73 LSB Q4.qxp_NEW LSB 2008 GRID 23/09/2020 20:48 Page 73
Q4 HIGHLIGHTS
Elf service
Right: Rocket believes this year will be the Right: Tikiboo’s Care range hasthe proved biggest to dateBears for The Elf on Shelf.a hit.
Rocket Licensing believes that this year will be the biggest to date for The Elf on the Shelf. There will be product available from 18 licensees and new categories launching across a broad retail footprint. These include games and puzzles with Rachel Lowe and Winning Moves; health and beauty with H&A; confectionery with Thornycroft; and celebration cakes from Bright Blue Foods. Godzilla vs Kong, the next chapter in the Monsterverse saga, is set for release on May 21, 2021 and licensees include Playmates as master toy, Park Agencies for apparel and Whitehouse Leisure for entertainment plush. Experiential collaborations with Action for Children and Bluewater for The Very Hungry Caterpillar will continue into 2021, joined by new partnerships including with London Zoo. New to the portfolio, preschool stop motion animation from New Zealand, Kiri and Lou, has had a flying start on CBeebies. Rocket is securing initial deals across key categories including publishing and toy. There is also plenty of news to come from new representations Yakka Dee and Bob Ross, plus existing brands Rebel Girls, Horrible Histories, Fuzzballs, Dune, Rocky, Vikings and Legally Blonde, while Beano’s much-loved Dennis is 70 in 2021.
Cool for cats
Below: Pusheen is marking ten years.
Pusheen is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and is continuing to grow at a rapid pace. Over the course of the last year, the official YouTube channel has seen significant growth and now has over 452,000 subscribers. Fans have also been using Pusheen gifs to connect and these have been shared 14.9 billion times since 2018. In 2020 alone, they have been used over 3.5 billion times to date. Fluid World has also been busy brokering new deals - Stitch and Story has launched a range of knitting kits; Licensed to Charm has Pusheen’s first ever sterling silver jewellery collection; Loungefly has a number of exclusive collections; and Freedom Marshmallows has a Pusheen Sassy Strawberry Gummi bar. The fashion category also continues to grow in Europe, with the LPP group reporting strong growth despite COVID-19 lockdowns, citing Pusheen as its number one licensed brand outside of Christmas. EMP continues to grow its collection by offering a wide range of exclusive ladies daywear and nightwear including a 10th anniversary range.
Italian flair Italy’s Maurizio Distefano Licensing has opportunities in five main areas: cartoons, brands, music, fashion and sports. The agent’s cartoon roster has been bolstered recently by Gigantosaurus
Right: Me to You has a major presence across babywear, nightwear and gifting.
Sentiment success This year marked the 25th anniversary of Me to You and, despite reaching a quarter of a century, the brand remains as relevant as ever and continues to gain traction worldwide, with the added strength of nursery brand Tiny Tatty Teddy. Me to You brand owner Carte Blanche has refreshed its core brands and continues to invest in new creative content for its licensees and, despite the challenges 2020 has brought, it continues to remain very positive. A new DTR look is due to launch this season, as well as having its biggest presence across retail in AW20 with babywear, nightwear and gifting, which continues to grow as we move into 2021. With the shift towards online channels, Carte Blanche has not only focused on its social media platforms and influencer outreach, but has also launched a new website which offers a digital space to support its key partners. Its online print on demand business has also seen significant growth, with plans in place to continue supporting this in 2021. Next year will also see new product categories launching into the market, starting with toiletries, bedding, confectionery and baby accessories.
and Leo and Tig, while the brands area is growing fast thanks in particular to its work with Diageo brands, Baileys and Guinness. The company is also working International Space Archives in the territory, while photography brand, LIFE, is also now available to Italian companies. In sports, meanwhile, La Gazzetta dello Sport – the most widely read sports newspaper in Italy – gives licensees the opportunity to create extensive collections for consumers. Left: Gigantosaurus is a new addition to the MDL roster.
LICENSING SOURCE BOOK EUROPE 2020
73