Total Licensing Spring 2020. The leading worldwide magazine for the licensing industry.

Spring 2020

Regular Features Comment........................................................................ 6 Global News.................................................................. 8 Legally Speaking........................................................... 94 The Licensing International column........................ 96 What’s On.................................................................... 98

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Global The Thriving Animation Industry............................. 25 Publishing and Creativity in Licensing..................... 88 Influencing Behavioural Change............................... 92 The Point.1888. Working with Retailers............... 95

Europe TF1 Licences latest..................................................... 14 France Update............................................................. 17 France Country Profile...................................... 22 Cover Story: Mondo................................................... 32 New Season for Rainbow’s Cats............................. 36 Spotlight on Italy......................................................... 83 Italy Country Profile........................................... 87 Toys Milano Preview........................................... 88

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Asia Sony Build Original Japanese Brands...................... 29 Mattel and the Tokyo Olympics............................... 30 Japan Country Profile................................................. 31 Hong Kong draws the Crowds................................ 91

Russia Russia Launches Rebates for International Producers...................................................................... 81

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Total Licensing Australia Starts on page 37

March 2020

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Preview

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News from the marketplace.................................................40 Merchantwise Minecraft.............................................................................43 X Box....................................................................................44 Halo......................................................................................46 Sonic.....................................................................................46 Pac Man...............................................................................48 Space Invaders...................................................................48 emoji.....................................................................................48 Paramount...........................................................................51 Miramax..............................................................................53 Disenchantment................................................................53 Elf on the Shelf..................................................................53 Gruffalo................................................................................55 Moon & Me........................................................................55 Kiri and Lou........................................................................55 May Gibbs...........................................................................57 King Features......................................................................60 London Underground.......................................................61 The Beatles.........................................................................61 AC/DC...................................................................................63 Manhead.............................................................................63 Haven going Global.................................................................65 Kids Trends in Australia...........................................................67 Kids Trends in New Zealand.................................................68 ViacomCBS................................................................................69 The Wiggles turn 30!..............................................................74 Protection Innovation in the toy industry...........................76 Licensing Australia’s Heritage...............................................77 Disney Blockbusters for 2020.............................................79

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Co-Publisher Francesca Ash francesca@totallicensing.com

Co-Publisher Jerry Wooldridge jerry@totallicensing.com

Editorial Director Rebecca Ash becky@totallicensing.com

Business Development Manager Jo Cassidy joanna@totallicensing.com

Office Manager Helen Bowerman helen@totallicensing.com

Japan Agent Roger Berman, ZenWorks rmb@zenworks.jp

TOTAL LICENSING LTD 4 Wadhurst Business Park Faircrouch Lane, Wadhurst, East Sussex TN5 6PT UK Tel: +44 (0) 1892 782220 Fax: +44 (0) 1892 782226 www.totallicensing.com enquiries@totallicensing.com

Member of

© 2020 Total Licensing Ltd All illustrations are reproduced by permission of their owners. No part of this magazine may be copied or quoted without permission from the Publishers first. Total Licensing Ltd does not warrant or assume any legal liability for the accuracy or legality of contents, images or advertisements submitted to the magazine. Opinions of the contributing writers are their own and do not reflect the opinion of Total Licensing Ltd. Printed in England

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In an unprecedented series of events, several of the major licensing and affiliated shows around the globe have been cancelled or postponed, due to fear around the Coronavirus, COVID-19.

Just recently Licensing China, the London Book Fair and MIPTV both announced they would not be running their annual shows this year. The Bologna Book Fair is postponed. as is Cartoons on the Bay, Licensing Japan and Toys Milano amongst others.

As one of the most important shows for the industry, Licensing Expo put out a statement saying that the show will run as planned in May and the licensing world will be welcomed to Vegas, with organisers Informa closely monitoring the situation and current health guidelines. Health of exhibitors and visitors is the utmost priority, of course.

The toy industry has taken a hit with many factories and businesses closed in China, and as we know, over 80% of toys and toy parts are manufactured in China. The Wall Street Journal today ran an article titled ‘Coronavirus Is Devastating the Conference Circuit’. The Geneva Motor Show has been cancelled for the first time since 1904. All of this, amid the myriad of conferences, gatherings and trade markets around the world being cancelled, is leading to tens, perhaps hundreds, of millions of dollars in lost revenue – everyone from the CEO expecting an important meeting to the conference centre bartender losing salary and tips is affected.

In our offices, we sat down to address what this all means for the industry, and how we can help. It is a difficult position – from a personal and business point of view. The trade shows represent a percentage of our distribution of the printed magazines – the very essence of our business is bringing licensing industry information to the licensing industry. They also are the place we meet with the industry, find out the news, speak to executives, to the movers-and-shakers, see the top trends, hear business concerns, and can analyse the global industry. We meet with friends and international colleagues, and, as we know, there is no other industry like the licensing industry, renowned for its friendliness, openness, innovation and creative spirit.

It’s hard not to get caught up in the ‘doom and gloom’, and the very real fears that many people

have around travelling. While the media may be full of stories of empty supermarket shelves and armies in the streets, it hasn’t quite come to that yet in most places. But on a worldwide economic scale, the trade shows that have been cancelled signify how serious and how damaging this virus may be. Amid the devastating human casualties, it is difficult not to look at the daily news without a feeling of dread and, at best, uncertainty.

We find ourselves in an interesting position. At Total Licensing, with our digital offering and readership of over 84,000 in 107 countries, we are well placed to continue to fuel the global business. The licensing industry is our bread and butter, as it is yours.We want to see a thriving industry and help companies gain the exposure that they might be missing by not being able to either showcase new product at trade markets or meet face to face with potential clients. It is very hard not to think of the smaller businesses who might have invested thousands into attending shows.

Larger companies will have invested hundreds of thousands. Booth space, shipping, flights, accommodation. All of these companies will now be entering into the quagmire of dealing with insurance companies to recoup losses large and small – Total Licensing too. It is hard to quantify on a monetary scale how much future business comes from a trade event; thus, impossible to calculate the real losses.

Again, we find ourselves in a difficult position, because as a media company, you certainly don’t want to be accused of capitalizing on misfortune.

Far from it.

We want to know how we can help your business weather this storm. We’re equipped to do it – our printed digital readership, as mentioned above, is vast and reaches 107 countries and we have always prided ourselves on being unbiased, comprehensive and global. Our new website which is launching this week will facilitate virtual interaction.

So if we can help, we would like to. You can contact any of us with any thoughts you have on how we can help you, or come to us for ideas.

Wishing you all the best – and above all, good health!

Rebecca Ash, Editorial Director

With Thanks to this Issue’s Contributing Writers: Gregory Battersby Martin Brochstein Trudi Bishop

Jed Ferdinand Philippe Guinaudeau Hannah Stevens

Noelene Treloar Adam Trioli

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MARMITE TEAMS UP WITH MARKS & SPENCER Two iconic British brands, Marmite and Marks & Spencer, are teaming up for the first time to delight shoppers with a new range of co-branded ‘love them or hate them’ bakery and chilled products.

Launched nationwide from 4 March in over 450 Marks & Spencer stores, the new range includes Marmite Cream Cheese and Marmite Butter for cooking in the chiller cabinets, as well as freshly baked in-store Marmite and Cheese Twists.

The innovation behind the new range was a collaboration between Marmite

accompaniment to a bagel or a cracker For the fans who want to whip up a Marmite storm in the kitchen there’s Marmite Butter for cooking, which comes in an easy-to-slice format. From melting on top of roast potatoes to placing on top of steak, or mixing into pasta it’s a great way to deliver the distinctive savoury Marmite hit to a whole range of dishes And finally, for those lovers who want their Marmite fresh from the oven there’s Marmite and Cheese Pastry Twists - a melt-in-the-mouth savoury twist baked in-store

and M&S’s talented in-house product development team.

Marmite Cream Cheese is a combination of the iconic spread coupled with the coolness of cream cheese and is the perfect

The new Marmite Cream Cheese and Marmite Butter will carry the same distinctive black and yellow brand colours as the iconic Marmite jar, offering standout on shelves which fans will immediately recognise.

CELEBRITY DADS PRESENT THOMAS Three of the UK’s favorite celebrity dads - Peter Andre, Harry Judd and Spencer Matthews teamed together to present new Thomas the Tank Engine stories.

To mark the 75th anniversary of Thomas & Friends, the fathers each read a Thomas story from the past, present and future on the official Thomas & Friends UK YouTube channel at the end of February.

To launch the new Reading with Friends campaign, singer and musician Harry Judd read the first ever Thomas the Tank Engine story, first published in 1945.

TV personality and performer Peter Andre continued with his take on Thomas and the Dinosaurs, a recent tale. Made in Chelsea star and entrepreneur Spencer Matthews finished the series with a special Happy Birthday reading.

In its 75th anniversary year, Thomas & Friends will be celebrating its strong storytelling, and highlighting its success, even after 75 years.

Reading with Friends was designed to highlight the exciting tales for children which also feature important life lessons.

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MEREDITH APPOINTMENTS Meredith Corporation recently announced that Toye Cody and Sondra Newkirk have each been promoted to Vice President, Brand Licensing, respectively, and will co-lead Meredith’s brand licensing business.

These promotions are effective immediately.

“Toye and Sondra (pictured) are seasoned professionals with deep brand licensing experience and relationships with our partners,” said Tom Witschi, President, Meredith Consumer Products. “We are thrilled to acknowledge and reward their strong leadership as we continue moving our business forward.”

Cody will lead Meredith’s largest brand licensing relationship with Walmart, where it sells hundreds of Better Homes & Gardens-branded home and outdoor products across 4,000 stores and Walmart.com. She joined Meredith Brand Licensing in 2008 and has been working on the Walmart business since 2011. She joined Meredith Corporation in 2004, working in various positions in Meredith Books.

Newkirk will lead all other Brand Licensing business, including approximately 35 partnerships across 11 Meredith brands. Some of those relationships include Realogy and Better Homes & Gardens, Dillard’s and Southern Living, Bellisio Foods and EatingWell, and Real Simple with Bed, Bath and Beyond. Newkirk has been with brand licensing since joining Meredith in 2006, most recently serving as Executive Director.

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CARRY ON FILM SERIES LICENSED

MR MEN LATEST

Sterling Media Marketing in the UK are licensing the entire Carry On series of films with licenses available in areas including T-shirts, condoms, real ales, books, toys, stickers, computer accessories and Secret Santa gifts.

Sterling has already agreed a partnership with cleaning company Duo Max for a range entitled Carry on Cleaning.

The Carry On series is Britain’s longest running film series with 31 films and £80 million in adjusted box office takings.

Twenty television episodes were also made and broadcast including four Christmas specials. Over 8 million viewers tuned in to watch the Carry On Christmas in 1969.

During the mid 1990s, two Carry On films were put into the top ten films ever made in the UK – Carry on Cleo from 1964 and Carry On Up the Khyber from 1968. In addition, three successful stage plays were created which ran for a total of five years.

Mr. Men Little Miss have sold over 16.6 million books in the UK since 1998, and saw a 9% growth in publishing between 2018-2019, securing its place as the second biggest pre-school brand in the UK market.

Over 20 new books are added to the 250+ strong catalogue each year. 2020 welcomes a new series that sees the characters at work, as well as an exciting new sustainability title, Mr Men Go Green. The Mr Men and Little Misses look into little ways that they can make changes in their lives to be kinder to the environment.

DRAGON BALL SUPER IN MENA REGION Spacetoon is teaming up with Toei Animation to bring Dragon Ball Super series to MENA on T.V and its video streaming platform, Spacetoon Go and that will be followed by the launch of a range of toys into the market.

The third season of the anime is making its way to MENA through Spacetoon T.V with Arabic dubbing from March 2020 which marks the 20th anniversary of Spacetoon. Additionally, all the episodes of this season will be premiering on its new video streaming platform, Spacetoon Go, then will be broadcasting on Spacetoon T.V channel. The toys are expected to hit the shelves across MENA in mid-2020 and be available for purchase from different retailers.

The toys will be distributed in the MENA market by ToyPro, a Dubai-based company, and the distributor of Dragon Ball Super toys.

Commenting, Fayez Al Sabbagh, President of Spacetoon, said, “We are so proud to be the company which introduced this successful franchise for the first-time years ago and to bring it back again to MENA through Spacetoon. We are impressed by the toy line and the quality of the toys created by Bandai Co., and we are very excited to be part of launching this toy line into the MENA market in collaboration with ToyPro and deliver the toys to the hands of customers in 2020”.

Earlier in 2019, Spacetoon has announced launching its platform, Spacetoon Go that caters to cartoon and anime viewers and provides them with exclusive content in different language options.

NATIONAL GALLERY RANGE The National Gallery Company Ltd is pleased to announce their recent license with British lifestyle brand, Signare. The accessories range features six iconic paintings that are housed in the National Gallery collection.

The collection comprises ten tapestry bags and cushions, showcasing Van Gogh’s world renowned A Wheatfield with Cypresses and Bosschaert’s A Still Life of Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase, which launched in select International gift shops and online at signaretapestry.com in September 2019. From February 2020, four additional images - Monet’s Water-Lily Pond, Stubbs’ Whistlejacket tand Van Gogh’s Sunflowers and Long Grass with Butterflies were introduced, with the added expansion into additional product ranges.

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Alongside publishing, the Mr. Men and Little Misses are keeping busy in stores with a new babywear range launching at Tesco’s Baby Event, a collection of plush from 8th Wonder in Aldi’s ‘Special Buys’ and Carex launches a new sustainable refill pack in Tesco.

After a successful launch for the Mr. Men Live Show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and a sold-out slot at Winter Wonderland, the Mr. Men & Little Misses are off on tour again!

Catch the characters as they leap off the pages of the books and round the UK in this charming live puppet show.

Mr. Men & Little Miss also popped up in McDonald’s Happy Meals across the UK and Ireland with a new promotion running from the 5th February - 17th March featuring a TV advert, in store activity and 8 reusable cups to collect with each kids meal.

2021 will be the biggest year yet for the brand with the iconic characters celebrating their 50th anniversary.

To kick off this landmark anniversary there will be an online campaign inviting fans to help pick two new characters.

NEWS

TOTAL LICENSING

MILANO LICENSING DAY READIES FOR 2020 Milano Licensing Day (15th September) has become the reference for all the Italian licensing and brand extension business community, thanks to its unique formula: a one day only, energetic and dynamic networking event. Milano Licensing Day is the best opportunity for all the licensing industry - brand owners, licensees, licensing agents, marketing agencies, services and distribution professionals, to meet and mingle in an informal and dynamic environment while understanding the future trends.

Its special one-stop-shop format, with shows, parties, pitching and workshops sessions, in the same location where Milan offers its best in term of fashion and design, is one-of-a-kind in the international licensing events scene. The Cake Party session for example, hosted last year Sanrio’s Hello Kitty 45th anniversary, while the Closing Cocktail is a delicacy chosen during over the years by Entertainment One, Mondo TV, Turner, Warner Bros., to gather all the 500+ visitors around special business contents, delivered with Prosecco and canapés. The Pitch Theatre is then the pounding heart of the event, with a back to back session of presentations, while the whole exhibiting area is actually

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more and more packed with visitors.

This year, a new layout is designed to keep the same entertaining and energetic mood in all the different areas and to give more room to corporate brands and lifestyle brand sector. In fact, like CAA GBG, Chupa Chups, MTV, Smiley, Universal Bravado, WWF, many brand owners and agents are interested in the event, and a new exhibiting area will be specially designed for those. “Meet the Unexpected,” the area for special workshops and pitching sessions will be expressly dedicated to those non-mainstream licensing programs, like co-branding and collaborations, eco/sustainable activations, or other special topics for a demanding audience.

Milano Licensing Day has also become the destination for those international players wishing to touch base with the Italian business or look for their local agents. To engage the non-domestic licensing community, Milano Licensing Day is organizing this year a one-day Licensing Store Check in Milan, where all the peculiarities of the Italian apparel, toiletries, food, and toys retail chains can be understood in one go, with a tour through two major high streets and one retail power center. To be held on 14th of September, it is another one-stop opportunity to see the “real thing” in one single day, and meet the licensing community in full swing the day after.

For more information, visit www.milanolicensingday.it

NEWS

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THE HALAL GUYS LICENSED CAA-GBG and The Halal Guys, the fast-casual Middle Eastern restaurant famous for pioneering American halal food recently announced they have established a long-term partnership. Under the agreement, CAA-GBG will leverage its global network and creative capabilities to support The Halal Guys as it takes the tastes and experiences that customers love from its food carts and restaurants into specialty and grocery stores through high-quality food and packaged goods products.

“The Halal Guys has built a worldwide following and grown from a single location into a global brand with nearly one hundred restaurants and millions of fans,” said Noah Gelbart, Chief Revenue Officer of CAA-GBG. “We very much look forward to partnering with the brand to extend its reach to new consumers and strengthen its brand equity through strategic licensing and product extension initiatives focused on the specialty food and grocery space.”

Founded as a food cart on the corner of 53rd Street and 6th Avenue in New York City in 1990, The Halal Guys has grown to 94 locations worldwide, with hundreds more in development under its partnership with franchise developer Fransmart. The brand focuses on traditional halal food and offers platters, sandwiches, hummus, baba ganouj, falafel and baklava.

“Offering our fans around the world the chance to buy our products at their local grocery store is a major step in our strategic global growth plan,” said Ahmed Abouelenein, CEO of The Halal Guys. “We chose to partner with CAAGBG because it is well known worldwide for its ability to help brands successfully expand into new segments, categories and markets. We couldn’t be more excited to work with the company as we take this next step in our brand’s growth and international expansion.”

EMOJI LICENSE The Italian Fashion brand LC23, in partnership with emoji company, launched a new capsule collection inspired by the expressive emoji brand , at the 97th edition of Pitti Uomo, the premier international event for men’s fashion and lifestyle projects which was held in Florence in January 2020. The collaboration was brokered by WildBrain CPLG Italy.

Leonardo Colacicco, the designer behind this interpretation of the emoji brand, is using an embroidery technique on the collection that includes fashionable sweatshirts and knitwear.

The LC23 products are unique items made entirely by hand with the utmost care and attention to detail, 100% Made in Italy by skilled artisans.

The collection will be in available to buy in select high-end stores and ecommerce from July 2020.

DR WHO GAME BBC Studios and Escape Hunt have announceda brand-new Doctor Who escape room, Doctor Who: A Dalek Awakens. The newest game can be booked at Escape Hunt Reading and Birmingham Resorts World with several other venues, including Norwich and Basingstoke, opening throughout 2020.

Players will step on board a doomed spaceship, invaded by the fearsome Dalek.This age-old enemy has tapped into the ship’s power system and is preparing for a path of ruthless extermination, the only way for teams to stop the Dalek, is to shut down the ship’s power.

But by shutting down the power, players will also shut down the ship’s life support system, risking the lives of all 10,000 passengers and crew on board.

Teams of up to six are given 60 minutes to solve the puzzles, resolve this impossible situation and prevent catastrophe before the time runs out and extermination is guaranteed for all.

Richard Harpham, CEO Escape Hunt PLC, says “We are delighted to be creating a second game, Doctor Who: A Dalek Awakens, with BBC Studios following the success of our first game with them, Doctor Who: World’s Collide” “Doctor Who has a loyal and dedicated fanbase which we have seen from the success of our first game, so to be able to bring some variety to the public with a brand new and innovative game centred around the iconic Dalek characters is an exciting prospect for Escape Hunt.

“We look forward to bringing the new game to life at Escape Hunt venues across the UK.”

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TOTAL LICENSING

Inside TF1 Licences’ 2020 Rainbow!

Bringing colors to everyday life!

Total Licensing talked to TF1 Licences about their Spring 2020 plans.

Barbapapa, the most pop family of all has been back since the end of 2019 with a brand-new series. For the first time ever, the favorite colorful characters will live new adventures and have some more genius ideas! It is already a big success with 37.4% of audience shares among 4-10 yo (Médiamétrie - Médiamat - Nov19 to Feb 20)!

This new series will be broadcasted in

© 2020 A.T.& T.T.

100 countries by Nickelodeon Junior this year. TF1 Licences will work with agents all over the world to spread the brand widely. 2020 also celebrates Barbapapa’s 5Oth Birthday and many partners will soon join Master Toy Giochi Preziosi for brand new products, digital and TV plans and partnerships will be activated. The latter will reveal playsets, figurines and plush soon. Wait and see as Barbapapa is about to become the new preschool hit for the coming years!

No need to raise the red flag this year because Ladybug is here along with CatNoir!

Producers Zagtoon recently announced a new worldwide Master Toy,

© 2020 ITV Studios Netherlands Content BV © 2020 - ITV Studios TV France

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© 2020 ZAGTOON™

Playmates, a long-standing partner.

There are many great new products to come!

2019 was a great year for Miraculous which which has done great with an average audience share of 30.8% amongst 4-10 year olds, between September and December 2019.

(Mediamétrie)Even though Marinette and Adrien are currently getting ready for the Miraculous Movie coming soon, they still have a lot of things planned to keep audiences busy until then, including great Miraculous promotional operations during the year. TF1 Licences hopes to tell more about them very soon! Bear in mind that Miraculous is a Girls’ favorite fictional character (JuniorCity June 2019). In all, 85 million products were sold between 2017 and 2018! And still counting!

2020 is also the time to Think Blue!

The Smurfs are invading Paris starting in March with a wonderful partnership with La Monnaie de Paris. As one of the only places that still mints coins, La Monnaie de Paris is among the old-

the classic series coming up in April, the Girls’ Village new comics will be out in November and a new series – Grow up With The Smurfs will be revealed in August - all hot topics for the year to come!

IMPS, the Smurfs’ rightsholder is also working with Madhouse to create kids indoor fun spaces. The project will be unveiled starting Fall 2020.

Get ready to turn the red chair again because The Voice Kids is coming back in 2020 with a brand-new member of the jury: the singer who has sold more than 2 million albums - Kendji Girac is joining the adventure!

As for the grown-ups The Voice has been back since January and is already a major success: 6 Million people watched the first episode. (Source: Médiamat / Médiamétrie – audience on January 18th, 2020).

For those who want to live the dream, join TF1 at Ibis Hotels all over France with an exclusive The Voice partnership on a Family animation pack. But first go check on social media: Ibis has been creating exclusive brand content

est companies in the whole world.

Very selective in their partners, they decided to work with the Smurfs on two series of medals, one for March and the other for September 2020. A beautiful range with many surprises to come.

The Smurfs’ publishing partner, Les Editions du Lombard, will be releasing three new comics this year. Alongside

for social media with talents that have emerged from the show, as well as famous singers. And, as a bonus, some of The Voice products and animations are available at Ibis Hotels during the time for people staying when The Voice is on air!

All in all, it’s a wonderful and colorful Springtime for TF1 Licences and its partners!

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NEW PRODUCTIONS FROM INDIA Pogo and Cartoon Network channels in India under WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks Asia Pacific, are ramping up original India productions with three new homegrown animation comedies.

Pogo has commissioned both Titoo and Lambuji Tinguji, produced by Cosmos Maya, and Cartoon Network will air Bandbudh Aur Budbak, from Paperboat Studios.

Speaking about the new content, Abhishek Dutta, Senior Director and Network Head of Cartoon Network and POGO in South Asia, said, “Our top priority is our fans and they love characters and great stories. These quintessentially Indian shows will resonate strongly with them. We commissioned Titoo and Lambuji Tinguji, and acquired Bandbudh Aur Budbak, for their clever use of comedy and humour.

“They all feature visual richness and robust characters, embedded in unique animated worlds and stories. The creativity and talent now seen in the Indian animation industry has developed tremendously and the commitment made to three homegrown IPs is testament to our belief in the industry to create worldclass entertainment.”

Siddharth Jain, Managing Director of WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks South Asia, added, “India continues to be a priority market for WarnerMedia Entertainment Networks in Asia Pacific. Investing in three new shows for POGO and Cartoon Network in 2020 further demonstrates our commitment to scaling up and sustaining the quality of our kids entertainment.”

As original productions, Titoo and Lambuji Tinguji offer myriad advertising opportunities including brand association and licensing partnerships. Even before the launch of these tentpole shows, brand integration and branded content production are being explored.

MEDIALINK LAUNCHES NEW ANIMATION Medialink is launching a new 3D animation entitled Kiki & Nuna globally for content distribution and brand licensing. Kiki and Nuna is based on a STEM education concept, combined with children’s psychological growth.

There are six main characters in the animation – a curious little pig Kiki, a helpful little elephant Nuna, a book lover litter goat Mumu, a naughty chick Xixi, a love-to-sleep panda Pope and a love-todress-up little rabbit Nini. They encounter a variety of problems in their daily lives, such as emotional issues between friends, safety issues, how to cultivate a positive attitude and learning scientific principles.

When the friends are in trouble, another leading character, Dr. A and her assistant Xiaoyou immediately help the children. Dr. A has a lot of magical inventions and Xiaoyou is an understanding person.

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SUPER WINGS SEASON 4 Alpha Group UK has announced the launch of Season 4 for hit pre-school animation property, Super Wings.

Season 4 introduces a new SuperCharge theme which sees the Super Wings characters physically transform into stronger, faster, amplified versions of themselves. The series adds 40 brand new 11 minute episodes including 2 x 20 minute specials to the Super Wings content slate.

