130-131_BLE Preview.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 20/09/2018 16:00 Page 131
On Show At BLE 2018 Below: Hello Kitty will be marking 45 years in 2019.
Eggs-tra portions
2018 is an exciting year for Sanrio at BLE, which will preview celebrations for the iconic Hello Kitty’s 45th anniversary in 2019. This follows on from a bumper year of fashion successes collaborating with the likes of PUMA and Converse, and experiential wins across the UK and Europe. The Mr Men Little Miss brand has also had a busy year, welcoming Little Miss Inventor on International Women’s Day; Mr Happy and Mr Worry secured a silver prize at Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in aid of Children with Cancer UK; and the whole gang joined Haliborange for a book tour of the UK. The death metal karaoke-loving red panda Aggretsuko, who burst onto Netflix in April and has a second season on the way, will also be showcased. And not forgetting Gudetama, the lazy egg who’s been cooking up a storm with the recent Shoryu Ramen takeover in London, Oxford and Manchester following an eggcellent launch at Easter this year. Grand Hall C60
Cuteness and quirkiness
This year has seen DRi give Miffy a further boost in the nursery sector, with grey and mint plush from Rainbow Designs launching, as babywear also continues to grow including premium lines from Tobias and the Bear. On top of this, Primark has enjoyed success with ladieswear and girlswear ranges for the brand. New licensees include craft kits from Stitch and Story and quilting fabrics from Visage Textiles. Roald Dahl’s 2019 ‘hero title’ is Matilda, and a key moment is World Book Day with which Roald Dahl has become synonymous across book, dress-up and education. Toiletries from Bloom and Blossom are a highlight and there’s been growth in gifting including The Book People and Sainsbury’s for autumn/winter 18. The Happy News sees joyful ranges from Widdop and Blueprint with new licensees for toiletries and confectionery, while John Lewis will be hosting a series of autumn events. 2018 is Boofle’s tenth anniversary, celebrated with three new contemporary card collections, ladies nightwear continues to be a major highlight and girlswear and babywear is also coming through.
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Left: Miffy has been enjoying success in the babywear category among others.
Right: Oggy and the Cockroaches will spearhead the Xilam line-up.
French fancies
French animation studio, Xilam Animation’s slate will be spearheaded by Oggy and the Cockroaches which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. The company is preparing a calendar of activity to commemorate the landmark moment for Oggy that agents will be able to implement globally. Xilam will also bring its new animated series Mr Magoo to BLE for the first time. Based on the successful 1960’s cartoon, Xilam has already secured significant broadcast presence through deals with ITV and CITV in the UK, France Télévision in France, K2 in Italy and Cartoon Network in Asia. Mr Magoo will premiere from spring 2019 and target kids aged 6-10 years. Rounding out its slate, Xilam will also offer opportunities for Zig & Sharko, the slapstick comedy that is now in production on its third season, while in the preschool space is Xilam’s bright and playful animated comedy series, Paprika.
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Gaming action
Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group is looking to further develop opportunities in Europe, as well as across Asian and Latin American markets, for franchises including Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Overwatch and World of Warcraft. Some of the company’s existing partners include Hasbro, Nerf, LEGO, Uniqlo and McFarlane, with ABCPG’s mission with its consumer products to give fans new ways to play, display, wear and live the brands. The company is also at the forefront of esports with the Call of Duty World League, MLG Network and the Overwatch League, and is looking to emerge as ‘the leader’ in esports merchandise.
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Above: Activision Blizzard is looking to further develop opportunities in Europe.
Feline fine
Fluid World will be highlighting the continued growth of Pusheen, made famous by Facebook Messenger. Above: Pusheen has a raft The Pusheen stickers are of celebrity fans. shared over 14 million times a day by its nine million followers – which includes a host of celebrities such as Ed Sheeran, Kim Kardashian-West and Charlie Puth. With product already launched across apparel, stationery, tech, gifting and homewares, 2018 will see the further launch of Pusheen Funko Pop, figurines and squishies, collectable items which appeal to the worldwide fan base. Grand Hall G35 LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2018
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