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02 INTRODUCTION
Word On The Street
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as expanding the offering across new areas such as accessories,” Rob says. “But it’s in the kids’ market that we’ve seen the brand’s most impressive period of growth for many years. Underpinned by the popular broadcast of
he last 12 months has seen a period of huge growth for the Sesame Street brand in the UK. The adult audience in the territory has always been hugely receptive to the charms of Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird et al, with the brand remaining one of the most popular evergreens for the demographic in the UK.
The brand has 1m UK friends on social media In turn, the licensing programme has a healthy mix of items targeted at adults and those tuned to the younger audience, as Rob Corney, group md of the brand’s UK licensing agency, Bulldog Licensing, explains. “Over the past 12 months, we have continued to develop innovative styles across fashion, as well
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Sesame Street has 84% UK brand awareness
Sesame Street is an evergreen favourite in the UK – a brand with the ability to appeal to children and adults alike, across a host of different categories. And with activity marking the 50th anniversary in full swing, the colourful, feel-good vibe of the property is set to further charm consumers, licensees and retailers. Rob Corney, group md of the brand’s UK licensing agent Bulldog Licensing, tells us more.
Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck on Tiny Pop (which saw the brand return to free to air TV in the UK), Sesame Street is now a staple in the kids’ department of major retailers throughout the country.” Rob continues: “The growth in sales of the Sambro toy lines has established the property as a core offering in toy, apparel and homewares across the territory and forthcoming launches of major product ranges from licensees including Kids II will further cement the brand as a must-have for both adults and kids.” In terms of particular highlights, Rob cites the reaction to the Kids II range during the quarter one
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INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION 03 trade show, while he is also excited to see the consumer apparel and accessories line from Difuzed following the buzzworthy London Fashion Week collection by Jimmy Paul.
Cookie Monster plush lines are perennial favourites and the rapid growth of Sesame Street product to entertain the legion of child fans, supported by the strong broadcast platform and retail support right across the UK will see the kids’ demographic grow significantly for the brand over the next 12 months,” Rob concludes.
Sesame Street reaches 150m kids in over 150 countries A new bedding line from Character World is also getting a lot of attention from retail, while the growth of the kids’ apparel offering across a number of licensees and key retailers everywhere is adding a huge amount of weight to the growth of the brand. Rob adds: “We are now working across multiple categories with licensees and retailers keen to benefit from the hugely popular TV broadcast.” Indeed, while softlines and in particular adult fashion, have traditionally been the major success story for Sesame Street in the UK market – with product selling in large numbers across all channels
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There are 100k+ UK YouTube subscribers TV TIMES
– Rob and the team are now excited to explore the further opportunities available. “Outside of the adult ranges, the iconic Tickle Me Elmo and Me So Hungry
Alongside the consumer products and licensing programme, the TV side of the business has also continued to develop. “We have compelling, beloved characters and we continue to drive engagement to those top characters - Elmo, Cookie and Abby,” explains Risa Greenbaum, assistant vp international media business at Sesame Workshop. “Each one has their own mini segment on Sesame Street. Elmo is, of course, the star of our refreshed and most popular Elmo’s World. Cookie - a favourite with kids and adults - has a segment called Foodie Truck, where he and his friend Gonger explore where food comes from.” Beyond the TV series, each year, Sesame Workshop produces a new TV special. And 2020 is going to be ‘The Year of the Monster’ when Sesame Street’s bestselling book of all time turns into an animated special for HBO. Risa continues: “Coming to the TV screen for the first time, The Monster at the End of This Story makes Grover the star of his very own story. ”
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04 SESAME STREET AT 50
50 Years And Counting It is seen in over 150 countries, heard in 17 languages and has over 24 million social fans – all of which makes Sesame Street truly the longest street in the world. And 2019 sees it reach the 50-year milestone, with Sesame Workshop celebrating with a year-long campaign which stretches across the globe.
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ack in 1969, Sesame Street reimagined what children’s entertainment could be. The rest is history; the iconic brand has been teaching and entertaining kids around the world ever since. As Sesame Street turns 50, there are more reasons than ever for fans to visit the friendliest street in the world. Parents who grew up with Sesame Street are sharing it with their own children, while favourite characters like Cookie Monster ABOVE: The Jimmy Paul and Elmo and Difuzed bring out range was the kid in showcased at London everyone.
Fashion Week.