Alpha Group’s dual broadcasting partnerships will continue in UK, with Cartoonito airing the new Super Wings Series in March and Tiny Pop launching on free to air later this year.

In addition to the new series, Alpha Group UK will be bolstering their extensive master toy range with the introduction of new products. The popular Transform a Bots will offer a host of new designs. The popular Transforming Vehicles range will be enhanced with new themes from the show along with the introduction of new characters into the collection.

Air Base HQ is the key playset for AW which features heavily in the new series. The range will be supported through TV and digital campaigns, PR and consumer promotions.

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A look at some of the companies, brands and properties that are working in the French licensing marketplace.

Universal Consumer Products France Universal Consumer Products France opened in May 2017. There are currently 7 team members including category managers, marketing manager, product development manager and a retail manager involved in cross-category development across global (Mattel, LEGO, Hasbro), European (Playmobil, Primark) and local licensees (Sun City, Sahinler, Hachette) as well as local fashion DTR partners (Kiabi, GEMO, La Boutique Officielle, Eleven Paris…).

Since the French office opened, their greatest success stories have been Jurassic World in 2018 and Dragons

& Spirit in 2019. As a result, they are now listed by NPD as the third leading licensor in France.

For 2020, their brand priorities are Trolls, Minions, Jurassic, Spirit, Dragons, Back to the Future, Fast and Furious.

As the highest-grossing animated franchise of all time, Minions will reach French screens in July this year with the launch of Minions:The Rise of Gru. Jurassic World has an 80% awareness amongst boys aged six to twelve and 87% amongst adults. A new animated Netflix TV series entitled Cam Cretaceous will debut in August 2020 and Jurassic World 3 will be in French cinemas in June 2021.

Trolls World Tour will be in cinemas from the beginning of April this year and a new television series is scheduled to debut in 2021. The first movie in 2016 attracted more than 2.7 million admissions.

Dragons 3 launched in February last year and sixteen separate retailers unviled activations covering toys, fashion and other product areas.

Spirit will reach the big screen in 2021 with key partners including Giochi Preziosi and Playmobile as well as partnerships with Gulli, Fouganza and a French Youtuber and singer Satine Wallé, Finally, Back to the Future celebrates

its 35th anniversary in 2020 with a massive marketing plan aimed at retail and new and existing products in France.

ViacomCBS ViacomCBS in France report that French fans of PAW Patrol, Baby Shark, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Loud House and SpongeBob SquarePants will be thrilled with ViacomCBS’ publishing pipeline for the coming year, as it brings its iconic properties and digi-

tal know-how to the French market.

France’s number 1 preschool property PAW Patrol has established a strong foothold in the publishing world, with a variety of products from storybooks and activity books to sticker albums and magazines. In partnership with Panini, the Mighty Pups have delivered their fifth successful sticker album in France. Furthermore, ViacomCBS has been producing books on the beloved PAW Patrol property with long-standing partner Hachette since 2015, who has sold nearly 4 million copies since then. Following the 2019 success, in which over 700,000 copies were sold, PAW Patrol and Hachette are now preparing for new 2020 Mighty Pups-

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TOTAL LICENSING themed books which will be published this spring. At the same time, PAW Patrol continues to deliver impressive magazine sales through its annual publication of eight issues, which led to more than 200,000 units sold in 2019 alone.

Another ViacomCBS property soon to light up the children’s publishing world in France is SpongeBob SquarePants.

In parallel with the SpongeBob SquarePants film, which will be released in August this year, Hachette will be launching a fun range of items, including a SpongeBob Square Pants novelization based on the movie.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are also destined to hit bookshelves this year. Inspired by the new series The Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Gulli, launched in December 2019, Hachette will be publishing a novelization, which French fans will be able to enjoy from spring 2020.This new novelization will provide kids access to the property through tailored storytelling, as more mature fans already enjoy the adult comics collection from Bragelonne High Comics!

Next up, Nickelodeon’s hit animated series Loud House took the publishing world by storm. With consistently strong ratings on the French free-to-air television channel Gulli, currently first for 4-10 years, ViacomCBS’ partner Hachette has been rolling out a solid publishing programme since 2018. The Loud House series sold more than 550,000 books in 2019 alone across 29 titles, with more to come.

Crunchyroll (a WarnerMedia company, and part of Otter Media), and VIZ Media Europe Group, one of Europe’s most established licensors and distributors

of Japanese animation, recently announced the closing of a transaction that brings together Crunchyroll’s popular anime brand and global platform with VIZ Media Europe Group’s EMEA-wide network of partners, distributors, and licensees.

Crunchyroll is now the majority owner in VIZ Media Europe Group, which encompasses VIZ Media Europe, VIZ Media Switzerland, AV Visionen, KAZÉ, KAZÉ Manga, Anime on Demand, and Anime Digital Network (in partnership with Citel, a subsidiary of MédiaParticipations).

VIZ Media Europe SARL has been renamed to Crunchyroll SAS, as of February 2020 and they are in the process of transitioning the VIZ Media Europe brand to Crunchyroll, and all brands are starting to be communicated as Crunchyroll brands.

Crunchyroll is a WarnerMedia company and the world’s most popular anime brand, connecting anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and territories with 360-degree experiences. Crunchyroll was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, Lausanne, Berlin (AV Visionen) and Chisinau (Ellation).

TeamTO has a long history of trailblazing and innovation, breaking technical and creative boundaries in their shows, as well as in the animation industry as a whole. And in 2020, they are launching new licensing opportunities with their latest shows, Mighty Mike and Presto!

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School of Magic.

The founders and force behind TeamTO’s success are multiple Emmywinning duo Guillaume Hellouin and Corinne Kouper. In addition to a slew of Awards, Kouper has twice been voted Cartoon Forum European Producer of the Year (2010 & 2015) and is President and founder of Les Femmes S’Animent (France’s WIA).

TeamTO also holds several notable distinctions: 100% of its animation is produced in their two French studios with 350+ creative staff; recognition from UNESCO for being the first company to quantify the carbon footprint of a series; and for creating a free animation course to increase social diversity in the industry.

TeamTO is the innovative studio behind third party hit series such as PJ Masks, Ricky Zoom, Skylanders and Elena of Avalor, and their own original IPs, all of which boast first-time accomplishments in the industry, and great licensing potential.

Mighty Mike is the first independently produced photorealistic TV series to attain cinematic quality, thanks to methods developed by TeamTO. The series airs on CITV (UK), Universal Kids (US), CBC & Family Channel (Canada), Boomerang (EMEA, Asia Pacific, Latam), France Télévisions, ABC (Australia), Super RTL (Germany), Tencent (China), among many others, The high profile broadcasters have provided ideal platforms for Licensing agents France Télévisions, Surge Licensing (US) and Uyoung (China), with more agents soon to be announced.

Most recently, TeamTO have partnered with broadcasters M6 and Canal + to create the first animated comedy based on stage magic. Presto! School of Magic is set in a school for aspiring magicians run by renowned magician Lorenzo Presto. An Official Selection at Cartoon Forum 2017 the series presents a contemporary approach to a timeless art, using humor and technology to open the world of magic to a young audience. Delivery is planned for 2021.

Finally, this year marks the tenth anniversary of Emmy-nominated comedy Angelo Rules, now in its 4th Season.

Based on a French book series, An-

TOTAL LICENSING gelo Rules currently has a dedicated magazine in Germany and a new comedy book series based on the show launching in France.

With 160 active licences, StudioCanal currently has five iconic brands for children that are the subject of more than 25 million product sales around the world.

The company is the leading European production, rights acquisition distribution and sales company for films and television series and, each year, around fifty films are distributed.The company has more than 6000 titles from more than 60 different countries.

Studio Canal represents Paddington in France.There are currently 160 licensees in the world with 60 million products sold and two theme parks.

Samsam is a new movie, released in February and targeting children aged three to nine. There is also a new Samsam TV series which will be delivered at the end of 2021. More than 370,000 Samsam books have been sold in France and licensed product includes partyware, dress up and masks, plush, backpacks, stationery and publishing.

Ernest & Celestine is based on a book created by Gabrielle Vincent. In all more than one million books have

been sold in France and a television series based on the characters has proved very popular with a second season of 26 x 13 minute episodes scheduled for 2021.

Shaun the Sheep is the subject of two movies and 6 television series. The Shaun website receives over 200,000 monthly visitors and 3 million subscribers on YouTube, with over 6 million likes on Facebook and 70,000 Instagram followers.

In recent news, StudioCanal and Cottonwood media launched Around the World in 80 Days late last year. Starting with an animated movie in 2021, StudioCanal are handling all rights for the movie including worldwide licensing rights.

Independent agency Sagoo, which represents the licensing and merchandising rights in Europe for the hit Japanese Kawaii brand Rilakkuma, is working with a number of leading licensees as it continues to grow the property in France, the UK and throughout Europe.

Created by San-X in 2003, Rilakkuma has since taken Asia and the world by storm and is now in the top three most popular Kawaii characters in the world. With over 500 licensees worldwide, encompassing 100,000 products, the relaxed character has created retail sales in excess of US $10 billion in Asia.

Rilakkuma’s popularity in European markets has been building fast, with a burgeoning licensing programme being created by Sagoo. A deal with Blueprint Collections Ltd at the end of 2019 bought a range of stationery, accessories, bags and gift range, all featuring illustrations of the very relaxed bear, often in one of its wellknown reclining poses, to the UK, Eire, France, Spain, Portugal, Benelux, Germany, Austria and Switzerland markets.

A new deal has recently been signed with Piou

Piou & Merveilles to create a range of plush based on Rilakkuma, the internationally renowned bear, which takes its name from a combination of the word ‘relax’ and the Japanese word for ‘bear’. The collection is set to launch with basic plush and animated plush for France, Spain, Italy, Benelux and the UK. Bedding manufacturer Blanc Cerise offers a very appropriate product for the laid-back Rilakkuma bear along with some of his equally cute friends, Korilakkuma and Kiiroitori.

The range of bedding is available in its own stores, as well as through selected retailers.

A new arts and crafts partner will be announced by Sagoo shortly, and will include various creative sets. Meanwhile the agency is finalising a deal with a leading apparel licensee on a pan-European basis, who is set to design Rilakkuma apparel, bags, and fashion accessories.

Sagoo is also supporting the brand with key marketing activations throughout France and Europe. and is currently working with speciality toy retailer, JouéClub for a major Rilakkuma Christmas catalogue promotion to launch later this year.

Chefclub, the eat-ertainment brand, is a French digital cooking brand founded in 2016. The brand has grown rapidly worldwide as a result of its spectacular cooking videos distributed on social media. The company’s mission is to bring people together in the kitchen through the creation of fun, inspirational, and approachable content, products and services.

Chefclub’s unique position between food and entertainment resonates well beyond the sphere of cooking

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enthusiasts: with more than 1 billion organic views every month and 80 million followers, Chefclub is the fastest growing global brand on social media.

In France, Chefclub is the number one cooking brand on social media with over 10 million engaged followers across all social media platforms with 210 million monthly views. Chefclub operates five digital thematic channels, Chefclub Original, Chefclub Light & Fun, Chefclub Kids, Chefclub Daily as well as Chefclub Cocktails addressing key target groups and needs.

The brand is already successful in publishing with a 16 titles-collection of in-house cooking books sold D2C and D2R in France. New licensees include Playbac which will be releasing a line of stationary products this year and Larousse which has launched a Chefclub cookbook adapted to food processor, Companion from Moulinex in January. New licensees will be announced in the coming months.

Kiddoz is Chefclub’s first D2C initiative for kids, leveraging on the power of the brand’s videos to turn viewers into shoppers. The Kiddoz experience turns mealtime into playtime while creating family moments.

Kiddoz simplifies cooking for kids ages 4 and up, by creating a new fun cooking language.

The Kiddoz kit comes with 6 kids-friendly measuring cups, a cookbook with 20 recipes, and an app. Kiddoz cups replace complex measurement systems (3/4 cup, 8 oz, 200 g) as the 6 measuring cups have

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a corresponding Chefclub character: the chef, the cat, the pig, the mouse, the hen, and the chicks.

For extra help, each recipe has a QR code that, when scanned, brings you directly to the video in the app.

Launched in November 2019, the product appears in Chefclub’s videos from beginning to end, racking millions of organic views and showcasing to parents over the world how the product revolutionises cooking with kids.

Chefclub’s videos showcasing Kiddoz have generated over 50 million views since the product was launched in France.

Kiddoz encountered a huge success among parents and children. Moreover, the unique digital content/physical product experience has garnered the interest of a wide array of retailers, eager to carry an irreproducible product on their shelves in France. In all, 30 000 Kiddoz kits were sold since its launch in November 2019 in the French market.

Cybergroup Studios report that Gigantosaurus launched on Disney Channel followed by Disney Junior in January 2019.

In addition, the series was aired on France Télévisions and was available on France Télévisions’ Yokoo platform in December 2019. Jakks Pacific, the master toy, will launch a complete line in France in 2020.

In addition, Cybergroup has new li-

censees on board for European markets, including Clementoni (puzzles), Character World for Home Textiles (UK & France), and ToyWorld for cushions.

Larousse will launch 8 titles inspired

by Gigantosaurus’ series in France during spring as well as the original book and Gigantosaurus: The Game will be launched worldwide including France on March 27th, 2020.

Cybergroup also report that their next major property in France will be Droners which should be released in Quarter 4 2020 on TF1. A strong publishing program is planned (France & Belgium) with novelizations with Glenat, a comics album with Dupuis and Manga with Kana.

The company “IR Drone” also presented during the recent Nuremberg Toy fair with a mockup of the main drone, Marco, from the series.

As part of the Mediawan Group, ON Kids & Family produces animated films and series on an international scale.

They are known as leaders in the animation market, and the studio capitalizes on a strong catalogue of iconic brands, such as The Little Prince, Tall Tales, or Robin Hood. They are also co-producers of the TV series Miraculous-ladybug, whose feature film is currently in production.

With licensing & merchandising at the core of its strategy, ON Kids and family, is constantly looking for partners and new products.

Robin Hood is a key IP among TF1’s kids’ programs, rated in the top 3 and beating viewing records. The series is also broadcasteon Disney Channel and after two successful seasons, Robin Hood will return with a new78 x 11 minute season in 2021.

Based on Antoon Krings’ bestselling books, (and after an Oscarnomination for best animated movie) the TV series Tall Tales is currently being broadcast on France 5, and soon will be on Kika, Discovery Latam, POP etc. Several products have been developed in publishing and also in the toy sector (puzzles, memos, plush, tableware, outdoor accessories, musical instruments etc.

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Cobrandz will take place for the first time this year on 28 and 29 April at the Louvre in Paris.

Formerly Kazachok Forum, the event has been expanded and extended to include an exhibition, more than twenty presentations and talks, meeting spaces for one to one meetings and a content and partner search hub.

As Nathalie Chouraqui explained, “Cobrandz’s promise is to bring together, in a friendly setting and around quality content, all the major players, products, services and more who wish to develop new business opportunities including sponsorship, partnerships, collaborations, content and licensing.

The program content covers four key areas – Influence Marketing, Sport, Music and Gaming and will include seminars, case studies and workshops.

For more information or to register, contact Alexia Uvon, alexia@kazachok.com +33 (0) 9 86 87 51 29. www.cobrandz.fr 46 years after its launch, the famous toy brand Playmobil is still one of children’s most popular brands, among both boys and girls. Known for its themes of diversity (pirates, princesses, firemen), Playmobil will launch two

new franchises in 2020: Novelmore: new medieval fantasy line, along with a TV series and Everdreamerz: new collectible concept for girls with a lot of goodies & accessories and surprises.

Finally,The Enchanted Village of Pinocchio is an animated TV series adapted from the world-famous Italian folk tale (by Carlo Collodi). This brand-new IP, scheduled for 2021 on RAI (Italy), ZDF (Germany) and on France Television.

Amaury Sport report that, in 2019, the Tour de France, the biggest annual sport event, revisited its licensing strategy based on the findings of a multi-country consumer research carried out by Kantar. The research had identified that the Tour de France was much more than a big sport event: a true brand with very high awareness, positive image and a universe that next to sport and performance also included other strong themes such celebration, tourism, Frenchness. It confirmed that Tour de France is legitimate – and expected – to expand its storytelling and product offering beyond hard-core cyclists towards new target groups including urban Millennials and kids and to reach them across a broader range of retail channels.

The development and the sell-out success of the fashion capsule collection

at Jules in France last summer is a living proof that “cycling” is an increasingly popular theme and that Tour de France is THE brand of cycling. For the first time Tour de France textile collections covered mass, sport specialists and fashion retailers at the same time but each with its specific and relevant storytelling. Interestingly beyond France, the Tour de France capsule collection offered by Next UK was equally successful!

Licensing revenues of Tour de France were up 30% in 2019 vs 2018 and further growth up to 20% is expected in 2020 Riding bikes is one of the most popular sport activities for boys and girls in France and therefore a natural target group for Tour de France. A major step is taken by Tour the France with the development and reveal of its first mascot which will be reveal D-100 of the Tour de France.

The massive TV exposure of the event in France and Internationally will provide a unique platform to generate high visibility and awareness for the mascot and open up new opportunities in many product categories including textile, toys, back to school, stationery, gifts. With this full program, Tour de France intends to be one of the key contributors to the growth of the sport Licensing business in France and beyond.

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By Philippe Guinaudeau Source: BrandTrends https://brandtrends.com

COUNTRY PROFILE: FRANCE France as a country is recognized for its cuisine, its fashion, its history but also for its culture. Not to mention that French has long been considered as the official language of diplomacy.

In terms of entertainment brands, France shows many similarities with other western European countries.

Major players from the worldwide stage still hold major influence.

However, based on its long cultural tradition, there is considerable representation from domestic brands.

So overall, the brand complexion is not totally globalist in nature and there are some nuances.

A consolidated and segmented market France shows a consolidated competitive landscape, where the top 20 brands concentrate a significant level of awareness and appreciation (top 20 = 81%). The fact is that children up to 14 in France can name 157 different brands. That is a large scope of competition. What’s more it is intensifying with a 5% increase from 2017.

Over and above this, brands for the 3 to 9 year old kids tend to be more gender specific. Girls 7 to 9 for instance can name 66 different brands, with 39 only mentioned by the girls while 27 would be mentioned both by the girls and the boys. And boys can name 53 different brands, with 26 only mentioned by them.

To summarize, France is a country with a vast competitive landscape, made of a mix of international and domestic brands, with the top 20 favorite brands forming 81% of mentions, and each kid having their own list.

Digital Brands and TV Programs for girls, boys place more focus on physical merchandise Lego was the brand with the highest awareness across the whole age spectrum for both genders. This is not a surprise as Lego is the dominant

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brand force across Europe and sits comfortably above other brands in most measured metrics. Lego is popular amongst boys and girls, but it is more strongly favored by boys where it sits in the top 5 in every age group aside from boys aged 0 - 2 (who are under the recommended age limit for most Lego products).

Playmobil, another strong nearexclusively European brand seems to also contend the highest popularity amongst boys but is more favored by girls than Lego.

A brand that shows high crossgender awareness and popularity is Paw Patrol who receives the most top-of-the-mind mentions amongst boys across on average all age groups whilst also sitting in the top 5 or 10 across most girl age groups.

For girls, there is a strong shift towards digital brands and TV programs that are favored vs physical products. This contrasts to boys who seem to place more focus on physical merchandise on the whole. That said, Barbie awareness and ownership is very high amongst all girl age groups, the same as it is across most of the world. Frozen is the top brand amongst girls aged 0 - 14 which is unsurprising considering it makes top spots throughout every continent but French brand and TV show Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir takes the second spot as one of the most liked brands - it is also the strongest growing brand overall amongst girls. Monde des Titounis,

another domestic brand, is also very well-known and sits high in the tables amongst many other global brands like Mickey Mouse, Frozen and Disney.

Ownership and Licensing Opportunities Lego shows the highest ownership amongst boys and girls across age groups. Despite this, Lego still has the strongest buying intentions for boys with Lego Friends, a sub-brand, showing high buying intentions for girls. Lego offers a consistently high level of awareness, popularity and purchase intent across the board.

Regarding brands that are trending into focus and gaining momentum, we have NERF showing a huge purchase intent growth for boys aged 7 - 9 in particular. Star Wars is also wanted in more product categories than most brands for boys and is the strongest growing brand overall. Interestingly, though, as it’s quite an old brand, Tom and Jerry show the greatest overall demand surplus alongside Naruto which is a brand wanted across the most product categories.

Fortnite is another fairly new brand which has trended into top spots and as far as entertainment brands are concerned, it reaches top spot in both awareness, popularity and attitude for boys aged 0 - 14.

For girls, Lion King shows the greatest demand surplus, particularly for girls under the age of 7. Avengers is mostwanted by the oldest group of girls which ties strongly with boys of the

Number of different Entertainment brands mentioned by 0-14 Year Olds according to gender - France - October 19

TOTAL LICENSING Top Favorite Entertainment Brands amongst 0-14 Year Olds according to gender and age - France - October 19

same age group. Avengers could then be considered a strong cross-gender brand and is closely tied to Marvel, with the franchise being part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

Purchase intent for girls is dominated

by Frozen and Disney Princesses.

Barbie shows strong ownership as well as purchase intent across all age groups but generally, demand surplus is strongest amongst girls for Frozen and The Lion King, except in the 10 - 14 age group for which Minecraft is very much in demand.

Overall, purchase intent and consumer demand gaps have remained fairly stable for boys and girls from 2017. Some key emergers might be NERF, Fortnite, Frozen, Spider-man, The Lion King and Minecraft which are trending up towards higher levels of awareness,

About BrandTrends The report combines consumer research, in-depth industry analysis and international trends in a single, comprehensive information source.

Several times a year, a total of 105,040 children and young adults are surveyed via an online questionnaire on 43 countries across the following five age groups: Infants 0-2 years, Preschoolers 3-6 years, Children 7-9 years,Tweens & young teens 10-14 years,Young Adults 15-25 years (10 countries only). Each age group comprises 50% boys and 50% girls. For infants and preschoolers, parents are the respondents on behalf of a nominated child.Visual images of each brand are used to test awareness, ownership and purchase intentions, once all unaided questions have been submitted. Analysis and reporting are conducted in the week following fieldwork.

More? Visit www.brandtrends.com ownership and demand across multiple categories.

YouTube the #1 source for streaming videos For both boys and girls,YouTube was the most widely used and popular Streaming sources used to watch content content source for all (shows, movies, other videos) - France - October 19 age groups with one exception for girls aged 10-14, where Netflix narrowly beat it.YouTube and Netflix consistently take the vast majority of the share of content streaming choice with Amazon Prime in 3rd place.

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Summary France contains an interesting mix of global and domestic brands. Lego and Playmobil still hold great influence over the consumer behaviors of both boys and girls in France and historic brands like Tom and Jerry, Barbie and Mickey Mouse show high awareness, ownership, and demand.

Domestic brands like Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and Monde des Titounis are very well known and tend to be more popular amongst girls than boys. For boys, Star Wars, NERF, and Fortnite are strongly growing brands that are popular and increasing in demand. For girls, Frozen, Minecraft and The Lion King are the brands with the strongest combinations of awareness and purchasing intent.

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The Thriving Animation Industry MIP TV has been cancelled due to fears around the new Coronavirus COVID-19 – but that doesn’t mean that animation is not thriving. Here we take a look at some of the exciting children’s properties that will keep the industry moving and shaking!

Zoonicorn, the multiplatform animated preschool brand featuring a ‘Zooniverse’ of enchanting characters kids love, has teamed up with Toonz Media Group for a development, coproduction and distribution partnership that will launch 52 seven minute episodes in 2021. The new 3D CGI content will be distributed for the worldwide TV and digital marketplace

by Toonz.

A magical mix of zebra and unicorn, the Zoonicorns inhabit the dreams of young animals, taking them on amazing adventures to help learn important social-emotional skills. When the dream is over, the young animal wakes up feeling self-confident and with decision-making skills necessary to overcome whatever challenges they are facing.

“It has been so important for us to find the right partner for Zoonicorn – a wonderfully creative team of unparalleled animators and writers that truly gets the fun and adventure of our brand as well as the underlying socialemotional modeling that is essential to the Zoonicorn experience,” said Mark Lubratt, creator of Zoonicorn “We are thrilled to have found that partner with Toonz. With this collaboration, we are able to tell more in-depth stories, dive deeper into the development of our beloved characters and expand the Zooniverse to reach new audiences around the world.”

The growing line of Zoonicorn products have continued to expand since the launch of the brand in 2015. In 2018, Zoonicorn and Jay@Play introduced a new interactive Zoonicorn

plush as part of Jay@Play’s ‘Wish Me’ brand. Other products include a picture book, three interactive story apps and four games available for download and on the Zoonicorn website and available on both iTunes and Google Play. Zoonicorn debuted a new limited edition apparel line in Fall, 2019.

Coolabi Group has announced a series of creative brand extensions, which will be aimed at families with preschool children, for the award-winning preschool property, Clangers.

Announcements include a license deal with Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts, new episodes launching on CBeebies UK and YouTube Kids, a new creative direction and brand-new YouTube series focused on the youngest members of the Clangers family, Tiny and Small.

