The Bugg Report Magazine - Edition 26

BUGG

THE

REPORT

☻ THE BUGG REPORT IS CELEBRATING 10 YEARS IN 2018 ☻

TURN TO PAGE 72 FOR AN UPDATE ON THE LAST DECADE INCLUDING A SPECIAL PHOTO TOUR

TOY HOBBY & LICENSING FAIR - EDITION 26 @THEBUGGREPORT

@THEBUGGREPORT

@BUGGREPORT

TM

EDITION 26

FROM THE EDITOR by matthew bugg

editor@buggreport.com.au

There has been a lot of change over the past year in the licensing industry. We’ve seen NBCUniversal open their new office in Australia, Disney bought Fox and Amazon is now operating in Australia, a country that has been traditionally slow to adopt online shopping. It’s probably a sign of the times because as we all know, people want “more more more” these days; whether it be media content, news, information or new products and services. As soon as something hits the screens or shelves, we are usually asking; “what’s next?” I think it is fair to say that the world moves so fast now that it can be hard to stop and appreciate the moment we are actually living in. From a licensing industry point of view, it is quite unique to be able to work on fun and exciting brands which range from animation to fashion to lifestyle to characters and more. The licensing industry sees that we have the opportunity to attend screenings, meet people from all around the world and travel to events. Speaking of events, here we are again at the 2018 Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair and I hope you enjoy our 26th edition of The Bugg Report. It’s our 10 year anniversary this year and I would like to thank all those who have been a part of The Bugg Report since we started this publication as a monthly email report back in 2008. I hope you all have a great year and enjoy the fair this year in Melbourne.

THE BUGG REPORT

NEWS ON RETAIL, SPORTS, LIFESTYLE, TOYS & LICENSING Managing Director

Editor & Designer

Tony Bugg

Matthew Bugg

tony@buggsolutions.com.au

matt@buggsolutions.com.au

Published by Bugg Marketing Solutions

Advertising: bookings@buggreport.com.au

info@buggsolutions.com.au

Feedback: editor@buggreport.com.au

PO BOX 491, Berwick VIC 3806

Media: media@buggreport.com.au

The Bugg Report has been compiled as a guide to retail, sports, lifestyle, toys, licensing and/or other related matters. The views and opinions provided are based upon the views and opinions of our writers. In no way is The Bugg Report a factual guide to retail, sports, lifestyle, toys, licensing and/or other related matters and does not take responsibility for how the information provided is used by its consumers.

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Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair - Edition 26

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ENTERTAINMENT ONE CONTINUES TO EXPAND PJ MASKS & PEPPA PIG LICENSING IN AUSTRALIA

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CENTREFOLD NEWS FLASH FROM NICKELODEON

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THINK YOU KNOW THE WIGGLES? THINK AGAIN...

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WE INTERVIEW ANDREW HENDY FROM HEADSTART

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WE INTERVIEW MARCO HÜSGES & ALAN SCHAUDER

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MERCHANTWISE MARKET WRAP

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YU-GI-OH! BRAND TAKES AUSTRALIA BY STORM

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BBC WORLDWIDE FEATURE MARKET WRAP UPDATE

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WE INTERVIEW MARK KINGSTON & CLAIRE O’CONNOR

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ABC KIDS FEATURE MARKET WRAP UPDATE

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WE INTERVIEW MEAGAN SANDERS FROM DISNEY

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WE INTERVIEW ANDREW SKINNER FROM THE ATA

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RUBIE’S DEERFIELD POSITIVE ABOUT DRESS-UP

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THE STATE OF RETAIL BY TONY BUGG

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THE BUGG REPORT CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN 2018

www.buggreport.com.au

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ENTERTAINMENT ONE CONTINUES TO EXPAND PJ MASKS & PEPPA PIG LICENSING IN AUSTRALIA

Entertainment One (eOne) has grown its strong line up of partners for the PJ Masks Australian consumer products program, which already boasts over 25 licensees, across a variety of key categories, including toys & games, dressups, publishing, apparel, back-to-school products, homewares and FMCG product.

Just Play’s successful PJ Masks master toy line, distributed to the Australian market by The Brand Exchange, is racing towards the top of the Infant and Preschool charts. Best-selling items to date include core vehicles, the PJ Masks Headquarters playset and dress-ups.

‘PJ Masks: Time to be a Hero’ - the brands’ first DVD title, released in November 2017 has well-exceeded any sales expectations, with The Entertainment Store advising that the PJ Masks character appearances are one of the top requested acts in their company portfolio!

This April sees the premiere of the brand-new 2nd season on Disney Junior Australia, which introduces new characters, sets and vehicles and will ensure the brand continues its status as a preschool television ratings leader; not only on Disney Jr. but also on ABC KIDS. In further news, the 3rd season of PJ Masks has gone into production.

Later this year will also see the premiere of the new Australian live stageshow: PJ Masks Live, which tours Australia following a phenomenal tour across North America.

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Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair - Edition 26

eOne continues its growth plans in 2018 with none-other than one of Australia’s favourite preschool brands - Peppa Pig. Now entering its 6th year of the Australian consumer products program, the brand has expanded into various new categories and refreshed many product lines in the retail market. The brand-new 7th season of Peppa Pig, which debuted on ABC KIDS from mid-2017, has again been a winner in the preschool ratings, with even more episodes & content continuing to rollout throughout 2018.

Peppa Pig continues to refresh core products across various categories, as well as adding new product lines in the Australian market. New licensees include Nurturecare, with the introduction in Peppa Pig nappy pants and wipes in late 2017, a new confectionery range with Park Avenue Foods and a new puzzles range with MJM Australia.

Big Balloon continues to rollout classic toy lines incorporating refreshed figures and playsets, alongside Penguin’s new book titles which rollout across 2018, with both partners incorporating new content from Season 7. A new national live tour, Peppa Pig’s Surprise, will premiere this coming May 2018 and tour across all major Australian cities.

Trish Padoin, General Manager at eOne Licensing Australia comments “PJ Masks has certainly captured the hearts of not only Aussie preschoolers, but parents too! The brand has gained strong momentum with leading TV ratings and also with live character appearances in great demand for little ones across the nation.“ Padoin continues, “Peppa Pig is now entering its 6th year of brand licensing in Australia, and still going from strength to strength, with new S7 content driving new and refreshed product in the retail market. We look forward to seeing these new product categories and ranges continuing to expand at retail across both brands.”

For licensing enquiries on any eOne brands, please visit the team at Booth D22 at the Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair For more information contact the eOne Australia & New Zealand office in Melbourne on (03) 8395 1089

www.buggreport.com.au

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THE WIGGLES

YOU THINK YOU KNOW THE WIGGLES...

THINK AGAIN!

The Wiggles formula has been hugely successful for almost three decades now and children who once saw The Wiggles are now bringing their children to see the Fab Four of Fun! We are now seeing a whole new world of play patterns and a much broader appeal to The Wiggles, which we have all known and loved for over 27 years.

TOURING UPDATE

PRODUCTION UPDATE

The foundation of The Wiggles’ popularity has always been their Live Show Tours and 2017 was another explosive year! The 2017 tours were a great success and reached over 350,000 audience members; an amazing achievement. In Australia, The Wiggles toured extensively with their Emma & Lachy Tour, Wiggle Around Australia Tour and Wiggly Christmas Big Show!

The Wiggles biggest production to date, Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle, launched recently on ABC Kids and the 22-minute episodes started Australia Day this year and have already received fantastic feedback from our fans. The next exciting project for The Wiggles is the production of a second series of Emma!, where recording will commence in March and filming in May.

The Wiggly Christmas Big Show! wrapped up a sensational 2017 for The Wiggles! They performed five sold-out shows at Perth Arena, setting a new record for the most number of tickets sold by any artist at that venue (including artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Katy Perry and Pink), with the tour selling over 126,000 tickets in total!

The Wiggles are also embracing the opportunities presented through streaming services such as Netflix and Stan and are gaining great momentum, with more and more Wiggles content available to subscribers than ever before. These streaming services are an invaluable platform for The Wiggles to showcase Wiggles content for today’s young families.

2018 is shaping up to be another busy touring year for The Wiggles. The Emma and Lachy tour has already started, travelling to Tasmania and Western Australia for the first time. From March, the Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle! Tour will be taken to local venues across Australia. The Wiggles will finish the touring year with what has become an end of year tradition for many families, with the Australian Big Show Arena Spectacular, with an estimated 130,000 tickets to go on sale.

The first DVD release of 2018 starts with a collection of The Wiggles most loved clips in The Best of The Wiggles DVD, followed by Nursery Rhymes 2 CD & DVD; Emma and Lachy DVD Special; The Wiggles Meet the Ballet CD & DVD and the possibility of filming with the Irwin family for a Wiggly Safari reboot!

The iTunes store also currently sells a broad selection of Wiggles titles with The Wiggles Best Of Album still rarely moving from the number one spot on the children’s charts; an amazing acheivment by The Wiggles!

A WIGGLY FACT ABOUT EMMA Emma was first inspired to begin dancing after attending a Wiggles concert and watching her hero, Anthony Field (Blue Wiggle). Now as the most popular Wiggle ever, Emma is inspiring a whole new generation of dancing pre-schoolers and in the process, adding a whole new growth frontier for The Wiggles brand.

Emma has truly become The Wiggles dancing queen!

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Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair - Edition 26

CONSUMER PRODUCTS UPDATE

YOUTUBE UPDATE

With strong partnerships including ABC Kids, Netflix, Stan, Playkids, YouTube and Facebook, it’s no surprise that The Wiggles consumer products program has benefited from these successful relationships.

The Wiggles YouTube channel has seen amazing growth over the last year. In December the channel received a YouTube Silver Play Button for reaching the 100,000 subscriber mark!

The Wiggles 2017 signature product; ‘Emma’s Bowtiful Ballet Studio’ which is a home ballet studio including; ballet barre, mat & instructional disc has flown off the shelves in retail. This was supported by an advertising campaign across both traditional TV and digital channels creating “Bowtiful Ballet Studio” mania where demand far outweighed supply… making the item a “must” find Christmas item. There is no question that Emma is fast becoming Australia’s most famous dancing queen for young Australian families!

The total subscriber number on The Wiggles channel has since surpassed over 180,000 with the total views exceeding 245,000,000!

We are now seeing new ranges of Wiggles toys such as the Emma kewpie doll, articulated Wiggles figurines, Emma’s microphone, push cars, plush and more! These new products have created Wigglesmania for preschoolers across Australia.

Supporting the toy merchandise is a comprehensive range of books, dress ups, clothing, underwear, swimwear, accessories, feeding & party-wear. The Wiggles Magazine has also been reintroduced with the first edition going on sale in December… selling out in record time and requiring further reprints.

The Wiggles, My First Library book collection has resulted in a strong and fruitful collaboration between The Wiggles, ABC, Pacific Magazines, Woolworths and Bonnier Publishing. A marketing campaign that includes social media, TVC and print ads has topped off a sensational year for The Wiggles book titles. It’s going to be a very Wiggly 2018!

It is also great to see that the Nursery Rhymes 1 DVD release on YouTube is still proving to be wildly popular each day and has had over over 23,000,000 views and in turn provided over 97,000 click throughs to live concert ticket sales and Wiggles merchandise.

The Wiggles global YouTube achievements have led to the collaboration of playlists with YouTube creators Super Simple Songs and Mother Goose Club who have a combined 13 million subscribers. Since this collaboration, the subscriber count has increased to an average of 700-950 new subscribers each day with 12,000 new subscribers in December 2017 alone.

