The Nordic Marketplace

Founded in Copenhagen in 2005, NLC operates across a number of small fragmented markets covering both Nordics and Benelux. With HQ in Copenhagen and a local office in Amsterdam, NLC is specialized in building licensing programs across a complex mix of languages, cultures, currencies and non-crossing retail environment. With a strong portfolio coming from long term partners Warner Bros. Discovery, Mattel, HIT and ASO, NLC’s clear strategy is to keep focused on few licensors in order to provide dedicated and focused services. Besides striving to drive and grow lo-

cal business in the two regions NLC is successfully growing its international reach by teaming up with Nordic and Benelux based global partners, such as H&M, Pandora, Bestseller, Hummel and C&A to name but a few. “Everyone in the NLC team is striving towards excellence across category management, brand management, retail management over to product development as well as contracts and finance. We are constantly seeking to secure accountability within all of NLC and across all stakeholders. NLC is a long term business partner dedicated to bringing growth for licensees and licensors by matching the right brand with the right product category” says Kirsten Gyde, Managing Director at NLC. From a franchise perspective, the Wizarding World continues to enchant the hearts and imaginations of fans around the world and is one of the most successful franchises of our time. The demand for Wizarding World consumer product is incredibly strong and NLC worked with many prominent names like LEGO, Funko, H&M, C&A and many more during 2022. The ultimate style icon and girls property Barbie celebrated a big increase in popularity during 2022, Barbiecore became a thing and one of the biggest fashion trends of the year. NLC enjoys working with the brand and sees increased business within toys and fashion as core categories. Licensees like Skybrands delivered collections for Name it and Sparkjøb – and also C&A developed an apparel collection for Barbie. For the younger audiences, Fireman Sam continues as strong preschool property in Nordics and Benelux. Simba Dickie is delivering age appropriate roleplay toys and coordinated by NLC we have had several fun and educational retail activations during ’22 across both regions. NLC worked harder than ever before to secure not only bigger and stronger partnerships through 2022, but also a vast diversity of partnerships opening doors into new categories. For the first time ever, NLC, entered into a licensed collaboration for alcohol. The Danish craft beer company Mikkeller developed a range of beers under the Games of Thrones umbrella. More new licensed business was explored around the Tour de France, that held its Grand Depart in Copenhagen over the Summer of 2022. As official licensing agent for the Tour de France, NLC successfully entered into novel licensing with Danish design icon Hoptimist, Mønthuset - for an exclusive commemorative coin, and Bak’s Bakery with traditional Danish cakes, to mention but a few. That Danish Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour de France was simply a cherry on the cake. During 2022 NLC secured new fashion DTR collaborations. Hummel KIDS launched two collections; one with Harry Potter and another with cool Batman designs. Also one of Europe’s leading fashion retailers, C&A, jumped on board with collections for Looney Tunes, FRIENDS, Batman and Harry Potter. Closing off 2022 with an esteemed local award – the Gazelle 2022 – for continuous growth over four years, is a certificate of honour for the Copenhagen-based company. The award I a prestigious prize awarded annually by a Danish financial newspaper. While the world is holding its breath going into the new year, NLC notice a continuous appetite for licensing for both 2023 and 2024 in both regions. There is a very special occasion for celebrating 2023. Warner Bros. Discovery is turning 100 years and NLC is working with all Warner Bros. Discovery divisions to celebrate this amazing birthday on a local level. NLC is looking forward to announcing exclusive licensed products and retail activations to support. For the fans of Wizarding World, 2023 will not disappoint. February 10, the anticipated console game “Hogwarts

Legacy” will release. Events and retail activations including kidult consumer products will support the release during the first quarter of the year. With an unprecedented rich content pipeline for DC with four theatrical movies; Shazam!, The Flash, Blue Beetle and Aquaman: The lost Kingdom, and three new series plus a major game release for the Suicide Squad in May – the DC Universe will be hard to miss in 2023. There is much more entertainment coming for 2023 for all ages. One of the most popular animated comedy series for an adult audience is Rick and Morty. The show is the no. 1 Top TV show on HBO Max across all Nordic and Benelux countries (source Flixpatrol.com) and the fan driven demand for merchandise is growing. Another Top TV show on HBO Max is the successor series to the global phenomenon Game Of Thrones, House Of The Dragon. With a successful season 1 premiere in 2022, the franchise is moving into the new year with a huge following of fans, hungry for merchandise to take them through to the next season. Picking up the Barbiecore fashion trend of 2022, the hype will continue into 2023 in anticipation of Barbie, hitting the big screen in July 2023. Barbie is ever evolving and remains both resonant and relevant, so it’s no surprise that the original girl empowerment brand and ultimate style icon is ready to make her leap to the silver screen. For Barbie consumer products 2023, NLC will launch many new fashion collaborations within apparel, personal care, accessories, and bags to name a few. There’s no doubt that Barbie is the pop culture phenomenon of 2023! Taking her into 2024 to celebrate her 65th anniversary. Another doll legacy brand, Monster High, will be re-awakened in 2023. The successful doll franchise that was originally launched back in 2010 is coming back with all new content and new look. Monster High will premiere on Nickelodeon in Nordics and Benelux in March ’23 supported by new dolls and licensed products within toys & dress up, arts & crafts, collectables and publishing. For preschoolers, Fireman Sam is continuing into 2023 with all-new content and exciting stories about everyday heroes; new characters, new uniforms, new locations – and new toys from Simba Dickie to roleplay and engage the children. Ravensburger puzzles, live shows, meet & greet and fun & educational retail events are all continuing into 2023. NLC continues the partnership for the Tour de France, with the upcoming all-new Netflix documentary releasing in Spring 2023. The series will consist of 8 episodes of 45 min taking us to the engine room of the Tour de France team during the 2022 Grand Depart in Denmark and the greatest bike race in the world: Tour de France!