A new Clangers licensing partnership with Gulliver’s Theme Park Resorts is a live experience aimed at families with pre-school children.

Brand new episodes of the BAFTA winning show Clangers will air on CBeebies in March and will conclude Series 3. Narrated once again by Sir Michael Palin, the new 8 x 11’ episodes will follow the Clangers on a whole host of new experiences and adventures.

The stop-motion animation series of Clangers is also continuing its global expansion on YouTube, by bringing even more episodes to YouTube Kids in the US. The first 10 x 11’ episodes of Series 3 launched this week on the streaming service.

Studio 100 Film has announced an impressive slate of sales for the recently completed 100% Wolf. The animation movie will travel around the globe to territories including Italy, Portugal, Turkey, South East Asia, the German-speaking territories and LATAM. Additionally, Studio 100 Film together with the production team introduced the voice cast of the upcoming mov-

Zoonicorn

ie: Ilai Swindells (The Code, Deadly Women) lends his voice to main character Freddy, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, The Babysitter, Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri) plays Batty, Jai Courtney (The Suicide Squad, Jolt, Terminator: Genisys)voices Freddy’s father Flasheart alongside Jane Lynch (Glee, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Two And A Half Men).

Alexia Gates-Foale, Producer of 100% Wolf and Head of Animation at Flying Bark Productions, comments “We are thrilled to see the completed movie in Berlin. ‘100% Wolf’ takes the audience on a journey with our hero Freddy who is learning to accept himself as

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TOTAL LICENSING a very pink and fluffy poodle, and in doing so he develops the capacity to be a great leader! We loved joining Freddy on his adventure – and we are convinced that kids around the globe will too.”

The story of 100% Wolf centers on Freddy Lupin, heir to the leadership of a proud family line of werewolves.

Keyframe Studios and Beyond Distribution, its recently appointed sales and distribution partner for the Adventures of Zeze Zebra, showcased and previewed a new five-minute format at the Kidscreen Summit earlier this month.

Beyond has already secured a number of deals for the two-minute format of Zeze Zebra, which it will be presenting to potential broadcast and platform partners at Kidscreen. It will also be showing a new longer format version of Zeze Zebra, which is now in development at London-based Keyframe Studios, to give broadcasters a sneak preview of future plans for this engaging and delightful new CGI series aimed at 2-4-year-olds.

The five-minute format builds on children’s engagement with Zeze and her friends, utilising the popular twominute nursery rhyme and developing a longer narrative before and after the rhyme with appealing storylines based

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on the charming adventures of Zeze Zebra and her group of friends.

Zeze Zebra debuted at MIPCOM, where the response to this bright, colourful and superbly designed show was a positive one, with early sales to BT Kids, Hopster, Kidoodle and Ketchup. More sales are about to be announced. The Adventures of Zeze Zebra launched on Hop in Israel in November, went live on the Kidoodle platform in early December and as of January is on KetchupTV. Thinkway Toys and global children’s entertainment company Moonbug have announced a new partnership that allows Thinkway to become the global master toy partner in a widereaching agreement for the hit preschool property Morphle.

A company that receives more than 2 billion average monthly views, Moonbug is responsible for creating content that is beloved by children between the ages of one and eight years old. Its latest digital IP Morphle has taken has delighted to children’s entertainment industry.

Morphle, a magical red creature, along with his friend Mila, have quickly become a favorite of children aged two to five years old around the world, with 180 episodes produced and distributed in six different languages. The story-led series encourages curiosity, imagination and kindness amongst its audience, along with a playfulness that Thinkway and Moonbug are eager to expand upon in new toy lines set to launch in 2020.

Edutainment Licensing has been appointed as the distribution partner for FUN Union’s adventure series, PinCode in the UK, Australia and New Zealand as well as worldwide for school and library digital platforms.

The 3D series for primary school children focuses on the adventures of Captain Pin and his crew and each episode contains an important and valu-

able science lesson.

The crew members, under the leadership of Captain Pin, explore the principles of physics, chemistry and biology while traversing the world.

Each character has its own unique personality and strengths, bringing humour, fun and friendship to every challenge.

“We are delighted to be partnering with FUN Union to bring quality, uplifting, entertaining and educational content to our partners”, says Denise Deane, Owner of Edutainment Licensing.

“Our show highlight positive STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics) role models for kids ages 6-11. EL is specialized particularly in this type of content distribution, so we couldn’t imagine a better partner for PinCode.,” says the CEO of FUN Union.

Minions

In anticipation of this summer’s Minions: The Rise of Gru theatrical release, Illumination’s Minions joined the ranks of London’s high street with UK designer Bobby Abley, who launched a new collection inspired by one of the biggest animated franchises of all time at London Fashion Week. In a first for the designer and the blockbuster Minions franchise, the 18thFebruary catwalk is followed by the launch of the Bobby Abley x Minions diffusion line that debuts exclusively at Primark stores supported by a display window at its Marble Arch flagship, instore POS and a heavyweight online and social media campaign.

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Brave Bunnies, the animated series by Ukrainian creative production Glowberry and Spanish animation studio Anima have announced a new partner – De Agostini Editore in Italy.

De Agostini Editore will present the entertaining and educational 2D series in Italy. According to the agreement, De Agostini Editore has secure exclusive broadcasting rights for the first season of Brave Bunnies to all TV channels and digital platforms in the territory. In addition, De Agostini Editore will manage exclusive licensing and merchandising rights in Italy.

Total Licensing spoke with Toon2Tango about the preschool kids’ market.

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Total Licensing: What is your take on the opportunities and challenges for preschool kids’ animation in the 2020s?

Ulli Stoef, CEO and Executive Producer, Toon2Tango: The main challenge for us is that there is a lot of pre-school programming on the market. The best way to stand out in such a crowded market is to spend more time in development, to work on better and deeper storytelling and to create rich characters as well, of course, as unique designs. We feel that we have achieved just that and that we have built unique properties. They include Hey Fuzzy Yellow, a show that combines educational content with pure and crazy entertainment, the Wee Littles, which is about a family of very small forest creatures living in a great big forest world, and Bek and the Bunnies, in which a girl inventor creates a group of fun-loving, slightly eccentric robot rabbits.

What qualities in preschool kids’ animation cross national boundaries?

There will always be cultural differences but, as I mentioned, it’s down to the storytelling and characters. If they work, then a show will be suitable for almost every market. There’s strong international potential in local content – as many streaming services are now finding out.

How important is having an established reputation in this market when starting a new company?

That was, and is, very helpful to us.

Our partners, whether broadcasters, studios or production companies, have known us for a long time. We don’t have to prove that we are able to deliver great concepts – or finance them.

From day one many fantastic people contacted us and asked to see our new ideas and projects and we were immediately in a position to close some deals. We also entered into a development and production deal for eight shows with Mondo TV. Mondo wanted its productions to achieve the same high level of quality we are striving for. Our joint offer now includes shows such as Bek and the Bunnies and Hey Fuzzy Yellow, which I’ve mentioned, and Agent 203, in which a

young girl finds out that her mum used to be an intergalactic secret agent.This deal also opened up an opportunity for both companies to widen their distribution. Toon2Tango takes care of GAS, Benelux, Scandinavia and Englishspeaking markets and Mondo handles worldwide distribution outside these territories. I believe that Mondo TV’s production capacity and Toon2Tango’s care for production quality and brand identity make this a win-win partnership.

How do you go about building creative partnerships for a project like Hey Fuzzy Yellow or BEK and the Bunnies?

Well, we offer creatives our experience and network of contacts in order to help them and bring their project forward. Some aspects will change during the development process but we always keep them in line with the vision of the creator and work with him or her in order to bring the project successfully to market. Afterwards we take care of the financing and distribution and make sure that our creative partners get a fair share – well over the traditional small backend.

That’s one of the reasons so many of them love working with us!

Besides working with our network of creatives on their IP, we also have, of course, our in-house developments, where we often work with the same creative partners but on a work-forhire basis.

And what does a pre-existing concept need to offer for you to get involved in distribution?

It just needs to be great! We are looking for that little extra – that special something that makes a show different and innovative, that ensures it stands out from the market. We don’t want yet another vehicle show or another thinly disguised long advertising spot for toys.

That said, we will always consider toy and L&M possibilities and bringing in elements that might reinforce that potential. However, our priority is to create entertaining shows with rich characters and a strong and valuable message for kids; we won’t manipulate concept, story or characters for the sake of a merchandising opportunity.

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Sony Creative Products:

JAPAN

Building original Japanese brands Since 1978 when it was established as Sony Creative Products Inc (SCP) and became a subsidiary company of the Sony Music Group, SCP has built up both a portfolio of very successful original, homegrown characters (such as children’s hits Baikin Kun and Tama & Friends) and a reputation as a leading character licensing organization for properties from both Japan and abroad.

Equally at home representing sports brands like B.League basketball, T.League table tennis, Japanese manga or design-inspired characters or even personalities from the fields of calligraphy and cooking, as well as overseas hits like Peter Rabbit, and Pingu SCP represents many, very different brands.

All, however, have their own style and definable target audiences. SCP’s aim for each, therefore, is to establish that connection, and expand the licensing share – first of all in Japan, using a business network developed over SCP’s long and successful history in licensing management.

When it comes to home-grown properties, the popularity of Japanese IPs in other markets – particular in Asia – means that once these are established in Japan, SCP will aim to build such properties in territories outside Japan.

Two of its most recent representations are successes in Japan that are seen as excellent prospects for other markets. One is a highly original artist called Kanae Izumi, who works with GIFs. The other is a small boy whose name and appearance are based on a popular type of sweet: Daifukukun.

Both properties demonstrate SCP’s capacity to find and define unusual and appealing brands and bring them to a large target audience.

Kanae Izumi, known as #IZMIZUM, has built herself a strong following among younger people brought up on social media. As #IZMIZUM, she is a sensation on social media

platforms with her unique cute but strange character images designed and animated using GIF tools.

Kanae Izumi’s characters have are both funny and Imaginative. Her creative inspiration comes from things she sees and experiences in her everyday life.

Three of her most popular designs Shrimp, Lemon and Fish came to her mind while she was out shopping for food. All are identifiable characters doing quirky or odd things with fast, repetitive gestures in a way that makes the viewer smile as well as wonder why they move that way. Kanae Izumi wants people to consider what lies in the background of her designs.

Kanae Izumi and her characters have gained a strong following on social media, which is of course as familiar and everyday a medium for the young as TV or radio was for their parents.

And Kanae Izumi’s characters are designed to work perfectly on this medium.

Outlets like the character-downloadbased Line Store have already picked up on the GIF-based designs, which have enjoyed strong sales, but #IZMIZUM’s success has now gone well beyond her online fanbase. She has made various licensing deals with major consumer products companies, covering categories such as beverages, confectionery and plush she has also inked collaboration deals with apparel brands. In addition there has been a promotional tie-up with a Japanese café chain, which has used images created by #IZMIZUM to make cafe menus.

Alongside her licensing activity she has appeared on TV and in magazines and signed autographs at personal appearances. Hundreds of original Kanae Izumi artworks have been sold at exhibitions and special events. She has become one of the most on-trend and popular illustrators in

Japan, with a growing reputation in other regions.

Building on the growing popularity of #IZMIZUM’s witty, charming and unique approach to GIFs, in late 2019 SCP was appointed as licensing agent to handle her illustrations and is now developing a licensing programme around the #IZMIZUM brand, bringing Kanae Izumi’s unique and appealing imagery to an even wider range of consumer products such as stationery, sundries, plush, publishing and more.

The wit and simplicity of #IZMIZUM’s work also makes it a good fit for promotions. SCP will also be pursuing promotional activities, targeting companies interested in working with Kanae Izumi’s instantly recognisable artworks. This will begin in Japan and, extend to other Asian territories and then other regions.

Another property that has brilliantly combined simplicity with originality in a very successful way is Daifukukun, a property developed by Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc. and Sony Interactive Entertainment and licensed

by SCP. A five-year-old boy at pre-school may not seem immediately appealing as a licensed character, but Daifukukun is no ordinary little boy. The Daifukukun character is based on one of Japan’s most popular Japanese sweets: Daifuku mochi.

Daifukukun is the 28th owner of a traditional Wagashi shop – a Japanese sweet shop – founded in 1771.

Daifukukun or, to give him his correct name, Tsutsumi Daifuku, is very kind,

Sony Creative Products has a strong reputation in both its home market of Japan and abroad, for spotting and building highly original brands. #IZMIZUM and Daifukukun are two of its newest offerings.

Both are making a major impression in their home market and both are seen as strong prospects for overseas markets.

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JAPAN

polite and sweet to everybody. He’s been raised in a traditional Japanese family. Whenever he sees someone in trouble or who needs help, he stays with them and ‘wraps’ (‘Tsutsumi’) them in the warmth of his heart.

Daifukukun and all his friends and family are modelled on popular types of sweets: chocolate, cherry, cream, even coriander. And like Kanae Izumi, his creator – an artist known as Pantovisco – has a strong reputation on Instagram.

Daifukukun had shows on TV Tokyo and his own YouTube channel is now active. His kind and helpful character and stories about him, his family and friends, supported by a theme song, stories, dances and even a few recipes, have proved himself enormously popular. He has over 113,000 followers on Instagram and 40,000 on Twitter, numbers that grow with every live appearance or tweets by his creator.

He even has a couple of theme songs sung by popular artists and available at Apple Music, Spotify and iTunes.

There are also cartoon serials in print publications, including a monthly preschool magazine ‘Yochien’, and ‘Eco Chill’, an environmental information magazine for children focusing on environmental education, and

distributed to 957 Sapporo and Tokyo schools, in which Daifukukun appears as a guide to food education.

Fan engagement is growing as daily posts raise Instagram follower numbers, and Instagrammers post their own Daifukukun imagery.

Awareness is further boosted by live events like concerts, trade shows, hobby events and promotions alongside music artists at which lifesized versions of the character appear and interact with fans. And there has been a pop-up store at the Ikebukuro, Tokyo branch of Seibu, one of the top department store chains in Japan.

Obviously Daifukukun’s fame has spread to licensed food products such as bread, buns and snacks but he has also inspired plush, puzzles and phone cases – and, naturally, downloadable

MATTEL AT TOKYO OLYMPICS The International Olympic Committee and Mattel have announced the launch of their first product collection across Mattel brands to celebrate the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. The collection features a variety of unique products across Barbie, Hot Wheels and UNO. Mattel collaborated with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games to create licensed toy products, as part of a new licensing agreement and in line with the IOC Global Licensing Strategy. This international product line, which will be available in the spring, highlights inclusivity and innovation, with toys reflecting the five new sports added to the Olympic programme in Tokyo – baseball/softball, sport climbing, karate, skateboarding and surfing – all to inspire a

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new generation of athletes and fans around the world.

“In line with our Global Licensing Strategy, this new international licensing collaboration with Mattel is a great way to engage with an important audience, our younger fans and their families, and through these high-quality products to connect them with the Olympic brand and values,” commented Timo Lumme, Managing Director of IOC Television and Marketing Services.

“Tokyo 2020 is a monumental event that brings the world together through sport and inspires fans of all ages,” said Janet Hsu, Chief Franchise Officer of Mattel. “The Mattel Tokyo 2020 Collection honours these sports and inspires a new generation through the Olympic spirit and outstanding athletic tradition.”

digital stickers, which enjoy a strong following.

What is most fascinating about the character is the market that he appeals to. His original target audience – of pre-schoolers, parents, grandparents, teachers and of course lovers of sweets – is very fond of Daifukukun.

But it’s his appeal to females in their 20s and 30s that has been something of a surprise. Young women who like kawaii (cute) characters respond well to Daifukukun’s personality and charm and take a great interest in daily updates on his social media.Therefore, as well as younger publications, Daifukukun will be appearing in magazines, and promoting products, for young women.

With the drive to build licensing and promotion well under way in Japan, the next step is taking Daifukukun to other Asian markets. SCP is already exploring new agent deals to expand the licensing program in Asia.

After that, who knows? SCP has, for a long time, created character content and properties that stand out not only for quality but for originality. It has then used its expertise and experience across multiple markets, demographics and brands to turn them into popular global names.

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COUNTRY PROFILE: JAPAN Japan is well known for its rich and unique culture and this is represented in its broad and diverse brand landscape. Japan is a famous exporter of world-famous brands, consider Nintendo alone; Mario, Pokemon, Zelda and many other countless worldfamous titles are of Japanese origin.

Doraemon, a hugely popular Japanese brand has also made its way across the world and is appearing in the top brands of more children worldwide. What about Western or globalist brands in Japan? There is some representation but since the country has such a strong history of its own brand making, western influences are occasionally limited and Japan’s brand landscape is largely shaped by its own brands, with some exceptions.

tentions - boys frequently want to add to their Tomica collections. It is Mario Bros, though, that tends to take top spot in ownership and buying intentions when we look at boys overall.

Brand Awareness Awareness is universally high across boys and girls for two brands in particular, Doraemon and Anpanman.

Doraemon lies at the intersection between all age groups and though it sits slightly across the male axis, it is a brand with cross-gender strength across most measured variables. Anpanman is far more well-cited across lower age groups, particularly the 0 - 6 age group - it also shows cross-gender strength as a brand that clearly appeals to many young kids from both genders. Both of these brands are Japanese and they gained some of the highest top-of-the-mind mentions, i.e. they were quickly mentioned by kids and thus were at the forefront of their mind when asked about their favorite brands. It may perhaps not come as a surprise that Pokemon and Mario Bros also topped awareness statistics for many age groups of boys and girls.

Ownership and Opportunities for Licensing For boys and girls aged 0 - 2, a brand with high ownership and purchasing intentions is Anpanman but girls of this category and 3 - 6 are looking to own more Frozen and Disney products also. Spongebob Squarepants, another international brand is also desired by boys particularly below the age of 6 and overall, it rates as a brand with some of the highest demand surpluses of any in Japan. Lego is also represented here and shows demand surplus for boys aged between 7 and 14. In fact, for boys aged 7 - 9, Lego is wanted across some 5.9 categories with next-best Mickey Mouse sitting on 4.4. However, for boys, the prevailing popular brands with high buyer intent remain Japanese brands such as Doraemon, Tomica and Mario Bros.

For boys, if we look at popularity combined with awareness and buying intentions, Fornite emerges as the strongest growing brand for boys overall across the entire age spectrum on average, though this is strongest in the 11 - 14 age group.Tomica, a toy car manufacturer, is another strong brand for boys of higher age groups and also shows high ownership and buying in-

For girls, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse come 1st and 2nd in total popularity contests. It is here that international influences have a firm hold as Disney and Frozen enter top 5s for girls across all age groups. Younger girls find Sumikko, a Japanese brand and character extremely popular and have strong attitudes to the brand - it is the most widely favored brand overall. Disney Princesses, a component brand of Disney is also trending up in buying intentions and awareness for girls of all age groups aside from 0 - 2.

For girls, Sumikko is the fastest growing brand overall and it combines this with strong purchasing intentions to make it a fast-trending brand for licensing going forward. Rilakumma, another character and brand also shows strong demand surplus and overall, it accompanies Sumikko as a strong opportunity for licensing. Disney representatives Frozen, Mickey and Minnie Mouse are amongst the top 3 for girls of all age groups and are desired

in more categories than most other brands.

Streaming Overview YouTube dominates streaming statistics smashing next-best Amazon Prime Video by huge margins of 30% to 40%.

Amazon Prime Video is consistently second spot ahead of Netflix which perhaps surprisingly falls below 20% in many cases.

Domestic Japanese brands here represent those who have remained strong over the past few decades, e.g. those originating from Nintendo as well as those which are currently gaining momentum and trending up, like Sumikko, Anpanman and Doraemon. Japanese brands are nearly always rated as topof-the-mind brands but international brands are represented in the form of Disney and its characters; Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Frozen and Disney Princesses, as well as Lego and Fortnite. Rilakkuma and Spongebob Squarepants further make up the brands that are desired across more product categories for girls and boys respectively.

BrandTrends’ investigation into Japan’s brand landscape reveals what domestic brands are strongly known and liked as well as what brands are rising through the ranks whilst also assessing influence from international brands.

Using advanced data collection methodology and wide-ranging sample sizes across genders and age groups, BrandTrends creates a summary of their sophisticated country study into Japan.

Top Favorite Entertainment Brands of 0-14 year olds according to gender and age - Japan - October 19

Number of different Entertainment brands mentioned by 0-14 year olds according to gender - Japan - October 19

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COVER STORY

MONDO TV

Classic characters, new heroes, modern concepts Five very appealing but very different properties underline the diverse licensing, distribution and production strategy that is keeping Mondo TV at the forefront of innovation in the Italian and European markets.

Mondo TV is one of the largest European producers and distributors of animated content – but, as recent projects prove, it’s about a lot more.

The popular Mondo TV shows of today are about to be joined by some eagerly awaited hits of tomorrow. This year’s portfolio includes the soonto-be-launched MeteoHeroes, the global broadcast and licensing success YooHoo to the Rescue and series three of the popular kids’ animated action-adventure show Robot Trains.

Meanwhile the innovative multimedia hit House of Talent has taken Mondo in a new, and very successful, direction.

However, Mondo TV is also using the licensing skills that have made successes out of so many of its own shows to develop a licensing programme for the Italian and Iberian markets for the multi-million-selling children’s book The Gruffalo.

A major news story for Mondo TV this year is the long-awaited arrival of its highly original new children’s animated series MeteoHeroes on Italian TV. The full 52 x 7’-episode show, a coproduction with Meteo Expert Center, Italy’s leading weather forecasting group, addresses issues like climate change, ecology and respect for nature through the amazing adventures of six superpowered children. It’s an important message but it’s delivered in a fun,

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engaging way in a series full of action and comedy that helps young viewers understand the issues and learn how they can help the planet through the adventures of six amazing kids.

MeteoHeroes is set to premiere later this year. However, before the official launch, on 22 April, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, there will be a major media campaign during which the stars of MeteoHeroes will play their roles as ambassadors in the fight to protect our planet.

The values of sustainability and respect for the environment will be reflected in a carefully devised licensing programme, along, of course, with the excitement, fun and great characters central to the show’s appeal.

Products inspired by the show will reflect its positive message: they will be designed and developed in compliance

with sustainable best practices using recyclable materials. The licensing programme will also commit to a reduced carbon footprint with tangible zeroimpact campaigns.

Publishing, toys and confectionery have been among the early target categories for the MeteoHeroes licensing campaign.

There’s an Easter egg range coming in 2021, Giunti has been licensed to produce books and activity books, and Playpress will produce activity and colouring books as well as a magic album. Mondadori is to publish a monthly magazine with a covermount and Kimbe is the partner for costume characters and events. Another agreement has recently been signed with Koch Media for home entertainment and media products.

Mondo TV’s plans to finalise a toy partner are already advanced. In addition, mass-market promotional and loyalty specialist Eu.promotions will develop a MeteoHeroes loyalty programme for the Italian market, starting from autumn 2020, and Ravensburger has signed for puzzles and memory games in the Italian and Iberian markets.

MeteoHeroes is set to be another Mondo TV hit, but YooHoo to the Rescue, the first-ever Netflix Original Series from co-producers Mondo TV and Aurora World, is already a major success.

TOTAL LICENSING YooHoo to the Rescue launched on Netflix in March 2019 in 20 different languages in 190 countries. The show also appears on TV channels in Italy, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Russia. In Italy the show has aired since 20 January with the rerun of episodes 1-39, while new episodes are scheduled for mid-March.

This 3D CGI 52 x 11’ children’s series, based on the globally successful line of Aurora World plush toys launched in 2007, is a funny, exciting and beautifully designed animated series with strong environmental themes, in which YooHoo and his friends travel from their home in YooTopia to Earth to confront threats to nature and wildlife and meet many different endangered animal species.

The show has inspired a number of products already at retail, including a completely new YooHoo plush line, introduced in 2019 and regularly updated to reflect the wide range of popular new characters introduced by the show. Mondadori books and apps were also launched last year.

A number of more recent YooHoo products arrived on shelves at the start of 2020. They include a Nuvita childcare line, chocolate Easter eggs from Icam in Italy and Panini’s 3D figurines and sticker albums in Italy, Spain and Portugal, while in Russia Simbat is about to launch board games and colouring books.

The Italian licensing programme will be supported by an influencer marketing campaign involving a roster of mini-influencers strategically positioned across Italy, targeting moms.

The content of all licensed ranges

will be guided by the strength of the concept and appeal of the main stars, of course, but also by the diversity of the many appealing characters and the many exciting and fun gadgets. These factors, along with the OTT and linear platform launches, will further strengthen the prospects of the property in the licensing market.

Season three of Robot Trains is on the way! Robot Trains is an exciting animated series for children aged between three and six years set in Train World, where all the citizens are trains – but some can transform into robots whose job is to protect vital energy supplies. The new season will be made up of 52 episodes of 11 minutes each and will launch in 2021.

Season three of Robot Trains is a first for Mondo TV, which was the distributor and licensing agent of series one and added co-production to its portfolio for series two. For series three, Mondo TV will be in charge of the whole production, with an ownership stake of 90% in the new series, which brings back some popular characters

– but has some exciting surprises in store too!

Licensing activity for Robot Trains is strong in many territories, where toys, confectionery and snacks, books, puzzles, confectionery decorations, live characters and events, stickers and trading cards, carnival costumes, personal care products, augmented reality apps and paper handkerchiefs are just some of the items in shops.