The Wiggles will continue to focus their efforts on the YouTube channel, to provide young families with the option to enjoy The Wiggles content via the hugely popular online media platform.

For licensing enquiries please contact Alex Ishchenko on 0407 822 627 or email aishchenko@thewiggles.com.au or alternatively visit The Wiggles at www.thewiggles.com.au

www.buggreport.com.au

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HEADSTART REVS UP FOR 2018 FEATURE INTERVIEW WITH ANDREW HENDY CEO | HEADSTART INTERNATIONAL

The change that we are experiencing within the toy & licensing industries is occurring at a frightening pace. To achieve success, you must be able to stay ahead of the curve. Looking back on 2017 it is clear that HeadStart International was able to assemble a product line and apply a successful activation plan to deliver an outstanding result for the company. As the relentless trade fair season unfolds, beginning in Hong Kong, London and then Nuremberg, we were fortunate to catch up with Andrew Hendy, CEO of HeadStart to reflect a little on 2017 and to talk about 2018.

Looking back on 2017, what was your standout success from a product and market engagement standpoint?

No surprises but L.O.L Surprise and Ooshies were the two biggest brands for HeadStart in 2017. L.O.L Surprise has been a runaway success around the world and we struggled to keep up with the demand all year and this is continuing into 2018 already. Ooshies has become an evergreen platform and we have expanded into a ton of more licenses, our Ooshies fans cannot get enough and as long as we keep providing new assortments and new licenses they will stay loyal.

Upon reflection, what program from last year most surprised you in terms of its contribution to your overall result for the year?

The surprise for me was the number of brands that were working, particularly in the collectable space. Although L.O.L Surprise and Ooshies were the biggest, we had huge success with Mashems, Baby Secrets, Num Noms and Surpizimals.

Ooshies was a revelation for you in 2017 in terms of your own development… What can you tell us about the new series for 2018?

In 2018 we are introducing some great new licenses including Dreamworks, Care Bears, Barbie, Transformers, Incredibles, Star Wars and with the introduction of Ooshies Junior you will see Disney Junior, Sesame Street and PJ Masks. We are now building the portfolio of Ooshies licenses evenly across boys, girls and now preschool. We also have new licenses and we are launching new series for all of our existing core brands such as Marvel, DC, Turtles, WWE and Disney.

The complete redevelopment of the Sesame Street toy line

by HeadStart has been a big commitment. Now that we are a season on how did it perform?

Our Sesame Street product performed great, Tickle Me Elmo was one of the top performing items in the preschool category and we had great success introducing a more girly feature plush, Twinkle Wings Abby, something that had never been focused on before. We have totally reset the brand’s product landscape with great product and great price points and have lots in place to further grow Sesame Street in 2018.

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Andrew, I read that HeadStart is the fastest growing toy company in Australia, a fabulous achievement for you and your team! How do you plan to manage this growth?

Yes, we grew over 60% in 2017 thanks to an amazing line-up of product and a wonderful team at HeadStart who made it all happen. We are on track for another big growth year in 2018 and if I had a crystal ball I would comment on 2019. Our toy business is 80% product and 20% distribution and marketing; we have been very fortunate to be working with great product and are focused on constantly finding new and exciting lines to introduce into our portfolio.

Can you tell us a little about your latest innovation, the new ‘Best Furry Friends’ from HeadStart?

BFF is a brand new girls brand that we will be introducing into the market in March. It’s all about fashion and friendship and will translate across collectables, dolls, plush, roleplay and hopefully licensed product once the brand is properly established in the toy aisle. We have high hopes for BFF and have put everything behind this brand, including investing in high quality CGI animation and have a marketing campaign that reaches all of the touch points for today’s kids.

BREAKING NEWS...

L.O.L. SURPRISE! WINS 2018 TOY OF THE YEAR AWARD AT 115TH NEW YORK TOY FAIR!!!

----------------- VISIT HEADSTART AT STAND A01 AT THIS YEARS TOY HOBBY & LICENSING FAIR ---------------Andrew, how do you see your development internationally panning out in 2018?

Our international business is slowly growing. We have a distribution deal for Baby Secrets with the hottest toy company in the world, MGA Entertainment, who are also the maker of L.O.L Surprise. MGA are already selling Baby Secrets in the UK and have totally sold out; they will launch this Easter in USA, Canada and Germany, as well as many other markets across Europe. Baby Secrets has also been a big hit in many markets across Asia including Singapore and Indonesia.

How is HeadStart planning to manage the entry of Amazon into our market?

We are launching a core range of products with Amazon and hope that it will grow into a meaningful account over the coming years. It will be great to have a large retailer to help us sell big box products that aren’t always available in stores, particularly for Little Tikes.

How is the Kids WB partnership working for you?

The Kids WB partnership has been fantastic. It is such a great way to connect our brands with kids every week.

With the current free-to-air landscape, Kids WB and Go! is the only commercial network that is really driving kids TV and we are thrilled to be partnered with them.

You have been fortunate to receive a number of high profile awards for your product innovation and marketing… how do you feel about awards?

The awards are very flattering and I can see how proud the team at HeadStart are when we are lucky enough to bring one back. Everyone in our team works so hard to do what we do and any sort of recognition is always great.

Your company has been at the forefront when it comes to innovative measures that speak to the consumer; Unboxing videos, YouTube commercials and social media. How do you see this evolving in 2018?

You will see us bigger and better in this space in 2018.

I can’t say too much about what we are doing due to confidentiality reasons but I can tell you that we’ve recently signed a deal with a company in North America who will be working to develop our global social media execution, particularly on YouTube. www.headstartint.com Andrew, thanks for your time and it has been really good to speak with you about some of things you have achieved in the past 12-months and your plans for 2018. Now that the toy fairs and trade expos in the early part of the year are completed, I wish you and your team all the best in making 2018 another successful year for HeadStart.

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As we move well into the new year, and with the licensing industry ever-changing, we had the chance to sit down with Marco Hüsges from the emoji company to talk about his plans for his business both globally and in Australia. With the appointment of Merchantwise as the new local licensing agent for the emoji company in Australia, we also had the chance to speak to Alan Schauder to learn about his plans for the brand.

Marco, what have been some of the most exciting developments for you and the emoji company over the past year that you can share with us?

2017 was a tremendous year for the emoji® brand. We executed about 250 new license agreements. We have been rated the third most influential brand in the industry. We entered into agreements with Ferrero and Nestle for water bottles on a global basis and signed an exclusive partnership with Walmart Photocentre in Canada; just to name a few of our new strategic alliances. Our product portfolio has become incredibly large and we have seen products in categories way beyond standard licensing business.

The work with our various licensees from all around the world is highly inspiring for us and we constantly focus on the development of new product lines such as our new collectible toy line that is launching in 2018. On top of that our content has been licensed and used for many marketing campaigns in print or online as well as for TV commercials for firms such as Orange France or Opel.

Last time we spoke to you Marco, there was talk of moving into even more new regions! How has this developed since we spoke to you in October at Brand Licensing Europe?

Indeed, we have signed new agent agreements in Eastern Europe and several Latin American countries. Our business in the Middle East is expanding fast as well as in China which we see as one of our main markets. In China we are launching exciting brand collaborations with companies such as Kipling, Zippo or f.e. Listerine.

Marco, I believe that you can now get an official emoji credit card? Can you tell us about this new and very unique initiative from the emoji company?

That is correct. We recently launched official emoji® credit cards with Russia´s biggest bank - Sberbank. Every single person in Russia has Sberbank cards or an account and now all Russian people are able to obtain the branded emoji® credit card with their mood and self-expression. The emoji® credit cards already became the most successful project for Sberbank among all licensing projects within the personalized cards segment. The emoji® cards are now available in 10 designs and Sberbank is already planning to create more designs for 2018, including designs for football.

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Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair - Edition 26

Marco, what are the main global objectives for the emoji company for 2018 and what can we look forward to?

As in the previous year we have multiple strategic and high level partnerships that will drive the global emoji® brand recognition.

Licensing initiatives that will surely push the emoji® brand in 2018 are collaborations with Ferrero, Nestle, Burger King, Unilever, La Poste France, Toy Plus amongst multiple others.

We have created more than 10.000 copyrighted icons, patterns and characters available for legitimate licensing. The emoji company now offers more than 60 style guides that demonstrate the beautiful and varied world of emoji®.

Working with the emoji® brand means year-round potential, variety and diversification for a non-gender specific target group of all ages – that is an outstanding USP of our brand and makes it so unique and compelling.

Marco Hüsges, CEO & Founder of the emoji company

Marco, from an Australian market perspective, what does the recent appointment of Merchantwise as the licensing agent in Australia mean for the emoji company?

We are pleased to be working with Merchantwise, a licensing agency with a strong reputation for building innovative licensing and promotional partnerships in Australia and New Zealand. We believe that Merchantwise will bring great focus to the emoji® licensing program in this part of the world.

Merchantwise also has good creative and digital marketing capabilities to support our licensing and retail partners.

Alan, what will be the main objectives and goals over the next year and beyond to further develop the official emoji® brand in Australia?

The initial priority is to further establish the brand at retail in core categories such as apparel, accessories and homewares.

These are categories which sell very well worldwide. emoji® is a very flexible brand for retailers seeking to do eye-catching digital and in-store retail activations. The next priority is to develop new advertising and promotional partnerships with consumer brands wanting to capitalize on the universal language of emojis with consumers of all ages.

Alan, Amazon has now established their operations here in Australia; will this be a focus for the emoji company, Merchantwise and your partners in bringing product to Australian consumers?

Certainly Amazon is a priority for most licensing and consumer products programs these days. While it is still quite new in

Australia, I understand that many Australian licensees are already embracing Amazon, gearing themselves up to meet Amazon’s supply chain requirements. We will also be reaching out directly to work with the local Amazon team on some direct marketing and promotional activities.

Alan, with Australia being a smaller market than many of the larger markets that the emoji company operates in; what are the most important considerations when creating brand awareness and activations here in our market?

Australia may be smaller in terms of population, but it is a sophisticated market with switched on consumers who follow the latest trends in technology and social media. Our latest brand research from Australia shows that emojis are already known and liked by well over 90% of both adults and children, exceeding the popularity of most leading licensed brands. That is already a great platform for brand development.

We are pleased to be working with Merchantwise, a licensing agency with a strong reputation for building innovative licensing and promotional partnerships in Australia and New Zealand.

For licensing enquiries in Australia, contact Kerryn McCormack at kerryn@merchantwise.com

www.buggreport.com.au

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emoji® is a registered trademark of the emoji company GmbH. © 2015-2018 emoji company GmbH.

i j o m e ! y E njo ®

Global Facts & Figures

✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ We are emoji® – The Iconic Brand The emoji company started its business in 2013 and is the owner of the registered emoji® trademark in up to 25 classes around the globe in more than 100 countries.

We own more than 800 trademarks and created more than 10.000 high quality icons that are registered and protected under applicable copyright laws and available for legal licensing and merchandising.

Today our branded emoji® products are being sold in more than 100 countries by more than 500 global players among which are licensees such as Sony Pictures Animation, Ferrero, Zara, Kellogg´s, Nestle, C&A, Nikon, Fuji, Random House, Universal Music, Walmart, The Swiss Post to name just a few.

The emoji company offers a unique licensing package that grants its licensees legal security and comprises the right to brand products and services with the trademark emoji® and to promote, offer and distribute such products and services under the emoji® trademark.