First established in 2015, WildBrain CPLG’s Nordic office is spearheaded by Slawomir Ekiert, Regional Managing Director CEE & Nordics, who has successfully built and grown the Nordic office into a team of eight and a leading player across the region. WildBrain CPLG Nordics is home to a robust portfolio of brands spanning evergreen entertainment and preschool properties, including PAW Patrol, Peppa Pig, My Little Pony and SpongeBob SquarePants; classic character brands, such as Peanuts; lifestyle brands, including Yale and Harvard universities and Chupa Chups; gaming brands, including Sonic the Hedgehog; and local brands, such as Hatten Förlag’s beloved Babblarna. Across a robust portfolio, the team continues to strengthen its activity across a diverse range of categories to drive growth. As part of this, the team is rapidly expanding its FMCG business and, most recently, secured a collaboration with Bonne for Peppa Pig and PAW Patrol branded smoothies, on behalf of Hasbro/eOne and Nickelodeon, respectively. WildBrain CPLG Nordics has also established solid relationships with local FMCG retailers, including Coop. Additionally, the team is activating projects with make-up brand CAIA, which was co-founded by one of the most prolific influencers in the Nordics, Bianca Ingrosso, and also with fast-food chain Hesburger for PAW Patrol. In fashion, WildBrain CPLG continues to celebrate a long-term partnership with leading retailer H&M, which has expanded and now encompasses a va-

riety of successful collaborations for the agency’s partner brands. The team has also forged partnerships with key fashion retailers, including Kappahl and Bestseller. For the publishing category, WildBrain CPLG has robust partnerships in place with leading local publishing houses, including Otava, Story House Egmont, Forlaget Alvilda, Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, Tukan, Vigmostad and Björke. Additionally, the team recently executed a stand-out book campaign with Burger King for PAW Patrol activity books. Under the agency’s dedicated Corporate & Lifestyle division, ASPIRE, WildBrain CPLG Nordics is also driving growth for lifestyle brands in the market. Key activity includes a broad range of soft lines for Yale and Harvard universities, alongside the ongoing expansion of Perfetti Van Melle brands, including Chupa Chups. The team is also expanding its long-standing partnerships with leading gaming companies and is currently driving growth for SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog, with a range of new partners and product launches planned for 2023. Additional activity includes a recent deal for Peanuts with Danish design company Boyhood for a collection of wooden figurines, which will be available globally. The team also further expanded the seasonal licensing programme for Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! in 2022, with a raft of partnerships targeting the whole family, including a new collection at H&M.

Ferly Agency is a boutique licensing and publishing agency with its’ feet on the ground in Helsinki, Finland and Vancouver, Canada. They represent a carefully selected portfolio of brands but are also constantly looking for new brands with potential in the Nordic markets. They have built strong relationships with local licensees and retailers in their markets, as well as a vast network of global sub-agents. These grant them the unique position of representing brands both locally in the Nordics as well as globally. In publishing, their scope of work depends on the rights and territories granted. They have extensive experience in directly building and managing worldwide publishing programs with their vast network of publishers. For example, they have created the global Angry Birds publishing program and represented the brand for many years in publishing. Their Creative Studio with years of experience in creating style guides and visual assets for their clients is a key service the Agency offers. They have worked with a multitude of brands, segments and age demos, and always search for the best possible look for each brand. Currently Ferly Agency represents a strong portfolio of clients such as Moonbug Entertainment’s global phenomenons CoComelon and Blippi, tween gaming hit Star Stable Online from Star Stable Entertainment, and Molang from Millimages. They also represent brands stemming from the Nordics such as CupOfTherapy and have had great success taking local brands global. With their in-house animation studio, they also build their own brands, and their pre-school animation brand Momolu and Friends is steadily building into a global hit, with the broadcasting rights sold to many strong international TV and streaming channels. In Finland, Momolu’s home market, the licensing program is developing steadily with many new licensees coming onboard in 2023.