Mondo TV is also looking at new ways of reaching out to audiences, both in terms of entertainment and in terms of licensing and promotion. The webbased show House of Talent, which debuted on YouTube on 9 September, is a major new undertaking for Mondo.

But the show, and a dedicated channel on YouTube that sees the storytelling of House of Talent unfold across video streaming platforms, is just part of the phenomenon that is House of Talent.

The crew of over 20 talented teenage online influencers has also inspired novels (with more to come), multi-venue fan meet-and-greets, and 500 million impressions on both the official Instagram account and the accounts of the talent taking part in the project.

However, much more is planned for a concept that engages with multiple outlets, ranging from TV and video to social media, personal appearances and numerous other formats. The aim is to inspire participants and fans to share, belong, pursue their dreams and develop their own talent.

This concept of being part of a narrative that plays out across diverse platforms extends to new opportuni-

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TOTAL LICENSING ties in licensing. Licensees can reach the Generation Z demographic that House of Talent addresses across the multi-format House of Talent with the inclusive and image-positive messages that fans of the property respond to.

House of Talent is not just a new entertainment and interaction concept.

It’s also a gateway to a new approach to licensing, one in which the interplay of influencers, marketing and products offers new and different opportunities for licensing partners through product placements, influencer endorsements, and integrated social media and promotional events, to name only a few.

There’s certainly a lot of diversity in its production, distribution and licensing work, but recently Mondo TV has also been growing its third-party representation portfolio. A major recent achievement has been Mondo’s appointment by Magic Light Pictures as licensing agent in Italy and Iberia (Spain and Portugal) for the classic Julia Donaldson/Axel Scheffler creation The Gruffalo.

The delightful tale of how a tiny mouse outwits a creature set on eating him has become a retail phenomenon, celebrating 20 years since its first publication, selling over 24 million copies across multiple formats in 86 languages and inspiring stage, television and film adaptations, including an Oscarnominated film seen in 180 countries and available internationally on iTunes

and Amazon Prime.

It also boasts over 80 licensees globally as well as many DTR relationships and a strong retail presence in department stores, supermarkets, book stores and independents. It has also inspired three theme park attractions at venues owned by Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in locationbased, family entertainment. Carefully managed by Magic Light Pictures over the past 10 years, The Gruffalo is today an evergreen property, with five licensing awards in 10 years and over 30 nominations.

Managing licensing for this incredibly popular brand in Italy and Iberia will offer a number of opportunities for Mondo TV. The Gruffalo is a well-established book, much-loved by children and their parents. Soon after the 1999 launch in Italy the publisher Edizioni Emme sold around 800,000 copies and the numbers are continuously growing; 30,000 copies have also been sold in the Iberian market over the last five years.

Further underlining this success has been the recent inclusion of The Gruffalo as the first of 30 titles planned for the Emme Edizioni collection, Albumini, in partnership with two of Italy’s best-known newspapers, the Corriere della Sera and the Gazzetta dello Sport.

In Iberia most English lessons at school use The Gruffalo, and the Spanish publisher Bruno is working on

many initiatives to further engage kids and families in the story. The animated feature film, shown regularly in Italy on Rai YoYo, gets great ratings every time it is on air.

The initial focus will be on toys, arts and crafts, audio stories, apparel and fashion accessories. Mondo TV is now looking for licensees committed to developing high-quality products and able to target selected retailers where The Gruffalo’s world fits perfectly. Over the coming year Mondo will grow the roll-out plan to other categories such as confectionery, gifts and novelties, and housewares.

Promotional initiatives and brand partnerships, especially in the fashion category, are also part of the plan. Mondo TV will of course strengthen cooperation with local publishers; among its priorities is working with publishers to devise retail promotions that will embrace different categories.

Consumers are very familiar with The Gruffalo book; the aim is to make them aware that a whole world around this character is available outside the pages of that story.

Valentina La Macchia, Licensing Director at Mondo TV, commented, “As the licensing market continues to evolve, so too does the Mondo TV offering. New concepts in both children’s shows – through MeteoHeroes and YooHoo to the Rescue – and multimedia engagement – through House of Talent – are informing exciting new approaches to licensing. Robot Trains 3 is a new series of an established favourite, but it too will have new ideas and themes to excite and amaze fans and licensees. In addition, our position as a trusted licensing partner has brought an amazing opportunity with a classic publishing phenomenon. This is a very exciting time for the fastgrowing Mondo TV licensing business.”

MeteoHeroes, YooHoo to the Rescue, Robot Trains, House of Talent, The Gruffalo. Five properties that reflect a Mondo TV philosophy that embraces diversity of mediums, themes and platforms, through classic characters, new heroes and modern concepts – but that always engages its audience.

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TOTAL LICENSING Developed in Rainbow Group’s offices in Loreto, Rome, Rainbow CGI and Canada’s Bardel Entertainment studios in collaboration with Antoniano Bologna and Rai Ragazzi, the animated hit 44 Cats is conquering families on all media platforms: a growing success with excellent ratings and web views, and is increasingly widespread in terms of licensing with more than 100 major international partners covering all categories, with both national and multiterritorial deals.

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NEW SEASON OF RAINBOW’S 44 CATS Season 1 of the series established record ratings from its launch in 2018: 44 Cats is on air in over 100 countries and in more than 20 languages, on the major pay and free to air TV networks starting with Nickelodeon (USA and International), and continuing with a list of major broadcasters like Carousel Russia - where 44 Cats is number one show in the country in terms of ratings and share currently reaching a daily average of over 2m viewers, Chinese CCTV 14, which launched the show in February with ratings that confirm it is the channel’s leading show, Discovery Kids Latin America, POP TV (UK), France Télévisions (France), Super RTL (Germany), Plus Plus (Ukraine), Cartoon Network (MENA, Turkey), YOOPA (French-speaking Canada), Treehouse and YTV (English-speaking Canada), TVP (Poland), Global TV (Indonesia), MTVA (Hungary), TV3 (Baltics), NOVA TV (Croatia).

Rainbow’s mix of music and comedy is an established success that also keeps growing on leading digital platforms such as Netflix, Tencent and YOUKU in China, Start.ru and Yandex in Russia.

Besides the TV and SVOD popularity, 44 Cats is turning into a true web phenomenon on YouTube, where the official channels have exceeded 320 million views in just 14 months.

Rainbow recently announced that the eagerly awaited second series is ready to air, after the brilliant debut on Italian Rai YoYo in March. Rainbow has two multiterritorial deal with Discovery Kids in Latin America and

Nickelodeon International..

In this new season of 52 x 13’ episodes, the Buffycats and Granny Pina will be joined by new animal and human friends, facing ‘cat-proof’ missions and will amaze audiences with surprises.

The magnificent soundtrack of original songs by Antoniano Bologna completes the formula, making 44 Cats a series that really stands out: with world-class animation by Bardel Studios and a dedicated soundtrack that appeals directly to pre-schoolers.

The show is an example of edutainment that embodies Rainbow’s vision of kids entertainment. 44 Cats has huge potential in content and licensing: the 44 Cats offer a view of family and community, promoting positive attitudes and combining unique and appealing elements that will make it shine once again.

After captivating TV, social media and the web, the brand has an extensive event program that is going to wow families this summer starting with Gulliver Theme Parks, collaborating with Rainbow to bring the show to their major parks in the UK and celebrate with special initiatives for the whole season.

In Italy, Gardaland Resort will host the 44 Cats Rock Show, the Buffycats’ musical show, while Sicily’s theme park Etnaland will exclusively launch the House of the 44 Cats, a new slow ride that reproduces the home of Granny Pina in a themed area dedicated to the show.

On the licensing side, 44 Cats has also made an immediate impact.

Rainbow has been sealing first-class partnerships with agencies - The

Joester Loria Group for the US, Lisle Licensing Ltdfor the UK, FTD-France Televisions Distributions, Super RTL in Germany, License Connection in Benelux, Plus Licensing in Nordics and East Europe, Media Service Zavada in Poland, Art Nation in Ukraine, Brights in Greece, Menart Records Doo in Ex Yugoslavia, Filma Ltd in Turkey, Character Licensing and Marketing CC in South Africa, Vertical Licensing in Brazil, Brandings Stream in Canada, Guangzhou Art-land Holding in Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, WP Brands in Australia. This extraordinary net of agencies is putting Rainbow’s hilarious property in the spotlight with excellent results.

Master toy partner Toy Plus developed a wide range of toys based on the key elements of the series - music, creative play patterns and collectability – a collection distributed in Europe and the Middle East by Simba Dickie Group, UNITOYS in Russia and Bandai America in the US and Canada territories.

Adding to these international partners, UK Simba Dickie’s Siso Toys started distributing the exclusive collection from February, through The Enternainer – with more than 171 shops in the UK and a promotional Cat Tour that will go on until May in the main stores of The Entertainer, but also through Argos , Amazon and Asda launching in April.

These toy deals are just part of a huge programme unfolding. Major collaborations have followed in a wide range of product categories from baby care to publishing, food and textiles, with partners and multi-territory deals with baby care leader Artsana, Harper Collins, Redan Publishing, UK pre-school and primary children’s magazines company, Italian Fabbri Editori (Mondadori), Zak Designs, leader in licensed dinnerware, drinkware and on-the-gobeverageware, TDP Textile Aykroyds - leaders in the UK apparel market, Dreamtex, Fashion UK, toy experts Ravensburger, Clementoni, John Toys and Amscan.

March 2020

NEWS

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BUZZFEED’S TASTY LAUNCHES NEW LINE OF KITCHENWARE

CAPRICE GOES SUSTAINABLE

BuzzFeed’s Tasty and Haven Global recently announced the launch of their line of cookware and kitchenware at Big W last month.

The line of kitchen products that will bring the fun, ease and accessibility of Tasty’s signature recipe videos to consumers across Australia. The Tasty-branded cookware line includes 28 products ranging from non-stick cookware to high-quality bakeware to kitchen gadgets, accessories and more, ranging in price from $8 to $59.

Matt Drinkwater, Head of International at BuzzFeed said “There is no better way for Tasty fans to prepare delicious recipes at home than with our bright and beautiful cookware range. We’re so proud to partner with Big W to bring the line to a broad audience of beginner and more experienced cooks alike.Together we’re making cooking more fun.”

The Tasty cookware line features bright colours, and includes all the tools necessary to prepare Tasty’s recipes.The line features nonstick forged aluminium cookware, non-stick metal bakeware with silicone handle inserts, emoji cookie cutters, silicone head utensils and soft grip gadgets.The Tasty Kitchen line is used in Tasty videos and was designed and developed with the Tasty fan in mind, as BuzzFeed research shows that 2 out of 3 Tasty fans have made a Tasty recipe.

Tom Punch, Managing Director of Haven Global, who facilitated, said “We are delighted we are to be working with BuzzFeed to bring the iconic Tasty brand to the Australian market. This launch reflects the huge shift in how millennials are consuming media along with the brand recognition that online content can offer for consumer products. There is so much potential for many more partnerships and categories to come - keep an eye out for this fabulous brand as we further expand into food aisles and more in the coming months.”

The Tasty line of kitchen products is licensed and manufactured by Fackelmann.

CEO of Fackelmann Housewares Australia, Mark Batson said “We are thrilled to be the product partner for the launch of Tasty into the Australian market. The new range of millennial focused kitchenware products includes solutions for all stages of meal preparation from knives to bakeware to frying pans. All, of course, have been designed to be insta-friendly with bold colours across the range and perfect for recreating the Tasty recipes we see online.”

With over 60 years in business, Caprice Australia attributes their success to its ability to evolve and embrace change. Designing and producing products at the forefront of sustainability and innovation will be key to the Caprice business in the next 5-10 years.

Caprice has committed to implement key sustainability strategy designed to capsulate their commitment to environmental and social responsibility and bring it to the forefront of their business.

“We are proud to be introducing our sustainability strategy and look forward to providing our partners with leading sustainability industry practices” noted Paul Cannon, Chief Executive Officer, Caprice Australia.

The five-year plan will see the company take a global approach through leading environmental and ethical sourcing practices, and investing in the communities in which they operate.

They will also continue ensuring the wellbeing of their team members both in the local workplace and internationally.

Caprices’ commitment to people and product is reflected in the company being awarded a number of industry awards including preferred supplier and licensee of the year for multiple brands.

APEX BRANDS APPOINTS WP BRANDS Apex Global Brands in the USA, (formerly Cherokee Brands), has appointed WP Brands as its newest licensing agent to cover Australia and New Zealand.

Working with WP Brands, Apex plans to expand its distribution through the addition of new licensees and distribution partners. WP Brands will be working a number of key Apex brands that include Hi-Tec – a European footwear and apparel brand; Magnum – a military, workwear and service industry apparel; Cherokee – an ‘Americana’ apparel and accessories

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brand; and Tony Hawk – the champion skateboarder for ranges of apparel and accessories.

Commenting on the new appointment, Henry Stupp, Chief Executive Officer of Apex said, “As a global company, working with like-minded licensing partners is key for Apex. WP Brands has shown that they can be both innovative and strategic in ways that will identify additional licensing partners to our growing business across Australia and New Zealand while also working with existing licensees and distributors and coordi-

nating our retail business expansion efforts.”

Lim Mi-Kyoung, Managing Director of WP Brands in Melbourne added, “We have been big fans of these brands for many years and we are absolutely thrilled to be part of the Apex family.

Their expertise and deep knowledge of the apparel and accessories business is the foundation of a solid partnership that will also create a strong and unique brand presence in our markets, Australia and New Zealand.”

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Merchantwise Licensing is a leading entertainment brand licensing and merchandising agency in Australia and New Zealand, representing some of the world’s best loved brands in digital & gaming, kids’ entertainment, film and television, icons & legends and music.

Merchantwise Licensing is part of the Merchantwise Group, a full-service brand agency headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with offices in Sydney and Paris.

Merchantwise Licensing shares a sneak peek at the latest news and upcoming entertainment properties for this year.

The best-selling video game of all time.

Released in 2009 by Swedish developer Mojang, Minecraft is a game centred on breaking and placing blocks. Players can work together to create wonderful, imaginative things.

Minecraft is a cultural phenomenon and the best-selling video game of all time, selling over 176 million copies across all platforms. It is played by over 112 million monthly active players and is also the most watched game on Youtube.

BrandTrends research reveals that Minecraft is the most popular game brand in Australia for children up to 14 years.

39% of the player base are female and 44% are aged 8-17 years.

What started as a game has evolved into a true evergreen entertainment franchise, comprising of education, live events, products as well as a movie in the pipeline.

Mojang’s purpose is to build a better world through the power of play and inspire generations of game changers.

To that end, it established The Block by Block Foundation, a non-profit organization empowering communities to transform neglected urban spaces into vibrant places that improve the quality of life for all.

Minecraft: Education Edition

A unique aspect of Minecraft is its strong education platform, embraced by teachers and parents alike. Minecraft: Education Edition is specially designed for schools, offering game-based learning for students from primary school through to higher education.

Over 35 million teachers and students are licensed, across 115 countries.

For example, Australian students can now visit Mini Melbourne, a collaborative project between the Victorian Dept of Education and Training and the Metro Tunnel Project to build a virtual city of Melbourne in Minecraft: Education Edition.

Brand new games in 2020 2020 represents a watershed year for Minecraft.

In addition to ongoing updates to the core game, there are two major new game releases hotly anticipated in the next few months.

Launching in April is Minecraft Dungeons – an action adventure game in the classic dungeon crawl-

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA er style, offering new characters, environments and style of play within the Minecraft Universe.

Also attracting strong interest is Minecraft Earth - the new free-to-play mobile augmented reality game bringing Minecraft to the real world and taking gamers outside.

Live events & live streaming

Scheduled for September is Minecraft Festival, the game’s most ambitious live experience yet: a three-day celebration of all things Minecraft in Florida, USA. Enthusiasts can expect interactive exhibits, inclusive gameplay, fierce tournaments, intense live entertainment, exclusive merchandise, panels, and meet & greets with content creators and developers.

Minecon Live also returns in September. Filmed live and streamed to players throughout the world, Minecon is packed with juicy Minecraft news, content creators, and will include pre and post show bits, as well as on-demand community panels.

Global merchandising Globally, enthusiasts spend over $A1 billion per year on Minecraft consumer products in categories including books and comics, toys, games, apparel, accessories, electronics, stationery, collectibles and home décor.

Minecraft down under Now represented in Australia and New Zealand by Merchantwise Licensing, the Minecraft universe is set to significantly expand down under at retailers including EB Games, Big W, Target and The Warehouse.

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The local program includes LEGO (construction toys); Mattel (action figures, playsets and roleplay); J!NX (plush and collectible toys distributed by Banter Toys); Funko (Pop Vinyl distributed by Ikon Collectibles); Zak! Australia (lunching, drinkware and home décor); Hardie Grant Egmont (publishing); Caprice (apparel, bags, footwear, accessories, bedding and towels).

Global fashion collaborations featuring in Australia and NZ include Havaianas and Happy Socks.

Other new local partners to be announced shortly.

XBOX SERIES X – the most powerful console ever

First released in 2001, Microsoft’s Xbox is one of the world’s leading game consoles. Top first party franchises on Xbox include Halo, Forza, Gears of War and Sea of Thieves.

Additionally, the popular Xbox Game Pass lets users access more than 100 high-quality console and PC games, for a single low monthly subscription price.

New console Launching this holiday, the Xbox Series X will be the fastest and most powerful console ever, setting a new bar for gaming performance. Its unique industrial design delivers four times the processing power of the previous console.

With unmatched speed and compatibility, Xbox Series X will allow gamers to bring their Xbox gaming legacy – thousands of games from three generations and more – forward with them.

New gear Inspired by the latest streetwear trends, the first ever range of Xbox licensed merchandise with Xbox Official

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Gear, launched globally online and via key specialty retailers in 2019. In Australia and New Zealand, the program launched exclusively at EB Games stores in November with a range of t-shirts, headwear, socks, drinkware, gifts and novelties.

A major expansion of the program is planned in 2020, with significant market activity planned around the launch of the new console this fall.

In addition to further expansion of the program at EB Games, the Xbox gear has now launched at mass market with a range of older boys and men’s outerwear and sleepwear available at Big W and other leading retailers via licensee Caprice. Other new products will include bags and backpacks, headwear and socks.

HALO INFINITE – The Master Chief returns Halo has been synonymous with Xbox since day one, launching with the original Xbox in 2001, and since then becoming Xbox’s #1 exclusive franchise. It is the most recognized sci-fi video game franchise of all time, with the Master Chief transcending gaming and becoming a pop culture icon Halo is also a giant in the merchandising world, achieving over $US 1.7 billion in licensed product sales.

With a major new game release, TV show in development, and a robust merchandise program, the next few years are shaping up to be the biggest ever in the history of this 19 year global franchise.

In holiday 2020, The Master Chief returns in the highly anticipated next chapter of the Halo franchise, Halo Infinite, alongside the next-generation console, the Xbox Series X. The new release will redefine Halo with an epic Master Chief saga and dynamic, evolving multiplayer.The graphically stunning Halo Universe will showcase the unique capabilities of the new Xbox Series X. Halo Infinite will also support more platforms than ever before, including the new Xbox Series X console, the entire Xbox One family of devices, and a wide range of PCs (and will be included with Xbox Game Pass for PC and console).

As Chris Lee, Studio Head of Halo Infinite, puts it, “By harnessing the power of our new Slipspace Engine and com-

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bining it with the power and promise of Xbox Series X, we plan to build the Halo game we’ve always dreamed of – and share it with even more players, competitors, adventurers, and creators than ever before.”

Also , in development, is the highly anticipated new TV series for Showtime, starring Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief.

Halo consumer products will ramp up with the launch of Halo Infinite and Xbox Series X. In Australia, a great new range of action figures from Wicked Cool Toys will be distributed by Banter Toys, alongside new NERF blasters from Hasbro, Mega Construx sets from Mattel and Funko pop vinyl distributed by Ikon Collectibles.

A local range of outerwear, sleepwear, socks, underwear and headwear are also in development for specialty and mass market channels.

Sonic Speeds into Cinemas, Delighting Fans First released in 1991, Sonic is a $1 billion franchise and one of the most popular video game characters of all time.

Paramount Pictures released the first ever Sonic movie in cinemas in February 2020, achieving a stunning US$101M opening weekend at the global box office. Starring James Marsden and Jim Carrey, this fast and action-packed comedy is a hit for of all ages.

In Australia, the Sonic toy range is being distributed by Headstart into mass retailers and VR Distribution into independent toy retailers.

From July, new partner Kawada Japan, will launch a range of collectible Sonic pixel figurines globally.

A variety of other new Sonic licensees will be launching a range of new products in 2020, including showbags, gifts

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and novelties as well as broad range of apparel and accessories across multiple retailers.

Global footwear partner PUMA has given its RS-X³ sneaker two retro reinterpretations with help from Sonic The Hedgehog and the Rubik’s Cube brand. The silhouette was introduced in October this year and has already seen a number of iterations, such as the bold “Hot Coral” and “Lime Punch” offerings.

The new Sonic pair comes in black, mixing leather, suede and mesh together alongside the character’s archetype colour scheme of red and blue.

Looking ahead to 2021, the brand will celebrate its 30th anniversary with new video games, new game content, a music concert with special guests and a wide array of new licensing and merchandising partnerships.

PAC-MAN – Arcade legend celebrates 40 years Created by BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc video game designer Toru lwatani in 1980, PAC-MAN is regarded as one of the most popular and influential video games of all time. Its title character was the first original mascot, making gaming accessible to female audiences and becoming a huge licensing and merchandising success.

With global brand awareness of 98%, PAC-MAN is one of the most recognized brands on the planet. What started as an arcade game is now available on all platforms, including Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, iOS and Android, with over 110 million downloads.

PAC-MAN is a full brand franchise, extending beyond gaming into film, live events and activations, fashion and consumer products, advertising and promotions.

2020 marks the 40th anniversary of this pop culture phenomenon. Global celebrations include a new website, song, live events and merchandise.

In Australia, Bensons Trading will release a range of new

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products this year including the Pac-Man showbag, sound plush, gifts and novelties.

Caprice Australia will launch men’s outerwear in Big W in April.

In April, retailer Best & Less will celebrate the 40th anniversary with an exclusive retro gaming retail activation. An exten-

sive apparel range from Hotsprings will comprise of outerwear and sleepwear for the whole family – from toddlers to adults.

SPACE INVADERS – Old school gaming at its finest Space Invaders - the classic arcade video game developed

by Tomohiro Nishikado - was first released in 1978 and instantly transformed video games into a global industry.

Now a pop culture icon and symbol of gaming, it is referenced in film and TV and features as part of video game and cultural exhibitions.

Space Invaders continues to be highly popular in the world of fashion collaborations and partnerships.

In April, retailer Best & Less will showcase an exclusive retro gaming themed collection with Space Invaders starring alongside PAC-MAN. The apparel range from Caprice comprises of t-shirts and sleepwear for kids and teens.

emotional. multicultural. official. joyful. iconic.

Emojis are the ultimate universal expressive language - over 6 billion are sent daily through messaging and social media platforms.

Inspired by this phenomenon, the emoji® company was founded in 2013, creating an iconic lifestyle brand with an unprecedented global popularity.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Today, the emoji trademark is registered in over 100 territories across up to 30 classes of goods and services. There are now more than 20,000 high vectorized icons are available for licensing. emoji® has attracted more than 800 partners from all over the world, winning multiple awards.

In Australia and New Zealand, the brand continues to be popular with 15 licensing partners across a wide range categories, from fashion, publishing, automotive and homewares to food, beverage and promotions.

2020 will see the launch of new apparel ranges at Big W and The Warehouse. Scholastic has a popular publishing range in market, with an emojipedia to launch later in the year.

In 2019, the world’s first emoji® personalised license plates launched in Queensland and became an instant success, prompting an expansion of the range in 2020.

Also successful was the emoji® themed television advertising campaign for Wrigley’s Eclipse Mints, created by ad-

vertising agency Clemenger. The campaign will continue in Australia and parts of Asia in 2020. Other new products to launch in 2020 include cake decorations from Dr Oetker and limited edition emoji® coins from the Perth Mint.

PARAMOUNT is a Hollywood icon and America’s second oldest studio known for its much-loved film classics and high-octane box office blockbusters. Paramount is a subsidiary of media giant Viacom.

Top Gun Maverick set to soar again Top Gun Maverick sees Tom Cruise reprise one of his most iconic roles. After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

The film is set for take-off in June 2020 and fans in Australia and New Zealand can expect a strong range of product at retail. Placement has been secured across all major retailers ahead of the movie release.

Master toy partner Mattel has developed a diecast range of vehicles and playsets to hit shelves for Toy Cat. Dads can be especially excited this Father’s Day as both Big W and Best & Less have got him covered with a range of apparel, accessories, home and giftware.

Licensing Essentials will be launching a Top Gun showbag at the Royal Melbourne Show in time for the home entertainment release.

