Global news

LEARN WITH PEPPA LINEUP

Hasbro has recently unveils the first publishing lineup from ‘Learn with Peppa’ – a major new worldwide brand extension that builds on Peppa Pig’s natural alignment with learning. With help from early years specialists, the “Learn with Peppa” programme’s learning framework includes seven categories that cover a broad mix of topics to help little ones understand the world around them: My Body, Creativity, Maths, English, Emotions, Our World and Community. The first Ladybird publishing launch became available for families in the UK and many territories around the world starting January 2023, with additional books releasing throughout the year, offering more than 80 preschool titles across printed books and eBooks, along with physical and digital audio books. Through Ladybird’s initial product launch, young learners can enjoy phonics books in five levels, followed by novelty, board and activity books covering a range of early learning concepts. To support the brand extension, Hasbro has launched a dedicated ‘Learn with Peppa’ website where consumers can find out more about the extension and help support children’s learning journeys. Following the publishing roll outs, a series of new and exciting interactive content is expected to drop on YouTube as well. To further help preschoolers on their learning journey, Hasbro will launch an in-house developed learning app that will complement the series offered by Ladybird so children can enjoy them together and independently. For ages 3-5 and their grownups, the subscription-based app will be focused on three main learning domains: Literacy, Maths and Science. The app aims to help preschoolers embrace learning through exploration, creativity, humour and play, with activities that adapt to a child’s experience and development. “The beloved Peppa Pig brand is perfectly positioned to help deliver learning experiences that kids love and parents trust,” commented Michael Kelly, Vice President of Global Publishing at Hasbro. “Sparking from the in-home learning boom, ‘Learn with Peppa’ is a longterm, global brand extension that we expect to be an incremental growth driver. Although publishing forms the cornerstone of the program, Hasbro’s long-term ambition is to fully activate our Blueprint 2.0 strategy by creating exciting new branded products and experiences centered around the importance of learning – and with the special help from everyone’s favourite preschool character, Peppa Pig. We’re excited to see what the future has in store for ‘Learn with Peppa.’” For families across North America and Europe, publishers Scholastic US, Penguin Random House Espana, Hachette Livre, Gyldendal, Otava, Tukan, Alvilda and Media Service Zawada will be the first to debut their ‘Learn with Peppa’ publishing programmes throughout 2023. More detail will be announced in the coming months.

MATTEL REVEAL DISNEY PRINCESS AND FROZEN LINEUP

Mattel has revealed the all-new line up for Disney Princess and Disney Frozen to consumers. The new line from Mattel celebrates the magical adventures of Disney Princess and Disney Frozen with unrelenting attention to detail, incredible execution and fresh thinking, bringing iconic characters and stories to life through rich systems of play that spark imagination. The line delivers on consumer kids insights on what they want, including more animal friends and sidekicks, reveal innovation, castles, houses and vehicles, hair play and colour change, and expanded storytelling opportunities. Offerings include Disney Princess and Disney Frozen characters accompanied by accessories, such as Queen Elsa and the Water Nokk ready to adventure beyond Arendelle. Toys on-shelves now, globally, include bright colours, true-to-character facial features, hair fibre tailored to the characters, and premium fabrics. The Disney dolls line from Mattel will also include unique collector offerings for adult fans that will celebrate the Disney Princess and Disney Frozen characters in a brand-new way with premium offerings to expand every fan’s collection. Together, Mattel and Disney will also bring the Disney Villains out of the shadows with a curated collection of premium dolls, capturing these mischievous characters in a new light. The new line up, follows last year when Mattel announced it would have the global licensing rights to develop lines of toys for Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing, including fashion dolls, small dolls, and figures. Through the agreement, Mattel will develop dolls based on Disney Princess including Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, Brave, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, Mulan, Pocahontas, The Princess and the Frog, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Tangled and Disney Frozen.

