IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Contents 06
08 05
Masters of the Universe Barbie The power returns
Celebrating an icon
24 Hot Wheels
30 Fisher-Price
Hot Wheels revs up
The wonder of childhood
36 Thomas & Friends
The world’s most famous little blue engine Mattel Supplement
46 Fireman Sam
Be a safety hero with Sam 3
Janet Hsu Chief franchise officer Now you have been in your role for a year, are you happy with the progress over the past twelve months? What do you think have been the most important initiatives that have been implemented? We’ve hit some huge milestones over the past year, with exciting break frame moments that spotlight our amazing IP. From Barbie’s 60th anniversary and the buzz around celebrating an iconic brand, to some of the live action movie partnerships we’re commissioning. My mission was to create a whole new division that hadn’t existed to allow us to engage with our fans through different avenues and I’m excited to drive meaningful connections outside of a traditional toy focus. What is the key focus of your new role? I’m really focused on finding new ways for us to connect with consumers and fans from a 360-degree, multi-dimensional approach across our iconic brands. Growing our global portfolio into commercial opportunities through strategic partnerships, we’re working with our partners to explore more consumer products, content development and live events. We have some of the strongest IP in terms of evergreen and nostalgia across different genres, so it’s about creating new divisions and opportunities that hadn’t previously existed. He-Man is hoping to be the first property that will benefit from this new franchise management approach, what are the platforms that you plan to do with this first? Masters of the Universe and He-Man have been a cultural phenomenon for generations, and we can’t wait to inspire fans to discover their own power through the characters of this 80s powerhouse. We’ll be working with Sony to bring the property to life through the Masters of the Universe Barbie has had an amazing year live-action movie, also introducing a toy range to encourage storytelling celebrating her 60th anniversary. through core action figures, exciting vehicles, creatures and playsets in 2020 and we have also just announced the animation series with Netflix. How have you been celebrating this
as a franchise approach?
How many brands do you envisage will be made into films?
2019 has been such an empowering year for Barbie as a brand. As the most famous It’s an exciting time as we’re exploring the different opportunities across fashion doll in the world, she has inspired our IP portfolio to connect with fans in an amazing way. From partnering the limitless potential in young girls. From with Sony Pictures to create Masters of the Universe, Warner Brothers to bring Hot Wheels and Barbie to life and MGM studios to see American a franchise approach we’ve been working with our partners across all categories, Girl and View Master on the big screen, it allows us to continue to tell from apparel, food, beauty, publishing and these stories to our loyal and new fans. travel, we’ve celebrated Barbie globally. We also hosted some amazing events Earlier this year you announced a partnership with Sanrio, how do to spotlight the history of the brand you plan to evolve this partnership and when will we see product? compared to where Barbie stands today – We’re excited to bring the world of Sanrio to life through our new international licensing partnership in Autumn/Winter 2020. The range will including an immersive pop up experience allow fans of all ages to experience characters from the Sanrio portfolio, in New York City. We’re excited to also be launching the ‘Be Anything’ tour that including Hello Kitty & Friends, Hello Kitty Café, Little Twin stars and Chococat. The creation of toys, dolls, playsets, games, puzzles, babygear, will be taking place in October, and the plush and vehicles. Our relationship with this partner is another fantastic Barbie Truck: Totally Throwback Tour to showcase branded merchandise including example of how we are moving forward to collaborate with globally-recognised franchises, and how we continue to transform into a exclusive retro-inspired apparel and accessories. high-performing toy company. Mattel Supplement
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Masters of the Universe is back! Originally launched by Mattel as a toy line in 1982 with an animated series following in 1983, the property fast became a $2b franchise across toys and licensed goods in the 1980s. Since its inception, Masters of the Universe has been a cultural phenomenon transcending generations and igniting “the power” amongst fans around the world. Now, after years of unrest, fans of the franchise can finally celebrate. Mattel is partnering with Sony to bring Masters of the Universe back to the big screen with a new feature length movie and a star cast in SS21, and will launch a brand-new line of action figures called Masters of the Universe Origins in advance of the movie; available at mass retail in AW20!
Janet Hsu, chief franchise officer, explains: “The Masters of the Universe franchise was an 80s powerhouse and has retained its place in pop culture over the past 30 years, referenced everywhere from a Saturday Night Live skit with Chris Pratt and Ariana Grande, to the awardwinning UK Money Supermarket TV ad spots featuring Skeletor and He-Man. Mattel offers a stellar portfolio of power brands, and we see MOTU as having some of the biggest opportunities for partners to catapult on the timely society nostalgia for the 1980s, and to partner with a franchise that is going to strongly resonate with old fans and a totally new child audience!”
