Experiences are finally back

It’s All About the Experience...

As we hopefully emerge from the worldwide pandemic, there is no doubt that we won’t be returning to the ‘norm’ as well knew it, and trends that may have begun have certainly been accelerated – not least in traditional retail. Experiential licensing is immersive and growing, and the fact that so many are tapping into this speaks volumes for where we can see the future of licensing – keeping brands and IP in front of consumers. Experiential brand extensions are going to be key to the growth of the market.

Travel with American Girl

American Girl and educational travel provider Academic Travel Abroad recently launched a new immersive travel program, American Girl Vacations. Designed for American Girl fans and their families, the first two vacation packages are inspired by two of the brand’s iconic historical characters: Nanea Mitchell, a Hawaiian girl growing up during wartime in 1941; and Rebecca Rubin, a Jewish American girl growing up during the peak of the immigration period in 1914. The fully guided educational trips will take place in December 2021 and explore the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, and Manhattan, New York. Each vacation package features curated events and activities that bring the American Girl character stories to life in a culturally authentic and unique way. “American Girl has been celebrating girls and girlhood through engaging experiences for more than 35 years,” says Jodi Goldberg, head of content development for American Girl. “Through American Girl Vacations, we’ve combined the wonder of travel with the magic of storytelling to provide a fascinating glimpse into the worlds of our beloved characters. The personalized experiences inspire children and adults to discover more about the world around them, while making memories to last a lifetime.” “Travel is a life-changing experience for young people, and we have woven American Girl’s core values of kindness, tolerance, confidence and resilience into these trips,” said Chase Poffenberger, ATA Executive Vice President and a mother of two daughters. Academic Travel Abroad (ATA) is a 71-year-old, DC-based educational travel company, and creates immersive and experiential travel programs for organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, The New York Times, and National Public Radio.

Enjoy nature with Peter Rabbit

The Peter Rabbit brand team at Penguin Random House UK (PRH) have launched Peter Rabbit: Friend to Nature, a new annual campaign aimed at encouraging children and their carers to enjoy being creative in nature during the summer. Laura Brand has been engaged as an ambassador for the campaign, to create and present a series of filmed tutorials. These fun, nature-based activities will be shared every Friday in July to provide parents with ideas and inspiration to enjoy the great outdoors with their little ones this summer. In addition, a series of classroom activities and learning resources have been developed for KS1 school children with Puffin. These will be hosted online and mailed to 37K primary teachers in the UK and made available to key English language-speaking territories. Izzy Richardson, Director Owned Brands at Penguin Random House said: “During her lifetime, Beatrix Potter was a pioneering conservationist who was passionate about the natural world. So who better than Peter Rabbit to champion the joy that spending time in nature can bring? Peter has an authentic connection to nature and this mid-year campaign will enable us to reach families with meaningful and engaging content beyond Easter. Friend to Nature is perfectly timed to drive awareness of our newly relaunched website, the first in a refresh of all of our Peter Rabbit digital platforms.”

Immersive Paddington experiences in Chinese hotels

The Copyrights Group has announced new experiential partnership with The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi and Langham Place, Guangzhou. Guests of the luxury hotels in Shanghai and Guangzhou can now enjoy exclusive immersive Paddington experiences, including staycations in specially

appointed Paddington themed rooms, Paddington afternoon tea with adorable Paddington Bear cupcakes and themed pastries. Specially curated limited edition Paddington souvenirs are also available at the hotel shops. The Langham, London is the first hotel which served afternoon tea when it opened in 1865 and since then, Langham hotels around the world have been renowned for serving the best afternoon tea experiences. In Shanghai, the Paddington afternoon tea has already been awared most popular themed afternoon tea by the 2021 5th Hotel Discovery Awards.. The two hotel locations use different Paddington artwork, showcasing the diversity of the Paddington brand. The partnership is one of several key strategic activations for Paddington in China, which aims to strengthen the awareness and the brand’s engagement with consumers. These activations are initiated in conjunction with the launch of the new TV series, The Adventures of Paddington in China.

Explore the ocean with Crayola

Crayola and OceanX, a global nonprofit ocean exploration organization, are partnering to bring the wonders of the ocean to the next generation through imagination and creativity in the first collaboration of its type for both parties. The multi-faceted relationship aims to creatively inspire the next generation of ocean explorers and aligns both organization’s goals—to educate young leaders through creativity, imagination, wonder and exploration. The partnership will include co-branded products and experiences including home adventure kits, creativity products, educational content, and the first ever takeover of Crayola’s premier family destination—Crayola Experience. The Crayola-inspired, interactive attractions at Crayola Experience encourage children and adults alike can unleash their imagination and experience creativity and color in a whole new way. The aquatic-themed, OceanX experience will put children in the front seat of exploration as they join a deep sea mission in search of the rare giant squid. Children will mold and craft marine creatures; learn about undersea wonders and conservation efforts; view sea creatures in their natural habitat through colorful “portholes” featuring OceanX Media content, and ultimately come face to face with the Giant Squid!

