Total Licensing Spring 2022 by Total Licensing

Spring 2022

Regular Features

21 16

Comment........................................................................ 6 Global News.................................................................. 8 Sustainability................................................................. 79 Legally Speaking.........................................................131 What’s On..................................................................132

Europe The Brave team behind Ukraine’s Brave Bunnies.......................................................... 16 Italy A layered and complicated market.................... 29 Growth of E-Commerce in Italy......................... 30 Milano Day of Licensing Returns........................ 31 The Italian Kids Market........................................ 32 Mondo’s MeteoHeroes......................................... 34 Market Round-Up.................................................. 36 Spotlight on Spain’s El-Ocho.................................... 42 France Children’s Market in France................................. 46 TF1 Licensing - A Key Player............................... 48 Cobrandz - Event Preview................................... 50 Interview: Chefclub................................................ 56 Artistory, Obode and the National Gallery.......... 71 Pets and the Pandemic - a lighthearted look........ 72 The World of Tom Gates........................................... 74 MIPTV - All back to Cannes!.................................... 76 Industry Reacts to Ukraine....................................... 78

With Vegas on the horizon now, and the industry set to gather for the first time in three years, Informa’s Anna Knight talks all things Licensing Expo........................................................21

Total Licensing Australia News from the market ................................................84 Cancer Council’s Sun Protection Programme..........86 Zing and Warner Bros Consumer Products.............87 Merchantwise Minecraft.....................................................................90 Sonic the Hedgehog.................................................92 XBox.............................................................................94 Halo..............................................................................96 Activision Blizzard.....................................................98 Emoji......................................................................... 102 Pac-Man................................................................... 102 Sony Pictures........................................................... 104 Miraculous............................................................... 108 The Gruffalo............................................................ 110 Kiri and Lou............................................................. 110 Elf on a Shelf........................................................... 111 May Gibbs................................................................ 111 Blinky Bill.................................................................. 115 Original Stormtrooper........................................... 117 The Beatles.............................................................. 117 Romwe x Pink Floyd.............................................. 118 ViacomCBS Consumer Products Pre-school Powerhouses........................................ 120 Multi-Generation Icons......................................... 121 Star Trek Universe and Prodigy.......................... 123 Adults and Superfans............................................ 124 Bluey Listed on Airbnb................................................ 125 Blue Chip gearing up in 2022................................. 127 Promoting Innovation in Toys and Games............. 128 The Expanding World of Vlad and Niki................. 129

Global

The Metaverse and Licensing................................... 18 Cover Story: The Future Belongs to those who Believe....... 24 A Big Year for Warhammer....................................... 27 CTV: The MVP of Every Brand’s Playbook............ 41 The Ultimate Guide: NFT Cheat Sheet................. 58 Video Games - the Secret to Moving Brands....... 62 The Incredible Rise of LBE........................................ 63 2022 - A Mammoth Year for Licensing................... 68 Nostalgia and the Kidult Market............................. 70 The Importance of Representation........................ 75

March 2022

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

Cancer Council’s Sun Protection Offering Diversifies 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. Today, Cancer Council is a lifestyle brand with a unique licensing portfolio with partners across therapeutic goods, apparel, headwear, sunglasses, shade and auto tints. In 2021, Cancer Council collaborated with Indigenous artist, Riki Salam, to develop an exclusive range of swimwear, shade products and accessories. Endorsed brands Coolaroo and Gale

Pacific extended Cancer Council’s presence in the shade category across key retailers, and Cancer Council expanded its retail footprint with seasonal pop ups over the summer period. 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. Dr Tanya Buchanan, CEO of Cancer Council Australia says, “The funds raised through the sale of licensed product also helps support our organisation’s skin cancer control initiatives which continue to be a critical area of our work. Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, so every dollar invested helps

to address this important problem.” Looking forward, Cancer Council is planning to expand its licensed offer-

ing in shade and apparel categories to drive further growth in 2022. For more information, interviews or products please contact: Jill McGarn National Marketing Manager Licensing Cancer Council Australia, T: 02 8063 4130 jill.mcgarn@cancer.org.au

TLA 49

Co-Publisher Francesca Ash francesca@totallicensing.com

Co-Publisher Jerry Wooldridge jerry@totallicensing.com

Editorial Director Rebecca Ash becky@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

© 2022 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

Welcome to the Spring 22 issue of Total Licensing. Whilst Covid is still amongst us, worse in some territories than others, since we published our January issue, the world has entered a much more unsettled, and infinitely more disturbing and turbulent period with the unjustified and unlawful invasion of Ukraine. It is interesting that whilst governments are busily sanctioning Russian oligarchs and businesses, our industry is making a stand of its own against the outrage. Giants such as Disney and WarnerMedia have announced they won’t be distributing their latest movies in Russia – including The Batman. BBC and ITV in the UK have stopped all content licensing in Russia and Banijay has frozen all their Russian business. LEGO, in fact, was the first major international toy company to make a stand, announcing it was pausing all shipments and had made a multi-million dollar donation to emergency relief efforts targeting women and children. Pokemon made a $200,000 donation immediately to Global Giving’s Relief Fund and other toy makers are following suit with large donations from companies such as MGA Entertainment who have also stopped sales to Russia. Netflix and Apple are pulling back with Netflix announcing that it is stopping all streaming in Russia. Russian state media has been blocked by Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others. The industry’s own UK charity, The Light Fund, has swiftly made a donation of £5,000 to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Gaming companies, too, have joined the boycott with major players such as Nintendo, Activision Blizzard, EA, Epic, Microsoft, Sony and others cutting off sales to Russian gamers. Of course, whilst the boycotts and bans are fully justified, on the downside they impact on ordinary Russians running businesses – many of whom that we have spoken to – are against this invasion and all that it stands for.The general antiRussian sentiment that is permeating through is no more justified than the invasion. We should not be against Russia as a whole. Just strongly against the regime currently in control of Russia. There is a big difference as the protests sweeping across the country prove. It perhaps brings the currently situation closer to us all when you read the story of Brave Bunnies within this issue. The property is a hugely population animation from Ukraine. The key personnel are now scattered around Europe, many having fled Ukraine. We’re delighted to support their efforts and unashamedly promote the brand.

Of course, isolating Russia in this way was, inevitably going to have a backlash. The first salvos of that came recently when a Russian court ruled in favour of a copyright infringer of Peppa Pig. Entertainment One/Hasbro had taken legal action against a Russian business owner who had apparently drawn his own version of the ubiquitous pig. In a perhaps unsurprising move, the court ruled that the Peppa Pig trademarks could be used by Russian businesses without permission – and without punishment. In a move that flies against all copyright protection laws, the Judge, Andrei Slavinsky, cited ‘unfriendly actions of the United States of America and affiliated foreign countries,’ as the reason behind his ruling. Of course, what this does do is to effectively allow Russian infringers and counterfeiters free reign to do what they like – with apparently no legal comeback. How the currently situation will resolve itself is far from clear. What is clear is that it will probably be some time before Russia enjoys the benefits that doing business with the west can bring. Which is sad. Not only has Russian been a good market for overseas animation and products but Russia itself produces some of best quality animation around. We can all just hope, for everybody’s sake, that a peaceful resolution is found, and it can’t come soon enough. On a different note, this issue takes a look at the rapidly growing world of NFTs and the Metaverse. Sharon Weisman, CEO of Powerstation Studios in the US guides us through the somewhat mystifying language used in a handy ‘cheats’ guide! Invaluable for anybody dipping their toe into this market. The issue also includes Total Licensing Australia’s March issue. Sadly, the Melbourne Toy Fair has had to transition to virtual once again but our Australia pages give readers a good snapshot of the industry ‘down-under.’ As it is now less than two months until Licensing Expo takes place for the first time in three years, Anna Knight, who runs Informa’s licensing business tells us what to expect and talks about some of the plans the company has to welcome back the licensing industry to Las Vegas. You will find printed copies of this issue at both MIPTV and Cobrandz in France as well as our usual circulation. We hope you enjoy the issue and look forward to hearing from you. Francesca Ash Co-Publisher

Jerry Wooldridge Co-Publisher

NEWS

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LMI TO LICENSE THE LITTLE PRINCE The Little Prince and LMI have joined forces to expand the licensing programme into the UK & Eire. The Little Prince was born in 1943 in New York City and has since continued his incredible journey across generations. With more than 200 million books sold globally in 500 languages, the original publication has extended to a cinematic movie, a 3D animated Netflix series, a game with more than 100 million downloads, a theme park attraction, multiple global exhibitions, standalone stores, and a stage show musical. A new pre-school TV series of 52 x 11 minutes is in development. The series set for a 2023 release is lead by BAFTA & NFT nominated writer Simon Nicholson whose acclaims include PJ Masks, Paw Patrol, Bob the Builder and Thomas and Friends to name but a few. Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the 1st Edition in 2023, LMI is seeking new partnerships to develop a successful consumer products programme for the original classic illustrations which are now available for licensing, as well as additional publishing projects including colouring books and activity books. On a different note, 2023 is the 400th anniversary year of the publication of the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays, one of the most important books ever published and a highlight of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust’s collection. This treasured volume is the first edition of Shakespeare’s collected plays, published as Mr. William Shakespeare’s Comedies, Histories & Tragedies in 1623, seven years after Shakespeare’s death. It includes eighteen of Shakespeare’s plays printed for the first time and the engraved portrait of the author that has since become the iconic image of Shakespeare recognised around the world.

AMAZON COMPLETE MGM DEAL Amazon’s US $8.45bn acquisition of MGM has been completed, both companies have confirmed. MGM, which is nearly 100 years old, is behind legendary movies such as Rocky and James Bond, brings to the deal 4,000 film titles, 17,000 TV episodes, 180 Academy Awards and 100 Emmy Awards. Content only post-1986 will count towards the deal. Mike Hopkins, senior VP of Prime Video and Amazon Studios, commented: “MGM has a nearly century-long legacy of producing exceptional entertainment, and we share their commitment to delivering a broad slate of original films and television shows to a global audience.” Amazon stated they would be welcoming all current MGM employees, indicating there would be no lay-offs. MGM’s TV catalogue includes The Handmaid’s Tale, Fargo and Vikings. In its vast film library, hits including Legally Blonde, Silence of the Lambs and Thelma & Louise. The mega-deal significantly expands Amazon’s roster of IP as it continues to grow into digital streaming. The deal was finally given the greenlight by the European Commission recently.

LMCA APPOINT CEO New York Headquartered LMCA has announced a shift in its top management as the agency experiences rapid growth and expands further internationally. The LMCA Board has announced the promotion of Ciarán Coyle, formerly President & COO of the agency, to the CEO role. He will also become a Principal of the firm and join the LMCA Board. Coyle will oversee all aspects of the operations of the business, globally. Allan Feldman, Founder and formerly CEO, will become Executive Chairman, working closely with Coyle on the agency strategy and key partnerships. “Ciarán has brought a sharp business focus and discipline to LMCA over this past year and established an incredibly strong foundation for the agency’s continued international growth as a leader in strategic brand extension licensing. The decision of the LMCA Board to elevate Ciarán to the position of CEO reflects the confidence we have in his ability to realize LMCA’s full potential and add significant value to our clients,” commented Allan Feldman, LMCA Founder and Executive Chairman. Coyle added, “I’ve greatly enjoyed working with our super clients, partners, and the wonderful LMCA team over the past year and am very excited for what lies ahead. I’m truly honored by this opportunity to take on the CEO responsibilities and look forward to working with all our LMCA stakeholders to deliver continued success!”

NEWS

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SEGA AND HYPE SIGN NEW DEAL SEGA Europe Limited. and UK lifestyle brand, HYPE, have announced an all-new line of licensed clothing and accessories celebrating SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog. Featuring designs inspired by the high-octane speedster himself, the HYPE. x Sonic the Hedgehog capsule collection includes a line of adults and children’s apparel and accessories. The 30-piece adults and childrenswear range celebrates the globally-recognised traditional Sonic the Hedgehog colour palette, with a monochrome theme and neon accents, fusing HYPE.’s signature contemporary silhouette shapes with Sonic’s Japanese-inspired roots to create everyday statement looks. The line features Sonic the Hedgehog characters including Sonic, Super Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Shadow and Amy entwined in HYPE’s iconic tie-dye, gradient fade, galaxy and graffiti-spray-inspired prints.With a diverse range of clothing items including hoodies, joggers, t-shirts and leggings, as well as a uniquely designed bowling shirt featuring a soon-to-be-iconic print in a monochrome theme with a contrasting collar.

MIXMUPS ON MILKSHAKE Channel 5’s children’s strand, Milkshake! has announced that it will be the broadcast home of MixMups, its first animated pre-school series to feature disabled lead characters and be made by a team with live experience of disability. Developed and produced with support from the UK Government funded Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), which is managed by the BFI and in collaboration with Raydar Media, the ground-breaking 52 x 10-minute stop-motion animated series for three to five-year olds, shines a light on different pre-school play styles and the joy of mixing up objects and ideas to create stories.

Additionally, fans of the Blue Blur can level up their on-the-go gear with the HYPE x Sonic accessories, transporting their essentials in a standout backpack matching the apparels’ core prints and designs. Two pencil cases boast enlarged graphics and character placements. The collection launched exclusively at HYPE’s Carnaby Street London store, via justHYPE.com and selected retailers worldwide on the 31st of March 2022.

HOME AND PARTYWARE FOR CATALINA ESTRADA This is Iris’ Catalina Estrada Collection is heading to Australia, with an exclusive home and partyware range. The deal - which was brokered by Sarah Lawrence and her long-term colleagues at Wild Pumpkin - will see leading teaware and homeware specialist Ashdene launch their first collection in Spring 22. The range titled ‘Butterfly Heliconia’ celebrates Catalina’s love of nature through her distinctive prints. The collection includes teasets, drink bottles, journals, gift bags and wrap. Alongside the launch of this range, partners Amscan will also launch their first range of Catalina Partyware. This range is set around Catalina’s most well-known prints with this bold collection brightening up any BBQ or garden party.The range offers 30 lines from plates, bowls and cups through to table runners, paper straws and bunting. Commenting, Sarah Lawrence said,

“We have worked with Lim and her colleagues at WP Brands for many years. We’ve always supported each other and the artists we represent. We feel very passionate about the work we do, ensuring that time is always invested in the development of any range, from understanding the needs of our clients, supporting our all important artists and designers through to delivering a final range that we are all proud of.” “Catalina Estrada is such an inspiring artist, and it was a great honour to

have the opportunity to work with Sarah and This is Iris on developing a local program for our market. The products speak for themselves – they are perfect examples of how we can obtain artistic exquisiteness amongst everyday items!” added Vanessa Ulmer, Marketing Manager, WP Brands. “ We’re thrilled with the new licensing opportunities that have come through to us for the UK. Catalina has inspired many a designer over the years and we’ve always felt so passionate about her work as well he amazing charities she has supported throughout her career. We know how proud she was to be asked to work with Disney on the recent Encanto movie which has brought her work to the attention of so many within our industry.” This is Iris are currently in talks with a number of UK partners and retailers direct with several new lines already heading into production later this year.

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MARVEL AND THE PRINCE’S TRUST Marvel has announced the exclusive launch of its first ever Marvel & The Prince’s Trust collection, created in collaboration with the youth charity and taking inspiration from The Avengers. Disney worked with aspiring designers aged 18-30 to create a collection that is part of a three-year mentoring partnership which aims to help young people break into the world of fashion and product design. The programme, which launched in spring 2021, consists of a series of workshops, hosted by Disney, culminating in the aspiring designers creating two Marvel-inspired product ranges. The first, which spotlights Marvel’s The Avengers, features products with design influences from American street culture and sports after exploring current trends in the market, taking into consideration the themes of inclusivity as well as being inspired by the teamwork of Marvel’s superheroes. The collection will be available to purchase from The Disney Store and online at shopDisney in the UK and across Europe. This gender-neutral collection features a range of products and includes clothing, apparel, accessories and stationery, as well as a themed backpack. Throughout the programme participants worked with Disney designers, marketers and retail teams, with the support of The Prince’s Trust, to learn about the product design industry, with the designers involved at critical stages in their products design. This not-for-profit initiative with The Prince’s Trust is part of Disney’s global social purpose commitment which sees Disney working to provide inspiration and opportunity to help young people reach their potential.

Mike Stagg, Senior VP, Disney Consumer Products, Games and Publishing EMEA said: “We are so impressed and proud of the designs produced by these young people. It has been truly inspiring to see the products come to life from their initial sketches. We know how hard the fashion and design industries can be to break into, and our partnership with The Prince’s Trust offers such an invaluable experience which we look forward to continuing.”

MILO WINS AWARD Milo, the preschool TV series produced by Fourth Wall in association with DeAPlaneta Entertainment has won the 2022 Best Children’s series at the British Animation Awards. Since launching in the UK on Channel 5’s Milkshake! Milo has enjoyed high ratings and is also available on the broadcaster´s on-demand

platform My5. Milo, which already has more than 4 million views on its official YouTube channel, will soon be expanding on to new YT channels in other countries. The series is also broadcast in Poland, Italy,Australia and Hungary. The show continues to expand across the globe and will launch in and China shortly. Next spring, Milo will also land in Latin America, Finland, Spain, Poland and the Czech Republic.

FORMULA ONE FLAG As the 2022 FIA Formula One World Championship approaches the official F1 online memorabilia platform, operated under license by The Memento Group, is inviting fans of the world’s most popular motorsport to Own The Chequered Flag. This allows fans to be part of each Grand Prix race by giving them the chance to have their name printed on the chequered flag waved at the finishing line of the race of their choice. This is expected to be a bumper season for Formula One, with new driver line-ups, striking car liveries, and new rules and regulations. Plus, 2022 will bring a new venue to the calendar; the Miami International Autodrome in Florida, where the new Miami Grand Prix will take place on 8th May. Each Own The Chequered Flag product features a photograph, captured by an official F1 photographer, of the flag being waved as the race winner crosses the line. This image is then framed alongside the personalised flag square. Barry Gough, Founder and CEO, of The Memento Group and former Formula One race team mechanic said, “We are delighted to offer this incredible opportunity. This authentic experience allows Formula One fans to put their unique mark on a race of their choice and own a special moment with sports memorabilia holding both sentimental and personal value that can be treasured for a lifetime.”

NEWS

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SESAME ST NAMES JUST PLAY Sesame Workshop has named Just Play as its multi-territory master toy licensee for North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Under this multi-year partnership, Just Play will manufacture and market an expansive array of products featuring beloved Sesame Street characters including Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Abby Cadabby. The company will also support Sesame Workshop’s mission to help kids grow smarter, stronger and kinder.

Starting in 2023, Just Play will take the helm and usher in a new era of engaging and educational products that

will roll-out throughout the year and beyond. Key preschool play patterns and categories including plush, figures, playsets, vehicles, role play/dress up, bath, and learning toys will define the new product portfolio. Just Play will contribute to Sesame Workshop’s social impact efforts by providing funding for vital initiatives that bring critical early learning and support across a broad variety of challenges to children around the world. These initiatives are fundamental to both organizations’ efforts to help families everywhere thrive. “We’re thrilled to partner with Just Play and strengthen the Sesame Street brand globally,” said Ed Wells, EVP and Head of Global Media and Education, Sesame Workshop. “Just Play creates fantastic, best-in-class products that delight the whole family. This, coupled with its exceptional retailer and distribution network, and impressive mix of items across multiple categories, make them a natural partner.”

SONY SIGN DEAL WITH MERLIN Merlin Entertainments, who own Legoland, Madame Tussauds and Sea Life, recently announced that it has entered into a multi-territory exclusivity agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment, to develop and operate attractions, rides, lands, retail outlets and themed hotel rooms based on the studio’s Jumanji film franchise across Merlin’s Resort Theme Parks and Waterparks in Europe and North America. The first Jumanji experience to be launched will be the world’s first Jumanji ride, which will open in April this year at Merlin’s Gardaland Resort in Italy, with a second activation already in development at a different theme park for a 2023 launch. The Gardaland attraction will be called “Jumanji – the Adventure” which will open in April 2022 and will be complemented by the simultaneous launch of fully themed Jumanji hotel bedrooms. The deal supports Merlin’s broader global strategy to engage and work with leading IP and brands across its global estate, with existing successful partnerships including LEGO, Marvel, Peppa Pig, and CBeebies. The collaboration further builds on Merlin’s successful relationship with Sony Pictures Entertainment, which has already seen the previous roll out of two “in-attraction” themed experiences including the Ghostbusters 5D ride at Heide Park in Germany and the Ghostbusters experience at Madame Tussauds New York.

ZAG PARTNERS BURGER KING ZAG has partnered with Burger King on a global QSR promotion that features collectible premiums from the pop culture hit Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir with purchase of a King Jr. Meal. The announcement was made recently by Julian Zag, EVP, Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products, ZAG. Zag’s global promotion with Burger King first launched internationally across Europe, Latin America, MENA, and Pacific Asia, on Jan 17, and in France on Jan 24.The U.S. is scheduled to launch on March 24, 2022, in approximately 7,200 participating Burger King restaurants. The promotion features six branded premium items featuring characters from Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, including two Ladybug and Cat Noir eye masks, two character light-ups featuring Tikki and Phlagg, and two keepsake boxes, featuring Marinette and Adrian. Guests of Burger King will receive one premium item in each King Jr. Meal purchased while supplies last. Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir will be featured on packaging, POP, and digital/TV ads. “Our exclusive and first QSR program with Burger King restaurants worldwide offers a tremendous opportunity for ZAG to further the global awareness for Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, and gives our young fans around the globe another chance to engage with the brand as we head into a year of major growth with new products debuting at retail, a new season of the series in production, and the debut of our US$100+ million animated feature,” stated Julian Zag. ZAG is currently in production on season five of the series. Miraculous has attracted over 29 billion views on YouTube (authorized and user-generated content); and 200 million downloads of the official app. Over 200 million products have been sold during the past four years and retail sales have surpassed US$1b worldwide to date. Miraculous is the winner of 25 awards, including the 2018 Teen Choice Award for Animated Series.

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The Astonishing Bravery of the Team Behind Ukraine’s Brave Bunnies The only global Ukrainian kids series, Brave Bunnies sees worldwide success and despite their world falling apart, everyone at Glowberry remains committed to the property. It’s very much not business as usual but amidst the horrors of the conflict, the Brave Bunnies offer a source of positivity and hope. Olga Cherepanova and her team at Glowberry, creators of the only global Ukrainian children’s property, Brave Bunnies, are astonishing in their personal strength, commitment and gratitude to partners. With a name that could not be more apt, preschool series BRAVE BUNNIES was on an upward trajectory before the unimaginable happened in their hometown of Kyiv, Ukraine, with global partners, agents, broadcasters and more jumping at the chance to work with the bunnies, whose ethos is friendship and kindness. As this article is being written, some of the team may have fled horror and war and become refugees while the rest of the team are stuck in Ukraine or volunteering to support refugees and national defence, but they remain as determined as ever to continue the very brave mission of their BRAVE BUNNIES. At a time when the world is watching with utter despair as events in Ukraine unfold, the BRAVE BUNNIES symbolise the resilience and optimism and spirit of the Ukrainian

people. Olga outlines here, in a heartfelt piece, what the recent events mean for her, her team of creators, and the extremely successful Ukrainian export, BRAVE BUNNIES. “I really want to write today, amidst all that is happening, that I am incredibly proud of Ukraine. Here live beautiful and talented people! Three years ago, here in Kyiv, we came up with the idea for our project BRAVE BUNNIES, which is now successfully broadcast in more than 63 countries. My initial intention was to tell everyone how crucial it is to respect the diversity of this world. At the time, this topic sounded to me like it was the most important for the younger generation. They are about to live in a time when human migration is coming to the fore and will probably become increasingly important due to global climate change. And now, in the terrible situation the whole world has had to face, especially my beloved Ukraine, this message has become even more important.”

“The big mission of BRAVE BUNNIES is to show kids that it is important to respect the difference of others and their boundaries. We follow our main characters as they meet new friends who are very different from each other - just like all of us! Each episode shows real-life examples of how to find an approach to each person without pressure or changing their uniqueness. This big idea quickly attracted many partners from different countries and wonderful professionals from all over the world - Spain, UK, Italy, USA, Canada, Mexico and many more - to our project. Working on the show has been a great lesson in tolerance, support, and understanding of different points of view and cultures. Together we are making a product that is enjoyed by children all over the world.” “Every one of our partners wrote

TOTAL LICENSING us a warm letter of support today and suggested real help, and that is so precious, friends. Thank you! But my post today is first of all about how proud I am of our Brave Bunnies Ukrainian Team. This picture is two years old, and on it, unfortunately, it doesn’t present all the talented and beautiful people working on the project in Ukraine - coming up with ideas, drawing illustrations, writing music, and organizing the team of 100 people on three continents and in many countries. They all have long become more than just colleagues, they are close friends and amazing people. I don’t have a more recent picture, but I’m waiting for better times to make it for sure!” “For now, our BRAVE BUNNIES team is apart, focusing on protecting their homes and their country. “Our lives have been completely overhauled in a single day, but they are still our ‘previous’ lives: in the midst of sirens and bombing and unfunctional roads, we have to try and get food, arrange for some drinkable water. We save our lives and the lives of our loved ones. We pack everything into one small backpack and leave everything we have built and loved. We leave and lose our loved ones. We experience feelings that two weeks ago we never thought we would experience in our prosperous life, which we have been building so hard and for so long... And most importantly, now each of us already knows that the most precious thing in this world – human life and safety - can be violated in an instant.” “We hope to be together again soon to continue with our show and take more recent photos. Also, I really hope that my idea that you can always find a way to create something beautiful together without conflict will find even more resonance in the world today, and the new generation will know exactly how to accomplish it. We strongly hope that the horror that is happening now will end as soon as possible, and we will be able to return to normal life. We thank everyone who helped us in these first hard days of the war, opened their hearts, the doors of their homes, and shared the essentials. We are very

grateful to all our partners who help the project move forward. It gives us hope that together we can bring back a prosperous time for all.” After the first presentation of BRAVE BUNNIES at the Cartoon Forum Festival in Toulouse in 2019, it was then the most-viewed preschool show at MIPCOM 2020. Since then, Glowberry has worked with its global master agents Big Picture Licensing and Panderia to create the brand strategy and sign-up strategic best in-class partners for wave #1. As Olga herself says, “BRAVE BUNNIES had a quick and very brave start!”. Partnerships soon followed with Aardman as the global content distribution partner, Spin Master as global master toy licensee, DeAgostini as a 360 partner for Italy, Penguin Random House as multiterritory publisher and PMI for global Collectables and BTS. Agents were actively signing up the first local licensees for wave #2 rollout including Roy Lowe, Five Mile Press and Caprice when the unprecedented crisis hit. Licensing agents are signed up around the world for wave #1 launch, including WildBrain CPLG (CEE/ Nordic/Benelux/Greece/Turkey), El Ocho (Iberia), CLM (Africa), Mediogen (Israel), and KidsMe/DeAgostini (Italy). Centa IP was recently appointed as the exclusive licensing agent for Australia and New Zealand. The global interest in the BRAVE BUNNIES certainly lies in the beautiful and unique animation, the storytelling, and the very relevant messages in each episode that resonate with families wanting to bring safe and positive content to their children, alongside themes of friendship, diversity and inclusivity. Season 1 launched Jan. 2021 with 52 episodes and broadcast partners include Milkshake/Channel5, Nick Jr, Rai YoYo, ABC Kids, HBO Max, Clan, SuperRTL, NRK, SVT, DeA Junior, YLE, RTP, Ceska TV, HOP and Daeyko

TV. The production of season 2, as Olga puts it “was well underway when the iceberg hit us.” Glowberry and all parties remain extremely committed to the property and are enormously proud to bring the first Ukrainian kids brand to a global audience. BRAVE BUNNIES remains a trusted brand with prosocial values and an emphasis on fun. Nothing will keep Olga, the BRAVE BUNNIES and the roaster of supportive partners down. Spin Master has launches planned in 2022 across multiple European territories; Planeta Libri continues to rollout new books in Italy and Penguin Random House are planning an imminent launch of

books in the UK for Easter as well as additional markets. “We just want peace for our country” Olga says. “To be able to continue our lives and business with our international partners and continue to bring our BRAVE BUNNIES to new audiences worldwide across broadcast platforms and consumer products. From the Glowberry team, we would like to thank all of our broadcast and consumer products partners for your continued support during this crisis.” For more information: www.bravebunnies.com dan@bigpicturelicensing.com

“I really want to write today, amidst all that is happening, that I am incredibly proud of Ukraine. Here live beautiful and talented people! Every one of our partners wrote us a warm letter of support today and suggested real help, and that is so precious, friends. Thank you! From the Glowberry team, we would like to thank all of our broadcast and consumer products partners for your continued support during this crisis.”