The appetite for Masters of the Universe hasn’t waned in the years while the franchise rested; Masters of the Universe has had almost 150m social mentions in the US alone within the last year, and the casting of Noah Centineo, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Favourite Male Actor and star of Netflix smash To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before has driven mass-hype in 2019.
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Unveiling the new Masters of The Universe toy line The new Masters of the Universe Origins line of toys pays homage to the classic characters and franchise moments through figures and accessories that play out iconic storylines that fans will fondly remember. These new figures honour the heritage and look of the vintage toy line that toy collectors desire, with updated design improvements that today’s generation of kids – the kids of original fans - will expect. The Origins figures are 5.5-inches tall and are the same size and form factor as the 1980s toys. However, the new figures are highly posable with 16 points of articulation, versus the original toys that had only six articulation points. In addition, the facial expressions have been updated on some characters to provide them with a new look. Mattel toy designer Ruben Martinez notes, “We wanted to keep what was great about the original toys, while re-designing them in a way that was not possible back in the day.”
Only true Masters of the Universe fans will notice acute design improvements such as the iconic moustache on the Man At Arms figure, which surprisingly was never seen on the toy despite its notable presence in the original Filmation animated series from the 80s. The new toy packaging is a hyper-retro graphic style, in keeping with the vintage series which will ignite nostalgia in the toy aisle at retail. To top it all off, a brand-new series of mini comic books with all new storylines will be included with the figures in package. Fans may remember that the mini comic books in package pre-dated the Filmation animated series and provided deep narrative storylines for the characters within the universe.
Over the last 3 decades, there have been various re-interpretations of the Masters of the Universe toys, often only available at speciality shops, online, or through second hand dealers. The launch of Masters of the Universe Origins is the first time since the 80s that Mattel will reclaim the original vintage style figures, and offer them at mass retail with modernized design and feature enhancements. The very first look at the new Masters of the Universe Origins line of figures were revealed to much fanfare, social noise and PR coverage at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con convention in the Mattel booth. San Diego Comic-Con attendees were able to get their hands on a limited edition He-Man & Prince Adam figure 2-Pack that carry the same features as the new Origins figures hitting shelves next year.
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Celebrating an icon
The world’s #1 doll 2019 marks the 60th anniversary of Barbie, the most popular fashion doll ever produced. Since 1959, she has been dedicated to inspiring the limitless potential in every girl with over 200 careers, and has sold more than a billion dolls in the process. 60 years later, she is still the #1 fashion doll in the world. The brands evolution over the past decade has seen a journey to realign with Barbie’s original purpose; to empower girls. A reflection of pop culture, Barbie can generate global conversations like no other toy brand, and the past five years alone have seen multiple brand campaigns that surpass 1 billion PR impressions, such as the award-winning ‘Imagine the Possibilities’ TV spot, the introduction of three new body types, and Shero campaigns – where dolls are made in the likeness of real-life role models. As the #1 girls’ brand on YouTube, Barbie has a powerful platform to showcase teachable moments through her popular vlogger character. Barbie serves younger girls an imaginative world through Barbie Dreamtopia and entertains older girls with Barbie Dreamhouse Adventures; a new series that has had 2 million minutes viewed in 2019 alone!
Barbie has seen four years of consistent growth and is the #1 fashion doll YTD. Barbie is one of the only two top 15 dolls properties growing YOY and is larger than the rest of the top 25 combined, landing five out of the top 5 performing fashion dolls.
In Barbie’s 60th year, the brand partners with best in class licensees to drive Barbie’s appeal for adults and kids, broadening its partnerships in apparel, homeware and stationery categories. So much more than a toy, Barbie is a power franchise spanning content, apparel, homewares, luggage, food and beverage and more. Recently announced, Barbie has partnered with high street retailer River Island on two apparel collections aimed at older and younger girls. The 60th anniversary celebrations continue through a special edition dress up range with popular party and fancy dress company Smiffys. The range includes a costume that recreates the iconic look of the first ever Barbie doll, as well as a life-size Barbie box, and 80’s aerobic inspired Barbie look. Further exciting licensing deals include partnerships with Samsonite, Sephora and Primark.
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Barbie celebrates 60 years as a fashion icon
With a CFDA award, Vogue partnership and global fasion collaborations Since her debut in 1959, Barbie has become an international icon and muse. From female firsts to famous collaborations, Barbie is a reflection of the times – a snapshot of pop culture. Today, she continues to spark imaginations and influence conversations around the world in her 60th year.
Barbie invented the fashion doll category, and 60 years on, is still the #1 fashion doll in the world, inspiring and inspired by fashion and creative communities. Barbie has collaborated with more than 75 designers and influencers including Gigi Hadid and Oscar De La Renta, and this year marks a rollout of milestone partnerships and accolades that celebrate the doll’s enduring relationship with the fashion industry.