Get ready to RUMBLE! From Paramount Animation comes an original story where monster wrestling is a global sport and humans are their biggest fans. In a world where monsters and humans co-exist, every town and city has one monster that represents them in the worldwide monster wrestling federation – more than a religion than a sport.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA When a small-town monster leaves to fight for the big city, one girl has to recruit the son of a wresting legend and train him to be the wrestler he could never be. Paramount Pictures has partnered with WWE and key wrestlers will be participating in marketing and providing voice talent.

Rumble releases in cinemas in April 2021. Master toy partner is Playmates, to be distributed in Australia by HeadStart.

Local licensing opportunities now available for discussion.

Paramount Classics With a library of some 3,300 films including Top Gun, The Godfather, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Grease, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Anchorman, Clueless and Mean Girls, Paramount is home to many of the world’s best loved classics.

In 2019, Australian lifestyle brand Peter Alexander launched its sixth Breakfast at Tiffany’s collection, with a stylish classic sleepwear range featuring iconic Holly Golightly imagery.

Cotton On continues to release a diverse range of kids, men’s and women’s apparel and accessories from multiple titles in the Paramount Classics library including Mean Girls, Clueless, Top Gun, Grease and the iconic Paramount Pictures logo.

MIRAMAX – Film favourites from Tarantino Miramax is a leading film and television studio with a library of more than 700 motion pictures. The Miramax library holds some of the world’s most original and acclaimed independent films including films by Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol I & II, Jackie Brown and Dusk Till Dawn – as well as scores of commercially successful films such as Bad Santa, Sin City and the Scream, Scary Movie and Hellraiser franchises. Local licensing opportunities available now.

Disenchantment – Her Throne is Calling DISENCHANTMENT is the new adult animated comedy series from the mind of Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons. The series takes place in the crumbling medieval kingdom of Dreamland and follows the adventures of a hard-drinking princess named Bean, her diminutive companion Elfo and her personal demon Luci. Along the way, the oddball trio encounter ogres, sprites, harpies, imps, trolls, walruses, and lots of human fools.

The series currently streams worldwide on NETFLIX in 190 countries and 30 languages. The first 10 episodes

launched in 2018, the next 10 launched in 2019 and Netflix will stream the next 10 episodes from September 2020.

Licensing partners include, Funko, Bioworld, Kidrobot, Just Funky, Philcos, Bravado, Lowes, Level 52 Studios, Rizzoli and Caprice Australia. Jay Jays will launch Disenchantment apparel to coincide with the new season in September.

The Elf on the Shelf®: A Christmas Tradition is a fun-filled Christmas tradition that has captured the hearts of children everywhere who welcome home one of Santa’s Scout Elves each holiday season.

When a family adopts a Scout Elf™ (from a Santa-approved adoption centre), they receive the Scout Elf™, an artfully illustrated hardbound storybook and a keepsake box.

The magical Scout Elves help Santa manage his nice list by taking note of a family’s Christmas adventures and reporting back to Santa at the North Pole nightly. Each morning, the Scout Elf returns to its family and perches in a new spot, waiting for someone to spot them. Children love to wake up and race around the house to find their Scout Elf. What started as a humble family tradition in 2011 has grown into a global phenomenon embraced by millions of families. With more than 17 million Scout Elves and Elf Pets adopted worldwide, the company currently has a footprint in 11 countries across 5 continents and has quickly expanded to offer books, games, activities, accessories, toys, and animated specials under The Elf on the Shelf® and Elf Pets® brand names. In addition, the company has acquired over 50 licensing partners and has established several prominent co-brand partnerships globally.

In Australia, The Elf on the Shelf® core range has been extremely popular at Myer Giftorium, Kmart and leading speciality and independent retailers, distributed by PMG Australia.Westfield has also embraced The Elf on the Shelf® with major live activations across 35 malls over the holiday period.

A local licensing program managed by Merchantwise Licensing is now in development to augment the core product range, to include apparel and accessories, costumes, tableware, novelty confectionery, publishing and more.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA The Gruffalo comes to life in augmented reality

The Gruffalo is one of the world’s best-loved children’s literary creations. Since It was first published in 1999, the award-winning story about a little brown mouse in the deep dark wood has continued to delight children and adults the world over.

Created by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Gruffalo has become a modern classic spanning publishing, film, stage, theme parks, digital and merchandise.

Launched in Australia in 2019, the Gruffalo Spotters AR App and adventure trail has been featured at a variety of popular attractions including Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (Qld), Rippon Lea Garden Estate (Vic), Illawarra Fly and Wildlife Sydney Zoo (NSW), attracting over 30,000 families to date.

Additional locations for 2020 will be announced soon.

Retailer Peter Alexander launched a fun and furry Gruffalo family sleepwear collection for book week in August 2019.

Throughout 2020, The Gruffalo’s Child Live stage show from CDP, will return to Australia from March with shows across the country.

Moon & Me – Sparkling new preschool Moon and Me is a beautiful new preschool TV series created by Andy Davenport, the acclaimed creator of The Teletubbies and In The Night Garden which collectively generated over $5 billion in global merchandise sales.

Moon and Me is a landmark commission by the BBC, co-produced by Foundling Bird and Sutikki and distributed by 9 Story Distribution International.

Airing daily on ABC KIDS, the show is inspired by wellloved tales of toys that come to life when nobody is looking - made with stunning 3D animation and puppetry. Moon and Me is the highest rated series on Cbeebies and was recognised as a “hot property” by The NPD Group, Inc for 2019.

There are more than 35 licensees in the UK across a broad

variety of categories including toys and games, publishing, apparel, homewares, stationery and FMCG. Merchantwise Licensing is managing the marketing and licensing of Moon and Me in Australia and New Zealand.

First publishing titles from Scholastic Australia are now available, Introducing Kiri and Lou – Handmade in New Zealand

Merchantwise Licensing has been appointed to represent licensing and merchandising for Kiri and Lou, a gorgeous new stop-motion animation series for children 3–7 years, handmade in Christchurch New Zealand.

Kiri and Lou centres on the friendship between Kiri, a feisty little dinosaur, and Lou, a gentle and thoughtful creature, as they explore the world of feelings through laughter, song and outdoor adventure.

Original and imaginative, Kiri and Lou invites children to learn about empathy and how to get along, through warm-hearted and gently humorous storylines which are resonating with audiences of all ages.

The show is hand-crafted in paper and clay and created using traditional stop-motion animation from Antony Elworthy (Coraline, Corpse Bride, Isle of Dogs), the series is voiced by Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Conchords, Moana, Rio) and Olivia Tennet (Lord of the Rings) and is written and directed by feature film director Harry Sinclair.

It is produced by Fiona Copland for Stretchy and Heather Walker of Yowza Animation (Curious George, Welcome to the Wayne) with international sales handled by CAKE. 20 x 5-minute episodes have been released with a further 32 episodes coming throughout 2020. Kiri and Lou has broadcast on TVNZ since March 2019 and ABC Kids since June 2019. On ABC Kids, it airs daily at 8.05 am and is available for streaming on ABC iView.

In 2019, Kiri and Lou was selected for screening at Annecy in the TV Films in Competition category and recently won the Cynopsis Best of the Best Awards in New York. It is a finalist for the prestigious Prix Jeunesse International 2020.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA The show is rolling out globally on the best preschool networks including Cbeebies (UK), CBC Canada, YLE in Finland, SVT in Sweden, Czech Television, Paka Paka in Argentina, EVision and BeIN in the Middle East and Showmax in Africa.

All licensing and merchandising opportunities, including master toy, publishing and stage show rights, are now available for discussion.

May Gibbs – Inspired by Nature Iconic Australian author and illustrator May Gibbs continues to capture the hearts and imaginations of generations of Australians with her lovable bush characters, which hold a special place in the Australian consciousness.

handcrafted installation featured 136 Gumnut characters, 102 of which were animated. Gumnut Babies theming continued in-store and in the Myer Giftorium.

Publishing Publishing is at the heart of the May Gibbs brand with May Gibbs’ original books, Gumnut Babies and Snugglepot and Cuddlepie never out of print for over 100 years.

Publishing partner Scholastic Australia has continued to expand its catalogue of licensed May Gibbs storybooks for children with May Gibbs becoming their third best-selling licensed property. In 2020, Scholastic Australia will also begin publishing a newly imagined range of May Gibbs classic stories, ensuring that every Australian child has the opportunity to experience these classic tales.

New product ranges and partnerships A host of other products, partnerships and retail activations will continue throughout 2020.

Today, May Gibbs is a fashion and lifestyle brand inspired by the Australian bush with a unique licensing program of over 30 partners across publishing, fashion, homewares, toys, stationery and collectables. May Gibbs partners with leading Australian brands to bring the stories and characters to life for fans of all ages.

Myer Christmas Windows 2019

May Gibbs’ Gumnut Babies were the stars of the 2019 Myer Christmas windows in Melbourne and Brisbane. The famous annual event has been running in Melbourne for 64 years and attracts an estimated 1.4 million people. The

The success of the May Gibbs by Ecology homewares collection has seen two collections released across tableware, napery, home decor and gardening over the past two years. A brand-new collection developed exclusively for Australia Post will launch in April 2020 to celebrate the 80th anniversary of release of The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie.

Creative, high end Australian fashion brand Romance was Born continues to release exciting new capsule collections for women and men, uniquely showcasing the art of May Gibbs.

The partnership with Walnut Melbourne continues in 2020 with brand-new winter and summer collections. The collections will again feature May Gibbs illustrations on Walnut’s best-selling children’s can-

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA vas shoes and apparel.

In January 2020, May Gibbs launched at Cotton On with a range of apparel and pyjamas for babies and kids. The collection proved popular with many styles quickly selling out online and in stores. A second collection is in development for winter 2020.

A new outdoor stage show of Snugglepot & Cuddlepie is in development with NSW based theatre company, Eaton Gorge Theatre Company. First shows to premiere at Australian Botanic Gardens Mount Annan in July followed by Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney and Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens in October.

The brand continues to be supported with strong marketing and publicity campaigns, along with continued growth of the May Gibbs Official Online Store and social media communities.

Popeye – Strong To The Finish Popeye is tough, he’s fit, and he’s got grit. He’s a rugged sailor who is always up to the challenge and never backs down.

Popeye is the embodiment of strength, and inspires us all to work hard, be persistent, and be “strong to the finish” – with the help of a hefty amount of spinach. King Features manages over 150+ licensees around the world. Popeye has an engaged audience on social media with over 9.7M follows across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and the official Popeye and Friends YouTube channel.

Betty Boop – Forever Fabulous

There have been successful collaborations with high-end fashion brands including HUF, Scotch & Soda, Bathing Ape, Filson, Stayreal, ZARA and more.

This month, a new collaboration with Popeye x Benetton launches with a limited-edition Popeye and Friends collecBetty Boop knows how to make an impression. For al- tion and also names Popeye the sailor man as its special most 90 years, the glamourous international icon has sung, environmental ambassador. sashayed, and “boop-oop-a-dooped” past rules and conventions, unafraid to take risks or set trends. King Features Phantom “Phundraising” for Bushfire Relief has over 150+ licensees globally C h ro n i c l e C h a m b e r and has a highly engaged social and King Features have media fanbase with over 1.6M+ collaborated with the follows. There have been a wide assistance and generarrange of collaborations with osity of a wide variety high-end fashion brands including of high-profile Phantom Lazy Oaf, Bathing Ape, Moschino, artists from around Undiz, Zac Posen, Bellerose and the globe, to publish a more. book of illustrations to In October 2019, Nordstrom de- “phundraise” for Ausbuted an exclusive Nike x Olivia tralia’s bushfire relief, Kim capsule collection starring Betty Boop. Another anni- with 100% of net proversary partnership was with skateboarding brand HUF for ceeds being donated to a line of hoodies, jackets, tees, socks and more including a Red Cross Australia.

Betty Boop x HUF skateboard Phantom illustradeck. tors have illustrated a Looking ahead for 2020, Betunique Phantom image ty Boop product launches in linked in some way to Australia include a sleepwear the bushfire crisis and collection from Hot Springs, recovery efforts. Each artist can also sell/auction/raffle the a collectible stamp pack from original art as a further personal donation.

Australia Post and a new Pop! Vinyl from Funko.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA London Underground – Mind the Gap!

London attracts an astonishing 40 million tourists per year, including over 600,000 Australians. Aussies have a deep and abiding connection with London and the UK. The London Underground network or the Tube, operated

by Transport for London (TFL), has been an integral part of London’s history for over 150 years and transports 1.4 billion passengers per year.

The roundel is an iconic symbol for London and its transport system.The first roundel was created in 1908, originally known as the bar and circle.

More than 110 years later, it is one of the most distinctive and recognisable symbols in the world. Station names such as Oxford Circus, Paddington, Kings Cross, Covent Garden, Wimbledon and Waterloo have been etched into our collective consciousness through pop culture, Hollywood movies and the classic Monopoly boardgame. TFL is quite simply ‘the London brand’.

TFL offers a thriving licensing and merchandising opportunity which currently boasts over 50 London Underground partners on-board across a wide variety of product categories.

The extensive brand style guide includes over 150 years of assets including poster archive, iconic logos, photography, old ticket designs, seat fabric patterns and globally recognised roundels and tube maps. Licensing opportunities for TFL are now available for discussion in Australia and New Zealand.

Representing many of the world’s biggest names in music for Australia and New Zealand, Merchantwise Licensing is the go-to for band merchandising and licensing.

The Beatles – Let It Be – 50 years Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson is working on a new Beatles Let It Be documentary, accessing 55 hours of never-before-seen footage and 140 hours of audio made available from their 1969 recording sessions.

Eager Beatlemaniacs can expect to learn more about Peter Jackson’s untitled Let It Be film, as well as the re-release of the original documentary classic, in time for the fiftieth anniversary of the album’s original release, which falls on 8 May 2020.

A wide variety of licensing partners continue to celebrate The Beatles in Australia and NZ with new product releases including puzzles from Hinkler Books, gifts and novelties from Rubber Road, posters and wall art from Impact Rock and a new range of homewares and drinkware from Licensing Essentials featuring Yellow Submarine.

Cotton On’s partnership with The Beatles continues with ongoing ranges of apparel, sleepwear, accessories and gifting.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA AC/DC – BACK IN BLACK 40th Anniversary

MANHEAD roster now available in Australia and NZ for the first time Merchantwise Licensing is pleased to be representing Manhead in Australia and NZ. Manhead is a worldwide merchandise company catering to the music and entertainment industry.

For over twelve years Manhead has been one of the leading, independently owned music and entertainment merchandise companies specialising in touring, e-commerce, cre-

AC/DC was formed in Australia in 1973 by brothers Malcom and Angus Young, and with their no-nonsense bluesbased rock developed into one of the most successful touring and recording artists on the planet.

The band’s global sales exceed 200 million albums. 1980’s Back in Black one of the highest – selling albums of all time, with 50 million copies sold. 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of this much revered classic.

AC/DC holds the record for the most tickets sold on an Australian tour by a local act and their music continues to be discovered by new audiences – their 10 biggest songs on Spotify have collectively had over 2.5 billion streams. The Thunderstruck video has been watched over 700 million times on YouTube. A recent article in the Daily Telegraph and Herald Sun ranked AC/DC has the best Australian band of all time.

With one of the most recognizable logos in pop culture and myriad legacy designs their merchandising results are legendary. A variety of AC/DC apparel, drinkware, gifts and accessories are available globally and in the local market, with new licensing opportunities available for discussion.

ative, retail and licensing merchandise.

Artists in the roster include Australia’s very own SIA, the B-52’s, Train, Weezer, Fall Out Boy, EELS and Panic!

At The Disco.

Other Bands and Artists Other great bands and artists available for licensing from Merchantwise include Britney Spears, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Def Leppard, Aerosmith, Wu Tang, Nirvana, the Foo Fighters and many more.

For further information, visit merchantwise.com.

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Tom Punch: “We are thrilled to be at the forefront of the new content revolution for kids. YouTube is fundamentally changing the way that kids consume content and brands are emerging from that space all over the world. It doesn’t matter what country they’re based in, if the brands resonate with kids they hit an immediate global audience. Kids have become their own programmers and are choosing what they love.”

Yvonne King: “It’s a whole new world.

It’s not about where kids see their content it’s about how many kids see the content. Total content consumption is where it’s all at. Whether it’s on Tik Tok,YouTube, FTA, Subscription TV, streaming services, gaming channels or apps – if the kids love the brands then the opportunity is there for the biggest of them to extend their footprint into the consumer products space.”

Tom: “The first cab off the rank for us is CKN Toys, a global YouTube phenomenon with over 13 billion views, based out of Sydney, Australia.

Calvin & Kaison are two brothers that unbox and play with all the toys that kids love and they’ve hit a note with fans worldwide. We created this brand from the ground up – we developed the logo, into a styleguide into a CP program launching April this year. We’ve done a TV deal with Nickelodeon for an all new series that will debut in Australia and the UK in April, we’ve forged a partnership with Jazwares who have created the most fantastic boy play master toy line. We have a global app launching, apparel in the US, and the list goes on. And we are thrilled to have partnered with Nickelodeon UK to represent us in the UK & Europe.”

Yvonne: “In another space entirely we’ll be launching a global program around the most gorgeous brand – Meddy Teddy, the yoga and mindfulness bear, who is poised to be the

pre-eminent brand in the kid’s wellness space. The Dalai Lama once said, “if every eight year old in the world is taught mediation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation,” Meddy’s mission is to take his skills to kids globally by teaching them to find calm by going within, and finding peace and balance in an ever changing stressful world. As of the date of writing, we are finalising negotiations with a leading global toyco to take Meddy Teddy to the world across a wonderful range of plush, figurines and collectibles. A creation of three brothers, who are experts in the field of yoga and meditation, Meddy Teddy is backed by a vast array of authentic content. And, we are having discussions across a whole gamut of categories including publishing, gifting, yogawear and a global app. Check out www.meddyteddy.com, or the Instagram page @meddyteddy. It will calm your day!”

Tom: “The next of the global YouTube phenomena for Haven, is Vlad and Nikita, two globetrotting brothers, who boast an amazing 33 million subscribers, and over 15 Billion views.

The two boys are supported by their wonderful parents, posting fun, busy, and exciting videos of their adventures and crazy activities. Gaining

In addition to their blue chip portfolio of brands represented in Australia and New Zealand, Haven Global have been making a foray into other markets via the acquisition of some new global brands.

well over one billion views per month, Vlad and Nikita are a global hit with kids, and we are planning lots of activity around the brand for 2020.

Haven inked the global merchandise deal with the fabulous talent in October 2019, and after developing their creative assets will be actively pitching to master toy and content partners at New York Toy Fair, so watch this space.”

We spoke with Tom Punch and Yvonne King about their plans for four key launches for 2020 and beyond.

Yvonne: “In other exciting news, we’ve just finalised our partnership with Like A Photon, a fast growing and multi-award-winning Australian production company who are creating a film franchise around Tales from Sanctuary City. These beautifully animated films bring to life, through beautiful CGI, the story of an eclectic mix of characters who through their adventures tell a majestic, multicultural story of survival in a planet under constant threat. The first film, Wishmas Trees, releases Feb 28th, with the second story, Combat Wombat, hitting cinemas Q3 this year, building up to the 2021 release of Daisy Quokka – World’s Scariest Animal. Great stories and great humour are going to make this a franchise worth investing in for the long term and we see huge opportunity across toys and games, collectibles, publishing & homewares.”

In conclusion, Tom Punch said,“We’re so excited, we’ve staffed up and got the expert resources we need to maximise all of our fabulous brands, both locally and internationally.”

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AUSTRALIA COUNTRY REPORT Introduction This country report is based on various pieces of consumer research and market analysis considering geography, data collection techniques and fieldwork. It focuses on the preferences, behaviors, usage and loyalty towards entertainment brands of the younger part of the population. This report allows us to understand the purchasing habits of young customers in Australia and brand trends on a national level so that marketing campaigns can be designed accordingly.

Australia’s Aging Population Australia is a highly developed nation with a population of more than 25 million people. 17.7% of the population is under the age of 14. A total of 330.000 births were registered in Australia in 2019. (www.abs.gov.au 11/12/19) The median age in Australia is 37.9 years.

Households have an average occupancy of 2.5, which is slightly lower than in 2001 (2.6 occupants). The purchasing power of Australians is strong and it increased in 2018, when the average disposable income per person was AUD 48,982 per year.

Brand Awareness In addition, the mentioned brands vary more and more according to the child’s gender (and age!); so less dual gender brands, more gender targeted ones Young people in Australia (age 0-14) are very familiar with the specific qualities or image associated with a brand.

On average, they are aware of 228 different brands. Our research shows that 5 international brands stand out with regard to the way young people

Brand Matrix (Brand Popularity vs. Merchandise Appeal) Boys 7 - 9 Years Old - October 19

By Philipp Guinaudeau, Kidz Global

Source: https://www.brandtrends.com

correctly associate their company’s product or service with their brand image (logo). These brands are Paw Patrol, Peppa Pig, Lego, Fortnite, and Star Wars. Paw Patrol, a CGI–animated TV series, is the brand most commonly spontaneously mentioned by children, followed closely by Lego.

A national brand that has earned its place among the international competition is The Wiggles. The Wiggles are an Australian children’s music group that was formed in the early 1990s and quickly gained international recognition. The Wiggles is the most popular “Entertainment” brand among infants and pre-schoolers.

Among Boys 7 - 9, Lego is the leading brand for popularity Boys in Australia (age 7 - 9) are very familiar with gaming and animation brand images. The analysis shows that Lego is the leading brand in terms of

Number of different Entertainment brands mentioned by 0 - 14 Year Olds according to gender - October 19

Kids 0 - 2

Kids 3 - 6

Kids 7 - 9

Kids 10 - 14

both popularity and intention to purchase. Minecraft is in second place for popularity, Avengers comes in third place, closely followed by Spider Man and Marvel.

General Trends: let’s take a look at the evolution In the past few years, there has been spectacular progress for certain gaming brands. Fortnite, for example, is mentioned as a favorite brand by 13% of those that took part in this research. In October 2017, this brand wasn’t even mentioned which goes to show how fast the gaming sector is developing. The lion’s share of brand recognition is still held by North American companies, which highlights the impact of American consumerism on Australia.

The BrandTrends report combines consumer research, in-depth industry analysis and international trends in a single, comprehensive information source. Several times a year, a total of 105,040 children and young adults are surveyed via an online questionnaire on 42 countries across the following five age groups: Infants 0-2 years, Preschoolers 3-6 years, Children 7-9 years,Tweens & young teens 10-14 years,Young Adults 15-25 years (10 countries only).

Each age group comprises 50% boys and 50% girls. For infants and preschoolers, parents are the respondents on behalf of a nominated child.Visual images of each brand are used to test awareness, ownership and purchase intentions, once all unaided questions have been submitted. Analysis and reporting are conducted in the week following fieldwork.

More? Visit www.brandtrends.com

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND COUNTRY REPORT

New Zealand’s Population: the context surrounding the islands New Zealand is a sovereign island country situated on two larger, and over 600 smaller islands in the south western Pacific. It has a landmass of 268,000 square kilometres with a population of only 4.78 million. 19.62% of the population is under the age of 14, male 457,071, female 434,789 (www. indexmundi.com 08/02/20).

The median age in New Zealand is 37.4 years. Households have an average occupancy of 2.8 overall and 3.0 in Auckland (www.rwtakapuna. co.nz 08/02/20).Wage growth in New Zealand is at a ten year high, with an increase of 2.6% in the year to December 2019 (www.stats.govt.nz 08/02/2020).

Brand Awareness Young people in New Zealand (age 0-14) are familiar with the specific qualities or images associated with a range of brands. On average, they are aware of 139 different brands - a major increase of 18% since April 2017.

Paw Patrol is the most favourite brand spontaneously mentioned by kids Number of different Entertainment brands mentioned by 0 - 14 Year Olds according to gender - October 19

Kids 0 - 2

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Kids 3 - 6

Kids 7 - 9

Kids 10 - 14

Source: https://www.brandtrends.com

Boys

Kids 7 - 14

Girls

Introduction This country report is based on various pieces of consumer research and market analysis considering geography, data collection techniques and fieldwork. It focuses on the preferences, behaviors, usage and loyalty towards entertainment brands of the younger part of the population. This report allows us to understand the purchasing habits of young customers in New Zealand and brand trends on a national level so that marketing campaigns can be designed accordingly.

Kids 0 - 6

Boys all over New Zealand describe their favourite brands The research shows that certain brands repeatedly stand out with regard to popularity amongst boys in New Zealand. These brands are Lego and Batman. The largest growth in popularity is shown by Aquaman. Paw Patrol is the most spontaneously mentioned brand, followed by Spider-Man. Tayo the Little Bus is also in the top 10.

Minions is the most highly recognised brand and the most liked brands are The Wiggles, Paw Patrol, NERF and the Avengers. Boys aged 0 - 6 love Paw Patrol the most, whilst boys aged 7-9 love Lego most and boys aged 10 - 14 love Minecraft. Paw Patrol is the favourite brand mentioned overall. The highest ownership brands are Lego, Hot Wheels and Spider-Man, with Paw Patrol showing the strongest ownership growth.

Taking a look at what are girls’ favourite brands in New Zealand For New Zealander girls aged 0 - 14, two character brands repeatedly stand out. These brands are Frozen and Moana. The largest growth in popularity is shown by Marvel. Paw Patrol is the most spontaneously mentioned brand, followed by Peppa Pig. Frozen is the most highly recognised brand and the most liked brands are Cocomelon, Peppa Pig, LOL Surprise and Marvel.