Glowberry will be supporting UNICEF during the crisis. https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/ conflict-ukraine-pose-immediatethreat-children

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LICENSING OPPORTUNITIES Tiffanie Lane, Product Manager OpSec Security

The full-blown metaverse might not yet be here, but the dream of a 3D, socially connected virtual world is certainly being shaped in front of our eyes now. As consumers slowly increase their adoption of virtual reality technology and the VR content market is expected to grow by 160% over the next five years, organizations are being presented with new opportunities to benefit from IP licensing and royalties in the metaverse. Expanding customer base with new partnerships In the limitless metaverse, anything is possible. We can already buy virtual Gucci goods for Roblox avatars and watch live concerts on Fortnite, proving new, unexpected partnerships are not only possible, but can also be a great way for businesses to reach new audiences and earn their loyalty. And its not just the luxury brands that are looking to make the move to the metaverse, with Walmart also appearing to be taking steps to enter this new space.

The concept of a virtual shopping mall where consumers can browse through stores and try things on in the comfort of their own homes is, therefore, not that far-fetched. Online retail is ever-present and expanding, so why shouldn’t it be at the centre of the metaverse conversations? Leveraging licensing partnerships within the virtual retail space can enable brands of all shapes and sizes to achieve great scalability and the ability to convert hard-to-reach consumers faster than ever before. With the metaverse breaking down the geographical barriers, organizations can push their branded products easier to new markets, licensing out their IP and making it work harder for them. It could be a real game-changer to open up new revenue streams and enable fast growth. Brands should, therefore, start establishing clear IP licensing agreements with various metaverse platform providers, ensuring the scope of any license will help protect their reputation in a crowded metaverse space.

Future-proofing licensing strategies The metaverse’s interoperability and the ocean of user-generated content that comes with it will lead to a certain degree of IP mixing and brands being used in unpredicted ways. As such, the risk of infringements arises if a business loses track of its new partnerships or its licensing programs operate in silo. To reduce the risk, organizations can set restrictions to their licensing agreements, maintaining full control and ownership of their IP and preventing specific licensees from selling in some virtual shopping malls or gaming spaces. They also can – and should – ensure one point of access to all partnerships through a license management system. With multiple metaverse platforms and endless partnership possibilities, a single source of truth will not only help protect brand’s reputation but also ensure safe shopping experiences for consumers.

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Anna Knight: Licensing Expo to make its triumphant return to Vegas in May

Total Licensing caught up with Anna Knight, SVP Licensing, Informa Markets about the upcoming Expo - the first in-person since 2019. It’s nearly time for the industry to head to Vegas for Licensing Expo in person, which is very exciting, especially after the last two years. Do you predict this international show as a starting point of the ‘return to normality’? It’s really exciting. We’ve already travelled to Vegas this year to aid with event planning, and that’s made the prospect of an Expo return very real, which is wonderful. I think, for us, BLE in London was the first step on our journey to a ‘return to normality’ in terms of bringing in-person events back to the global licensing industry. Expo will be another important milestone in getting there. Compared to where we were two years ago and what I’ve experienced myself in California and through colleagues and customers in other parts of the US, I think we are in a much better place with regard to ‘living with Covid’ and getting back to

business despite it. I genuinely feel that we – as individuals, as event organisers and as an industry – have never been better prepared to be unprepared; we expect uncertainty, and we know how to deal with it. Following on from last year’s successful BLE, what feedback did you receive from attendees and exhibitors about being back face-to-face?

The feedback was amazing; really fantastic. We had comments about what ‘a triumphant return’ it was, also about the volume and quality of retailers present, how everybody just loved being able to get together in a live environment, and how important trade shows are as a critical business driver for the industry. I was so proud of the job the team

“I genuinely feel that we – as individuals, as event organisers and as an industry – have never been better prepared to be unprepared; we expect uncertainty, and we know how to deal with it.” 21

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“We have big plans to stage interactive installations and activations at Vegas, with the theme being location-based experience...”

“There are over 170 exhibitors signed, with that rising each week!”

did, and of the way the industry pulled together to make BLE happen - our exhibitors, suppliers, partners, speakers and visitors are just awesome. During the pandemic, you ran successful virtual shows which were very well-attended – do you see a future of a hybrid of physical and digital shows to encompass the truly global virtual nature of business? There are two very important reasons why face to face is so important to the licensing industry: 1) our exhibitors have told us repeatedly how trade shows sit at the heart of the community and how much easier it is to do business in a face-to-face setting. 2) we all know how sociable this industry is; we need connections, we need to be together. It’s for these reasons that we are so committed to bringing Licensing Expo back as an in-person event. But we also appreciate that living with Covid means different things to different people and some individuals and businesses aren’t ready or able to meet in person yet. That’s why we ran additional content and networking opportunities on our online platform after BLE, and it’s why we are doing the same post-Expo. I, personally, believe the future is predominantly face to face but using the online technology we all relied on during Covid to help make our shows more efficient pre-and-post event, be that planning your schedule, watching content on-demand, being able to see who you met at the event etc.

What measures are you putting in place to ensure that all those attending feel safe and comfortable? While we are still living and working during a pandemic, the health and safety of everyone attending Licensing Expo will remain our number one priority, and this year’s event has been specifically designed to account for varying levels of attendee comfort with a range of options to suit, whether that’s a preference for one-on-one interaction or to maintain physical distance. All Licensing Expo participants will be required to wear a face mask while indoors at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center and present proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test. Mask wearing will be monitored by the Informa organizing team, who are also recommending that participants take a Covid-19 test before leaving their destination to travel to Las Vegas. These safety rules will be in place regardless of Nevada state mandates. Onsite testing will be available off the show floor at the participants’ expense, and this can be used to enter the show or to fulfil any international or domestic pre-departure testing requirements. How many exhibitors have you already signed? We have more over 170 exhibitors already signed with that rising from week to week. The support we’ve received has been incredible – Paramount, Hasbro, Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Mattel, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures

Consumer Products, Lego, Joester Loria Group, Beanstalk, Buzzfeed, The Pokémon Company, NFL Players Association, Games Workshop, Jazwares, Brandgenuity, Banijay, Epic Rights, BBC Studios, Shell, Peanuts Worldwide and many more – have all committed to being at the show. The last two years have seen widely shifting consumer behaviours and trends. How will Licensing Expo reflect this? It has, for sure. Sustainability, digital transformation, experiential and ecommerce are just some of the trends that we’ve seen. From a sustainability point of view, we are delighted to be working with the amazing Helena and Products of Change once more to offer 121 sustainability clinics and seminar education. Helena and team will be available throughout the show in one of our new business lounges. The drive to digital will be reflected in much of our seminar content and some of our new exhibitors such as Recur and we’re also looking forward to driving some next-level experiential activations on the show floor for the first time. On that note, with the theme being ‘location-based experience’, can we look forward to some interactive installations and activations this year? Absolutely. There’s no better way to showcase LBE than through LBE, so we have big plans to stage interactive installations and activations at Vegas. LBE will also be reflected through content as it’ll be the focus of one of our two show floor keynotes. I wish I could say more than that at this stage, but I just can’t. Stay tuned. I promise you won’t be disappointed!

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Front Cover Story: The Future Belongs to Those who Believe!

SeaBelievers and Studio 100 Media have joined forces to make waves in ECOtainment This year, the Earth Day (April 22) theme is Invest In Our Planet. Everybody is urged to contribute to this partnership for the planet in hopes to inspire Earth Day every day. With the new CGI-animated TV show, SeaBelievers

producer and SeaEO Brien P. Arone and distributor Studio 100 Media want to take action and teach children what we all can do to make a difference. Brien P. Arone, Founder and SeaEO, speaks passionately about the creation of SeaBelievers. “Our modern internet-connected world is an incredible place to live. But if life couldn’t be better, why does our instinct keep telling us something is wrong? “People have boosted our natural abilities to do just The first-ever show in the self-created about anything these days—from combating and connected genre: ECOtainment global pandemics to exploring the far reaches SeaBelievers are the first ever children’s of space. Technology keeps us informed and characters to become a Member of 1% for connected and all at the Planet – a global organization that the speed of light. connects businesses, individuals But in the process, and nonprofits, empowering all to drive we have tuned out positive change the cry of our planet. We’ve become smarter than ever about producing our much-needed energy, but it’s hard to compete with the wisdom of Mother Nature herself. Somehow, we must train ourselves to respond to the dangers

Key facts:

we face while overcoming the lifestyle that causes them. “Thankfully, the SeaBelievers are here to help! “Driven by a desire to help and a refusal to leave problems unchecked, our main hero Amelia inspires kids on how to build self-belief while being the change they want to see in the world with the help of five adorable oceangrown superheroes. “Each hero embodies a different type of organic superpower fueled by selfbelief, making it easy for kids to grow up aware of what all our planet has to offer while knowing how powerful they can be in life when they believe in themselves. Together, they adventure toward the path of enlightenment bringing with them the most important believer of all… the child on the other side of the screen. “Continuing the long heritage of influential evergreen content, each episode of “SeaBelievers” directly involves the kids watching the show. As the future of change on this planet, kids find themselves in the unique position of being born smack in the middle of a stubborn world, yet unbiased and open from birth. Kids not only see the SeaBelievers as their own diverse

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Key facts: SeaBelievers have partnered with the Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated writers at Baboon Animation, founded by DreamWorks alumnus Mike de Seve

SeaBelievers is a 52 x 11’, CGI-Animation; Preschooler/kids 4-7 years. Available 2023 Produced by Brien P. Arone, Baboon Animation (USA), Telegael (Ireland), Cosmos Maya (Singapore)

group of friends but their personal heroes leading the way toward the future. “Their mission is simple: Bring about a deeper understanding of the issues afflicting our planet in order to reconnect with Mother Nature. This not only teaches kids how to save their planet but also to keep saving her with new ways to power our lives while always believing in yourself. Each show’s adventure teaches kids how they can apply practical, real-world solutions with unadulterated fun and exciting ways. “The only tricky part comes from dealing with misled “baddies”, the De-

TOTAL LICENSING SEAvers who love to invest in quick and easy solutions. But Amelia and the SeaBelievers know better. The DeSEAvers may offer instant gratification, but with that comes a dump truck full of consequences. By the end of each show, they show the DeSEAvers that their outdated ways are actually doing more harm than good, both to us and the planet itself. “Mother Earth is tired of waiting and now the pressure is on.The SeaBelievers use that sense of urgency as fuel to stay present and deepen connections which lead to choices that help everyone. Our kids don’t yet know the extent of the mess they’re inheriting, and with the help of their favorite heroes, they will hopefully only read about it in history books. “Working against a world set in motion by past generations, it will take baby steps to change the course of the planet. Luckily that’s our kids’ specialty! Baby steps. By tackling hard issues through the awesome power of friendship, it fuels the self-belief that we can nurture a more balanced world. “The future belongs to those who believe!” The show is currently in production, with delivery set for 2023. SeaBelievers offers great educational opportunities for licensing partners, along and besides any usual licensing strategies.

Brien P. Arone, Founder and SeaEO at the White House

Studio 100 Media is responsible for worldwide distribution and is currently starting its licensing activities. As SeaBelievers is part of “1% for the

Planet,” it will contribute to this global organization, actively supporting companies and projects, profit and nonprofit, that are engaged in saving our planet. The SeaBelievers SeaEO, Brien P. Arone, created this show and its very own, new genre: ECOtainment. In February 2020 the SeaBelievers were invited to entertain families from all over the world at the Super Bowl LIV as part of their Oceans to Everglades initiative and were also invited to perform at the White House’s Annual Easter Egg Roll on Earth Day, once again. Licensing partners that feel a strong connection to this show and its mission are welcome to join in this endeavor to make a difference. Studio 100 Media is open to all licensing collaborations for those who believe in the SeaBeliever Way!

2023

A BIG YEAR AHEAD FOR WARHAMMER LICENSING The past few years have seen the company go through a period of exceptional growth, profits saw a 70% jump in their last full financial year and it has been one of the most watched and talked about shares on the London Stock Exchange for many years. But it’s not just financial analysts that have been paying attention and thanks to celebrity fans such as Ed Sheeran and a particularly vocal Henry Cavil, Warhammer has been making headlines a lot of late. With over 520 stores world wide Warhammer has been a staple of high streets and malls for decades but it was best known with hobbyists who collect, paint and play with ‘the best fantasy miniatures in the world’ or read one of the numerous novels published by inhouse division Black Library. Warhammer magazine White Dwarf has also been bucking the downward trend of magazine sales, showing strong circulation gains and even trials in Walmart and Target in the US. The IP is truly global with stores and fans all around the world, particularly in Europe and North America, but is also seeing a growing number of new fans across Asia and beyond. Although some of this success can be seen as

part of the general trend of scifi and fantasy becoming more mainstream over recent years - over 70% of adults in the UK and US now identify as fans of the genres - Warhammer’s growth must be down to something more. With its various settings - from the high fantasy of The Age of Sigmar to the dark dystopia and grim dark of Warhammer 40,000 - the IP offers many different worlds for fans of scifi and fantasy to immerse themselves in. And there’s plenty to get immersed in - with settings as big if not bigger than genre rivals such as Middle Earth, Star War and Marvel. One of the things fans cite for their love of the IP is that it scratches so many itches. If you want some great fantastical stories, it’s got those, if you want some cool models, it’s got those, if you want to have a tactical game, you can do. It’s also a great creative outlet, as fans can write stories for their armies and paint them in pretty much any way they like. And even more ways to engage with the IP are on the way - with two major new licensed products launching this year. The first Warhammer Panini sticker album ‘Warhammer 40,000: Warriors of the Emperor Sticker Collection’ launched in the UK in April bringing

the IP into supermarkets and convenience stores country-wide with international launches already planned. And later in the year will see a major collaboration with Wizards of the Coast as Warhammer 40,000 becomes the first major IP, not part of the Hasbro family, to partner with Magic the Gathering with a worldwide launch of co-branded cards.

Warhammer may have once been the biggest thing a lot of people had never heard of, but the past few years has seen it enter mainstream consciousness.

One area that has seen strong growth over the past few years is video games, all of which are licensed. There are

Parent company Games Workshop was founded in the UK nearly 50 years ago and has been well known to millions of passionate fans since.

TOTAL LICENSING ners haven’t yet been announced the roster is likely to include some of the biggest names that already work with Warhammer - including McFarlane Toys, Funko, Bioworld and Marvel. And on the horizon is an even bigger video game - Space Marine 2.The game was announced out of the blue with a jaw dropping CGI trailer at the Game Awards last December and viewed live by 85 million viewers from around the world. The game is the much anticipated sequel to 2011’s Space Marine, often lauded as the best Warhammer video game ever. Coming from Focus Entertainment and Saber Interactive, and off the back of that CGI trailer, expectations are high and fans were delighted to hear that the main role of Captain Titus would be voiced by Clive Standen, best known for TV shows Vikings and Taken. Warhammer video games across multiple gaming genres including tactical, RPG, first person shooters, arcade. The recent launch of Total War: Warhammer 3 in February was a massive number one bestseller and is the final game in the trilogy that has sold millions of copies worldwide. Chaos Gate - Daemonhunter which releases in May has a character voiced by Andy Serkis. The video games strategy is to make several big games each year and have one or two that can launch wider consumer products programmes as well. Darktide, launching this year from developers Fatshark, the company behind the incredibly successful Warhammer Vermintide games, looks set to be the first of these. Although licensed part-

For more information contact licensing@gwplc.com

For the uninitiated, Space Marines are probably the best known part of the Warhammer IP - 10 foot tall super humans kitted out with serious weaponry. Space Marines are the most popular Warhammer miniatures so the game will have built in audiences from both Warhammer and video games fans. The team at Warhammer are building their biggest licensed program to date around this franchise and it offers a serious opportunity to take the IP to its broadest audience yet. And speaking of taking Warhammer to a broad audience, celebrity fans such as Henry Cavill, Ed Sheeran and Rahul Kohli are helping break down the stigma around what has traditionally been seen as a very niche interest and open it up to anyone that finds scifi and fantasy cool.

2023 looks set to be a big year for Warhammer and that’s before we talk about the fact that it’s the 40th anniversary of the IP. Not much has been shared of the plans to celebrate this milestone as yet but the first 6 months of 2023 are rumoured to see a celebration of all things Warhammer as the IP partners with other iconic British brands across a number of categories to create products, experiences and moments that will not only surprise and delight existing fans but also bring Warhammer to the attention to a broad audience. And if all of that wasn’t enough it looks like Warhammer will be branching into entertainment content as well in the not too distant future. Given the IP has been around for decades, there is already a huge amount of Warhammer content, with thousands of novels, including New York Times bestsellers, to choose from. Meaning there are limitless opportunities for translating them into liveaction and animated content. Some of this has already begun with content for the Warhammer+ subscription service. This content is most likely to appeal to the hardcore fan base who subscribe to also gain access to Weekly in-house Warhammer hobby shows, a digital vault of classic Warhammer publications and White Dwarf issues ad full access to all Warhammer Apps. Outside of this, and intended for a broader audience, Warhammer has an limitless supply of stories to be told that have the potential at crossing multiple genres, such as suspense and thriller, not just sci-fi and fantasy. There are already a number of projects in development and a major LA based agency was recently signed so hopefully the wait to see Warhammer content appear on global streaming services isn’t too far off. So 2023 looks set to be a huge year for Warhammer and it’s unlikely many people will finish up the year not knowing all about this scifi fantasy juggernaut.

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The Italian Market is Layered and Complicated Although it is not easy to depict the multifaceted Italian business scene - and licensing is no exception - one common point ties all markets and intellectual properties: an amazing growth in terms of offerings. With Kids Marketing Day just behind us, and while all of the trends and insights about the family and kids business have been discussed between the professionals who gathered there on 10th March, we can safely state that the offering of entertainment

content for kids, teens and young adults is more than the audience can digest. MLD Entertainment’s monitoring service “Screenshots TV & Cinema” shows that all the new content available on streaming platforms and SVOD like Netflix, Disney+, Sky, Rai Play, Discovery+, have added 165 animated series (each of them equals a licensed character) broadcast by seven free to air TV stations – Rai YoYo, Rai Gulp, Cartoonito, Super, Boing, K2 and Freesbee, and more than 50 franchisedriven movies (at cinemas or on platforms) constantly launching in the next 48 months. The “media diet” of Italian kids and teens is getting fatter due to the growing use of smartphone and tablets at early ages, and new “franchises” (not

sure if such a term can apply) that are generated from YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Twitch and Roblox add a spice to this recipe, and from this point of view, the entrance into the kids licensing scene of the YouTuber couple “MeControTe”, of gamers like “Lyon”, or influencers like Chiara Fer-

By Paolo Lucci Lucci & Partners paolo.lucci@luccitm.com www.luccitm.com www.brandjam.it

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ragni, comes as no suprise. MeControTe and Chiara Ferragni have, in the last year, been amazingly dynamic in signing licensing deals with any kind of category, from shoes to mineral waters for the former, and from kids apparel to surprise eggs for the latter.

Despite this fascination for new media, the kids publishing business remains in good shape: according to AIE, the Italian publishing association, kids book sales have grown 19,2% in 2021 vs. 2020 - 3 points more than the whole market’s growth. Not only Harry Potter but Luca and the Wimpy Kid are responsible for that, as all YouTuber’s titles launched in 2021 reached the Top 3 in the Italian kids publishing chart. Major franchises like Marvel, DC Comics and Harry Potter are a staple for the Italian licensing market. They are expanding their cultural influcence to the adult target, generating many products for adults with a pop twist. This trend “from geek to fan” includes and explains the recent growing success of Manga/Anime IPs. Some of these, like OnePiece and MyHeroAcademia have become true

hypes in Italy, offering opportunities for apparel and accessories categories, in the “capsule collection” co-branded formula. These licensed “collaborations”, as the global jargon defines them, have expanded in the last couple of years, growing from a storytelling platform once limited to sneakers or fashion/ luxury products to the mainstream apparel and accessories markets. FMCG brands like CocaCola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Chupa Chups, continue to feed limited-edition collections at fast fashion retailers like OVS, Piazza Italia, Alcott and Terranova, underwear and nightwear specialists like Tezenis and Calzedonia, and also at sneaker/ sportswear retailers like AW Lab. This narrative format includes also gaming, forging new paths converging towards platforms like Roblox and Fortnite, often used by lifestyle brands like Gucci, Moncler, or Diesel as a storytelling container to create buzz, and where NFT first tests are starting, mixing consumer products with digital collectibility. Without doubt, this is a very dynamic panorama, which must be monitored constantly.

The Growth of E-Commerce in Post-Pandemic Italy Italy’s economy expanded at a slightly faster-than-expected rate of 6.6 per cent last year, while its fiscal deficit came in far below official targets, as investment, consumption and exports bounced back from the shock of the Covid pandemic. The official figures, released recently, came just after Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, declared that Italy would soon be able to receive its first €21bn tranche from the EU’s Covid recovery fund. According to reports, Italy is set to be the largest recipient of the EU’s Covid recovery fund, and will potentially be eligible to receive nearly €200bn in grants and concessional loans. Of course, the pandemic hit the Italian market, as it did everywhere around the world. One interesting by-product of the

Top Italian E-Commerce Platforms with monthly traffic 1

Amazon Italy

180.5m

eBay Italy

Mediaworld

UniEuro

10.4m

AliExpress Italiano

8.65m

Zalando

8.1m

IBS.it

6.3m

Decathlon

5.9m

ePrice

Esselunga

76.9m 11.3m

5.15m 5.1m

TOTAL LICENSING pandemic in Italy was the growth in online shopping. Italians have traditionally preferred to shop in-store and pay by cash. However, as a result of the pandemic, consumers began buying items online in record numbers with 75% of Italians shopping online during the lockdown. Up to two million Italians tried ecommerce for the first time between January and May 2020 and this growing trend is expected to remain, post restrictions. As consumer shopping and spending habits shifted online, brands became increasingly aware of the importance of having an online division of their business. As you would expect, the food and grocery sector saw the greatest increase during lockdown with a 70% rise year on year. E-commerce giant Amazon became the most popular online store in Italy with food, wine, home-office equipment and fitness products high on the list. As e-commerce grew in Italy in 2020, many consumers turned to mobile devices to make their purchases with 51% of B2C purchases taking place on

a smartphone. At the same time, social com- Top Retailers in Italy merce, which allows (Turnover in Million €) brands to combine enRetailer Turnover No Stores gaging social content with shoppable prod1 Coop Italia 14,800 1,118 ucts, rose in popularity. Time spent on Face2 Conad 13,400 2,664 book soared by 70% in Italy during March 3 Selex 10,900 2,500 2020 with consumers 4 Esselunga 7,914 157 accessing shopping and entertainment via the 5 Gruppo Vege 6,818 3,054 platform. Interestingly, clothing 6 Crai 6,148 3,600 and sports apparel have become the most pop7 Eurospin 5,860 1,050 ular product categories 8 Carrefour 5,265 959 for online shopping in Italy. However, se9 Lidl 4,700 600 curity is a major concern amongst younger 10 Despar 3,509 1,244 consumers. In a recent survey, a third of Millennials say they do not trust their credit card or banking in- by the lack of domestic options available. China, the UK and Germany all formation online. Cross-border commerce is gaining in benefit from being Italy’s most popular prominence, with consumers looking e-commerce markets for Italians lookto buy from overseas, primarily driven ing for variety and choice.

Milano Licensing Day returns live in September On September 15, Milano Licensing Day will open its doors again for a full day dedicated to the Italian licensing business, and the event organizers are already at work. Milano Licensing Day has become the reference event, not only for local professionals, but also for any non-domestic IP owner wishing to get in contact with Italian partners. Despite the last two years of the pandemic, this event has been the only one of its kind to keep a live format, last year unleashing the enthusiasm of more than 500 people gathering around the NHow Congress Center in via Tortona, the heart of fashion and design district of Milan. “We shaped Milano Licensing Days as the after-summer, back-to-business event, early September every year, where Covid-19 curves during those last two editions lost a bit of their traction” says Paolo Lucci, Managing Director of MLD Entertainment, the event organizer. “ We were probably lucky to be able to deliver – two years in a row – such a successful event during such a critical situation”.

“It was not easy to manage more than 500 people gathering there under safety restrictions which we decided should be stricter than the goverment requirements” echoed Vanessa Stillitano, event manager “But all visitors and sponsors were heartfully enthusiastic, particularly last year, to get together again”. An ongoing enthusiasm it seems, as many exhibitors and sponsors have already booked for the 2022 edition in order to keep that momentum going. “Many last years’ first timers,

mainly non Italian exhibitors, are now asking eight months ahead, about this years’ availability and new features” declares Gisella Barabino, event manager at MLD Entertainment. Effective business matching services and pitching sessions, all in a unique one-day-only format, are the secrets of the Milano Licensing Day recipe. Along with some new features which are taking shape in the coming weeks, they will be at center stage this year again on 15th September, at NHow Congress Center in Milan. For more information, contact: evento@ milanolicensingday.it

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Italy

The Children’s Marketplace

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7 - 14 Years Roblox FIFA Soccer

Minecraft Netflix Marvel

Nintendo Adidas

Girls

Winx Club

Lego

Me contro Te

DC Comics Spider-Man

Nike Batman

Disney Barbie

Super Mario Star Wars

Pokemon

Fortnite

Avatar

Boys

Harry Potter

Boing

Superman Cartoonito Mickey Mouse

Frozen Peppa Pig Masha and the Bear

Bing Bunny

0 - 6 Years

Italian Child/Youth Population By Age 3.29m

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www.totallicensing.com

1.34m

0-2

4.16m 3.45m

1.47m

3-5

6 - 11

12 - 17

18 - 24 33

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MeteoHeroes: Action, Entertainment and Awareness Since its highly successful launch in Italy in 2020, the animated children’s show MeteoHeroes has made inroads into broadcast markets around the world and inspired a licensing campaign. Its theme of protecting the planet, meanwhile, has made it an important contributor to initiatives aimed at raising awareness of environmental issues.