Vogue x Barbie: dolled up Further cementing her place in fashion, this year Barbie has collaborated with Vogue across Europe; working with the title, the September edition of British Vogue invited the UK’s most exciting new talent to creatively re-imagine Barbie. Barbie also joined Vogue Italia as a special reporter for their September issue, whilst for Vogue Germany, a special edition of the July issue celebrated diversity.
In 2019, the CFDA awarded Barbie the Board of Directors Tribute, a special honour to celebrate her influence on American fashion and her role as an inspiring icon around the world. Past honourees of this prestigious award include First Lady Michelle Obama, Tom Ford, Gloria Steinem, Janelle Monáe, Cecile Richards, and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
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The most diverse doll in the world
The most diverse doll in the world, Barbie has offered over 100 different looks within the Fashionistas line since 2015. This year, the journey continues with a new braided hair texture, a new body type with a smaller bust, less defined waist and more defined arms, and dolls reflecting physical disabilities, including a wheelchair and prosthetic limb
launch in AW19. Barbie is collaborating with Izzy Wheels, a brand making statement wheel covers for wheelchairs to launch the dolls and has tapped designers and artists including Art School, Hattie Stewart and Malika Favre to celebrate self-expression through diversity. The wheel covers will be sold exclusively online at IzzyWheels.com.
Barbie is versatile, with the ability to straddle the entire fashion spectrum from high street, to streetwear to luxury fashion, to the most dynamic new talent. Partnering with Primark to launch a new adult fashion range, the collection spotlights the fashion heritage of the brand in an accessible way to all women. Also in the past year, Barbie has launched apparel capsule and doll tie-ins with BAPE, a Rodarte bespoke look on BarbieStyle (the brand’s popular influencer-style channel with two million followers), an empowering Role Models oneof-a-kind doll with Model and Activist Adwoa Aboah, Signature dolls with global names in fashion and pop culture such as Iris Apfel, YSL, David Bowie, Keith Haring and Marni Senofonte, and at the Met Gala 2019 worked with long-time collaborator Jeremy Scott to dress Kacey Musgraves as Moschino Barbie.
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As a muse to the world’s leading designers, Barbie has collaborated with over 75 global brands and designers, including Moschino, YSL, Karl Lagerfeld and many more, to create one of a kind dolls and exciting fashion collaborations. Barbie’s influence in the fashion space translates into fast fashion, reaching mass consumers through partnerships with Original Marines by Filippo Laterza on an 18-piece capsule collection, and Sergio Tacchini to launch a tennis clothing
range for women and girls. Undiz and Patrizia Pepe are also amongst some of Barbie’s latest fashion collaborations. In her 60th year, Barbie and luxury luggage brand Samsonite have announced two sleek collections. SS19 saw the unveiling of American Tourister ‘Modern Glow Barbie’ which included 6-pieces within the collection. This October, Samsonite will launch the ‘Neodream Barbie’ range, designed to inspire young girls and women to travel in style.
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Barbie honours global role models to inspire girls Girl empowerment is at the core of everything the Barbie brand does, inspiring girls and women since 1959. In her 60th year, Barbie further establishes itself as the ultimate empowerment brand for the next generation through spotlighting relevant female role models who are breaking boundaries.
In March 2019, the brand launched its largest and most diverse celebration of global role models ever, honouring 20 women across multiple countries and continents - including eight diverse and inspiring women across Europe - ranging from 19 to 85 years old, and speaking 14 languages.
A Shero doll is the highest honour the Barbie brand bestows, and Barbie honoured the role models by creating one-of-a-kind “Shero” Barbie dolls in their likeness to celebrate their dual mission to inspire the limitless potential in every girl. The Shero initiative furthers the Barbie “You Can Be Anything” campaign message echoing that when a girl plays with Barbie, she imagines anything she can become.
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The European activity furthered the brands commitment to closing the “Dream Gap.� Research has found that starting at age five, many girls are less likely than boys to view their own gender as smart and begin to lose confidence in their own competence. Cultural stereotypes, implicit biases and representation in media work together to further this issue. The Barbie Dream Gap Project is a multiyear global initiative to raise awareness around limiting factors that prevent girls from reaching their full potential. The women who were honoured from around the world include Adwoa Aboah, Activist & Model, U.K., Yara Shahidi, Actress, Model & Activist, USA, Naomi Osaka, Champion Tennis Player, Kelsea Ballerini, Singer & Songwriter, USA, Kristina Vogel, Cycling Champion, Germany, Dipa Karmarkar, Gymnastics Champion, India, Chen Man, Visual Artist, China, Melodie Robinson, Sports Journalist & Presenter, New Zealand, Karla Wheelock, Mountaineer, Writer & Lecturer, Tessa Virtue, Ice Skater, Canada, Lisa
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Azuelos, Director, France, Eleni Antoniadou, Nasa Scientist, Greece, Rosanna Marziale, Chef, Italty, Ita Buttrose AO OBE, Journalist & Editor, Australia, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Actress, Talk Show Host & Author, Japan, Mariana Costa, Entrepreneur & Activist, Peru, Iwona Blecharczyk, Professional Truck Driver, Poland, Gulse Birsel, Columnist, Screenwriter & Actress, Turkey, Maya Gabierea, BigWave Surfer, Brazil, Lyasan Utiasheva, TV Host & Rhthmic Gymnastics Champion, Russia
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For engine fans of all ages!