Our official licensees get access to our professional style guides as well as to our library of more than 10.000 copyrighted and protected icons in high-resolution format for merchandising, promotions, events and marketing activities, whether print, online or for TV commercials.

The emoji company is also proud to offer a customized icon development service for its licensees who are in need of additional and individual content.

If you are interesting in legitimate emoji® licensing and are looking for a brand with year round potential for a non-gender specific target group of all ages please contact us at: emojilicensing@emoji.com

www.emoji.com

Legal Licensing 500+ Licensees 800+ Trademarks 10.000+ Copyrights 60+ Style Guides Customized Content

Argentina India Canada France

emoji® is a registered trademark of the emoji company GmbH. © 2015-2018 emoji company GmbH.

Russia

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Variety We offer the world´s largest library of icons, patterns and custom designs for legal licensing and commercial use.

As our official licensee you have access to more than 10.000 icons, patterns and custom designs protected under applicable copyright laws and available for legal licensing.

Just say it with emoji® - The Iconic Brand.

Customized Icons & Personalized Content As an additional service the emoji company offers its customers personalized content and develops customized icons for specific areas of application according to customer request.

Customised emoji® icons for the IAAF World Athletics Championships in London in 2017.

60+ Style Guides Halloween, Valentines Day, Xmas or Couture Designs? We got it all!

We know all about trends and what is hip!

The sustained development of new Style Guides is elementary for us to keep the emoji® brand vibrant and appealing for the consumer.

Meet us on:

Social Media Activities & Community Support Daily Posts, Free Gif´s, Weekly Short Films and Mini Games to engage the emoji® brand community.

www.emoji.com

contact: emojilicensing@emoji.com

emojiŽ is a registered trademark of the emoji company GmbH. Š 2015-2018 emoji company GmbH.

©2018 Moose. © 2018 King Features Syndicate, Inc./Fleischer Studios, Inc. TM Hearst Holdings, Inc./Fleischer Studios, Inc. ©2018 Microsoft Corporation. Inc. ©2018 Apple Corps Ltd. A BeatlesTM Product. © 2018 Fox. All Rights Reserved.

Licensing the best in entertainment, downunder.

Taking BRANDS further Consumers are moving beyond traditional merchandise and seeking engaging brand experiences.

Merchantwise takes brands further by developing unique brand partnerships across all consumer touchpoints, from traditional merchandise and packaged goods through to digital and live entertainment.

Contact us to discuss your licensing opportunities in Australia and New Zealand. e. info@merchantwise.com

t. +61 (0)3 9520 1000

w. merchantwise.com

The Merchantwise Group is a leading brand licensing, creative and digital marketing agency in Australia and New Zealand. For over 18 years, Merchantwise has supported many of the world’s best loved brands and properties across children’s entertainment, film and television, digital and gaming, music, icons and legends. Here is a round-up of the latest news and new entertainment properties in the next 12-18 months.

MOOSE TOYS Shopkins - #1 Girls Collecible Brand For the third year running, SHOPKINS™ continues to be the #1 girls collectible brand in the world, generating more than $1 billion in global retail sales. In 2018, a variety of world class partners join the franchise, including Skechers – rolling out footwear in Australia in Feb 18; PEZ, which will launch with three Shopkins Pez dispensers in March 2018; and H&M with a range of Shopkins junior apparel now available in-store and online.

2018 will see Moose’s biggest investment and product development to date, with two new waves of Shopkins toys, new Shopkins Happy Places sets and over 30 new Shoppies dolls releasing. Moose continues to support the franchise with new entertainment, digital and mobile content streaming on YouTube and Netflix as well as a Wild Style movie to air in over 100 cinemas across Australia.

Cutie Cars The Wheelie Cute Collectible

Further collectibles have just been released in season 2, with season 3 planned for August 2018. The Cutie Cars licensing program will premiere in September, targeting a younger age demo of 3+ years.

Pikmi Pops Off to a Scent-Sational Start!

PIKMI POPS™ are the big lollipops filled with cute mini-plushies and so many sweet surprises for you!

Season 1 launched in Oct 17 with over 45 gorgeous scented plushies to collect. The first two weeks of Pikmi Pops sales exceeded the first two weeks of Shopkins S1 sales on launch, with retailers struggling to maintain sufficient stock to keep up with demand. Online, fans are going crazy for Pikmi Pops.

Season 2 launches in Australia and the USA in March, featuring all new Pikmi’s and loveable jumbo characters.

Plans are underway to launch a targeted range of licensed products in late 2018, targeting children 6+ years.

When Shopkins go for a spin what do they ride in? CUTIE CARS™, of course! The latest addition to the Shopkins franchise launched in 2017, achieving strong sales in Australia and round the world. Each Cutie Car has its own personality with a die-cast body and a Mini Shopkin in the driver’s seat.

www.buggreport.com.au

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Shaun The Sheep - Coolest Hero on Turf SHAUN THE SHEEP is the award winning, stop-frame animated family show with adventure, friendship and silliness at its heart.

Produced by Aardman, SHAUN THE SHEEP is a global success story loved across 170 territories. The brand has over 180 licensing and merchandising partners worldwide.

Molang’s momentum is building strongly in the world of consumer products. The brand already has over 30 licensees launching product in 2018.

In Australia, SHAUN THE SHEEP broadcasts on both ABC Kids and ABC Me channels daily, regularly rating amongst the top 10 shows for kids with over 250,000 viewers per episode and millions streaming via ABC Kids iView and ABC Me apps.

In 2017, Shaun celebrated 10 years on TV and was a highlight of the recent Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition at ACMI in Melbourne which ran for 6 months.

Following the success of the first Shaun the Sheep Movie in 2015, a major sequel is planned for 2019. Merchantwise is pleased to be working with Aardman to develop a range of licensing initiatives in Australia and New Zealand, including live entertainment and attractions. A new toy line will launch from January 2019.

Molang Momentum Builds Down-Under Born from a Korean emoji, MOLANG - which means ‘super soft’ in Korean – is a happy, curious rabbit who lives with his friend, Piu Piu, a sensitive and shy little chick.

The quirky and loveable TV show - produced by French animation house, Millimages – airs in over 150 countries on Disney Junior and other channels and is consumed by millions on Youtube and other social media platforms. Seasons 1 and 2, comprising of 104 episodes, will also launch on ABC TV in 2018. Season 3 now in production.

In Australia, master toy partner Tomy released a range of supersoft plush at Myer in Oct 2017, with stock flying off the shelf.

Collectible figures and play-sets will roll out from April 2018.

Other product categories are also in development including apparel, bags and footwear.

Uglydolls Movie Coming in 2019 The UGLYDOLLS brand represents embracing all that makes us special and unique.

What started as a doodle in a love letter between creators David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim became a global plush toy craze, achieving $150M in specialty retail sales.

Now STX Entertainment and acclaimed director Robert Rodriguez are combining to bring the UGLYDOLLS to life in a major new animated film scheduled for May 2019, backed by an extensive global marketing campaign. Digital short form entertainment and TV series are also in development.

With over 68 loveable characters and a distinctive design aesthetic, the brand lends itself well to licensing and merchandising. Over 25 licensees have already been appointed with a major new global toy partnership to be announced shortly. Licensing and retail partnerships are now in active development for Australia and New Zealand.

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TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX The Simpsons 30th Season Coming Soon The longest-running scripted show in TV history, THE SIMPSONS continues to be one of world’s best loved and most watched entertainment franchises. Currently airing its 29th season, this pop culture phenomenon has won every conceivable award including 32 Emmys and 34 Annies. In Fall 2018, THE SIMPSONS will enter its unprecedented 30th season.

In Australia, The Simpsons is moving network to a home on Channel 7, while Fox Home Entertainment released season 18 for the first time in December 2017.

A wide array of licensed apparel, accessories, stationery and giftware are available at Australian and New Zealand retail. New local partnerships include The Simpsons Tic Tacs, launching in grocery and other channels beginning in June 2018.

Family Guy Hits New Milestones FAMILY GUY continues to entertain its global fan base with razorsharp humour, spot-on parodies, and orchestra-backed original music. Since its debut, the series has achieved cult status among fans, and its breakout star, a talking baby, has become one of the greatest TV characters of all time.

FAMILY GUY has racked up numerous awards, including an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series, only the second animated series in television history to be honoured with such a distinction.

BOB’S BURGERS Movie in the Works BOB’S BURGERS the movie has been announced for worldwide cinematic release in 2020.

Winner of the 2017 Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Animated Program, BOB’S BURGERS has become one of the world’s best loved TV shows, recently returning to air for its beefed-up eighth season.

Maintaining a close connection to the show’s loyal viewers, the season premiere featured animation inspired by fan-created artwork. The upcoming season also will feature its annual holiday-themed episodes and allnew and returning guest voices, including Adam Driver, Fred Savage and Maria Bamford.

BOB’S BURGERS has been a breakout licensing success in the US and more recently here in Australia. Bob’s Burgers fans of all ages are loving tees now available at Jay Jays with other specialty channels and product categories to roll out from 2018.

Alita Brought to Life in December 2018 Visionary filmmakers James Cameron (AVATAR) and Robert Rodriguez (SIN CITY) create a ground breaking new heroine in ALITA BATTLE ANGEL, an action-packed story of hope, love and empowerment. Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic to rebuild her.

As the movie unfolds, Alita’s journey becomes one of love, self-discovery and realizing that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, one person can make a difference.

The series’ creator and lead voice actor, Seth MacFarlane (voice of “Brian Griffin,” “Peter Griffin” and “Stewie Griffin”), recently won the 2017 Emmy Award for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance.

Family Guy is celebrating two incredible milestones. In January this year, Family Guy celebrated their 300th episode with the 20th anniversary celebration to follow in 2019.

ALITA BATTLE ANGEL is releasing in theatres nationwide on December 21st and will be supported by a licensing program including statues, high-end collectibles and publishing.

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䤀一 䄀匀匀伀䌀䤀䄀吀䤀伀一 圀䤀吀䠀

倀刀伀唀䐀䰀夀 倀刀䔀匀䔀一吀匀

䄀刀刀䤀嘀䤀一䜀 䴀䄀刀䌀䠀 ㈀ ㄀㤀 䘀伀刀 伀倀倀伀刀吀唀一䤀吀䤀䔀匀 倀䰀䔀䄀匀䔀 䌀伀一吀䄀䌀吀㨀 䰀䤀䌀䔀一匀䤀一䜀䀀倀䄀刀䄀䴀伀唀一吀⸀䌀伀䴀 匀吀䔀倀䠀䄀一䤀䔀䀀䴀䔀刀䌀䠀䄀一吀圀䤀匀䔀⸀䌀伀䴀

Spies in Disguise to Star Will Smith & Tom Holland Star pair Will Smith and Tom Holland and are teaming up for a new animated espionage buddy comedy, SPIES IN DISGUISE. Based on Lucas Martell’s animated original short Pigeon: Impossible, SPIES IN DISGUISE comes from Fox Animation, Chernin Entertainment and Blue Sky Studios.

Will Smith is to star as the voice of Lance Stirling, an uber-spy at the top of his game, alongside Tom Holland as the voice of Walter, a socially awkward genius who designs Lance’s gadgets. The odd couple find they must learn to work as a team and rely on each other in new ways when Lance is inadvertently transformed into a pigeon.

SPIES IN DISGUISE movie is slated to arrive in theatres on January 18th, 2019.