Award-winning hit TV show. Popular podcast. Educational inspiration. Video game. Licensed property. The popular environmentally themed animated kids’ show MeteoHeroes, coproduced by Mondo TV and the leading Italian weather forecasting centre Meteo Operations Italia (MOPI), has a lot to celebrate. MeteoHeroes, which recently won a US Kids First! Film Festival Award for Best Environmental Short, focuses on issues related to ecology and respect for nature through the adventures of six superpowered kids, each from a different continent, who can control weather phenomena. The series premiered in Italy on Earth Day in April 2020 and remains among the most successful Cartoonito programmes in the country. It has already inspired TV movies and podcasts. Much more broadcasting output and licensed product is planned. The show is now expanding its international reach. The first series is available in over 140 countries and 20 languages and series two has already been confirmed by Canal Plus + Kids. Starting in April, the second season of

MeteoHeroes (52 episodes x 13 ‘) will have its world premiere on Cartoonito Italy. And North America is next. This follows the recently announced partnership with entertainment expert Kenn Viselman for the exclusive North American distribution and marketing of MeteoHeroes. On April 22, 2022 the MeteoHeroes make their broadcast debut on PBS with an Earth Day Special. A companion series, executive produced by Kenn Viselman, will premiere in late summer 2022. Support for the TV show will also include the recently launched video game – MeteoHeroes – Saving Planet Earth – for Sony PlayStation, which will be managed by Kenn Viselman’s itsy bitsy Entertainment Company (TibECo) in partnership with the show’s co-producers Mondo TV S.p.A and leading weather forecasting centre Meteo Operations Italia (MOPI) The development of this video game builds on the qualities that have made MeteoHeroes so original and appealing: an animated kids’ show that is exciting, colourful, and fun but that also teaches viewers about the need to protect our planet. In fact, MeteoHeroes is the only cartoon in the world dedicated entirely to climate and environmental issues and this important theme is guiding a parallel approach, one that brings together entertainment with education. Last year, for example, Mondo, MOPI and Italian environmentalist association Legambiente partnered to launch a special MeteoHeroes sticker album

to raise awareness about the plight of the world’s bees. The album invited kids to join the six superheroes on a Save the Queen mission by building their very own MeteoHeroes sticker album. But this wasn’t just about illustrations. Each packet of stickers purchased brought funding for a home for one bee, bringing donations of muchneeded beehives to Italian beekeepers. After the success of the first edition, the second album MeteoHeroes – Together We Are Stronger - published by IdeaLab and again based on a collaboration between Legambiente MOPI and Mondo TV, has arrived. The collection, consisting of a 32-page album and 160 adhesive stickers (including some special holographic, multicoloured and shiny stickers), again aims to save bees from the risk of extinction. But that’s not all. The second edition of the album supports the recently launched MeteoHeroes Academy. MeteoHeroes Academy is a fun and educational training programme aimed at promoting sustainable citizenship. It’s a place where children train to protect the environment; like the superhero stars of the show they can become the MeteoHeroes of tomorrow.

TOTAL LICENSING To become part of the exclusive Academy you need to show that you have the makings of real MeteoHero; there’s an ‘entrance test’ in the album, which asks young fans to complete six tasks that can benefit their world. The Academy was launched on the popular MeteoHeroes podcast channel, where it became a six-part podcast in its own right, available from January this year on all major podcasting platforms. The voices of the six MeteoHeroes guide listeners on six tasks they can carry out in order to join the MeteoHeroes Academy. Each episode stars two of the show’s characters talking about a task, after which a friendly scientist adds a brief explanation of how the kids are helping the environment. This is not just a fun way to engage the show’s fans; it’s also being positioned as a handy tool for teachers. There’s even an academy mini site supporting teachers in Italian nursery and primary schools with teaching materials and information cards. Luigi Latini is one of the show’s creators – and CEO of MOPI. As he puts it “Combining fun and fact through the adventures of the MeteoHeroes and the scientific input of MOPI meteorologists, the MeteoHeroes information cards will cover as many as 30 topics relating to the climate, the environment and nature. It’s a great way to support the curiosity of the young, give them a grounding in understanding environmental issues and educate our future citizens so that they can help the planet they will inherit.” And that’s not all. This March, MeteoHeroes got together with the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano, the organization involved with the maintenance, preservation, and restoration of the Cathedral of Milan. The partners developed free initiatives for schools that gave them an insight into the effects of pollution and climate change on the famous cathedral.

Teachers and students are able to visit construction sites managed by the Veneranda Fabbrica to see how and why the Cathedral of Milan receives continuous care and restoration. The visits will help kids understand the impact that human activities have on the environment and offer advice on how to intervene. There are more such initiatives planned. Already, however, the show’s role in raising environmental awareness has encouraged ANPE (the National Association of Italian Teachers) to support the MeteoHeroes project.

It was in Italy where the show first launched two years ago. It is today one of Cartoonito’s – and Mondo’s – biggest hits. But interest in the themes MeteoHeroes addresses is growing worldwide – and so is the reach of the show. Not just North America, but Latin America, the Caribbean and a number of other territories will join broadcasters in territories as varied as France, Singapore, Switzerland, Turkey, Poland and more during 2022.

But of course, the success of this show is also down to action, adventure, fun, excellent graphics and writing, and six highly relatable young heroes. That’s why late spring will see the arrival of series two. The launch, scheduled for April, will be accompanied by a return of the first season, starting March 7, alongside 25 new ‘minisodes’.

More licensing output will follow. But, as a proven hit with a well-received educational message MeteoHeroes has even more to offer, as its Kids First! Award indicates. Luigi Latini says: “Being awarded by such a prestigious American film festival with a strong focus on the education of children is a demonstration of how current and in step with the times the MeteoHeroes are. The Kids First! jury perfectly understands our aim – to educate children while they have fun.”

Mondo is also developing a licensing campaign that builds on the growing success of the franchise. Among the first product launches planned for 2022 are a new book from Giunti, and MeteoHeroes ice cream from Sammontana.

This may be only the start. The Italian MeteoHeroes partnerships alongside well-known educational groups could inspire similar ideas in other regions and – who knows? – perhaps produce the next generation of heroes ready to save the planet.

But the big news for 2022 is the video game coproduced by Sony Interactive Entertainment Spain, Gammera Nest and Mondo TV Studios, now available for Playstation and PC. MeteoHeroes – Saving Planet Earth invites children of all ages to join the much-loved characters from the popular TV series in a fun action platform game.There will be enemies to escape from, fast-moving adventures and multiple locations on all the world’s continents, where players will have to find hidden items on the screen that will help them rid each city of pollution. The game will be available in six languages: Italian, Spanish, English, French, German and Portuguese. It is expected to launch at retail stores in Italy in autumn 2022. Further launch dates and regions will be confirmed later this year.

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Market Round-Up With 30 years of history, WildBrain CPLG Italy utilises its robust local market knowledge and expertise to connect the best brands with topclass partners. Previously known as The Copyright Promotions Licensing Group (now part of WildBrain), WildBrain CPLG Italy is one of 16 offices worldwide. The local team, which is led by Pau Pascual, VP Southern Europe, MENA & South Asia, continues to grow and has recently welcomed a new Commercial Director, Laurent

Fourcine, who brings a wealth of licensing industry experience to drive growth for the agency’s licensors in the region and continue the strategic evolution of the Italian office. WildBrain CPLG Italy has become home to a robust slate of classic brands, with an increasingly strong line-up of properties with rich heritage, as well as on-trend propositions. Many of these brands have become engrained in pop culture, including Peanuts and WildBrain’s Teletubbies, as well as Pink Panther, Mafalda, SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog among others. The Italian team continues to expand the licensing program for emoji® – The Iconic Brand and, in addition to the core brand, is working on the consumer productions extension of emoji® with new IP emojitown® – the digital-first YouTube series developed by WildBrain Spark. The series has achieved more than 100 million views and garnered 400 thousand subscribers globally in only eight months. Another important local focus is on

the beloved WildBrain-owned brand and international phenomenon Strawberry Shortcake, which has brought joy to generations of kids for the last 40 years. Strawberry Shortcake is back with a cool new look and confident, savvy attitude for today’s kids in new animated series Berry in the Big City, alongside a master toy range from Moose Toys and an extensive franchise programme spanning apparel, games, publishing and more. The Italian team is also busy working on a cross-category programme for the iconic arcade gaming brand Tetris®, which has recently become part of the WildBrain CPLG Italy portfolio. Tetris is one of the most purchased video games of all time, with over 500 million games sold worldwide. In 2022, the first dedicated movie for the brand will be released on Apple TV+, which will tell the story of the game’s creation and star Taron Egerton. Tetris is also gearing up to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024. Another gaming IP in WildBrain CPLG’s local portfolio is Brawl Stars, for which the agency has already rolled out licensing programmes in key product categories, such as toys, personal care, back-to-school, accessories, gifts and loyalty promotions among others. Also in the entertainment space,WildBrain CPLG’s Italy team represents a range of popular shows originated from streaming platforms Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, such as Vikings Valhalla, Cobra Kai and The Boys, and is extending these offscreen through engaging licensing programmes for fans. Within its growing Corporate & Lifestyle property lineup, WildBrain CPLG Italy has had significant success with Harvard and Yale university brands, with the University of Southern California also recently

joining the portfolio. The agency’s Lifestyle portfolio continues to welcome brands, including renowned artist Romero Britto, fashion designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, automotive brand Motul and internationally renowned Swiss motorsport company, Sauber, which owns and operates the Alfa Romeo F1 Team Orlen. Business International Company (B.I.C.), founded in 1972 by Oscar Massari and led nowadays by Claudio Massari, is one of the top independent licensing Agency in Italy. Through all these decades, B.I.C. achieved many successes, adapting and renovating its structure and business strategies in order to best satisfy the requests of a growing and challenging market. Currently B.I.C. manages the Italian rights for classic and editorial icons to lifestyle brands. With regard to classics, the French brand Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) is a famous icon of literature, with important values and well recognized all around the world. In 2021 the book written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was the fourth most read volume in Italy, its story and images are evergreen and very loved. 2023 will see the 80th anniversary of the first edition in the USA and many events will be expected all over the world. In Italy the next few months will see a lot of new collaborations, that will join the already existing partnerships with Montblanc, Moleskine, Adriano Salani Editore, Trucco Tessile (for

TOTAL LICENSING underwear and pajamas) and many others to follow. A new brand in B.I.C.’s portfolio is Paul Frank: born in the 1990s and whose icon is Julius the Monkey, it has evolved over the years into a globally licensed character brand recognized for its ironic humor and clever collaborations. It is still contemporary, with current key values such as gender neutrality, individuality and its link to pop & music culture and humorous lifestyle. At the moment in Italy, Paul Frank is in store through Scout and Gruppo Ambrocas (apparel), both creating fashion items for adults and kids. Another lifestyle brand managed by B.I.C. is UCLA (University of California Los Angeles). It refers not just to a university world and logo but it involves the California Dreaming way of life. With its reinvention, innovation, inclusivity, sustainability, optimism and sporting life, it goes beyond traditional collegiate product programs. B.I.C also continue to work with Don Oriolo, the world famous Felix The Cat creator, on his “Oriolo Paintings” and “Oriolo Guitars”. Finally in B.I.C.’s portfolio is Catsline, the fashion design brand for young women. It presents a refined world in which there is an elegant feline shad-

ow, sweet and flexible, with French atmosphere and romantic backgrounds. ETS Licensing, one of the leading independent licensing agencies in Italy, has always followed a strategy to build a portfolio of properties that can interpret the trendiest themes of the moment, with a balanced mix of evergreen icons, consolidated characters and new brands. The faceted universe revolving around food, is catalyzing the attention of an increasingly vast and transversal audience. In this context, ETS has just launched a partnership with Findus, a leading company in the frozen food sector, to transform Carletto, the chameleon that has since 1998 been the face of the Sofficini brand, into an Intellectual Property. “It’s showtime in the kitchen!” is the claim that summarizes the original interpretation of the food world proposed by Chefclub, the innovative digital cooking brand born in Paris in 2016 with the aim of transforming the kitchen into a space for sharing and entertainment while bringing everyone together, Chefclub has seen, in a short time, an exceptional growth of its community through the publica-

tion of funny video recipes on social platforms. There is a strong program of collaborations and licensing initiatives for Chefclub that includes a global partnership with Groupe SEB, for a complete range of pots, kitchen utensils and small appliances featuring Chefclub by Tefal, which was successfully launched last year internationally. New partnership agreements are also being signed in Italy. In September Vallardi publishing house will launch a cookbook with more than 80 original recipes. Digital properties, too, are important in the ETS portfolio. Year after year, Outfit7, the company behind Talking Tom has continued to move in the direction of a broad multi-channel presence for the property with the intent to increase contact opportunities and delivering a 360 brand experiences to its huge number of fans. For Talking Tom & Friends an ambitious program of licensing and merchandising has been globally activated which already includes more than 3,000 products launched and eight theme parks. Gamebud Talking Tom, the first “animatronic toy” in the world, recently launched by Huge! Play in partnership with Outfit7 and Epic Story Media. Among other product launches, Talking Tom and Talking Angela ice creams are coming this spring, developed by Incom Leone. Preschool property Cry Babies Magic Tears, that recently joined the ETS family, also has a strong connection with the digital world. The doll, from IMC Toys has successfully evolved by combining new toy collections with an animated series, exclusive video content, an app with interactive games and activities and a dedicated YouTube channel: Kitoons. The cute dolls were the most sold toys in Italy in 2021 according to NPD. They are also seeing excellent results for the collectible version Cry Babies Magic Tears, which has confirmed the property at number 2 in its category. Among the new brands from ETS, there is Oggy Oggy, an animated preschool series. Produced in CGI by

TOTAL LICENSING the French studio Xilam, with 156 episodes from 7 minutes in 2 seasons, available on Netflix from August 2021, the series will launch this year on free to air kids’ TV channels. The first season of the animated series, which debuted globally on Netflix in August 2021, from September 2022 will also land on television. A licensing program began with the partnership between Xilam Animation and Simba Dickie Group, the global Master Toy. The new collection, aimed at children aged 3 to 6, will be launched in autumn 2022 with a wide variety of product categories. Initially available in France, Italy, Germany and the UK, it will be extended to Poland and Spain in spring 2023 and subsequently expanded to other territories. Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), success is underlined by its ability to successfully manage a portfolio of properties across a wide variety of brand areas. It has of course long enjoyed enormous success representing hit animated series like Bing, Bluey, ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks, Gigantosaurus and Masha and the Bear. However, it has had a great response to its growing portfolio of fashion brands, like young Italian stylist Filippo Laterza and the Premoli + Di Bella brand inspired by the work of creative directors Giovanni Premoli and Dario Di Bella. Iconic cultural brands like LIFE,Asterix, ISA (International Space Archives) and

La Gazzetta dello Sport are also managed by MDL in Italy as are some of the most famous bands and musical artists in history: Motorhead, Backstreet Boys, Whitney Huston, David Bowie, The Police, Pink Floyd, to name only a few. MDL also represents the incredibly successful teen influencer and content creator Charlotte M. Reinforcing the strong reputation MDL enjoys, recent additions to its portfolio include comic book legend Corto Maltese. Maurizio Distefano says, “It’s been a tough twelve months for the licensing industry but with hard work and attention to detail we have not only continued offering a first-class service to our valuable existing clients but we have also enriched our portfolio with some popular and iconic names. We’re delighted that this hard work has allowed us to retain our place among Europe’s elite.” Following a sensational year in 2021 as Pokémon celebrated its 25th anniversary, 2022 is gearing up to be just as exciting for the iconic evergreen brand in Italy. With a raft of exciting special projects and collaborations launching throughout 2022. Following the sell-out success of Poste Italiane’s first collection of exclusive, limited edition Pokémon philatelic folders, a new series launched in February to celebrate Pokémon Day. The four numbered, limited folders of just 2,000 each contain two postcards dedicated to Pokémon in the cities of Bologna, Palermo, Turin and Venice, franked with the respective city stamps, with one also stamped with the special “Anime Collection” postmark. Priced €12, they are available from post offices, in the Spazio Filatelia and online at filatelia.poste.it. An innovative collaboration with leading Italian luxury fashion house Iceberg Junior saw a collection of 20 garments for children launch in early 2022. The range includes t-shirts, dresses, hoodies, sweaters, sweatpants and shirts and is available in multi-

brand boutiques and e-commerce across Europe and US. TPCi and Kinder have teamed up again to launch the delicious Kinder Maxi Surprise for Easter 2022. The Pokémon-themed 220gr chocolate Easter egg is dedicated to “Teens” and it includes exclusive surprises (mobile phones accessories), featuring some of the most loved characters such as Pikachu, Gengar and Bulbasaur. A QR code in the egg invites Pokémon fans and their families to a fun game on Applaydu, the Kinder app with augmented reality. Products are available only in Italy and France. Pokémon has also teamed up with Salati Preziosi for a special food promotion covering all major Italian hypermarkets and supermarkets from January. Branded crisp packets featuring Pikachu and friends are available in different formats and all with an exciting Pokémon themed in-pack gadget. Now established as highly successful in apparel, Pokémon secured two new licensing partners in the Softline category last year to cover the Italian and Spanish markets. Kicking off the new deals is Sun-City who are set to launch apparel and accessories collections for boys and girls and adults, available in mass market and specialised retailers and via wholesalers throughout Italy and Spain. Meanwhile, J. Brand International is on board to launch a strong softline programme (including t-shirts, sweatshirts, pyjamas, underwear and sweatpants) for kids and adults. The apparel and accessories collections will be available in fashion retailers and online in Italy. With a plethora of further exciting activity in the pipeline, 2022 looks set to be another epic year for Pokémon. Santoro has built up a formidable presence and reputation in Italy with its iconic brand Gorjuss. Despite the adversities faced with the coronavirus pandemic and multiple lockdowns, Santoro has continued to gain momentum in the Italian market, an already key territory for the brand. The unassailable relationships between Santoro and its Italian licensees have ensured that innovative licensed products have

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continued to flood the Italian market, proving again Italy’s instrumentality in Santoro’s success. In the past year, Santoro spanned myriad product categories with its Italian licensees, seeing Balocco produce Gorjuss mini pandoro tins for Christmas and Gorjuss eggs at Easter, selling over 130,000 pieces for the latter - a remarkable 30% up on pre-pandemic sales, whilst Italian chocolate manufacturers Witor’s have signed for Santoro’s Mirabelle and will hit shelves in 2023. Gorjuss continues to occupy a major presence in Italy’s kiosk channels with DeAgostini launching Gorjuss collectable tins containing scented clays in February, having already enjoyed success with three campaigns of Gorjuss figurines, selling in excess of 2.5 million pieces. Panini S.p.a have also been instrumental in this channel, recently launching their metal tag collectible series following multiple successful sticker campaigns. Apparel and accessories continue to be busy categories for Gorjuss with licensees such as Benetton, J Brand International, Gabbiano S.p.a. and Santoro Italia all developing exciting products for 2022/23. In order to further expand its Gorjuss presence in Italy, Santoro is delighted to be attending Bologna Licensing Trade Fair 2022 where they look forward to connecting with new and existing licensees. Santoro’s book pub-

lisher Pon Pon Edizioni will be showcasing their wide portfolio of titles developed during lockdown. This includes their Gorjuss series “Books to Dream With” featuring 3 large format illustrated books If I Were.., Like A Dream… and Turn The Card…, as well as the beautiful Romantic Stories. Pon Pon have also developed a stunning range of smaller books including The Answer’s Book, 5 minutes For You, Travel Book amongst many others. Children’s publishing is an incredibly rich vein of licensing for Gorjuss and Santoro expect to see ample developments for its Italian audiences in the forthcoming year. Indeed, Santoro have occupied an immense brand presence in Italy and expect to see their numbers continue to increase in 2022. With Bologna on the horizon, Santoro hope to tie up valuable new licensing collaborations, connect with their longstanding contacts and begin taking Gorjuss to even greater heights in Italy. Maria Romanelli’s Team Entertainment report a number of new projects and extensions to existing ones. The Day Henry Met – Series 4 has been completed and is now airing on Rai Yoyo with a large audience share. The property is being presented to new potential licensees in the apparel and accessories areas now that trade shows are finally back live – MICAM, MIPEL, MIDO – and positive interest has been expressed. Classic brand Nici has a new distributor and an Italian company is now on board– Borella Orso Mago.

Team Entertainment also report interest in Carte Blanche and Coconut Dragon – the star of two television series and two movies. The company has also finalized a worldwide deal with an author of a new project which will see Team Entertainment getting involved in the production of a TV Series, distribution and all the Licensing activities. The project is The Wings of Amelia which an initial 26 x 13 minute of live action and animation aimed at the preschool market. Amelia has a positive attitude, a natural tendency to help other in funny and intriguing ways. She is always ready to come to the rescue of children who need a hand in solving a problem, and she can always count of her magic friend X21 and his superpowers! In Amelia’s world everything is “different”, inclusive, multicultural and in harmony with the environment. Maria Romanelli said, “This is an absolute charming, unique, special TV series and property. We are finalizing the co-production table with a very important international partner, an historic Animation Studio in Italy for the preproduction and a very strong interest from many countries in Europe and beyond.”

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CTV: The MVP of Every Brand’s Distribution Playbook David Di Lorenzo, SVP, Kids & Family, Future Today, extols the benefits Engaging young consumers has never been more challenging. Just ask any kids-focused brand or IP owner, who’ll tell you they spend more time than ever placing content across multiple platforms with less than desirable results. New platforms continue to proliferate, leading to greater fragmentation across this key audience, thus forcing brands to have a multiplatform strategy. Where can brands go to connect with young audiences? Whether you’re licensing content or promoting merchandise, CTV should be a vital piece in every brand’s distribution playbook, as streaming AVOD channels could be the key to increasing reach, growing active communities, and unlocking new revenue. Television has long been regarded as the premier destination for brands,

“...streaming AVOD channels could be the key to increasing reach, growing active communities, and unlocking new revenue...”

but traditional TV viewing is declining, and Saturday morning broadcast kids programming has all but disappeared. This massive shift means traditional TV is no longer enough to grow a fanbase and support merchandise in stores or online. Instead, brands need to follow the viewers, and kids today are turning to CTV streaming apps and channels – particularly AVOD – as their content destination of choice. In a recent study, we found that more than half of Americans now prefer ad-supported streaming over subscription services, and more than 35% plan to decrease their number of paid subscriptions in 2022. The industry has clearly reached a tipping point. CTV publisher Future Today’s owned and operated AVOD streaming service, HappyKids, viewing time in-

creased more than 160% year over year in 2021 and continues to grow.All the while, 76% of our HappyKids audience say they seldom watch cable or broadcast TV, meaning these audiences can be hard to find anywhere else. CTV platforms have finally achieved the scale and the revenue potential that kids brands such as Lego, Blippi, and Cocomelon are looking for, presenting a massive opportunity to partner with minimal cost and risk. Depending on a brand’s goals, there are countless ways to capitalize, from launching a standalone branded VOD app or linear FAST channel, to syndicating content onto established streaming services that already have scale. And there are technology partners today that can make this entire process seamless. Engagement is also far greater on CTV than any other digital platform today. With HappyKids, we’ve found that kids and families talk about not only the shows they’re watching, but upwards of 87% also talk about the ads they see during the program. They talk more about the ads seen on TV than YouTube, TikTok, video games or the social influencers kids follow. As a result, kids and parents are becoming much more aware of brands they see on CTV and are having meaningful conversations about them. Kids have an opinion, AND it’s brand specific. We are learning that brand loyalty starts at a very early age, setting the stage for brands and advertisers to have potential life-long consumer fidelity. So, whether you’re a licensor, merchandiser, content creator, media company or anywhere in between, CTV offers a way to immediately reach new audiences, monetize existing content and increase your ROI. If AVOD isn’t already in your brand distribution strategy playbook, what are you waiting for?

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El Ocho Licencias & Promociones report on some of the key properties in their portfolio for 2022.

MY HERO ACADEMIA Taking into account the popularity of manga in the world today, one of El Ocho’s properties with major potential has, since 2021 been My Hero Academia. The brand has sold 50m comics worldwide, of which 10m were sold in Europe, and also has a fastgrowing licensing program. Furthermore, MHA has a strong presence in the main distribution channels, both online and offline. Since El Ocho began to manage MHA, the growth of the licensing program has been spectacular. In less than a few months they have signed the following companies: Comic Studio (apparel/ accessories), Grupo Erik (notebooks/calendars/posters), Jugavi (Toiletry bags, bath sets and cosmetic sets) and Karactermania (fashion bags/bags coin purse /card holder).

TOTAL LICENSING During 2022, El Ocho’s goal is to increase the number of licensing agreements and sign with the main retailers in the Spanish and Portuguese markets. They will also work closely with the marketing departments of distributors in Iberia to give greater visibility to the brand during the Spring, Summer, BTS and Christmas campaigns, with a prominent presence at the Manga Fair 2022.

DRAGON BALL:

The unstoppable success of this series over recent years has kept the brand iconic in the world of manga and of course in the world of licensing. El Ocho has been witnessing its success since it was incorporated back in 2015, seeing from close up how every day Dragon Ball became a benchmark in the world of manga, as well as in the licensing sector. El Ocho has signed licenses with well-known apparel brands such as Zara, Bershka, Pull and Bear, Sprinter (sports clothing), Tempe (footwear), Comic Studio, and Sun City (T-shirts, sweats and pajamas). In addition to the apparel category which gives the brand a lot of visibility touching all target groups, El Ocho continues to increase its licensing program with more than 27 licensees among which are: CyP, Educa, Grupo Erik, Karactermania, La Casa de las Carcasas, Panini, Play by Play, SD, Stor,Viving and more.

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COCOMELON: As the No 1 children’s channel in the world on YouTube, and the No 1 educational channel on YouTube, Cocomelon, the animated children’s series has potential that make the figures speak for themselves. The brand has more than 4 million visits per month on average, as well as having reached the amazing figure of more than 102 billion visits and 102 million subscribers on this platform. As if that wasn’t enough, after its launch onto the Netflix streaming platform, it has reached the Top 10 lists in the US for 258 consecutive days, and in the UK, it has appeared in the Top 10 lists for 98 consecutive days. El Ocho has signed licensing agreements with well-known companies in the national and international markets such as Air Val (shampoo/hand sanitizer/hand soap/toothpaste) ATTA, CefaToys (9-cube puzzle/activity kit called “Gigablock 5 in 1”), EDUCA (puzzles/educational games /play house/desks ), Leya (publishing), Panini (stickers/trading cards/stick and stack), Play by play (3D cushions) Safta (BTS), Penguin Random House (story books/activity and/or coloring books/summer notebooks /educational books) It is no wonder that Cocomelon, managed by El Ocho, is adding more and more licenses to its list of licensees who are gradually growing. El Ocho’s goal will be to position Cocomelon as the favorite children’s preschool brand.

