FIVE YEARS OF BLUEY A Preschool Prodigy

Pre-schoolers achieve some pretty major milestones in their first five years; they taste their first food, say their first word, learn to crawl, walk, swim, dance, ride a bike - all before their first day of school. Australia’s most beloved preschool show, meanwhile, has achieved some impressive milestones of its own… pre-schooler — is a phenomenon that Australians can be immensely proud of. With so many achievements already in the bag, 2023 is set to be another year of success and celebration.”

And it may only be March but already BBC Studios Kids and Family, Bluey’s co-commissioner and global distributor, has announced a number of new activities.

Following on from the insane success of the first Bluey album – which landed at number 1 in both the Australian ARIA chart and the Billboard’s US Kid Albums chart – the Bluey: Dance Mode album will be released on April 21 on CD, orange vinyl and streaming services. The first single from the new album, also titled ‘Dance Mode’, is out now with more highlights on the upcoming album to include The BeeeeeOOP Walk, Rain (Boldly in the Pretend) and Cat Squad

Crazy Golf and even a Cricket set in the launch collection. And there’s more to come from Moose this year, including new playsets, figurines and more inspired by the world of Bluey, including episodes such as ‘The Beach’, ‘Hammerbarn’ and ‘Escape’. New playsets will be released in the second half of the year.

In the five short years since launching on ABC Kids in 2018, Bluey has won an International Emmy, two Logies, an ARIA and a BAFTA, spawned over 1000 different products and a live stage show, was the USA’s 8th most streamed show overall in 2022, and even appeared as a 16-metre high balloon in New York’s annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade - watched by over 50 million.

Kate O’Connor is Australia’s Head of Licensing and Brands at BBC Studios, which heads up Bluey’s commercial activities, and says: “There’s no doubt that Bluey — just like a plucky little

Due to significant demand, Arnott’s once again partnered with BBC Studios to bring new larger share packs to snack aisles throughout Austral- ia– so there are even more Bluey biscuits to go around. The new share packs are a larger 150g pack, perfect for sharing, and join the current individual multipack range (consisting of eight individual packets), that were so popular, they almost sold out when they launched in 2022. Jasnor recently launched a collection of 17 Bluey wooden toys and games in Australia, including an array of food playsets; traditional games such as Dominoes, Skittles and Charades; and outdoor toys like a Skipping Rope,

Meanwhile, overseas, Bluey has recently inked deals with TOMY and 8th Wonder, and Bluey’s Big Play The Stage Show’s 150+ venue US tour is now in full swing, following its debut at Madison Square Garden in November. With more episodes of Series 3 coming this year, plus multiple exciting collaborations with iconic Australian and global brands to be announced soon, Bluey’s fifth year is sure to be one to celebrate!

FRED AND GRAZZA GO BANANAS!

The Fred & Grazza Go Bananas Live Show launching at the Australian Toy, Hobby and Licensing Fair is a 45 minute performance featuring Fred Gaffney, Australia’s legendary Licensing Agent and Grahame Grassby, the ABC’s former Head of International Licensing, recounting a collection of stories that happened along their way selling one of Australia’s most loved and iconic TV shows, Bananas in Pyjamas.

Which American president has a Bananas in Pyjamas tie? Did B1 & B2 really get held hostage and put up for ransom in Moscow? Why were the Bananas told to move on by the police in London? These questions and a lot more will be answered as Fred and Grazza go bananas!

Big Year For Universal

Universal Products & Experiences is gearing up for a big year with massive film releases on the horizon. Illumination’s highly anticipated The Super Mario Bros. Movie will kick off the year on 6 April, the next chapter in the Fast & Furious saga – Fast X – will race into theatres 18 May and finally, DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls 3 will wrap up the year with a glitter-filled musical celebration on 30 November. Key toy partners will bring each release to life, including Jakks Pacific for The Super Mario Bros Movie; Mattel, JADA and LEGO for Fast; and Mattel and Moose for Trolls 3.

IMOGEN JOY’S DREAM JOB!

Artist Imogen Joy represented by UK agency Creative Sparrow has enjoyed some wonderful collaborations with top Australian brands in 2022. Imogen, originally from the UK, is based in Sydney, has a style which is imaginative, with a strong sense of story-telling. Imogen collaborated with top Australian Author Louise Park on her Grace series published by Berbay Publishing, a best-selling middle grade fiction series. Imogen has illustrated for Grace’s Escape and Grace’s Secrets to date and looks forward to an ongoing relationship with Louise and Berbay.

Imogen has also created a collection of greetings cards for quirky Australian brand La La Land, a home-grown greetings, stationery and gift brand whose colourful collaborations with artists have taken the market by storm.

The dream job came from Australia Post with a Christmas collectible stamp set collaboration designed exclusively for Christmas Island and sold throughout the territory. The collection shows Santa’s arrival at Christmas Island airport, a chief point of arrival for those entering the Indian Ocean locale.

Commenting on the collaboration Imogen said: ‘I couldn’t believe it earlier when I was approached by the wonderful design team at Australia Post to illustrate a special edition of Christmas stamps based on the beautiful flora and fauna of Christmas Island. It was a dream job and such a treat to see my illustrations on the shelves of outlets across the territory. This illustration journey is so diverse and rich and I’m glad that I’ve never given up on my dream along the way.’

Imogen and Creative Sparrow are excited to announce some further license collaborations in the coming months and look forward to growing Imogen’s profile across the region.

Powerhouse franchises will continue to deliver exciting new content. DreamWorks’ Gabby’s Dollhouse, which has consistently achieved a #1 kids TV show ranking for past seasons, will have three new season drops on Netflix. Master toy partner, Spin Master, will deliver three new major SKUs including Gabby Girl’s Purr-ific Pool Playset, Gabby Cat Friend Ship and an Advent Calendar. Caprice will continue to release new trend driven lifestyle ranges, Scholastic has expanded their publishing range, and new categories launch this year.

Universal will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic film, Jurassic Park – from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment – with major toy partners, Mattel, LEGO and Toy Monster releasing anniversary SKUs. 2024 shows no signs of stopping for Universal. Following the success of The Dragon King series on Netflix, everyone’s favourite panda Po will head back to the big screen with DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda 4. Fans will also be excited to welcome another addition to the highest-grossing animated film franchise with Illumination’s Despicable Me 4. Universal Pictures will also release Wicked during the Christmas season.