Girls aged 0 - 6 love Peppa Pig the most, whilst girls aged 7-9 love Barbie most and girls aged 10 - 14 love

Marvel. Frozen is the favourite brand mentioned overall. The highest ownership brands are Frozen, Lego and Barbie, with LOL Surprise showing the strongest ownership growth Popular streaming sources amongst boys and girls YouTube is the first source used by both boys and girls aged 0 - 14 years for watching video content, closely followed by Netflix.

A few things to know about general trends in New Zealand In the past few years, there have been wage increases in New Zealand leading to increased spending power.

There has been an increase in the variety of brands mentioned according to age and gender. This leads us to conclude that there is a need for fewer dual-gender brands and an increase in gender targeted brands. For boys, 35 brands show potential for untapped demand, led by Iron Man among boys aged 0 - 14. Monopoly is losing market presence with a consumer demand gap of -14%. Moana shows the strongest licensing potential. Boys 0 - 14 would consider the brand in a number of different product categories. For girls, 33 brands show potential for untapped demand, led by Kung Fu Panda among girls aged 0 - 14. Barbie is losing market presence with a consumer demand gap of -23%. Batman shows the strongest licensing potential, as girls aged 0-14 would consider the brand in multiple product categories.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

The Wiggles celebrate their 30th birthday in 2021!

For nearly 30 years, The Wiggles - the world's most popular children's entertainment group - have entertained and enriched the lives of, literally, millions of children and their parents and caregivers.

The Wonderful World of The Wiggles!

What do they attribute the success of The Wiggles to? Partly the foundations in early childhood learning principles that The Wiggles have and, of course, the extraordinarily infectious songs that they have written.

The children who first enjoyed The Wiggles and watched them perform are now bringing their own children to see the fabulous group! Enough said that The Wiggles have sold an astonishing 9 million books, 30 million CDs and DVDs and millions of live concert tickets.

As we celebrate their 30 year anniversary, we take a look at The Wiggles’ activities in broadcasting, consumer products and live events.

Broadcasting New for this year is the debut of The Wiggles’ World! – a new series which will debut in March on ABC Kids.

Comprising 26 x 11 minute episodes, the show features new people, new

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places and new songs. They even visit Le James Café where musical mayhem merges with dynamic dancing from Australian ballet star, Paul Knobloch and Broadway star, James Harkness.

The show also features The Cartoon Wiggles which is an animated version of The Wiggles who sing songs about things that are important for toddlers to know as they grow, like wearing glasses, managing allergies, road safety and more.

Staying with broadcasting and The Wiggles’ video specials for 2020 are Fun & Games, where you can go on a bear hunt or dance around the mulberry bush with The Wiggles!

Both provide new opportunities for imagery, themes and, of course, new product lines.

The Wiggles’ specials and series will be broadcast in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA and other countries throughout the world.

And if this wasn’t enough, during

the first half of this year, ABC Kids will host The Wiggles’ World, Wiggle, Wiggle Wiggle!, Lachy, Emma Series 1 & 2 and Ready, Steady Wiggle! in rotation, creating a huge volume of entertainment for Australia’s children.

The Wiggles Channel on YouTube Preschoolers and young families around the world are increasingly embracing YouTube as a major entertainment platform and, over the last year, The Wiggles have further developed The Wiggles’ YouTube Channel.

The Wiggles are busy making dedicated content for YouTube including brand new Emma dance classes that will tie in with the latest iteration of the ballet barre and mat.

There is also storytime with The Wiggles which features the Here to Help Series of books about pro-social topics and safety.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA In all, The Wiggles YouTube Channel has experienced triple digit growth in all areas – 120% growth in watch time, 175% growth in views and 147% grow in the number of subscribers. And clearly there is much more to come.

The USA, a market that has embraced YouTube as a medium, is now The Wiggles largest subscriber base.

Live Events During 2019, The Wiggles performed to an amazing 450,000 people with 244 shows throughout Australia and New Zealand and 90 shows in the USA and Canada.

The Wiggles are the only successful group that tours every state and territory in Australia. They have a hugely active presence in regional Australia, performing 183 shows to 140,000 people.

With The Wiggles annual Big Show selling 144,000 tickets across 41 shows, clearly The Wiggles are one of the few acts, in any genre, able to do this kind of business year in and year out.

Bringing the story up to date and in 2020, The Wiggles will perform 180 live shows across regional and metro areas of Australia and New Zealand between March and July and, of course, they will return for their annual Big Show in November and December. Further afield,The Wiggles will be performing their live shows across Canada, the USA and the UK with tours and promotional events.

Consumer Products With more than 35 partners around the world, The Wiggles have a broad cross category placement in all retail channels. The consumer product program continues to flourish and grow with a product range that actively encourages healthy role play and early childhood activities, all learned through the fun of music and

Australian Reading Hour, The Wiggles Toilet Training module and, most recently, The Wiggles Here to Help educational book series which was headlined by a Big W 2.5 million Free Books for Kids giveaway.

dance.

Recently, licensee and retail partnerships have been strengthened

by The Wiggles’ innovative approach to showcasing new products and themes to their very engaged, and very large, social communities.

A number of retail promotions were developed over the last year, all of which complement The Wiggles’ style guides and asset development.

Happy Birthday!

To celebrate the 30th birthday of The Wiggles, a new logo has been created that will be used across all The Wiggles products and communications.

The long history of the band is being celebrated and events don’t stop there. There will be a worldwide celebration of the birthday, starting with an updated version of The Wiggles documentary entitled, Everybody Clap, Everybody Sing! and a Big Birthday international tour.

There will also be a range of exciting

The Wiggles' appeal continues to grow And with broadcasting now in 190 countries, as they head for their 30th year, it really is a Wiggles World!

Recent promotions include Baby Week (featuring The Little Wiggles),

activations, such as the Rewiggled album where contemporary artists recreate their own versions of The Wiggles songs.

There will be commemorative products such as coins, retro and contemporary apparel and toys and other events and promotional opportunities will exist for current and future license partners and retailers.

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By Noelene Treloar, of Counsel and Adrian Trioli, Principal Adrian M Trioli Patent and Trade Mark Attorney

Protecting Innovation in the Toy Industry – Intellectual Property 101 “BUILD a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. ” 1

It’s a quote that is often used to describe the insatiable human need to innovate, to constantly move forward and build a better product offering. The quote reminds us that while ingenuity has its own rewards, the more steps you can protect (and license) your new creation/innovation/’mousetrap’, the bigger the pay off, and the more you can capture the world as it willingly beats a path to your door to get a slice of the cheese!

The Toy Industry is increasingly relying upon intellectual property (IP) to protect innovation and use licensing to increase sales, revenue opportunities and exposure to new customers around the world. For example, in Hasbro’s September 2019 earnings call, Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner commented, “We entered the fourth quarter with the initiatives to drive our business and look forward to 2020 and beyond as we bring more Hasbro owned story led IP and gaming initiatives to global audiences, gamers and consumers.” 2

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But what are the different forms of IP that attach to toy properties, and how have they been used in the Toy Industry? This article provides a (cheese) slice of information about the field of IP, with some illustrative examples from the Toy Industry.

What is IP? The term ‘IP’ is an acronym for ‘Intellectual Property’, and essentially refers to artistic and technological creations of the mind. Protection of IP allows the owner to commercially benefit from their creativity and innovation - including through licensing - thereby encouraging more creativity and innovation.

Although international treaties for IP protection are in place, each country has its own local IP laws. However, throughout the world, four main categories of IP are recognised – being Trade Marks (or Trademarks or even Trade-marks!), Copyright, Designs and Patents. We highlight some general features of these four main categories

Noelene Treloar below and provide examples of how they have been applied in the Toy Industry.

At the outset, it is important that you obtain your own legal advice specific to your country of interest, and your toy property. Other forms of IP protection will likely be available to you, and it may be that a combination of IP rights can be used to maximise the IP protection for your toy property.

1. Trade Marks A trade mark is a ‘sign’ used to distinguish the goods and services of one trader from another – it is a badge of commercial origin. A ‘sign’ can take many forms including any letter, word, name, signature, numeral, device, brand, heading, label, ticket, aspect of packaging, shape, colour, sound or scent. The goods and services made available in relation to a trade mark are commonly classified into 45 different classes – 34 classes for goods, and 11 classes for services. Toys and playthings are classified in class 28, books in class 16, and software products in class 9. In most countries, once a trade mark is registered, the ‘®’ symbol may be used. The ™

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA symbol is generally used where a ‘sign’ is acting as a trade mark, but the trade mark has not been through the registration process.

Numerous toy companies have sought trade mark protection for their brands. For example, Hasbro has secured US trade mark protection in Class 28 for the scent of PLAY-DOH® (US Registration No. 5,467,089).3 The trade mark registration is for the ‘scent of a sweet, slightly musky, vanilla fragrance, with slight overtones of cherry, combined with the smell of a salted, wheatbased dough.’

2. Copyright Copyright is a form of IP that protects the original form of expression of ideas or information in material form, such as literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works, sound recordings, film and cinematographic works.

Certain exclusive rights are granted to the owner of copyright works, including the right to reproduce, publish, broadcast and publicly perform the copyrighted material. Copyright protection is generally automatic upon creation, and can last for the life of the author plus 70 years.

The Walt Disney Company is particularly prolific in copyright protection for its toy properties. For example, the company has copyright protection for the 1928 short film, ‘Steamboat Willie’. The film is the one of the first appearances of Mickey Mouse, and the first Disney cartoon with synchronized sound. Under current copyright law, ‘Steamboat Willie’ is set to enter the public domain on January 1, 2024 – that’s over 90 years since the copyright work including the mouse was created!

3. Designs Design law generally protects the appearance of a product, but not the function of the product. Under Australian Design law, this means that new and distinctive features of shape, configuration, pattern or ornamentation of the product may be protected.

In the US, design patents protect the

ornamental appearance of an invention. Design protection may also be available for unregistered designs - for example, in the EU and the United Kingdom.

By way of example in the Toy Industry, in 2015 Spin Master Ltd obtained a European Community Registered Design for its ‘Bunchems®’ toy product (No. 002614669-0002).

The design is for a construction toy with small coloured plastic balls that easily stick together and be used to create shapes. In 2017, the company successfully defended the validity of the design, and negotiated a global settlement with an alleged infringer of the design.4

4. Patents A patent is an exclusive right granted in relation to a new and inventive product or process – a new way of doing something that involves a technical solution to a problem. The grant of a patent will generally enable the owner to act to prevent others from making, using, distributing, importing or selling the patented invention.

Toy companies regularly use patent protection for their inventions. A recent example is the ‘Bunch O Balloons™’ invention of Tinnus Enterprises LLC allowing for the rapid fill and seal of multiple water balloons.

The invention is the subject of several patent registrations.5 The company and its manufacturer/distributor ZURU Limited have been successful in enforcing their rights against a third

party infringer, and defending their US patent rights against a challenge of invalidity.6

Summary As you create and innovate your toy properties, you can take active steps to protect, promote and licence the outcomes of your investment. Your IP protection regime can be as simple as a trade mark registration, or more complex – a patent for your technical solution. You can limit your scope to protection in a single country or seek protection in multiple countries around the globe.

Either way, IP protection for your toy property can help you entice the world to beat a path to your door to get a piece of your better ‘mousetrap’.

Note:This article has been prepared for general information purposes only and not for the purposes of providing legal advice.

Please contact the authors if you require assistance in Australia or New Zealand (see www.adriantrioli.com).

Noelene Treloar will also be attending the Australian Toy Fair in Melbourne from 1 - 4 March 2020.

Otherwise, please liaise with local IP Counsel to put measures in place to best protect IP.

1

With credit to Ralph Waldo Emerson.

2

https://investor.hasbro.com/static-files/f1218968-2bf5-45e2-bf2b-64c55090760f.

https://newsroom.hasbro.com/news-releases/news-release-details/hasbrotrademarks-favorite-smell-childhood-play-doh-scent 3

https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2017-05-02/spin-master-achievescourt-victories-against-bunchems-copycats 4

5

See, for example, US Patent No. 9315282 and US Patent No. 9242749.

Tinnus Enterprises, LLC et al v.Telebrands Corporation, case number 6:16-cv00033, from Texas Eastern Court.

6

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A World of Heritage In one Country The licensing and branding programmes of some of the world-famous Australian monuments and institutions

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There are so many wonderful heritage sites and institutions in Australia, and many of them enjoy global recognition. Many of the sites are linked so closely to both modern and indigenous history that they have become part of the Australian lifestyle, with the brands and partners working seamlessly together.

Following the cessation of visitors as being able to climb Uluru, Parks Australia, the federal government agency that manages the site has launched a new brand campaign to reflect the spectacular landscapes of Uluru Kata-Tjuta National Park and the culture of Anangu.

The campaign highlights the natural and cultural values of the dual World Heritage-listed national park and showcases the many ways visitors can experience this destination. At the heart of the brand are two major artworks created by 14 Anangu artists, through local art centres Walkatjara Arts and Maruku Arts. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park is an awe-inspiring destination. Its human history and culture stretches back tens of thousands of years.Anangu have lived here for more than 30,000 years and their laws (Tjukurpa) are imprinted in the natural environment.

The new branding will continue to inspire visitors and encourage them to visit this remarkable living cultural landscape now and into the future.

Last year saw 20 dinosaurs take over the grounds of the Australian National Botanic Gardens in Canberra. The Gardens teamed up with the National Dinosaur Museum to bring life-sized dinosaur sculptures into the stunning natural surroundings of the

botanic gardens in time for the school holidays.

Australian National Botanic Gardens Ranger Ben Harvey said the DinotraX discovery trail helps people imagine the time of Gondwanaland 100 million years ago.

“Seeing the dinosaurs ‘in the wild’ like this is such a thrill. DinotraX gives visitors an incredible glimpse into the variety of dinosaurs that roamed the Earth – some dinosaurs were only as big as a dog, while others were the size of a bus,” Ranger Ben said.

“The trail is a reminder of the important work we do in preventing floral extinctions. The Gardens works hard to ensure Australia’s plants like the Wollemi pine, a tree that was around in the Jurassic period, don’t go the way of the dinosaurs,” he said.

National Dinosaur Museum General Manager David Barker said the Museum is excited to be working with the Gardens to bring DinotraX to life.

“Kids love dinosaurs. And this is a really fun outdoor exhibition showcasing some of the Museum’s best dinosaur sculptures, and encouraging people to see and experience more by giving them discounted entry at the Museum,” Mr Barker said.

From dinosaurs to another vast piece of history which is firmly cemented in the contemporary, Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef (GBR) is Australia’s largest and most valuable natural asset, a World Heritage Listed wonder with an inspiring array of marine wildlife and biodiversity. Tourism in the Great Barrier Reef contributes $A5.7 billion in economic value, supporting almost 59,000 full time jobs and attracting more than two million

visitors each year. Around 80 per cent of all tourism activity occurs within seven per cent of the marine park.

Through sharing stories to inspire visitors and supporting initiatives that promote the Reef’s resilience, the tourism industry collectively plays a positive role in the long-term future of the great natural wonder.

Tourism and Events Queensland collaborates with industry partners and GBR stakeholders. The GBR is positioned front and centre in TEQ’s marketing strategy as a must do experience and has featured in significant global promotion including partnerships with trade, media and influencers; leveraging the world’s attention during the airing of the BBC Great Barrier Reef Series with Sir David Attenborough, and during the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Brand and marketing events take place in order to position the Great Barrier Reef as one of the world’s most outstanding, must-visit experiences; an iconic natural wonder whose environmental significance, cultural richness, marine biodiversity and awe-inspiring beauty put Queensland and Australia on a world stage.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Another global symbol of Australia, its culture and heritage is the Sydney Opera House. Officially the building likeness was trademarked in 2014, and in 2016, Interbrand undertook an extensive realignment of the brand, positioning the Sydney Opera House as a ‘place where you can take in a spectacular horizon, then broaden yours’.

Partners include an official Monopoly game, Sheridan who created a quilt cover set inspired by the botanical surrounds of the Sydney Opera House site; Lego with Sydney Opera House Architecture, and Minskat Copenhagen for a range of bags and clutches. The products all reflect the quality and design of the opera house.

Another staple in Australian culture is the Cancer Council. Formed in 1961, its licensing programme is synonymous with sun safety – something which is increasingly important to Australians. In fact, to the foreign visitor, as well as the national monuments named above, the outdoor and beach lifestyle image is as iconic. The cancer charity has seen continued growth in its licensing division, which generates royalties from the sale of high-quality licensed sun protection products. Since 2004, Cancer Council has partnered with licensees to develop sun protection products to help protect Australians and generate meaningful revenue that supports its mission. Funded by licensees through a central marketing fund, the new campaign promotes sun protection across its five product categories; sunscreen, sunglasses, hats/headwear, apparel and shade solutions. The integrated marketing campaign uses TV, outdoor, digital and social to leverage the iconic campaign, drive conversion

and support its retail presence in over 13,000 doors across Australia. With its existing portfolio of best-practice licensees across its core categories of therapeutic goods (sunscreen) and fashion (sunglasses, hats and apparel), Cancer Council has raised over $15 million in royalties over the last five years which has helped to fund research, education and support services. Looking forward, Cancer Council is planning to expand its licensed offering in shade and apparel categories to drive further growth.

Cancer Council has launched a new sun protection product campaign that reminds Australians to ‘Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek and Slide’, which includes sunscreen, hats, clothing and sunglasses.

Founded in regional Queensland in 1920 and an absolutely bedrock in Australian culture, tourism and travel, Qantas is one of Australia’s most iconic and recognisable brands, playing a central role in the development of the Australian and international aviation industry.

Ranked the world’s safest airline by AirlineRatings.com, Qantas continues to push the boundaries of aviation and holds major awards for service, food and wine, technology and innovation. The brand has more than 12 million customers enrolled in its Frequent Flyer program and over 2 million followers across Facebook and Instagram, offering an extensive cross platform reach.

Qantas has an established brand merchandising program in place, which drives

significant royalty revenue to the Group. The product range includes luggage, model planes, kids pilot costumes, lifestyle products and more.

Looking ahead, Qantas is committed to developing new categories and promoting them across different touchpoints of a customer’s journey.

Excitement is brewing as Qantas approaches its 100th birthday in November 2020, with the year-long celebration launching in November 2019. This milestone is an organic opportunity to seamlessly integrate the Qantas brand with new products and create unique celebratory merchandise. Collaborations during Qantas’ centenary transforms a once-in-acentury event into something tangible that customers can collect and enjoy for years to come.

The brand’s highly engaged audience is made up of a diverse mix of travellers, particularly aviation enthusiasts who crave unique or limited Qantas products and experiences. A recent Boeing 747 fundraising charter flight to the Australian International Air Show sold out in less than 7 hours.

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DISNEY, PIXAR, MARVEL AND STAR WARS - AN ACTION PACKED SLATE FOR 2020 IN AUSTRALIA!

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2020 is going to be another huge year for The Walt Disney Company.

With an action-packed slate across theatrical releases and content created exclusively for streaming platform Disney+ from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars - will bring with it an exciting new wave of products for all.

Theatrical releases kick off the year with a reimagining of the classic tale Mulan; an Avenger goes back to her first family in Black Widow and new animation titles like Pixar’s Onward and Raya and the Last Dragon which will introduce us to brand new worlds.

Exclusive content coming to Disney+ includes epic new Marvel series like The Falcon and the Winter Solider and WandaVision that will link into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and of course the return of The Child in Season 2 of The Mandalorian.

Building on the success of previous live-action films such as 2019’s The Lion King, Mulan tells the story of a fierce warrior in a whole new way.

Fighting to protect country and family, Mulan is an action-packed adventure.

Marvel takes bold new steps in 2020, beginning with exploring the past of Black Widow. In Marvel Studios’ spy thriller Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow confronts the darker parts of her legend when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with

her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

On Disney+, following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson/ Falcon and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities—and their patience—in Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier.

Marvel Studios’ WandaVision blends the style of classic sitcoms with the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision - two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban lives - begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.

Disney and Pixar are introducing three new worlds in animation in 2020. Onward follows brothers Ian and Barley as they try to bring their deceased Dad back from the dead for a day, sending them on a quest of epic proportions in the process. In Raya and the Last Dragon, a lone warrior from the fantasy kingdom of Kumandra teams up with a crew of misfits to find the last dragon and bring light and hope back to their broken world, bringing an all-new, wholly original fantasy adventure to Australian cinemas later in the year.

Kylie Watson-Wheeler, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand said, “2019 was an unprecedented year for Disney in Australia, from a record box office,

to the launch of Disney+ and 2020 is shaping up to be yet another blockbuster year for the market.”

“We’re excited about the year ahead and, together with our brand partners, we’re looking forward to once again playing a substantial role in the Australian entertainment industry,” she added.

Of course, there’s also so much excitement for the cutest sensation of late 2019, The Child. Product will be dropping throughout the year in the lead-up to the release of Season 2 of The Mandalorian to continue the adventure that had the world talking with many products in pre-order and in big demand already.

Whilst there is so much new content from Disney and Disney+ in 2020, there will still be exciting new products from existing properties proving that fan love for the titles is everlasting. Both Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker continue the momentum from their Christmas 2019 domination, heading into home entertainment releases, with new products dropping throughout the year.

Meagan Sanders, Vice President and General Manager, Consumer Products Commercialisation for The Walt Disney Company Australia and New Zealand, said “I honestly can’t wait for everyone to see all the fantastic ranges that are coming through our partners this year.”

“Certainly, with a slate of amazing Disney theatrical, home entertainment and Disney+ titles in the mix together with our extensive range of retail products, we have a stellar combination that will only continue to excite fans and families of all ages throughout the year,” she added.

TOTAL LICENSING

WELCOME TO RUSSIA:

RUSSIA

REBATES LAUNCHED FOR INTERNATIONAL PRODUCERS

In terms of animation producers, they have to spend at least 5 million roubles (approximately $78,500) in Russia to get the rebate. Yet the rebate can go up to 40% upon reaching some key targets, which involves having at least 50% of all work done in Russia (at the stages of development, production and post-production) and spending no less than 25m roubles (approximately $390 000) in the country. Only Russian companies can apply, so there has to be a local partner.

The rebates project has been developed by the Russian Export Center, which is organizing the united Made in Russia pavilion at MIPTV/MIPCOM with Expocontent appointed as its official operator.

The pavilion will traditionally host animation companies who not only bring ready-made, but also provide a bunch of co-production opportunities, even more lucrative this year with the incentives system in place.

Riki Group is presenting a new season of Tina & Tony, now in production. The show is co-produced with Alibaba Cultural Media and Entertainment Group (China). Other flagships include a new animated TV series Beardy Bodo, also in production, and three seasons of BabyRiki with additional content.

In 2019 the Russian government launched incentives for international producers of animation, feature films, series and documentaries.

Cash rebates are set at 30% of the estimated amount of expenses in Russia.

Riki are also bringing several IPs that are in development, and are looking for co-production partners for Weatherville, The Question Club, Christmas Academy and Above the Ceiling.

Meanwhile FUN Union company, Riki’s joint venture in China, is developing the licensing program for BabyRiki.

BabyRiki toys produced by KingBee Limited are on sale in over 732 offline and 30 online stores, including such networks as Hamley’s, Toys’R’Us and Kidswant. Branded dairy products manufactured by Food Union company, such as drinking yoghurts,

curds and soft cheeses are on sale in over 655 offline and 3 online stores.

FUN Union recently signed a deal with Chinese licensee Shuoya, who are planning to launch BabyRiki branded puzzles, books, kids’ accessories, baby bottles, strollers and kids bikes this spring in China.

Soyuzmultfilm are presenting a range of TV series featuring The Adventures of Peter and Wolf (26 x 11), an adventure comedy about a smart schoolboy Peter, an expert in modern technologies, and Wolf, a guest from the parallel universe who has magical power. One day they team up and start travelling together between the worlds to help folk characters with solving their problems.

The first episode premiered in Russia in February.

In Squared Zebra, a 2D musical series, the main character helps the jungle beasts overcome their prejudices and stereotypes and learn to value individual traits. Claymotions introduces 2-5 year-olds to various topics such as numbers, animals, plants, etc. through play.

The studio also has brand-new series and features in development.

Secrets of Honey Hill is a detective comedy, which combines 2D and 3D

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techniques. Mysterious events start happening in a peaceful town, so local residents turn for help to the detective and intellectual owl Sophie.

I’ll Get You! a new comedy-adventure 3D CGI TV series, is the modern sequel to the cult Russian animated series of the 60’s, where the Wolf is chasing the Hare. While locations and adventures are brand-new, the sly humour never changes.

In 2022 Soyuzmulfilm is going to present In Search of Treasure, an 85-minute adventure comedy film in 3D about a girl Alice who is looking for her father, kidnapped by pirates, and finds new friends, as well as facing deception and betrayal on her way.

Soyuzmultfilm is also looking for international partners to extend its licensing opportunities which include clothes, soft toys and stationery.

The studio is currently developing branded goods for Respublika, a chain of high-end Russian bookshops.

The Souyzmultfim’s product line will include mugs, bookmarks, postcards, cardholders, textiles, etc.