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and Thomas & Friends are trademarks of Gullane (Thomas) Limited.
©️ 2019 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
9781405294645 | October 2019 | £40
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Lisa Weger Regional head of consumer products How does the regional team support the global initiatives? Having previously worked across the US and Latin America, moving on to focus on the EMEA region has been an exciting change. We work closely with the global team to execute the best strategic partnerships across our IP, creating new opportunities that leverage the brands in each individual market. Is there flexibility to adapt the global strategy to meet local requirements? Absolutely. We understand that every market is different and that our approach needs to be tailored depending on the local market in order to reach success. It’s important that we create a global template that can then be implemented in new ways that best suit the country or region’s individuality. What have you seen as the greatest success in the region so far? It’s important that we achieve a seamless integration with consumer products complimenting the existing toy ranges, and we’ve seen some great product innovation this year across new categories. Celebrating 60 years of Barbie this year has given us the opportunity to explore different strategies and enter new territories with both existing and new partners. From collaborations with Samsonite, Sephora, Unilever Ice Cream, H&M and Primark, this is a great example of how we’re driving momentum into 2020 as we prepare for more anniversary moments across some of our other IP.
What opportunities are you most excited about for 2020? We have some amazing partnerships coming through for next year, particularly as we celebrate two huge anniversary milestones across our IP. In May, Thomas & Friends will celebrate the brands 75th anniversary which will see licensing partnerships with Bachmann and Harrods launching next year. It’s also important that we continue to tap into the publishing heritage of where these well-loved stories originated, so this remains a huge part of our plans. FisherPrice turns 90 in June, and with some of the most iconic baby and pre-school toys in the market, we really want to communicate this through our strategic partnerships on a regional and local level.
Frederic Soulie Senior vice president, content distribution How important is the role of content as part of the new franchise approach? Content is a key and an integral part of the franchise strategy. We believe in a ‘content to commerce strategy’, where we start to exploit our franchises with content first. Our goal is to create great content that resonates with the audience to build a loyal fanbase, and follow with licensing and merchandising, including toys, to unlock the full commercial value of our IPs.
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How do you think the digital landscape is affecting the licensing industry? Content consumption has changed dramatically over the last decade, and there has been a lot of activity in more recent years to address that shift. We’re seeing streaming platforms producing their own movies and TV shows, with many broadcasters and content producers launching their own on-demand platforms. As an IP owner, content producer and distributor, it is an exciting time to be in the industry, where strong, global, well-known brands and franchises are in high demand more than ever.
For example, the first series to come out of our slate of 22 shows is our recently announced “Masters of the Universe: Revelations” as an animated series in partnership with Netflix. We will continue to build the “Masters of the Universe” franchise, including the theatrical live-action movie in partnership with Sony and exciting Netflix series, whilst on the publishing side our partnership with DC Comics will see the comic miniseries “He-Man and the Masters of the Multiverse”, with more still to come.
Is there a formula that you work towards for optimum reach with the mix of channels today?
We will also see more brands emerge from digital sources, and Mattel will continue to grow its digital portfolio.
We want to be where the consumers are, and have relevant content available at anytime, anywhere, and in the appropriate format.
How does Mattel plan to exploit their franchises most effectively?
Our content distribution strategy is to offer a mix of traditional TV and non-linear, and have different types of content co-exist - while balancing the reach of specific channels and platforms with the ever-changing behavior of content consumers.
Depending on the franchise, we look at content in different forms, including theatrical, episodic, specials, shortform, publishing, live-events, music, and video games. Each franchise approach will include a mix of different forms of content across platforms.
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MY FIRST 6V THOMAS TRAIN RIDE-ON
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Hot Wheels revs up History of Hot Wheels
Hot Wheels started as a “challenge” over 50 years ago when an inventor, a car designer and a rocket scientist dared to create a toy car that would roll and look better than anything on the highway – and Hot Wheels, the first ever trackable toy car was born. Mattel founder Elliot Handler was so impressed by the cars’ performance and design that when he saw the first Hot Wheels car rolling along the floor he said, “those are some hot wheels!” The creators shared a belief in the power of design, innovation and play. This belief, and their relentless pursuit to defy category conventions, inspired them to create a cool and exciting new way for kids to experience the thrill of custom hot rod culture and vehicle play.
