product. Retailers who support STEM and/ or have learning sections are also a perfect fit. The Science Museum is the centre of STEM learning and outreach.

Name: Jamie Stevens Position: EVP, Worldwide Consumer Products Company: Sony Pictures Consumer Products Key brands and properties: Hotel Transylvania 3, Hotel Transylvania: The TV Series, Barbie, Peter Rabbit, Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary What’s working really well for you in retail at the moment? Exclusivity and differentiation. Working closely with retailers to align their handwriting and style to the brands within our portfolio. We are moving away from label slapping now, and looking to work more collaboratively with retailers through alignment of our brands to their trends. Which retailers do you have a great relationship with and in which territories? The UK remains a major market for us, and the focus on licensing is growing in this territory. We have strong relationships with grocery, Tesco in particular have been very engaged and are very supportive. Toy specialists such as Argos and Smyths are also key to us in terms of supporting some of our major brands for 2018, including Hotel Transylvania and Barbie the Movie Why are those partnerships working so well? Our retail partnerships work best with retailers who have dedicated teams and resource in licensing and who understand the opportunity but also the challenges of working with a movie studio. We have built our relationships based on integrity and collaboration. Viewing our retailers as partners and not just end customers for our products. We also understand that every retail works differently and we adopt a selective rather than scatter gun approach to how we position the brands. And lastly, what do you look for in a great retail partner? Engagement and collaboration are key. The retailer understands their business far better than anyone else, and if we can work with them in an open way to gain insight into their challenges and where they see opportunities, it enables us to best align our brands.

October 2017

BLE 2017 Focus

Space invaders A relative newcomer to the licensing industry, White Space Entertainment was founded in 2015 by former Universal Licensing exec, Stephanie Sperber. The company identiﬁes strategies to exploit brands via both traditional and digital platforms and partners. CEO Stephanie tell us more about them and what visitors to their booth at BLE can expect Stephanie, for those of us not yet familiar, what is White Space Entertainment? Founded in 2015, White Space helps entertainment brands unleash the full potential of their properties by unlocking and monetizing embedded value in their brands. White Space excels because of deep experience and insight in licensing, digital gaming, retail, strategic alliances and franchise management.

And why did you see the need for this sort of full service agency? I realised there was a white space in the marketplace. There are big

studios who have large machines to put IP through. They traditionally only focus on brands that can be billion-dollar franchises and ignore or neglect the rest. This isn’t good for both brands that don’t want their IP to be the small ﬁsh in a big pond and for the consumer that lacks choice. That’s where White Space comes in. Stephanie We work with the Sperber rights-owners to create a roadmap for their the IP that is focused, custom and ta takes care of the brand value as well wel as revenue goals.

Your background is illustrious - what changes illust and o opportunities have you seen opening up in recent times that were not around when you ﬁrst started out in the b business? The ab ability to reach and engage millions of fans through digital, million gaming speciﬁcally. A successful gamin game can not only be a revenue source but also a brand builder. 1

Top mobile games can last for three years or more… this type of engagement is perfect in bridging the gap between ﬁlm tentpoles for example.

Which properties are you working with and how is White Space Entertainment is helping them maximise every opportunity and success? For such a young company we are super fortunate to already have some amazing properties to work with. Here are some: ■ Uglydolls... a beloved grassroots property that’s set for mainstream breakout with a CG feature ﬁlm in May 2019 directed by Robert Rodriquez and produced by our great partners at STX. ■ Dr. Seuss… hardly needs much of an introduction.. we are their agent in the gaming space which is virtually untapped! ■ Benji… a beloved classic brand that at one time was a $1b a year retail franchise… well, Benji is coming back with a new ﬁlm in the Spring of 2018. We see Benji as an umbrella brand for all-things pets.

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We are a company of fans that get to choose whom we work with and work for. As a result, we are very selective. Passion is a strong motivator that leads to better business and happiness overall. At the end of the day, we want partners not clients

Would you say you are taking licensing to the next level and if so, how? Consumer product licensing.. the process… hasn’t really changed in 20 years but the media landscape has changed… dramatically. Especially over the last few years with SVOD services becoming content creators. The content that drives licensing has evolved and we think White Space is nimble and innovative enough to be able to evolve with it. We don’t believe other players can say the same.

What sort of partners would beneﬁt in working alongside you and the team? Partners that are looking for a more customized approach, partners in emerging categories like gaming brands or digitally native IPs with large followings.

Tell me about some of the key and pivotal people in your team: who are they and what do they do? Sean Haran is our Head of Games and Operations.. He

October 2017

“

brings 15 years of experience in entertainment and gaming from 20th Century Fox, Marvel and Riot Games. He helped lead the strategic and operational repositioning of Marvel Games into arguably the most successful licensed brand in the space. He also did some amazing work at Riot in the collegiate eSports space and the competitive gaming ecosystem for League of Legends players in North America. On the side he has oversight over White Space’s operations. Amy Taylor is our Head of Consumer Products. Amy is a 25-year veteran of Entertainment Licensing and Kids TV development spent at NBCUniversal, Warner Bros. and Turner Broadcasting, with responsibilities for Global Consumer Products strategy, sales, marketing, creative, and contract management. For White Space, Amy is leading Consumer Products, Client Management, Franchise Development. In addition to Amy and Sean, we have a team of industry experts including Todd Whitford (Business Affairs), Susan McIntyreYoung (Creative)

White Space helps entertainment brands unleash the full potential of their properties by unlocking and monetizing embedded value in their brand

“

What marks White Space Entertainment out as special and exciting to work with?

and Will Davis (Licensing) working with us to maximise the business.

What sort of trends do you see emerging in the industry now? What should we all be watching for? The rise of talent unleashing their social footprint to create businesses is a trend that is important and just developing. We’ll see how it develops both on the back-end and consumer-facing. It feels like this is a potential seachange for the business.

And lastly, what next for White Space Entertainment? We are still a very young company so what’s next is to execute on our plans with our current clients and to selectively bring on new ones. We are excited to be at BLE this year and look forward to meeting with friends and potential partners. Our meeting room is C140 so come on by if you want to chat.

Publishing Licensing Books and magazines

Page-Turning Product From collectable toy magazine titles to heritage literary brands that have been around for decades – the importance of licensing to the world of publishing has never been greater…

hat do The time. Snowman, One area of this Angelina licensing frenzy that’s Ballerina, literally booming is the Minecraft, the Mr Men, Charlie & competitive world of Lola, Barney, Barbie, Bing Bunny children’s magazine and Num Noms collectables publishing – with have all have in common? a wealth of titles No it’s not your child’s ranging from iconic ever-expanding Christmas Disney brands to list – but rather just a few of CBeebies favourites to ‘evergreen’ the famous licensed brands characters like Barney the purple and much-loved children’s dinosaur hitting and being characters that over the snapped up from shop shelves past decade have become day after day, week after week top of the best-seller lists in and issue after issue. publishing. Sophie Rowlands, Licensing Licensing deals and licensed Manager for Bristol-based product ranges have become Kennedy Publishing which has real page-turners within the been bringing out educational Susan Bolsover, Licensing publishing industry with new and entertainment magazine titles Consumer Products Director deals, product tie-ins and since 2005, says the importance for Penguin Ventures. collections launching all the of licensing and licensed brands to children’s magazines is expanding all the time. “It’s certainly growing year on year,” she says. “Children’s attachment to well-known characters and exciting new emerging brands both drive licensed publishing and magazines are a very competitive marketplace. “As a business we track new shows and toy ranges and we’ve also gone into schools to get feedback on content. We look at things like sales figures and TV ratings and will then approach licensors about working with them on their property. “Licensing within the publishing world is also constantly changing, which is exciting in itself. “For example, we’ve just launched Num Noms and YooHoo & Friends

“

We see endless opportunities to tie in with our licensed brands and that’s the joy but also the challenge of this business

”

and both magazines are selling very well. Num Noms’ readership is around 60,000 per issue. “Our magazine portfolio is very diverse and a lot of licensed titles sell very well – whether it be Angelina Ballerina or Barney, that have been around since we launched, our bestselling title Peter Rabbit, or Num Noms.” Sophie says that licensed magazines also boast huge potential as products precisely because they often appeal to a broad age range: “The magazines we produce are relatively educational,” she explains. “Licensors often want to include five or six different learning areas in the magazine and we tie in with early years’ curriculum.” Another expert in the world of licensed magazines is Egmont Publishing – currently rated number one books and magazine licensing publisher in the UK. They produce titles based around famous characters including Fireman Sam, Thomas the Tank Engine, Paw Patrol and Barbie. “Recent successes for us include Paw Patrol and Trolls magazine which have both performed really well. We’ve just launched Minecraft Official

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Publishing Licensing Books and magazines

magazine, Moana and DC Superhero Girls – and on the books side we have two new exciting acquisitions being announced at BLE.” According to Emma the range of IPs coming from different sources to create licensing collaborations has certainly widened over recent years – along with the product on offer. “A more diverse range of formats such as tins, construction books and high value magazine issues mean the opportunities for licensed content have never been greater,” she says. “We believe Egmont’s success is the result of our successful partnerships with licensors, working together to develop and create fun and engaging content for readers.”

The pre-school market Independent publishers Redan are leaders in the pre-school magazine marketplace, and have been at the centre of this licensed publishing phenomenon since the beginning, having launched back in 1991. Redan’s Managing Director, Julie Jones says a certain muddy puddleloving pig is a stand out property for the company, which publishes the two top selling magazine titles in the preschool niche – Peppa Pig Bag-O-Fun

and Fun To Learn Peppa Pig. “We also feature Peppa in our multicharacter magazines, Fun To Learn Friends and Fun To Learn Favourites, where she sits alongside other popular pre-school properties such as PJ Masks and Paw Patrol,” Julie says. “We also publish In the Night Garden Magazine in the UK and titles from across the Disney portfolio in the USA and Canada. Julie says that although these days there is ‘constant churn and growth’ in the preschool licensing area, with so many new properties coming through all the time, the longevity of brands is by no means guaranteed. “What is remarkable is that Thomas the Tank Engine was one of our first major hits – and it is still going strong today. New properties coming into the market can only hope for such a lifespan, but if the property really resonates with the audience and if it has great story-telling, with careful strategy and planning anything is possible!”

“

Literary heros

Children’s attachment to wellknown characters and exciting new emerging brands both drive licensed publishing and magazines are a very competitive marketplace.

Moving away from magazines, Penguin Ventures, part of Penguin Random House UK, are perhaps best described as Sophie Rowlands, Licensing a licensing company that Manager, Kennedy look after their brands Publishing. in a 360-degree kind of way – from handling the social media side of things to investing in truly exciting and unusual product areas, such as their experience arm. “When it comes to licensed product and licensing collaborations we think of ourselves as telling a complete story,” says Susan Bolsover, Licensing Consumer Products Director for Penguin Ventures.

”

“We look at everything from a children’s perspective, apart from books – so experiences, retail, film and television, stage shows and live events. The way we work allows consumers to engage with our brands in many different ways. “And of course one huge benefit we have is that many of the characters we publish have provided generations of children with their bedtime stories, so we already have a hooked-in audience. Then we build on that relationship between the brand and the consumer.” Susan says what sells well in terms of licensed product depends on both the brand and the country you’re focusing on. For example, in the UK Penguin Ventures has enjoyed a hugely successful collaboration between the ‘jewel in their crown’, Peter Rabbit and Mothercare, including toys and apparel, whereas in Japan the blue-jacketed rabbit is all about ceramics, gifting and food licensing. “Over the coming weeks and months we will be making some announcements at BLE, are looking forward to new partnerships centred around the Peter Rabbit movie, released next March, and also the 40th anniversary of The Snowman book in 2018. “The world of licensed publishing is always evolving – whether that’s reaching an existing market in a different way or appealing to new audiences. We see endless opportunities to tie in with our licensed brands and that’s the joy but also the challenge of this business.”

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Roald Dahl.indd 1

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Publishing Licensing Books and magazines

Grab a copy of Num Noms magazine Kennedy Publishing 0117 9373003 www.kennedypublishing.co.uk

A good read Redan Publishing 01743 364 433 www.redan.co.uk Redan Publishing will be at BLE again this year on the look-out for the hottest properties to add to its impressive magazine portfolio. Established 26 years ago Redan is the leading independent publisher of character-led children’s magazines in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The company currently publishes 24 separate children’s titles, holds the license for over 50 properties and prints over 18.5 million magazines a year, distributing across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and North America. Under its Fun To Learn banner, Redan publishes its popular multicharacter titles FTL Friends and FTL Favourites, as well as the UK’s top two pre-school titles - FTL Peppa Pig Bag O Fun and FTL Peppa Pig. The company also produces Sparkle World, the UK’s No1 multi-character girls’ magazine and publishes titles from across the Disney portfolio in North America. The reach of today’s children’s magazines out-perform many children’s TV channels, making a presence on the newsstand an essential part of a brand’s licensing programme.

A fantastic new publication hit stands across the UK and Ireland in July in the shape of Num Noms magazine from Kennedy Publishing. Based on the hugely popular MGA collectable toy line, the new monthly 36-page magazine is aimed at girls aged 5-9 and is jam-packed with puzzles, colouring, competitions and exclusive Num Noms branded gifts and stickers. Num Noms are uniquely scented, collectable characters, which can be mixed and matched to make endless scent combinations, and the magazine plays to this with fun recipes, cute crafts and a scented element each issue. The new magazine has a strong presence at retail, having secured listings and promotions at key major retailers and independents. “We are delighted to be working with MGA on the new Num Noms magazine,” says Kennedy Publishing’s Licensing Manager, Sophie Rowlands. “A cupful of cuteness and a spoonful of surprise make Num Noms. We’ve added a generous helping of fun, a packet of puzzles, and the sweetest of stories to make the perfect recipe for Num Noms Magazine. The high quality editorial and design, combined with strong support at retail, puts us in an excellent position to launch a successful magazine based on these sweet-smelling collectables.”