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Red Carpet Studio are presenting Space Dr. Cat, an edutaining toy show with 2D-animated elements for 2-4 year old kids and their parents. It is a story of the Cat who lives in a fictional galaxy and works as a doctor, helping residents of different planets. The show was launched by ​in October 2019 and the number of views on YouTube channel has exceeded 1.5 million now. The English version of the show is planned for release in May 2020, when it will be also launched in China, USA and Canada. In summer the studio plans to launch a mobile game based on the ​Space Dr .Cat ​show, as well as a puppet theatre for kids.

Blinky and Knobby i​s a non-dialogue 3D web series about two alien friends.

After they suffered a shipwreck, Blinky and Knobby fell from the sky into the forest, where they have to make friends with earthly inhabitants. The first season was launched in Russia last year at the video streaming service ivi.ru, as well as in North America and Canada on AMEBATV. This April Blinky and Knobby ​will be released on Chinese digital platforms.

The Bugabooz, ​ 2D-animated series about the descendants of fairy creatures that help overcome fears, is now in pre-production, with the pilot materials scheduled to be shown at MIP Junior.

X-Media Digital are bringing three key titles to MIP.TV.These include Cars, cars (52 x 5’) about a crocodile and a little raccoon who really love cars.The title is full of rock’n’roll, road romance and plenty of interesting stuff about cars for kids. Magic Pik (26 x 5’) is about Pik, a magical pickup truck, who carries many useful objects that could help him build a house.

Finally, The Little Princess (20 x 5-10’) tells about a naughty little princess who has her own idea of a perfect daily schedule, as well as a night one.

There are branded plush and plastic toys, chocolate eggs with puzzles, dishes, coloring books, activity books and stickers. AST Publishing Group and ALTEI Publishing house will release books in summer 2020. A theatrical show based on the title is also planned.

TOTAL LICENSING

SPOTLIGHT ON

ITALY World renowned for style, fashion and design, Italy also has a thriving licensing industry covering a variety of home-grown and international brands.

On the following pages, we take a look at some of the properties currently in the Italian marketplace.

ViacomCBS is rolling out its animation strategy in Italy with exciting projects for Baby Shark, PAW Patrol and Sponge Bob Square Pants on the big and small screen for kids and families.

After establishing PAW Patrol as a much-loved brand in Italy, through popular TV series and successful retail projects, ViacomCBS Consumer Products (VCP) saw the potential to explore the big screen. In December 2019, it launched the first special episode ‘PAW Patrol Mighty Pups - Il film dei super cuccioli’, directed by Charles E. Bastien. The 44-minute special premiered in the city of Milan with 500 families, and went on to welcome more than 50,000 viewers over the five days of showings across 180 screens nationwide.

The impressive sales and social media engagement of this launch went on to inspire the creation of further PAW Patrol experiences for kids and parents. Firstly, the conception of

another PAW Patrol special episode that will see the Pups embark on new adventures and show no one is too little to confront something big!

Secondly, The PAW Patrol Live Tour, to deliver new and fun ways to connect families to the brand, which will come to Italian theatres winter 2020.

ViacomCBS will also be bringing the YouTube phenomenon Baby Shark to the small screen. As part of a content and licensing deal with Pinkfong, the global entertainment company behind the brand, Nickelodeon is coproducing the new original animated “Baby Shark TV Series”, which will be distributed to the Italian market in summer 2021.

With a résumé of over four billion YouTube views, the record for the third most viewed video in YouTube history and ownership of the viral #BabySharkChallenge, Baby Shark

was a key target for ViacomCBS, who recognized the global appetite for the brand and sought new touchpoints for its fans. As part of the agreement, VCP will be managing consumer products licensing worldwide for the property, with the exception of Asia.

Lastly, in celebration of SpongeBob SquarePants’ 20th anniversary this year, ViacomCBS will be launching a special SpongeBob SquarePants movie in Italy in June 2020, which will be in 3D format for the first time ever.

The film takes audiences back to the origins of SpongeBob and his life in

Bikini Bottom, delivering amusing anecdotes with all his friends and kids’ favourite characters. The film will be supported by exclusive consumer product launches for different kids’ targets and marketing activities to engage different audiences.

The year 2020 guarantees exciting licensing, retail and marketing activations for ViacomCBS properties in the Italian market, through strategic partnerships, multi-touchpoint campaigns and digital amplification.

Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL) has long been a major player in Italian licensing, with a particular strength in developing campaigns for children’s animated properties.

Now MDL is expanding its offering beyond animated properties to develop a diversified service with an appeal to multiple age groups. In fact

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TOTAL LICENSING the MDL portfolio has been divided into four sections to reflect this: Cartoons, Brands, Fashion and Music.

Of course the cartoon portfolio, is impressive, led by some of Europe’s most successful properties. Bing, for example, is a massive TV and social media hit – and the best-selling property of 2019 and 2020 in the Italian market.

Another MDL hit, Masha and the Bear, continues to enjoy high awareness among Italian families, both as a broadcast property and as a licensed brand, supported by spin-off shows like the very popular Masha Songs and a social media and streaming following on mobile, PC and tablet.

Another children’s favourite, ALVINNN !!! and the Chipmunks, owned by Bagdasarian Productions, remains one of the most viewed animated series in Italy for children aged 6-10. A publishing collection, stickers, colouring and activity books, a chocolate Easter egg, a dedicated line of bottled water for children and an apparel line are the newest additions to a successful ongoing licensing campaign.

MDL is also working on the dinosaurfocused cartoon Gigantosaurus, which has already inspired a plush collection, a Master Toy line and a selection of books. Zafari, with its message of adventure, inclusivity and tolerance delivered through the adventures of a group of friendly animals, has already inspired beautiful books from Salani and chocolate eggs from Dolfin. Kit n’ Kate have enjoyed a successful run on Rai YoYo and are offering a number of pre-school licensing opportunities.

On the brand side, there are the globally famous drinks brands Baileys and Guinness. Both are an ideal fit for innovative licensing programs in food, fashion and accessories, as well as for strategic brand extensions. Another brand, Marie-Antoinette, inspired by the life and style of the famous French sovereign, offers opportunities in cosmetics, toiletry preparations, perfumery, apparel, shoes, accessories and home décor.

The Centre de Monuments Nationaux is the official brand of two more French icons: the Arc de Triomphe

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and the Abbaye du Mont-Saint-Michel, both arriving as licensing opportunities in the Italian market for the first time.

The MDL fashion portfolio has taken the agency in a whole new direction as it builds on the agency’s access to some of Italy’s most creative young names. In fact Premoli+ Di Bella has already inspired a licensing programme, including a major agreement with Mirabello Carrara for a special Premoli+ Di Bella home linen collection, while fashion icons Filippo Laterza and Stefano Cavalleri are recent additions now available for exclusive creative projects in all categories.

On the music side, MDL is offering licensees opportunities in the Italian market with some of the best-known bands and artists in music history. The MDL rock music roster includes AC/ DC, Kiss, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin, The Police and Genesis.

All use vintage and iconic graphics for licensing that is both on-trend and timeless.

DIC2 is the oldest independent licensing agency in Italy. Founded in 1973 by Gianfranco Mari, DIC 2 representing key US entertainment companies such as Marvel, Mattel, Warner, Hanna & Barbera, Hasbro, Sony, MGM, Fox, Universal Studios, NFL to name few.

In 1995 Douglas Mari, Gianfranco’s son, joined the company and expanded the company roster to other targets, starting to represent famous multinational brands such as Harley Davidson, Jack Daniel’s, Chevrolet, Corvette, Hummer, Route 66,Williams F1, Jeep, etc. as well as acquiring the rights to Pokémon, South Park and YuGi-Oh! which lead the company to be

the No. 1 agency in Italy.

Today, DIC2 represents a number of properties and brands including Love Is…, Route 66, Sarah Kay and Nina and Other Little Things.

We represent several properties and brands so it’ll be very hard to resume all the things we do in Italy and abroad.

I’m sending you the most important projects we’re following: LOVE IS… was relaunched the brand in time for its 50th anniversary with several licenses and collaborations including DSquared2 for a FW20 collection which was unveiled in January during their 25th anniversary catwalk. In February Amelie Milano shipped its Love is… collection to all their stores for a Valentine Days capsule and a bigger SS20 collection, and for Easter there will be Easter Eggs and cookies. For SS21, there will be another collaboration with fashion brand White and DIC2 has also closed a worldwide agreement with Earth Day Network for the 50th anniversary.

For Route 66, DIC2 has signed a worldwide agreement for R66 Wines which will have two different collections: a classic collection and a Signature collection developed with Tony Moore, former Iron Maiden and famous British rockstar. The signature collection will be introduced in March.

DIC2 is working to relaunch Sarah Kay to create a sustainable licensing program which will involve apparel, publishing and sustainable events. They have already signed a deal to create events in department stores to teach kids what sustainability means through gardening activities and lessons.

DIC2 is Nina’s worldwide licensor and has signed hundreds of products for Nina around the world including a stationery collection and a collaboration on sustainable bags made with paper cellulose.

Fresh from the exciting activity around Pokémon Day on 27 February, global phenomenon Pokémon is set for another mega year in 2020.

Following the runaway success of latest VG titles Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield – the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch titles ever – are two expansions: June’s The Isle of Armor

TOTAL LICENSING Presented at Pitti Bimbo in January, a kids’ premium collection from Eleven Paris launches this autumn with high-profile support.

Pokémon’s constant innovation and connection with fans old and new keeps it at the forefront of entertainment.

and Autumn’s The Crown Tundra, while February’s Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield Trading Card Game expansion maintained its worldleading status.

Pokémon animation continues to attract Italian viewers on K2, while Movie 22 - Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution premiered on Pokémon Day on Netflix globally (outside Japan/Korea), and new seven-part online series Pokémon: Twilight Wings launched in January on Pokémon’s YouTube channel.

Pokémon’s innovation continued with February’s Home cloud service app, with the much-anticipated Pokémon Sleep, turning sleep into entertainment, also due in 2020.

The appetite for Pokémon product continues to grow across a huge range of categories. Following 2019’s strong year of collaborations and retail activity, including a Bershka instore event in Milan and toy/TCG promotions with Gallerie Bennet and Toys Center, more exciting activity is planned for 2020.

Pokémon fashion enjoyed a fantastic 2019 in Italy. Geox followed its first award-winning Pokémon collection with a second range for S/S2019, while Pokémon also collaborated with luxury Italian brand GCDS on an adult capsule range in their S/S2019 collection, presented at Milan Fashion Week.

On the high street, DTR ranges were hits in Bershka, Pull&Bear, Zara and H&M.

ETS Licensing is an independent Italian agency specialized in managing licensing rights.

The company is part of ETS Studios Srl which is a Rome based company specialized in dubbing and post production services for worldwide media companies.

As a result of their solid background, in 2013 ETS was selected to manage licensing rights for Entertainment One’s brand Peppa Pig for the Italian territory - in a joint venture with the Spanish agency El Ocho – achieving outstanding performance.

The partnership between the three companies has continued over the years not only with Peppa, but with the other eOne brands - Ben & Holly Little Kingdom and the recent hit PJ Masks.

Since its beginning, ETS has worked a lot to enrich its portfolio that now includes 20 international and local brands, and a strategic partnership with Discovery Italia, for the licensing rights of its channels and non-kids TV programs. The agency is able to cover different targets and offer to its clients a full range of brand collaborations to choose.

Starting with the pre-school segment, in addition to the eOne brands, ETS manages Mini Cuccioli (Mini Pet Pals)

by Gruppo Alcuni and Rai Fiction, a continuous presence on RAI YoYo TV programming that has been translated in a various consumer products rollout.

The latest property on which ETS is working intensively for the preschool target is Gallina Puntolina (Lottie Dottie Chicken), a Brazilian IP created by Bromelia Produções.

With more than 20 billion views worldwide (5m views for the Italian channel) for its songs on YouTube, the property has also developed a TV series (2 series of 52 x 6 minute episodes) that will premiere on Frisbee from March 2020. Thanks to its fun stories and educational content, Gallina has become the number one preschool property in Brazil, spreading throughout LATAM, developing a licensing program with more than 500 products.

To complete the offer for this target there is also the relaunch of Chuggington, a project in progress for 2021. Furthermore, a strong new property has been added for the girls’ market: Hairdorables, a brand inspired by the famous Just Play collectible dolls, with over 30 million pieces sold in less than one year and distributed in over 30 countries.

ETS Licensing is also managing the relaunch in Italy of Pippi Longstocking that is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the publication of the first book.

Another ETS goal is to build long term partnerships. In addition to eOne, another long-lasting synergy is the management of Outfit7’s Talking Tom and Friends franchise, that includes global successful apps and TV series, and a recently new brand Talking Tom Heroes for preschoolers.

The collaboration with a broadcaster like Discovery has also allowed the addition of another important international licensor Xilam and its brands Oggy and the Cockroaches and recently Zig & Sharko, both aired on popular channel K2. The target of these properties are school kids (4-11 years old) both boys and girls.

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In recent months ETS has also been managing the rights of some live action TV series dedicated to kids and teens - both Italian productions: Sara e Marti, produced by Stand By Me and The Walt Disney Company, and Penny on M.A.R.S., produced by 3Zero2 and The Walt Disney Company. Both programs aired on RAI’s channel RAI Gulp and on Disney Channel, and have started their consumer products rollout with books.

The sources of the brands are various and in ETS portfolio there are brands from the comics world: Dennis & Gnasher – Unleashed! by Beano Studios and Lucky Luke & The Dalton

by Mediatoon.

Finally, the agency is also the Italian agent of Disenchantment, the irreverent new TV series designed

by Matt Groening and available on Netflix. The brand is aimed at a young adults/adult target. ETS’s offering is completed with some design

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brands including Anekke, Kimmidoll Collection and Lady Desidia.

FunFor Media is an Italian group that manages licensing and merchandising for a number of international partners as well as the brands from Bozzetto and Movimenti in Italy.

Amongst the properties represented at Tip the Mouse,The Wolf,Topo Gigio, Alice and Lewis, Woof Meow, Carolina and Tip the Mouse and Peekaboo – the Adventures of Leo and Mia. Tip the Mouse is a TV series based on the original character, Topo Tip from the children’s book series published

by Dami/Giunti. 10 million copies of the book have been sold to date, translated into 32 languages.

The television series comprises 78 episodes, each of 7 minutes and the third season premiered last October on Rai YoYo. The series has been the highest rated children’s program on Rai YoYo, reaching a peak of 664,000 viewers.

It is distributed in over 102 territories, including China and is available in 40 different languages.

Topo Gigio comprises 52 episodes of 11 minutes each in 2D and 3D and is aimed at children aged four to seven.

Studio Bozzetto was founded in 1960 by Bruno Bozzetto, one of the most influential figures in Italy and in the animation scene.

In addition to a long series of short films, and three feature films, the studio has created some of the most memorable spots for Carosello and dozens of animated clips for Piero Angela’s Quark and SuperQuark.

Bruno the Great is a series of animated shorts films made by Bruno Bozzetto for Disney Channel. The television series comprises 20 x 2 minute episodes and features Bruno, a stereotype of the common man who lives a bizarre and often catastrophic life.

Series currently in production by Studio Bozzetto include The Game Catchers (52 x 7 minute episodes), Beasties (52 x 11 minutes) and the third series of Top Tip 3 comprising 26 x 7 minute episodes.

BOLOGNA - NEW DATES In light of the COVID-19 virus, and in compliance with the measures adopted against the virus The Bologna Children’s Book Fair, which attracts over 1400 exhibitors and 30,000 visitors, as well as the Bologna Licensing Trade Fair have been postponed and will now take place on 4 to 7 May, with the BLTF on 4 and 5 May. The organisers report that all events, including conferences, awards ceremonies, exhibitions and other events scheduled to take place during the fairs will now take place on the new dates.

Bologna was, actually, one of the first events in to reschedule.The Kids Marketing Day scheduled for Milan in March will now take place on 12 May. Milan Fashion Week was closed to the public and several key trade events including the Milan Furniture Fair have been postponed. Milan cathedral is currently off limit to tourists and football matches are being postponed or played without audiences. Operas have also been cancelled at Milan’s famed La Scala.

Slightly further afield,The London Book Fair was cancelled as was MIPTV, Licensing Japan has been postponed as has Cartoons on the Bay.

TOTAL LICENSING STOP PRESS....

9 March 2020 STATEMENT FROM THE ORGANISERS OF TOYS MILANO The fifth edition of Toys Milano was originally scheduled to be held on Monday 27th and Tuesday 28th of April 2020 at MiCo – Milan Congress Center.

The rescheduled event - see the statement from the organisers - includes two days of business and training for toy industry professionals: Toys Milano is a high value-added opportunity for companies and buyers to meet in a dynamic and innovative setting.

Of course, opportunities galore for doing business, talking shop, meeting with manufacturers, importers and distributors of toys, stationery items, Carnival and Halloween, decorations,

Milano 2019, Bay-B is back by popular demand in 2020.

This provides an excellent opportunity for manufacturers to unveil their baby bounty before a vast audience of industry professionals, opening up new business opportunities in a sector that has the potential for amazing growth. BayB aims high: to become an increasingly valued and worthwhile resource in Italy and the world.

Admission to Toys Milano is granted by invitation only and strictly to buyers and professionals in the trade.

Are you interested in exhibiting your products?

Contact espositori@toysmilano.it Anybody wishing to attend Toys Milano as a visitor shoulde contact www.toysmilano.it or email info@toysmilano.it

Baby Store 12% Toy Store 51%

Other 11%

Distributor/ wholesaler 10%

Bookstore 5% Stationery 4%

party goods and early childhood products. In addition, licensed brand owners will be able to meet with their client companies and buyers.

The show also delivers an exhibit area and a program of seminars and workshops revolving around relevant topics like product safety, market data, consumer research and sales process innovation. But that’s not all: each participant will receive a welcome kit, free buffet lunch and a series of special incentives for their stay in Milan.

Baby carriages, strollers, high chairs, cribs, changing tables, baby carriers, baby-bottles, car seats and much more - the Bay-B area is totally focused on the world of child care products. On the heels of a hugely successful Toys

E-shop 4%

Big Box/MMR 3%

VISITORS TO TOYS MILANO

1992

2019 1482

2018 1212

2017 837

2016

0

500

1000

1500

2000

As the effects of the Covid-19 emergency continue to ripple across the globe and with the particular situation now in Lombardy, two things are certain: proper measures must be taken to limit the spread of the virus and, it is producing serious global economic repercussions in terms of the production, shipping and distribution of goods and, as a result, services.

Due to all these aspects, we cannot maintain the scheduled dates of April 27-28 for Toys Milano and Bay-B and we decided to postpone the event.We are actually evaluating possible dates – compatibly with the availability of space that can meet the constantly changing needs of the market, and the organization of the event in the maximum possible level of safety for all the operators: companies, agents and buyers.

As always, we are available for any further information you might need and we will come back to you as soon as possible.

Kindest regards, The organizing Secretariat – Salone Internazionale del Giocattolo 87

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Publishing

Looking at some of the highly creative deals that have their roots in publishing Mr. Men and Little Miss Heading for 50th Celebrations Mr. Men Little Miss is set to celebrate its 50th anniversary next year and are seeking licensing partners ahead of the milestone. Mr Men Little Miss plan to create a buzz around the anniversary by launching two brand new characters that are promised to bring more diversity to the much-loved collection.

Since Mr. Tickle, the first character in the series was born in 1971, the books have remained a family favourite for half a century, with the franchise selling a book every 2.5 seconds around the world.

The global brand has successfully collaborated with a host of partners in recent years, including the likes of the Spice Girls, Transport for London (TfL) and Haliborange Vitamins. A recent collaboration with Carex helped drive 3.8% value sales growth for their Fun Editions range with Carex Global Head of Brand, Ian Henderson saying: “At Carex we are proud to have collaborated with Sanrio on our Mr. Men Little Miss range. Our Carex Fun Editions range is based on the insight that hand washing can be a chore, especially when it comes to getting children to wash their hands. The Mr Men Little Miss collaboration allows us to reach a new audience with a range of products that perfectly embodies the humour and fun of this much-loved

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family brand”.

Since Sanrio acquired the Mr. Men Little Miss brand in 2011 the iconic licensor has remained the second biggest pre-school brand in the market, with over 1.8 million books sold in the UK in 2019 alone. Alastair McHarrie, Sanrio Licensing Director, comments: “The Mr. Men Little Miss 50th Anniversary in 2021 provides an opportunity to reflect on the role the brand has played for many generations of kids and adults across the world. Our celebrations will lead with publishing, the foundation of the brand, with two new characters chosen by our fans joining our family of well-loved characters. Over the next year we are looking forward to announcing exciting collaborations as we prepare for what’s shaping up to be the most successful year yet.”

When the late Roger Hargreaves created the Mr. Men character, Mr. Tickle, in 1971, the book went on to sell a million copies in just three years. Emily Campan, Publisher at Egmont UK, additionally comments: “Our Mr Men and Little Miss publishing had a stellar year in 2019, rising to be the number 2 pre-school brand in the books market. We’re delighted that the books are still making readers big and small laugh after nearly 50 years, and we’re so excited for all the fantastic things to come in 2020, as we build up to the

50th anniversary in 2021.”

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Gift & Homeware from Bespoke 77 Innovations’ Partnership with the British Library This range has been created from the sketches in the original Lewis Carroll books and manuscripts owned by the British Library.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was first released in 1865 and for over 150 Years the fantasy adventures have endured and inspired.

The Mad Hatters Tea party is celebrated with a range of fine Gilded Bone China Cup and Saucers, Tea Pot, Cake Stand, Tea Plates and Mugs.

For the collectors a Gilded Bone China Trinket Box and Thimble are available.

Aprons, a Heavy Weight Canvas Shopping Bag and Tea Towels complete the homeware range reproducing the

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Publishing stunning drawings and passages from the legendary books.

Yottoy Celebrates its 25th Anniversary and Debuts Inspiring Collection of Toys Based On the Busy World of Richard Scarry Books Yottoy, the NYC-based company that has been home to top-quality toys for some of the most beloved book-based brands for 25 years, is celebrating its silver anniversary with a range of exciting new offerings, including the debut toy assortment inspired by multigenerational favorite, The Busy World of Richard Scarry, along with new characters from the beloved Little Golden Books series. This year, YOTTOY is also marking big milestones for several properties in its “toy box,” including the 75th anniversary of Spotty Bunny, 65th anniversary of Eloise and 50th anniversary of Frog & Toad.

Yottoy showcased its latest assortment of toys at the 2020 Toy Fair New York.

“We are incredibly excited about our new toys this year, including our introductory line of soft toys based on The Busy World of Richard Scarry,” said Yottoy President and Founder Kate Karcher Clark. “In addition to celebrating our 25th anniversary in the toy business, we are marking important anniversaries for favorite brands from childhood with sweet offerings that will let children and families make meaningful new memories with these classics that have been loved for generations.”

A universal favorite among the preschool set since 1951, Richard Scarry’s 300+ books have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. Yottoy offerings capture the characters from the colorful world of Busytown in fresh new ways with luscious fabrics and standout features such as wooden wheels and clear plastic headlights for more “go go go” appeal. The initial line, available beginning this summer, includes: Huckle Cat in Blue Car – Prominently popular in Busytown, Huckle Cat Soft Toy is made of soft snow-white plush with orange accents and dressed in a bright yellow shirt, grey pants, and red suspenders. True to Scarry’s original illustrations, Huckle Cat’s eager embroidered face and perked-up ears show he’s ready for a fun-filled day.

Huckle Cat Soft Toy sits comfortably in his soft blue plush go-cart with working wooden wheels, clear plastic headlights, and contrast interior. It also include Lowly Worm in Red Apple Car; Bananas Gorilla in Yellow Banana Car; and “What Do People Do All Day” Hardcover Book.

New this year are two additions to Yottoy’s heartwarming Little Golden Books soft toy collection, bringing together the most popular classic characters illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren and Tibor Gergely with spirited, new personalities illustrated by Joey Chou.

Also new to Yottoy’s best-selling bookbased toy lines are special additions to the company’s Mo Willems collection; Paddington Bear plush inspired by the books written by Michael Bond and illustrated by Peggy Fortnum; and new offerings for Little Blue Truck, based on the books by Alice Schertle.

Following on from SmileyWorld’s first successful foray into YA fiction with their Ma Vie en Smiley / My Life in Smiley series of illustrated novels, the brand is set to launch a brand new series with long-term publishing partner Les Livres du Dragon d’Or, an imprint of the Editis group.

The ‘You are the Hero’ novels have the reader assuming the role of the main characters and encourage them to make choices that determine the

plot’s outcome, while exploring the full range of human emotions. With heroines Aurore and Sélène, sisters who have travelled the world with their archaeologist and anthropologist parents, readers will be taken on different adventures throughout the series along with a selection of unusual characters…their own emotions! The girls have very different personalities and deal with situations in unique

ways as a result. As they follow the girls’ conversations with the various emotions, the story provides the readers options which will move the story forward in different ways depending on which girl they identify with more.

The new novel series will feature a selection of exclusive and original Smiley drawings and illustrations and is set for launch in bookstores across France from April 2020.