SONY PICTURES Jumanji Tramples the Box Office Sony Pictures’ comedy adventure JUMANJI: Welcome to The Jungle has delighted audiences and raked in over $850M in Global Box Office, including over $40M in Australia and New Zealand.

The film’s all star comedy cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan. Sony Home Entertainment will release April 2018 and there’s more exciting news on the horizon for a sequel - stay tuned!

The Drac Pack is Back!

The Drac Pack is hitting the high seas in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3, the next installment of the monster animated film franchise that has delivered over a billion in global box office, home entertainment and merchandise sales.

Starring Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg, Drac’s family and friends find adventure, high jinks and even romance on a luxury cruise ship. In Australia, the film is scheduled for release in July 2018, followed by the home entertainment release - just in time for Halloween 2018.

The Hotel Transylvania TV series launched on the Disney Channel in 2017, achieving no. 1 ratings in its timeslot. The series is nominated for a Kidscreen award and a second season is in production. The new master toy range from Jazwares will be distributed by Banter Toys in Australia, launching in June 2018. Other local licensees include Scholastic, Caprice and Hunter Leisure.

Men In Black Reboot in Production One of the most successful franchises is coming back to entertain audiences of all ages. MIB is a $1.6 billion global film franchise and is both recognisable and iconic worldwide. Sony Pictures will release MIB4 in June 2019. The new film is driven by a top team of writers, producers and directors, including visionary producers Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. New to the team is high-octane director F. Gary Gray. The film will feature new recruits and agents, global and international locations, a whole new collection of weapons and vehicles and of course aliens!

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Bestseller Comes to Life in Chaos Walking

Global Lifestyle Sensation - emoji®

In March 2019, Director Doug Liman will bring to the big screen CHAOS WALKING, based on the first book of the bestselling trilogy by award winning novelist Patrick Ness.

Emojis are a universal language - over 6 billion are sent daily through messaging and social media platforms. Inspired by this phenomenon, the emoji company was founded in 2013, creating an iconic lifestyle brand with an unbeatable expressive power.

The sci-fi adventure stars Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley as two unlikely teenage companions forced on a white-knuckle adventure into an unexplored planet – trying to escape and hide in an environment where all thought is heard, all movement seen –as they both discover the truth about the lives they left behind and the spectacular world they’ve learned to call home.

Robin Hood Reimagined In cinemas September 2018, ROBIN HOOD is the legend reimagined with gritty, modern superhero flare, directed by Otto Bathurst and co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.

A war-hardened Crusader Robin Hood (Taron Egerton) and a Moorish commander Little John (Jamie Foxx) mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown in a thrilling actionadventure. The film is packed with gritty battlefield exploits, mind-blowing fight sequences and a timeless romance.

Cult Fan Favourite JOHN WICK is Back for More JOHN WICK is the cult film franchise starring Keanu Reeves as a retired but deadly hitman seeking vengeance.

The first two films were successful both critically and commercially, grossing over $260 million globally.

A third film is currently in development and is set to release in May 2019. A TV series based on the infamous hotel “The Continental” is currently in development.

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Today, the emoji company is registered in all major territories around the globe in up to 25 classes for goods and services. In total, almost 10,000 high vectorized icons have been developed from scratch and filed for copyright protection. Since its launch, emoji® has become a licensing sensation, teaming up with more than 500 partners from all over the world, including high-profile partners including Walmart, Zara, New Era, Nestle, Nikon, Cheetos, Lee, Donut King, Kellogg’s, Dominos Pizza, Krispy Kreme, Penguin Books, Specsavers, Fuji Photo and more.

There is no standing still for the brand. Emoji’s team of in house designers are constantly working on the creation of new icons, patterns and artwork for application across multiple categories. The emoji® brand is a vibrant life style brand that aims to bring joy to consumers while assuring a high quality in both design and production.

Space Invaders Turns 40 In 2018 SPACE INVADERS celebrates 40 years - the world famous classic arcade video game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado was first released in 1978. Hugely successful on release, Space Invaders transformed video games into a global industry. Now a true pop culture brand icon, it is referenced in film and television and features as part of video game and cultural exhibitions.

2017 saw a successful Cotton On program with the brand, encompassing stationary in Typo and a range of women’s tees.

A Cotton On Kids range is set to launch in early 2018.

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary, the Perth Mint will release a limited 1oz silver lenticular coin in impressive miniature console packaging, sure to impress game fans and collectors alike.

Popeye is a Tough Mudder Since his first appearance back in 1929, Popeye the Sailorman has gone from muscular strength to strength and evolved into a symbol of masculinity, strength and independence.

In October 2017, the reluctant hero became one Tough Mudder, teaming up with the world’s best mud run to ‘get strong’ and be ‘strong to the finish.’ Popeye the Sailorman branding popped at flagship Australian Tough Mudder events in Melbourne and Sydney. More than 25,000 participants were met in the mud by Popeye the Sailorman via a threemonth, health-focused integrated campaign across online, including a dedicated training microsite, obstacle course branding and social media platforms.

Betty Boop to Star on Project Runway Betty Boop will appear for the first time in colour on the runway, at this year’s Project Runway All-stars 2018 reality TV series, for a special Betty Boop fashion challenge in the show. Project Runway All-Stars is now airing on Lifetime in the US and will air Internationally in the next couple of months, including Australia.

In late January 2018, street wear label Lazy Oaf partnered with Betty Boop in a streetwear collection for women and men, that consists of 15 pieces, inspired by the original 1930’s cartoons, vintage memorabilia and the very best artwork from an extensive Betty Boop archive.

Gemma Shiel from Lazy Oaf was inspired by Betty as an icon, sexy, sassy, empowering and essentially street smart.

Snugglepot & Cuddlepie Celebrate 100 Years Quintessentially Australian, the delightful tales and bush fantasy world of May Gibbs have been a source of fascination for generations of Australian children. In 2018, her most famous creations Snugglepot and Cuddlepie turn 100 years old.

The 2018 centenary promises to be the year of May Gibbs, encompassing major events and new product releases. Kicking off with an encore release of the sell-out May Gibbs x Kip&Co collection, during the centenary year fans will be treated to a commemorative edition release of The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie from HarperCollins Children’s Books, along with several new May Gibbs inspired story books from Scholastic Australia. Collectables will include stamps and coins, with homewares and apparel collections keeping the many fans smiling. The new products releases will complement the existing range of product including classic wooden toys from Make Me Iconic and premium organic baby skincare from Bubba Organics.

With a highly engaged and growing social community along with the May Gibbs brand website and recently launched May Gibbs Official Online Store, the brand continues to cement its place as an iconic Australian brand that stands the test of time.

Enid Blyton Adored by Fans Young and Old 96 years after her first book was published, the legendary Enid Blyton still sells two million books per year and remains Australia’s 3rd bestselling children’s author.

Following the success of Hachette’s Enid Blyton for Grown-Ups book series, a range of stationery and gift products have launched in the UK. The tongue-in-cheek products appeal to grown-up fans, including humorous gift cards from Danilo and puzzles from Gibsons. With titles such as ‘Five Take a Selfie’ and ‘Five Give Up the Booze’ the products have proven a smash hit. A collection of adult games and mini puzzles from Lagoon launches at Spring Fair in the UK, adding further opportunities to tap into the nostalgic audience of Enid Blyton fans.

In Feb 2018, News Ltd released its Classic Enid Blyton Collection across all its mastheads, with 15 great titles to collect for $3.00 each when you purchased with a newspaper.

Further ranges of stationery, gift and food products will all hit retail shelves this year.

Email us at info@merchantwise.com or call us on +61 (0)3 9520 1000 to discuss your licensing opportunities in Australia & New Zealand

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©1996 Kazuki Takahashi ©2017 NAS • TV TOKYO

yugioh.com

For Australia and New Zealand: Justin Dery, Coverpoint Marketing • jdery@coverpoint.com.au • +61 2 82032734 For all other territories excluding Asia: Jennifer Coleman, 4K Media • jcoleman@4kmedia.com • +1.212.590.2120

©1996 Kazuki Takahashi

IT’S TIME TO DUEL!

For Australia and New Zealand: Justin Dery, Coverpoint Marketing • jdery@coverpoint.com.au • +61 2 82032734 For all other territories excluding Asia: Jennifer Coleman, 4K Media • jcoleman@4kmedia.com • +1.212.590.2120 yugioh.com

Fan-Favourite Yu-Gi-Oh! Brand Takes Australia by Storm A true global phenomenon, the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand celebrates 17 years of amassing a fervent following that continues to flourish with each new series and expansion. To date, fans have engaged with more than 800 Yu-Gi-Oh! TV episodes, downloaded the Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links mobile game more than 60 million times, supported the brand at the box office and purchased over 25.1 billion units of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME (TCG)!

And with a robust slate of new Yu-Gi-Oh! content, games and merchandise in the pipeline, the brand’s future success looks just as bright.

It should be no surprise that in Australia – a strong market for the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand – things are really heating up. On the broadcast side, three different Yu-Gi-Oh! series currently air on 9Go!, Nine Network’s free-to-air digital television multichannel.

“Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters” and “Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL” enjoy regular broadcasts, and Season 3 of “Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V” premiered in November 2017.

“Such TV success and broad exposure have been key in Australia, allowing younger generations to find Yu-Gi-Oh! and discover the trading card game, which continues to be THE driver for the brand at retail – both at specialty and in the mass market,” said Jennifer Coleman, Vice President, Licensing & Marketing for 4K Media, the Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. subsidiary that manages the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand outside of Asia.

In addition to exposure on television, the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG, which is managed worldwide by Konami Digital Entertainment, historically has been the most active way fans interact with the brand off-screen. Driving the TCG distribution and sales efforts for Konami Digital Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand are distribution partners Banter Toys & Collectibles and Ikon Collectibles. Both companies have supported Yu-Gi-Oh! for years in the territory and have had success placing the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG at major retailers such as Kmart, Toys R Us, Target, Big W, EB Games and Coles, as well as smaller independents like Good Games and Gametraders.

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“We’re very pleased with the strong distribution we’ve been able to secure for the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG in Australia,” said Kris Thompson, CEO of Banter Toys & Collectibles, “Fans are excited for the highly anticipated release of Flames of Destruction Yu-GiOh! TRADING CARD GAME. With the current brand exposure, we believe placement will keep growing among both new consumers and those who have already been collecting for some time.”

Extreme Force, the first 100-card booster set of the year, features a number of powerful cards that duelists can add to any deck, as well as brand new strategies and individual cards to bolster old favorites, like Noble Knights.

Australia’s successful sales of the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG have also spelled growth in Organized Play (OP) activities for the brand, with a robust schedule of tournament events taking place at Official Tournament Stores (OTS) throughout the region. To date, there are some 120 OP retailers across Australia, a number that has more than doubled in seven years.

“The Organized Play events that happen in store are a tremendous way for fans to interact with the Yu-Gi-Oh! brand, and more importantly, each other” said John Howard, CEO of Ikon Collectables. “In this digital age where folks are always looking at their phone screen, these events give youth a chance to play, talk and truly engage face-to-face outside the world of social media.”

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG is available to play across all major cities in Australia, including rural areas. Depending on the type of event, player participation can range from a dozen at smaller local events up to a thousand at a Yu-Gi-Oh! Championship Series event, which is held annually in Sydney or Melbourne. Beyond giving players a pathway to the World Championships (the world’s pinnacle event for Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG competitors), regional tournaments offer fun incentives – such as special mats, electronic prizes, sneak-peeks and more – for fans and players that keeps them engaged with the brand and coming back for more.