Fully-integrated experiences

Falcon’s Beyond Global has launched as a fully integrated enterprise to propel story-driven, experiential entertainment around the world. The new enterprise, supercharged by a joint venture with Meliá Hotels International, will be the only vertically-integrated entertainment powerhouse able to simultaneously activate an intellectual property across the full transmedia spectrum — with the potential to transform the $440 billion hospitality and entertainment category. Falcon’s Beyond was formalized this May when leading attraction design & master-planning firm Falcon’s Creative Group united with themed-entertainment company Katmandu Group. This powerful combination has instantly created the fully integrated source for simultaneous entertainment IP activations—from streaming media development to theme park site acquisition; master planning to brick-and-mortar projects; immersive ride & attraction design to merchandise creation; right through worldclass park & resort operation. A first major focus of Falcon’s Beyond will be to apply its IP Expander model to the rapid evolution of its original and wholly-owned “Katmandu” IP— already popular with the millions of Europeans who have visited Sol Katmandu Park & Resort in Mallorca, Spain, and a growing list of Katmandubranded kids camps in Meliá’s Sol Hotels. Along with new characters, a streaming video series, and merchandise, the proven Katmandu IP will undergo a brick-and-mortar expansion. Through unique technological capabilities, Falcon’s Beyond will establish Katmandu as the first world-class theme park to have every ride and attraction customized to a centralized story “like chapters in the same legend,” and digitally tied to individual guest experiences. Development is moving forward on additional Katmandu parks on the grounds of Meliá resorts in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Tenerife, Spain and other key tourist destinations.

Experience the Pink Panther month

Metro Goldwyn Mayer’s (MGM) Licensing and Consumer Products division has announced the first Pink Panther Month celebration for June 2022. The month, which was chosen to sync up with National Pink Day on June 23rd, and the major celebratory moments of June including Father’s Day, Pride Month, and Graduation will feature something for everyone to fete. MGM’s Pink Panther Month will showcase innovative collaborations, exciting product launches, thematic retail activations, experiential initiatives, and will be supported with marketing and social media activations. Pink Panther Month is being unveiled on the heels of what has been a highly successful year for the beloved pop culture character featuring new licensees, retail partnerships, a nomination from the Licensing International Awards for Best Brand (Entertainment, Character,

Animated) and the unveil in 2020 of a new shade of pink in collaboration with Pantone—Pink Panther Pink. MGM is currently building a roster of new and first-time partners for Pink Panther Month in 2022 as they continue to expand the overall roster of new licensees for Pink Panther. Recently, MGM signed a number of new licensees that will debut between now and early next year. They include Nowhere Co. Ltd. (aka Bathing Ape) for Apparel, United Labels AG (Apparel/Accessories/Home Décor/Housewares— Germany, Australia, Switzerland, and UK), M.A. Al Abdulkarim & Co., LTD (Apparel/Accessories/Home—Saudi Arabia), Tiga Entertainment Co. LTD (Apparel/Accessories—Thailand), and Grendene SA (Footwear—Brazil). All of the licensees will feature the new Pantone shade of Pink Panther Pink as well.

Live and breathe dinosaurs with Dino Dana

Dino Dana, star of Dino Dana The Movie, presented by Safari Ltd., and her friends roared into the Museum of Discovery and Science (MODS) this year. Guests can visit the new Dino Dana exhibit, see the coolest dino augmented reality (AR) experience and catch Dino Dana The Movie on the GIANT screen as part of the MODS Discovery Pass. “Fascination with prehistoric life never goes extinct, and MODS is excited to partner with Sinking Ship Entertainment and Safari Ltd. for the official U.S. launch of Dino Dana The Movie in South Florida,” said Joseph P. Cox, president and CEO of MODS. “Dino Dana The Movie is a fun and adventurous exhibit and film powered by fierce heroine paleontologist Dana, her friends and the augmented reality dinosaurs they encounter along the way.” “Exposure to science truly helps children link the wonders of the past to today’s environmental challenges using modern STEM applications. Families will flock to see dinosaurs in action through the latest technology at MODS,” Cox continued. MODS has partnered with Sinking Ship Entertainment, a multi-awardwinning children’s entertainment company and producer of Dino Dana The Movie, to bring Dino Dana’s adventures to life at the Museum with the film on the GIANT screen, as well as a Paleontologist in Training Live Show and the creation of an exhibit.