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Roald rules okay Roald Dahl www.roalddahl.com Following the global celebrations of 2016’s Centenary year, the Roald Dahl brand continues to grow exponentially, with properties bringing in over £210 million worth of retail sales in the UK alone in 2016. The brand continues to expand its international footprint, signing licensing agent Brand Activation Consulting (BAC) to bring a Roald Dahl licensed programme to market in North America and Canada for the first time ever. Recent highlights include: * As part of the annual Roald Dahl Day celebrations, the Estate bring a brand-new Roald Dahl hero to the fore – Billy. Quentin Blake completed the newly illustrated Billy and the Minpins, published in September. * In the UK, retail penetration has increased dramatically, particularly in the dress-up category. Book Day 2017 saw more Roald Dahl costume listings than ever in all major grocers, and more than double the number of lines are in production for Book Day 2018. * In 2017, updated versions of the best-selling Roald Dahl Brainbox and Top Trumps games launched in the Summer followed by children’s fruit-

juice drinks from Appy, a gift range with the Book People and a homewares collection from Creative Tops. * For cosmetic fans, there’s the scrumdiddlyumptious Charlie and the Chocolate Factory eyeshadow palette, in a collaboration with Storybook Cosmetics For 2018, a whole year of James and the Giant Peach has been announced. Other NPD 2018 launches include greetings cards and wrap from Danilo, hand-puppets from Fiesta Crafts, kids’ nightwear with George@ ASDA and M&S, and a new BFG dream-inspired toiletries collection from Bloom and Blossom.

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October 2017

tligh o p s e e licens SEGA

Out of the blue Sonic the Hedgehog, launched in 1991, has established itself as one of the most important licensing franchises. We take a look at what SEGA has in store for the iconic video game property at BLE 2017 and beyond

t the centre of SEGA’s BLE stand (C35) will be arguably the most iconic video game character of all time, Sonic the Hedgehog™. Hot on the heels of the incredibly successful multi-platform game Sonic Mania™ which launched in August, Sonic will feature heavily both on the SEGA stand and as a key part of the new Gaming Zone. The future of SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog licensing programme will draw from a multi-media content plan including Sonic Boom™; season one is currently airing on Netflix™ and season two is rolling out globally with broadcasters from Spring 2017, a worldwide movie release is in the pipe line and as always the merchandise strategy will be anchored by the company’s core business- a long and rich roadmap of awesome multiplatform games, backed up by heavy weight marketing campaigns.

Sonic Forces In Sonic Forces, the evil Dr. Eggman has conquered much of the world with help from a powerful and mysterious new villain named Infinite. Now, you must assist Sonic and build an army to reclaim the world as they fight against chaos and destruction. Defeat enemies with blazing speed as Modern Sonic, catapult past perilous platforms as Classic Sonic, and create your very own Custom Hero Character equipped with a variety of powerful gadgets. Experience fast-paced action with these three unique gameplay styles, explore iconic stages, plus, fight across unique added content with Shadow as a playable character! The fate of Sonic the Hedgehog’s world is in your hands – Join the Uprising.

Licensing legend SEGA’s growing list of licensees include a number of new partners across a variety of product categories. SEGA partnered with Watermelon earlier this year and are currently working towards the launch of a new online store dedicated to the sale of customisable and personalised merchandise. The initial range will comprise of gift, homeware and tech accessories and is set to launch this winter. And when it comes to apparel, SEGA have it really sewn up. Poetic Brands have signed up for a range of adult nightwear, underwear and t-shirts for the UK featuring Classic Sonic and SEGA’s retro gaming consoles, the SEGA Mega Drive™ and SEGA Dreamcast™. Branded Clothing International, have also recently partnered with SEGA to produce a range of children’s nightwear, underwear and swimwear for Sonic the Hedgehog for the UK and for Toys R Us for EMEA. Also on board

“

The future of SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog licensing programme will draw from a multimedia content plan including new animation Sonic Boom

”

for children’s footwear in the UK are Brand International. Whether console or videogame, SEGA has satisfied every gamers thirst for high quality coffee table publications this year through deals with Read Only Memory, Pix’n’Love and Cook & Becker, who produced the very limited and exclusive celebration of 25 years of Sonic art history book. A unique and beautiful collectors item.

What next for Sonic gameplay? SEGA’s licensing programme is driven by its content, and the developers have so much more to come. Sonic Mania launched in August with stunning HD retro style graphics and hot on its heels is Sonic Forces™, coming this November.

To discuss licensing opportunities around Sonic the Hedgehog and other brands, visit SEGA® Europe on Stand C35 at BLE. ©SEGA

Spotlight on… Sonic After more than 25 years Sonic is still going strong and has successfully traversed from being an icon in gaming to a global property behemoth. LTW takes a look at some of Sonic’s special features

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To discuss licensing opportunities around Sonic the Hedgehog and other brands, visit SEGA® Europe on Stand C35 at BLE. ©SEGA

October 2017

BLE 2015 Show Preview

Game on! LTW catches up with Jason Rice, Director of Brand Licensing at SEGA Europe to find out more about the multi IP offering from this top games developer

It’s Sonic and more! SEGA’s core business is videogames and this year has seen the release of several high profile games including Sonic Mania™, Bayonetta™, Football Manager™ 2017 and Total War Warhammer™. These top selling titles will be followed by Sonic Forces™ later this year, the first true next generation multi-platform Sonic game. Launched in summer, our SEGA Forever project has seen tremendous success. SEGA Forever is a service by SEGA for re-releasing past video games on modern mobile devices. The initial wave of games are from the SEGA Mega Drive, Game Gear™ and Master System™ consoles with more platforms to come in the future. So SEGA has a lot to talk about!

And what have been some highlights for SEGA in the past six months or so? We are continuing the momentum generated by the announcement of multiple AAA titles on all next generation platforms, and so SEGA’s varied licensing portfolio has been strengthened with the selection of several new key licensees and retail partnerships. This is bolstered by the ongoing success of the Sonic Boom™ TV series, with season two launching globally during 2017 and season one now available on Netflix.

And how is SEGA tapping into the trend towards personalisation and customisation? We were delighted to announce earlier

this year our partnership with expert design studio Watermelon Creative. They are working on the launch of a new online store dedicated to the sale of customisable and personalised merchandise. The first range planned for release will comprise gift, homeware and tech accessories, and is set to launch this winter. It’s a great concept and very on trend, so we are all very excited.

Jason, tell us about some recent deals inked. We have been really busy strengthening ties and creating new partnerships with licensees. So, on the apparel side, SEGA has recently signed Poetic Brands for a range of adult nightwear, underwear and t-shirts for the UK featuring Classic Sonic the Hedgehog™ and SEGA’s retro gaming consoles, the SEGA Mega Drive™ and SEGA Dreamcast™. Brand International who already have placement secured with a major highstreet retailer. We are really proud of these new deals.

Tell us about SEGA’s book publishing business. SEGA satisfied every gamers thirst for high quality coffee table publications this year through deals with Read Only Memory, Pix’n’Love and Cook & Becker, who produced the very limited and exclusive celebration of 25 years of Sonic art history book.

“

SEGA’s varied licensing portfolio has been strengthened with the selection of several new key licensees and retail partnerships

with Games Workshop®, SEGA have seen tremendous success with Total War™: Warhammer®, the most successful version of Total War to date, and plan to follow up this success with the launch of Total War: Warhammer II this autumn – so lots happening!

“

Jason, it’s more than Sonic at BLE for isn’t it?

And what next from a gaming and franchise perspective? 2017 has been a fantastic year for strategy games and, through a deal ©SEGA

FOR LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES, PLEASE VISIT US AT BLE STAND C35 OR CONTACT: EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: Jason Rice Director of Brand Licensing Email: jason.rice@sega.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 208 996 4568 www.SEGA.co.uk

@SEGA

Toby Rayfield Senior Licensing Manager Email: toby.rayfield@sega.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 208 996 4494 @SEGA_Europe

/SEGA_Europe

Kay Ferneyhough Retail & Trade Marketing Manager Email: kay.ferneyhough@sega.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 208 996 4407 /SEGAEurope

Â©SEGA

EXPLORING new territories

Navigating new worlds LTW catches up with a raft of top licensing execs to find out which territories are expanding and gaining more traction Name: Maria Maranesi Position: Vice President of Consumer Products & Experiences at National Geographic Partners, Europe & Africa Company: National Geographic Partners Key brands and properties: National Geographic is leveraging the full power of its media and commercial portfolio: the channels, magazines, books, maps, kids business, travel business, social, digital, web and consumer products licensing to evolve this powerful brand and transform its storytelling into meaningful experiences, products, and content to empower explorers of all ages. Brand highlights include: National Geographic, National Geographic Kids and National Geographic Photo Ark. Which territories are growing for you currently? And what about new and emerging markets - tell us a little about your recent successes in those? We have had tremendous success in Asia and it’s where we’ve seen our fastest growth, which we are hoping to replicate in Europe next year. In South Korea, we have over 46 National Geographic flagship stores and branded shop-in-shops throughout the country operated by our licensing partner The Nature Company. The retail spaces are inspired by National Geographic’s stunning visual storytelling in exploration, and feature functional apparel, accessories, and more. In China, we are launching three National Geographic Ultimate Explorer Family Entertainment Centres by 2019, including our first Family Entertainment Centre in Shenyang in May of next year. What’s the new frontier for you? Continuing to invest in Europe is the big priority, as we unveil our new licensing strategy to the region.

Name: Sashim Parmanand, CEO, One Animation Pte Ltd Which territories are growing for you currently? We are now represented in over 100 countries across the globe with major partners in each region including Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, Netflix and Disney Channel. Consumer products-wise Europe has been our focus; great partnership with Ferrero - 30million Oddbods Kinder Surprise eggs launched last month, apparel with Primark, greetings cards with Moonpig plus bedding, ready meals and candy. And what about new and emerging markets? Whilst a notoriously hard to crack, China is a fast expanding market for us. Last year Oddbods launched with major digital leaders IQiyi, Tencent and Youku and has already garnered a massive one billion views across these platforms! Meanwhile, Insectibles will soon be following suit with yet another of China’s largest digital platforms, details of which to be revealed shortly.

Name: Valentina La Macchia Position: Licensing Director Company: Mondo TV Key brands and properties: Heidi Bienvenida and Robot Trains Which territories are growing for you currently? The Heidi Bienvenida property — three series, one of which is already on air — has given us a strong presence in Latin America. It is produced by Mondo TV Iberoamerica along with Alianzas Producciones. It all began with a 60-episode series called Heidi, Bienvenida a Casa, an adaptation, from the pen of legendary writer Marcela Citterio, of the muchloved classic novel by Johanna Spyri about a country girl in the city. It stars the marvellous young Argentinian actress Chiara Francia Citterio and a first-rate cast in a story full of songs, humour and crazy, fun adventures. Series two, Heidi Bienvenida al Show, is currently in production for launch in 2018. And what about new and emerging markets - tell us a little about your recent successes in those? Heidi, Bienvenida a Casa, has enjoyed great success in Latin America on Nickelodeon, where it launched earlier this year. It is now also airing on A+ Mexico, the new channel for young people launched recently by the TV Azteca group. Freeto-air roll-out in Bolivia, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama will follow before the end of 2017, and launches in several other territories are close to being finalised. And what about new partnerships? Hard on the heels of the TV launch, a Heidi Bienvenida licensing programme, for which a number of agents have been announced across the Americas, is already underway in Latin America. Campaigns are now being put in place by some of the most respected licensing agencies in the region. Smilehood is covering Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia, and Agosin is taking care of Chile and Peru, while Exim Colombia, is representing Heidi in Colombia, Ecuador and Central America and Exim Brazil in Brazil.

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Name: Jamie Stevens Position: EVP, Worldwide Consumer Products Company: Sony Pictures Consumer Products Key brands and properties: Hotel Transylvania 3, Hotel Transylvania: The TV Series, Barbie, Peter Rabbit, Ghostbusters 35th Anniversary Which territories are growing for your currently? China, UK, Mexico and Benelux. Tell us about some great successes. We have a strong licensing success story with The Emoji Movie in China which is also our first foray into the territory. As part of that initiative, we have forged a successful partnership with Alibaba Pictures international. For such a small territory, we had a big programme for the emoji Movie in the Benelux territory. The entire program included everything from a range of licensed partners to a loyalty program that was a solid success story for us. Tell us a little about the growth - new partners, new agents, new retailers etc? Tycoon has been our licensing agent for over a year now managing LATAM and Argentina. Their strong and clever approach to brand management and retail development has excelled beyond our expectations. Also, our licensing agent in Benelux, J&M Brands has really put our CP business on a solid track in the territory. Their dedication and drive have really opened up the marketplace for our studio and we are really impressed with the results. What’s the new frontier for you? Russia, Central & Eastern Europe, India and lastly build upon the momentum we have in China.

Name: Richard Pink Position: Managing Director Company: Pink Key Consulting Ltd Key brands and properties: Kellogg Vintage , Pringles, Slush Puppie, Jane Asher, Pan Am Which territories are growing for your currently? For Slush Puppie and Pringles we are getting a lot of traction in the UK , mainly because the brand hasn’t been licensed here before. For Kellogg Vintage we’ve seen a lot of our growth in houseware and apparel in mainland Europe. However it’s generally been quite consistent since the start of the programme as the brand awareness is good in all markets and, being classic brands, they not dependent on a media release. Tell us a little about the growth? Our growth comes principally from new retail channels in existing markets - either from large deals with apparel retailers like Pull & Bear, or it’s driven by new types of product into existing retailers. Great examples of this are the food gifting range from Kimm & Miller which has not only grown in Debenhams each year, but is also in a small way going into other retailers too. Another is the move into stationery via Pringles which has seen us go into Ryman for the first time.

October 2017

Name: Barth Montarello Position: Sales Director – USA & Licensing agents Company: The Smiley Company Key brands and properties: Smiley, SmileyWorld and Rubik’s Brand. Which territories are growing for your currently? We have experienced growth in all key markets for the last few years, however Asia Pacific continues to remain our biggest growth thanks to our several DTRs with retailers such as C&A, Best Seller, Metersbowne and our recent collab with the brand Lee part of the VF Corp group. We have also signed a new partnership with Walton Brown, who are our exclusive licensing agent for Smiley in Greater China. Walton Brown is a part of The Lane Crawford Joyce Group and Asia’s premier fashion and brand management group. So we expect this growth to continue into 2018. And what about new and emerging markets - tell us a little about your recent successes in those? I just came back from a trip visiting all our licensing agents in Latam and more precisely in Mexico, Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Brazil. Most of the prospects I met were impressed with our current activities as well as Smiley being the top lifestyle brand within the licensing industry. I had the opportunity to be interviewed by the newspaper Clarin which is one of the biggest media groups in Latin America and had the great pleasure to meet bestin-class potential partners for food, promotion, gift, lifestyle which are the best in their field! Very promising programmes coming up in this market! Tell us a little about the growth. Retailers are our number one priority since they are the ones driving the business’ growth, up 26% year on year. It’s key for us to develop a long term relationship.

sing n e c i L Bulldog otlight sp y c n e g A

Being bullish UK-based agent Bulldog Licensing g is cies. one of the industry’s leading agencies. me With bundles of experience and some tainly top properties in its portfolio it certainly th the makes its mark. LTW caught up with team ahead of BLE 2017 to ﬁnd out more

ob Corney is the Group Managing Director and has been in the industry for more than 17 years working for such companies as Carlton TV and 4Kids. He tells us a bit more about the past year — and what Bulldog has in store for the coming months too!