Power of Toy
Now, in 2019, the Hot Wheels diecast car is the #1 selling toy in the world, having sold seven billion cars since 1968, with 10 million cars made per week – and 10 Hot Wheels cars are sold every second. 2018 was the brands biggest year of toy sales ever, with fans that span kids right up to adults resonating just as much on YouTube with boys as Instagram with parents; hashtag #hotwheels is posted every 30 seconds on Instagram, whilst the 50th anniversary celebrations generated two billion PR impressions. This year, AutoWeek awarded Hot Wheels a car culture award – the first time this has been given to a brand – in 2019! Mattel Supplement
Global Powerhouse
More than just a toy, the brand has evolved into a franchise and multichannel play experience with segments in gaming, digital, automobile parts to licensed apparel, merchandise and live events. An epic 30 million active users play a Hot Wheels game each month, through gaming giants Forza and Rocket League. Consumers can experience the thrill of Hot Wheels in Brazil at the world’s first Hot Wheels theme park, whilst Hot Wheels YouTube content has seen over half a billion views in 2018. Hot Wheels has partnered with every world class auto manufacturer, and created licensed designs with the world’s top entertainment franchises. Recently announcing a line up of exciting licensing deals, including H&M who have been signed for a global DTR to produce clothing and accessories for the brand launching in 2020. In 2019, Mondo Motors will launch a new line of RC lights & sounds vehicles, whilst Bladez introduces a new arts and crafts line. Further licensees include Puma, Period Correct Motorsports, Pilot and Momo.
What Now?
For over three generations, Hot Wheels has provided exhilarating vehicle play that challenges kids to develop new skills, while having fun with the most outrageous and innovative cars and track systems. Hot Wheels ethos ‘Challenge Accepted’ ignites and nurtures the challenger spirit that lives within every kid. The product line continues to evolve, as 2019 saw Hot Wheels launch a new segment, Monster Trucks, which exploded in popularity and will be followed by the launch of a UK live tour in spring 2020. A new tech articulation of the track and diecast launched exclusively with partner Apple, which saw kids able to integrate the play pattern they love with a new digital experience, without changing the core play pattern. An evergreen brand, even at the top of its game, Hot Wheels continues to evolve and offer something new - “it’s not the same without the flame!”
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Hot Wheels partners with football YouTube sensation F2 freestylers This year, the worlds of football and Hot Wheels collide as Hot Wheels partnered with YouTube superstars F2 Freestylers to kick off epic head to head challenges and merge the two worlds of football freestyling and fast cars. The campaign reached over a million views across social, with 10x engaging videos and posts bringing the collaboration to new audiences! The partnership launched with a hero challenge video that has reached over half a million views on the F2’s popular channel, which has over 10 million subscribers! Through inspiring content with the F2 and Hot Wheels, kids everywhere can celebrate competition, experimentation and creativity through new skills and exciting challenges! Through jaw dropping content, the F2 demonstrated their incredible football skills, whilst going head to head with a Hot Wheels diecast on an incredible 150ft long track. With exclusive content on the Hot Wheels and F2 YouTube pages, the partnership also included a meet and greet with the F2 at a Hot Wheels sponsored football tournament.
The F2 have taken the world by storm over the past five years, building a global following of over 10million YouTube subscribers with over 1.5 billion views – the largest football channel on Youtube. Their epic videos showcase their amazing football skills, viral tricks, and creative genius.
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Kelly Philp, UK Marketing Lead, Mattel commented: “We know boys love football, and they love Hot Wheels. For the first time we are bringing these two worlds together – which have so much synergy - to engage boys in new and exciting ways. The partnership will challenge kids to ignite their challenger spirit, unleashing their creativity, expands their imagination and challenges them to look for new ways to approach obstacles and solve problems.” “We are really excited to be partnering with Hot Wheels as their ethos ‘Challenge Accepted’ is something we live by in all of our Football Freestyle videos, so bringing the two worlds together to help kids take on challenges with everything they do is really exciting,” said Billy Wingrove, F2 Freestyler.
Hot Wheels monster trucks live 2020 European tour Live Nation and Raycom-Legacy Content Company are partnering with Hot Wheels to launch Hot Wheels monster trucks live, a new European tour that will create an immersive experience for Monster Truck fans. This new live entertainment tour will visit European arenas beginning on Friday, January 3rd in Manchester, UK at the Manchester Arena and will run through Saturday, February 8th in Glasgow, UK at The SSE Hydro. Tickets are now on sale.