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As Sesame Street turns 50, the landmark anniversary is being marked by a
ABOVE: There are more reasons than ever for fans to visit Sesame Street.
year-long campaign which is celebrating timeless Sesame lessons, that everyone is deserving of respect and opportunity. The campaign invites fans around the world to share what makes their
CATWALK STARS One of the highlights of the 50th anniversary celebrations was Jimmy Paul and Difuzed’s Sesame Street-inspired runway show at London Fashion Week in February. The collection was inspired by the colourful, furry world of Sesame Street and its residents – including Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch among others – skilfully using design tools from the brand to not only honour Sesame Street’s 50 years of teaching and delighting kids around the world, but also
celebrating its creativity, pop culture, fashion and fun nature. Difuzed will also be launching a diffusion line of apparel and accessories for women based on Jimmy’s collection. “For this amazing show Jimmy Paul skilfully adapted the charm, humour and colour of Sesame Street to produce a wonderful and stylish collection of outfits that took everyone’s breath away,” says Sole Puerto, senior creative manager at Bulldog Licensing. “We, and many fans of fashion and Sesame Street, are now looking forward to seeing the Difuzed line based on these fabulous creations at retail.”
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SESAME STREET AT 50 05 THE NOSTALGIA FACTOR
“Sesame Street is one of the world’s best-loved brands - the characters are not only some of the most lovable around, but they have played a key part in the development of the vast majority of people in the country,” says Rob Corney, group md of Bulldog Licensing. “Whilst the characters themselves retain the same charm they always had – humourous, huggable and part of a global campaign to help educate children – the way in which they are able to interact with their audience has continually evolved, using traditional media like TV to deliver the core message to children and simultaneously engaging with their adult fans through digital channels. “Whether it be cooking with Phil Vickery on This Morning or the amazing Game of Thrones #Respect campaign, Sesame Street and its characters are fun and relevant ambassadors for people of all ages.” communities special and also sees Sesame Workshop roll out a star-studded social media campaign, an immersive road-trip with international activations (see more on this over the page), all-new broadcast elements and a host of new product collaborations. A raft of activity has already taken place, as Risa Greenbaum, assistant vice president international media business at Sesame Workshop, explains. “Spain’s PortAventura kicked off its season with the arrival of Street Mission, the theme
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the country on November 10. We can’t wait to share these experiences with our fans.” What does Risa think is the secret to the brand’s longevity and enduring appeal? “It’s a combination of compelling characters, engaging story lines and a laser focus on keeping kids and families first in everything we do,” she says. “We are constantly researching what issues are impacting kids, and then we find the best way to meet those needs.” So, is there scope for another 50 years? Of LEFT: Cookie course, says Risa. monster has “We’re very excited to recently visited London as be headed to the big part of the screens. Warner Bros. celebrations. announced a new liveaction Sesame Street movie produced by Shawn Levy, with the movie scheduled to premiere in January 2021. “Our goal with the anniversary, and well beyond that, is to continue delivering on our mission and to have a positive effect on kids and their families.”
park’s first dark ride and the only one in Europe inspired by Sesame Street,” she begins. “The new ride is an interactive adventure for all ages in which visitors have to help Detective Grover successfully complete a secret mission. In the Netherlands, Sesamstraat Live! will begin touring in November. In Germany, Sesamstrasse screenings are scheduled in Kinopolis theaters throughout
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06 COOKIE MONSTER HITS THE UK
Monster Mania
Big misconception about that. Me definitely Cookie Monster. Me like to eat healthy. Me eat carrots, and brussel sprouts, and all kinds of veggies. But in the end, cookies still me favourite!
April saw Cookie Monster and Gonger head to London on a promotional tour for Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck, which saw them charm the likes of Zoe Ball and the team on This Morning, as well as savour some UK ‘cookies’, of course. We caught up with the duo to get the lowdown on their trip. What is your favourite type of cookie or biscuits as us Brits say? Cookie Monster: Rich tea! No… chocolate chippy! Oh, maybe Jaffa Cakes! Oh no, me almost forgot digestives. Do me have to choose? Me just love them all! Gonger: I love all kinds of different cookies. Especially when you can share them with your friends. Cookie Monster: And me love when you share cookies with me, too! Do you have any to share right now?
What do you like best about the UK? Cookie Monster: Oh man, me love so much about UK! The landmarks, the people, and of course the cookies – or as you say in the UK, biscuits! Me loved making and eating hob nobs, custard creams, rock cakes and garibaldis. Mmmm… me thinking about all the cookies right now. Gonger: We were so happy to visit. And we made so many great friends here.
Best place you’ve visited on the tour? Cookie Monster: We visited so many great places on our trip. Me
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really loved the Victoria & Albert Museum. They have exhibit with vases that look like old cookie jars! Sadly, no cookies inside. Gonger: And we loved visiting Buckingham Palace but the Queen wasn’t home. Cookie Monster: Me also like having tea at the Savoy. Very tasty stuff there.