Rob, how has life changed up at Bulldog Licensing this past year? Bulldog has always been a fast-paced environment and the last 12 months have been no different. We’ve continued to strengthen the portfolio with the brands that will continue

Look out for… Rob says: “Next year is looking set to be an incredible one for Bulldog as we continue to build on the successes of our established brands while developing new opportunities for brands

to dominate the industry over the next few years. As all properties have a natural life cycle, it’s important for any agency to have continuity planning, always ensuring they are offering best-in-class opportunities to licensees and retailers. With major properties such as Shopkins and Miraculous continuing to expand across the girls’ sector, securing the rights to the world’s biggest sports trading card brand Match Attax, as well as the huge ratings-winner Zak Storm, will see us expand our offering in the boys’ space. Brands such as Enid Blyton and Garfield continue to impress in the adult arena, while we will be launching our first foray in a while into the pre-school market at BLE.

felt like a vibrant, young organisation with a huge future —and they have not disappointed. Topping the ratings charts on both Disney Channel and Pop, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir is already a strong toy line through master partner Bandai, and 2017 has seen the property develop into a major cross-category licensing programme with nearly 30 partners on board. Additional lines are building for Christmas 2017, with 2018 looking set to be an incredible year for a powerful new superhero brand. In similar vein, initial ratings from Zag’s Zak Storm brand are phenomenal and, with optimal placement on Pop and an incredible range of toys from Bandai, licensees and retailers are very excited about the opportunity

ZAG has been a really great story this year, hasn’t it?

How do you balance the mix of the new and the classic?

Zag Studios have been another industry success story. When we first met with the team there, they really

The licensing industry has many strings to its bow: it can be at the heart of providing opportunities for

with the potential to join them at the top of the sales charts. Undoubtedly Shopkins should form a signiﬁcant focus for girls’ buyers across most categories. There are incredible plans from Moose to maintain the innovation in

the brand, with touchpoints across digital media, music videos, DVDs, collectables and core toy ranges. The property will continue to top the sales charts across a number of areas through next year and beyond. 2018 will also be the ﬁrst time in which the UK market will

have seen the full rollout of the ranges for Miraculous, which looks set for real success. The imagery for the property is incredible and we are seeing strong sellin across a wide range of product categories. And Zag will be further bolstered by the introduction of the Zak

the fans of a b brand to experience it in new ways and to grow their attachment to the property; it can enhance engagement and enha drive growth in a property by identifying a niche id (be it large or small) and developing ways in which deve supporters can evangelise suppo their love of a property in ways that ssupport the brand’s core values; a and it can provide a platform for tthe brand’s growth commercially and through commercia share o of voice. Our portfolio mix allows Bulldog to reach right Bulld across acros all market sectors, delivering the highest delive profile brands and building each fanbase at every fa opportunity. opportun

What sort of trends have you seen emerging in licensing in the past year or so? One of the biggest trends in licensing has been the move towards properties which have truly embraced convergence (the merging of content onto multiple platforms). This has opened up the market to a far wider base of potential big-hitting brand owners. Up until just a few years ago, the licensing market was completely dominated by a tiny number of huge corporations vying for dominance in a handful of media channels. Big film studios pushed for box office domination, the big TV companies looked to the small screen, and the ability for brands which did not emanate from these disciplines to reach an audience was minimal. But it has been the emergence of the second screen and digital channels such as YouTube which

Storm lines as we move towards the latter half of next year. Debuting at the show will be a number of new properties to the market which have huge potential for the new year. Match Attax is the world’s biggest sports trading card brand with an enormous

No stopping Shopkins “2017 has really been the year of Shopkins, both within the Bulldog portfolio and across the market in general, with the brand dominating the sales across a number of categories. With new areas of the core toy, such as Happy Places and Cutie Cars, really driving growth in the brand, we have incredible foundations to build an even wider base for the licensing programme moving forwards.”

have really levelled the playing field for brand licensing. The consumer is looking for one of two things from brands: the opportunity to belong to a club, to buy into a safe haven through a brand which is a safe bet as it has reached such levels of general awareness and acceptance from the market that association with it is likely to be a positive, or the opportunity to disassociate themselves from other brands, buying into something they consider to be more niche and edgy. Convergence has brought the market an opportunity to evangelise innovation to an audience many times larger than traditional media channels could ever reach.

Turning back to Bulldog Licensing – what ‘new’ are you aiming for in the next year? Bulldog is in a great position moving into 2018. We are looking forward to continuing to build on the strong foundations of major brands such as Shopkins, Miraculous and Angry Birds while new product launches from properties including Zak Storm, Match Attax, Enid Blyton and Crystal Maze will continue to diversify and grow our brand offering.

following among UK kids. Its digital presence is so strong it is one of the top 10 most popular websites for boys aged six to 14 in the UK and we believe it has enormous potential across a wide range of product categories as we launch the licensing side to the brand.

Dinosaur Roar gives Bulldog an opportunity to bring product lines into the younger market for the first time in a while. Building on the hugely popular book lines, published by Macmillan, a new master toy line from Golden Bear in association with the Natural

History Museum, plus the extensive entertainment programme from Nurture Rights will help fans of the brand to engage with it in new ways whilst Bulldog will be extending the property into a full cross-category licensing programme”

sing n e c i L Bulldog otlight sp Agency

elena Mansell-Stopher is the SVP Licensing and Retail at Bulldog Licensing and takes us through retail developments

Helena, tell us about how retailers are really working closely and developing stronger ties with licensors directly? Retail has dramatically changed in the last few years, which is opening up exciting opportunities for the licensing industry. Traditionally toys have driven the majority of cross-promotional opportunities, which is still important, but it’s exciting to see clothing, home and the gift market open up opportunities, with Primark and Tesco leading the way. Retail understands that brands can drive consumers to stores, and gives them a point of difference, and brand owners see the beneﬁt in investing at retail to

drive the brand message outside of their traditional channels. The fashion sector is changing dramatically, with retailers seeing the benefit in licensing. For example, M&Co are definitely one to watch as their branded activity in-store has increased dramatically with full fashion collections, supported with window space and further marketing activity. With them buying up old Woolworths locations they are definitely a team to work with. Pep and Co and online retailer Character.com are also increasing their licensed activity in both volume and marketing opportunities.

This has been a bit of a shift in recent years, hasn’t it? Why do you think this has happened and, ultimately, what kind of results can it achieve for licensors?

has “Retail ically d ra m a t d i n t h e c h a n g e ye a r s , ing l a st few s open i h c i h w ting u p e x c iu n i t i e s opport licensing for the ” y industr r, SVP

It’s tough out there, as the retail landscape has shifted with the increase in both value and online dominance. The bricks and mortar retailers have had to innovate and work to drive a point of difference, not just on price but on ‘good value’. Nowadays we are a much savvier consumer, but with this comes opportunity for licensing. We can drive a point of difference, bringing exclusive product and money- can’t-buy prizes to

the retailer — the list goes on. You only have to look at the Primark Harry Potter collaboration: it’s not the hottest new movie but there is a huge fan base out there, and coupled with the tourist market in London, it’s the perfect mix for a successful collaboration.

And how does the licensee ﬁt in with all this?

The licensee is integral to this, I can drive a brand conversation to the retailer, bring along those ‘exclusive tools’, drive a joint promotion, but e h p we don’t have the huge amount of to -S ansell icensing Helena M ulldog L B expertise which the licensees have , il ta e g&R Licensin to bring the product to market. I think licensors totally underestimate this - to begin with the manufacturing speciﬁcations required are extremely complicated and that is just one element. Licensees also help to fund a huge amount of retail promotions, and are the key to updating you with any changes within the retail sector.

And of Bulldog’s current portfolio, which ones really stand out as successes from a retail partnership perspective? We have been extremely lucky over the last few years. When launching The Angry Birds Movie, we placed a month-long activity with The Entertainer supported with a nationwide character costume tour. We have had a fantastic time at retail for Shopkins with our tiered retail approach, from launching cross category last year across the grocers, to securing full in-category support across the market, with Tesco really leading the way.

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ulldog’s Licensing Director, Vicky Hill steers us through some key highlights of the past year

Vicky, tell us about the significant growth some of your key properties have experienced in the past year The past year has been great for Bulldog and our brands. Shopkins continues to perform very strongly, maintaining its position as the number one girls brand in the UK. This is boosted by sub-brands Happy Places, Shoppies (which has grown 40 per cent YOY) and now Cutie Cars, which launched in August and is proving extremely popular with fans, as well as the growing licensing programme. Miraculous continues to delight fans and is now available on Disney, Pop and Netflix, giving us a broad audience. Since Bandai’s full market launch at the start of this year, sales have steadily increased, bolstered by TV launching on Pop and Netflix. Licensees and retailers alike are hugely excited about the brand with the licensee list growing quickly and keeping our PD team very busy!

Some of the more heritage brands such as Enid Blyton have had a

corking year in 2017 — why do you think that is? Heritage and nostalgia brands are performing really well at the moment, and we are fortunate to have a number in the portfolio catering to this trend. Enid Blyton is one of the most treasured British authors, with generations having grown up reading her books. Consumers hold great affection for the brand and we are really excited to be bringing a cross-category licensing programme to market targeting adults and families. The massive success of the Famous Five for Grown Ups Vicky Hill, Licensing Director, series last Christmas Bulldog Licensing (selling over 1 million copies in just a few months) brought her name to the forefront of conversation and the licensed ranges will focus on both this humour and the more classic book covers and illustrations, perfectly ﬁtting the trend. We are also representing the Crystal Maze, which returned to Channel 4 this year to critical acclaim and huge viewing ﬁgures. Voted the thing people

“Miraculous continues to delight fans and is now available on Disney, Pop and Netflix giving us a broad audience”

most wanted to bring back from the 90s, and with a live experience that is continuously booked up months in advance, brand appeal is high. T-shirts, a board game and retail exclusives will be hitting retail in spring 2018. Bullseye is another classic British gameshow which continues to go from strength to strength. With another new publishing title launching this Christmas following the success of 2016’s book and dart board, The Biltong Farm is also joining the programme with three delicious Bullseye Biltong ﬂavours!

What do you see as the ones to watch in 2018 and why? In 2018 I think there’s a lot to watch, from the continued strength of Shopkins, to the roll out of the full Miraculous programme and the launch of Zak Storm, to building the presence and licensee base for Dinosaur Roar! We will be continuing to grow Enid Blyton, introducing Match Attax to the licensed space, and of course Garﬁeld will be celebrating his 40th birthday! 2018 is set to be a great one.

ole Puerto, Senior Creative Manager at Bulldog Licensing, talks about Bulldog’s creative relationship with retailers:

Sole says: “One of the advantages of working in a dynamic company like Bulldog is that I have a very unrestrictive role which allows me to work across approvals, marketing and head up all creative development for the business. For example, the opportunity to work closely at retail and craft exclusive programmes. This allows me to meet with both the retail buyer and creative teams across the licensees to drive the exclusive styleguide elements, thus elevating my learnings within the business. It’s an exciting process as you can offer retailers a key look and/or bespoke artwork that ﬁts within their trends.”

Special focus: Universal

Universally l Universal Studios are looking ahead to a stellar year with hot brands a-plenty and a CP program ready to reach for the stars

llumination’s Despicable Me Illumination and Universal’s Despicable Me, a standout performer for UBD in the last year, continues to set box-office records and was recently crowned the top-grossing animated franchise of all time. From Smyths and Specsavers to Selfridges, the movie was supported by an outstanding retail and licensing effort that saw new character Fluffy the Unicorn driving product sales across a number of categories, including toys and fashion. Despicable Me 3 was the most successful film in the series so far, grossing £45m+ at the UK box office and scaling the rankings of the top ten grossing animations of all time.

U-Vault

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 2018 is going to be a perfect storm for the popular Jurassic franchise. In April Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the fifth movie in the franchise, is released with a robust marketing and retail campaign that will run throughout the year; the film releases in theatres in June. The 25th anniversary of the classic 1993 Jurassic Park film is another reason to celebrate Jurassic in 2018, and UBD will mark the milestone with events and special licensed products at retail. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is expected to build on the success of 2015’s Jurassic World, which was the fourth highest grossing movie of the year. Hannah Mungo, Country Director, UK & Ireland Consumer Products says, “There’ll be opportunities to make the most of this great family franchise throughout 2018, starting with a focus on the classic movie and moving into retail and product marketing for the release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in April, followed by back to school and then the home entertainment release.”

Universal is opening up the U-Vault, its formidable film and TV archive, which is strong on nostalgic 80s titles, classic monsters and heritage animation. Hannah Mungo says, “Our library is the product of a rich, 104 year history and includes many of the biggest movies and most popular TV shows ever made.” Eighties nostalgia is big at the moment and retailers like Next and Primark have been into the U-Vault to find fashion inspiration from films like JAWS, E.T. The Extra Terrestrial and Breakfast Club; for example, Sperry has designed a JAWS-themed deck shoe leveraging the iconic movie poster imagery. UBD will build more partnerships from halo to high street, and will focus on the ‘mini-me’ market, inspired by even more 80s hits such as Saved by the Bell, Chucky and Back to the Future. The U-Vault’s impressive offering of classic monsters like Frankenstein, Dracula and the Invisible Man are also coming to the fore.

y l oved! Heritage Two of UBD’s stand-out heritage brands include the publishing phenomenon Where’s Wally? and true pop icon Felix the Cat, (which is managed globally by CPLG). Where’s Wally? is 30 years old this year, and with over 67M books sold, it remains a very strong performer in the UK with a loyal fan base of kids, families and young adults. UBD has plans to expand Wally with retailers and licensees throughout 2018, and to build on opportunities such as the current promotion Wally is enjoying with the ASK Italian restaurant chain. The brand is now a fashion and lifestyle icon appealing to young adults and teens. This AW sees Felix in the UK market with fashion and retail collaborations with partners such as Rolex, Scotch & Soda and Fyodor Golan. There are extensive plans for expanding in 2018 ahead of Felix the Cat’s 100th anniversary in 2019. Felix will be celebrating his 100th anniversary.