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On the following pages, we take a look at the French licensing marketplace including statistics and facts, profiles and a preview of the Cobrandz event taking place in Paris this April.

The Children’s Marketplace

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7 - 14 years old Fortnite

Nike

Nintendo Amazon

Netflix

Pokemon

Gulli Nike

Girls

Lego

Minecraft

Mario Bros

Marvel

YouTube

Disney

One Piece

Naruto

Boys

Harry Potter

Roblox

Barbie

Batman

Playmobil

Miraculous

Spider-Man

Play Doh

Cars/Movie

T’Chou

Frozen Peppa Pig

Paw Patrol

Mickey Mouse

0 - 6 years old

CHILD POPULATION IN FRANCE 2021

2,147.9m 2,326.6m Under 3 Years

9,689.6m

3 - 5 Years 6 - 17 Years

2,855.4m

18 - 24 years 47

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A Key Player in the world of Children’s Brands Let’s talk about Kids’ Brands! With a strong connection to TFOU, TF1’s programming dedicated to children’s viewing, TF1 Licensing is a major player when it comes to licensing for children.

The favourite animated amily, Barbapapa, is one of TF1 Licensing’s evergreen international phenomena. Created over 50 years ago, they’re still popular today with the new series. Indeed, Barbapapa came back in 2019 with new episodes and a new show “The Barbapapa Family”. This new show is broadcast worldwide: on free channels in France, Italy, Quebec, Belgium, Finland and soon in Slovenia and also on Nick Jr (paid TV) all over the World, and it has been a success! In France, on TF1, the show achieved 37% audience share since its launch in November 2019, gathering 81.4 million contacts aged 4+ according to Médiamétrie – Médiamat. In 2021, TFOU had 444 airings of the show twice as many as in 2020. Barbapapa is definitely one of TFOU’s key drivers, with four episodes every week. It is also a success in Italy, Barbapapa’s second home. Broadcast on Rai Yoyo, the show has an average of 126.000 AMR with 9% share among 4-7 on every slot, making it the most watched show in the early afternoon slot with 162.000 AMR according to Rai 2021. A success that’s also very much supported by Giochi Preziosi, Barbapapa’s Mastertoy, who launched the first products in 2020. Figurines, playsets and plush, which went out with a strong marketing plan in France and Italy and are today in all the major retailers (Carrefour, Auchan, KingJouet, Jouéclub, Amazon and many others). Along with TV and toys, the Barbapapa family is also a success on bookshelves. Indeed, the new show is accompanied by a historic publishing partner in France: Les Livres du Dragon d’Or, who launch new products every year - eight titles in 2021 and more to come in 2022. In Italy, the publisher

Salani has chosen Barbapapa for a series of new titles with a strong program. The Barbapapa stories are also adapted in books in Switzerland, Finland, Denmark, Bulgaria and Asia. Les Livres du Dragon d’Or also accompanied the Barbapapa Family when it entered the Louvre Museum. Indeed, in 2021, the characters decided to go to the museum with a wonderful collaboration never seen before - The BarbaLouvre . An arty and optimistic collection in which the most famous art pieces of the Louvre are adapted into the World of Barbapapa. A collaboration between the Louvre, the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (National Museum organisation) and Barbapapa to encourage children to discover art through many products: stationery, memory, clothes, etc. and of course a new novel by Les Livres du Dragon d’Or: “Barbapapa in the Louvre Museum”. Press, digital and TV coverage on an unprecedented scale allowed the collaboration to reach millions of contacts. And since Barbapapa is everywhere, they’re also coming back to movie theatres. Last year, the Family entered the dark rooms for a month with some chosen episodes on a specific topic:

Barbapapa goes green. This year, children and adults will be able to discover or rediscover their adventures with all the animals they’ve met. A partnership with Kinépolis in about 70 cinemas in France this Spring and a whole communication plan set to be revealed. All this success has motivated other partners to come along the adventure and the licensee family has welcomed many new members: Educa Borras with a range of puzzles, loto, memo and dominoes, Plastoy for the figurines, Pabobo (childcare), Xcellence (costume character), Fizzy (food), Take Care (Beauty and Hygiene products), CEP (fragrance), CTI (bed linen) and soon Friodis (bags). There are now 20 licensees all over the world. As for Fashion, the Barbapapa Family is on trend! Along with Sahinler for textiles and Oxygen for shoes, Barbapapa has entered the fashion industry with Patou.The luxury house, which belongs to the LVMH Group has chosen Barbapapa for a one-of-akind capsule collection available since February at Le Bon Marché store in Paris, but also in Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg and Taiwan. So, as you see can we’ve entered a Barbapapa area full of projects and surprises to come! But that’s not all, and TF1 Licensing’s other brands from the children entertainment universe are stronger than ever. Miraculous, the success story “à la Française” is more and more one of children’s favourite brands. In 2021,

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the show on TFOU achieved an average of 38% viewing share across all seasons gathering 20 million people 4+. With over 300 licensees and 220 million products sold worldwide, the brand created by Zagtoon is still going strong with a movie coming up at the end of the year. In France, 50 licensees are now part of the family and TF1 Licensing is also expecting the musical show touring around the country by the Fall. On TFOU, season 4 is still being broadcast and will be throughout the year, until season 5 which is in production at the moment. 2021 was a Smurftastic year and it seems 2022 will also be quite blue! In 2021, the new show The Smurfs was launched on TFOU in May, making incredible audience records. The first episode had an audience share of 55% amongst children 4-10, a record since

2007 for this time slot and throughout the year the show gathered an average of 34% audience share according to Médiamétrie – Médiamat. A huge success that’s still going on as some unreleased episodes will still be on air for the first half of 2022. On the product side, Jazwares, the Smurfs’ international Mastertoy is getting ready to release a wonderful range of toys, figurines and playsets by the fall, carrying on other great projects to be revealed. The movie will be released by Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Pictures in December 2024!

TF1 Licensing is also proud to represent the promotional rights of Paw Patrol, the children’s 5th favourite license all categories (Children between 0 and 14, BrandTrends Study – October 2021). In August 2021, the movie was successfully released with over 1.4 million tickets sold. Throughout the year, the show enjoyed an average of 44% audience share with a daily broadcast. Today, the Paw Patrol family has over 70 licensees making it the top preschool license. We talked about some of TF1 Licensing’s top brands, but the team is also very excited of the latest newcomers to the portfolio, which are already successful! In 2021, TFOU revealed two brand-new shows, which made quite an entrance. Between ghosts and knights,TFOU went back to basics and it worked! By the end of August, GhostForce, Zagtoon’s newest show started on TFOU and has enjoyed 31% audience share within the 4-10 age group between then and December 31st, with over 8.9 million people in contact with the show. On November 6th, GhostForce achieved an audience record with 60.6% audience share. Just like Miraculous, Playmates is GhostForce’s Mastertoy and will release the first range of products. In the meantime, some major partners have already signed up such as Blue Ocean for a magazines, Panini, Rubies and Amazon, who already launched the GhostForce shop. Following GhostForce, Gus the ItsyBitsy Knight was launched on September 1st 2021 on TFOU. Gus may be itsy-bitsy, but his audience is big with 39.8% audience share on the launch and an average of 33% between September and December 2021. One of

TFOU’s greatest successes of the year and a perfect new show for Preschoolers, conveying great values such as selfacceptance, friendship and of course, adventure! The Mastertoy Mattel with its preschool brand Fisher Price will release the first range of playsets and figurines by the Fall 2022, with a strong media plan. This launch will be the start of a wonderful licensing adventure with new partners joining Gus! One of 2022’s most awaited show for children would be Imago. And it’s coming up soon! An unprecedented version of the Thousand and One Nights where motorized flying carpets meet

legendary creatures straight out of the Middle East myths and tales. Imago is about fun and adventure in a world where children grow up accompanied by their Imagos, wonderful and cute creatures with strong powers. The show produced by Chouette Company and Studio Reaz should be out on TFOU by the Fall 2021 and there’s no doubt it will meet the success it deserves! So you can see that TF1 Licensing is quite strong when it comes to children’s licenses. Between well established blockbusters and new brands, which are already successful, TF1’s licenses are ones you do not want to let pass you by!

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Cobrandz 22 is back! Over two days (7 and 8 April) at La Grande Crypte in Paris, the French licensing industry will converge for conferences, one-to-one pitches, networking and much more. In addition, more than 1000 brands will be on show at the exhibition. On the following pages, we take a look at what some of the exhibitors will have on show at this year’s Cobrandz.

EXHIBITORS

Affective Bayard Group Brigitte Bardot Chef Club Crunchyroll Cyber Group Studios France TV Distribution Home Made Licensing Gulld + Super RTL Mediatoon MIAM Distribution Millimages NBC Universal On Kids & Family

Paramount Parmi Les Lucioles DeA Planeta Procidis Sagoo Sanrio Sofie la girafe StudioCanal TF1 Licensing Pokemon Co The Wizard Toei Animation WildBrain CPLG Xilam

WHAT’S ON SHOW Affective brings together all the expertise for tailor-made and turnkey support from licensing and retail strategy consulting, through marketing, communication, design, logistics and etrade. Key brands handled include the Regie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP La Ligne), The 2023 FIS Alpine Ski World Championships and L’Equipe. Bayard Jeunesse will exhibit for the 1st time this year at Cobrandz presenting key properties. Petit Ours Brun is a powerful brand in terms of magazines (more than 2.5 million magazines with Petit Ours Brun) and in publishing (more than 700,000 books sold per year). It is synonymous with confidence among parents and grandparents. Current partners include Cuep, Ravensburger, Luc & Lea. New products include Tomy’s Aquadoodle, audio speaker, home/deco, etc.

SamSam is a cosmic hero’s apprentice on the SamPlanet and a little hero in everyday life. Accompanied by his parents, his teacher and his friends, he lives a host of exciting adventures, sometimes confronting the dangers of space and sometimes taming his own fears. Season 3 of SamSam, a Bayard Animation and Folivari co-production, will be launched in 2023. Finally, Anatole Latuile is a rambunctious schoolboy who uses all his intelligence and energy for one purpose: to get into trouble! He is the hero of the magazine J’aime Lire and in the BD Kids collection (1.5 million comics sold). A second season (52 x 11 minute episodes, a co-production between Label Anim and France Télévisions) is in production for 2023. As master licensee of the Brigitte Bardot brand, Brigitte Bardot Co is looking for new collaborations in the lifestyle universe. Brigitte Bardot embodies strong values: a joyful, authen-

tic, audacious sensuality and respect for nature and animals. They now have around ten worldwide licensing programs, including lingerie and swimwear, which are managed directly from France, with 20% growth in annual sales. The Brigitte Bardot brand offers quality, eco-responsible products that make all women radiant every day. Chefclub is a digital cooking brand born in Paris in 2016 that has rapidly grown around the world thanks to the free distribution of high-quality content on social networks. Chefclub’s unique positioning between cooking and entertainment resonates well beyond the sphere of cooking enthusiasts: with more than 2.5 billion views each month and 100 million followers, Chefclub is the leading brand on social networks. Crunchyroll connects anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and territories with the content and experiences they love. In addition to free ad-supported and subscription premium content, Crunchyroll serves the anime community across events, theatrical, games, consumer products, collectibles and manga publishing. Anime fans have access to one of the largest collections of licensed anime through Crunchyroll and translated in multiple languages for viewers worldwide. Viewers can also access simulcasts - top series available immediately after Japanese broadcast. The Crunchyroll app is available on

TOTAL LICENSING over 15 platforms, including all gaming consoles. Crunchyroll, LLC is an independently operated joint venture corporation between US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Japan’s Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group Properties on show at Cobrandz this year include My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, Spy x Family, Tokyo Revengers, Black Clover, Attack on Titan, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Ranking of Kings. DeAPlaneta Kids & Family, is a European leader in the creation and marketing of family entertainment content and brands. Our international teams specialize in distribution, licensing, merchandising, but also in retail and experiences. The objective is to develop powerful entertainment brands and lifestyle brands. With an international reach, DeAPlaneta operates in 33 European countries and has subsidiaries in Spain, Italy, France, Greece, Eastern Europe and Turkey. Key brands on show include The Three Musketeer, prseschool series Milo and Godzilla. As a brand agent, France TV Distribution manages many licensed programmes: pre-school, kids, adults and family. France TV distribution represents more than 80 brands, including animation stars Peppa Pig, Pyjamasques, Masha and Michka, T’Choupi and the must-see shows: Monsieur Madame, Fort Boyard,Thalassa, Silence ça pousse, Echappées Belles... Bluey has been broadcast since April 2021 on France 5 in Okoo. It immediately ranked in the top 3 of Okoo’s ratings. After the success of the toys in Australia, the US and the UK (best

new licence in the UK in 2021), Moose Toys is launching the range in France in April 2022 at toy specialists. Other

merchandise will follow as well as a dedicated magazine. Peppa Pig (Season 10 in development) has established itself as a benchmark brand in the pre-school field and enjoys exceptional awareness among families. For the star of TV, social networks, toys (managed by Hasbro) and publishing, 2022 promises to be another year rich in new developments and partnerships. Hé, Oua-Oua is always a treat on Okoo, from Monday to Friday mornings. With Oua-Oua and her little apprentices, children try their hand at everyday challenges, rewarded with badges and hugs. A success on air and in digital that extends to the shop with Lansay and its range of toys. CijepJemini, Ravensburger, Hachette and Milan complete the programme! The Pyjamasques have recently welcomed a new partner: Urgo will launch a range of dressing up for children in spring 2022. A number of licensees have recently renewed their contracts for the next two years including CTI, Benjamin, La Compagnie Européenne des parfums, Cijep-Jemini, Lexibook and Madhouse. During the Easter holidays, from 23 April to 8 May, Sea Life Val d’Europe will offer a dedicated scenography and numerous activities based on the universe of the series. T’Choupi celebrated his 30th birthday at the Sea Life Val d’Europe aquarium from 19 February to 6 March. The aquarium had set up a variety of activities for a fun family visit. In terms of products, T’Choupi is one of the top sellers in games (Nathan, Ravensburger) and plush toys at Cijep-Jemini. The brand recently welcomed Sahinler, the new partner in charge of developing the textile ranges. Aymax, Chauss-Europ and Madhouse have all renewed their

partnership with T’Choupi. Finally, Educa Borras has joined Cijep-Jemini, Sahinler, Benjamin and Cartamundi as a new licensee of the Monsieur Madame brand. A wide range of puzzles and educational games will soon be available on the French market. The Monsieur Madame series of illustrated books features over 90 characters. It is the best-selling children’s book series in France and the books are published in 17 languages and distributed in over 28 countries. Home Made Licensing will debut two new properties as well as a number of established and evergreen brands at Cobrandz this year. Simon Super Rabbit and Fido Dido are new to the Home Made Licensing

stable. In addition, the company will be showcasing some of their successful brands including Little Prince, Little Nick, ISA/NASA, Zoom the White Dolphin, Zorro and Hello Maestro. With its Chinese sister company and its network of 10 agents worldwide, Mediatoon is now one of the lead-

ing licensing agents in entertainment in Europe and China. Among the most famous licenses handled by the agency are Marsupilami, Lucky Luke, The Daltons, Bobby & Bill, and Yakari. These are licensed on all products and communication, in amusement parks, escape games and musicals around the world.

TOTAL LICENSING Mediatoon Licensing represents many successful Japanime properties such as Naruto, Hunter x Hunter, Fairy Tail, Assassination Classroom, etc. Millimages will be concentrating their efforts on a number of key brands for Cobrandz this year includ-

ing Molang, Lascars (Homiez) and Pirata & Capitano. The manga/kawaii influence is strong at Millimages. Molang has Korean roots and strong ties with Asian pop culture. As Marina Jochum explained, “Myself and the licensing team here at Millimages are eagerly awaiting Cobrandz as it has become a major part of our activity and of the licensing business as a whole.” NBC Universal in France will be focussing on some of their key brands including Jurassic World, Minions, Trolls, with a new movie due in October next year, Welcome to the Universe Baby (their new baby umbrella brand), Gabby’s Dollhouse (the new pre-school brand) and their U-Vault catalogue with a focus on Jurassic Park’s 30th Anniversary.

Jurassic World: Le Monde D’Apres will debut this year in June and new seasons of the Netflix series, which has been airing since September 2020, will debut next year. Trolls World Tour was the biggest US digital release of all times and TrollsTopia is now streaming on Peacock and Hulu whilst Trolls, the Beat Goes On is currently streaming on Netflix. Minions is the fourth highestgrowing animated film of all time and opened at No 1 in 58 territories. Following the Minions: Rise of Gru in 2022, Despicable Me 4 is set to debut in 2024. ON Kids & Family is a European studio with an international reach in the production of animated content for children and families, mainly television series and feature films. The studio brings together creators and partners from all over the world around the development of brands through different formats: animated series and feature films, licensing and merchandising, digital platforms and digital content. Key brands on show will be the new version of The Little Prince, The Enchanted World of Pinocchio and The Three Musketeers. Parmi Les Lucioles Films will be promoting Nina and the Tales of the

Hedgehog which will be released in cinemas in Autumn 2023 in France. Targeted at children aged five to eight, the 2D animated series features the

voice talents of Audrey Tautou and Guillaume Canet. The film will be distributed international by Les Films du Losange whose catalogue comprises more than 150 films. Licensing rights are handled by Parmi Les Lucioles. Procidis is an independent French production company created by Albert Barillé, a pioneer in edutainment animation. After the international success of preschool series Colargol, Procidis created between 1978 and 2009 the seven-series saga Once Upon a Time…: Man, Space, Life, the Americas, the Discoverers, the Explorers and Planet Earth, today all restored and brought together under the Hello Maestro brand! Dealing with historical and scientific topics carefully researched and documented, their series are ever-

greens and have been a reference in educational programs over the past 40 years. Translated into 40 languages, they are well known in more than 100 countries. They are broadcasted on TV channels (France 4, TV5 Monde, Cartoonito, Gulli Brasil…) as well as on platforms (Okoo, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Tim Vision…). Today Maestro, the protean hero, returns in a new series dedicated to everyday objects in a resolutely cartoonish and contemporary spirit. To date, more than 20 licensees are on board including toys and games (Educa Borras, Upyaa, Winning Moves, VTech, Klein), figurines (CFR Studios, La Fée Sauvage), publishing (Hachette, Delcourt, Aedis, Hugo & Cie, Editions Animées,

TOTAL LICENSING De Agostini), DVD (Sony Music), music (Sony Music), audio stories (Sony Music, Lunii) and digital games (Cood, In Media Vita). Exciting new projects are currently being developed with new partners in the digital field with new games (Creative forge) and Augmented Reality (Ohrizon). A tailored-made content, involving Maestro’s digital avatar, will be soon available on Lumni, the French national educational platform. Hello Maestro partners up with the Aquarium de Paris on the exhibition Once upon a time...The Ocean.The magic of the Ocean, source of life, until May 8th. Les Aventures de Colargol, the preschool musical tale with universal and family values, will come back in 2023 with a wonderful HD remastered version of the existing episodes (26x13’). A feature film based on the series is now in development Sagoo is an independent agency that represents licensing and merchandising rights in France, Europe, and internationally. The major brands and properties they represent come from the worlds of art, music and entertainment, such as the Beatles, Keith Haring and the Care Bears. Sanrio is the global lifestyle brand best known for its Hello Kitty icon. Sanrio’s family of over 450 beloved characters such as My Melody, Cin-

namoroll, Pompompurin, Gudetama, Aggretsuko as well as the British brand of Monsieur Madame. Sanrio was founded on the ‘Small Gift, Big Smile’ philosophy - that a small gift can bring happiness and friendship to people of all ages and now has an extensive range of approximately 50,000 products, available in over from 130 countries. Studiocanal, a 100% affiliate of Canal+ Group held by Vivendi, is Europe’s leader in production, distribution and international sales of feature films and series, operating in all four major European markets - France, United Kingdom, Germany, and Spain - as well as in Australia and New Zealand. On the youth ip’s, Studiocanal produced 2 Paddington movies with Framestore and David Heyman, with a 3rd one in preparation, and 2 seasons of the Paddington series on Nickelodeon abroad and on the M6-Gulli channels in France, with a 3rd one in preparation. Studiocanal is the licensing agent in France of Paddington, closely working with Copyrights, also part of the Vivendi group, who owns the worldwide rights. Paddington is currently represented in France by Michel Lafon (publishing), Clementoni (Puzzles), Dragon d’or (Arts and crafts games) ,Cijep (Plush and tableware), Alcara (primes) Studiocanalvidéo (dvd). The bear and the mouse Ernest & Celestine, unlikely friends created by Gabrielle Vincent are currently on France tv (season 2 of the series) and a 2nd movie will delight the families on Dec 14th in France with a significant release of the event movie “Voyage en Charabie” bringing back music and friendship in the world of heroes. Folivari, the producer with Studiocanal of the movie, has won various Césars and the first Ernest and Celestine movie was nominated for the Oscars… Cas-

terman, the global publisher of the one million books sold IP, will publish the book of the movie, and licensees will join the event: Asmodée (boardgame), Cijep (Plush), Titlee (Jewelry), Rosemood( cards), Petit Jour (tableware), Alcara (Primes),Studiocanal (DVD). In terms of the catalogue, Studiocanal has been very active in creating new events with videogames inviting its iconic ip’s: last partnership with Far Cry 6 and Ubisoft with the Rambo Character entering a Cross Over mission in February. And more to come worldwide with the 40th anniversary of the Rambo Franchise this year, in collaboration with Creative Licensing Company, Studiocanal’s US agent.

The Wizards is a company specialized in brand strategy consultancy and the global development of brands in the Media, Gaming, Entertainment and Lifestyle sectors.As part of its activity, The Wizards represents a portfolio of brands embracing audiences ranging from Preschool, to Kids and Adults. At Cobrandz, The Wizards will be focusing on a number of brands including Cry Babies Magic Tears by IMC TOYS, a 3D animated TV series based on a toy line that has sold close to 30 million units. Complementing a library of more than 150 episodes already available, a new season “Happy Flowers” was launched in February 2022. Broadcast on Gulli in France, Cry Babies Magic Tears ranks among the top

TOTAL LICENSING preschool properties on the channel, reaching up to 16,1% in terms of audience share (source: Mediamat). On Youtube, the property reached a spectacular viewership of 5 Billions views on its Youtube channel Kitoons which gathers 7,5 million followers. Cry Babies Magic Tears is also partnering with a large and growing number of partners including more than 80 licensees in key industries such as publishing, food, health & beauty, fashion, home. I Love VIP Pets is an animated series about the most fashionable pets with extra-long hair. They all have different personalities and hobbies but there is something they share: their passion for hair. Launched in November 2020 on Gulli and on the Kitoons Youtube channel, the series already launched 2 seasons and a new one is already in production. The latest Gulli audience ratings are excellent, reaching up to 19.7% in 2021. Supported with a powerful 360° ecosystem, including social media, influencers campaigns, retail push and events, the property is also driven by a strong toy line, #1 in its category in France (Collectibles - Dolls & Playsets) which sold 3,5 million units in just one year! Produced in partnership with 9 Story Media Group and Karma’s World Entertainment, the Karma’s World series launched on Netflix on October 15th, 2021 in more than 190 countries and 22 languages, reaching strong viewership in France including hitting the top 10 on Netflix Kids in the country.

Finally The Wizards are licensing Les légendaires by Group Delcourt. Written, illustrated by Patrick Sobral and launched in 2004, Les Légendaires is a best selling collection of graphic novels. With 9 million units solds since its launch, the property is a real phenomenon for kids in the French-speaking market. Built around epic stories that bring heroism, estheticism but also humor and adversity, the franchise keeps engaging the 7- 14 year old children over the years. Vulli/Sophie la girafe will be at Cobrandz once again. Its been over 61 years since the famous Sophie la girafe was created, and 11 years since she became a license – product now covers baby’s needs, clothes, books, furniture, baby hearing protection and more. New partners have joined the Vulli family including Micuento, a Spanish publisher specialized in the creation of customizable books for babies and children. Micuento and Sophie la girafe have united to create a unique Sophie la girafe book. The result is a beautiful, tender and customizable book. Founded in 1978, Templar has become one of the world’s most respected publishers of illustrated children’s books. The first book of the collection will be available on the UK market just in time for this Christmas season. Püttmann is an Egyptian manufacturer of high end children’s clothes and babywear. This autumn, Püttmann will launch its first Sophie la girafe collection for the German and UAE markets. It will include all parent’s favorite pieces: dress, shirts, tee-shirts, and so much more… Poetic Brands the famous apparel licensee is also set out to launch its first Sophie la girafe collection this fall in the UK. For the first time, Sophie la girafe is entering the in the field oh the art. Mister Luca T, a Street Art and Pop Art artist, T wanted

to make the famous Sophie la girafe a true work of art. For this, he has created different handmade sculptures available all around the world, with different sizes: 18 cm, 40 cm and very soon versions of 1.7m and 2m. WildBrain CPLG is a major player in Licensing, representing a strong catalog of brands aimed at a wide audience. Brands on show at Cobrandz include Snoopy, the emoji® brand, Sonic, Pink Panther, The Rabbids, Ghostbusters, Harvard, Chupa Chups, Marilyn Monroe, Motul, Brawl Stars - all impactful franchises that WildBrain CPLG makes available to our partners for the development of promotions and loyalty, co-branding, marketing campaigns or derivative products. WildBrain CPLG is present all over the world through its 20 offices located in Europe, United States, Middle East, Russia, and recently in India and China. Xilam is a major European animation studio, that creates, produces and distributes original programs for children and adults, for television, cinema and digital platforms. Xilam has a catalog of more than 2,700 episodes alongside historical successes such as Oggy and the Cockroaches and Zig & Sharko, and new series such as Oggy Oggy, Les contes de Lupin and T’esoù Chicky? for preschoolers.

To register for Cobrandz visit https://www.cobrandz.fr/event-details/cobrandz Use the code TOTALLICENSING-FREE to register free of charge.

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Becky Ash sat down with the Lang Brothers, Thomas (CEO), Jonathan (CCO) and Axel (COO), who are the founders of the phenomenon which is Chefclub to talk food, licensing, and the exponential growth of the brand.