Another channel that extends the Yu-Gi-Oh! experience to its fans is through the widely popular mobile game, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links. Players take part in competitive card battle action by unlocking characters from the original anime series, building the ultimate deck with iconic cards, and battling players from all over the world. Updated regularly with new content, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links offers players a fresh and quick way to battle other players around the world, while on-the-go.

What can Australian Yu-Gi-Oh! fans look forward to next? In the coming months, new Yu-GiOh! merchandise will be available from a number of licensees. Among the highlights include: headwear, sleepwear, footwear, electronic accessories and fleece throws from Bioworld; branded mugs and posters from GB Eye; a line of stylized vinyl collectible figures and other related products from Funko; collectible figurines from Kotobukiya; figma figures and figurines from The Good Smile Company; Kawaii Cube Collections from Tastemakers (formerly Wish Holdings); a line of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and Super Deformed electronic phone covers and cases from Caseable; and a distinctive collectibles line available exclusively at GameStop.

Additionally, Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG fans will get to experience the Lost Art promotion in Australian stores. Players who spend a minimum of $45 on the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG will receive an exclusive artwork card that has never been released before in the TCG collection. Kicking off in March, the promotion will run six months and offer Australian fans a new card to collect each month.

From the content side, fans will be able to continue to engage with the brand on multiple screens. The sixth animated television series, “Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS” will debut in 2018. This Spring, the digitally remastered version of the original 2004 feature film, “Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie,” launches internationally for a limited theatrical event followed by digital and DVD release. Also, new exciting updates are planned for Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Links in the coming months, enhancing the mobile gaming experience for fans.

“Yu-Gi-Oh! has experienced tremendous growth in the Australia and New Zealand regions over the past five years,” said Peter Stone, Business Director, TCG Business, Konami Digital Entertainment Europe. “We are thrilled with fan and player support, and intend to continue working closely with our distribution and retailer networks as well as 4K Media to further provide our fans with the interactions and products they enjoy.”

For more information about the Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise and its related licensing and distribution opportunities, contact Jennifer Coleman at 4K Media via jcoleman@4kmedia.com or Satis Patel at Coverpoint Marketing via satis@coverpoint.com.au

For information regarding the Yu-Gi-Oh! TRADING CARD GAME, contact Peter Stone at Konami Digital Entertainment via pstone@konami.com

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OPPORTUNITIES AVAIL ABLE NOW AQUAMAN and all related characters and elements © & ™ DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s18)

NEW DOCTOR, NEW TEAM, NEW ADVENTURES. OVER 11 HOURS OF NEW CONTENT IN SPRING 2018.

NEW EVERGREEN STYLEGUIDE AND LICENSING PROGRAM. For licensing enquiries, contact LCP.Licensing.Australia@bbc.com

Doctor Who logo © 2009 and TM BBC. Licensed by BBC Worldwide Ltd

A new era begins...

BBC WORLDWIDE

Australia & New Zealand Feature Market Wrap Update

2018 is set to be an exciting year for BBC Worldwide ANZ in the Licensing Space!

Doctor Who

Ahead of the highly anticipated series 11 launch this year, Jodie Whittaker made her debut as the first female Doctor in the Christmas Special - Twice Upon a Time. The special attracted 500,000 (consolidated) viewers on ABC, and 150,000 fans attended the cinema screening. With the exciting new era ahead for Doctor Who, BBC Worldwide ANZ (BBCW ANZ) has signed a host of licensing deals with new and existing partners.

Leading the charge at retail are Ikon Collectables with launch plans across S11 toys, new Pop Vinyl and figurines based on the Mr. Men/Doctor Who collaboration. Other best in class licensees include Impact Posters (stationery), NZ Mint (Legal Tender Coins), Loungefly (accessories) and Caprice (Apparel) to name a few.

BBC Earth

Blue Planet II, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, is set to premiere on Channel Nine on Saturday 17th February at 7pm!

Blue Planet II launched in the UK last year attracting an audience of 14.4 million (consolidated) viewers, making it the most watched program on British television for 2017.

Over 140 images from the series have been cleared for licensee use, featuring an incredible array of aquatic animals and an exclusive look into Earth’s hidden watery vistas.

Go Jetters

Series Two launched on ABCKids in November 2017, with the Jetters learning about science and geography including facts about storms, how to use a map, wind power and recycling.

This additional narrative brings opportunities through new vehicles, costumes and science-based product. So far in 2018, Go Jetters has been ABCKids’s sixth highest rating programme.

In the live space, fans can meet the disco-grooving Ubercorn via new costume character partner, Showtime Attractions.

Hey Duggee

2017 was a big year for Duggee with The Hey Duggee Cinema Experience playing at 80 cinemas across Australia, two BAFTAs and an international Emmy® added to the trophy cabinet, over 1 billion views across streaming platforms in China, the series expanding to cover 150 territories and a third series commissioned and expected to air at the end of 2018.

In Australia, BBCW ANZ has renewed the toy, plush and tableware license with Jasnor Australia and signed up new partners Winning Moves for Junior Guess Who & Top Trumps and Designworks Clothing Company for infant apparel. Now supported by Big W, Toys ‘R’ Us, Myer, ABC Shop Online and Coles, there will be new product available throughout the year.

Top Gear

Top Gear returns this year to 9GO; featuring more of what fans love - mates, motoring and mucking about. Matt, Chris and Rory are back and ready to tackle all four-wheeled challenges with comedy, commitment and the occasional mild crash. With a strong history in licensed gift, apparel and car care, the new series offers an array of licensing opportunities.

Brigid Roberts, Manager of Licensing and Sponsorship said: “It’s a big year for our brand portfolio and we look forward to working with our licensees and partners on new and exciting products.”

For licensing enquiries, contact; LCP.Licensing.Australia@bbc.com

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Contact us on info@vimwood.com.au for more information on other products and licenses available for distribution

FEATURE INTERVIEW

Mark Kingston & Claire O’Connor

Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products

The Bugg Report was able to catch up with Mark & Claire prior to the Australian Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair to learn all about the latest news from Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products (NVCP) and get an update on the both the global business and what is happening down-under!

Mark Kingston Sr. Vice President, NVCP, Viacom Int’l Media Networks Mark, what does your new role involve at NVCP? In my new role, l now oversee all of Viacom’s consumer products business outside of the United States across retail, operations, licensing, promotions and marketing.

Mark, what excites you for 2018/2019 and byond at NVCP? I’m most excited about the continued strength of our portfolio and in particular, our strength in pre-school. The new themes coming through to support the PAW Patrol franchise look incredible and with Rusty Rivets and Shimmer and Shine continuing to build momentum, we are consolidating our position as the number one licensor in pre-school.

We also have a brand new property launching into the preschool space with Top Wing. This show follows a team of eager young birds as they work together to help their island community, go on amazing adventures and earn their wings as full-feathered rescue birds. We’ll have a new product line inspired by the show debuting at retail in the U.S. this holiday season, followed by international markets in Spring 2019.

2019 will also be the year of Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as we support this franchise with various stunts and marketing campaigns, and roll-out the franchise’s new theme and styles into broader categories.

Finally, I’m really excited about England winning the Rugby World Cup in 2019!!!

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What are the key benefits to a globally focused business?

We are committed to building franchises from the ground up, and we’re now doing this with our most global outlook ever. Being more focused globally allows us to accelerate our speed to market on new franchises, and use the scale of our global organisation to provide even more creative solutions and resources to support our local markets.

What new trends have you seen emerging in both Hong Kong and Nuremberg recently?

The collectibles trend is as hot as it’s ever been in the last five years and with the number of ranges I’ve seen recently, retailers might need to consider an aisle dedicated to collectibles. The art of buying will be in spotting those collectibles that are creating the right buzz and connectivity with kids today.

Slime, squeezable foam and putty are also big trends coming out of the fairs and while some of these may be shorter-lived trends than others, I believe that there is an opportunity to extend these trends into a more permanent business with the appropriate marketing, merchandising and branding. It’s also clear that the impact of social media and influencers is starting to filter into the toy and licensing industry, as witnessed by our own success with JoJo Siwa, and we see this as a trend that is set to continue and become a mainstay in the industry.

Claire O’Connor Vice President, Consumer Products and Retail Marketing, Asia Pacific

A year on and what is happening across the APAC region?

PAW Patrol is now beginning to resonate across Asia and we are seeing big demand in China for all things PAW Patrol. We’ve had the show repeat on CCTV three times in the last year and across the region the ratings continue to grow. Last month we took out the 2017 Young Property of the Year Asia Licensing Award in Hong Kong and we are currently celebrating the Year of the Dog with a fantastic PAW Patrol Chinese New Year inspired styleguide. SpongeBob SquarePants continues to dominate across Asia and we are heading to Malaysia for our fourth SpongeBob Gold fashion collaboration.

Here in Australia & New Zealand, we have a Hungry Jacks SpongeBob Gold promotion running from May and the premiums are the best I’ve seen from a collectibles point of view. Added to this we’ve had two major wins in the kids 5-12 space with social media phenomenon JoJo Siwa, and the massive current trend of Slime which is gathering momentum across Asia. It’s been an incredible year learning all about Asian cultures and deepening my understanding of the retail and TV landscapes, which are very different to ANZ. Dora the Explorer is still a vital part of our licensing programme across Asia with a very strong publishing programme in China that continues to grow.

into boys, we are incredibly excited for the re-launch of our beloved Turtles franchise with Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hitting screens in late 2018, with more news to come there.

Our partnership with multi-talented social media sensation JoJo Siwa also continues to resonate with young girls across Australia, New Zealand and the globe. Young girls have taken JoJo and her pet dog Bow Bow to their hearts, and we will continue to expand our ranges and announce exciting new projects with JoJo in the coming months. And finally, what would Nickelodeon be without Slime? Nickelodeon and Slime are synonymous, and we have an amazing range of new Slime based products hitting the shelves later this year.

What does the annual Melbourne Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair mean to NVCP? We love this show and it is a pivotal annual event for us.

We get to spend time with our great Australian & New Zealand licensees, review product, experience the constant development and innovation these companies generate with global success. We benefit from having time with our all important retail customers and being able to spend time on the stands with them and our licensees where we directly hear new ideas and opportunities to drive successful franchise launches over the coming 12-months. Plus we get to host our annual NVCP Upfront - always on the second day of the show and definitely one not to be missed! www.nick.com.au

What’s coming up for NVCP here in ANZ? The second half of 2018 looks very exciting and jam-packed for NVCP with continued support for the number one pre-school property PAW Patrol, with new themes including Mighty Pups, Ultimate Rescue and matching toy ranges from our partners at Spin Master. Also upcoming is the launch of Rusty Rivets toys from our partners at Spin Master, along with secondary categories rolling out through second half 2018 and first half 2019. Our hit pre-school girls show Shimmer and Shine continues going from strength to strength with Season 3 now on air and the launch of Season 4 - Zahramay Skies - in Quarter 4 debuting the Zahracorns toy range from Fisher Price. Moving

www.buggreport.com.au

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ABC KIDS

FEATURE MARKET WRAP UPDATE

THE ABC’S BELOVED BANANAS IN PYJAMAS TURNED 25 IN 2017 2018 IS ANOTHER BIG YEAR FOR ABC KIDS PROPERTIES

To celebrate this milestone in the life of Australia’s most famous pyjama duo, the Royal Australian Mint hosted a ‘bananarific’ meet-and-greet with B1 and B2 and launched the Mint’s collectible two coin set featuring the Bananas in Pyjamas and their friends. Jasnor released a 60 centimetre tall cuddle plush, as tall as some of the children playing with it, along with a collector box set. With Designworks creating both kids and adult special anniversary edition costume pyjamas grownups didn’t miss out on the fun! There was a stamp pack with Australia Post, new novelty publishing by The Five Mile Press, personalised products from OzSale, an album of the Bananas 50 best songs through ABC Music and an anniversary collection on DVD. Giggle & Hoot continues to be a favourite for girls and boys on ABC KIDS in Australia and is now available to the rest of the world with the launch of a global Giggle and Hoot YouTube channel, bringing a range of curated content from the acclaimed ABC KIDS series to the streaming platform. Since launch, the channel has had over one million views and over three million minutes of watch time – a hootastic result!