DreamWorks Dragons DreamWorks’ How To Train Your Dragon 3 will be a focus at this year’s BLE. The much-anticipated continuation of one of the most beloved animated film franchises in history, starring Cate Blanchett, T J Miller and Kristen Wiig, and is set to make its theatrical debut in 2019. Dragons: Race to the Edge is currently the number one animation TV series in multiple territories including the UK where it is a firm CBBC favourite, France, Germany and the Netherlands. Spin Master is the master global toy partner, with Playmobil also signed for a toy launch in February 2019. UBD is starting discussions with new partners to join the consumer products campaign and will be building the brand throughout 2018, ready to make a big roaring noise for the film’s release in February 2019.

Trolls Yippee! In less than a year, DreamWorks Trolls has stolen the hearts and minds of fans worldwide, spreading nothing but happiness in its path. The irrepressible DreamWorks Trolls became the top Christmas film of 2016, shifted half a million DVDs and, then, according to The NPD Group, powered up the rankings to become the #2 girls’ license and the fastest growing girls’ license of the year, behind only Batman in the total market (NPD July 2017). It is now also the #6 license across total toys (NPD July 2017). Capturing the zeitgeist and the appetite for a celebratory, feel-good brand, DreamWorks Trolls has re-vitalised the tween market and satisfied young and classic fans alike. DreamWorks Trolls has enjoyed success in every retail sector - it has taken £8m retail sales January-July this year and secured a Top 6 Toy Sales spot against a market that is down 2% year on year (NPD July 2017). There have been innovative partnerships, like the one with MAC cosmetics, and ace retail executions - it was Tesco’s licence of the year last year. The colourful musical world of DreamWorks Trolls shows no signs of stopping, as UBD rolls out plans to keep the party going ahead of Trolls 2.

DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender This Netflix original series comes from the DreamWorks Animation Television portfolio. Set long ago, in unchartered regions of the universe, five unsuspecting teenagers become the pilots of five robotic lions in order to protect the universe from evil. Being led by an alien princess into the furthest reaches of space; putting aside their differences and trying to summon up the perfect cheeseburger, they strive to become the heroes they were meant to be. DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender is huge in the US but now, after airing exclusively on Netflix, seasons 1 and 2 launched free-to-air in the UK, on Sony POP and POP Max platforms in September 2017. Flair will launch the UK toy line in spring 2018 and publishing and DVD will follow in AW 2018. This starts the build up to the launch of secondary product categories the following year.

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It’s two decades since Nicolas Loufrani created the first Smiley icon to replace text emoticons made solely of punctuation marks. LTW takes a closer look at the history of The Smiley Company and learn more about how they have developed and evolved their hugely successful licensing programme into the worldwide success it is today

2007

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2001

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2010

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mojis are everywhere, from fashion to food, toys to publishing. Of course, there’s also The Emoji Movie, which Loufrani describe as “the purest commercialisation of the idea I had 20 years ago.” He explains that while inventions are considered patents, Smileys are a design process that “doesn’t belong in the world of inventions, but instead in the world of art.” The Smiley Company created a business model from the concept and turned it into a $265 million-a -year business. The Smiley Company story started in the 1990s with the use of ASCII emoticons, with people using punctuation marks to convey emotions. “Hundreds of these had been created as an art form, but only :) and :( were really understandable and being used to communicate,” says Loufrani. “I saw an opportunity to digitalise our own Original Smiley into a variety of emotions that corresponded to these pre-existing ASCII emoticons, in order to make sense of them. So in 1997 I set to work creating a directory of 3D digital icons. It was actually the year after the first digital Smiley appeared on a cellphone.” Something to smile about 2001. Loufrani launched The Official Smiley Dictionary, which announced the “birth of a universal language.” The Dictionary contained 393 expressive Smiley icons which were launched online and published by Marabout. * 2003. The Dictionary was renamed SmileyWorld, including 887 Smileys. * 2007. Apple launched the first iPhone and mades emoji icons available only to Japanese users. Emoji reproduced the concept of icons sorted by categories and created a set of emotions inspired by Smileys but with a very different art direction. * 2010. onwards. Some emoji character sets were incorporated into Unicode, a standard system for indexing characters, which has

2010

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Retail focus

Far fetched retail? As luxury e-tailer Farfetch launches ‘Stores of the Future’, Mariann Wenckheim, director at design consultancy 20.20, looks at how retailers could learn from this concept

ashion store Farfetch provides a platform for some of the world’s most exclusive boutiques to showcase their clothing and accessories, enabling them to reach a wider, international audience. Like Amazon and eBay, Farfetch allows small retailers to sell products without investing in a complex e-commerce site. It also manages shipping, removing concerns about order fulfilment – and since it is dedicated to high-end fashion, it has the power to attract the right customers with its carefully-curated collections. Now the e-tailer has its sights set on the physical realm with the much talked-about ‘Stores of the Future’. Due to open this autumn at Browns in London and Thom Browne in New York City, the concept was unveiled in London earlier this year. Using data is nothing new in retail, however Farfetch wants to create more personal customer experiences in shops. It’s hoped that, by harnessing this data, boutiques can become strategic in their marketing campaigns, as Jose Neves, CEO of Farfetch, says in an interview with Business of Fashion: “Imagine targeting a customer on Instagram because you know that five hours earlier they’ve been to your shop and they’ve picked up a certain bag.” There are striking similarities between independent fashion stores and toy retailers. Online competition from supermarkets and well-known chains has made it more difficult for traditional stores to keep pace, particularly when it comes to price and order fulfilment. So perhaps we need a Farfetchstyle ‘Toy Store of the Future’ that would help smaller retailers compete on a more equal footing. Let’s take a

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lmagine you could offer your customer’s friends ideas for a child’s birthday via social media because you know they’ve been invited to the party

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moment to imagine what this could look like. Unlike large retailers, small toy stores can find it difficult to obtain these deep consumer insights – yet buying toys is an incredibly personal and emotional experience for many, so tapping into people’s desires and motivations is essential for sales. What if there was a platform that helped you get to know your customers better? It could help you observe their behaviour better, answer questions and find out what impact your products had on them. Imagine that you could offer your customer’s friends ideas for a child’s birthday via social media because you know they’ve been invited to the party. Or consider how you might market toys and books because you know their child would love them.

You could also invite people to input children’s birthdays into a calendar and then send reminders and gift suggestions in the weeks beforehand. Clearly, technology is already changing the way stores connect with their customers. Although independent stores can create their own e-commerce sites, they’ll need a more powerful engine to propel them. As well as creating personal experiences for consumers, Farfetch’s Store of the Future also responds to the demands of its retail partners, allowing them to

add all the features and services they want. Unless a dedicated toy retail platform is launched, it’s likely that Amazon and eBay will continue to fulﬁl a similar function to Farfetch. Given this opportunity, surely it’s time for the two giants to work more closely with independent stores, not just online but ofﬂine too, linking the two intrinsically together.

Special focus: Level 5

Another level Japanese games developer, Level-5 abby has conceived some of the world’s most critically acclaimed franchises – and now is set to explore new brand extension possibilities – including further forays into TV. We take a closer look at a few of their hit properties

Snack Attack The Snack World is the fourth cross-media franchise title by LEVEL-5. Mythology meets technology – welcome to The Snack World, the hyper, casual, fantasy universe with princesses, dragons, genies, smartphones, and convenience stores! The Nintendo Switch game was released this year and the mobile game is set for release in 2018. But it doesn’t stop there for The Snack World – the 3D CGI animated TV series launched April 2017, in Japan where the current TV ratings show the series is out - performing the Boys 6-12 category average. A further boost for Level-5 abby is the fantastic relationship and great success they are enjoying in the toys sector. Takara Tomy is the master toy licensee in Japan and launched earlier this year. The collectables have been a huge hit and the franchise is set for further expansion with launches in EMEA, ßAsia and North America set for 2019.

October 2015

It’s a mystery! The Professor Layton saga is the hot puzzle adventure game created by top Japanese developers, Level-5 abby. The series so far consists of six games and a film too and to date sales have topped more than 16 million copies – clearly the brand extension opportunities are vast. The series is as popular as ever and having just celebrated its 10th anniversary the franchise shows no signs of slowing down. For those not in the know, the lead character, Professor Hershel Layton is a renowned archaeologist and professor at Gressenheller University and is called upon to solve various mysteries. The new Nintendo 3DS is about to be launched in Western markets and hits retail this month and last Summer the first official Professor Layton title was released on the mobile platform bringing this hugely popular franchise to an even wider audience. But it’s the new trilogy which is sure to excite fans and generate even more licensing opportunities too. Of course, the game has all the usual hallmarks fans have come to expect – the unique mix of puzzles, cases and a good dose of mystery thrown in is the classic Layton gameplay – but with a twist, in the form of a female protagonist for the first time in the game’s history. This added ingredient instantly increases the games and broadcast audience as well as the consumer products potential of the brand.

Team talk With more than eight million copies games sold in EMEA and Asia to date – Level-5 abby’s Inazuma Eleven Ares is back. Taking place in a parallel world, the trilogy of super-dimensional football launches 2018 with new story arcs, sensational drama, and new and returning characters. For those not in the know, the series is set on a remote island where a small but passionate football team discovers their club is to be destroyed. The only way to continue playing their favourite sport is if they win at least one game to gain a sponsor in Japan’s biggest tournament, The Football Frontier. Inexperienced, Asuto, the new hero, and his team must train and strengthen their bonds to prove their worth. The franchise is cross platform with mobile gaming, TV and theatrical releases already in place. There have already been more than 200 episodes of the series aired and four movie releases to date, and that’s not all. The products are in development to provide a fully interactive eco-system with game and TOMY are the master toy partner. Level-5 abby is set for a late 2018 global launch with 126 new episodes in production.

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Special focus: Universal

Made for f Hans Stoef, CEO of m4e gives LTW the lowdown on what direction the business is heading and exciting new shows in development

How did m4e come about? I started m4e in 2003 and at that time we started only with a team of three people – me, my junior partner at that time, Michael Buettner and one employee. At first it was hard since we hadn’t enough capital to do multiple productions and as a result we concentrated our efforts on one animated co-production with Italian studio Rainbow, called “Monster Allergy”, some distribution titles incl. “Megaman NT” as well as our agent’s business for licensing and merchandising. After about a year we had the agent’s representation rights to many well know brands such as “Marvel Heroes”, “Winx Club” and many others. Later we started a sports division where we represented the worldwide L&M rights for the German Football Federation DFB and the IIHF. With all of those activities we have been lucky and made some money, being able to boost up our animation production business and distribution activities.

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We strongly believe that in the future approx 25 – 40% from our business will come from the digital side

the beginning of 2017 I sold my shares in m4e to Studio 100. As a part of that transaction, Studio 100 requested me to stay as the CEO of m4e but also take over the international business of Studio 100 Media and become chairman of the Group Content board. What marks m4e out as special and exciting to work with? I guess we are special because of our high quality in producing shows and the creativity we bring to the market. We never feared risks in or example producing shows which no one thought we would be able to do, such as “Mia and me”, which is a hybrid

Paris – Studio 100 Animation. We have our own pay-TV channels with Junior on Sky in Germany and beIN Junior in MENA. We are able to extend our business to the leisure business with six own theme parks with three million visitors per year and produce live action content with our mother company in Belgium, which has its own sound stages and studios. And tell us some of the great relationships you have and with who and in which territories? We have great relationships with many partners around the world including companies such as Simba Dickie Group,

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And you were able to extend the business after that? Yes, we were able to buy companies such as Telescreen, Tex-ass (textile manufacturer for licensed goods), the TV-Loonland library, but most important was that in 2009 we also used the money to develop our famous show called “Mia and me” and later others. At

show mixing live action and animation. The market said at that time all the majors were trying to do something like that, but without success, so, why should m4e be able to make this? The result speaks for itself! With the combination of Studio 100 and m4e we are now very special, because we can deliver classic brands (e.g. “Maya the Bee”, “Heidi”, “Vic the Viking”) and new original content. We do animation productions ourselves or in co-production with our studios in Australia – Flying Bark - and

Mattel, SpinMaster, Ravensburger to name just a few from the toy side. From the broadcast side we work for many years very closely with ZDF in Germany, who have co-produced a large number of our shows, KiKA, SuperRTL, Sky, but also on the international side we have been able to work with great partners and friends such as Nickelodeon International, Gulli in France, France Television, VRT in Belgium, ORF in Austria, ABC in Australia, Disney both Germany and International and many many more. We work with almost all retailers in the market, but mainly in Europe. We have just added new colleagues to our new retail division in order to offer the best possible services.

r fun! You have a great relationship with You Tube - tell us more about that. We have a very tight partnership with Google /YouTube and are constantly working with them on new opportunities, as well as a quality knowledge transfer. Two years ago, we started our own digital department in-house and we already have in total over 180 different channels and start to see great results and growth year by year. Digital plays an important role in our future strategy and we are developing extra content for the platforms from our existing brands, but also developing new ideas. We strongly believe that in the future approx 25 to 40% from our business will come from the digital side and we need to be prepared for this. That’s why we will add extra personnel in the future.

And lastly, what next for m4e and the properties?

It is about Studio 100 and m4e together and we want to get better and better and are aiming to be the best in all disciplines. That is our goal and on top we want to have fun. We will launch during the next five years a number of new brands. Keep your eyes open especially on shows like “The Beatrix Girls” (live action What is the impact on the brands when with puppet animation and CGI) and you forge a successful relationship such “100% Wolf” from Fyling Bark as well as as the one “Galactic you have with Agency” The most important thing is YouTube? from and will be, of course, that you Studio 100 Via YouTube create outstanding content which is Animation. we are in Of still king direct contact course we with our fan continue base, have with new and fresh content for our learnings and feedback and of course are existing brands like “Mia and me”, able the generate extra revenues. “Wissper”, “Tip the Mouse”, “Heidi”, Without YouTube and social networks “Maya the Bee” and “Vic the Viking”. it is very hard to reach enough eyeballs

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in order to launch a brand. Therefore it is of utmost interest to us to continue and even extend our great partnership with them. What sort of trends do you see emerging, either in consumer products or in programming and broadcast? Less is more“ is certainly important. Also the fact that you need to have presence in the key markets yourself. The most important thing is and will be, of course, that you create outstanding content which is still king, and that you are able to finance your activities and productions in order to be a reliable partner to all. VOD is increasingly important and more and more you see that the number for linear TV are shrinking.

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Our key properties: For me it is certainly still ‘Mia and me’ where we just delivered the third season and are in development of the fourth season and a theatrical movie. There are also our two preschool shows “Wissper” and “Tip the Mouse”, as well as a number of new developments and productions for all genres, in both animation and live action. m4e also represents the internationally successful preschool show “Super Wings” and the latest generation of “Beyblade: Burst”.