A Unique Position in ‘Eatertainment’ Can you outline how you came to found Chefclub? At the beginning of 2016 we came up with the idea for an original cooking concept: have fun in the kitchen using ordinary ingredients and turn them into extraordinary recipes. But how to best translate this spectacular cuisine? Through video of course! This unique positioning between easy recipes and entertainment turned out to be an immediate success with hundreds of thousands of views! Chefclub became the answer to an uncomplicated cooking experience, a far cry from traditional stuffy culinary shows. Our mission was simple: bring everyone together in the kitchen with inspiring, fun and accessible products

and services. Our first videos were shot in our family apartment which soon became the HQ of the startup, prior to setting up our offices in a former printing house in the 11th arrondissement in Paris. And did you have culinary experience? Despite our reputation for the French being gourmets, we are like most people in France and other places, Chefclub’s goal from day one was to re-ignite an interest in the kitchen and have fun using ordinary ingredients to create extraordinary recipes. Can you tell us some of your impressive viewing figures to date? Chefclub gets 2.5 billion monthly views from 100 million subscribers in Europe, the US, China and Latin America – with almost half of our views in the US alone. And crucially, our views are very sticky with an many seconds per video which is six times higher than the Facebook average. This is a real achievement considering how fierce the competition is on social platforms

where all publishers are fighting to keep the attention of their viewers. What is the appeal, do you think? It is our unique positioning as eatertainment which resonates far beyond cooking enthusiasts. Our motto is to get everyone in the kitchen, from men and women, to children. We have put having fun in the kitchen at the center of everything we do with and around cooking. We also have designated channels (Chefclub Original, Light & Fun, Daily, Cocktails and Kids) that appeal to special interests for a wide audience. Chefclub really offers something for everyone in the family. We are especially proud of our initiatives for children which give them inspiration and autonomy in the kitchen. On top of our eye-catching and entertaining video recipes, we offer a whole new experience to children with kid-friendly utensils to facilitate their cooking experience. Did you notice a rise in popularity during the pandemic? Certainly. It seems that cooking and the internet became the main source of entertainment during the pandemic.

TOTAL LICENSING Our ethos focuses very directly on uniting friends and family through having fun with food, so we were able to respond to a very important need over the last two years. We saw a massive uplift in family home cooking and the demand for our Chefclub Kids set had an exponential growth of +400% during lockdown. Changes in people’s eating habits tracked during lockdown showed a rise in families eating together and Chefclub Kids’ offering has been acting as a key tool and inspiration to a lot of families during this difficult period. Let’s talk licensing – what potential partners are you looking for? We are looking for partners in loyalty promotion, promotion, meet&greets, food&beverages, QSR as well as homeware, home textile categories mainly. How does the ethos of Chefclub translate into licensing? Our unique positioning between food and entertainment translates really well in licensing since we offer more than just products, we also offer experiences and activities that engage the entire family - both online and offline. We provide retailers and partners with a uniquely immersive, distinctive and character-driven cooking universe. Our first initiatives in France with Carrefour (Chefclub Experience

Tour) or Toy/Cookware Specialists (Chefclub Corners) pave the way and inspire both future licensees and retailers to count on Chefclub’s growing IP to offer family experiences to their customers. Licensees and retailers are in need of meaningful brands with a purpose, strong brand values and storytelling that are able to connect with their consumers in store as well as online, and Chefclub is able to play that role. This approach has attracted retailers that recognize Chefclub’s strength at connecting with consumers on an emotional level. We offer uniquely inspiring cooking experiences through our innovative kids product line, our best-selling cookbooks, live in-store events and displays, and of course our eye-catching video recipes. This year you announced a move into kids animation, what are your objectives? We have a very simple objective which is to expand the platforms on which our existing fans can enjoy the Chefclub universe, and welcome new users into the Chefclub world. We are very excited about our new animation project Chefclub Friends because it will provide a new way – both in terms of platforms and in genre – to ignite a passion for food. In the series, which stars the popular mascots from Chefclub, viewers can go beyond the confines of their own kitchen

to discover foods from all over the world. And the unique storytelling freedom of animation will add all sorts of adventure, fantasy and comedy not possible in live videos from our studio. How will the Chefclub Friends series extend the brand overall? Chefclub Friends will be the backbone of our character-driven brand. Having our animated series aired on linear TV or platforms will be an important step for us, as well as a starting point for new licensing opportunities. A linear series will speed up the process and allow us to expand into new categories and territories. For more info see: www.Chefclub.tv, https://boutique.Chefclub.tv/

2.5 billion organic monthly views

100 million followers

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The Ultimate Guide: NFT Cheat Sheet Sharon Weisman, CEO PowerStation Studios US, talks us through the ultimate guide to everything you need to know.

“You tried ignoring this ‘NFT Nonsense’ for as long as you possibly could. I can’t blame you. But at this point, it’s best to join the conversation because you’re a licensing professional – and who better than you to recognize new ways to monetize ownership and fandom?”

Sure, this is all blowing up at the speed of light, but gambling is in our DNA, and we are never afraid to put our chips on something that might ensure we can create new revenue streams for brands. PowerStation Studios created a basic Licensing Cheat Sheet to help us all navigate the NFT space. The more we collectively work and support each other now, the more innovation and regulation there will be. The irony is that NFTs projects are based on the same consumer behaviors we deem our merchandising strategies on: collecting, rewarding, loyalty, rarity, experiential, reveal concepts, unlocking benefits/content, exclusive access, community, sharable opportunities, tokenizing, dopamine hits, etc. No one is reinventing the wheel, it’s just infused with tech that plays well into the human needs of ownership and authenticity. As with any new tech, this shift brings a whole new lingo. Hopefully, this helps you “talk the talk” before you attempt to “walk the walk.”

Ready??? Web1.0 You+screen+mouse+keyboard. It refers to the first stage of development on the World Wide Web that was characterized by simple static websites. Its when you log onto a static site, read something on a screen, leave the device and can easily go back to your offline life. Example: “I just logged onto the CDC site for the millionth time today to see if the Covid regulations changed.” Web2.0 You+mobile+social+cloud. When online and offline blur a little and we can build communities online, read/write and communicate with others online. Example: “I am super active on FB,

especially in the Total Licensing Community page. It’s how I keep up with all the industry excitement.” Web3.0 It’s about virtual and physical sharing the same space - the virtual is baked into the fabric of reality. Life as a hybrid in form of virtual profiles/Avatars that will enable us to further blur the worlds. Example: “My Roblox avatar is dope, yo! I Played Adopt Me for 3 hours and traded pets with my bestie, Steven Ekstract!”. NFT Non-fungible token. While this sounds like ancient mushroom money, this describes an asset that is unique and cannot be traded for a like asset. The best example to understand this is traditional currency: I can trade five $1 bills for one $5 bill. They are of equal value. I can trade a $1 for another $1 bill and they are of equal value. A non-fungible token cannot be traded for another like asset because it is unique in design and has a singular identifying token on the Ethereium blockchain. Example: “I might not be able to buy my favorite artist’s latest piece, but I own the NFT of it.” SFT Semi-fungible token. There are some NFT projects that have multiples of the same assets. Don’t get too caught up between SFT and NFT. Unless you’re super petty, no one really distinguishes the two. For example, if a photographer minted multiple copies of her work as an NFT. Each photo has its own unique token (identifier) on the Ethereum blockchain, but there’s nothing inherently different between copies of the photographs. The spirit of NFTs is to put assets on a blockchain for decentralized ownership and transfer.

Blockchain The technology powering this new wave of business and trade. In its simplest form, the use of the blockchain is to record and store information. Information (pictures, text, video etc.) on the internet is stored in a central database on a companies server. Blockchain as the underlying process that makes cryptocurrencies possible. Specifically, NFTs are typically held on the blockchain. Example: if you post something on Instagram, that information is stored on Meta’s server. If you deposit money into a bank then that information is stored on that bank’s server. Think “a huge file cabinet where every single file is documented – you know exactly who owns it and where it is placed. Rarity Same with traditional trading cards, there can be logic attached to the NFT ranking. NFT rarity decides how rare an NFT is and in turn, how valuable it is. Rare NFTs are most highly soughtafter by collectors, which pushes their price up. Example: “I bet this cool NFT is worth way more than the one I have now… I will check what its value is on Rarity Sniper, it’s by far the best tool for this out there right now.” 1/1 1/1 is shorthand for ‘One of One’ (or 1×1 NFT) where there is a single token issued for a unique asset. Trait Many NFT projects offer a Collection of NFTs with a number of traits that interchange, making each NFT in the Collection unique. There is a logic attached to the collection so some traits are are more rare than others (or when certain traits are combined, the NFT gets bumped up a rarity level). NFTs with rare traits usually sell for more. Most projects offer blind packs for sale so you don’t know the traits you’ll get until the reveal date,

TOTAL LICENSING making it a surprise if you got a rare one (sound familiar? Yup, you got this already). Mint This is the process of recording files on the blockchain (such as JPEGs and Gifs). Once a digital file/asset has been created or designed, it needs to be uploaded to the blockchain network. The term “minting” was born to name this process. In a way, minting an NFT asset is buying it at a pre-sale price. Minting is not only limited to NFT’s. You can mint cryptocurrencies anything that’s recorded on the blockchain really. ETH Short for Ether, the crypto currency used to buy/sell NFT assets on the Ethereum blockchain. Wallet A digital wallet comes with private keys that ONLY the user knows. This allows users to buy, sell and store NFTs securely. The most popular wallet on Ethereum is called Metamask. By now we get that blockchain eliminates that need for 3rd parties. Example: An alternative way to send

money to Dave Collins for the round of drinks at Eye Candy last night, you would just send crypto from your wallet to his wallet. The blockchain would record that transaction and all the details, so you can always see it happened. Exchange/Marketplaces If you have crypto you want to sell or if you want to buy an NFT but don’t know anyone selling it, you can use exchanges and marketplaces. Just like a traditional market, they connect buyers and sellers in a central place. Common exchanges for cryptocurrency are coinbase and binance. Common marketplaces for NFTs are opensea and rarible Example: “I spent 0.89 ETH on an ultra rare NFT on OpenSea. Super excited about this one since it was previously owned by Peter Hollo!” Utility NFTs as awesome as the posters you had on your wall when we were kids. What brings them to a whole new level is if a token (NFT/crypto) provides a wider functionality. If a digital asset (NFT) also come with utility, is means it scores its owner

extra perks and benefits. These may be access to exclusive events or products, VIP Clubs, first to future products, conferences, unlocking exclusive content, etc. Decentralization This refers to the nature of cryptocurrency in which invertors work directly with one another as opposed to through a centralized exchange. This means the buyers and the sellers communicate, buy and sell and display ask prices all directly between on another in realtime without needing to be in the same place. For NFTs, peer-to-peer transactions on a decentralized market attempt to democratize the creators world. Discord It’s a social platform that started as “Social Media for Gamers,” now Discord groups are where the owners of an NFT project gather in one space, chat with each other, earn roles connected to the NFT tokens they hold, track sales bots that post messages every time a sale happens, and much more. It really is an overwhelming waterfall of information, so make sure to subscribe to servers you are truly interested in. Alpha Alpha is best described as “intel”. Those who possess alpha have information that the rest of the market hasn’t found out about yet. There are people who spend hours and hours finding undiscovered projects, and sometimes, they share this on Twitter/ Telegram/Discord. NFT Archeologist Yes, this is a real term. The people who dig up Alpha also call themselves NFT archeologists. They search every nook and cranny of the internet to find NFT projects created but not yet discovered. Degen Short for ‘degenerate’. It is often a term used to describe people who buy NFTs. We know that NFTs are risky, we know minting projects is like gambling, but the NFT-savvy community embraces it and call themselves degens. Example: “Hasbro shouldn’t hire an

“Blockchain:The technology powering this new wave of business and trade. In its simplest form, the use of the blockchain is to record and store information.”

“I might not be able to buy my favorite artist’s latest piece, but I own the NFT of it.”

“NFT Archeologist Yes, this is a real term.”

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“In a way, minting an NFT asset is buying it at a pre-sale price.”

NFT expert, they should hire an NFT degen! Someone who’s obsessed and part of the community.” Smart Contracts Smart Contracts are computer programs (automation) built on a blockchain. These help us to not only having a record of information on the blockchain, but we can also have automation that is executed when a predetermined condition is met. They are pieces of code that execute agreements automatically and lay out the terms. These agreements build trust as they are stored on the blockchain and executed automatically without human intervention. Example: “I checked the NFT Smart Contract to ensure it does what the developers say it will. These really used to be written on actual paper by expensive lawyers a couple of years ago?!” GMI Stands for ”Gonna Make it.” This term is used to describe projects or collectors who are going to make it and succeed in the NFT space. NGMI Stands for “Not Gonna Make it.” This term is used for people and projects that won’t last long in the NFT space. FUD Stands for “Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt.” This is used when someone questions the legitimacy of an NFT project. Not all FUD negative. It’s good to have questions and do your research of potential points of failure. FUD that is based on false information is frowned upon. Example: “Isaac Larian came into a Discord channel I’m in, and started spreading FUD around the Mattel Barbie NFT project.” Pumping This term describes when an NFT asset is rising in price quickly. Shill This term describes when a person is promoting an asset they own or a project they’ve invested in. It is also a term sometimes used instead of “sell”. Whale A Whale is someone who has a lot of ETH and can change the market

“You’re a licensing professional – and who better than you to recognize new ways to monetize ownership and fandom?”

dynamic for a project by buying a lot of assets or purchasing assets at a significant price. Many projects rely on whales to get attention and social proof that it’s a good project to own. Example: “Wait until the whales like Gary Vee find out about this project, once they do, it’s golden!” Floor Floor represents the lowest price available for an asset in a set. It is the minimum amount you need to buy an asset in a project. This is an important metric to look at when evaluating an NFT project. Sweeping the Floor Sweeping the floor indicates a whale or group of buyers who are buying every asset in an NFT project that is listed at the floor price. This action raises the floor price for an NFT project in the immediate term. Examples: “Whales are sweeping the floor! It’s gone up from 1 ETH to 3 ETH!” Paper Hands Paper Hands is a term used to describe people who panic and quickly sell their NFT assets. Diamond Hands Diamond hands is a term used to describe people who have the guts to ride out a project over the long-term through the ups and the downs of its pricing. Example: “The price on my NFT dropped 50% but I still believe in it. I’m

not selling… I’ve got diamond hands!” Apeing In Apeing in simply means buying an NFT project. Sometimes it means you bought into a project heavily with a lot of ETH. GAS (gwei) Gas or Gas fees in their simplest form are transaction fees you have to pay in order to fulfil a contract or transaction on the ethereum blockchain. You will have to pay a gas (=the transaction fee) when you buy an NFT. The gas fee is used to pay the computers (AKA Miners) that keep the blockchain network up to date. Example: “NFTs share one harmful trait with cryptocurrency: they both use a ton of energy to be generated, and omit CO2 that is harmful for the environment… but solutions are around the corner, and licensing peeps can’t even roll their eyes at this since they have “plastic fantastic” challenges of their own”. PoP / POAP Proof of Participation or Proof of Attendance Protocol respectively. The equivalent of saving your concert stubs or conference badges as souvenirs or bragging opportunities IRL A new utility emerged for NFTs of keeping an immutable record of your life experiences including virtual and in-person events. NFTs also function as an admission/access token and then

TOTAL LICENSING function as proof you were there. The NFT communities love this concept since other benefits of this include, beyond the obvious: more privacy, no more cumbersome mailing lists, ownership of limited edition assets, IRL bragging rights, increase of “social currency”. Example: last year, during the NFT NYC conference, Board Apes had a secret wild party for all their owners. A special NFT granted you access to the party. It was scanned and changed its color forever, which now is a proof you were an Ape OG till the end of time!” ROADMAP An NFT Roadmap is a document that maps out the goals and strategies of an NFT project in order to communicate its long-term value. NFT roadmaps usually include key project milestones, short and long-term goals, and plans for marketing and growth as well as community engagement. Flex Flex simply means to show off. People buy expensive items to “flex” to friends, family, strangers, and other collectors. Example: read the next acronym description and I will combine the two for a serious flex. PFPs PFP stands for Profile Pic. With many new NFTs launching avatar projects, many use them as their profile picture on Twitter to flex their ownership. PFPs are important in the culture of NFTs — it’s a way to show off ownership of an asset, making it desirable. Example: “Stephen Curry just changed its PFP on Twitter to an NFT. That is a massive flex.” Mooning Mooning refers to an NFT project that is growing in price rapidly. It’s a sales boom. This is usually an exciting time for NFT projects. Mooning and pumping are often used interchangeably. DAO DAO stands for decentralized autonomous organization. Ser Ser has become the new noun to replace “Sir” when addressing

someone. In NFTs, we welcome all genders, but this has become popular. Ser is actually middle english for “Sir” and for whatever reason it’s caught on in the NFT community. Example: “Are we gmi, ser?” Fren Fren is short for friend, often referring to someone who is active in the NFT community. Example: “Hey fren, I see you also got a WWE John Cena NFT! WGMI.” Staking While staking isn’t NFT slang, it’s a good term to know. Staking is when you ‘lock up’ an NFT or coins for a certain amount of time in order to earn interest on your asset. The amount of interest paid is projectdependent. The currency in which you’re paid is usually tokens created by the NFT project. Staking is used by projects to reward holders who lock their assets up, removing sell pressure because the asset is being held for the Staking period. The time an asset is required to be locked up in Staking varies depending on the project. Example: “I bought an NFT so I can stake it and earn tokens, it’s the best passive income strategy nowadays!” Hodl Hodl is a misspelling of ‘hold’ first coined on Bitcointalk.org in 2013 after a large crash in price. The term caught on and earned the acronym hold on for dear life. Crypto community members use the term to signal they’re not selling.Yup, it’s a verb too… Example: “I bought a new NFT and I’m hodling!” Delist When you put an NFT for sale, you pay gas. If you want to raise the price of that NFT, you need to pay gas to delist the item in order to remove it from listings. You can’t raise the price without delisting an NFT and many times people forget to delist while a project is increasing in value. Example: “The project mooned but I forgot to delist and someone bought my NFT for half the price of the floor!” Grail A grail is someone’s favorite NFT or NFT project. They believe it is a highly

sought-after NFT and they’ll often brag about it like no tomorrow. Example: “Wooshi is my grail… I am never selling my Wooshi World collection!” Rekt Getting Rekt means you took a hit and suffered heavy losses on an NFT project or coin. Generally, it means experiencing an uncomfortable outcome. You could get rekt if a project drops significantly in value.You could get publicly rekt on Twitter if you wrong the community in any way, etc. Honey Pot A trap! A honey pot is a more proactive and advanced scam from hackers that lure savvy NFT and crypto enthusiasts into a smart contract that appears to have a flaw that would allow a user to put in a certain amount of Ether and receive more in return. P2E Play-to-Earn is the latest development in the games industry. It’s a business model that embraces the concept of an open economy and provides financial benefits to all players who add value by contributing to the game world. The gamers can earn NFTs based on skill, investment and loyalty.

Boom! I see the wheels turning… You’re already coming up with crazy fun ideas of how to leverage this new technology, aren’t you? If you want to brainstorm (I think the PC term is now ‘idea shower’, but it creeps me out), the PowerStation gang is happy to help you strategize your next move in this exciting space, while providing support, creatively and commercially. To the moon… at Licensing Expo 2022 – keep a look out for us there!

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Video Games: The Secret Sauce to Moving Any Brand Forward The gaming industry is exploding, with opportunities not to be missed... Gaming isn’t for kids. Video games are the most exciting tool to move brands forward by solidifying its fanbase and unlock new revenue. And in today’s rapidly evolving world of entertainment, where everyone is competing over consumers’ attention, every brand must reconsider how

“With such diversity, any brand or IP can find the perfect fit and audience.” and where they engage their fans and prospective customers. Video games are the secret sauce for standing out. Video games have changed a lot in recent years, and so have the gamers. There are new and massively popular games today that cater to every age group, genre and interest imaginable, from battling zombies to managing a sports club or even operating a farm. With such diversity, any brand or IP can find the perfect fit and audience. And, importantly, gamers today are

By Gary Ma, COO, Epik www.epik.gg

skewing older and have greater buying power than ever before. The gaming industry is also exploding in popularity, so these collaborations present a unique opportunity to reach to new consumers that are hard to find anywhere else.There are already more than 2.6B mobile gamers worldwide, and this number will only continue to grow.That’s not to mention gamers on console, PC and other platforms. For brands and IP owners, this presents endless possibilities for in-game collaborations that drive excitement and engage desirable audiences, with experiences ranging from in-game concerts and interactive social events to branded merchandise, accessories, rewards, and NFTs that can be collected, traded and more. Equally important, consumers are far more engaged when gaming than on any other platform, and it’s easy to see why. The quality of games is increasing exponentially by the year, creating more immersive and memorable experiences that gamers love and crave. The graphics and action sequences of today’s AAA titles could easily pass as a scene from a blockbuster film. But unlike watching movies and TV shows, gamers don’t passively observe a video game. Instead, they are part of the excitement and experience, and have a vested interest and emotional connection to the games they play. Think about it. Gamers must invest time, energy and effort into their favorite digital worlds, and as a result, take great pride in what they’ve created. If you’re a gamer, you surely understand just how powerful this emotional bond can be – it’s no different than how an artist or carpenter takes pride in their work. So, it’s easy to understand why gamers have strong emotional ties to not

only the games they play, but also the brands they experience and engage with in game. It’s the fastest route to establishing brand affinity, which is

the holy grail for every brand. There’s simply a different textual feel with video games that cannot be recreated with an ad during the Super Bowl, no matter how great the spot is. And as games continue to evolve, we’re now seeing a fundamental shift in the gaming economy, where decentralized environments are paving the way for a new dynamic between gamers, developers and brands, such

“...as games continue to evolve, we’re now seeing a fundamental shift in the gaming economy...” as play-to-earn games. Mainstream adoption of NFTs has given players real ownership over what they help create and acquire in game – whether it’s virtual land or the hottest new pair of (digital) Adidas merch. This means that, for the first time, players have true ownership over the digital merchandise they acquire and can then take these items with them wherever they go – whether its another game or into the metaverse.

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The Incredible Rise of Location-Based Experiences &The Tangible Benefits to Business Location-based entertainment (LBE) experiences offer the ultimate immersion in favourite brands and characters. This vast slice of the industry is growing exponentially, from theme parks, to branded escape rooms, VR, AR, to installations at retail destinations. Consumers, having been isolated from many events for the last two years, are raring to go, and the traditional retail experience or the odd piece of branding in a simulator just isn’t cutting it for many anymore. It is fascinating to see how brands extend into live experiences. From the Bluey-themed house operated by Airbnb for holidays rentals, to the Star Wars hotel at Walt Disney World, complete with characters and challenges, to the Peaky Blinders’ 360-degree theatre show; the Gregg’s capsule and eatery in Primark stores; to the Bing-themed bedrooms coming to CBeebies Land Hotel at Alton Towers Resort; location-based entertainment is also the main them at this year’s upcoming Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, where SVP Anna Knight told Total Licensing that visitors have a lot to look forward to and learn about. The Journal of Consumer Psychology ran a recent study that concluded

that in the types of purchases 21-34 year-olds are making, goods count for 39% whereas experiences come in at 59%. The sharing and engagement in experiences is becoming an increasingly crucial factor for parents and children.

The benefits of the immersive experience, it seems, are endless. Howard Robinson, creator of the wildly successful Selfies, has fully embraced the location-based side of business and has created an entire hotel in the Philippines where fans can fully immerse themselves in the world of Selfies. “One day I was walking around the rim of a huge crater in Uganda, seemingly miles from civilization when three young girls came out of nowhere asking for a Selfie with me,” Howard states. “I was quite taken aback when out popped a camera phone and the posing began, whatever next, the animals will be wanting a Selfie I thought, and so the idea for my Selfies concept began and within a couple of years was a winner in the Independent Toy Awards and a twice nominated finalist in the LIMA International Licensing Awards in Vegas and continues to grow with currently 128 licensing partners worldwide.