Plus Licens is an independent licensing agency with HQ in Stockholm, Sweden that represents entertainment, lifestyle, and design brands in Europe, the Nordics, Central Eastern Europe, and globally. The portfolio includes entertainment brands from major studios, global icons, lifestyle, and design brands. With Plus Licens expanding representation with a portfolio of brands across Europe, the local markets in Nordic and CEE continue to be very important. In particular pre-school properties play a big role in the licensing scene that requires local building and a hands-on approach. Pre-school properties are very much in-demand in the Nordics, including the BAFTA-winning Bluey, the top 10 Netflix series Cry Babies Magic Tears, Dino Ranch and Petronix Defenders which are placed on all Nordic public broadcasters, and Gigantosaurus with its brand-new toy line. 2022 has been a great year for Paddington. Starring in the viral skit opposite the late Queen Elizabeth II, Paddington reached +500 million people and became a character of comfort in

and outside Britain when the Queen was laid to rest this fall. The pre-school series ‘The Adventures of Paddington’ is airing on SVT in Sweden, DR in Denmark, and NRK in Norway. Next year Paddington celebrates his 65th anniversary and is gearing up for his third movie. Plus Licens licensed several fashion collabs during the year, including the global UCLA x High Snobiety collab with M@rket, Cambridge University x Replay in Europe, and Paul Frank x Scout in Italy. The standout Nordic collab 2022 has been Hello Kitty x Soulland. The collection from the Danish high-end streetwear company was revealed on the runway at Copenhagen International Fashion Fair in August. The fashion show received great press and photos of the Hello Kitty garments were featured in Vogue Runway, Vogue Scandinavia, High Snobiety, and Hypebeast. Boyhood, a new partner from the Nordics revealed their Paul Frank wooden collectible figurines just before Brand Licensing Show London in September. The collectibles were showcased in the Plus Licens booth during the fair and launched on the Boyhood website later in the fall. 2022 celebrated the 40th anniversary of Care Bears, in the Nordic visible in the collections for all ages from H&M and the baby collection at retailer Cubus. Sony’s star streaming series Cobra Kai continued to hit top numbers at Netflix with its fifth season premiering in August and the first Cobra kai items from H&M launched this spring. New animation from Sanrio premiered in December - a brand new series about Gen-Z favourite, the lazy egg Gudetama was released on Netflix and ‘Hello Kitty Super Style” for viewers 5-8 years started streaming on Amazon Kids+. The coming years will have some great movie releases from brands in the Plus Licens portfolio. In 2023, the sixtime Oscar-winning sci-fi epos Dune will return in November, and a new Ghostbusters movie land in cinemas

between Halloween and Christmas. 2024 will see the premiere of Paddington 3, Legendary and Toho’s Godzilla vs. Kong, and Sony’s Gran Turismo. And around Christmas 2024, the Swedishoriginated Handbook for Superheroes is set to hit the big screen. Handbook for Superheroes is a successful illustrated book series that have sold over 1.4 million copies in Sweden and tells the story of the young superhero Lisa and her friends. With seven published books so far, the next one is planned to hit shelves in March 2023. A Nordic brand in the Plus’ global portfolio is Mölkky - a family game that has been embraced by young creatives and students. For most the outdoor game made from discarded wood is a social event. For some, the game has become a serious competition, and Mölkky licensor Tactic is supportive of the development of international initiatives such as the yearly World Championships.

Bok-Makaren AB has appointed leading licensing agency Rights & Brands to represent Alfie Atkins (Alfons Åberg) as master agent worldwide for merchandising. With knowledge and experience of building literature-driven Scandinavian brands, Rights & Brands will develop a global licensing program for Alfie Atkins. The Alfie Atkins books, or Alfons Åberg as he’s known in the original Swedish titles, are written and illustrated by Gunilla Bergström. Gunilla Bergström (1942-2021) was a pioneer in many ways, thematically as well as artistically. She was the first to introduce the collage technique as a storytelling method in picture books and the first to write about divorce for children. Very early on in the world of children’s literature she used a father instead of a mother as the primary parent in her stories. Gunilla Bergström’s stories are psychological mini dramas set in everyday life, often with magical elements. The first Alfie Atkins book was published in 1972. Since then, more than 25 stories have been published and about 10 million books have been sold and translated to over 40 languages, with new editions being released continuously. Alfie also features in animated TV-series, feature films, audio books, theatre shows and musicals. In Scandinavia, Alfie Atkins is established as a classic among children, parents, and grandparents. “We are incredibly happy and proud to represent Alfie Atkins as master agent” says Kristin Tjulander, Nordic Commercial Director at Rights & Brands. ”With our vision to bring Scandinavian brands based on literature, art and design to a global arena, it feels