In 2017 Play School Story Time first broadcast on ABC KIDS. Story Time is a delightful new Play School series featuring some of Australia’s most loved celebrities as they snuggle up on the Story Time couch and read entertaining picture books written by Australian authors. It is a wonderful addition to the much loved evergreen property that Australians continue to grow up with as an essential part of their childhood.

Hot off the press is the launch of the Play School Wheel in ABC KIDS WORLD at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. The Play School Wheel is the hottest new addition for pre-school aged children and features six colourful carriages, each themed with Play School’s favourite toys including Humpty Dumpty, Jemima, Big Ted, Little Ted and Joey, giving children the chance to spin with their favourite Play School characters. Dreamworld’s ABC KIDS WORLD is currently home to nine ABC KIDS themed rides and attractions appealing to pre-school aged children and their families.

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In 2018, ABC Licensing is thrilled to announce new partnerships with licensees to expand ABC KIDS properties into further categories for Play School, Giggle & Hoot and Bananas in Pyjamas.

Amscan, the largest designer, manufacturer and distributor of decorated party goods and party accessories in the world, has come on board to develop a range of party goods and kids costumes. We are thrilled to be working with them and know that pre-schoolers will love theming their parties.

MJM Australia Imports join as our puzzles and games licensee. We are eagerly awaiting the fantastic range of products they will be producing which will extend the imaginative world for pre-schoolers to learn, play and explore with their favourite characters.

GameOn Product Group will launch a new category for ABC KIDS with a personal care range starting with pocket tissues, hand sanitiser, bandages and wet wipes – products we are sure will be in high demand for those looking after pre-schoolers.

The Five Mile Press continue to expand on their engaging range of novelty publishing with some new additions including Book & Mobile Gift Set, Origami Book, Pull Tab Books and a Giant Floor Puzzle & Book in a handy carry case, and OzSale, through Identity Direct are continuing to develop and rollout an extensive range of personalised products including backpacks, clocks, labels and height charts.

To support the product releases for ABC KIDS that encompass these properties (Play School, Giggle & Hoot and Bananas in Pyjamas) is the new ABC KIDS Packaging and Retail Guidelines which now allows for the characters to feature together in POS and on shelf.

In addition, further assets will be released in the first half of 2018 for Play School and Giggle & Hoot, building on the incredible breadth of assets already available for these properties – and with Hootogadget joining Giggle & Hoot in 2017, we know kids will love seeing a new range of colourful designs featuring the Owl Pals!

2018 has kicked off with a bang for ABC Licensing and we can’t wait to see the wonderful new product offerings for pre-schoolers to compliment the quality range already available through our licensing partners.

If you are interested in discussing opportunities to join the ABC KIDS licensing program or are a retailer wanting to hear more about the strength and reach of the programs and the current licensees, we are eager to have a conversation with you and welcome your interest! To do so, please contact Wendy de Thame at ABC Commercial via email at; dethame.wendy@abc.net.au

www.buggreport.com.au

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Sparkle and shine with My Little Pony!

Explore the magic of friendship with Twilight Sparkle and the ponies as they enjoy magical adventures throughout Equestria! Š 2018 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.

This exciting range of books and kits will motivate and encourage li le ones as they colour, learn and grow with Thomas and his friends! Learn about numbers, le ers and first words with board books and floor puzzles, learn about time with Right on Time, understand emotions with How are you feeling Thomas? and discover a colourful world of adventure with Thomas colouring books?

™

The Amazing Science! line of products has been designed to peak kids’ curiosity for the world around them. These kits encourage discovery and exploration in a way that will get science talk to the dinner table. Teach kids how to be amazing as they show their friends and family what they’ve learned from Amazing Science!

Steve Spangler’s Insta-Snow® powder is the first and original instant snow polymer that actually erupts. No stirring required. Just add water and watch it erupt into snow in seconds. Don’t settle for imitation snow that results in a slushy mess, get the original artificial snow that has appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Tonight Show, and more!

From the creative brains at Steve Spangler Science comes an online sensation that takes the coolest science experiences to the next level.

With over 100 million views, the insanely popular SICK Science videos challenge inquisitive minds to wonder, discover and explore.

Now you can create your own sick science experiences at home that are guaranteed to get Melbourne Toy, Hobby oohs & ahhs!

& Licensing Fair 2018 Hinkler Stand # D21 Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre – 1 Convention Centre Pl, South Wharf VIC 3006 4 March – 7 March

Email Jason Roberts jason.roberts@hinkler.com.au

FEATURE INTERVIEW

Meagan Sanders | The Walt Disney Company Entertainment Giant Disney Moves to Richmond

The Walt Disney Company recently moved into brand new offices in Richmond; shifting from the Como Centre in South Yarra where they have been located for more than 20 years now. The move will see another chapter open and a fresh new environment to work from for the Australian & New Zealand operation.

We met with Meagan Sanders, VP & GM Disney Consumer Products & Retail Australia & New Zealand prior to the Melbourne Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair in March. We were interested to speak to Meagan about the Disney business in Australia & New Zealand towards the end of last year and what is in store for 2018. The Australian retail landscape has changed dramatically over recent years and this has presented many new challenges for all brand owners. We began by asking Meagan about the evolving tech product segment, which is developing around the Star Wars franchise...

Meagan, the shift upwards in the market towards a range of hi-tech robots, drones and the like from Sphero and Propel is very interesing. Can you tell us a little about this emerging new market for Disney?

It’s an area that we are really excited by, as it’s such an authentic and rich territory for our brands. Star Wars has always championed new technologies and heralded innovations that are starting to emerge in the modern world. Today’s Consumer Electronics products have in many ways been inspired by the technology we have seen on our screens in a galaxy far, far away, sparking the creation of amazing, real-world toys including UBTECH, Little Bits and Sphero. It’s just a really exciting time to watch what was previously only ever imagined, come to life before our eyes.

How did the second half of 2017 look for Disney from your point of view, from a consumer products standpoint?

It really felt like the second half 2017 opened an exciting new chapter. We kicked off the period with our Cars 3 launch, which saw this franchise jump into the number one NPD position within days of the product hitting shelves. This was followed by Force Friday 2 which saw Star Wars reclaiming its number one brand position with such an inventive range of products, everything from tech infused toys like LittleBits to artist collaborations on designer tees with Radio Velvet.

The success of Moana has shown that the modern princesses continue to resonate strongly with our fans - and in turn proving impossible to keep in stock. Thor dominated in the superhero stakes, creating another wave of Marvel excitement at retail in November. All in all Disney ended 2017 with the top 4 movies of the year. We are thrilled with how our content connected and how our brands performed at retail, testament to how we continue to capture the hearts and imaginations of kids.

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What are your priority movie releases towards mid-2018?

It’s such a huge start to 2018. We kick off with our next installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther.

Early reviews indicate that this is really resonating with fans, and we are already seeing strong results at retail. Marvel steps up again with the epic Avengers: Infinity War out late April.

This film is in another league. It is the culmination of 10 years of storytelling across the 18 films that came before it and it brings together the largest cast of heroes we have ever seen.

The first trailer broke all records with an incredible 230 million views in the first 24 hours. This is one of the biggest consumer product lines we have ever brought together, across a number of consumer segments demonstrating the true elasticity of the Marvel brand. Next up we have a Star Wars origin film, Solo. This film is a heist style family adventure that reveals the backstory on fan favourites Han Solo and Chewbacca. We also get to see the Millennium Falcon in all its original glory. We round out the half with one of the most anticipated sequels from the Pixar studios, Incredibles 2. There’s been a real groundswell of excitement to welcome the Incredibles back, especially for Helen (Elastigirl) who will be out saving the world in the upcoming sequel while Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is left to care for Jack-Jack.

Where do you see the new opportunities for your business coming from as we launch into 2018?

One of the major developments of last year was seeing our partners explore the elasticity of the Disney brands in really interesting ways. Whether it was Beauty and the Beast fashion capsules with Mink Pink, Storm Trooper Garden Gnomes at Bunnings, or Talk Disney to me themed capsules at Typo, we saw great outcomes when working closely with partners to deliver products that genuinely surprise and delight.

The mass retail space, which is occupied by Kmart, Big W and Target, has shown significant volatility over recent years. How do you see licensed merchandise being consumed by these retailers in 2018?

It really forces all of us to hold ourselves accountable to a greater level of efficiency and increased thoughtfulness in where and how we partner. These kinds of disciplines can only be good for the industry, and will support our flourishing business in the next phase of retail evolution. But ultimately it comes down to our brand building disciplines - if we know

our audience, nail an authentic proposition and create connections in a time, place and way that drive demand, the value of our brands speaks for themselves.

Will we see more collaborations similar to The Avengers Station, which Kylie Watson-Wheeler launched with the Victorian Government in Melbourne happening in 2018?

We currently find ourselves in an experience economy where customers are demanding and consuming experiences at a much greater rate than traditional products. Experiences are a really natural extension of Disney story telling so we will continue to explore opportunities that allow us to bring the DNA of our brands to life.

What’s on the horizon for Pixar & Disney Animation?

While Incredibles 2 is already sending fans and pop culture enthusiasts into a tailspin of anticipation, there is also already huge buzz building for Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, Disney’s big Boxing Day release for 2018.

It’s the return of cult favourite Ralph, with the huge creative canvas that is the Internet and pop culture references that are really hysterical. And there is a little film called Toy Story 4 just around the corner in 2019.

You have recently relocated from South Yarra to Richmond. Now that you have settled in, what will the new surroundings add to your business?

It certainly makes it easier to work with some of our great partners that are literally on our doorstep. We’re incredibly fortunate to have a new space in Richmond that has been designed to meet our growing needs. It’s truly a beautifully designed, fit-for-purpose office space.

Meagan, what direction will you take for the hugely successful Disney Princess franchise in 2018?

2017 was the biggest year for Disney Princess at retail yet, and 2018 is looking to be our most important. We are currently embarking on a campaign called “Proud to be a Princess.” We believe a Princess can conquer anything and proudly stays true to who she is. Terms like “toughen up princess” are often used in the Australian vernacular, which doesn’t reflect the positive attributes our Princesses possess, and implies that they are “weak or high-maintenance.” We believe that we should be raising our little girls to be their own heroes. As a result of this thinking, we have recruited an incredible group of inspiring young women to be ambassadors for the Disney Princess from the sport, arts, business and technology communities and together we plan to reframe the conversation around Princess to an exclusively positive one.

After the relentless focus on global expos, commencing with Hong Kong in January, London, Germany and New York, it will be good to focus on our domestic market during early March. Disney will no doubt figure heavily in conversation around the toy and licensing planning for the coming year.

What advice can you provide to the industry for engaging Disney in discussions during the Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair in March?

There is so much change afoot and we can absorb a lot from just listening and learning from each other’s experiences.

