PREVIEW
CHARACTER LICENSING
Enhanced storytelling MATTEL 01628 500 000 www.mattel.com
Family favourite BOJ 01273 982 501 www.boj.tv
They revealed plans for “Boj World”, a soft play visitor attraction at West Midland Safari Park, generating a range of offers from plush and merchandise licensees
Since launching on CBeebies, Boj has maintained its remarkable record of airing on every regular weekday. And in the first 18 months, Boj achieved more big audiences than any rival character brand, successfully doubling audience share. One secret to Boj’s success is family viewing. Its values are gender-inclusive and attract parents with kids from two years old all the way to age six. This explains why a newly ordered special-length episode will see Boj on the BBC until 2022! As befitting this inspirational brand, it continues to grow a truly innovative Boj licensing campaign. In Paul Lamond Games it has found the perfect partner to embrace Boj’s passion for creative play with a series of Boj craft kits, puzzles and a card game. At BLE they revealed plans for “Boj World”, a soft play visitor attraction at West Midland Safari Park, generating a range of offers from plush and merchandise licensees. In response to young readers voting it one of their most loved characters, Boj is to get his very own magazine by Redan. And because everyone loves Boj’s catchy tunes, Demon Records is releasing a Boj-a-BOOM album sung by star Jason Donovan. Boj is now looking to bring in even more of the best licensees out there to join them in exploiting Boj’s unique appeal across multiple categories. There are at least two major marketing events for Boj this year: promoting Boj World, West Midland Safari Park plan a year-long Boj-focused TV ad campaign. And a partnership with Discovery Education will deliver Boj’s Aussie Safari, a live webcast into over 1000 schools, taking UK reception classes on an amazing virtual fieldtrip to meet Boj’s real-life bilby cousins. This is just the beginning for Boj, with more exciting developments on the way including a new twist on the Let’s Get Boj-ing outreach programme and, coming soon to a zoo near you, the first ever bilbies outside Australia.
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Mattel boasts an impressive pre-school portfolio including Thomas and Friends and Bob the Builder as well as delivering strong licensed lines based on powerful properties from Nickelodeon, Warner Bros, BBC and more. Thomas and Friends builds on its busy 70th anniversary year with an exciting new brand campaign based on themes of racing, teamwork and friendship. New spring launches in the toy lines include the Fisher-Price My First Rolling Melodies Thomas, the Take-n-Play Jungle Quest set and the TrackMaster Close Calls Cliff playset as well as new engines based on characters from dynamic new content. Building on the successful launch of the new look Bob the Builder on Channel 5’s Milkshake!, 2016 sees the introduction of the second phase of enhanced new content with a brand new season of 52 x 11 minute episodes. This will be followed by the highly anticipated launch of the new Fisher-Price toy range bringing construction to life for pre-schoolers through exciting vehicle play, action figures and roleplay toys. Zooming onto the scene in Q1 is the new Fisher-Price range based on the Nickelodeon series Blaze and the Monster Machines. The range focuses on vehicles driving collectability alongside speed, stunts and storytelling. This will be followed by the arrival of the Fisher-Price Go Jetters licensed range in the second half of the year to add yet more excitement to the category. Fisher-Price’s Bing range success is set to continue with the expansion of the playset and figures offering as well as introduction of roleplay items including Bing’s Phone and Brenda the Blender. Continuing in 2016 is Mattel’s super collaboration with Warner Bros. with a new range of Batman V Superman movie toys coinciding with the latest film release in March followed by the launch of new DC Super Hero Girls in autumn. As Master Toy Licensee, Mattel will launch three categories to make a Super Statement at retail: action dolls, action figures and roleplay items. Finally, Mega Bloks sees the exciting launch of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles construction range ahead of the feature film release in June.
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