AUTHENTIC BRANDS PARTNER WITH PEERLESS CLOTHING

Authentic Brands Group, has announced a partnership with Peerless Clothing (Peerless) for Hickey Freeman. Through the long-term agreement, Peerless will design, manufacture and distribute Hickey Freeman tailored clothing in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Hickey Freeman is one of America’s most historic luxury menswear brands, inspiring generations with its iconic silhouettes, fine craftsmanship and uncompromising quality. Powered by its Lifestyle platform, Hickey Freeman is an important brand within Authentic’s diverse portfolio. The new agreement with Peerless supports the company’s goal to reinforce Hickey Freeman’s elevated position in tailored clothing while extending the brand to a new generation. Through a shared vision and commitment to upholding brand integrity and excellence, Authentic and Peerless have enjoyed a strategic and successful partnership spanning many of Authentic’s brands, including Hart Schaffner Marx men’s and boy’s tailored clothing, Van Heusen men’s tailored clothing and outerwear and Shaquille O’Neal XLG men’s tailored clothing. Authentic and Peerless are also preparing to announce a partnership for Brooks Brothers kids in the coming weeks. “We are very pleased to announce our newest partnership with Peerless for Hickey Freeman,” said Jarrod Weber, Group President Lifestyle, Chief Brand Officer at Authentic. “Alvin Segal, who passed away last year, built Peerless into one of the largest and most prestigious tailored clothing companies with an impressive stable of designer labels. Dan Orwig, President of Peerless and Douglas Raicek, EVP and Principal of Peerless, are doing an incredible job upholding and extending the company’s legacy of unmatched tailored clothing expertise, unwavering dedication to its brand partners and strong retail relationships.” Weber continues, “We are confident that through our partnership with Peerless, Hickey Freeman will continue to deliver the same high quality and value for which the brand is known and loved.” “We are thrilled to welcome Hickey Freeman to Peerless,” said Dan Orwig, President of Peerless. “Our shared vision with Authentic is to uphold Hickey Freeman’s commitment to the art of fine tailoring. Hickey Freeman is an enduring American heritage brand, and we are excited to partner with Authentic to help progress the brand’s long-term strategy and legacy.”

BEL LICENSING EXPAND

Bel Licensing has further expanded the licensing program for The laughing cow/La vache qui rit, Babybel, Belcube and Kiri brands with a bunch of partnerships across the US, Japan and Europe. In the US, a brand new deal brokered by Design Plus Licensing with Voilà Vintage, consists in a reissue of one of the most famous The laughing cow advert using the giclée technique. In Japan, deals brokered by Copyright Asia, include various Kiri apparel range designed by Rainboworks available at Green Parks or Beams and soon Belcube collectible rings with Bandaï. In Europe, deals brokered direct or by Pink Key Licensing cover various categories from The laughing cow apparel and underwear ranges by Textiss/Freegun and The laughing cow and Babybel cycling jerseys by Summit Different to The laughing cow puzzles with Upyaa! and The laughing cow and Babybel kids collectibles with Klein Toys passing by The laughing cow and Babybel 3D magnets by Albo Trade International without forgetting The laughing cow and Babybel costumes with Jadeo. “We are benefiting from the terrific work done with our licensing agents those past years plus the recent The laughing cow 100th anniversary in 2021 without forgetting The laughing cow awarded Corporate Brand of the year 2021 by Licensing International France” says Patrick Tamburlin, Bel Licensing Manager.

Paramount Consumer Products Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) in partnership with Munro Footwear Group have joined forces on a range of new SpongeBob SquarePants school shoes that put the fun in going back to school and keeping kids comfortable while they learn, grow and play. Munro Footwear Group is Australia’s leading retailer and wholesaler of fashion and comfort footwear with 290 stores nationally including Williams and Mathers that will stock the new school shoes from January through to 3 February 2023. Every pair of SpongeBob SquarePants shoes purchased before 30 January this year, is an entry into a competition for a school to win a KOMPAN GreenLine playground, responsibly made from recycled ocean waste and single-use plastics, worth $40,000 AUD. Vice President, Paramount Consumer Products, UK, Ireland, Israel and ANZ, Venetia Davie said: “This partnership is helping parents get their children excited to get ready for back to school. The shoes and overall campaign are all about kids having fun from their tippy toes with new SpongeBob SquarePants shoes on their feet, right to their fingertips, with a chance to enhance their school with a world-class playground made from recycled materials.” Chief Merchandise Officer, Munro Footwear Group Phil Scala said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Paramount Consumer Products to produce a dedicated Back to School