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live will bring everyone’s favourite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks to life, combining Hot Wheels’ iconic jumps and stunts with epic crashing and smashing to deliver an exhilarating family entertainment experience for kids of all ages. In addition to the Trucks, each show will feature specialty acts like the superstars of freestyle motocross, world record attempts, and Megasaurus – the massive, car-eating, fire-breathing prehistoric robot who loves chomping on anything with four wheels.
Offering unrivalled entertainment value for Monster Truck fans, each event will feature affordable ticket prices, the Crash Zone Pre-Show Party with Monster Truck photo opportunities, driver meet-and-greets, VIP autograph sessions, and other special prizes and promotions. “Mattel is always exploring new and innovative ways for fans of all ages to play and engage with our portfolio of iconic brands,” said Julie Freeland, senior director of Mattel Global Live Events & Attractions. “We are delighted to tour the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live experience in Europe and to bring our fans into the real-life action in an arena.” “We’ve experienced unprecedented success in our first year delivering Hot Wheel Monster Trucks Live to fans in North America and we’re excited to expand to Europe under this new partnership with Live Nation,” said Ken Hudgens, president & CEO of Raycom-Legacy Content Company. “We look forward to immersing a new group of international fans in our authentic Hot Wheels experience and providing them unmatched entertainment.”
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Senior vice president Touring, International Music, Live Nation, Tim McWilliams said: “As the world’s largest live-entertainment company, we’ve been part of many incredible shows, but we are especially thrilled to be working on Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, which combines a thrilling family orientated spectacle with the iconic Hot Wheels brand.”
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The wonder of childhood
For almost 90 years, Fisher-Price has been supporting new and existing parents as they embark on their most important journey, parenthood. With innovative product launches across the
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BabyGear, Newborn and Infant segments, Fisher-Price provides the tools for parents and children at every age and stage. With fun at its heart, Fisher-Price understands that playtime
is essential for learning and development, with each fun-filled milestone a stepping stone to new discoveries and new skills as children begin to explore the world around them.
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Fisher-Price sponsors top parenting podcast In 2019, the focus remains around both brand and toy, with activations that spotlight the new and innovative products in the range. Continuing the successful relationship with author and podcast host Giovanna Fletcher, Fisher-Price sponsored the fourth series of her Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast. The 10-episode series saw Giovanna interview celebrities including Chris and Rosie Ramsey,
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Tamara Ecclestone and Nadiya Hussain, discussing their parenting journeys. With 1.2 million downloads, the podcast placed in the iTunes top 10 for the duration of the series. In AW19, Fisher-Price continues to work with Giovanna to discuss her hacks, hints and tips, with focus on new products in the infant category.
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In 2020, Fisher-Price celebrates its 90th anniversary, with PR and marketing campaigns focusing on the history of the brand. New licensing partnerships will further bring to life the heritage, whilst the launch of the new brand campaign invites parents back into the world of childhood, as Fisher-Price celebrates all things fun and play.
The interactive Linkimals toy range launched in July 2019, with celebrity mum and reality star Binky Felstead as the ambassador for the PR campaign. The social campaign drove awareness of the five cute animal friends in the product range and how they link to create an immersive learning experience to promote development in children. Further supporting the range, the exciting new television advertising campaign will be launching later in the year.
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Ahead of the Fisher-Price 90th anniversary, the brand has announced multiple licensing partnerships spanning a variety of price points and innovation categories to appeal to a mass audience. Working with award winning licensee Sambro Dough, a new range will take the brand into the Arts & Crafts territory to help children further use their imaginations and create stories through more than toys. Meanwhile, B-Gifts have introduced a fun, colourful educational line with a “hook and loop� puzzle range, as well as eco-friendly bamboo dinnerware featuring the iconic eye-catching animal designs. These new items join the existing games and puzzles, activity books, teethers, rattles and toys. Team Tex has been signed to offer car seats from newborn to pre-school. The range, available from Autumn 2019 will complement the Hauck range of buggies, push chairs and babygear. In spring 2020, a deal with Bildo will see a colourful range of bath toys, as Fisher-Price celebrates key bath-time play patterns.
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The world’s most famous little blue engine Mattel Supplement
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For almost 75 years, Thomas & Friends has introduced children to the bigger world around them through the wonder and awe of trains. A purposeful brand with friendship and teamwork at its
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heart, since 1945 the famous little blue engine has made hundreds of new friends, embarked on global adventures and visited new countries.
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Thomas goes global The exciting content relaunch in September 2018 marked the most significant changes to the world-famous children’s brand in its history, to remain relevant with the global audience. The refresh included new international and female characters, a new theme tune and a dynamic faster paced show format. The brand has implemented numerous changes to the television series to remain relevant with pre-schoolers. The relaunch of the show was the centerpiece of a major strategic brand refresh, to help engage a new generation of fans by bringing its content in line to the meet the tastes of a global audience in the modern day. After market research with hundreds of children and parents around the world to help transform the British brand, the new Thomas & Friends™ series showcases a more contemporary feel, a brand-new theme tune and a refreshed line-up of central characters in its ‘Steam Team’, ensuring gender equality across the show.
