TOTAL LICENSING In the challenging year of 2020 where the impact of the Covid-related restrictions was felt on the economy across the Middle East, 20too Licensing, based in Dubai, worked on adjusting its portfolio and identifying out of the box projects and new and attractive ways of engaging with audiences to cater to the needs of the consumer of the future. As a licensing agent representing both Hasbro and its global entertainment studio, eOne, 20too saw a positive impact of the changes that the acquisition has made.The power of the Hasbro and eOne portfolio, sets both the licensor and the agent apart. From pre-school heroes such as PJ Masks to the lifestyle opportunities of the super stars Play-Doh, Nerf and Monopoly, as well as the classic properties of My Little Pony, Transformers, Power Rangers and GI Joe, 20too and Hasbro offer IPs for every target group. In 2021 20too is looking at developing all key brands in new ways with a wide variety of brand extension experiences, innovative toys and games, revamped location-based entertainment, and a variety of consumer products, spanning a broad range of diverse categories. With Hasbro’s content slate and brand-new short and long form content airing on TV, ongoing content on YouTube and Netflix as well as theatrical releases in the calendar, the opportunities to connect with consumers are endless. Among confirmed movies with Paramount are My Little Pony for 24 September 2021, Gi Joe for 22 October 2021 and Transformers on 24 June 2022 (international release dates). 20too is working on rolling out consumer products lines and crosscategory programs and campaigns including apparel, back to school, halo projects and FMCG collaborations for all movie releases. My Little Pony Movie has a new generation of toys, innovative new products and a huge theatrical campaign. This highly anticipated blockbuster release will no doubt be a game changer for the franchise. Transformers is looking at a big come
back not only because of the movie releasing in 2022, but also following the success of the latest Netflix launch of Transformers War for Cybetron which debuted in August and has broken every record in history for the franchise. It is currently the highest rated piece of Transformers content on Rotten Tomatoes.With the strong content in pipeline, 20too will be reaching fans in the region with cool products and fuel the brand with new local fashion collaborations. A successful launch of one of the first projects took place in November when King’s Ambition (KA1), a Dubai-based contemporary streetwear brand born in Dubai under Saif Belhasa Holding, launched a new clothing collection themed with Transformers. The highly anticipated partnership and new clothing line was promoted via a fashion show event hosted in the desert by KA-1 and Robocom VR, an existing licensee for Transformers VR simulators. In preparation for another big release of Snake Eyes, Hasbro will be bringing a line of the GI Joe figures to the market from Spring ‘21. The movie related toy line will be introduced in September 2021 and 20too Licensing are also working on consumer products across categories such as apparel, accessories and back to school. NERF is becoming the lifestyle brand for active kids aged 7 to 12 with recognizable, sporty designs with an attitude.In addition to clothing which already launched in the market, 20too has signed up partners for back to school, sporting goods and outdoor products. Monopoly had an unbeatable year as during the lockdown, the demand for board games sky rocketed, and the Monopoly sales grew more than 50% vs 2019 in the region. Monopoly Classic is now the #1 selling item globally within all Hasbro lines, including all brands. This created a tremendous consumer appetite and need for lifestyle collaborations across different categories In 2021, Play-Doh will celebrate its 65th birthday and 20too together with Hasbro will develop the brand beyond the compound and the play-
sets by adding new, fun and unique product categories to the world of Play-Doh. SunCe will launch their back to school program, together with playful and colorful school bags. In the pipeline are also new categories such as fashion accessories and bedding. PJ Masks which continues to be one of the leading preschool brands will have a new toy line launching in fall from Hasbro. Moreover, the brand have been engaged in new exciting regional collaborations. In November 2020, PJ Masks partnered with Event Box and Dubai Fitness Challenge helping promote a healthier lifestyle to the children of Dubai, encouraging
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them to be active every day with exclusive PJ Masks workout videos released throughout the fitness month. Another partnership launching soon is a PJ Masks shaped Goody Pasta for parents and their kids to stay healthy. The launch will be supported with a social media contest, exclusive gift boxes, an influencer activation branded video, as well as in-store POS material and activations with key retail partners. Beyond merchandise, the locationbased entertainment world has changed and most activities have been paused due to COVID-19, but 20too’s team and their local partners are working on bringing new ideas to life. These will include experiential concepts utilizing all aspects of multi-media, digital interactivity and augmented and virtual reality.
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