Thanks Meagan, we hope to see you at the Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair to see how the Disney business is progressing and we wish you and your team all the best for this year!

www.buggreport.com.au

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TOY HOBBY & LICENSING FAIR Feature Interview with Andrew Skinner President of the Australian Toy Association

Andrew Skinner was recently elected to serve his second term as President of the Australian Toy Association. As we approach the 2018 Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair in Melbourne, we wanted to speak personally with Andrew to listen to his views on the fair, the toy industry at large and we asked him to update us on the year ahead.

Andrew, what are the Australian Toy Association’s core platforms for your members to be aware of?

• Toy safety and compliance • Promoting the value of play and of course; toys • Representing our industry to the public and at a government/bureaucrat level • Being the mouthpiece & earpiece for the Australian Toy Industry globally through our participation with ICTI • A successful Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair, annually The Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair is the annual showcase event for the Australian Toy Association. Can you touch on this years fair, it’s overall importance to the association and what the future holds?

I think the Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair is in really healthy shape right now. Some important highlights for this year are the selling-out of all stands and the return of Mattel, as both an exhibitor and featuring a concourse display. We have also been able to achieve a sell-out of “Market Alley”, in its new location, between Hasbro and Toyworld. Our four major sponsors for this years Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair are; Entertainment One, Nickeldeon, Hasbro and LIMA Australia. Entertainment One will be supporting us with show bags and lanyards, Nickelodeon will again sponsor the entrance feature, Hasbro will sponsor our Gala Dinner which helps us keep ticket prices down and to ensure it is the “go-to” event and of course LIMA Australia, whose annual breakfasts are now a Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair highlight. It’s also a good segway to mention LIMA Australia’s support of the Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair and the toy industry in general, which is one of the most significant pieces of good news for us all in the toy industry. We thank LIMA Australia and Tony Bugg for this support.

The toy industry is an important conduit in terms of a connection mechanism with the community. From your standpoint what lies ahead for toys?

Despite the constantly changing world around us with so much growth in “tech” for communication, games and screen viewing, toys remain a safe haven for children. I believe this will continue as parents realise their importance as a tool for stimulation of play, interaction and sharing, as opposed to a child having their head in an iPad all day. Tech toys will come and go and re-invent of course, but there will always be a place for traditional toys where kids can role -play with dolls and

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dress-ups, collect action figures, cuddle plush and of course fall in love with cartoons and their associated merchandise.

The state of retail plays an important role in the health of the industry at large. How do you read the market leading into 2018 and beyond?

I’m probably a little “out-of-area” here as I don’t work in that space from day-to-day. But I see the big chain stores continuing to be tough on suppliers, always seeking an elusive edge over their competitors. I see an on-going role for the independents stocking ranges at a level that doesn’t see them having to match the chains and offering service and advice that customers so often want but can’t get at a chain store. I see Amazon, obviously the elephant in the room, in the short-term as simply another sales channel, but in the longer-term something more; I’m not sure what. Australia has been pretty slow to adopt online shopping compared to the rest of the world, but there is no doubt that once we get the delivery channels right, more and more Australians will gravitate to it one way or another. And I am sure Amazon will be an important part of the retail landscape in the future here in Australia.

Does the industry as a whole need to step up and be better/ more committed to face the challenges of a market that is changing on a daily basis?

I don’t think so. I feel the industry is responding to international pressure to get rid of the production sweatshops. And to make use of more environmentally friendly materials. I don’t see a lot of irresponsible Toy Companies doing things that are bad for children. When I hear at ICTI the views of toy industry leaders from the US, UK, France and even China, I think the Industry is taking a very positive responsible position globally.

What’s your focus for 2018 and beyond?

We have just had a board refresh and I am pleased to say that there’s some great new faces; Meagan Sanders from Disney, James Thurlow from Jasnor, Andrew Lee from Goliath and Ricardo Donoso from Hasbro have all joined the board in the last 12 months. It gives us great new opinions, energy and thoughtfulness to be shared around the board table. Of course there is still lots of work to be done on a daily basis, and as a board we are particularly blessed right now because we have a very stable and capable administration team led by Gabby Anderson along with Alice Shields, Jenny Maes and Shannon

Hudspith. It means the board can focus on the big picture rather than worrying about actioning the hard work! We’ll be relaunching the Value of Play with a new website and we’ve managed to collaborate with the US Toy Association to access their Genius of Play resources. The Genius of Play is a robust public campaign in USA and they are sharing with us many of their research and social media resources. Naturally we want to conduct a successful Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair and build on the success of the mid-year Toy Preview in Sydney. We have to ensure our member offering is compelling and we need to make sure all member companies are aware of the resources the Australian Toy Association provides to them.

What were the highlights from 2017 for you?

2017 was a great year! We had a sell-out Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair and a sell-out Gala Dinner at which we launched the inaugural Australian Toy Association Rising Star Award. I am hoping this award will become as coveted as the Hall of Fame in it’s own way, recognising our future industry stars. We conducted a highly successful mid year Toy Preview in Sydney and the Australian Toy Association hosted the ICTI World Congress in Sydney and it was an amazing highlight; it was a huge amount of work for David Hendy and Gabby Anderson, but I felt very proud because when the spotlight was on Australia, the Australian Toy Association shone brightly.

Underlining these activities we remained fiscally responsible with a moderate surplus for the year.

Can you talk about Sydney’s mid-year Toy Preview?

The 2017 Toy Preview showed there was an appetite for this event. There’s a new venue, Rydges Parramatta, slightly larger spaces than 2017 and it will be held on 27th and 28th June. More space for exhibitors, many of which are already sold and I expect this will build into something really useful for many suppliers to have the opportunity to present ranges they did not have in March, and to resubmit items that may have further evolved in the intervening three months; I think this is a really great Australian Toy Association initiative but I want to reassure members that the Australian Toy Association is not intending for this to become a second Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair. It needs to “wash it’s face” for the association but not become a debilitating cost for the exhibitors to go there.

Yes, it’s great to have Mattel back on board and as I said, they’ve taken exhibition space inside the Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair and are also building a Concourse Display. So the “Big Three”; Mattel, Hasbro and Lego are all on board! I can only encourage retailers to make appointments for the Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair. Many of the larger exhibitors need appointments to streamline the traffic flow.

How do you see the industry gaining a higher profile against it’s competition ?

I think the toy industry is honest enough to understand there are significant pressures on consumers to channel their disposable income into diverse areas. Be it take away meals, sports, cinema, gaming devices, holidays, clothes or toys.

Initiatives such as the Value of Play, if pushed out properly, will remind parents why they need to include toys in their shopping baskets and will make them feel good about activating play in their childrens’ lives. Finally I’m pretty comfortable with where the association is headed with a refreshed board, a competent stable administration, great consultative team, strong ideals and the ability to activate them. Association members should at all times feel entitled to discuss industry issues with the board and administration. Our board is 100% voluntary and always acting with the interests of our membership. For me, it is a pleasure to serve.

Andrew, you have been very insightful. Hopefully with all of the activities which are on show at this years Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair, we will see even more retailers and executives from associated industries taking the time to attend.

I understand Mattel will return to the fair this year. This must be good news?

www.buggreport.com.au

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RUBIE’S DEERFIELD

POSITIVE ABOUT DRESSUP!

Article by Peter Warton, CEO Rubie’s Deerfield

We speak with the CEO of Rubie’s Deerfield here in Australia about the dress-up and party business in Australia & New Zealand. Rubie’s is the global market leader in the dress up category and is planning for the future.

The company is scheduled to move into a new hi-tech home in Cheltenham in Victoria towards the middle of the year. This will see the full consolidation of the business under one roof and see them benefit from the economies of scale that this move will provide. As the market continues to evolve Rubie’s is working on initiatives that will put it in front of the consumer across all touch points.

Pete, to begin with how did 2017 end up for your business?

2017 was filled with surprises. We operate in such a content rich environment which makes for quite the rollercoaster ride.

Flexibility and an ability to meet the market where it is and with what it ‘wants’ is key. We did a pretty good job of that last year.

We understand that you have identified an opportunity for Rubie’s to leverage the global and local development of generic dress up ranges to compliment your significant licensed portfolio. Can you tell us a little about your plans?

This is not a local initiative, it comes from the top. Mr Beige, President of Rubie’s Character Costumes, empowered a very talented designer to develop what I can only describe as a magnificent modernisation of the Rubie’s non-licensed portfolio.

Rubie’s is very fortunate to have so many blue chip license partners who trust in our ability to develop compelling and relevant product to promote characters and brands. Conversely, we have spent decades building the trust of our retail partners.

Licensed goods by nature are expensive. We feel perhaps that retailers with an interest in costumes may perceive Rubie’s as a little on the expensive side. This year, Rebecca Sullivan and her product team here in Australia have put together a wonderful selection of non-licensed goods, drawn predominantly from the USA-developed Opus Collection. The balance of content, design and pricing is exceptional.

Pete, infringement on IP is a global challenge. We have recently learnt that Rubie’s has moved to set up a global Anti-Piracy unit inside of Rubie’s headed by Mike O’Connell.

He has great experience in this area. Can you tell us a little about this very important move?

We are a consumer facing business. Our success is predicated on our ability to ensure our product range meets consumer expectations, where they are and on their terms. The consumer does not need to know who Rubie’s is, however they do need to trust in the legitimacy, quality and providence of the purchase

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of a licensed character costume. Counterfeit costumes that bear Rubie’s image IP and moreover character license IP are extremely damaging to all stakeholders. Aside from the many commercial implications to legitimate retailers and licensors, Rubie’s, safety compliance and product quality standards are compromised. For example, a parent reasonably attributes a high level of trust to the purchase of a licensed character costume. One expects it to be ‘safe’ and to meet a certain quality standard. Counterfeit goods risk eroding that trust and quality expectation of a licensed character costume purchase. Rubie’s is vigilantly moving forward with an aggressive anti-piracy strategy to protect its business.

Product development is the lifeblood of costuming. We see you have recently added a new member to your team. Will we continue to see more local development coming out of the business here in Australia?

Absolutely! Despite its very close ties with and its access to the fantastic global Rubie’s portfolio, Rubie’s Deerfield maintains a vertically integrated organisation. We love to develop products tailored to the Australian and New Zealand consumer from the power house portfolios of Disney, Warner Bros, Nickelodeon and Hasbro. We are also always on the lookout for local opportunities. The team routinely identify and act on local license opportunities. Our design team is first class. We are nimble, innovative and have a healthy appetite for risk. Check out the PJ Masks, Qantas and Wiggles portfolio of costumes, I love them.

In terms of the year ahead, what are the three major priorities for the business?

Speed is everything. KPI’s 1, 2 & 3 revolve around speed.

Develop products quickly and efficiently (with minimum fuss).

What’s hot today may not be tomorrow. Tighten production lead times and maintain a flexible production resource - minimise production days. Order in order out. Wholesale orders = 48 hours, fulfilment orders = 24 hours. Ok there’s a fourth and very important Operations KPI... Be where the consumer is. Don’t leave a sale to chance. It’s our job to engage the consumer and provide access to product.

We noted with great interest the launch of your brand new Qantas kids costume range. Can you tell us a little about how this came about?

What a wonderful privilege it is to work with such an iconic Australian brand. It all started at Toy Fair 2017 where we had the opportunity to meet with a contractor to Qantas. Our

team worked really hard to develop a product line and what a fantastic result we achieved. If you get the chance, take a look at the beautiful promotional piece put together by our friends at QANTAS. Check it out on YouTube, just search Rubie’s Costumes Australia and you’ll find it. Sales have really taken off - pardon the pun!