Power Brand: JoJo Siwa

Nickelo

deon says…

Take a Bow! Power Brand: JoJo Siwa JoJo Siwa isn’t known as JoJo with the Big Bow for nothing. The American dancer, singer and YouTube starlet’s signature hair accessory is the must-have fashion statement for her legions of fans — known as Siwanators — around the world. A ﬁrm favourite in the Nickelodeon family of brands, JoJo is bringing her unique take on the world to her fans through a host of licensed lines

“JoJo S iwa is a true ph UK and enomen she emb on in th odies so humour e much o of the N f the fun ickelod of licen a e nd o sees an n brand d variet . The nu JoJo’s p y of pro m ber ducts d opularit emonst y and he product r ates r versat s from b ility — w ows to b in-betw edroom ith een. We s and eve are thril rything JoJo an led to b d canno e workin t wait to g with see how produ Marian cts perform at re well her ne J tail.”

ames, V Partner P, Comm ship ps, Con ercial s u & Expe riences mer Products ,N UK & Ir ickelodeon eland What is it? The iconic hair accessory fans love.

H.E.R Accessories

What is it called? The JoJo Siwaa Dance it Out hair bow. Where can fans get it? In a tie-up p with tween fashion temple Claire’s, e’s, the ofﬁcial range of JoJo Bows iss available exclusively at the fashion ion retailer in-store and online.

GP Flair

ﬁcial JoJo doll. What is it? The of JoJo Siwa What’s it called? Singing JoJo ? What What does it do is doesn’t it do? Th ll all-singing 10” do ube belts out the YouT ng sensation’s hit so e lik st ju Boomerang, s id the real thing. K ck will be coming ba What is it? Super cute bedding. Wha ht lig a ith w for more, one ph ro ic Who is it from? Licensed textile and sound m join to specialist spec Character World. included for fans Why are fans loving it? What in karaoke-style. Siwanator Siwa wouldn’t love this singlesized duvet set? Just the ticket to snuggle snug up in at night and truly What is it? A nifty gadget for fans to create “Dre “Dream Huge”, just like their idol. their own bow.

Character World Ch

Sambro

What’s it called? The JoJo Bow Maker. Why can’t fans live without it? It’s the ultimate gadget for Siwa self expression. Fans can create four gorgeous JoJo Bows with the included ribbons, hair clips and the allimportant JoJo Siwa Bow Charms.

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nick com ation alcp@ nick. For licen cing oppo rtuni ties conta ct:: nicki ntern

© 2017 Viacom. Blaze and the Monster Machines. © 2017 Viacom. Shimmer and Shine. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES © 2017 Viacom Overseas Holdings C.V. All Rights Reserved. PAW PATROL © 2017 Spin Master PAW Productions Inc. TM & © Spin Master Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

BLE 2017 2014 Show Preview

More, more, more A totally unique event, the only one of its kind catering to the entire European licensing industry and a self-styled networking heaven where licensing deals are born, dreamed up and signed. Join the stampede to London’s Olympia BLE 2017 is upon us…

tatistics can be impressive things in the exciting and ever-changing world of licensing – especially if they’re connected to Brand Licensing Europe. BLE, as it’s affectionately become known, kicks off at West London’s Olympia on 10 October, running for three days. It’s the one annual event where the European licensing industry comes together to sound out new licenses, get a heads-up on brands that will be hitting the headlines – and stores, TV screens, social media and more – over the coming year, and get up to speed with the key industry trends that will be affecting their business. And then, of course, there’s the myriad of networking opportunities. “At BLE there’s the chance to network with over 7500 retailers, manufacturers and brand owners,” says Anna Knight, Brand Director at BLE. “This year there will be 280 exhibitors with more than 2500 brands on show.” BLE’s three show zones include Character & Entertainment, Brands & Lifestyle and Art, Design & Image, and the show is nothing if not global in terms of its reach – last year welcoming visitors from an amazing 76 countries. Now in its 19th year, Anna says the enduring success of BLE is testament to how much the team behind the show has listened to – and grown with – the European licensing industry to ensure that they provide both visitors and exhibitors alike with the content they need to do business better. “We have more seminar content, more exhibitors, more properties, more feature areas, more networking opportunities – more of everything! “We’ve also got more European exhibitors, more European retailers and licensees are registering and our

Show and tell What? Brand Licensing Europe Where? London Olympia When? 10-12 October Why? 280 best-in-class exhibitors, 2,500+ brands More: www.brandlicensing.eu

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2500+

The number of brands at BLE 2017

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This year’s BLE has more seminar content, more exhibitors, more properties, more feature areas, more networking opportunities – more of everything!

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Anna Knight, BLE Brand Director focus on engaging and providing for the entire European licensing industry gets stronger every year. “This year there’s also a huge European focus to the show’s educational content – including a Brexit session that will help to prepare us all for what’s about to come.”

Game on! BLE prides itself on representing all corners of the licensing industry, and this year in addition to the show’s three key areas it is also putting huge emphasis on

sports and gaming – complete with the largest number of sports brands ever exhibiting and a brand new Gaming Activation Area. “Gaming is a major theme for us this year and will feature heavily across educational seminars,” Anna Knight reveals. “We’ve got market research experts GfK delivering a seminar on the UK video games industry with an emphasis on trends and opportunities, and following this there will be a gaming keynote panel featuring experts including Sony Interactive Entertainment Europe, Activision, UKIE & Paladone. “Our new Gaming Activation Area is a showcase and demonstration section of the show, and aims to educate licensees and retailers on the journey of a video game IP from screen to store – including a mock retail environment where a range of IPs will be featured. It’s really exciting. “We’ve got Sony Interactive

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BLE is not just about three days the show actually runs – the ability to arrange meetings with key people, potential retailers and licensees at a key time of the year is massively important for the success of my business Richard Pink, Pink Key Consulting

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Match makers Last year’s smash hit Matchmaking Service has been updated for 2017. Free to use, it’s the perfect tool for visitors to set up one-to-one meetings with brand owners and get face time with IP owners. Visitors can search by company, property type or interest area to help them find the perfect connection for them.

October 2017

Entertainment Europe, Ubisoft, Capcom, Sega, Pokémon, Tinderbox, Animal Jam and Nintendo exhibiting this year, to name a few. “And we’ve also partnered with Mojo Nation, who will be hosting The Toy & Game Innovation Zone. Here we will showcase some of the most interesting examples of licensed toys and games launched with the last year – as well as previewing some of the hottest new lines coming for Christmas 2017 and beyond.” Anna says visitors to this year’s BLE should also keep an eye out for both exciting new exhibitors and brands that the show is welcoming back after a few years away.

Show movers and shakers But what about the views of those attending this year’s show – is it the networking prospects, the chance to showcase their work or brands or the opportunity to spark or seal business deals that draws them back to BLE year after year? Richard Pink from specialist licensing agency Pink Key Consulting, says for his company BLE provides an important focus for the whole year. “The timing of the show is hugely important in terms of securing deals and also making contacts that will enable product to be manufactured to go to market in the following year. I’ve been attending BLE in one form or another since 2003, but PKC has had a stand for the last six years. “This year we are looking for licensees in areas where we currently have gaps for our more established brands – but also for the core areas of our newer acquisitions. “As well as our key brands – Vintage Kellogg’s, Pringles and Slush Puppie – we will also be launching Pan Am which we have just signed up and we’ll be looking for licensees for all four.” For Johanne Broadfield, VP, Cartoon Network Enterprises EMEA, BLE is “the perfect opportunity to engage with brands early on”. “We’ll be bringing our growing portfolio of award-winning brands

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BLE 2017 Show Preview

Show time, play time LIMA will once again be running their BLE Garden Party at Kensington Roof Gardens on Wednesday, 11 October, and tickets are available from the LIMA website with members also getting a discount. “This year there are rumours of a karaoke competition with some great prizes up for grabs so watch this space!” Anna Knight, BLE Brand Director reveals.

Did you know… More than 7500 retailers, manufacturers and brand owners will be at the show this year that includes both established and newly launched franchises,” she adds. “Anchoring the line-up with be two of our original IPs that are back in action and better than ever, Ben 10 and The Powerpuff Girls.” Alongside those and other Cartoon Network favourites such as Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball and Boomerang Original The Happos Family, Johanne is particularly excited to bring Rick and Morty to the show. “It’s looking set to be one of the hottest properties at BLE this year,” she says. “The show’s established success Stateside and global social buzz is fuelling significant demand with millennial audiences in European markets, and we’ll be unveiling a number of new EMEA partners at the show.” And that’s not all. “As for our stand, we’ll have a number of surprises – which you’d expect from Cartoon Network,” Johanne reveals. “Don’t miss the Tuesday post-show party at our booth – we have some fun plans for that.” Jon Gillard, Head of Licensing for Games Workshop, says BLE’s prestigious venue also plays its part in the huge success of each year’s licensing event. “BLE gets all of the major European players together under the same glass roof and has a nice relaxed but still business-like feel to it,” he says. “While we’ve both attended and exhibited in the past, 2017 marks a real step-change in Games Workshop’s approach to licensing. We’ve previously only licensed into a limited range of product categories, focusing our attention on computer games. But our 54

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strategy has now changed, and we David Fenton, Head of Brand Licensing see licensing as a key part of our at Imperial War Museums, says BLE is global growth plans. extremely important because it’s where “We are now one of the 400 largest IWMs makes new contacts, hopefully public companies in the UK. We have converting these into new business. some real momentum behind us – and “It’s also good to see what others in the BLE is a golden opportunity for us to industry are doing and spot key trends,” find licensees who want to join us in David says. that success.” Josef Hofer, from international brand For BLE 2017, Games Workshop management and media company will be showcasing Warhammer Age m4e, says BLE has become increasingly of Sigmar, described as an over-theimportant for the company. top fantasy setting that blows away “For m4e and Studio 100 the show has the standard conventions of orcs, become more important over the last five elves and dragons, plus dark scienceyears, now that we are producing content fantasy setting Warhammer 40,000. for the worldwide market and distributing David Fenton, Leila Ouledcheikh, from Saban internationally,” he explains. “BLE gives Head of Brand Brands, says the company’s us the chance to present our properties presentation slate for this year’s BLE Licensing, to the international industry and even talk will be anchored by Power Rangers, to potential key licensees regarding new Imperial War alongside three new licensing ones that are still in development. Museums propositions – Cirque du Soleil “We’ve been exhibiting at the show Junior, a Netlix original series for prefor five years, but attending for more schoolers, Luna Petunia, currently in than 10. This year we’re showcasing its second season, and a brand new Mia and Me, Maya the Bee, Wissper, animated comedy for kids and tweens Arthur & The Minimoys, Princess called Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Emmy and DFL. We’ll be looking for Kitty. licensing partners for Arthur & The “BLE is an important industry Minimoys, which was produced by event for Saban Brands. It’s the ideal EuropaCorps, Largadere and Studio platform for us to meet with new and 100 and also to expand our licensing existing partners from all over the universes for Mia and Me, Wissper and world,” Leila explains. some other brands.” “In 2018 we’re particularly looking to create growth for Power Rangers in the Licensing Today Worldwide and representatives from her sister titles FMCG, publishing, backincluding Toys n Playthings, Tableware International, Nursery Today, to-school and live events Gifts Today, Party Party, Greetings Today and Art Buyer will be on categories, so we’re hoping Stand B115. Pop by to say hello and pick up a copy of Lema to meet with partners who Publishing’s titles. See you there! will be excited to work with us in these areas.”

BLE is unique because of the range of exhibitors on show and its London location

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LTW at BLE on Stand G57

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Ever growing momentum Turner Cartoon Network 0207 693 1000 www.cartoonnetwork.com

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Turner’s Cartoon Network heads into Brand Licensing Europe 2017 with a growing portfolio of brands and significant momentum behind both its established and newly launched franchises. Anchoring this year’s line-up will be two of Cartoon Network’s original intellectual properties that are now back in action and better than ever before, Ben 10 and The Powerpuff Girls. The fresh take on Ben 10 made its highlyanticipated debut on TV screens across EMEA and APAC in October 2016 and launched across North America and LATAM in April 2017. The merchandise roll-out is now well underway with a strong range of toys from master global toy partner Playmates that is already exceeding expectations at retail both in the US and Europe. Contributing to the success is a bespoke array of instore and online trade activations, including an augmented reality Ben 10 hero experience touring across key European markets. Adventure Time, the best-selling, massmarket proposition continues to attract a huge fan base reaching 77 million

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individuals in Q2 2017 around the world. Cartoon Network continues to drive the adventure forward with a growing licensing programme, engaging fan experiences and creative marketing activations. High profile partnerships including LEGO, Minecraft, Dr. Martens, McDonalds and Desigual are successfully taking the brand to even greater heights. Elsewhere, Italy, Spain, the Middle East, Portugal, Poland and Eastern Europe have led the licensing programme roll-out for The Amazing World of Gumball, and now Cartoon Network is looking to take its global favourite family sitcom into back-toschool, toy, apparel, publishing and FMCG. Meanwhile, the adventures of three bear brothers and their awkward attempts at assimilating modern day human society in We Bare Bears continues to captivate fans and season three will hit TV screens soon. Over 53 million individuals worldwide have tuned in to watch the adventures of The Happos Family and season two, has been greenlit. The series of non-dialogue shorts follows a family of Happos who live in a safari park and is proving to be a big hit with its target audience of pre-school kids. Turner’s popular adult swim brand, Rick and Morty, targeted at adults aged 16-35, has cultivated a mass fan-following, and with a growing licensing programme stateside, Cartoon Network is

POWERPULL GIRLS April 2016 saw The Powerpuff Girls soar back onto TV screens across the globe. Targeting girls aged four to 12, with strong appeal to teens and adults too, the EMEA merchandise roll-out is underway following the first wave of toys from Spin Master. Fashion is core to the licensing programme and Cartoon Network has secured a diverse array of partners delivering multi-channel fashion offerings for girls, teens and millennial women. These ranges are now hitting shelves alongside launches in accessories, gifting, homewares, publishing and back-to-school.

looking to build upon this success across EMEA. Last, but by no means least, is Cartoon Network’s most recent licensing proposition, 4 Blocks, Turner’s TNT German drama series which took audiences and critics by storm when it first previewed at the prestigious Berlinale International Film Festival earlier this year.