EPONA VALLEY AND BRIGITTE BARDOT

Brigitte Bardot Master licensee and the New York brand Epona Valley have joined forces through a luxury, colorful and refined hair accessories and jewellery collection. Each piece in this line is reminiscent of a flowery valley which draws its inspiration from Brigitte Bardot and Epona Valley shared values: affection for natural beauty and respect for animals. This collection is centered around two materials of the highest quality: silk taffeta which is 100% polyester coming in four different colors, and a 14k gold plated brass set with Swarovski gems. The capsule collection is made up of unique designs inspired by nature; such as still in bud or perfectly bloomed roses, and is absolutely museum-worthy. Every piece of the EpoSpongeBob SquarePants shoes collection using 100% reclaimed leathers and premium materials. “The range was designed in conjunction with a team of Australian podiatrists with growing feet in mind and will be available to customers shopping at Williams and Mathers, in-store and online and is sure to be popular this Back-to-School season. “It follows our long tradition of making sure children have the right footwear for growing feet that can take them from the classroom to the rough and tumble of the school yard.” Managing Director, KOMPAN ANZ, Justin Edwards said: “It’s such a wonderful opportunity to join forces with Paramount ANZ and Munro Footwear Group on this campaign that for every pair of shoes purchased, gives children a chance to win their school some fantastic playground equipment that is fun and engaging. “Our award-winning and environmentally friendly GreenLine play equipment turns post-consumer waste like fishing nets, ropes and single-use plastics into durable and beautiful products for children of all ages and abilities to play, exercise, grow and learn.”

na Valley x Brigitte Bardot collection is made with locally sourced materials by craftsmen in New York workshops. The whole line of accessories is now available on Epona Valley eshop which offers worldwide shipping. Family Trademark TLM, the exclusive Master Licensee of the Brigitte Bardot trademark, is a subsidiary of the French group V2D Lingerie. Epona Valley was established in 2013 after its founder, Rachel Celia Gittler was photographed wearing one the her creations, that she had made for fun; it resulted in turning her artistic passion into her profession allowing her to beautify every women. Epona Valley is named after the roman goddess, Epona; protector of animals. Epona Valley accessories, based on its designer creativity, are inspired by nature’s beauty and pureness.

Bidaya Media has agreed a strategic partnership with Strata, an advanced manufacturing company, to sponsor the newest season of the popular Emirati cartoon “The Adventures of Mansour”. Launching in 2023, Strata will sponsor the production as part of their commitment to empowering UAE Nationals and contributing to the production of the globally-recognized show. Strata’s support will help illustrate the UAE’s success stories, inspiring future generations in an effort to encourage cultural awareness, preserve the national identity, and strengthen the sense of belonging to the nation amongst Emiratis. Additionally, the sponsorships reflects Strata’s support of the creation of high quality Arabicspeaking content focused on children, in line with the company’s efforts to highlight Emiratization among the local community, in alignment with the UAE leadership’s vision. Strata will also support the series’ role as a platform for inspiring themes such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), coding, and more, instilling these values in the younger generation. Imane Salem Tlamid, Public Relations Manager, Bidaya Media, said “As an incredibly popular series among young Arabic-speaking children, we’re proud of how The Adventures of Mansour strikes the important balance between entertainment and education for younger children. We’re delighted to enter this partnership with Strata, as they sponsor the new series of the show, which will help to further spread a positive message of national pride, health and the importance of academia to the next generation. This showcases the show’s substantial impact and that, above all, it plays a key role in nurturing and fostering Emirati identity and culture among our community.” Jassim Al Marzooqi, Human Capital Manager, Strata, added “Our sponsorship of the Emirati cartoon series The Adventures of Mansour plays an important role in enhancing Emirati identity and culture among the youth, and introducing children to the requirements of modern technology. By supporting the new series, which has gained a large fanbase locally and globally, we are empowering and elevating projects that promote Emirati culture and customs. This is vital as we continue to preserve and protect our heritage. For these reasons, we’re proud to be part of this inspiring and ambitious project.” The popular cartoon, which recently celebrated a decade of achievements, aims to communicate directly with Arab children whilst encouraging a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), in addition to Emirati national identity and a balanced lifestyle as a few key themes. The show, which is the brainchild of award-winning creator, Rashed Alharmoodi, has exponentially grown to captivate younger children across the Middle East. The Adventures of Mansour has racked up over 2.3 billion YouTube views, 3.1 million subscribers and 322 million watch hours in the last 90 days. The new series aims to build on this success and has improved production quality and aims to raise awareness for the culture and values that represent the UAE both locally and internationally, tackling issues of international significance such as AI, the role of and reliance on technology, climate change and space exploration. The series targets children aged 6-12 and is funded by Mubadala and the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority (ECA) as part of their efforts to support children content creation that support inclusion, culture, and Arabic language.