What’s it like being a global superstar? Do you get recognised when you go on the subway? Cookie Monster: Me don’t think of me self as superstar. Me think of me self more as GLOBAL ICON! Me just kidding. Me never get recognized. Me just Cookie Monster from Sesame Street. Gonger: We love to help people find the best in themselves. And we love to make people happy. Because we are…
Gonger: I love all kinds of food – and while we eat cookies, we eat lots of fruit. My favourite healthy snack is fruit. You can mix it with yogurt and granola to make fruit sushi! It’s delicious!
Who is your best friend on Sesame Street? Cookie Monster: Me can’t just pick one monster! Me look up to all me friends. Elmo for making me laugh when me sad. Grover for being so helpful and Abby for teaching me to how to plant pretty flowers. Oh, me just have so many wonderful monster friends. Did me mention me also know and love some great humans, fairies and even grouches? Gonger: No one else you want to mention? Hmmmmm? Someone that you see all the time and who always helps you? Cookie Monster: Oh yeah! Me can’t forget about Big Bird. He’s so nice! Gonger: Grrr… What about me?! Cookie Monster: Oh! Dey asked ‘best’ friend, but you Chef Gonger, are my bestest friend. Gonger: Awwww, that’s so sweet! Well you’re my bestest friend too!
Cookie Monster/Gonger: Monster Foodies!
Do you get your five a day from cookies? Is your diet exclusively cookie-based? Cookie Monster: Me love cookies… especially chocolate chippies. But me also eat other foods too, like vegetables. BUT ME NOT VEGETABLE MONSTER.
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SESAME STREET AT RETAIL 07 Karen Hewitt, co-founder, Character.com
From Street To Shelf The wide appeal of Sesame Street means that it lends itself to all manner of product categories – apparel is a key staple, while growth is also being seen across toys and homewares. We chat to some key licensees and retailers about what the brand means to them and the new lines which are coming up.
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“Sesame Street is a brand that gives adults a chance to relive childhood nostalgia and immerses children into a fun world of learning. For us, any brand that resonates with adults and children is always a winner and something like Sesame Street that has such recognisable bright fun characters will always work well online. I think if I had to be compared to any Sesame Street character, it would have to be Ernie because I’ve got a wicked sense of humour and like to have fun. I’m also partial to a striped shirt…” LEFT: Karen says she has a wicked sense of humour like Ernie.
Tim Kilby, brand director, Character World “With Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary, we are collaborating with Primark to bring this great brand into homes across the UK. Sesame Street played a massive part in all our childhoods and is still loved all over the world by both adults and children, making it a hugely fun experience working to bring this brand to Primark Home. This Cookie Monster collection is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face and we can’t wait to see it in-store.” RIGHT: Character World is collaborating with Primark on homewares, says Tim.
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08 SESAME STREET AT RETAIL Tom Crompton, group licensing manager, Blues “Blues and Dennicci are very pleased to be supporting Sesame Street for their 50th anniversary. We have been a partner of Sesame Street for a number of years and are proud to continue to support a brand which has a focus on providing educational support to children all over the world. The 50th anniversary celebrations, coupled with Cookie Monster’s return to UK TV, have provided a significant boost to the brand and Blues/Dennicci are excited to continue our partnership with the Sesame Workshop and Bulldog Licensing into 2020 and beyond.” BELOW: Blues/Dennicci has a variety of product supporting the brand.
Ben Lowe, account manager, Roy Lowe & Sons “Sesame Street is one of the most recognisable brands to span across all generations and genders. From a sock point of view, the artwork knits up superbly, and the colour and fluffiness of Cookie Monster and Elmo in particular stands out at retail as instantly recognisable.” ABOVE: The artwork knits up superbly for socks, says Roy Lowe’s Ben.
Sarah Salmon, licensing manager, Cooneen “Cooneen has worked with the Sesame Street brand for a number of years. It is an icon brand which hits all demographics. It can be cute and colourful, but also cool and fashion forward. We absolutely love working on this brand.” RIGHT: Cooneen is a long-term Sesame Street partner, says Sarah.
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SESAME STREET AT RETAIL 09
Nikki Samuels, licensing director, Sambro “50 years since Sesame Street launched and it still as relevant today as it was then. Our plush range launched across EMEA in October 2017 with a strong marketing campaign and has grown from strength to strength each year since. In the run up to Christmas this year we have significantly increased retail presence and some very exciting marketing plans in motion to celebrate Sesame Street’s impressive 50-year milestone.” LEFT: Nikki says that Sambro has significantly increased its retail presence for its Sesame Street lines.