Two of the more significant seasonal events in your year are Book Week and Halloween. What themes will you be projecting for 2018?

We love the event calendar schedule here in Australia. The children’s Book Week event in August grows every year and provides such a wonderful opportunity for children of all ages to get active and have fun with role play. As with other years the theme is very open - 2018’s theme is “Find Your Treasure”.

While the likes of Peter Pan and Jake And The Neverland Pirates come to mind, literacy week inspires imagination in all children, so keep an eye out for Harry Potter, all your favourite Disney characters, Superheroes, My Little Pony, PJ Masks and even the Wiggles.

And then on we bounce into Halloween - the growing familyfriendly event in Australia and New Zealand. Diversity is the key here. This is where the expansive and on trend Rubie’s Portfolio really comes to the fore. We are truly appreciative of the strong partnerships forged with retailers over many years. Together we deliver to consumers a fun, quality and fashion forward product to celebrate the spirit that is Halloween.

As we all know, the marketplace continues to be challenging. Where do you see the opportunities for driving growth of 2018?

It’s most important to understand and accept change and technology. So much of our business today is conducted on various e-commerce platforms. Integration is the key. I’m not talking necessarily about supply to online retailers. Moreover it’s about ensuring that appropriate data in our business can be shared. Of key importance is efficiency in Warehouse Management Systems, dispatch tracking and notifications, palletised booking services and product visibility for retail partners and their consumers. To achieve this growth we will use and apply technology efficiently, have the right product in market at the right time and sell-in appropriately to partners.

It has been confirmed that you will be moving to a new home toward the middle part of the year. Can you tell us what this will add to your businesses capability?

I’m really excited to be getting our entire team under one roof. A purpose built roof at that. We’ve enjoyed substantial growth in recent years, the result being that our team and our warehousing facilities have been spread over multiple locations.

The opportunity to increase an already solid foundation of comradery and creativity within the team is what I’m most excited about. Well that and a world class showroom. Come and visit, we’ll be in by July.

Rubie’s Deerfield will be present at this year’s Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair at stands HO4 and H12. It will be great to see your new developments for 2018 & chat with the team. www.rubiesdeerfield.com.au

www.buggreport.com.au

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NAB AFL WOMEN’S COMPETITION ESTABLISHED IN 2017

76%

INCREASE IN FEMALE PARTICIPANTS SINCE THE INAUGURAL AFL WOMEN’S COMPETITION IN 2017.

Contact us today for more information, Jessica Hatz – licensingeoi@afl.com.au

THE STATE OF RETAIL

Feature Coverage by The Bugg Report Article by Tony Bugg, The Bugg Report

As an independent, we spend considerable time in the marketplace understanding where retail is heading and what brands are delivering in the market. The marketplace is basically unrecognisable from five years ago.

The lightning fast changes in how people consume information and product has continued to challenge all of us over recent times. It’s fair to say that this change will continue and at an even greater pace. We will all need to be vigilant to watch, learn and act accordingly if we are to remain relevant in this business.

to retailing in the future. Amazon has recently launched its Amazon Go platform in Seattle. It boasts no staff and no registers. The consumer is instantly billed via their mobile device. It is interesting to learn that Apple have already been offering this service for some time now.

Consolidation has been a very visible theme of more recent times with landmark brands disappearing at an alarming rate.

Many more are under pressure to survive. We have lost from the retail landscape; Dick Smith, Masters, Amart Sports, Purple Pumpkin, Howard Storage and Payless Shoes. The bottom line is that they did not react to what the consumer was telling them.

Lets look for a moment on some of new global retailers who are entering the market. Kaufland (4th largest retailer in the world and owner of Lidl) they already own two sites in Australia.

Decathlon, the large German sports retailer is also here and competing with Rebel and the like. Many other global brands including UNIQLO and Zara have been here for some time.

There is little doubt that the consumer is more focused than ever on value for money and being able to purchase what they want, when they want and to have access to that purchase virtually immediately. This mindset changes the game for everyone. The market must now figure out a new approach

Coles and Woolies have always dominated the 100 billion dollar supermarket segment. They own the lion’s share. Aldi now have 470 stores and are approaching 8 billion dollars in turnover, Costco are also expanding and are taking well over a billion dollars. And then there is Amazon!

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The big two will need to be vigilant and keep their eye on customer satisfaction to retain their share. What will define the market in 2018... It’s clear that Kmart continues to dominate the mass segment, but can they sustain growth. Target is 18 months into a rebuild and moving to a new home North of Melbourne in Williams Landing. Will this be the spark that they need to reestablish their business? Big W is also working on new plans and looking to secure their position in this segment.

The more interesting development is the entering of the market of TK Maxx. They have purchased the business known as Trade Winds here in Australia and will rebrand these 35 stores progressively. The model operates around the world. It is unique in that they do not buy seasonal merchandise and trade on the basis of scarcity. The consumer is conditioned to buy as the item may be replaced with something else when they next shop!

Let’s hope that price, quality and value for money are all considered equally as new ranges hit the market in 2018. It’s a very competitive market and whether you are trading online, bricks and mortar or both, one thing is certain, you need to be reviewing your methods and trading patterns on a daily basis, that’s how fast the industry is evolving.

Come and listen to Teresa Rendo, who is the General Manager Commercial at Big W, at the annual LIMA Australia Licensing Breakfast on Tuesday the 6th of March. Teresa will enlighten you with her plans for the Big W business in 2018 and beyond.

Department stores are struggling and larger conglomerates such as the Super Retail Group are assessing their current footprints looking for economy of scale. The largest fashion group in the country has also appointed a new CEO, Daniel Bracken (ex-Myer executive) to head up their business. There has been strong suggestion that they will rationalise their Rivers stores network?

All of this provides opportunity for the independent retailer. The consumer is also looking for an experience and good customer service when they do go shopping. It is an ideal time for smaller retailers to look at offering something better to their customer.

Traditionally online retailing has moved at a slower pace in Australia than in other parts of the world. Now that Amazon has launched, it will be interesting to see how this will affect the purchasing habits of the Australian consumer. Both Catch of the Day and Kogan continue to make ground. From all reports Catch of the Day ship in excess of 10,000 items per day now and are heading toward $500 million in turnover.

The commentary in the market has largely been about price, however quality must surely form part of the conversation. In a global market system there are many moving parts which impact on the final price of a product for the consumer.

www.buggreport.com.au

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FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS ●●●●● 10 YEARS ●●●●●

2008-2018

We celebrate our 10th anniversary in 2018 and we are planning a very special year ahead for our publication!

We hope to have the opportunity of working with our current partners again this year and we hope that many new partners will see value in the product we have developed over the past decade; The Bugg Report.

I cannot take full credit for the publication that we have been able to develop over the past decade. In 2008 I was looking for an opportunity within the toy & licensing industry and whilst I was having dinner with Yvonne King from Haven, we were discussing the business and where it was heading; she said why don’t you establish a newsletter to speak to the industry across both toys & licensing? I gave this some thought and after many more conversations, The Bugg Report was born!

The Bugg Report began as an online report and after much planning and development, we launched Edition 1 in April 2008.

The original online report featured regular columns such as Retail Spy, Wide Eyes News from the Tube, Food for Thought and several others. Together with Merchantwise, WebDynamic and Matthew, we have created a very unique look and feel to The Bugg Report, especially in the very early days.

content and material that gives value to our readers. The Bugg Report has seen many tweaks and branding changes over the last decade but we have always returned to what made us...

THE BUGG!!! I must say that I have enjoyed this industry from the beginning and for those that know me, you will understand that I love the people and the conversations we have. As an independent business, we have been blessed with the opportunity to work with the entire industry and we have met some amazing people, covered the journey of many amazing brands and enjoyed the unique diversity of the toy & licensing industry and all the people who are a part of it.

Our audience has tuned in to our content right from the beginning and there have been many highlights along the way.

We have been privileged to be able to engage global brand owners including Disney, Warner Bros., Nickelodeon and Sesame Workshop amongst many other Australian and global icons. We have interviewed many game changers over the past decade including: Manny Stul (Moose Toys), Marco Hüsges (the emoji company), Paul Field (The Wiggles), Travis Pastrana (Nitro Circus), Brian Marrioti (Funko Toys), Bob Moog (University Games) and David Hendy (HeadStart), just to name a few. We have also run many highly informative and entertaining articles, features and photo tours right across the board.

We are so grateful to have had so many globally influential brands and companies feature on our front cover including; Disney, Warner Bros., Haven, Moose, Cartoon Network and many more! We have worked extremely hard to build a global audience of toy & licensing professionals to showcase our content and we have been very careful to focus on the decision makers. Our readership covers North America, Europe, Asia and of course Australia & New Zealand. We set out to be different and challenge the norm; we have focused on producing original

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Toy Hobby & Licensing Fair - Edition 26

THE ORIGINAL BUGG REPORT ONLINE REPORT

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS WORKED WITH US!!!

I was very fortunate to learn my craft back in the late 80’s and 90’s when the Licensing Show and Toy Fair were held in New York City; the best city in the world in my humble opinion! The Plaza Hotel, Central Park, Club USA (gone now but cool in it’s time), Chelsea Place on the West Side and The Rainbow Room are just a small sample of the contingent of establishments that you will only find in New York City.

I really believe that we work in the most exciting industry in the world and being a brand manager at Disney, Warner Bros. or BBC Worldwide, just to name a few, is a seriously cool opportunity! Speaking of amazing companies like those mentioned above, I would like to acknowledge the clients that we have worked with over the journey because there are so many, so many that know who they are and that I genuinly appreciate the opportunity to have worked with.

I think that it is important to mention that The Bugg Report has never been a hard sell proposition. We genuinely want to talk about the industry, its people and the brands we love so much to see flourish and achieve great success. A personal highlight that I would like to mention is the opportuity to produce Haven’s 20th Anniversary Supplement, which covered the entire 20 years of Haven in the licensing business and was released at Licensing Expo in Las Vegas and here locally in Australia!

With a small but efficient team, I am very proud of what we have been able to build here. I believe that The Bugg Report is a damn good product that we have managed to publish and distribute all around the world. We have released over 25 online reports along the journey, many supplements and this is our 26th print magazine that you are reading right now! Our Bugg Express product has been the conduit for the placement of many executive positions in the market and has proven to be a great connector as have our Weekly News Bulletins and targeted digital communications.

As we look towards the future, my own view is that print magazines will always have a place in the media; there is something romantic about them, much like a vinyl record.

Digital is most certainly the future and the frequency of print will certainly decrease, however the print format really does offer

THE VERY FIRST BUGG REPORT MAGAZINE

THE ORIGINAL BUGG REPORT LOGO

a very different reading experience that a screen does not. Our publication now features print, online and social media formats, which speak to different audiences around the world and across the platforms of their preference.

I am probably naïve, however in the interest of being able to process information and use it effectively, it would be comforting see the pace of change slow in the coming years. We need to apprecaite this moment and not be under pressure to get to the next one! A scary statistic is that the number of brands at Licensing Expo has doubled from around 2,500 to over 5,000 over the last few decades! This alone provides challenges to gain visibility in a competitive business.

Article by Tony Bugg, The Bugg Report

www.buggreport.com.au

THE ORIGINAL BUGG EXPRESS LOGO

I really do hope that The Bugg Report is your first choice when you next look to market your brand to our industry, but until then, here are some photos from the last decade...

www.buggreport.com.au

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