NIKE TEAM UP WITH NETFLIX TO EXPAND FITNESS

To expand access to sport for all athletes, Nike is launching an initiative with Netflix to offer Nike Training Club (NTC) content for Netflix members to stream which began December 30, 2022. Netflix’s more than 223 million worldwide members now have access to NTC programs that cater to all fitness levels, require minimal to no equipment, and span yoga, strength and high-intensity workouts. Each NTC training program will include multiple episodes, totaling more than 30 hours of sessions released on Netflix in two parts. Nike will launch five training programs at the end of December, and additional programs will launch throughout 2023. Members will be able to access curated programs or select workouts by type or duration, and the programming will be available in 10 languages via all Netflix plans. The new initiative will feature a custom Nike collection on Netflix. Members can also search “Nike” to find the workouts.

H&M has announced the launch of the H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox. H&M Loooptopia is an immersive experience on Roblox that lets players experiment with materials and patterns in a playful way, creating the next virtual garment and wardrobe for their avatar. Partnering with metaverse studio Dubit, H&M’s new interactive online experience also puts circular actions at the heart of the fun. “People who shop and wear H&M garments and accessories are increasingly spending time in virtual spaces and digital worlds. The H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox is now allowing us to explore new ways to engage with our current and new customers in the places they love to be, both online and offline,” says Linda Li, Head of Customer Activation & Marketing, H&M Americas. “In the coming years, H&M will continue to explore this fast-growing expanse of virtual and augmented realities.” The H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox is an immersive 3D experience filled with social interaction, engaging environments, mini-games, styling sessions, alternate worlds, events and more. It allows users to experiment with their digital identity and learn about fashion and circularity in a fun, creative, and playful environment on the Roblox platform that’s connecting millions of people through immersive shared experiences, all while encouraging creativity and self-expression. “We loved collaborating with H&M to build the H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox- the place on Roblox where anybody can be a fashion designer,” says Andrew Douthwaite, Chief Commercial Officer, Dubit. “H&M wanted to offer an experience that promotes fun and sustainability, in keeping with their brand DNA of Style, Creativity and Culture. It’s been amazing to see the concept evolve from the initial design and workshop through to this iconic launch.” At the heart of this interactive world is a vibrant city square which sets the stage for visitors to embark on play sessions in visually stunning alternate worlds like Rainbooow Fields, Neon Studiooo and Fabric Fooorest. In these environments, users can gather a variety of fashion ingredients by engaging in mini-games, styling sessions, liveevents and more. Users can style their avatar with newly created clothes, and compliment these with accessories, dance moves, music tracks and special effects to create a performance on the runway. They can also catch up with friends to trade clothes, take selfies or just admire each other’s latest creations. When it’s time to change up a style, they can recycle old clothes to earn super-rare elements and become the star of the runway show. “At H&M we want to encourage the emerging generation of digital natives to express themselves through fashion both off and on screen. H&M Loooptopia Experience on Roblox is an exciting new world that unleashes creativity and lets players create and evolve their virtual wardrobe on Roblox, so they can feel the most like themselves through their avatar,” says Max Heirbaut, Global Head of Brand Experience, Metaverse, for H&M.

FUNKO PARTNERS WITH SID AND MARTY KROFFT PICTURES

Funko and Sid and Marty Krofft Pictures have partnered to bring the Saturday morning icons to Funko’s Digital Pop! lineup. The collectible series features memorable characters from several groundbreaking Sid and Marty Krofft shows, including fan favorites Horatio J. Hoodoo, Seymore Spider and many more from their uniquely crafted world. The collectibles were made available for purchase from January 13 through the Droppp platform. “I’m proud that Sid & Marty Krofft Pictures was one of Brian Mariotti’s Funko first clients,” said Marty Krofft, co-creator of Sid and Marty Krofft Pictures. “Funko continues to be so innovative and I know the Krofft Digital Pop! will bring much happiness into the collectible community.” The Funko Digital Pop! line incorporates non-fungible tokens into animated digital trading cards based on Funko’s stylized figures. The cards are available in both standard and premium collectible packs. Each pack offering is limited to 12,500 packs, for a total of 250,000 digital collectibles available through the drop. Every pack purchased also offers fans a chance to reveal a rare Funko Digital Pop! when opened, which can be redeemed for one of six limited edition physical collectibles. Redeemable collectibles for this series include Sleestak Leader, Seymore Spider, Jimmy with Magic Potion, Horatio J. Hoodoo and Freddy Funko as Sleestak.