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Kerry Feeney, product development supervisor, Beams “Beams feels that Sesame Street is a great brand to work with. It is a widely recognisable brand which has great appeal across all age groups. It goes from strength to strength within gifting with the use of all the different characters and style guides that are available to us.” RIGHT: Sesame Street is a great brand to work with, says Kerry.
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10
COLLABORATIONS & SOCIAL WORK
As a non-profit organisation, all the work that Sesame Workshop does is in service of its mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger and kinder. From collaborations with like-minded brands through to domestic outreach initiatives, we take a look at some of the latest work across the globe.
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iving back never goes out of style for Sesame Street, with it partnering with a number of socially conscious brands on new collections as part of its year-long 50th anniversary celebrations. TOMS, Bombas, Out of Print and DIFF Eyewear have all unveiled new lifestyle collections, supporting those in need with ‘buy one, give one’ initiatives and outreach programmes. Launched globally earlier this year, Sesame Street x TOMS’ latest collaboration is a 17-piece collection of shoes for women, kids and toddlers. New styles
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Giving back feature 3D embellishments, playful prints, clever appliques and other whimsical details inspired by Sesame Street’s most iconic characters. The collection launched in TOMS retail locations, on toms.com and in bricks and mortar stores around the world, supported by in-store signage and dynamic window displays. For every pair purchased, TOMS will provide a pair of shoes for a
child in need through its One for One programme, which has given more than 86 million pairs of new shoes to the people who need them most. In the US, comfort-focused sock brand Bombas will debut new collections in the summer and autumn. The Bombas co-founders also appeared in a video alongside Cookie Monster to support Sesame Street’s new family homelessness
DOING GOOD IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD One of the highlights of the Sesame Street has the unique ability to reach and teach children, and it is constantly evolving to meet their needs, as Risa Greenbaum, assistant vice president international media business, Sesame Workshop, explains. “Thanks to a landmark $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation, we’re undertaking the largest early childhood intervention in the history of humanitarian response in
partnership with the IRC, which will reach millions of children affected by the Syrian war,” Risa says. “Through Sesame Street in Communities, our largest domestic outreach initiative, we’re working hand-in-hand with direct service providers across the country to deliver resources to vulnerable children and families, like those dealing with traumatic experiences, homelessness and incarceration. “We’ll continue to do this important work beyond our milestone 50th year.”
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INTRODUCTION 11 COLLABORATIONS & SOCIAL WORK IN FASHION
initiative and Some of Sesame Street’s key the brands’ collaborations: shared (ABOVE) TOMS, commitment (RIGHT) PUMA. to bringing awareness to the issue of family homelessness and its impact on families. Out of Print has donated over three million books to communities in need and supported a variety of literacy initiatives. It will build on its initial Sesame Street apparel range with further products including totes, pouches, enamel pins, socks and clothing for all ages, featuring artwork from titles like The Sesame Street Together Book and How To Be A Grouch. Finally, DIFF Eyewear will debut a line of handcrafted sunglasses and blue-lightblocking glasses for kids and
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adults. For every pair of DIFF sunglasses purchased, DIFF donates a pair of reading glasses to someone in need. Since 2015, DIFF Eyewear has donated over 1,000,000 pairs of reading glasses to those who need them most and would not be able to afford them otherwise. BOTTOM LEFT: China Glaze. MIDDLE: Uniqlo. RIGHT: Bombas.
Fashion collaborations have been a key area of growth for Sesame Street. As well as TOMS and Bombas, other recent collaborations have been secured with Paul & Joe Sister and China Glaze (launching in July), while the brand has enjoyed continued support at Zara and H&M. In addition, a global collab with PUMA – inspired by the heritage of both brands, has created a lot of buzz this year. The fresh colour palette and retro design elements include playful nods to city streets, skylines and Sesame Street characters in beloved PUMA silhouettes. In addition to footwear, the SS2019 collection also includes a range of apparel and accessories for kids. In celebration of 50th anniversary and as a way to involve Sesame’s fans, PUMA created a shoe box with unique and heartfelt artwork designed by kids. There will be more Puma X Sesame Street in the Fall. Another highly anticipated collab was the recent Uniqlo DTR with KAWS. KAWS, the pop culture artist and Sesame Street fan, used his distinctive art style to reimagine Cookie Monster, Elmo and friends. The DTR had 2 drops – a SS18 range of tees for adults and kids and an even more exciting AW18 collection. The AW range consisted of 27 SKUs: tees, sweatshirts and 5 stylized plush (with a special gift box) that instantly became collectible items. The collab was available in over 2,000 UNIQLO stores worldwide and online.
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For licensing opportunities contact: info@bulldog-licensing.com TM/Š Sesame FC_OBC_Sesame Street 2019.indd 2
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