2019 saw the global journey continue with the launch of the Digs & Discoveries which saw Thomas travel to Italy to meet new friends and explore further global destinations.
The all-new format series also brings faster-paced action, increased humour and music, new international friends, animals and exciting fantasy elements and dream sequences. Ian McCue, senior producer at Thomas & Friends™, says “The show has undergone an evolution to remain relevant for the next generation of parents and children by opening up the world of Thomas & Friends so children can discover the world around them while being entertained. The changes and new additions of characters and geographies makes the show more entertaining, inclusive and global – whilst ensuring all the favourite characters and storylines that fans around the world love remain at the heart of the action.”
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PRE SCHOOL
NIGHTWEAR FULL OF CHARACTER
Barbie ©2019 Mattel.
Thomas ©2019 Gullane(Thomas) Limited
CHARACTER CLOTHING SPECIALISTS www.cooneenbydesign.com
Sam ©2019 Prism Art & Design Limited
NEW for 2020
OO Scale range of Thomas & FriendsTM by Bachmann
Bachmann Europe are delighted to announce our certified 3+ OO Scale Thomas & FriendsTM range will be pulling into stores early 2020! The initial Bachmann Europe range will include train sets, locomotives, rolling stock and accessories and will be available to view at the London and Nuremberg Toy Fairs in 2020.
COME AND SEE OUR 2020 RANGE: THE TOY FAIR, LONDON OLYMPIA 21st - 23rd January 2020 INTERNATIONAL TOY FAIR, NUREMBERG 29th Jan - 02nd Feb 2020
To book an appointment or for more information please email: thomasandfriends@bachmann-europe.co.uk Models produced & distributed by Bachmann Europe PLC. Mattel Supplement
40 Š 2017 Gullane (Thomas) Limited.
As part of the redevelopment of content, the Thomas & Friends production team collaborated with the United Nations Department of Public Information’s Creative Community Outreach Initiative to develop content inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals that were most appropriate for a pre-school audience and fitting to the Thomas & Friends brand values. This included the SDG’s: #4 Quality Education; #5 Gender Equality; #6 Clean Water and Sanitation; #11 Sustainable Cities and Communities; #12 Responsible Consumption and Production; and #15 Life on Land.; The relaunch has proved a great success with increased audience figures and greater engagement with the brand.
Thomas’ loyal fan base sees parents and children from all over the country sharing their favourite Thomas moments. From toy to licensing products and live events, Thomas & Friends continues to delight young fans as children can engage with the brand through live shows, appearances and immersive experiences, as well as through play. Drayton Manor, Mattel Play! and the national Day Out with Thomas attractions remain a popular choice for little engineers to create their own adventures from the Island of Sodor and beyond, with over 1.5 million visitors annually.
Providing a trusted friend for adventure and discovery, Thomas will continue to take pre-schoolers on a journey as he continues to pave the way for them to experience a new world, with series 23 launching in September 2019. Mattel Supplement
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Friendship, discovery and adventure 2020 marks an exciting year for the world’s most famous #1 blue engine, Thomas, as he celebrates his 75th anniversary. Created as a fictional story for Reverend. W. Awdry’s son Christopher in 1945, publishing remains a
strong part of the brand heritage. Along with friendship, discovery and adventure, these messages continue to be key to the communications throughout the anniversary year.
Thomas & Friends has never been more relevant for families and pre-schoolers. Through inclusivity, gender equality and a global outlook on life, the brand continues to resonate with children as they create friendships to explore and discover the world around them. Next year will continue to pave the way for the next generation of global citizens, with break frame moments that spotlight Thomas as the beloved British heritage brand that embraces modernisation as the world continues to change.