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BLE 2017 Show Preview

Heidi Bienvenida a casa is a comedy aimed at an older age group of eight to 12 year olds that involves music thanks to Heidi’s talent for singing. Plus, due to the success of the first season, Heidi Bienvenida al Show! is a second series underway where viewers can Expect crazy, fun adventures, new music, new bands, new places and - of course - new loves.

Screen stars Mondo TV Group +39 06 863 23293 www.mondotvgroup.com Mondo TV is the leader in Italy and among the largest players in Europe for the production and distribution of animated TV series and full-length feature films for TV and cinema. Mondo TV also owns one of Europe’s largest animation libraries, holding more than 2,000 episodes of television series shown all over the world, along with more than 75 animated movies. Since 2011 its main activity has been the distribution in southern Europe of predominantly third party productions, mainly youth fiction series produced in Latin America. However, in 2016 the company entered into the co-production of the series of Heidi, Bienvenida as a main investor and confirming its plan of expansion and growth, it has decided to create a new production studio, Mondo TV Producciones. Further series within the Mondo portfolio include Cuby Zoo, a children’s animated TV show aimed at two to five year olds about cube-shaped animal characters, and also Invention Story aimed at the older age group of kids aged five to nine, which sees a free-thinking rabbit called Hopner. It’s a series about conflicting opposites from real talent versus phony through to community life versus individuality, and spite versus caring. Mondo’s series Sissi, the charming

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young Empress of Austria, is one of the historical figures that most struck the public imagination. Elizabeth, called Sissi by all, lives happily in the charming Possi castle in Bavaria. she loves her family, as well as all animals and is a free and rebellious spirit. The story is a mixture of adventure, love and intrigue but also of Magic and Mystery. A new 3D season will be launched in 2018 with a new format and new content. The animated adventure Yoohoo & Friends is about the five animal friends who inhabit the magical island of YooTopia, where the five friends explore the island and help endangered animals. YooTopia is closely linked to the

environment of planet Earth. There is a ‘Tree of Life’ in YooTopia, and it functions as a barometer indicating how the environment of Earth is. One day, the fruits started to rot one after another, and YooHoo and his friends go off to solve the problem on Earth, carrying magical devices, which became magical gadgets after installing Green Seeds. The hit series Robot Trains is set in the ‘Train World’ where all citizens are trains, however among the residents there are special trains that can transform into robots. The animation series deals with the growth of the five train heroes - Kay, Alf, Duck, Selly and Victor - from exciting adventures. Kay, the fastest train in the world, has lost his memory and skills in an accident. To restore his memory and skills, Kay goes off on a journey with his friends, where they encounter many challenging missions. Let’s rail around the Train World and meet with the coolest trains in the world! While the first season deals with the growth of the five train heroes, the second season is set in the Rail World with the Rail Watch members – Kay, Victor, Alf, Genie and Maxie. The Rail World consists of four different regions, Water Land, Sunny Land, Wind Land and Mountain Land. The four natural energies from each region are the forces that make the world go round, which circulate and interact with each other. In this Rail World, trains and Railers live together in harmony through the power of four natural energies, and also with the team work of the Rail Watch members protecting the Rail World safe.

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BLE 2017 Show Preview

Don’t Miff-Out DRi Licensing Ltd BLE

0203 757 2170 www.drilicensing.com

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Three Biggies Entertainment One 0203 691 8509 www.eonefamily.co.uk Entertainment One heads into Brand Licensing Europe 2017 with a slate featuring some of the most popular pre-school entertainment properties on TV screens today. At BLE 2017, eOne will present global licensing and merchandising opportunities for its trio of award winning entertainment properties, Peppa Pig, PJ Masks and Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. Peppa Pig is now one of the top performing pre-school properties around the world and generates over $1.4 billion in worldwide retail sales per year. With over 800 licensees globally, Peppa Pig now has a strong retail presence in the UK, ANZ, the US, Iberia, France, CEE, Latin America, Russia and Asia. The licensor is gearing up for the brand’s 15th anniversary celebrations in 2019, which will be marked by huge promotional

activity. eOne’s pre-school superhero TV property PJ Masks enjoyed strong sales for Just Play’s master toy line which soared onto shelves across North America, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Russia, Greece, Israel and South Africa in the past 12 months. Consumer products will launch in multiple EMEA regions including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Nordics, Central Eastern Europe, Turkey and the Middle East in addition to Latin America and Asia in 2017. A second series launches on air across the EMEA region from spring 2018 on the Disney Junior network. The new series will introduce exciting new characters. A third series is also in development. Finally, eOne’s acclaimed Emmy and BAFTA award-winning animated series Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, continues to expand its fanbase around the world. In the US, the toy range from Jazwares has just launched at retail in August 2017 while in the UK the property has been boosted with new partnerships including food company Naturelly, a tie with The Woodland Trust and a fresh toy line from Character Options which debuts at retail in Q4 2017. The property also continues to grow in Asia with Pro Pacific preparing to launch Character Options’ toy range in Taiwan. Viacom18 is the brand’s licensing agent in India and an array of new video-ondemand deals will be unveiled.

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2017 has been marked with numerous celebrations and awards for the Roald Dahl brand. A unique collaboration with LEGO saw child-sized LEGO builds of six iconic Roald Dahl heroes appearing at locations across the UK and Ireland. Updated versions of the best-selling Roald Dahl Brainbox and Top Trumps games launched in the summer followed by a range of healthy, children’s fruit-juice drinks from Appy, an exclusive gift range with the Book People and an extensive homewares collection from Creative Tops. A raft of new licensee signings mean Spring launches and a highlight for 2018 is the addition of James and the Giant Peach to the licensing programme, supported by new publishing and marketing and the roll-out of an extensive range of products.

Brilliant Brands Brought to Life BLE Coolabi

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Coolabi Group will showcase properties from its wide multigenre portfolio, living across a range of platforms, from television to film, gaming, publishing and apps. Coolabi’s Beast Quest continues its expansion into the international consumer market with a console game for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC with global publisher Maximum Games, released 31st October 2017, previewing at BLE. Poppy Cat continued its international success in July, premiering on Channel 5’s milkshake! pre-school block. The 52 episodes also feature on the first milkshake! YouTube channel. In September, Coolabi’s multi-award-winning stop-motion animated series Clangers launched its second series on CBeebies. The #ClangersForKindness campaign sees a new partnership with the National Day Nurseries Association, with a five week campaign encouraging pre-schoolers to practise kindness. Coolabi’s Scream Street launches new episodes on CBBC this autumn. Global expansion is already underway, spearheaded by Discovery Kids Latin America, and new European territories launching this year and 2018.

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Meet us at BLE booth D70 - MIPCOM booth P-1N1 | P-1M2

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BLE 2017 Show Preview

Bring History to Life Imperial War Museum 0207 091 3072 www.iwm.org.uk

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At Brand Licensing Europe 2017, Imperial War Museum will present its diverse licensing programme inspired by the museum’s rich archive. This year, Imperial War Museum will be unveiling new partnerships with SmartFox and Peterkin that signify the continued expansion of the toy category. These new toy partners will join The Monster Factory and The Lagoon Group. In addition, Imperial War Museum will share details of a new partnership with Crest Gardens for a gardening giftware range that will increase the licensor’s retail footprint. Visitors to the show can expect a fascinating insight into the heritage licensed toys and games market when Imperial War Museum present a special seminar entitled ‘Chocks Away! Making Toys Fly with Imperial War Museum’ on day one of the show at 1.30pm. Imperial War Museum was established to tell the story of people who have lived, fought and died in conflicts involving Britain and the Commonwealth since the First World War. Licensees have access to Imperial War Museum’s collections, which includes posters and graphic art, film, photographs, paintings and sculpture. The extraordinary archive taps into the widespread

popularity for vintage and British nostalgia and offers licensees a wealth of artwork to inspire product development. Providing access to curatorial expertise and historical accuracy, Imperial War Museum’s unique collections inspire contemporary, relevant and commercial ideas and give authenticity to products. A dedicated brand licensing team based in the UK is now supported by Spotlight Licensing, a local US licensing agent. Spotlight is on hand to guide licensees through the museum’s superb collections, which inspire unique products with a powerful story.

Five Hot Brands Ink Group +45 20 33 3020 www.ink-brands.com Zafari tells the story of a group of friends who inhabit a land where all the resident animals have been magically born with an amalgamation of varying skins, patterns and characteristics, making each individual truly unique. Ultimate Source is on board as master toy licensee, whilst a host of broadcasters have already come in on the project on a pre-buy level - including France TV, Lagardere TIJI, SRC Radio Canada and SpaceToon. NBC Universal has picked up the global distribution rights and will premiere the series this autumn. The Mojicons is the new show that reveals the behind-the-scenes world of the internet, where the Mojicons live – the innumerable emoticons that populate emails and text messages. The first series has been snapped up by digital platforms, and is available on Toon Goggles - the

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premiere global ondemand destination for children and families. There are also three movies in the pipeline. Masha and the Bear is the infectiously funny tale of a little girl and her reluctant bear friend that is now broadcast in almost every country in the world - via both pay and free-to-air channels.. The show has spawned two hit spin-offs, Masha’s Tales and Masha’s Spooky Stories, and is a huge YouTube hit. Masha and the Bear has also enjoyed a successful theatrical release across key European markets. Brio is one of the most recognisable

toy brands in the world. Distinctive, welldesigned toys such as the famous Brio Dachshund and wooden railway have been part of childhood for generations, and the company now has a presence in over thirty countries. Beat Bugs is an animated family series inspired by the music of the Beatles, using some of Lennon and McCartney’s most famous tracks to tell uplifting and lifeaffirming stories filled with hope and melody. The show follows the adventures of the Beat Bugs - five charming, funny and lovable young insects who band together to explore and learn in an overgrown suburban backyard, which to them is their entire universe. Beat Bugs is broadcast on Channel 7 in Australia and across the world via Netflix in 190 territories.

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MONDO TV for Italy, Spain and others

TV SALES: Micheline Azoury | micheline.azoury@mondotvgroup.com | +39 0686323293 LICENSING SALES: Valentina La Macchia | valentina.lamacchiamondotvgroup.com | +39 0249526694 WWW . MONDOTVGROUP . COM

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From Doctor Who to Hey Duggee BBC Worldwide 0207 612 3000 www.bbcworldwide.com Doctor Who returns to BLE having renewed its licensing deal with UK master toy licensee Character Options. BBC Worldwide is also in partnership with Mr Men licensor Sanrio, and has signed a deal with RP2 Global to launch a range of Dr Men figurines in the UK. Gifting licensee Half Moon Bay will continue to create gift-able ceramics and homewares, and licensee Pyramid is creating a range of Dr Men gifting cards, calendars and stationery. Hey Duggee is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video as part of a BBC Worldwide kids content deal. The Hey Duggee YouTube channel has already been viewed over 11 million times. Master toy partner Golden Bear is developing a new Hey Duggee plush product range for AW2018, while master toy licensee in the US, Jazwares, has launched a range of collectable figure, plush and a talking Hey Duggee plush. New licensees for this year on soft lines include Dreamtex and Paper Projects. Other recent launches include Aykroyd and TDP for nightwear, underwear and swimwear and Blue Sky Designs for a range of art, stationery and activity products. Go Jetters is one of the top five programme

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The scent of success

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MGA Entertainment www.mgae.com Num Noms are scented novelty and collectable novibles that girls can mix, match and stack, creating a truly unique experience from MGA Entertainment. The scent-sational success of the Num Noms toy line has created a scrumptious global licensing program, with MGA Entertainment partnering with over 90 A-list manufacturers worldwide across all major categories of softlines, hardlines and publishing. MGA Entertainment’s new toy brand, L.O.L. Surprise! has become a global sell out since launching in December 2016. Targeting girls aged six to nine, L.O.L. Surprise! offers the ultimate element of surprise. MGA Entertainment has developed a global licensing program for L.O.L. Surprise!, with over 30 licensing partners on board to date across key categories including apparel, accessories, backto-school, stationery, games and puzzles, novelty, health and beauty and home décor. At BLE 2017, MGA Entertainment will be looking for exciting new partnerships with licensees and retailer. 35 plus licensees have been appointed to date around the world across a broad range of categories.

requests for CBeebies content on iPlayer this year. The global master toy licensee Fisher-Price has launched its first range of toys in the UK. New Go Jetters lines from Fisher-Price are due to launch in Spring 2018. Additionally, in March this year The Vroomster Ride launched at the CBeebies Land at Alton Towers. Golden Bear has retained the master toy license for CBeebies show Something Special. The brand continues to perform well at retail and in addition to Golden Bear’s offering, there are also new books from Egmont, lunch and dinnerware from Zak, Aykroyd and TDP for nightwear, underwear and swimwear, daywear with K3Y, Pasta Shapes from Princes Foods, and bedding and towels from Dreamtex. There are also Something Special guest rooms at the new CBeebies Land Hotel at Alton Towers, which opened in July. Top Gear has sold to more than 130 territories this year, and has added an impressive range of new licensees to its portfolio, including Zeon, TDP and Aykroyds.

The Gruffalo and friends! Magic Light Pictures

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0207 631 1800 www.magiclightpictures.com

Magic Light Pictures has announced the appointment of MI PR Global to handle communications in support of consumer products and licensing. MI PR Global will focus on raising awareness of Magic Light’s portfolio of properties which include classic, literary brand The Gruffalo.

Wizard with a license! Warner Bros. Consumer Products 0207 984 6100 www.wbcpmedia.warnerbros.com Warner Bros. Consumer Products heads into Brand Licensing Europe 2017 with a powerhouse d n a St 0 slate of franchises and exciting 3 D and innovative partnerships. The spotlight will be cast on Warner Bros. Consumer Products’ key franchises, including DC’s portfolio of film, television and animation offerings; J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, encompassing the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts franchises; and animation favourites.