TOTAL LICENSING “This obviously created quite a royalty stream and so the next decision was how best to use this. I looked at taking on staff, promotions and having large booths at the Licensing shows but decided I have more than enough work and I want to remain creative and so could just create a monster that needs constant feeding. “I was just starting to branch out into Asia and so it seemed an obvious choice to look at opportunities. My wife Loreta from the Philippines owned a piece of land with a beach front and so the idea of a beach resort came to life. It all happened very quickly, late December I started designing the layout, the buildings and the style I was looking for; fresh, simple lines and modern with marble floors and walk in showers, something that would stand out in the area. By mid January we had employed 80 workers for construction. Up at 3am on my iPad as my site manager in the Philippines visited stores with a camera phone so I could choose the materials, it was not the easiest design process. Each room would have a subtle selfie theme and selfie photo opportunities would be added into the public areas and gardens. I brought in thousands of trees, shrubs and flowering plants to create tropical gardens and attract some of the amazing birdlife into the area. “The first phase is complete with a hotel, executive rooms on the beach, a large function room with bar & restaurant to cater for up to 300 people, a conference room and modern cabanas along the beach front and a Selfie Gift shop. We were amazed to receive the Elite Business and Leadership Award for the Best Beach Front Resort in our first year. It has been a challenge to train staff and so I recently brought in a manager from a 5 star private island resort for some expert training and our new chef is amazing. Selfie Beach has quickly established itself as a leading venue and we have mayors and senators as regular guests and have hosted some truly spectacular events from weddings, government meetings, teacher training, fire service team building, a conference for 130 priests,

beauty pageants and birthday parties. This past week the whole resort was booked by a leading candidate for the Philippine presidency with their entourage. “I was conscious from the start that this had to be an asset for the whole community and so we try to employ local workers and to source products locally. To help establish the Selfie name we created the Capalonga Selfies basketball team enlisting some of the local teenagers who really made the most of the opportunity, not losing a single game and winning the championship two years in a row. At one point I even sponsored a police team, the Selfie Cops. As we became more established it has been heartwarming to help the community in many ways including a Christmas party for the local disabled school, and a cooked Christmas day dinner for 100 of the less fortunate families. As the covid situation hit along with a very damaging typhoon our staff have gone out into the community and delivered

regular food parcels to 300 of the local families. We teamed up with Jollibee, one of the largest fast food chains in 2020 to hold a day of fun at Selfie Beach for 150 of the local schoolchildren, they all received a boxed hot meal and a show from the characters Jollibee and Hetty, the children went wild and even the parents were in tears of joy as they had never seen anything like this before. They all went home with a pouch containing everything they would need for a full school term. “The Selfie Beach Resort project has been rewarding in so many ways and is constantly changing lives, it is now firmly established and respected far and wide and one more benefit is that the largest chain of stores in the Philippines the S&M Malls are now stocking Selfie products. A most successful campaign I would say.” Another company that has been trailblazing in the LBE sector is Magic Light Pictures. Magic Light’s first foray into the experiential sector came back in

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2010 with the very first Gruffalo carving trail at Thorndon Country Park in Essex, inspired by the idea that finding a life-size Gruffalo in a forest was a way to connect fans with the character beyond the picture book and animated special. This idea of connecting in the physical space and of making memories with families has been key to the success of their brand extension programme, and their immersive experiential activity offering has grown rapidly as a result. Now a number of extensions to existing experiences plus some exciting new additions opening up around the country look set to make 2022 a particularly strong year for location-based events. A now long-standing partnership with Forestry England launched as part of the Gruffalo’s 15th anniversary celebrations in 2014, which features self-led activity trails at sites across England featuring a different brand each year. The family trails receive over 2 million visitors annually, and an impressive 93% of people who visited their Gruffalo trail either loved or liked it. 2022 brings the animated star of last Christmas, Superworm, to 26 sites nationwide, encouraging children to become superheroes of the forest

themselves. Forestry England also hosts a number of permanent Gruffalo sculpture trails, and Gruffalo themed orienteering trails, which act as an introduction to the hobby for young forest adventurers. The success of these trails led to another fabulously fruitful partnership, this time with Merlin Entertainments. Magic Light launched their first theme park attraction, The Gruffalo River Ride Adventure, at Chessington World of Adventures Resort in 2017 and it remains one of the resort’s premier attractions – loved or liked by 90% of people who experienced it – along with Gruffalo-themed bedrooms at the on-park hotel. Visitors can also enjoy a spellbinding walk-through adventure, Room on the Broom – A Magical Journey! and then star in their own magical journey in the Room on the Broom – Animated Movie Experience. Following the success at Chessington Magic Light have since extended their partnership with the Merlin group at Warwick Castle, which is the perfect home for Zog. Warwick initially created an exciting 3D interactive Zog trail which has returned following its roaring success last year. Zog has proved to be so popular that Warwick

has created another attraction - a brand new playland inspired by Zog and the Flying Doctors. Combining sensory and physical play elements, it offers an inclusive and accessible play experience for children up to age 10. Special Zog Stay and Play accommodation packages are also available. Another brand-new immersive experience launches this year at Twycross Zoo. The UK’s first Gruffalo Discovery Land, the fouracre, multi-million-pound major new development features real-life animals, animatronics, film clips, games and much more, aiming to inspire the next generation of conservationists. Ushaw historic house is cast under a spell in 2022 as the Room on the Broom activity trail comes to County Durham. This fun family adventure weaves through magical woods, meadows, gardens and by the former lake at Ushaw. There are also plans for a third trail with Wakehurst, sister site to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Alex Sanson, Brand Manager at Magic Light Pictures said: “Magic Light’s experiential portfolio now covers a variety of settings, from stately homes to theme parks and forest trails. We know how important these interactive

TOTAL LICENSING experiences are for our fans in giving them additional touchpoints to engage with their favourite characters in the real world. We are very proud of the strength of our partnerships and attractions and have plans in place to build on our success and launch even more exciting initiatives over the next few years.” Over the last 12 years Magic Light have worked closely with their partners to offer fans magical experiences that bring their brands to life and deepen connections; people who say they love our attractions are at least 32% more likely to buy licensed product and revisit figures are extremely high. Magic Light has plans to develop their work in the experiential space further still in the coming years. Art Ask Agency has also been extremely creative in the brand immersion of the incredibly popular licensing programme around Frida Kahlo. Frida Kahlo, The Life of an Icon had its world premiere at Ideal Barcelona. This installation opened the doors to her intimacy, her history, her thoughts, her surroundings, and the events that marked her life since she was a child until she became an unavoidable reference point of the 20th century, in a unique combination of digital arts, projections large format, virtual reality, and classic exhibition environments. Frida Kahlo, The life of an Icon, is an ambitious immersive proposal based on deep biographical research, which,

unlike existing experiences that exclusively consider the works of great artists, shows an unprecedented and never-before-realized approach to the human being, the daughter, friend,

wife, lover, woman and finally, the myth that has transcended generations. The immersive experience, coproduced by IDEAL, ARF, and Frida

Kahlo Corporation, allows visitors to discover the iconic Frida Kahlo beyond her work, passing through her life through photographs, objects, documents, and elements little known of the artist until today, inviting the visitor to discover the remarkable story that built the myth. The life of Frida Kahlo captivates and inspires through memories and anecdotes that reveal a woman capable of overcoming adversity thanks to her strength, rebellion, and talent. IDEAL, Digital Arts Center of Barcelona, confirms with this disruptive proposal its place at the forefront in digital art to connect with

viewers of all ags, after the successes of the art experiences dedicated to Claude Monet and Gustav Klimt. Another immersive experience in the famous artist realm is the Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, is a 20,000 square foot light and sound spectacular featuring twostory projections of the artist’s most compelling works. Encounter the brilliance of one of history’s greatest artists in 360 degrees. With this being an all-digital, hands-free experience, this is very much on-trend – promising safety and risk-free visits while offering total artistic immersion. The Titanic experience, which is in London and will be in other locations around the world, run by Fever, is a digital immersion into the history, sounds, sights and even staterooms of the Titanic.

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In his latest column, Gary Pope, co-founder and CEO, Kids Industries, talks about the enduring value of children’s IP

2022... A mammoth year for the licensing world Intellectual Property (IP) is a funny old thing. It kind of sounds like it actually only exists in our minds and I suppose, to a degree that’s true. But the real value of a children’s IP is in how much they love it, and well, how they ask their adults to spend on it. IPs exist because they fire the imaginations of our children.They model good behaviours, they help them understand the world around them and perhaps most importantly, they make children happy. The stories that drive the licensing industry are special. They are part of

patience and virtue and any number of other important things that we humans should understand to make the most of life. These days, when this approach is used in the preschool content, we call it ‘soft learning’.

the fabric of childhood and whilst consumer products and QSR partnerships are relatively recent additions, the essence of why we have them and what they do has been the same for time immemorial. The first children’s stories were of course those told in the oral tradition - passed from generation to generation as a way of inspiring, teaching and guiding the next generation. A very different type of influencer to those that kids aspire to today. Aesop is credited with some of the first stories for children that were put down on papyrus; 725 of them that enabled children (and general population for that matter) to share an understanding of right and wrong,

It wasn’t until the 1600s that the concept of childhood really started to take shape - before that children were really just thought of as miniature adults. It was with this realisation that children’s publishing - the first IPs - began to emerge. Largely very difficult to access, these books remained a tough read until John Newby published A

TOTAL LICENSING Little Pretty Pocket-Book in 1744 still considered today by many to be the very first real children’s book. If we want to think about the historical origins of the stories that have gone on to drive the world of licensing, we have to turn to those two quite outstandingly engaging writers, The Grimm Brothers. But that’s a whole other column for another time! So why am I thinking about all these things that have contributed to the making of what became this thing that we call children’s Intellectual Property? Well, it’s because 2022 is a very special year indeed. Not only is it KI’s very own 20th birthday this year - two decades of connecting families and brands, but there are at least four, but probably many more, very special anniversaries happening this year - so if you’ll allow me, I’d just like to share a few… Peter Rabbit is 120 in 2022! Not quite as old as Aesop and his fables,

but heading that way. Beatrix Potter first wrote The Tale of Peter Rabbit in 1893 for Noel Moore, the unwell son of her childhood governess, Annie Moore. He was five at the time and so perhaps this is the first recorded case of a bona fide pre-school IP becoming widely published in 1902. Walt Disney originally asked for the rights in 1936 but the erstwhile author politely turned him down and Peter’s first screen appearance was in the 1971 ballet film: “The Tales of Beatrix Potter.” One or two other animations appeared along the way, but it was in 2012 that Peter Rabbit first appeared

in animation - on Christmas day in the UK. A full 110 years after first publication - momentus! The lovable Care Bears will be celebrating their 40th anniversary this year. Initially created in 1981 by Those Characters From Cleveland (TCFC), the licensing division of American Greetings, the Care Bears have gone on to be a perennial favourite of children right around the world.The most wonderful plush toys hit the market first and of course there have been multiple animation series, movies and books too. What’s not to love about these original emotional icons of the children’s IP world? The fun and completely wacky Tinky Winky, La La, Po and Dipsy celebrate a milestone birthday in 2022. The incredible creativity and foresight of Andy Davenport and Anne Wood changed the very DNA of preschool television, globally and created something 25 years ago that the world was frankly unprepared for - The Teletub-

bies. One of the greatest accolades that children’s TV can receive is from the Prix Jeunesse - and in 2014 the IP won two awards - the first for ‘Most Edgy programme of the last 50 years’ and the second, the ‘Greatest Impact Programme of the Last 50 Years’.

er output of the Wood / Davenport partnership which turns 15 this year. This magical picture book place that is almost incomprehensible to grownups is just wonderful if you’re tiny. The way the stories are told, the indescribable excitement that the Ninky Nonk brings and Makka Pakka’s obsession with stones makes for quite possibly the most unique preschool show I’ve ever watched…and I’ve watched a lot. It’s clear that 2022 will be a mammoth year for many in the licensing world and for IP itself. These brands and many others have endured and brought delight to so many parents and children over the years, and I’m looking forward to seeing how these birthdays are celebrated. I myself will certainly be heading over to the Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature exhibition at the V&A to commemorate one of the best-loved children’s authors of the 20th century. I suggest you do the same - and take a moment to look back on how far we’ve come, but how relevant many of these IPs still are today. What a journey!

Finally, I couldn’t write this piece without having a romp through the dreamy magnificence of In The Night Garden, anoth-

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Nostalgia and the growing Kidult market In recent years, the Kidult market has undergone a resurgence in popularity, with the impact of COVID-19 accelerating this growth. It’s now more important than ever that distributors and retailers offer unique products for this audience in order to capitalise on the renewed consumer interest and differentiate themselves within the competitive market. Konrad Hoenig, CEO at Aquarius, explores the company’s unique offering, the rise of the ‘Kidult’ market and how nostalgia has played a crucial role since the outbreak of COVID-19. The Rise of the Kidult Market First coined in the 1950s, the term ‘Kidult’ was used to refer to adults who enjoyed television programmes marketed at children. The new market acknowledged an appetite amongst adults to recapture memories and emotions first felt in their youth. Since then, the ‘Kidult’ industry has gone from strength-to-strength. Identifying this trend, the toy and gifting industry has also developed offerings for the Kidult market, creating licensed products designed to appeal to adult fans.This has enabled retailers to tap into a highly engaged and rapidly growing market.

The Impact of COVID-19 This trend was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To illustrate, NPD reported that the ‘Kidult’ market accounted for 27% of total toy sales in 2020. Building sets, games, puzzles and collectables were among the top toy categories purchased by Kidults, who had more expendable income during the pandemic than other demographics. As countries across the globe witnessed unprecedented times - lockdowns, furlough and increased time indoors - people naturally found comfort and entertainment in childhood hobbies and interests. Brands such as LEGO and Hornby witnessed substantial sales growth over the lockdown period, providing light relief for both kids and adults stuck in isolation. As consumers begin to emerge from a pattern of lockdowns, retailers and distributors alike are acknowledging the influence the Kidult market will play within the future of the sector. This continued interest in nostalgia brands is aided by trends seen within other markets, such as television. Netflix’s recent acquisition of cult-favourites such as The Office, Seinfeld and Friends is further encouraging a renewed consumer interest in familiar and beloved charac-

To view Aquarius’ full range, please visit https://www.nmrbrands.com/aquarius/

ters from their childhood. Toy, games and gifting distributors must be ready to cater for this demand, or risk falling behind. Tapping into this Growing Audience Identifying a gap in the market for a brand that specifically targets Kidults, NMR introduced one of its flagship brands, Aquarius in 2002. Targeting adult fans, with products suitable for the young and the young at heart, Aquarius takes an innovative approach to licensing, creating games, crafts and gifts, from mainstream nostalgic brands, such as Friends and Harry Potter, through to endearing staples, like Peanuts and Garfield. Aquarius’s products are equally unique, offering a fresh take on traditional formats to help retailers truly stand out from the crowd. For example, its successful Vuzzles product line features a 300-piece puzzle packaged in a traditional VHS box to create a truly unique gifting product. With the Kidult market showing no signs of slowing down, distributors must acknowledge the important role nostalgia will continue to play in the toy market over the coming years. Building on its international success, Aquarius has launched into the European market for the first time this year to bring its unique approach to licensing to new distributors, retailers and consumers.

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ARTISTORY’S FIRST ARTIST COLLABORATION WITH OBODE AND THE NATIONAL GALLERY COMPANY

Art and cultural IP specialist ARTiSTORY has brought an AIoT technology eco-brand obode, a member of China’s Midea Robozone, together with the National Gallery, London to create a smart robot vacuum cleaner, featuring designs inspired by three great artists and supported with innovative digital marketing content.

The smart robot, obode P8, launching to market this spring, is one of obode’s most advanced AIoT products, and is part of what Midea Robozone calls the new wave of tech life, combining technology and art. As part of ARTiSTORY’s living artists programme, new contemporary artwork was commissioned for obode P8 inspired by three masterpieces in the National Gallery: Ambrosius Bosschaert’s Still Life of Flowers in a Wan-Li Vase, Claude Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond and Vincent van Gogh’s iconic Sunflowers. The three artists shared a fascination with nature and benefitted from advances in science and technology, such as the newly-invented microscope which Bosschaert may have used to study the flowers he painted in detail. Images of the new artwork can be applied to the robot cleaner by the customer and this contemporary collaboration continues the tradition of great artists pushing artistic boundaries.

Obode committed to creating content for digital marketing purposes which was arranged and led by ARTiSTORY, including filming in the National Gallery, interviews and bespoke narratives. “This exciting collaboration is a great example of how ARTiSTORY’s licensing programmes can bring together cultural IP with cutting edge innovative products and immersive digital storytelling content” said Yizan He, CEO and Founder of ARTiSTORY. “It’s a pleasure to work with ARTiSTORY, we hope to bring life-enhancing home technology and bold aesthetics from the ‘cyberpunk’ story to life,” said Alice Shaw, head of Midea’s Robozone Global Marketing Center.

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Pets and the Pandemic: Intrepid Reporter Mighty Mike gets the Inside Scoop Star of his own show and bone-a-fide member of the puparazzi, Mighty Mike quizzed three licensing execs on the impact their pets had on them during the lockdown, and what they predict the last two years means for the pet licensing market

As life slowly returns to normal after two years of intermittent confinement, pets have taken on an increased importance in people’s lives. With spending much more time at home during the pandemic, people everywhere have sought out creative ways to keep sane, happy and entertained while on lockdown, and pets have played a central role in that goal. Here to explore the impact the pandemic has had on pets and their humans is Mighty Mike, the world’s most sophisticated pug and the star of his own show Mighty Mike, airing on CITV, Cartoon Network and Boomerang worldwide, Universal Kids, France Televisions, Super RTL, Tencent, among others. As a loyal pug stationed at his house 24/7 - together with co-pets Fluffy the Kitten, athletic turtles trio Aramis, Athos and Portos and the neighbour’s bewitchingly cute dog Iris – Mike knows a lot about how to keep busy when confined to your home. Mike asked Kaye Hunter,This is Iris, about her experiences. Tell us about your dog... Moose wasn’t technically a pandemic

There’s little alone time with Moose around

Our dogged journalist out in the field

puppy, but he has spent the majority of his life in lockdown. When my mum passed away in 2019, Moose was a present to myself to try and help deal with my grief. Despite Moose being my 5th Miniature Schnauzer, I have never had a character quite like this little guy! It quickly became apparent that I was no longer able to go to the toilet by myself and every visit to the bin to take out the rubbish meant I was met on my return like I had left Moose alone for a year and he’d thought he was never going to see me again! He injected a bit of humour into Zoom meetings by parking himself in the background and attending to the cleanliness of his nether regions! What did you discover about your pet during lockdown? I discovered that Moose had no respect for privacy or personal space and basically just saw me as being there for his entertainment. But I also discovered that this funny little dog is the most loving of little souls and I sometimes get a bit overwhelmed at how wholeheartedly and completely this little guy loves me. Were they happy you were home all the time or do they

want some alone time back? Moose was happier than a bag of very happy things in their very happy place at me being home all the time. Has your pet helped inspire new ideas for licensing? Yes, but they are currently in creative development! Did you see pet licensing grow or idle during the pandemic? As a company, we definitely saw it grow as we were busy championing Mighty Mike... you! Did you see uptick in pet licensing, products for pets that reflected increase in ownership? I felt there was an increase in smaller, independent companies producing pet products and accessories. But I still think it’s a major sector waiting to be filled! Pet owners generally have a high proportion of expendable income and think nothing of kitting out their pets in coordinated ranges of accessories and products. Mike also grilled Lisa Hryniewicz, Koko Rose Media, on her thoughts. What did you discover about your animals during lockdown? I discovered that a pet can save your daughter’s sanity – and possibly her life! (Anyone who was cooped up with a teenager during lockdown knows what I am talking about). In this case the teenager was 14-16 and the pet was her horse, Astro. Luckily we were able to go to the stables every day as horses counted as caring for livestock as well as exercise. Were they happy you were home all the time? Well don’t tell my daughter’s school, but at-home learning provided ample opportunity to sneak out on a school day to visit Astro more frequently than normal. Did you see uptick in pet licensing and products for pets? We definitely spent more on the horse than normal during the pandemic as we were at home a lot where shopping online became a

TOTAL LICENSING Astro: “Have you heard this one?”

more frequent pastime and we had extra income from not socializing, eating out or traveling. Astro became a central focus in our lives and – like us – we indulged him with pet toys to keep him happy. Although we discovered that joke rubber chickens work just as well. One of the horses at the yard became a YouTube sensation swinging a rubber chicken in circles non-stop. Quite the picture! There are opportunities for sponsorship in the horse industry as well. My daughter’s new horse Krystal actually had a career as a spokeshorse for several clothing and equipment brands – with her own Instagram account! Will you be adjusting your business practices or company policy to include pets? I actually have. Being around horses outdoors during this difficult period has been a life-changing sanctuary and escape. So that we both now have a horse (so yes, we bought some “pets” during pandemic!) I now get up much earlier to include time at the yard every day, and still get in the hours at work. Has your pet helped inspire new ideas for licensing? Absolutely, it may involve a rubber chicken.

Ian Downes, Director at Start Licensing and fellow animal lover was also quizzed by Mike. What did you discover about your pet during lockdown? I have a 6-year-old whippet Tess. I think lockdown confirmed to me that Tess is a loyal and reliable companion. She helped get us to get out and about regularly. We also moved during lockdown and she helped us find new walks around our new home. She likes to have a good gallop - I also realised very early on never to challenge a whippet to a race. Did she like you being at home all the time, or did she crave some me-time’?? I think we have a good working relationship and Tess respects the Room of Zoom. As well as being super quick whippets are super sleepers so most of the time she sleeps while I work! Will you be changing the way you work to accommodate your dog? I think I will be looking at opportunities to take Tess to meetings - I work from home but go to a lot of meetings and hopefully she can join me at a few al fresco meetings. Has this given you new ideas for licensing?

I think having a pet has helped me understand the pet market better and got me thinking about ideas within the sector. Did you see pet licensing grow during the pandemic? We actually signed a deal with Urban Pup for Wallace & Gromit pet accessories including a Wallace dog sweater and sou’wester so for us it was definitely a period of growth. We are already talking about adding new products to their license. Did you see an uptick in pet licensing, products for pets that reflected increase in ownership I definitely think there is scope for more licensing in the pet market but as always I think licensing has to be deployed in an appropriate and authentic way. I have noticed some fun products like character-themed aquariums which are targeted at children as a kind of ‘my first aquarium’. Licensing could have more potential to help educate children about pet care and animal welfare.

Tess believes in dressing smartly, even for a Zoom meeting

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The Brilliant World of Tom Gates The multi-awardwinning internationally bestselling book series by Liz Pichon is a TV series, a franchise and has strong licensing partners, offering plenty of opportunity

Tom Gates, the young schoolboy protagonist of the multi-award-winning internationally bestselling book series created in 2011 by Liz Pichon, and first published by Scholastic, has become a successful – and growing – franchise driven by the team at TG Entertainment. The company – specially formed to produce the new television series, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, and to manage the TV distribution, licensing and consumer products rights – has grown international sales and rapidly built a strong UK licensing programme following the successful launch of the Sky Kids TV series in early 2021. The Point.1888 are the UK licensing agent, with currently eight licensees signed up across multiple categories including stationery, apparel, greetings and games. The series’ huge popularity with Tom Gates fans has attracted legions of new viewers and led to the commission of a second series, which premiered in January 2022, plus a spin-off series of songs and a Christmas special. The Tom Gates Brilliant Game which launched on the Sky Kids app has also featured in two episodes of the popular series, Let’s Game on Sky Kids with Ethan Gamer and Dan TDM, as well as being included in a special World Book Day song and video with MC Grammar. Liz Pichon’s awardwinning Tom Gates book series has now sold more than 11 million copies worldwide and has been translated into 45 languages. The highly anticipated jump from page to screen, in a modular mixedmedia magazine format, has delighted both new and existing Tom Gates fans across the globe. Celebrating

creativity and fun, the show blends Tom’s crazy humour with craft ideas and hacks for kids to recreate, along with fun games and memorable songs by Tom and his band, DogZombies. Wildbrain are managing the YouTube and international distribution for The Brilliant World of Tom Gates and have so far achieved sales to 25+ territories. In addition to YouTube, the series is building a strong presence on social media with a growing following and is rapidly expanding onto new platforms such as Pinterest. The Tom Gates online shop launched in late 2020 with a range of personalised apparel, books, homeware,

stationery and gifts. New ranges launched this Spring and the site enjoyed its best week ever this February. The licensing programme got off to a strong start. Poetic Brands, a specialist clothing manufacturer, have signed for daywear, with new ranges planned for AW2022. BB Designs, experts in licensed gifts and stationery, have produced a back-to-school and stationery range. An exclusive direct-to-retail promotion with Sainsbury’s ran in summer 2021 in their branded aisles and was supported by significant in store promotion and a national competition. Following this promotion Sainsbury’s continue to stock selected Tom Gates products in 2022. British design and print house Woodmansterne have launched

a range of greetings cards and their expanded distribution includes the John Lewis Partnership and WHSmith. New designs are coming for AW2022, and more greetings cards from online specialists Moonpig are set to launch in Q2. Aykroyds & Sons, leading manufacturers and distributors of licensed nightwear and swimwear, launched online with Character.com in 2021 and have a new Tom Gates nightwear collection in the pipeline for AW 2022. University Games, whose Tom Gates Brilliant Games Compendium was a hero toy pick at London Toy Fair 2022, have a full puzzles and games range due to launch at the end of Q2. Tom Gates Top Trumps from Winning Moves are also arriving in Q2, while fans can have Tom Gates-themed feet from AW2022 in socks from Roy Lowe. A plethora of new books are due this year from Scholastic, including a You Can Draw Tom Gates activity book (supported by a national promotion tour by Liz Pichon) and an Advent Calendar holding a range of mini books. And with the excitement of a new Tom Gates novel – Book 20 in the series – due in Q4, the future looks brilliant for growth in the Tom Gates brand both in the UK and abroad.

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The Importance of Representation Positive media representation is incredibly important across media, helping to create inclusion among marginalised groups and minorities. Basically, a child watching a show is more likely engage and enjoy it the more likely he or she feels that there is a character that is ‘like them’. This in turn leads to increasing self-esteem in young people, especially if these characters are portrayed in positive, realistic light. As the Gina Davis Institute succinctly puts it: “Children need diverse role models who can positively impact their perceptions of themselves, their own empowerment, and the world around them.” There certainly is a positive movement towards diversity, inclusion and representation, although of course there is still a way to go. Disney recently announced it had made a little girl’s wish come true after she wrote to the media giant, asking them to create a character who wore glasses – like her. A little way down the line, the main character in Encanto, Mirabel Madrigal, who is also the first Latina heroine to be the main character of a Disney movie, wears glasses. A small thing, you might think, but a real boost to millions of children around the world. With a mission to provide a platform to uplift, promote and remind children of color how unique, divine and magical they truly are, Afro Unicorn entrepreneur, innovator & founder April Showers has announced the expansion of her lifestyle brand for kids (ages 2 – 12), with new licensing

partners signed and a retail launch planned this year. Afro Unicorn was established in 2019 with the mind frame of ‘representation matters’ and incorporates the brand values—unique, divine, magical--that every child of color needs to be reminded of! With a rapidly growing awareness across social media, Showers has organically grown a solid young fan base for Afro Unicorn, eager to engage with her brand and messaging. Most recently, Showers has signed multiple licensing partners, including H.E.R. Accessories, Jay Franco, MAD engine, Unique, Silver Buffalo and Centric. In the party supply category, Afro Unicorn will be one of the first (if not the first) from a Black Woman-owned brand. “Our goal from the beginning has been to give girls of color a unicorn that represents them and encourages them to embrace their uniqueness, love themselves, and be empowered to go out into the world and trailblaze,” stated Showers. In March 2022, Barbie announced Dame Pat McGrath DBE as a UK Barbie Role Model by unveiling a oneof-a-kind doll created in her likeness. Pat McGrath is the world’s most influential makeup artist and founder of the billion-dollar beauty brand Pat McGrath Labs. For more than 25 years, her creative vision has made her a tour de force whose legendary and creative power has transformed both beauty and fashion on a global scale. Pat McGrath says: “It is an honour having a Barbie in my likeness and I

hope it inspires everyone to follow their dreams and believe that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible. I want my legacy to be one of change and positivity! I am excited that young people might see my doll

and believe that a love of makeup and creativity can lead to your dreams coming true.” Alongside Pat McGrath, the Barbie brand is honouring female founders from around the world, including Shonda Rhimes (United States) founder of American TV production company Shondaland. Barbie is also announcing its first ever global Dream Gap Project partnership with charitable organisation ‘Inspiring Girls International’. Founded by Miriam González Durántez, the nonprofit works to raise the aspirations of young girls by giving them the tools to broaden their horizons and aim high. Together, Barbie and Inspiring Girls International will work with local schools in the UK, USA, Spain, Italy, France, Poland, Brazil & Australia to deliver Dream Gap workshops featuring advice from trailblazing Barbie Role Models.

