Licensing News – what’s hot in licensed products

Bulldog Licensing has extended its range of brands under the Moose Toys umbrella with its new launch, Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron, which appears on the DreamToys list.

Bulldog will be working with licensing partners across a wide range of categories to leverage the power of the brand.

Paul Solomon, co-owner of Moose Toys, said: “Magic Mixies will be the next mega franchise to launch from a hit toy. We’re looking forward to seeing the magic our partners bring to a vast array of consumer products through our world-class global licensing and entertainment programmes.”

PR activity is being supported by a fully integrated campaign from Moose Toys with three million impressions to date across YouTube pre-roll, animated preroll, and an interactive interstitial to bring the magic to life digitally.

A TV campaign has been running since 1 October, and is planned for eight weeks of airtime across linear and VOD, as well as family together media, including the ad breaks of movies including The Addams Family and Harry Potter films.

Wildbrain takes Chip & Potato from screen to toy shelf

WildBrain has appointed Jakks Pacific as master global toy partner for its hit animated preschool brand, Chip & Potato.

The partnership will launch the brand from the screen to the toy shelf, as Jakks Pacific develops a range across multiple toy categories, including plush, figures, playsets, and roleplay for North America, the UK and Australia. Launch for the range is scheduled from Autumn 2022.

An original series produced by WildBrain and Darrall Macqueen, Chip & Potato launched on Netflix in 2019 and is also available on Netflix Junior’s YouTube channel. Netflix has picked up Season 3 of Chip & Potato plus three seasonal specials.

First UK licensees for Pip and Posy

Magic Light Pictures has secured the first raft of licensing partners for its preschool TV series Pip and Posy.

Leading the way is Nosy Crow, the publisher of the picture books that inspired the show, with a range of board, activity, sticker and lift-the-flap formats that showcase the series’ CGI artwork. Amscan International has signed for dress-up, balloons and party goods, while Ravensburger will produce Pip and Posy puzzles and games.

Pip and Posy premiered on Channel 5’s Milkshake! in March. With almost three million viewers since launch, it is currently one of its top-rated shows. Sky Kids launched a box set of 20 episodes in May, and the series will air on Nick Junior in Spring 2022. It is also proving popular on social media, reaching 3.5 million people across Facebook and Instagram with more than 9 million video views, and a further 5.5 million views on its YouTube channel.

Jurassic World roars back

Jurassic World Dominion rumbles into cinemas around the globe in June. While fans eagerly await the latest film in the multi-billiondollar franchise, Universal Brand Development has been maintaining the dinosaur brand by creating new products, retail programmes, games and digital content, plus new seasons of the Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous animated series.

A raft of licensing partners, led by Mattel and LEGO, as well as new gaming experiences, are offering immersive digital experiences that should keep fans engaged on multiple platforms. 2021 has also marked a welcome return to physical in-store promotions with ‘Dino Days’ - a cross-category in-store and online shopper campaign running throughout Q4 in the UK, Germany and France across retailers including Smyths Toys Superstores, Carrefour and Amazon. The campaign includes promotional videos on YouTube, targeted Facebook advertising, competitions and influencer outreach supporting new toy lines from Mattel and LEGO.