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Meet us at BLE booth D70 - MIPCOM booth P-1N1 | P-1M2

TV SALES: Micheline Azoury | micheline.azoury@mondotvgroup.com | +39 0686323293 LICENSING SALES: Valentina La Macchia | valentina.lamacchia@mondotvgroup.com | +39 0249526694 WWW. MONDOTVGROUP.COM

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BLE 2017 Show Preview

All about the image Allsorts Licensing 01234 212411 www.allsortsmedia.co.uk

Fifteen years in the Market El Ocho +34 913 504090 el-ocho.com

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El Ocho is one of the most established licensing agencies in Spain and Portugal. It is also currently expanding its territories with new partners in Italy and Greece. El Ocho works hard to develop licensing programmes that are complemented with dedicated promotional marketing and retail support across these territories. Amongst the key properties in El Ocho’s portfolio are pre-school brands Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom. Thanks to the core licensing programmes, both brands are still one of most popular brands amongst kids between the ages of three and six years old. During 2017, El Ocho has signed several agreements and launched new category lines across Spain, Portugal and Italy such as Peppa Pig jewellery and Ben and Holly’s mineral water. The PJ Masks series, co-produced by Entertainment One, has been hugely successful to date with a second season currently in production. With more than 50 agreements in a year, PJ Masks will be one of the top brands in 2017-2018. One more classic that belongs to El Ocho is Dragon Ball. With the new series Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball is coming back to the Spanish market with an extended launch in the run up to Christmas. El Ocho, with Clan TVE, has also signed a deal with Fisher-Price as the master toy licensee for the pre-school favourite, Bing. Within the Spanish market, Yoko, co-produced by Somuga and RTVE, is a fresh and creative animation series with a fun spirit. The licensing plan draws upon online marketing tools including an app and online communication. El Ocho also offers reality shows such as Masterchef (Adult, Junior and Celebrity) within its portfolio. Having won the best licensing brand in Spain for two consecutive years, RTVE and Shine Endemol have entrusted El Ocho to carry out the licensing operations for Masterchef (Adult, Junior and Celebrity). El Ocho hold the worldwide rights for the design brand Anekke, a Spanish design that follows the vintage preferences in the market and is gaining momentum at International fairs. Anekke already has a great licensing programmes being developed with plans to launch new categories in Spain and extend into further territories. Lady Desidia is another design brand within El Ocho›s portfolio created by a Spanish artist called Vanessa Borrell. El Ocho is very excited with the ongoing license deals currently in place within the Spanish market and is looking to expand the license further into new territories. Other brands within the El Ocho portfolio are Kimmidoll, Candy Crush, Repsol Honda, Mafalda and Shaun the Sheep.

LE Allsorts Licensing brings its Stand portfolio to BLE from fashion C84 trending Betty Boop to the full-on strength and resilience from everyone’s favourite sailor, Popeye. Betty Boop has secured some hugely memorable collaborations, the most recent being with Jeremy Scott’s Moschino SS18 Collection. The range launched on the LA Catwalk to rapturous applause and has since inspired amazing product development.

Delicious licenses all round! Beanstalk 0208 396 0511 www.beanstalk.com

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In Europe and the Stand UK, Beanstalk was Q100 appointed to represent the leading biscuit brand McVities. Beanstalk is seeking new opportunities. New agreements have been signed for Beanstalks, Diageo. Beanstalk’s digital division, has been working closely with Halo to develop its European licensing programme. In addition, Halo Top Trumps is scheduled to launch this September from Winning Moves, and Halo model kits from licensee Revell will launch in September across Europe.

If you can’t beat them... Beat Bugs www.beatbugs.com Josh Wakely’s Beat Bugs is an Emmy award-winning, hit Netflix series that introduces a whole new generation to the most influential Stand band in rock history, The Beatles. B92 The story revolves around the adventures of five charming child-like bugs who band together and learn to live in their suburban backyard. Each episode ties in a song made famous by The Beatles in an innocent and child-friendly fashion, covered by one of the characters or guest stars that include megamusicians P!nk, Sia, Rod Stewart and more. Summer saw the launch of a line of consumer products at Target in the US. The Tesco programme in the United Kingdom launches in October.

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Power Ranging Return Saban Brands +1 31 5575230 www.sabanbrands.com Saban Brands is gearing up to make a strong return to Brand Licensing Europe with a diverse portfolio of both new and established entertainment brands. Global powerhouse kids’ action property Saban’s Power Rangers spearheads this year’s presentation slate that will also feature two brand new licensing propositions - Netflix original series for pre-schoolers, Cirque du Soleil Junior - Luna Petunia, currently streaming seasons one and two, and a new animated comedy for kids and tweens, Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty. For decades, Saban’s Power Rangers has consistently been a top 10 brand and is currently this year’s number one action figure brand in the UK. This outstanding achievement is thanks to valued partners including the continued success of Saban Brand’s partnership with master global toy partner, Bandai, and licensees continue to be attracted to the broader consumer products programme. Saban Brands has now signed almost 50

best-in-class partners in the EMEA region across key categories including apparel, accessories and homewares. Following the March 2017 release of the feature film Saban’s Power Rangers with Lionsgate, Saban Brands will soon be bringing even more new content to fans in the form of the 24th season Power Rangers Ninja Steel that premieres in the UK on Freeview channel, POP in September 2017. To support this strategy, Saban Brands is committed to developing dedicated Power Rangers content across multiple platforms including digital, on-demand, apps, games, social media and more. In 2018, Power Rangers will be celebrating 25 powerful years and to commemorate this significant milestone, Saban Brands is preparing a raft of highprofile activity. With exciting marketing activities, innovative retail activations and some creative licensing collaborations in the pipeline, it’s going to be hard to miss. For the first time at BLE, Saban Brands

will present opportunities for its Netflix original series, Cirque du Soleil Junior Luna Petunia. Targeting the pre-school audience, the show is inspired by the curiosity, surprise and wonder of Cirque du Soleil and follows the adventures of Luna Petunia who can transport into the magical land of Amazia. Demand for merchandise is building and the consumer products rollout will soon be kicked off by master global toy partner and co-production partner, Funrise Toys, with the first range of toys launching into the UK market this autumn. Last, but by no means least, Saban Brands will debut Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty at BLE 2017. Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty will be a playful animated comedy centered around a kitty named Felicity who gains the magical and majestic powers of a rainbow, a butterfly and a unicorn. The show is a true celebration of non-conformity, individuality and self-confidence that will resonate with the target audience of girls aged four to 11.

Hot on their heels! Aardman Animation

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0117 307 1318 www.aardman.com With production coming to an end on academy award winner, Nick Park’s muchanticipated prehistoric comedy adventure ‘Early Man’, the studio is working closely with Studiocanal on a strong licensing, publishing and promotional programme for the film. Hot on the heels of ‘Early Man’ is Shaun the Sheep’s second big screen adventure, with a sequel set for release in 2019. With 2017 marking 10 years since launching Shaun the Sheep as a standalone property, the studio continues to invest in the evergreen brand with a focus on new short 1

form and digital content, interactive, live events and themed attractions. This year the team is focusing on design with new style themes including ‘Sheep Dreams’ and exciting new digital projects which are being developed to satisfy the appetite of Shaun’s worldwide community, who are increasingly looking at ways to enjoy the brand across a variety of platforms. Aardman will also be presenting ‘Learning Time with Timmy’ - a new series for early years English language learners that has been developed in collaboration with the British Council.

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C A N S TA N D O U T I N T H E W H I T E S PAC E TO L E A R N M O R E A B O U T O U R B ES P O K E A P P ROAC H TO F R A N C H I S E M A N A G E M E N T, L I C E N S I N G , D I G I TA L G A M I N G A N D C R E AT I V E D E V E L O P M E N T P L E A S E J O I N U S I N R O O M C 14 0 .

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Another blooming BLE

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The Copyrights Group 0203 714 1184 www.copyrights.co.uk

130 years of stories National Geographic Partners www.natgeo.com National Geographic Partners, a joint venture between 20th Century Fox and the National Geographic Society, is excited to introduce a new and revitalized global licensing business. NGP is leveraging its media and commercial properties - the channels, magazines, books, maps, kids business, travel business, social, digital, web, consumer products, and global licensing, and 20th Century Fox’s global distribution, to reinvent this powerful brand and transform its storytelling into experiences, products, and content. In Europe and Africa specifically, an aggressive company expansion initiative is taking shape, with multiple senior hires across the sectors in order to create and implement the newly revamped licensing program. National Geographic is also taking a strategic approach to revamp its licensing program by positioning the company as the premier exploration brand focusing the first phase of its rollout including apparel, outerwear, accessories and footwear products. It has teamed up with iP2 Entertainment to develop a series of indoor, interactive family exploration centers worldwide, drawing on National Geographic’s award-winning content. The Nature Company is a fastest growing licensee, operating more than 46 National Geographic branded flagship stores and retail spaces throughout South Korea. National Geographic has appointed Eagle Creek, a 40-year manufacturer of premium adventure travel gear and accessories, as its adventure travel gear partner in North America, outfitting consumers with an innovative, customdesigned range of bags and packing gear aimed to launch at retail by autumn 2018. A partnership with new outdoor technical footwear licensee Dachstein Outdoor in Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Sweden, Norway, UK) has also been signed that will launch in 2018. In a move to bolster its regional operations, National Geographic Partners has announced a range of key appointments in Europe and Africa, building on National Geographic’s commitment to expand its reach across all areas of its brand, including its publishing, broadcasting, travel, and licensing businesses.

Following the phenomenal success of the first Paddington movie with a second movie launching on 10 November 2017 in the UK and then rolling out worldwide, Paddington 2 will be supported by dedicated high profile marketing campaigns and promotions across QSR, retail, FMCG, travel and much more. In 2018 Paddington’s celebrates its 60th anniversary with major international activity to include a worldwide gifting partnership, exhibitions, special events and collectable merchandise. It’s been an exciting year for The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady with new partners and categories coming through globally. New publishing from US partner Rizzoli will launch in 2018. Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas remains a seasonal classic with continued commitment to the publishing by Penguin Group and prime broadcasting slots during the Christmas line-up.

Pot of Gold

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

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Genius Brands International will be Stand focusing on the pre-school brand, A65 Rainbow Rangers, and the hit tween brand, SpacePOP. Slated to premiere on Nickelodeon’s Nick Jr. in 2018, Rainbow Rangers is currently in development on season one and two episodes and is developing a global, merchandising, licensing and retail program across all key categories to coincide with the series launch. The first partner the company recently signed is Fisher-Price, as the global master toy partner.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION: UK Licensing: Naome Jones +44 20 3618 6552 Gaming & Digital Licensing: Bill Kispert 818.777.5446 Publishing: Siobhan Harkin +44 20 3618 5539 Live Entertainment Licensing: Carol Nygren 818.777.9507

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New style, new approach!

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Natural History Museum 0207 942 5652 www.nhm.ac.uk With more than 30 licensees to date, the museum’s licensing programme is well established. In 2016 the licensing campaign began a phase, with a new strategy exemplified by the development of two brand-new and comprehensive style guides — one updating the offering to children aged six and above, and the other, for the first time, specifically targeting adults. Both guides, now available to potential licensees, are unique to the museum, delivered within a trend-driven and commercial context. They take full advantage of the design possibilities offered by the museum’s wealth of famous exhibits, and span multiple categories including dinosaurs, insects, mammals, mineral and fossils, as well as original drawings, paintings and prints. Brand Licensing Europe will provide the ideal platform to launch these guides and explore new licensing opportunities.

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Showcasing Power Franchises Mattel 01628 500000 www.mattel.com

Brand Licensing Personal stories. Powerful experiences. Our dedicated brand licensing team, design partnerships, curatorial expertise and superb collections will help you create inspiring, unique products with a story to remember. licensing@iwm.org.uk iwm.org.uk Visit us at Brand Licensing Europe

Mattel presents a portfolio of iconic power brands and innovative new properties, creating franchises that continue to inspire the licensing industry. Barbie continues to evolve, empowering girls to try on every facet of who they can become, from a princess to a president, bringing this to life as only Barbie can. This year Mattel also introduces Enchantimals, with strong licensing potential-make sure you check it out. The Thomas & Friends content will see a number of new changes in 2018. Content is at the heart of story-telling for Thomas, and pivoting the content to make it more appealing to both boys and girls will be an exciting new journey for Thomas as the brand is reimagined in 2018. Hot Wheels ignites and nurtures the challenger spirit that lives within every kid and when kids learn they can take on anything, there’s no limit to how far they’ll go. 2018 is going to be a break and frame year as the brand celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Bob the Builder continues to inspire children and parents to work as a team and build together. With more broadcasters coming on board, record YouTube hits plus season three expected to launch in autumn 2018, it’s a full year of activity for Bob! Fireman Sam continues with exciting launches growing the franchise alongside strategic marketing campaigns, plus another great movie in 2018. Fisher-Price encourages parents to ‘let children be children’, giving them the freedom to experience the joy of their own natural desire to learn, imagine and discover. With exciting new partnerships in mobility and plush categories Fisher-Price continues to have exciting licensing potential. Scrabble is the classic board game that always spells F-U-N! and is gearing up for an amazing 70th Anniversary celebrations in 2018..

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Box office hits

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Sony Picture Consumer Products +31 244 4000 www.sonypictures.com Sony Pictures Consumer Products is heading to BLE 2017 with an exciting line up of film licenses, featuring new properties and enduring franchises all of which include partnerships with top tier licensees and retailers around the world. The live-action CGI film adaption of Peter Rabbit leads the 2018 presentation slate this year, followed by Hotel Transylvania 3; the next film in the highly successful franchise which now includes a hit animated television series on the Disney Channel. And finally, the highly anticipated theatrical release of Barbie – one of the world’s biggest and most iconic brands – that will now be a liveaction major motion picture. Sony Picture Consumer Products features a strong and diverse brand portfolio that includes some of the most celebrated classic films including Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Men In Black, Charlie’s Angels, Karate Kid, Starship Troopers and Taxi Driver among many others. The Peter Rabbit movie, which is set for worldwide release in February 2018, is a fantastic modern interpretation of Beatrix Potter’s stories that will bring the beloved world of Peter to life. The Hotel Transylvania franchise has generated over $1 billion in global box office and home entertainment sales and Sony is dedicated to continuing to grow the franchise through 365-day-a-year entertainment. Sony has developed an exciting line-up of activity in anticipation of the third film release. The Hotel Transylvania universe expands with every film, with the introduction of new characters, exotic locations, story lines and of course the evolving character arcs of the main monster characters. As part of their plans to keep momentum going across various content platforms, Sony just launched the all-new Hotel Transylvania TV series on Disney Channel in the US with strong ratings across key demos. The series began rolling out on Disney Channel worldwide this autumn. In 2019, Sony is gearing up for the 35th anniversary of Ghostbusters. To celebrate the occasion, SPCP has brought Playmobil on board as the classic toy partner, and also has a number of other co-branded partnerships in the pipeline. Recently announced was Ghostbusters virtual reality – Now Hiring, Act 1: Firehouse for PlayStation VR for PS4, which is an incredible experience that extends the reach of the beloved franchise.