In further publishing news, The Smiley Company has announced a five-year publishing deal with major international partner Editis children’s publishing division Les Livres du Dragon d’Or for The Smileys, its hot new collectibles range. The French language

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Publishing deal follows hot on the heels of The Smileys successful debut at retail this month in France and Benelux through Auchan, Carrefour, Intermarche, Leclerc and King Jouet.

The Smileys are a range of collectibles that bring the world-famous SmileyWorld icons to life as fun new characters. The unique mix & match concept encourages kids to create their Smileys to help them express how they are feeling on any given day, with over 100 million possible combinations.

The Smileys characters feature a wide variety of moods and emotions, making the possibilities for self-expression endless.

The new publishing deal will see a range of books published based on the world created by the collectibles program and its cast of characters.

With six confirmed titles scheduled forlaunch Autumn 2020, the range will include storybooks, activity books, and a book with collectible figurine.

The Red Harlequin Signs Multiplatform Distribution Deals Pantomimus Media has entered a slew of multimedia deals for its fantasy book series The Red Harlequin: a TV development partnership with Canadian content company Omnifilm Entertainment; global ebook and audiobook publishing with Dreamscape Media LLC; and North American graphic novels with Broken Icon Comics.

Omnifilm are best known for: The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco, (Brit-

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box, ITV, Citytv, and Netflix); Disney XD’s Mech-X4; Gabby series Duran & The Unsittables and Fast Layne (Disney Channel); and Disney Channel’s Original Movie, Kim Possible. The company will work towards creating a high-end action adventure fantasy series together with BAFTA winning showrunner Robert Butler (Creeped Out), and Rick Porras (The Lord of the Rings).

Brian Hamilton, Principal and Executive Producer, Omnifilm, stated, “Audiences are hungry for stories which connect epic fantasy and escapism with the issues of today. The Red Harlequin book series was made for television and has serious international potential.’

Next, Media development firm Dreamscape Media acquired worldwide English audio and eBook rights.

Dreamscape offers distribution, marketing, and production services for audiobooks, eBooks, film, and documentaries, providing content both physically and digitally to consumers around the world Releasing in May 2020, all five books in the series will be available on Amazon, Audible, Recorded Books, iTunes, Google, and Overdrive. The Red Harlequin audiobook will also be available to 5 million library patrons on hoopla digital, Midwest Tape’s mobile and online service for public libraries, as well as on MP3 CD and CD formats.

Catherine Zappa, Executive Director of Content & Strategy, Dreamscape

Media, commented, “Dreamscape is thrilled to be bringing to life for audiobook listeners the adventures of The Red Harlequin. Ricci’s dynamic and epic storytelling of the mysterious Harlequins are precisely what we search for in creating an exhilarating audio experience that will have listeners wanting more.”

And finally, Broken Icon Comics acquired US print rights, and will make up BIC’s tentpole summer releases with media blitzes leading up to their launch at San Diego Comic Con.

“The Red Harlequin sets up a world riven with war, and the political and religious elites that control the fates of all men and women. Fast paced and driven by the struggles of society, identity, and what it takes to survive, The Red Harlequin is a tale so powerful, one cannot help but be drawn into the world from the very first page. A perfect blend of fantasy worldbuilding, religion and magic, political intrigue, and character driven stories, The Red Harlequin is a must read for anyone who loves unique and dramatic graphic novels,” said Nick Wentland, Creative Coordinator, Broken Icon Comics Roberto Ricci, Creator and Director, Pantomimus Media, commented: “We are thrilled to partner with companies that excel in their field and also share our creative vision for a global entertainment property. Omnifilm is perfectly positioned to forge a solid TV platform, while Dreamscape is on the cutting edge of audio/video storytelling which – together with Broken Icon’s comic readers – opens up brand new avenues to reach more fans.”

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HONG KONG DRAWS THE CROWDS Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the 18th edition of the HKTDC Hong Kong International Licensing Show, Asia’s flagship licensing event, drew to a successful with a record attendance of more than 20,000 visitors.The ninth Asian Licensing Conference, which ran concurrently with the Licensing Show and concluded on 7 January, featured some 30 speakers from renowned brands and global licensing experts, attracting more than 1,200 industry practitioners.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, HKTDC Executive Director Margaret Fong said: “Despite the current global economic sentiment and the impact of the Sino-US trade conflict, the licensing industry continues to flourish.” She added that licensing adds value to businesses, helping to boost their competitiveness during challenging times. With its rigorous intellectual property protection regime, robust legal system, professional expertise and proximity to Mainland China and other key Asian economies, Hong Kong “provides the ideal platform for global brands and top licensors to access markets across the region,” Ms Fong said.

Exhibitors at this year’s show came with the intention of exchanging ideas with industry players from around the world. Joining the Licensing Show for the second time, an exhibitor at the DLab Hong Kong Pavilion, Shawn Chiu, Founder of Pixel Fairy, said that buyers were of high quality and had a strong desire for business collaboration this year. “We will follow up with a number of potential buyers, including a Wenzhou-based shoe manufacturer that invited us to Wenzhou for further discussions; a Korean lifestyle chain store that sought our quotation for an intellectual property (IP); and a

Malaysian boutique store looking for suitable IPs for their premium items.”

Dave Jo, Product Director for a young Korean brand, Pound Cake Cat, came to the show and was pleasantly surprised to find licensing agencies from Europe and the United States expressing an interest in the company’s characters.

Kamonrose Mahattanasomboon, Co-founder and Designer at a Thai cartoon company called Scoo Pup, shared that the Licensing Show provides opportunities to small enterprises such as hers, enabling her to learn more about the global market as well as network with business agents from the mainland. “During the show, many agents expressed an interest in our characters and we will arrange meetings with mainland

manufacturers on a range of products they are going to produce,” she said.

Taiwan exhibitor Brilliant International Group & BIG Impression grabbed the attention of a Sichuan shopping mall, which company Chairman & CEO Charlie Han said is now thinking of using its IP to organise a thematic exhibition. Various Taiwanese retail chain stores also showed an interest in collaborating with his company.

Colin Jones, Managing Partner of Copyright Live from the Middle East, attended the Licensing Show for the first time as a buyer and said that two companies had showed an interest in cooperating. “One of them is a mainland licensing agent that ranks as one of the top 100 licensing agents worldwide, which owns a popular character in the Middle East. The other company is a Hong Kong start-up specialising in technologies such as virtual reality.We may collaborate with them to develop escape room games for the Middle East market.”

The HKTDC continued to provide business matchmaking services on site, and also through the Licensing Show website. This one-stop solution connected buyers with exhibitors at the show.

Mainland China to become the second largest esports market Various sessions at the Licensing Show saw industry leaders gather to discuss industry trends. At a thematic session titled Gaming and Esports Licensing, Wilson Chow, PwC Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Leader, said that the US will still be the leader in the esports market by 2023, though Mainland China, with an annual growth rate of nearly 19%, will surpass Korea to become the second largest esports market by 2022. In terms of revenue share, brand sponsorship, media revenue and advertising revenue take the lead. Media revenue is showing the strongest growth and is expected to increase from 22% in 2018 to 28% by 2023. Daniel Amos, Head of Esports at Difuzed, said the potential for the esports market in the mainland is encouraging and there were already 75 million viewers in the country by 2019.

Shared values multiply the cobranding effect In the Dialogue with Star Licensees session, Anna Charisse Sumulong, Marketing Director at Jollibee Foods, said the company has developed its business at a rapid pace in recent years, expanding in areas such as North America and Dubai. The Jollibee Foods Corporation has a popular mascot called Jollibee, and Ms Sumulong said that finding a suitable licensing partner can help to produce a bigger branding effect.

For information, visit www.hktdc.com/fair/alc-en or www.hktdc.com/fair/ hklicensingshow-en

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Sustainability

Influence Behavioural Change to Save the Planet

By Trudi Bishop, Director, Bee Licensing The climate emergency is a hot topic right now in politics, business as well as in schools as it becomes part of the agenda in many countries. What’s called the ‘Attenborough effect’ is changing the way people (young and old) think about their impact on the environment. For children, this is becoming a growing concern (62% of young Britons report that climate change has made them fearful for the future - Broadbent et al) and can be seen in the ‘school strikes for climate’ still happening globally every Friday.

From these strikes, children have found a hero they can relate to in the young activist Greta Thunburg.

However, the likes of Thunburg or David Attenborough (via programs like Blue Planet) may influence or highlight climate issues they can be too distant for the very young to comprehend or to relate to their world.

The world of a young child is often a very small one limited to their house, family, school and friends. Their be-

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haviours and attitudes are often influenced and educated within this small realm. Beyond this, the small screen is the other large influence. Through the small screen, there is an opportunity for the media industry to reach this large audience and their parents.

Behind the scenes there has been for many years an authority in the UK on environmental sustainability in the film and TV industry. ALBERT advises and educates film and TV production companies through their “Planet

response to climate change.”

Siting an example of behaviour change from TV, they use the 80’s hit show, “Cheers” where the phrase ‘designated driver’ was used to normalise the sober driver in society. Anecdotally, this was shown to have resulted in a reduction in road deaths by drink driving in the US. There is now an opportunity for content creators to present ecoconscious programming in a positive and enlightening way. Programming

Placement” program. They have a ‘Sustainable Production Certificate’ and accreditation mark which you will see ‘stamped’ in the credits of many programs (watch out for the foot). They assess a TV or film production’s carbon calculation across all aspects of the process including staff travel to the studio, accommodation, material used etc through to post-production.

As ALBERT points out on their website, the industry reaches millions of viewers every day, so this is “opportunity to shift mindsets and make positive environmental behaviours mainstream. It’s a chance to shape society’s

that teaches children awareness about their environment, not wasting and respect for themselves, others and the world around them. Through relevant themes such as learning about the weather, bugs in their gardens and growing vegetables, children can become more aware of their little world and slowly make sense of their impact on the larger one beyond their front door.

Luckily, we are seeing these themes in revivals of classics such as “The Wombles”. These furry heroes came to the small screen in the 1970’s using music to get children engaged in themes

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Sustainability around reusing and recycling, creating awareness of how messy humans can be by “making good use of the things people leave behind”. They’re now on their way back and the timing couldn’t be better. Joining forces with “Keep Britain Tidy” The Wombles again are making kids aware of issues around waste, rubbish and respect for our local environment.

But they’re not the only programmers doing this. Another classic show, Sesame Street, has been educating children on more socially relevant issues as well as environmental ones for 50 years.The show often touches on very difficult topics but no less relevant in a child’s small world in a touching and engaging way.

On a broader environmental theme, shows such as Octonauts and The Deep have raised awareness and educated children on the importance of the oceans and all whom rely on them.

On the sea theme, there is a new preschool series, Sea Believers, a revival of the early 90’s brand, Sea Babies has “Little Kids Doing Big Things”. The show producers state, “at the heart of the SeaBabies way is our consistent dedication to make a difference in the global community by effectively bringing awareness to children and setting

standards of excellence for the environment.” They don’t just have this at the heart of the show (“save today for tomorrow” is their strap line) but as a company too – they are part of the ‘1% for the Planet’ not-for-profit organisation giving 1% of their income to the 5 Gyres Institute research into ocean plastic pollution.

These are just a few shows coming through aiming to raise awareness in children.

With awareness comes opportunity.

While these shows will potentially reach millions of children via the traditional linear and SVOD market, there is from what I can tell (a so far relatively untapped) opportunity in the influencer, gaming, unboxing and YouTube market.

The audience for these has been increasing exponentially over the last few years. The licensing and toy industries have begun to capitalise on this opportunity producing more and more products. Social media influencers and Instagram stars have been accused in a variety of environmental articles to contributing to the climate emergency by encouraging the throwaway culture.

Perhaps now is the time to utilise this influential space that reaches millions on a daily basis as a force for good.

Wouldn’t it be great to see the likes of a JoJo Siwa or Ryan using their influence on younger children (and their parents) to drive behaviour change in the way that Greta has had in raising awareness around the environmental emergency, bringing young people on the streets to get their voices heard?

If we can influence behavioural change, we can start to improve our planet.After all we don’t want kids to feel about the world the way Oscar the Grouch does about his one…

“You’d be a grouch, too, if you lived in a trash can!” — Oscar the Grouch

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Legally Speaking

How to avoid

LITIGATION By: Gregory J. Battersby and Jed Ferdinand

BOOK AVAILABLE! THE BUSINESS OF LICENSING - The Essential Guide for Intellectual Properties Licensing has has exploded into a $250+ billion worldwide industry at retail and generates more than $7 billion in royalty income for those property owners who are savvy enough to license their properties for a wide variety of consumer products.

About 8 years ago, lawyer Gregory J Battersby and licensing veteran Danny Simon introduced the first Basics of Licensing book. They did a revised version a couple of years later and followed it with a Licensee edition and then finally an International edition. Recognizing that there was a degree of commonality between these editions, Battersby and Simon concluded that it was time for the definitive work on licensing, hence, The Business of Licensing which combines the best of all three prior editions and takes the subject to the next level.

This book takes the reader through the nuts and bolts of how to conduct a licensing program and handle many of the problems that it might face There is a substantial amount of reference material. They have included an expanded history of merchandising, and an extensive collection of the forms that any licensing professional may need which they intend to provide to purchasers with electronic access to the forms via Dropbox.

The Complete Business of Licensing is available at a cost of $39.95 ($34.95 for LI members). https://www.totallicensingworld.com/site/ business_of_licensing

Gregory J. Battersby Battersby Law Group, LLC 25 Poplar Plains Rd. Westport, CT 06880 (203) 454-9646 • (866) 579-9591 (Fax) gjbattersby@gbiplaw.com • www.gbiplaw.com Jed Ferdinand, Senior Managing Member Ferdinand IP www.FerdinandIP.com NY Phone: (212) 220-0523 CT Phone: (203) 557-4224 94

Early in my career, I found myself recommending to a very astute business executive that they initiate a lawsuit against another party. He replied, saying, “my goal is to make money by selling [add the type of product], not by bringing lawsuits.” That response caused me to frame and hang on my wall a quote from Abraham Lincoln which said, “Discourage litigation. Persuade your neighbors to compromise whenever you can.

As a peace maker, the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man.”

Unfortunately, not everyone subscribes to this concept. Many believe that that litigation can be a very effective tool for making, or saving, money. Some even view their legal departments as “profit centers.” Add to that, there are a host of litigation trolls who thrive by commencing seemingly frivolous lawsuits against major corporations with a goal of extracting lucrative settlements.

It is, therefore, understandable that many business executives view litigation as the bane of their existence since it can be expensive in terms of legal fees and can lead to potential liability. More importantly, it can become a massive distraction from the day to day operation of their business, consuming enormous amounts of otherwise productive time in supporting the lawyers.

There are a number of simple steps that both licensors and licensees alike can take to limit their potential exposure to litigation. These steps include: Enter Into Good Agreements. While this sounds relatively simple, it is always surprising how many clients fail to take the time to closely review the agreements that they ultimately sign. Licensors need to keep their “form” agreements updated and current.

Licensees must understand what they are

signing. The expenses and problems created by entering into bad agreements will dwarf the cost of conducting a thorough initial review.

Rely on Experienced, Competent Counsel….and Keep Them Involved.

While hiring “My Cousin Vinnie” as your attorney may work in Hollywood, there is no substitute for experienced counsel.

Experienced counsel know what’s important and how best to protect their clients. While it may be more expensive to involve them early if it avoids litigation it is money well spent.

Watch Your Written Communications.

More “smoking guns” are found in e-mails and interoffice memoranda than anywhere else primarily because little thought is typically given when drafting these types of communications. An individual should never put anything in writing that they would not feel comfortable reading on the front page of tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal.

Work Only with Reputable Partners.

There may be no quicker way to get into trouble than by dealing with unreputable or unscrupulous partners or colleagues.You may think that your ethics or morals are above reproach, but the wrong affiliation can take you and your business down in a nanosecond.

Establish Good Procedures. Many of the standard procedures used in conducting a licensing program, e.g., the handling of submissions and approvals, should be clearly documented in a procedures manual. Make sure that your software and data is current and compliant with recent changes in the law. Confusion and misunderstandings lead to litigation. The more the parties know what is expected of them, the less likely they are to make mistakes that can result in costly lawsuits.

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Interview: Hannah Stevens, Head of Retail, The Point.1888

Our first retail model: Working 360 degrees with retailers and licensees “At The Point.1888, we pride ourselves on a retail first model.

Our founder and MD, Will Stewart, has over 15 years of retail buying experience, buying everything from nappies to KitKats in some of the UK’s biggest retailers, including John Lewis, Kingfisher and Woolworths.

censing, our team is ahead of the curve in more ways than one: by understanding what products retailers want, and what they are able to market where (and for whom), it becomes much easier to identify the outcome as well as the partnership with a brand.

When presenting a brand at retail, we ensure we have the retail interest, buy in and belief right from the off. Without them, there is no programme. The brand MUST align to their customer, to their direction, and bring them something above and beyond.

In an increasingly digitalised economy, where people swipe right for partners and tap Instagram posts to shop for clothes, consumers want to see products and services that hold meaning. In short, in such a fast pace lifestyle, the only brands that will succeed in this generation are socially conscious, environmentally friendly, and in tune with consumer’s desires.

With this knowledge and experience, retail is the driving force and backbone behind our company’s rise.

With the UK retail market currently in a time of extensive change, more so than ever, brand licensing programmes need to possess a deep understanding of retailers’ needs and desires to succeed. It will be how brands make a difference, and truly align themselves to the customer trends of this roaring 20s.

But what does our retail first model mean?

Put simply, we sign brands we know have a retail home. We know what our retailers are looking for, the trends that are appearing, the brands that are working, and we aim to fill the gaps at retail with innovative, long term sustainable brands.

As the next generation of brand li-

The youngest generation is less focussed on brand name, but more on the brand ethics. They are open to spending more if they know they are buying value. They are far more in tune with sustainability. They want to be involved and are more aware of how they can make a difference. The products we make aren’t just a consumable good; they also have a story that means something.

We aim to give our retail partners unique brands. Brands they can be first to markets on. Brands that their customers will adore. Brands that are for the long term for every customer base. Millennials and Gen Zs through to your Gran shopping for her garden. With the UK’s most loved sports brand through to the Metropolitan Police, our diverse clientbase has it all.

What is then quintessentially important is that we work closely with re-

tailers’ preferred licensees to launch the agreed products to market. More so than ever licensees are being challenged by retailers on margin, and likewise retail buyers are challenged internally on space, brands and supply base. As a result, we have to ensure that we are joining the dots for both the buyers and the licensees.

Making this streamlined is key to the success of the programme. Retail buy in and preferred licensee for each department signed.

Gone are the days of buyers being presented a full 50 strong licensee list and having to work around being set up or not. (Although, we are frequently asked by our retailer contacts to recommend some of our wonderful licensees to them- and very often we delightedly see set ups happen!)

We work closely with our licensees and retailers together in a three-way partnership to ensure a smooth process throughout and that the brand looks exceptional instore for launch.

As an brand extension company, we are also here for licensees or retailers who are seeking brands that they want to sign. We recognise the power held by each partner in a brand licensing programme and will work to find the best outcome for all.

In summary, as the industry expert Andrea Yorston told me recently, the fact that we collaborate first and foremost with retail means “it’s possible to find the best partners to interpret the brand’s unique selling proposition”.

This is why our model works.”

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TOTAL LICENSING

By Martin Brochstein SVP Industry Relations and Information Licensing International www.licensinginternational. org

Honoring a Trailblazing Influencer On January 2, in the year’s first edition of our Newslinks daily newsfeed, we began by ruminating over changes in the licensing business during the justconcluded decade. “There have been lots of surprises,” we wrote. “For one thing, did you even know what an influencer was ten years ago?”

The answer for most was that the phrase “influencer marketing” is a rather recent addition to the business lexicon. Of course, there’s an element of “Everything old is what’s new again” to the notion that influence is a recent discovery; it’s always been an element of endorsements by celebrities, athletes and the like.

It seems shiny and new. But the modern era of influencer marketing dates back to the early 80s, when the book “Entertaining” proved to be the launching pad for a media and licensing empire that flourishes even today.That book’s author, Martha Stewart, will be inducted into the Licensing International Hall of Fame on May 19 during the Licensing International Excellence Awards, which takes place in conjunction with Licensing Expo in Las Vegas.

Most recently the brand announced plans to develop branded real estate communities in markets around the globe, among many other projects in the housewares, food and beverage, pets, crafts, fashion, garden and travel markets.

“I am very honored to be inducted into the Licensing International Hall of Fame. I have spent my life’s work creating high-quality, practical, functional, and innovative products at an affordable price to enhance one’s lifestyle and home,” says Martha Stewart. “I look forward to sharing more of the expertise we have developed over the years and to expanding our product categories and distribution worldwide.”

The perfect storm of the starmaking power of social media, combined with ever more sophisticated “big data” has given rise to the notion of “influencer marketing” as a new phenomenon. The current cycle began rather innocently with bloggers who achieved viral visibility by giving their opinions on things such as cool fashion looks, beauty tips, and places to shop.

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food, paint to pet products, and a wide variety of home goods, Stewart continues to launch innovative, lifestylebased brand extensions.

It has expanded from there into a much more professionalized business that’s driven by a fundamental truth: The nature of the online environment creates a much more personal relationship between creator and consumer than was possible before, so the potential to influence increases exponentially.

Stewart was one of the pioneers of the modern licensing model, beginning with her trailblazing direct-to-retail deal with Kmart in the late ’90s. Stewart founded the diversified media and merchandising company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, which is owned by brand management firm, Marquee Brands.

And the business only promises to grow. We’ve dubbed the next phase Influencers 3.0. The business model will become more strategic and targeted, as metrics become more sophisticated; brands will differentiate between what works and what doesn’t; and the influencers themselves will continue to try to become brands.

Over the last two decades her branded products have graced the shelves of top-name retailers such as Macy’s, Staples, Michaels, TJX Companies and QVC. The business has also expanded to include major e-commerce retailers, Amazon and Wayfair.

With a product line that has touched almost every category from fashion to

Stewart joins such past inductees as Sanrio founder Shintaro Tsuji; Star Wars creator George Lucas; sports business pioneer Mark McCormack; Chairman and CEO of Hasbro Brian Goldner;Walt Disney; Peanuts creator Charles Schulz; and many others.

“Martha epitomizes everything this honor represents – her legacy of innovation and constant evolution, which continues to this day showcases brand building at its best,” said Licensing International President, Maura Regan.

We encourage you to join us on the evening of May 19, both to honor Martha Stewart and to celebrate the best of the licensing business. It will be a fun and meaningful evening.

For information, visit the Licensing International website at www. licensing.org. We hope to see you there.

TOTAL LICENSING

Licensing China* Cobrandz Kids Marketing Day* Blueprint Licensing Expo Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards Children’s Media Conference Licensing Expo China Korea Character Licensing Fair India Licensing Expo The Licensing Awards Milano Licensing Day Brand Licensing Expo MIP Junior MIPCOM China Licensing Expo Licensing Japan*

New date to be announced www.licensing-china.com April 28 - 29 www.cobrandz.fr May 12 www.kidsmarketingdays.it May 19 - 21 www.blueprintshows.com May 19 - 21 www.licensingexpo.com June 18 www.brandlicensingawards.co.uk July 7 - 9 www.thechildrensmediaconference.com/ July 15 - 17 http://www.licensingexpochina.com/ July 17 - 21 www.characterfair.kr August 29 - 29 www.licenseindia.com/expo Sept 9 www.thelicensingawards.co.uk Sept 15 www.milanolicensingday.it Oct 6 - 8 www.brandlicensing.eu Oct 10 - 11 www.mipcom.com/mipjunior Oct 12 - 15 www.mipcom.com Oct 21 - 23 www.chinalicensingexpo.com Oct 27 - 28 www.licensing-japan.jp

*New date - changed from original date.

Next Issue alert...

The Summer issue of Total Licensing will be published in mid May. Key features include: Licensing Expo Preview 2020 • Preschool Licensing • Licensing Classic Properties • Esports • Prequels, sequels and reimagined properties Bonus distribution: Licensing Expo 2019 • Korea Character Fair • Autumn Fair • Children’s Media Conference • Licensing Expo LATAM Editorial Deadline: 18 April 2019 • Ad Material deadline: 1 May 2019

Beano ................................................................................... 5

MIP Junior .........................................................................27

Bologna Licensing Trade Fair 2021...............................35

Mondo ................................................................................. 1

Business of Licensing ......................................................66

Pac Man/Merchantwise ..................................................50

China Licensing Expo .....................................................38

Rainbow .............................................................................. 7

Emoji/Merchantwise .......................................................52

Sonic/Merchantwise .......................................................49

Halo/Merchantwise ........................................................45

Sony Pictures/Merchantwise ........................................56

Kazachok/Cobrandz .......................................................23

Spacetoon .........................................................................99

King Features ..................................................................... 3

TF1 Licences ....................................................................15

King Features/Merchantwise ........................................62

ViacomCBS ........................................................37, 54, 100

Korea Character Licensing Fair ...................................97

Wiggles ..............................................................................41

Licensing Awards .............................................................12

Xbox/Merchantwise .......................................................47

Licensing International ..................................................... 2 May Gibbs/Merchantwise ........................................58, 59 Merchantwise .............................................................42, 64 Milano Licensing Day ....................................................... 9

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List correct at time of going to press.