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MIPTV Back to Cannes! MIPTV, 4-6 April, Cannes returns in person this year! Here we give you a snapshot of some of the content that will be on show. Chefclub Friends (52 x 11 tbc) is an action-comedy edutainment series for 5-7 year olds that follows intrepid kitchen enthusiasts Maurice, Lola, Carlton, Colette, Elvis, and the Kikitos as they discover the world. Their Chefclub Friends

this year’s MIPTV 2022. The half-hour 2D animation special targeted at six- to eleven-year-olds is produced by production company Everybody on Deck. Dandelooo will also be offering Season Two of the charming, preschool series Ernest and C lestine – The Collection (26 x 13’), based on the cult books by Belgian author and illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. Also available will be Season Two of the 2D adventure comedy series Little Bear (39 x 7’). Studio 100 will bring Vegesaurs to

Cool, China Jili & Gulu (104 x 7’) is a heart-warming 2-D, comedy adventure series for preschoolers, featuring a little lion named Jili, a crocodile called Gulu and a sweet bunch of lovely little animal friends who live happily together in the Drip Drop Forest. Mironins (26 x 7’) an adventurefilled 2-D series for kids aged 4 to 7, produced by Spanish and Belgium studio Low Film. Mironins stars three tiny paint drops - Ro, Low and Blu who have escaped from one of Joan Miro’s paintings. Now that they have managed to leave the dark and boring Vegesaurs

roadmap? A passion for cooking and a curiosity as big as their appetite! Together they discover the world through their eyes and their tastebuds. In their quest for new ingredients, flavors and traditional recipes, the Chefclub friends team up with cooks – and new friends – across the globe. Chefclub Friends is an extension of the Chefclub Kids digital channel and its beloved animated mascots. Emmy Award-winning French animation production and distribution company Dandelooo will be ‘lifting off’ with Margo and the Space Robot at

Margo and the Space Robot

MIPTV, ‘the juiciest and crunchiest creatures ever to rule the planet in a colourful prehistoric era.’ The stories lean into relatable themes for upper pre-schoolers like mealtime, sharing, friendship and play. Studio 100 also bring Game Keepers, aimed at teens and kids aged 9 to 16. Duration: 10 x 25 minutes. The Media Pioneers (TMP) will showcase two charming series’ Jili & Gulu and Mironins to buyers at this year’s MIPTV. Produced by Le-

storage room where they used to live, they can explore the incredible worlds inside other paintings in the museum and be seen by the public. Because if there’s one thing Mironins know for sure is this: art is made to be admired! Jili & Gulu

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Industry Reacts to the Ongoing War in Ukraine

Licensing industry charity,The Light Fund has made a donation of £5,000 to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. www.lightfund.org

Global companies in and connected with the licensing industry have made statements and business-related reactions following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As many western countries impose sanctions on Russia, giants such as Disney and WarnerMedia have announced that they will not be distributing their latest movies in Russia, including The Batman. The global outrage following Russia’s devastating invasion has been swift, with sanctions imposed almost immediately by governments around the world, and media, toy and manufacturing companies have reacted with similar speed. BBC, ITV and others have stopped all content licensing in Russia. Banijay has frozen all Russian business activities. Apple and Ford are also dialling back operations in the country. Netflix announced that it would stop streaming in Russia. Russian state media has been blocked or censored by Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others. Facebook-parent Meta announced it would block access to Russian news outlets RT and Sputnik across the EU. Twitter is ‘reducing visibility’ of Russian state media content. The Ukrainian Association of Toy Industry President Pavel Ovchynnikov released this statement with a call to action: “The Ukrainian Association of Toy Industry appeals to all leading world toys manufacturers around the world

with a request to stop sales and shipments of top world toy brands to Russian companies. Join the companies who ignore and cancel the country run by the Aggressor and Occupant. The cooperation with Russians has already stopped by the car manufacturers with the world wide known brands: Audi, Volkswagen, BMW and other car concerns as well as US tech company Intel, Chinese Lenovo and Ukrainian Jooble platform. Block by ignoring and cancel the country-aggressor! Support the children of the Ukrainian defenders!!! We are waiting! Make your choice!” The LEGO Group was the first major international toy company to make a statement, announcing it was pausing shipments and had made a multimillion dollar donation to emergency relief efforts with a focus on children and families. “We care deeply about the lasting impact on children and together with the LEGO Foundation and Ole Kirk’s Fond, we will donate DKK 110 million (approx. USD 16.5 million) to emergency relief efforts, with a focus on providing support for children and families. The donation will be made to existing partners, including the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Save the Children, and the Danish Red Cross,” reads and excerpt from the statement, The Pokémon company announced it has made an immediate donation of $200,000 to Global Giving’s Relief Fund. Other toy makers are follow-

ing suit with large donations, including MGA Entertainment. Playmobil has ceased all sales to Russia. Gaming companies similarly have reacted swiftly with major players such as Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, EA, Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft and CD Projekt Red cutting off sales to Russian gamers. For ways to help, please see our recent article: https://www.totallicensing.com/ industry-reacts-to-escalatingsituation-in-ukraine/ Fears of Further Infringements After Russian Rulling A Russian court has ruled in favour of copyright infringement of Peppa Pig. Entertainment One had taken legal action against a Russian business owner who had drawn his own versions of Peppa Pig. The court ruled that the trademarks of Peppa Pig can be used by Russian businesses without punishment – leading to fears of further copyright infringements of brands owned by Western companies. In a move that has been widely named retaliatory against the Russian sanctions imposted by Western governments after its invasion of Ukraine, Judge Andrei Slavinsky cited “unfriendly actions of the United States of America and affiliated foreign countries” in their ruling.

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Talking in Circles, Directly With so much noise around recycling and still little by way of a universal approach to it, it stands to reason that today’s consumer remains confused. But out of that confusion, says Products of Change in their regular column for Total Licensing, is a chance for brands to implement better design and instigate better conversations with their audiences. We know the practice by now; drain the milk, squash the plastic bottle down and replace the lid. Shove the result in the recycling bin and wait for the recycling fairies to take it away. It couldn’t be simpler. In fact, so easy is the squash/lid-replace process that 95 per cent of consumers display an assured confidence that they are recycling their plastic bottles with ease, at home, every time. Squash it, lid it, bin it. Simple. No questions asked. Except, and on a mission to find some real, first-hand data on the levels of domestic consumer recycling, someone did start asking questions. That someone is the plastics recycling charity RECOUP, and what they found was more than a small discrepancy when it comes to the actions that consumers think they are taking, versus those that are really taking place. When the success of kerbside collection depends so much on the actions of consumers themselves, it’s an eyeopening truth to discover that it is only 67 per cent of plastic bottles purchased that are getting recycled by the consumer. Look at the data surrounding levels of plastic pots, tubs, and trays being placed in domestic recycling and it’s even more staggering – at an eyewatering 36 per cent.

“Tesco has now removed more than one and a half billion pieces of plastic from its UK business...”

What’s evident, according to RECOUP’s findings, is that consumer sentiment and the reality of their athome actions aren’t always adding up. Of course, it is a tricky topic to navigate. Plastics really is a subject still

mired in confusion. But with a singularity of standard still not in place, and with the labelling of plastics and their recyclability and mixed-signal messaging adding to the recycling noise, is it really any wonder? “It is critical to educate consumers on plastics in order to protect the environment,” Anne Hitch, head of stakeholder and citizen strategy at RECOUP told attendees of a Products of Change platform exclusive webinar earlier this month. “And we’re a team that acts to provide that education – to the public and to businesses – to preserve and protect the physical and natural environment for the public benefit through the promotion of waste reduction and recycling of plastics.” And tapping into its 30 years’ experience in the field of doing just that, RECOUP will tell you that the key element to address is design.

Designing out waste It’s a well-established idea that 90 per cent of a product’s environmental impact is determined at design stage, just as much as it is that the best way to address plastic waste when applying the principle of the Four Rs – Remove, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle – is to design it out of the equation to begin with. The supermarket giant, Tesco, has been making clear headway in doing just this. According to its latest report, the retailer has now removed more than one and a half billion pieces of plastic from its UK business since it first introduced its Four Rs strategy. Among the categories to find its packaging overhauled in such a way, the greetings card industry has worked with Tesco to remove more than 50 million pieces of plastic wrapping from its products. Overall, more than 500 million pieces of unnecessary plastic have been identified and removed

TOTAL LICENSING from across Tesco’s product portfolio in the last 12 months alone. But it isn’t solely about designing out. It’s also taking a closer look at what has been designed into the packaging. And that means the concept of circularity. Paul East, head of packaging recycling and design at RECOUP, explains that “packaging decisions ultimately dictate how a product goes through the recycling system.” And it’s a process in which everything counts. From the size of your label or your product itself (Tic Tac boxes, he notes, slip through the recycling system owing to their size) to the colour or opacity of your plastic. “Sleeves that cover more than 60 per cent of the surface area of the packaging, for example, are something to avoid because they cause misreads in the infrared gun that is fired at packaging in the sorting process to determine what kind of polymer it is made from,” explains East.“Meanwhile, compostable biodegradable and oxydegradable plastics are things to avoid altogether, simply because the systems aren’t in place to break them down. Other companies might try to introduce something like silicone – which really messes up recycling because it floats in the float test along with plastics but has an entirely different melting temperature.” The world of plastic packaging is an

“The chance for brands to become the educators in recycling processes, is one not to be missed.” ultimately deeply nuanced one. But the more that businesses and consumers understand of the recycling processes at play across the UK, states East, the higher the buy-in and greater the chance of a change of habits. The chance here then, for brands to become the educators in recycling processes, is one not to be missed. “For me the eye-opening element here is not the sheer amount of plastic we think is being recycled that isn’t

(though this is horrific), but actually the two great opportunities we can see here to drive change,” says Helena Mansell Stopher, founder and CEO of

“There’s never been a better opportunity for brands to get ahead of those conversations than right now.”

Products of Change. “Firstly, to design with recycling in mind and secondly to communicate efficiently to the consumer how best to dispose of the product. “We have to start looking beyond the retail shelf and start to design with disposal and circularity in mind. It might not be sexy, but boy can we drive real change if we start to do this.” Leading the conversation The incoming plastic packaging tax – coming into effect on 1 April this year here in the UK – will undoubtedly force the hand of many companies. A cost of £200 per tonne of plastic packaging manufactured or imported to the UK made up of less than 30 per cent recycled plastic upon companies shifting 10 tonnes per year or more, will certainly amplify the conversation. But to what extent will this provide the answer we’re ultimately looking for? Earlier this month, a landmark resolution was met at the United Nations Environmental Assembly in Nairobi to begin work on a legally binding treaty to end plastics pollution and the production of single-use plastics. Recorded as ‘an historic day’ for the planet’s fight against pollution, it is the first major step on what will be a long journey to draw up a treaty between 175 member nations by 2024, and then implement it. But doing so successfully has become critical. It’s long been suggested that the plastic pollution crisis is not one we can recycle our way out of, and Organisations like the Ellen MacArthur Foundation are working hard to encourage businesses and industries

to switch to a circular model before it is a crisis that deepens beyond the point of return. Without action taken, it’s predicted that greenhouse gas emissions from the production, recycling, and incineration of plastics could account for 19 per cent of the Paris Agreement’s total allowable emissions in 2040 to limit global warming to 1.5C. It’s good news then, that increasingly, businesses are beginning to pay attention. Within days of the gavel coming down on the UNEA 5 resolution, a group of major UK retailers – including M&S, Morrisons, and Waitrose and Partners – made public a coalition drawn up with Ocado and the supply chain solutions company, CHEP, to help end single-use plastic packaging by introducing Refill options for consumers up and down the country, both in-stores and online. Designed for scale, the collaborative project ‘marks the first step in developing a worldwide standard for plastic-free food distribution’, from the supplier to the cupboard. If successful, the solution could play a key role in reducing the 56.5 billion units of single-use plastic packaging sold each year in the UK. Claire Shrewsbury, director of insights and innovation at the plastic specialist, WRAP, puts that all into perspective when she labels it a “game-changing initiative” that could just pave the way for the mainstream adoption of refill and reuse across the consumer space altogether. And that, it goes without saying, is going to cause major shifts in the dynamic and tone of the conversations that brands are having with their consumer audiences today. There’s never been a better opportunity for brands to get ahead of those conversations than right now. After all, we can’t be squashing bottles forever!

Contact: www.productsofchange.com helena@productsofchange.com rob@productofchange.com

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TY BEANIE BOO RELEASED TO HELP FIGHT MND FightMND is excited to announce a new partnership with Ty through the upcoming release of a Ty Beanie Boo – Tony the Penguin. Set to be released globally this year, 100 per cent of the profits from original sales of the popular and collectable Ty Beanie Boo will go towards FightMND in the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (MND) (also known as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)) worldwide. The special FightMND Tony the Penguin Beanie Boo will hit Australian shelves from March 2022. Money raised through the global sale of Tony the Penguin will help fund vital and urgent MND/ALS research to find effective treatments and ultimately a cure for the disease. The average life expectancy of a person diagnosed with MND/ALS is only 27 months. There is currently no effective treatment or cure. Ty Inc is the largest manufacturer of plush in the world, and its Chairman, CEO and founder Ty Warner, is honoured to be joining the fight. “Hopefully this special Beanie Boo, named after my great friend and Australian distributor Tony, will bring awareness around the world to this horrible disease, and bring us closer to beating the beast that is MND/ ALS”. A philanthropist, Mr Warner has donated more than $300 million to a variety of charities worldwide including the American Red Cross, UNICEF,

United Way Worldwide, Ronald McDonald House, WIRES, and more. FightMND CEO Fiona McIntosh thanked Ty for joining the global fight against MND and helping raise awareness of the disease which has no effective treatment or cure. “Anyone with children knows how popular Beanie Boos are, which is why we are very excited to partner with Ty and have our own special FightMND Tony the Penguin join the Beanie Boo family,” Dr McIntosh said. “The money raised through this new

partnership will go towards cutting-edge research to teach us even more about the disease and how to fight it.” “Every dollar raised for the fight against MND takes us another step closer to finding effective treatments and a cure,” Dr McIntosh added. Tony the Penguin is the newest fundraising item for FightMND, which will be offered in addition to the famous blue Big Freeze Beanies, which go on sale in Australia at Coles, Bunnings and online in May 2022.

COTTON ON CELEBRATES EASTER WITH MIFFY Mercis in the Netherlands are very delighted to showcase the latest Miffy collection from their long-time Australian licensee Cotton On. For more than ten years Cotton On has been developing beautiful Miffy collections, that are sold outside Australia as well. For Easter 2022 they launched an extensive collection for the whole family. It consists of a wide range of cozy loungewear and cute accessories for babies, kids and adults. In addition they developed a fashionable adults sports line as well. Again another collaboration with Cotton On to be proud of.

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VBM TO HANDLE 2023 FIFA WOMEN’S WORLD CUP The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 was a defining moment. Having garnered over one billion viewers and inspired thousands of new footballers around the world - Women’s football has become an unstoppable, global cultural movement. With FIFA continuously propelling the women’s game higher, further, faster, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ will no doubt be an unforgettable experience - the defining event in women’s football, a global women’s sporting event that brings a true sense of excitement and enjoyment to the millions of fans who will experience the world-class event. In July 2023, the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ is heading to Australia and New Zealand and will be the spark of inspiration that inspires a new era of women’s football. Taking place in the heart of two countries that champion equality, community and diversity, this tournament will unleash the power of football on a global scale. Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has appointed Australian based sport licensing specialist Velocity Brand Management (VBM), as

their exclusive licensing agent in the Australian and New Zealand market across all FIFA properties including the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup to be played across Australian and New Zealand and VBM are currently seeking to hear from expe-

rienced and responsible companies and individuals who are interested in becoming an Official Licensees for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ Tournament across categories including (but not limited to) apparel, accessories, stationery, publishing, toys and games, homeware, gift and novelties, tourist/ souvenir and luggage. The mission of the FIFA Women’s World Cup is to showcase the world’s best female players, engage audiences with a world class event, exceptional storytelling and blaze a trail for women’s empowerment and in conjunction with the FIFA team, VBM aim to build a licensing program that speaks to the football fan through fashionable, well designed products that represent the bold & colourful, inspirational, inclusiveness and authentic feel of the FIFA Women’s World Cup program. All licensed products included in the program will be designed and produced in accordance with the Tournament Style Guide, which provides clear guidelines for the use and application of all FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 emblem and assets, including the FIFA sustainable sourcing code.

NEW WEBSITE FROM ELIZABETH STIRLING DESIGNS Elizabeth Stirling Designs is excited to announce the launch of their new website. With over 25 years’ experience selling and licensing surface designs worldwide, they have created an

easy-to-use site that provides a platform for their collection of seasonal art. Those interested will find a wide variety of themes and styles suited to all surface products, from gift packaging, stationery, to textiles and ceramics. With over 1,000 designs to browse through, all themes are covered, including Christmas, Easter, Valentines and Everyday, with art available for both outright purchase and limited license. Working in a wide range of styles - from hand painted to digital art- the studio has forged close links with major customers throughout the world, including Dollar Tree, Walmart, Lindy Bowman and International Greetings, providing them with innovative, trend-driven designs that

help their products stand out. Following the cancellation of in-person shows again this year, the website gives trade customers the opportunity to view the Elizabeth Stirling Designs collection whenever they need great art. With new designs being added each week, it will provide a great, updated resource to new as well as existing customers. To become a trade partner login to www.estirlingdesign.com.

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to address this important problem.” Looking forward, Cancer Council is planning to expand its licensed offer-

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ZING POP CULTURE AND WARNER BROS LAUNCH NEW PRODUCTS Zing Pop Culture and Warner Bros. Consumer Products are launching all-new Fantastic Beasts products in Anticipation of the new film More than 20 years after Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was first released in theatres, the Wizarding World remains one of the largest, and most beloved, franchises worldwide. With the highly anticipated release of Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Fantastic Beasts:The Secrets of Dumbledore”, the newest adventure in the Wizarding World, Warner Bros Consumer Products wanted to share a sneak peek into some of the amazing merch that will launch alongside the film in April. To help celebrate the new film, Zing Pop Culture and Warner Bros. Consumer Products, have created a unique range of exclusive, inhouse designed, and fully licensed merchandise. Fans can proudly don an adorable Niffler T-shirt and matching backpack - or get snug in a Niffler hooded blanket. With over 45 Zing standalone and 100 EB Games + Zing Hybrid stores, and an extensive retail website, you can pick up all the enchanting Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter merch any witch, wizard or Muggle could want!

In “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore”, Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the Wizarding World. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines? With a star-studded cast, it’s a tale sure to thrill Harry Potter fans of all levels. The range will be available from the 5th of April in store and online at www.zingpopculture.com.au “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” will premiere in Australian theatres on the 7th of April, 2022.

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GROWTH FOR ABC LICENSING BRANDS ABC Licensing continues to develop and build exciting entertainment brands in yet another busy year. A key success was the launch of the ABC Merch online store in November to be the exclusive home of much loved ABC Brands such as Gardening Australia, Landline and Play School.The ABC Merch store will expand with more ranges and more ABC Brands allowing audiences to finally access products from iconic ABC brands for the first time. The ABC Merch store

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is the sibling store to the strong performing triple j Store. The triple j Store saw a number of big results with hottest 100 t-shirts, the OG and Encore Wiggles X Like a Version T-shirt following the incredible Hottest 100 victory and a wildly successful “Festival” scented candle that addressed the gap in attending live music for the audience, allowing them access to the humorous range of smells one finds at music festivals! In recent news, ABC Kids brand, The Wonder Gang launched with a fun style guide capturing the popular STEM inspired aesthetic. The studio live action with animation and puppets is a show for kids to be able to seek out the answers to all their WHYS! A range of T-shirts and merch is already available on the ABC Merch store. In addition, ABC Kids nappies and change accessories featuring Play School, Bananas in Pyjamas and Giggle & Hoot have launched. Made by Nappy box & Co the product range is reusable & eco-conscious. Fierce Girls book based on the

hugely popular podcast of the same name explores the background and success of 6 fierce women. ABC are excited to see the product development opportunities commence from out of the enormous ABC podcast slate. ABC Licensing continues to nurture their evergreen ABC Kids brands with a focus on growing their social media, EDMS and web presence particularly on their refreshed ABC Shop website and their highly engaged ABC Kids community Facebook page.

NEW LICENSES FROM RUBIE’S

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The Industry Landscape may look a little different over the past two years, but Rubie’s Deerfield is forging ahead with new licence acquisitions, product innovation and a stronger-than-ever global network. Their long-term partnerships with many popular licensed brands means 2022 will see expansion and new development across licensors, such as NBC Universal. Locally designed costumes for Gabby’s Dollhouse include tutu costumes for Gabby, Mercat and Cakey-Cat in size 3-5 years. And a new range of oversized masks for Mr Wolf and Mr Shark from The Bad Guys. Costumes will be in-market for key seasonal events including Book Week

and Halloween, alongside a roaringly-good new range of Jurassic World: Dominion costumes for this much anticipated Theatrical release. Joining Rubie’s licensed portfolio, they are welcoming Paddington Bear, with a range of costumes and accessory sets to include his famous blue coat, hat and suitcase..They are also launching their range of Care Bears costumes comprising costumes for every sector – toddlers, kids and the Gen X. Rubie’s is Australia’s largest costume company featuring the greatest collection of licensed and non-licensed costumes for adults, children and pets.

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Merchantwise 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.

What started as a game has evolved into a true evergreen entertainment franchise, comprising of education, live events, consumer products as well as an upcoming movie. As of December 2021, Minecraft hit a huge milestone, surpassing one trillion views on YouTube, making it the number one most watched game ever.

Merchantwise is part of the Merchantwise Group, a full-service brand agency headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with offices in Sydney, Paris and Israel. Merchantwise Licensing shares a sneak peek at the latest news and upcoming entertainment properties for this year.

Looking ahead to mid-2022, we are eagerly awaiting the launch of Minecraft’s latest game update, The Wild Update. This new content invites players to explore a whole new underground environment in the mysterious deep dark biome filled with ruined cities that are overgrown in Sculk, along with the intimidating Warden and the addition of the new Sculk Blocks. Fans will also be thrilled to hear that existing swamp biomes will receive a fresh new look, incorporating new mobs such as Frogs and the Allay. Mangrove Swamps are also being added, providing fans with more opportunities to explore and create.

Minecraft is a cultural phenomenon and the best-selling video game of all time, selling over 238 million copies across all platforms.Appealing to a wide-ranging player base, the game has over 141 million monthly active users.

Minecraft is experiencing incredible success at a retail level across AUS/NZ with products now found in all major retailers. BIG W, Target and EB Games are leading the charge across mass and specialty channels. Since launching their Minecraft program in late 2020, EB Games has quickly established themselves as the leading specialty retailer for Minecraft.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Their products range from apparel, accessories, home, stationery, and gifting, all targeted at Minecraft’s biggest fans.

retailers; Clarks, Shoes and Sox, Myer, The Tribe, and Hannah’s (NZ).

Sonic is experiencing huge success, both on screen and across consumer products. Thanks to a hugely successful movie in 2020, Sonic’s appeal has exploded in 2021 and into 2022. He is a $1B franchise and continues to be one of the most popular video games of all time. In 2021, BIG W was home to a number of world firsts for the Minecraft brand. They experienced huge success when Hunter Leisure’s new sports & outdoor products launched in store. Products included a mountain bike, skateboard, scooter and helmet. With the effects of COVID being felt across the retail landscape throughout 2021, BIG W offered fans a unique cross-category Minecraft digital experience through the October – December 2021 period. When fans visited the BIG W website to shop Minecraft products, QR codes were hidden amongst the product imagery. Fans simply took out their phones, scanned the QR code and were instantly transported to an exclusive and unique offer where they could download Halloween themed skins for their Minecraft characters. The range featured product from an array of local partners including LEGO (construction toys); Mattel (action figures, playsets and roleplay); Funko (Pop Vinyl distributed by Ikon Collectibles); Hunter Leisure (sports and outdoors); Harper Collins (publishing); Caprice (apparel, bags, accessories,). Back to School never looked so good, with Clarks launching their brand new range of school shoes in December 2021. Clarks have incorporated some bolder designs this year while broadening options for fans. The range is available across a number of

Sonic The Hedgehog 2 is set to whirl back onto our screens in April 2022 with the all-star cast returning. Jim Carrey, Ben Schwarz and James Marsden reprise their original roles and Idris Elba joins the cast as Knuckles. If the movie wasn’t enough, Sonic Prime, a new 3D animated “high octane adventure” Netflix series, is due for release in the second half of 2022. Developed by Man Of Action Entertainment and WildBrain, the 24 episode series will continue to drive Sonic’s fame throughout 2022.

Sonic’s retail presence has expanded considerably in mass and specialty over 2021. In exciting news, key retail partner Best & Less are due to launch an instore gaming event in April 2022, featuring Sonic outerwear and sleepwear ranges. Fans can purchase products and go into the draw to win either an Nintendo Switch and Sonic Mania games. In a match made in heaven, Sonic has partnered with local Australian company, The Oodie, to produce a range of wearable blankets fit for the nostalgic Sonic fan as well as the younger and new generational fans. The range is scheduled to launch online in time for the April movie release.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Streetwear specialist, Thread Heads are also in the process of developing an apparel and accessories range due to launch in late March to coincide with the movie launch. In November 2021, Universal Candy saw great success in BIG W and Woolworths stores with the launch of their Sonic surprise eggs (BIG W) and Projector Poppers (Woolworths). Fans from around the world reacted to the products as they were announced on social media.

Xbox Series X | S, launched in October 2020 and were the biggest console launch in Xbox history. More new consoles were sold during the launch than any of the previous generation consoles, with the Xbox Series X selling out in the first 24 hours of release. As of January 2022, Xbox continues its promise to extend the joy of gaming to everyone with the recent industry-shaking announcement to acquire Activision Blizzard. The popular Xbox Game Pass, now with more than 25 million subscribers, lets fans access over 100 gaming titles including Xbox exclusives on day one.

2021 marked the 20th Anniversary for Xbox, one of the world’s leading gaming consoles. The console is incredibly popular with over 100 million monthly active users, with top first games on Xbox to include Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Gears of War and Minecraft. Xbox has an engaged audience on social media with over 57 million followers across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. In the run up to the big anniversary, 2021 was an incredibly successful year for Xbox.The next generation consoles, the

In keeping with the success of the gaming console, enthusiasm for the brand has transcended hardware and has been reflected in sales across product categories such as apparel, sleepwear, accessories, homewares and gifting. This iconic brand has firm representation in key categories in the likes of BIG W, EB Games, Target and Best & Less. Current partners for the brand include Caprice and MacEwen (NZ) for apparel, Zak for drinkware and lunch ware, and Paladone and Rubber Road for gifting.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Orange is the New Black) as Master Chief, and Natascha McElhone (Californication, The Truman Show, Ronin) as Dr Halsey and Cortana.

Alongside Xbox, Halo celebrated its 20th anniversary in November 2021. Since the release of Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001, the franchise has become one of the most recognised sci-fi video games of all time. The Xbox #1 exclusive franchise has grown to over $6 billion global business.

Halo has been an incredibly successful licensed brand with over US $1.78 billion in Halo merchandise sold, so it is no surprise to know that fans can find Halo products placed in most major retail channels.

The latest instalment in the Halo Franchise, Halo Infinite, was launched in December 2021 and has quickly become the most successful launch in Halo history. Halo Infinite has already amassed well over 21 million players since its release.

Halo fans will also rejoice after hearing the highly anticipated original Halo TV series is premiering on Paramount+. Directed by Otto Bathurst (Black Mirror, Robin Hood), the series stars Pablo Schreiber (American Gods, First Man,

Key partners include BIG W, Best & Less, Target, The Warehouse NZ, JB HiFi and EB Games ranging products from Funko (Pop Vinyls), Dark Horse Comics (statues), Caprice (apparel), ZAK (lunching and drinkware), Mattel, (MEGA Construx), Hasbro (Nerf blasters), and much more. To celebrate the 20th anniversary, New Zealand Mint also introduced a limited-edition range of collectable silver coins that were received incredibly well by fans.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA named Crash. With over 24 years of heritage, Crash Bandicoot is as big as ever, and back like never before. With the successful ‘90s-era Crash Trilogy being remastered in 2017, the hype of Crash Team Racing, and the recent release of Crash 4, aptly named ‘It’s About Time’, enthusiasm for the brand never ceases.