All smiles! The Smiley Company 0207 3788231 www.smiley.com In 2017 The Smiley Company celebrated the 20th anniversary of SmileyWorld by being awarded the Best Licensed Lifestyle Brand 2017. This was in the same year as the company announced amazing growth, where audited sales across the group saw YOY sales peak at nearly 27 per cent to $265 million at retail. Fashion contributed the largest proportion of revenue at 64 per cent, whilst the brand’s back to school, gift and novelty division accounted for 18 per cent and FMCG, publishing, toys and digital accounted for a further 17 per cent. This growth helped The Smiley Company jump into the Top 100 global licensors. The Smiley Company will showcase at BLE its new strategy to connect with the tween audience and how it is being adopted as the lifestyle brand of choice for the first generation that really communicates in Smileys. With a new line of collectables from Simba, offering a range of 50 expressive Smileys that attach to your phone or keyboard via suction cups and also double up as pen toppers. Supported by a major TV and vlogger campaign in key market, this continues to be a major marketing focus for Smiley over the next 18 months. The brand has also just launched an exciting TV advertising campaign to promote the launch of its new still fruit juice Smiley Fruity. This has been aired on prime time French kids’ TV and reached over 20 million viewers and extended on to YouTube, reaching another 10 million people. This marketing approach will carry on into 2018, where the brand is planning to support its licensees with more digital content and engaging TV and social media advertising campaigns, in order to continue to building brand loyalty with the tween market.

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Visit us at BLE 2017

For more details please contact: Email: eOneLicensing@entonegroup.com Website: eonelicensing.com

eOne Family | LTW FP ad | 240mm x 315mm | Bleed 3 mm

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Driving licenses fast and furious Universal Brand Development +1 818 777 4382 www.nbcuniversal.com As Universal Brand Development continues to drive expansion of its international business, the company recently announced key appointments to select EMEA territories, naming country directors in Germany, France, Iberia, Italy, Benelux, the UK and Ireland. Scheduled for worldwide release in June 2018, executive producers Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow and stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return for Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the follow-up to one of the biggest blockbusters in the history of cinema. Key toy partners Mattel and LEGO, plus many more, will showcase the strength of the franchise at retail. In what is truly the year of the Jurassic Dinosaur, 2018 will also see the 25th anniversary of the first film, Jurassic Park. Fans can look forward to exclusive fan-created content on social media and JurassicWorld.com, plus unique product collaborations celebrating the 25 years of this iconic movie franchise. Following the global box office success of DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls, a new film is set to debut in 2020, and throughout 2017-2019, a

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variety of new content is set to release across multiple media platforms, including a Trolls Holiday Special in 2017, Universal, in collaboration with master toy partner Hasbro, will continue to expand the breadth and scope of its consumer products program. Also, from DreamWorks Animation, How to Train Your Dragon 3, the muchanticipated continuation of one of the most beloved animated film franchises in history, makes its theatrical debut in 2019. Illumination and Universal’s Despicable Me franchise continues to set new records. Universal will continue to demonstrate the evergreen potential of this brand, so beloved by boys, men, women and gear heads alike, with the launch of Fast and Furious Live – a global, automotive arena tour that’s set to launch at the O2 in London at the start of 2018. Finally, from the DreamWorks Animation Television portfolio, Universal will showcase a programming line-up that offers something for everyone – from pre-school to boys and girls.

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Total eclipse! WildWorks vickie@rockpool-licensing.co.uk www.animaljam.com/uklicensing

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Google Play awardwinning app Animal Jam has an exciting year planned! Beginning with the Total Solar Eclipse that crossed the US in August, Animal Jam launched an epic year long in-game narrative. The Eclipse, which was re-created in-game, kicked-off a series of events and adventures that will reveal secrets about Jamaa’s past, dangers lurking in its future, and invite Jammers to help! To make Animal Jam even more accessible to its Jammers, parent company WildWorks launched the AJ Desktop app in July. With Adobe planning to sunset the Flash platform in 2020, AJ Desktop takes players directly into the world without the use of a web browser. AJ Desktop also makes it possible to play Animal Jam full-screen on the computer, which looks amazing! In August WildWorks partnered with National Geographic

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to launch AJ Academy: Amazing Animals, a free animal ebook library for mobile devices. WildWorks is also preparing a top-secret new Animal Jam mobile game for launch later this year. It features the paw-some Animal Jam pets that have driven the success of their Animal Jam’s collectable line from Jazwares. Next year will see the release of major updates to both the Animal Jam desktop and mobile versions, and the launch of the first Animal Jam mobile games designed for mums and older kids.

www.ltwmag.com

Advert_Licensing_Today_Worldwide_Artwork_2017.pdf

08/09/2017

12:31

STAND Q15

CMY

LICENSING AGENT

Richard Pink Pink Key Consulting Ltd 54 Salters, St Michaels Mead Bishopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stortford, Herts CM23 4NX, UK T/F: +44 (0) 1279 505 455 M: +44 (0) 7859 362 323 E: richard@pinkkey.co.uk W: www.pinkkey.co.uk

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11/09/2017 09:59

BLE 2017 Show Preview

Little (High-) Flying Scotsman! Science Museum Group 0207 942 4408 www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

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Stan d L15

The past year has been a fantastic one for the Science Museum Group, that looks after the licensing programmes for Science Museum, Flying Scotsman, National Railway Museum and Little Flying Scotsman. The Science Museum brand has seen a significant growth of their licensing programme. While core ranges of toys, gadgets and science kits continue to grow year on year, new categories are increasing retail presence and brand awareness. This product will be showcased at the museum’s stand. Apparel, launched with licensee Fashion UK, has been particularly popular. A second range of space-themed t-shirts has just launched, its sales no doubt boosted by the publicity surrounding the unveiling of Tim Peake’s Soyuz space capsule at the museum earlier this year. New ranges of design-led stationery by Frances Lincoln, Flame Tree Publishing and Quadrille have made use of the museum’s

extensive picture library. Frances Lincoln has utilised beautiful satellite and historic space imagery, while Quadrille has played with the periodic table to create designs by combining element names. Flame Tree publishing is producing a 2019 calendar which focuses on world-changing inventions. Games, pre-school toys and paper gifting are currently in discussion. The Flying Scotsman has had another phenomenal year with multiple new signings. Apparel by Spike Leisurewear, bedding by Noveltex, greeting cards by Really Wild Cards and construction kits and DVDs by Demand Media are just a few new products which have launched this year. With the locomotive still touring the UK, its brand licensing programme has gained more licensees this year than any previous year. Adding to new products this year is the adorable Flying Scotsman Steiff bear from Danbury Mint. Little Flying Scotsman, a style guide created just for children’s product, has also seen its first signings for bedding, curtains, towels, sleeping bags and bean bags.

Hammer it home Games Workshop 0115 916 8000 www.games-workshop.com

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S Fresh off the most successful year in their four decade history, Games Workshop return B32 to Brand Licensing Europe to showcase their flagship Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer: Age of Sigmar brands. With a new edition of the core Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game launched this Summer, the next generation of fans are discovering the biggest redesign of the iconic Space Marine in the brand’s history and new ways to play and immerse themselves in its rich science fiction universe. Age of Sigmar goes from strength to strength and this November sees the launch of Shadespire, the fast-paced skirmish game set in this rich, high-fantasy setting. With the first few Age of Sigmar licenses signed, and more high profile releases coming along during 2018, interest is sure to be high in this unique IP. In addition to the long list of video game licensees who have generated 26 million lifetime unit sales across multiple

titles, Games Workshop’s merchandise and hobby games programmes helped achieve £100m in licensed sales at retail during 2016/17. Over the next year names such as SEGA, Musterbrand, Titan Publishing and Hachette will be joined by Half Moon Bay, Wargaming, Prime One and Fankicks, spearheading the charge into new categories and markets. This year’s stand is larger than ever and as well as the displays of finely detailed painted miniatures that Games Workshop is World-renowned for, there is a demonstration table so you can experience the fast-paced, far future gameplay for yourself and even take home a limited edition Citadel Miniature of your own.

www.ltwmag.com

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13/09/2017 14:37 12/09/2017 15:08

BLE 2017 Show Preview

Superstars Nickelodeon www.nick.co.uk 020 3580 2000

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tand BLE 2017 will see Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products D10 (NVCP) showcase their largestever pre-school portfolio including reigning hits such as PAW Patrol, Blaze and the Monster Machines and Shimmer and Shine as well as new series such as Digby Dragon, Nella the Princess Knight and Rusty Rivets. The NVCP team will take licensees and retailers through the performance of each property as well as future programming and promotional plans. Partners will also have the opportunity to learn about Nick Jr.’s newest preschool offering, the girl-skewing Sunny Day. Following a talented 10-yearold who runs her own hair salon in Friendly Falls, a town populated and run by kids, Sunny Day premieres on Nick Jr. UK in spring 2018. In addition to their extensive pre-school portfolio, the NVCP will be giving partners the first look at the reimagined Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The new series will have its worldwide premiere in 2018 and be supported by a global marketing and promotional plan. NVCP will take partners through the new series which features a striking new art style and standalone storylines. JoJo Siwa is a true teen sensation with over 4 million subscribers on YouTube with her range of JoJo Bows proving so popular that many UK schools have banned them. Since NVCP took on the license for JoJo in spring 2016, the range of JoJo Siwa licensed products has expanded beyond bows to products across all categories. With over 20 UK licensees on board for JoJo Siwa, the NVCP team will take partners through the strategy to develop Nickelodeon’s newest superstar. 1

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Stand L30

A Royal Collection! Historic Royal Palaces 0203 166 6000 www.hrp.org.uk

Historic Royal Palaces is to showcase its most successful ranges, from interior fabrics licensee GP & J Baker, wallpaper designs from Cole & Son, and Hobbs’ latest clothing and accessories range to a brand new collection of silk scarves, enamels and fine bone chinaware from high-end gifting specialists Halcyon Days. An exciting new development theme being launched at the show, with a view to product rolling-out from spring 2018, has been inspired by the conservation team at HRP that is undertaking a major restoration project to reopen The Great Pagoda at Kew in spring 2018. Designed at the height of the 18th century craze for chinoiserie and the growth in trade from the Far East, and inspired by the architect’s visit to the porcelain Pagoda at Nanjing in China, there is a wealth of supporting assets available to inspire licensees to develop new product ranges. The Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection is a designated collection of national and international importance, cared for by Historic Royal Palaces and containing over 10,000 items of historic dress from the 16th century to the present day. Hobbs has adapted and modernised these beautiful influences. The independent charity that cares for the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and Hillsborough Castle has also launched a new collection of fine bone china, enamelled cuffs and silk scarves with licensee Halcyon Days. A range of collectible ceramic baubles has been included for Christmas 2017. Further designs and deals include Clogau Gold timeless pieces. Historic Royal Palaces will be looking for further partners covering beauty, bath and home fragrances, garden tools and accessories, stationery, tabletop and heritage food and drink.

www.ltwmag.com

THE HOME OF STEM

Â© NASA/SSPL

Visit us on stand L15 at BLE licensing@sciencemuseum.ac.uk +44 (0)207 942 4479

BLE 2017 Show Preview

Roald’s Marvellous Offerings Roald Dahl www.roalddahl.com Following an exceptional centenary year in 2016, which saw 113% growth in merchandising sales, the Roald Dahl brand has never been more popular. Stand 2017 has been marked with numerous celebrations F30 and awards for the brand, including Canon UK’s poll naming Roald Dahl the greatest storyteller of all time. He also scooped the three top spots in a list of the best children’s books ever and Matilda won the inaugural Children’s Classic in August’s Sainsbury’s Children’s Book Awards. A major highlight for BLE 2017 is the addition of James and the Giant Peach to the Roald Dahl licensing programme, supported by a whole host of peachy new publishing and marketing initiatives. A brand new style guide for this title is now available, including specially created artwork by Sir Quentin Blake and a host of new patterns, all featuring James

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and his insect friends as they explore the world on their giant peach. A wide range of exploration and nature inspired products will hit stores from spring including children’s dress-up, stationery, gifts, outdoor activity kits, toiletries, toys, bedding and greeting cards. Now a major event in the calendar, World Book Day continues to hold fantastic success for Roald Dahl, particularly the hugely popular dress-up costume range from Smiffys. 2018 will see more characters than ever on UK shelves, including Mr and Mrs Twit, James and his giant peach, Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Willy Wonka, the BFG, Matilda, Miss Trunchbull and many more! Stop by the booth to see brand new product displayed across the core Roald Dahl licensed properties Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the BFG and James and the Giant Peach.

In the pink Pink Key Consulting www.pinkkey.co.uk 01279 505455 At BLE this year Pink Key Consulting on stand Q15 upstairs is going to be exhibiting four major brands. As well as established programmes for Kellogg Vintage, Pringles and Slush Puppie, they will also be offering the first look at the European Licensing Programme for the iconic American Brand Pan Am. Pan Am is an instantly recognisable brand, evoking the glamour of a bygone age. It has a wealth of imagery and a beautiful style guide. PKC will be looking for licensees in all areas but particularly gifts and accessories. There will be products on show from the Kellogg Vintage programme and PKC continue to want to work with licensees who are not afraid to be daring with the brand and take it to new places. The Kellogg brands and its iconic characters have huge awareness across all the major European markets, and Pink Key is looking for licensees in all these areas to build on an already successful programme.

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Stand Q15

The Pringles programme continues to build with more licensees focusing on the key brand attributes, not only the colourful style guide elements and the ubiquitous Mr. P, but particularly the iconic can shape. They will be showing products such as the highly successful can shaped pencil cases from Helix as well as the Gibson Games ‘Puzzle in a can’ which continues to sell well. PKC will be looking for more licensees to come on board and develop things either in a can or shaped like them! Slush Puppie will be making an appearance for its second year having had a number of key licensee appointments in the UK, not least the award winning Slush Puppie maker from Fizz Creations, which PKC, will be hoping to build on this year.

www.ltwmag.com

Let us entertain you m4e www.m4e.de ++49 8102 99453 0

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Stand B15

Studio 100 Media and m4e are still in the process of bundling their forces in all of their business activities under the roof of the Studio 100 Group. They are thereby forming one of the largest European kids and family entertainment companies with two perfect strategic partners brought together to meet the expectations of a further challenging and increasing international competition. This is a huge opportunity not only for their own companies, but also for our business partners all over the world, since we are able to offer an even larger portfolio of own and third party brands. The new constellation will allow the financing and production of many new projects that both companies already have in their pipelines. They have an ambitious 5-year plan with an extensive slate of new productions - a mix of classic brands and exciting new projects. Their key properties for BLE are “Mia and me”, “Arthur & The Minimoys”, “Wissper”, “Maya the Bee” amongst others.

El Ocho, Licencias y Promociones S.L