New content specials will introduce diverse characters and new locations, with a nod to traditional Britain interweaved into the story through celebrity voice talent. Series 24 will launch in September of the anniversary year as Thomas learns more about the world around him to better educate pre-schoolers. Exciting licensing partnerships will launch, including a deal with fancy dress company Smiffys on a new line of dress-up for baby and toddler. The range will be available in time for World Book Day in March 2020, as the national day of the year continues to grow in popularity with dress-up across nurseries and schools in the UK. H&M have also been signed for a global DTR to produce a range of children’s clothing and accessories. New product including engines and playsets will be introduced across the TrackMaster, My First, MINIs and Wooden Railway segments, with fun limitededition items to celebrate the birthday. Mattel Supplement
Power of publishing As a well-loved British brand with strong heritage, the timeless life lessons of teamwork and friendship have continued to remain at the heart of Thomas & Friends since 1945. Originated by “The Railway Series” stories, created by the Reverend W. Awdry, Thomas was inspired by the puffing of nearby steam engines at Box Railway Station in Wiltshire. The stories of conversations between these engines were imagined up to entertain his son Christopher when he was sick with the measles. His companion illustrations included pictures of the engines with little faces on them to bring the characters to life. Each engine was given a distinctive look - one smiling, one stern, one cross, one sad. In 1950, the location of Sodor was decided as the home of the stories, lying between the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea and Barrow-in-Furness on the British Mainland. More books followed at yearly intervals, and after writing and publishing 26 ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ books, Reverend. W. Awdry retired with ‘Tramway Engines’. Soon after, Christopher continued in his father’s tracks and began creating railway stories for his own young son, Richard, publishing his first book ‘Really Useful Engines’ in 1983.
Today, the Steam Team continues to excite today’s little engineers and railway enthusiasts with new stories published by Egmont. Since the first book was published almost 75 years ago, countless books have been released to continue to tell the adventures of everyone’s favourite #1 blue engine, with over two million sold annually across the world. The power of storytelling and imagination remains key to the Thomas & Friends brand; from the pages of a storybook to its live action UK TV debut on ITV in 1984, the adventures of Thomas have inspired and excited generations of children. In 2010, the traditional stop motion content saw a relaunch to CGI, taking Thomas on new adventures, before a further refresh in 2018 with the Big World! Big Adventures! series.
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Fireman Sam fires onto screens with more content than ever before‌ With over 30 years’ experience of entertaining pre-school children, Fireman Sam and the whole crew in Pontypandy know a thing or two about fire safety. Hot off the press, 2020 will see the launch exciting new content in Fireman Sam Season 12, as the team take on the latest action and adventure in Pontypandy. A 60 minute theatrical special will follow in 2021.
True to the core of Fireman Sam, the new creative will see favourite characters getting up to all kinds of adventures. Cue the everreliable Fire Fighting Team coming to save the day with Sam at the helm. But things are never quiet in the village of Pontypandy, get set for all new characters and vehicles along the way!
Fireman Sam, internet sensation With over 5.5 Billion video views on YouTube, and over 8 million global subscribers, Fireman Sam continues to appeal to new audiences as he takes on new challenges. In 2019 and 2020, the brand is set to launch all new YouTube short form content to take children on his latest adventures.
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5.5 BILLION VIDEO VIEWS 8 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS
From the end of 2019 into March 2020, Fireman Sam will launch Stop Motion and Toy Play videos, bringing the World of Pontypandy to life and highlighting the successful toy line. The brand will also be creating a new animated series to go live in February 2020. The new episodes will be optimised for digital platforms at 6 minutes long, and the stories will be told through the eyes of budding Pontypandy journalists Sarah & Mandy. Favourite characters and vehicles will return for all the action, whilst Sam and the team will be on hand to share their latest safety tips! All videos will be available in English, German, French + Polish with a strong paid media support plan from launch.
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The power of a fire safety hero In 2019, Fireman Sam continues to delight young fans with exciting licensing partnerships and live events that recreate the action and adventure of the show. For 10 years, Character Options continue to bring the world of Pontypandy to life through toys. Their growing product range sees playsets, figures and vehicles inspired by the stories from the popular content. This year, they continue the excitement, creating stop motion animation content featuring the Fireman Sam Training Tower, best-selling vehicles and favourite character figures. The video is available for fans to watch on the Fireman Sam UK YouTube channel. Also recently announced, Fireman Sam will partner with popular children’s audio system, Tonies, a new system for kids to enjoy listening to stories and music. The partnership, launching in UK and Ireland in 2020, will see a Fireman Sam figure hop on top of the fun Toniebox as the famous character merges with music.
Fireman Sam goes live Following the success of two previous touring Fireman Sam stage shows in Europe, a brand new live show ‘Fireman Sam and The Great Camping Adventure’ launched in August 2019 and is now touring over 100 venues across Benelux and Germany. With even more action planned for 2020 and beyond, Fireman Sam and the team will continue to bring their Pontypandy adventures to life in theatres across Europe.
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Be a safety hero with Sam! True to the DNA of Fireman Sam, our marketing campaign in 2019 and beyond will focus on
Fireman Sam SAFETY Safety Hero School FIRE
A fun, engaging and educational safety programme for our pre school audience. With learnings and activities approved by industry bodies and charities, we will focus on five key safety areas;
FIRE
WATER
HOME
ROAD ANIMAL
Working with key partners and celebrity influencers, we will bring the Fireman Sam Safety Hero School to life through social, PR and live event channels.
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