SANTORO SHOWCASE BRANDS AT TOY FAIR

Santoro will be showcasing a wide portfolio of brands at this year’s Toy Fair with particular focus on evergreen brand Gorjuss. All new Gorjuss collections will feature heavily including Fairground and Through The Looking Glass – an extension of the popular Wonderland range. 2022 has proven a fantastic year for the brand with impressive new licensee and agent signings alongside the expansion into live experiences. Gorjuss continues to perform as one of the top girls’ brands across Europe with Italy and Greece remaining strongholds while the Balkans emerge as an impressive new market with collectible campaigns insight for 2023 and beyond. Leading licensees include Benneton, Panini, Deagostini, El Corte Ingles, Nakas, Aznar Innova, Safta, MarMar, Graffiti, Balocco and Joumma. Alongside Gorjuss, Santoro will launch a ‘first look’ at noughties brands Jeli-Deli and Tutti-Cuti, which are set for revival in early 2023. Both Jeli-Deli and Tutti-Cuti enjoyed huge success in the Y2K era, and what better time to bring them back than with the revivalist movement! Also showcasing Santorus, the luxury lifestyle brand created by two generations of the Santoro family, consisting of flamboyant imagery, quality materials and born out of a love for fantastic art which adorns the luxe hotels of the Middle East and UAE, as well as Pfizer’s New York offices. This Toy Fair, Santoro will be showcasing brand new Gorjuss collections, along with a fantastic range of licensed products following an industrious 2022. Gorjuss continues to span myriad product categories and has further widened its Toys & Games offering with a host of new developments including dolls, craft,

collectibles and games set for SS23 and beyond. With a raft of new licensees signed at the start of the year, a flurry of Gorjuss goods hit the shelves in AW22, including a much-demanded craft collection, under new licensee Studio Light, and a dazzling range of wrapping paper and greetings cards with new partner Cromo N.B. in Italy. Leading licensees include Benneton, Panini, Deagostini, El Corte Ingles, Nakas, Aznar Innova, Paola Reina, MarMar, Graffiti, Balocco and Joumma. Gorjuss continues to perform as one of the top girls’ brands across Europe and the latest signing of agent Empire Multimedia set to open up the Asian market for Gorjuss across Thailand, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan.

NEW PRODUCT FOR KENSIN’S ART OF WAR

Japanese company Kensin, under its Art of War brand, recently announced a new product drop - the Beherit 2020 Sapporo Edition – three-dimensional versions of the Beherit, a key item from the bestselling Berserk manga comic. The product was launched on 10 December and orders are currently being accepted until 12 February 2023. The new edition celebrates the Sapporo, Japan opening of the hugely successful Great Berserk Exhibition, which runs from 14 January to 12 February 2023. The new products are reproductions of the Beherit, an important item depicted in the Berserk manga, written and illustrated by the late Kentaro Miura, who sadly passed away in May 2021.

MICKEY IN PUBLIC DOMAIN

2024 will see Steamboat Willie, and that original design of Mickey Mousee enter public domain in terms of copyright law. The copyright that has stopped others from using Mickey Mouse on their products, actually runs out in 2024 which means that anybody can use the world’s most recognized mouse without either permission or a licensing fee. As you would expect, though, there are some caveats. Disney will still have their trademarks protected as these do not have a time limit. Therefore, it is likely that people can use the original image of Mickey but not the name Mickey Mouse. In addition elements of his look will still be protected. For example, he did not wear white gloves until 1925. Therefore, these won’t go into public domain until 2025. Also the original Mickey from 1924 was in black and white. This will be copyright free but no colour version will become available until 2035 – 100 years after Mickey first appeared in colour. It will be interesting to see what happens…..