Activision Blizzard create the most epic interactive gaming and entertainment experiences on earth immersing players in new, unimagined worlds. The entertainment giant is responsible for a number of household-name brands including Call of Duty®, Crash BandicootTM, SpyroTM, World of WarcraftTM, DiabloTM, and Overwatch®. In March 2021, Activision introduced Crash Bandicoot: On the Run!, a mobile game version, that since launch has been downloaded over 30 million times.

After almost 20 years, Call of Duty has cemented itself as one of the biggest franchises of all time, selling over 400 million copies in over 170 countries across the globe.

With its multigenerational appeal, Crash has been enjoyed by over 14.5 million unique players and is loved by its Gen Z audience of 18-25 year-olds, as well as a growing kidult audience of 25 – 40 year-olds.

Call of Duty: VanguardTM is the latest premium title in the franchise, released in November 2021. Separate to the premium game, Activision has diversified the franchise making it accessible to all. This includes offering fans a ‘Free to Play’ platform in the form of its Battle Royale, WarzoneTM, as well as a ‘go anywhere, play anywhere’ mobile title, Call of Duty: MobileTM. Call of Duty products can be found in mass and specialty stores across ANZ. Local partner Caprice is developing new and exciting ranges for both channels in key categories such as apparel, bedding and footwear. One of the most popular and iconic mascots to have ever graced our screens is a small eastern barred bandicoot

Headstart International joined the Crash program in 2020, signing on as a global Toy Partner. Launching in Canada in January 2022, Headstart has seen great success with their collectable figures. Later this year, they will also launch plush toys, radio-control vehicles and diorama sets. Streetwear specialists, Threadheads, a Melbourne-based print-on-demand business, has taken on Crash, Spyro and the Activision Classics, launching a new range in February 2022.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Fans will remember this adorable ‘90s gaming icon, Spyro! Spyro the DragonTM is one of the most high-profile video gaming franchises out there. Having been popular for more than 20 years, this mischievous little dragon made his fiery return back in November 2018 with the original gaming trilogy re-released, including the classic Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage! TM and Spyro: Year of the DragonTM. Spyro is available across all console and PC platforms and provides unique opportunities across mass and specialty retailers.

The game is often revered as one of the most successful PC games of all time, spawning multiple spin-offs, and franchises, including a blockbuster movie, best-selling novels, board games, and has been an enduring pop culture phenomenon amongst millions of fans worldwide. In 2020, World of Warcraft launched its newest expansion, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, which immediately became the fastest-selling PC game of all time – a true testament to the game’s everlasting success. Millions of players identify with World of Warcraft and integrate it into their everyday lives. Recent partnerships include apparel, gaming chairs, microphones, peripherals, fast food chains, custom phones, statues, accessories, and more.

To round out the Activision portfolio, Merchantwise has the pleasure of representing iconic classic titles such as Pitfall TM, KaboomTM, Grand Prix and River RaidTM in ANZ. New to the Merchantwise portfolio, Overwatch, World of Warcraft, and Diablo are the perfect titles to round out a diverse Activision Blizzard portfolio. Overwatch is a vibrant team-based online multiplayer game that invites players to engage in action-packed combat throughout key landmarks around the world. Players choose between a diverse cast of Heroes each featuring their own unique set of abilities, captivating backstories, and personalities. Launched in May 2016, Overwatch quickly became a fan-favourite amongst the gaming community, with over 60 million players globally. Blizzard has successfully launched a range of consumer product partnerships with Forever 21, Pull & Bear, Paladone and retail partner Uniqlo. Merchantwise will be announcing the first ANZ partnerships in the next few months.

Launched in 2004, World of Warcraft is a massive online multiplayer role-playing game (MMORPG) in which players around the globe assume the roles of heroic fantasy characters and explore Azeroth, a world full of mystery, magic, and endless adventure.

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Diablo is an action role-playing game of good versus evil that takes place in the dark fantasy world of Sanctuary. As unique heroes, players traverse Sanctuary on a quest to slay the hordes of Hell in an epic fast-paced combat. Long-time fans of Diablo – get excited! Blizzard will be launching Diablo Immortal, an upcoming free-to-play mobile game set within the Diablo universe during the course of 2022. Diablo merchandise is available at gaming and pop culture stores, including EB Games.

© 2022 Activision Publishing, Inc. ACTIVISION, CALL OF DUTY, CALL OF DUTY VANGUARD, CALL OF DUTY WARZONE, WARZONE, CRASH BANDICOOT, CRASH TEAM RACING, CRASH: ON THE RUN!, CRASH, SPYRO, SPYRO REIGNITED TRILOGY, SPYRO THE DRAGON, SPYRO 2 RIPTO’S RAGE!, SPYRO YEAR OF THE DRAGON, Pitfall TM, KaboomTM, Grand Prix and River RaidTM are trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. © 2022 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved. Overwatch, World of Warcraft, Warcraft, WoW and Diablo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc., in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks referenced herein are the properties of their respective owners. Statistics based on Activision internal estimates.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA brand come to life in their 100+ stores, featuring in-store emoji-themed activations, window and floor decals and a whole new range of exciting emoji-themed drinks to enjoy.

Communication via digital emojis is the ultimate universal expressive language – over 10 billion icons are sent daily through messaging and social media platforms.

Nappy Box Co joined the emoji program in 2021 and will be launching a range of baby products this year that includes modern cloth nappies, swim nappies, smocks, wet bags, change mats and more!

Inspired by this phenomenon, the emoji® company was founded in 2013, creating an iconic lifestyle brand with an unprecedented global popularity. Today, the emoji® trademark is registered in over 100 territories across up to 30 classes of goods and services. There are now more than 25,000 high vectorized icons available for licensing. In Australia and New Zealand, the brand continues to be popular with partners across a wide range of categories from fashion from Hotsprings, publishing from Scholastic Australia and automotive accessories with Who-Rae. In February 2022, new partner Tradie launched their first underwear range into Best and Less stores. With cheeky and fun designs, we expect this range to fly off shelves.

Throughout 2021, Publicis Red Lion, the agent appointed to represent the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, saw huge success with their personalized license plates program and will continue for another 3 years.

PAC-MAN – An Arcade legend 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. 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 100 million downloads.

In a Valentine’s Day special,The Oodie released a playful his/ hers Oodie design, adopting the peach and eggplant emojis. The wearable blankets were complimented with matching underwear and socks. Looking ahead to mid-2022, we are eagerly awaiting the release of emoji’s latest partner, Sydney based bubble tea company, Gong Cha Tea. The partnership will see the emoji

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PAC-MAN is a full brand franchise, extending beyond gaming into film, live events and activations, fashion and consumer products, advertising and promotions. In Australia, Cotton On is one of the largest partners, developing products across key categories, including apparel, accessories, footwear and homewares. Caprice Australia has launched new apparel in Big W and new partner Licensing Essentials has launched with a range of

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA homewares, accessories and novelty products. To celebrate Father’s Day in 2021, Peter Alexander Sleepwear launched an iconic range for all gamer fans who love the retro gaming brand. With agricultural shows returning in 2022, Bensons Trading will release their PAC-MAN showbag.

Sony Pictures had fantastic success with film releases in 2021 and 2022, including Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania, which premiered on Amazon Prime, The Mitchells vs The Machines via streaming platform Netflix and the most anticipated film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which released in cinemas in January 2022.

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I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost After a challenging time in theatres across the globe, the most eagerly anticipated film Ghostbusters: Afterlife launched late 2021 and early 2022. The film features a great cast, a fastpaced story and tons of call backs to the original movies. The home entertainment and digital release will be April 2022, with a new to 4K ultra HD, Blu-Ray and DVD options available. And, when you pre-order at select retailers – you will receive a Stay Puft squishy phone mascot!

In the world of Sony Pictures Television, recent hits include Cobra Kai Season 4 which again was a #1 success on Netflix.

Master toy partner Hasbro developed a comprehensive product range, including surprise collectibles, role play, action figures, playsets, vehicles, plush, board games and special edition collector lines. Other global partners include LEGO (construction toys), Rubies (costumes), Funko (pop vinyl) and Reebok. Australian Ghostbusters licensees include Caprice Australia (apparel, accessories, footwear and homewares), Designworks (classic apparel), and Park Avenue Foods (novelty confectionery) and Cotton On (specialty fashion retailer).

The future looks brighter than ever, with the return of the studio’s best-loved film franchise as well as a host of other strong new releases in 2022.

A new range of Ghostbusters classic merchandise will be available across a wide variety of retailers including Target, BIG W and Kmart in Australia and NZ this October.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA COBRA KAI – #1 show on Netflix

The Outlander television series has become a worldwide success with audiences, spanning the genres of history, science fiction, romance and adventure in one amazing tale. Season 6 premieres on Foxtel on March 7, 2022 and streaming service Binge. New episodes will drop weekly. Season 7 has already been greenlit. There are a wide array of licensed partners worldwide in over 190 territories featuring a range of lifestyle/authentic products, which includes kilts, fashion collections, fashion accessories, jewellery in a range of mass, specialty, high-end fashion retailers and more. Licensing opportunities are now available for Australia and New Zealand.

Welcome to Schitt’s Creek!

Cobra Kai continues to be a smash success for Netflix. The fourth season of Cobra Kai premiered globally on 31 December 2021 and rated #1 around the world, including Australia and New Zealand. Season 5 is already in production. Sony Pictures Consumer Products has launched a significant expansion to the global merchandise program with a range of partners that boasts toys, collectibles, apparel, and home goods.

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In February 2022, heritage sportswear brand Ellesse launched a Cobra Kai collection featuring co-branded apparel that celebrates elements of the hit series. New Australian partners, Empire Apparel and Designworks, will each launch a range of apparel and accessories in Australia and New Zealand in Q4 2022.

In June 2021, Merchantwise’s licensed e-commerce partner for Schitt’s Creek, Merch Mother – an iconic pop culture merchandise retailer - launched their collection of Schitt’s Creek merchandise to much delight from fans of the hit TV series. Favourite items include iconic products seen in the show including the Rosebud Motel keytag, pins and tote bags, along with a range of t-shirts.

The “Outlander” television series, executive produced by Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, Matthew B. Roberts, Toni Graphia, Andy Harries and Jim Kohlberg, is inspired by Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series that has sold an estimated 30 million copies worldwide, with all the books having graced the New York Times best-sellers list.

And in December 2021, Australian retail partner Cotton On launched their first Schitt’s Creek collection based on the hit TV series. The range consisted of oversized t-shirts made with recycled fibres, greeting cards, homewares and accessories.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Master toy partner Playmates, distributed by Headstart in Australia, continues to sell out their range of toys in all retailers. There is a new toy line in development launching in the second half of 2022, along with some special movie items. At the end of 2021, Happy Hair Brush launched a range of hairbrushes and hair care products, and Rubies Deerfield launched the Cat Noir costume.

Miraculous™ is an inspiring, high quality CGI-animated superhero franchise set in modern-day Paris. The show follows Marinette & Adrien constantly juggling their perilous missions as superheroes – Ladybug & Cat Noir – and the daily challenges of their teenage lives. The television show rapidly gained momentum, turning Miraculous into a worldwide phenomenon and a global entertainment franchise. It’s vast community of viewers and fans can now engage with the brand on all major platforms. Miraculous is currently in its 4th season, with Seasons 5 & 6 in production. Coming this year: Season 5 – Revolution releases in Q3, Miraculous’ first feature film – Ladybug & Cat Noir – The Movie is slated for November 2022 and the next TV event Rio is slated for Q3 2023. Miraculous continues to be a digital phenomenon, engaging with fans around the globe, with a successful Roblox partnership launched in May 2021, with over 300 million plays. Miraculous will also debut it’s first ever console game this Christmas 2022, which will be available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and other popular game formats.

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In 2022, new product launches from Australian partners Caprice Australia – featuring girls outerwear and sleepwear - will be available in the Spring, MJM Australia will launch a range of puzzles & games, the first Miraculous showbag from Bensons Trading will be available at the Royal Easter Show in Sydney in April 2022, and Wisdom Brands will be launching an electronic toothbrush in Coles Supermarkets, also in April. New partnership announcements include Scholastic Australia, who will be developing a collection of publishing titles, including Colour & Activity books, storybooks, pictures books, junior novels and Magic Ink.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA The Gruffalo – expanding into retail! The Gruffalo is one of the world’s best-loved children’s literary creations. Since first being 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.

launch of the trail along their stunning rainforest boardwalk. In 2021, Jasnor Australia signed on as the master plush partner, along with tableware, feeding & hydration and ELA products, with the new ranges launching in the second half of 2022. Smiffy’s continue to supply their Gruffalo dress-up costume at retail, and will be launching a new Room On The Broom costume in Kmart in time for book week this year. Kiri and Lou – Handmade in New Zealand Created by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Gruffalo has become a modern classic spanning publishing, film, stage, theme parks, digital and merchandise. In 2021, Mitch Dowd launched a range of The Gruffalo sleepwear for the whole family in BIG W along with some fun dress-up outfits for girls and boys. New ranges will be launching in time for book week in August 2022. The Gruffalo Spotters 2.0 AR App and adventure trail has been a huge success for The Ginger Factory on the Sunshine Coast with the partnership being renewed for another year. In June this year, the Spotters App and trail makes its way to Scenic World in the Blue Mountains in NSW with the

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.

Kiri and Lou continues to broadcast on TVNZ and ABC Kids daily, with new episodes launching in Q3 2022. New Kiri and Lou publishing titles from publishing partner Scholastic Australia launched at the end of 2021, with new formats launching in June 2022. Designworks is the new apparel, accessories, homewares and footwear partner and will be launching a capsule collection in Q1 2023.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Elf On The Shelf® – A Christmas Tradition

May Gibbs – Inspired by Nature

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. For Christmas 2021, The Elf on the Shelf® core range has been extremely popular at Myer Giftorium, Kmart and a range of independents, distributed by PMG Australia. Westfield continued to embrace The Elf on the Shelf® with major live activations across 35 malls over the holiday period. The Australian licensing program managed by Merchantwise Licensing has been a huge success, with an array of products at retail including outerwear and sleepwear by Mitch Dowd, publishing from Hinkler Books and confectionery by Park Avenue. New products including dressups from Rubies, Christmas décor, drinkware and dinnerware, puzzles and games from Licensing Essentials proved popular over the Christmas season with ranges available at BIG W, Target and Kmart, along with an exclusive range of products at Coles.

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. Today, May Gibbs is a fashion and lifestyle brand inspired by the Australian bush with a unique licensing program of over 20 partners across publishing, apparel, bedding, homewares, fabric, toys, stationery, party ware and collectables. May Gibbs is proud to partner with leading Australian brands to bring the stories and characters to life for fans of all ages. 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.

Peter Alexander kicked off their Christmas campaign with a fun colourful range of The Elf on the Shelf® sleepwear for the whole family.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Publishing partner Scholastic Australia has continued to expand their catalogue of licensed May Gibbs storybooks for children with May Gibbs becoming their third best-selling licensed property. Scholastic Australia have also began publishing a newly imagined range of May Gibbs’s classic sto-

and furnishing fabrics. The growing range of fabric designs have been eagerly embraced by Australian makers and crafters Australia-wide, with home decorators loving the coordinating range of bedding, home décor and napery items. Further categories will be added to the range in 2022 including a compostable partyware range, tableware, seasonal gift packaging and gift sets. The program is supported with a strong marketing program across catalogue, digital and in store.

ries and never-before published works, ensuring that every Australian child has the opportunity to experience these classic tales. For the second year running, May Gibbs took centre stage as the feature brand for BIG W Bub & Me event in August 2021, with a comprehensive cross-category range of product across apparel, nursery bedding and décor, infant toys and activity play, publishing and partyware. The event was supported by a comprehensive marketing campaign including in-store point of sale, front of catalogue, digital marketing and strong m e rc h a n d i s i n g both in store and online. Further apparel ranges launched through to Christmas with a fun festive themed family apparel range proving very popular with styles for women, girls, boys and baby. The partnership continues at BIG W in 2022 with May Gibbs apparel ranges for girls and boys as part of the Bub & Me event in February, followed by a stunning Mother’s Day range perfect for mini me dressing for mums and daughters. Further apparel releases are in development for July Baby Week, Spring/Summer and Christmas. An exciting new gifting program is in development for second half of 2022 to expand the May Gibbs festive cheer - featuring gift packaging, gift sets, tableware, home décor, seasonal decorations and more. May Gibbs has partnered with Spotlight Australia with the retailer becoming the exclusive home of May Gibbs sew

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An exclusive range of homewares, seasonal décor and stationery launched at Australia Post just in time for Christmas. The collection, designed by leading Australian giftware and homeware designers La La Land, featured three unique prints showcasing May Gibbs original illustrations imbued with La La Land’s unique Australiana flavour. For the first time, May Gibbs has partnered with Australia’s favourite home fragrance retailer, dusk, to release a scent-sational new home fragrance collection. The stunning range invites us to breathe in the magical world of blossoming flora and fauna with the May

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Gibbs x dusk collection of MoodMist® Diffusers, MoodMist® Oils & Essential Oils. Fans of the brand are spoilt for choice with several speciality partners releasing beautiful new product ranges. May Gibbs partnered with Cotton On for the third time, launching a new apparel range for babies and kids in early 2022. The partnership with Walnut Melbourne continues with brand new Winter and Summer children’s apparel collections in development, including the popular swimwear line. The collection is now ranged in Myer stores nationally. 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 beautiful range of personalised knit blankets from Namely Co combine heirloom quality pieces with May Gibbs original illustrations. Further brand new ranges in development for 2022 include a gardenware range, bamboo tableware and modern cloth nappies. Our much-anticipated new outdoor stage show of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie, developed by Eaton Gorge Theatre Company, will at last get its premiere in 2022 at Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney, Australian Botanic Gardens Mount Annan and Blue Mountains Botanic Gardens after several Covid-induced delays.

The brand continues to be supported with strong marketing and publicity campaigns, with the first Brand Ambassador campaign launching in November 2021. May Gibbs partnered with Australian actor, writer and mum, Tammin Sursok as she introduced the iconic Australian stories of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie to her two gorgeous daughters. With broad coverage across print, TV, radio, online and social media the program generated reach in excess of 145M eyes and ears. Blinky Bill – An Australian Icon Created by Dorothy Wall in 1933, Blinky Bill is the original Aussie larrikin. The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill has never been out of print in Australia and the little koala with the heart of gold continues to delight audiences around the

world, starring in several TV series and movies. In October 2021, Blinky Bill partnered with the Bob Brown Foundation to become the face of their campaign for the protection of native forests and koala habitats. A Pozible campaign encouraged people to make a pledge by purchasing a range of Blinky merchandise. The pledges made have raised funds for an outdoor advertising campaign starring Blinky Bill with billboards placed across the eastern seaboard to raise awareness of the campaign. A beautiful Blinky Bill sleepwear collection from Peter Alexander launched for the first time in 2021 showcasing vintage 1930s Blinky Bill original illustrations in styles for the whole family. Blinky Bill continues to make his home at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary with the long-running partnership now in its seventh year. Kids of all ages can dance and sing along with Blinky at the daily interactive show. Other current partners in Australia include: Park Avenue for food gifting, with new products launching in 2022 including a mealtime breakfast set with Easter egg, travel mug with Anzac biscuits, and Advent calendar and Headstart International, who will be launching both Vintage and Classic plush featuring Blinky and Nutsy.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA This Christmas, an exclusive homewares and gifting collection will launch at Australia Post featuring Dorothy Wall’s original illustration of Blinky and friends designed by leading Australian giftware and homeware designers La La Land. A new publishing range is also currently in development with Scholastic Australia.

agent Golden Goose. Licensing arrangements are already in place with Australian brands Empire Apparel and Mitch Dowd who will see the globally recognised intergenerational Stormtrooper character pop up across a range of retail product categories using the original authentic illustrations,

Media partner Totem is set to launch an exciting new Blinky Bill YouTube Kids channel in May this year featuring brand new content.

2D line artwork and hundreds of green screen photography. Developed in 1976 by Andrew Ainsworth of Shepparton Design Studios for the first Star Wars film, the stormtrooper is one of the most popular characters in global pop culture. In 2023, Blinky Bill celebrates two milestone anniversaries with Dorothy Wall’s original story Blinky Bill: The Quaint Little Australian (1933) celebrating its 90th anniversary and The Adventures of Blinky Bill television series (1993) celebrating 30 years.

In the US and the UK, robust licensing programmes have rolled out for the brand across softlines, hardlines, stationery as well as gift and novelty categories with retailers including the lines of Aldi, H&M, Marks & Spencers, Tesco and TK Maxx, showing their support for the ironic, humourous and current product ranges.

The Original Stormtrooper In August 2021, Merchantwise confirmed its appointment as the Australian and New Zealand agency for Shepparton Design Studio’s Original Stormtrooper brand with global 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 – Get Back Eager Beatlemaniacs could not wait to watch Peter Jackson’s three part documentary ‘The Beatles: Get Back’, which premiered over a three day event on Disney+ in November 2021, with the film achieving critical acclaim.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA 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 apparel, accessories and homewares from Licensing Essentials in 2022. Cotton On’s partnership with The Beatles continues with ongoing ranges of apparel, sleepwear, accessories and gifting. A new collection of Beatles sleepwear has just launched as part of the rock sleep collection.

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Manhead Merch – I’m With The Band In June 2021, Merchantwise partnered with Blackmilk Clothing for a rock collection featuring an array of artists including Billy Idol, Hole,Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Garbage, and Panic! At The Disco, for their I’m With The Band collection, with a variety of styles selling out in two days. Blackmilk will launch a new collection of artists in June 2022.

ROMWE X PINK FLOYD!

Easy Partners – Call Me I’m Alive

Pink Floyd was an English psychedelic rock band formed in London, 1964. Cited by some as the greatest progressive rock band of all time, the group is known especially for their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics, and elaborate shows. Merchantwise brokered a deal with Singapore fast fashion retailer, SHEIN, for a Pink Floyd collection of products which launched in February 2022. The range featured apparel, accessories, tech accessories and homewares.

In August 2021, Merchantwise announced its appointment as the Australian and New Zealand licensing agent for Easy Partners. Specialising in merchandise and apparel for musicians, bands, artists, creators, and other entertainment properties, New York based Easy Partners represents some of the world’s favourites including Blondie, Deborah Harry, Cheech and Chong, James Brown, Mazzy Star,Tori Amos and many more. New partner Caprice Australia launched their first Blondie t-shirt at Kmart in March this year, with further products scheduled throughout 2022.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

CENTA IP UNVEIL NEW APPOINTMENTS Centa IP has been appointed as exclusive global licensing agency for the hit animated TV series Kung Fu Pork Choppers Based on characters derived from the Chinese hit series GG Bond the 104 x 11-minute series introduces the team of interstellar super-swines of the Universal Hero League that includes Glorious P.I.G., Pigcasso, Hampton, Swinstyn and LaPuerca aka the Kung Fu Pork Choppers, who battle fun and funny foes for the all-powerful “Splaxis” – the one slime to rule them all! “This is a very PIG deal”, says Al Kahn, Founder and CEO of Crane Kahn.“We completely redid the series to build a show and a universal brand with global appeal aimed at boys 4-8. The mix of martial arts and out-of-the-world gimmicks and gadgets mirror a proven play pattern to create a world that kids will relish and have lucky licensees laughing all the way to the piggy bank”. The new KFPC show debuted on Chinese TV in the summer of 2021 and achieved a new milestone when it hit 200 million plus views within the first five days, ranking #1 and topping both Paw Patrol and Peppa Pig in its ratings. The second season continued the success of the first in China generating over a combined 720 million views both online and on national TV stations. Centa IP has also been appointed as the exclusive agent for Australia and New Zealand for the animated pre-school series, Brave Bunnies. Brave Bunnies, a new 2-D digital animated pre-school series from Ukrainian company Glowberry and currently airing on ABC Kids daily with catch up on iView, is a delightful show with a quality traditional feel, but with modern and highly relevant underlying themes of diversity and inclusivity that resonate

strongly in today’s world. Glowberry, and their co-production partners Anima, have developed 52 episodes for Season 1. Even before the 1st season started airing, Season 2 comprising a further 52 eps was already in development, reflecting the licensor’s commitment to the property. Centa IP has already signed its first licensee with Five Mile Press taking the license for sticker and activity, colouring, novelty, flap books and educational formats. Over and above these, Centa IP has been appointed as Australia and New Zealand agent for pre-school series Buddi. Buddi is an animated television series geared toward kids under four which launched on ABC Kids in early August 2021. Buddi sees PAW Patrol and Bob the Builder creator, Keith Chapman return to the early pre-school scene and join forces with Unanico Studios and series creator, Jason Jameson. Seasons 1 and 2 are both 16 x 5-minute episodes, with Season 3 currently in development. Buddi is a non-dialogue show in which the characters express themselves with giggles and coos, giving the show

universal appeal, and allowing its early pre-school audience to use their imagination to apply their own versions of the Buddi’s conversations. Season 1 and 2 of Buddi are currently streaming on Netflix and Season 1 launched on ABC Kids in early August 2021. Finally, on the back of another consecutive international No.1 bestselling children’s book and an all-new animated movie streaming on Disney+, Wimpy Kid, Inc. has appointed Centa IP to manage and market its consumer products program in Australia and New Zealand. Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of the bestselling_children’s book series of all-time, having sold over 250 million books in 81 editions and 66 languages since it was first published in 2007. Sold in ANZ by Penguin Random House, Australia is a major and long-established market for the IP selling over 8 million books since the launch in 2007. Gail Mitchell, CEO at Centa IP said, “We are thrilled to be working with the incredible team at Wimpy Inc. We are looking forward to introducing consumer products which encompass the core characteristics of what the fans know and love about the Wimpy Kid brand.”

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PAW Patrol:

PAW Patrol is on a roll as it continues to be the #1 pre-school toy property in Australia. Adventure City is here, and the Pups have officially ventured outside of Adventure Bay to a brand-new frontier: the big screen. PAW Patrol: The Movie, produced by Spin Master Entertainment, premiered in August 2021 and was a box office smash delivering more than $144 million

worldwide with sustained movie momentum in Q4 with the EST and DVD release In 2022, we will build on this momentum. We plan for PAW Patrol to remain top dog in the eyes of both kids and parents through our commitment to content. Season 9 includes exciting new content themes throughout 2022. As always, they will be supported across Paramount owned and operated channels and will inspire PAWsome new marketing and retail programs. And if that wasn’t enough, in 2023, PAW Patrol will be celebrating an epic milestone with its 10th anniversary as well as releasing their second global theatrical release, PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie debuting in theatres October 2023.

Blue’s Clues & You!:

& You! star Josh Dela Cruz and former Blue’s Clues hosts, Donovan Patton and Steve Burns, alongside real-life fans from various generations who grew up watching the series, “BLUE” up the internet. Blue’s Clues & You! has launched to huge success globally. Already a ratings smash on channel, we have also now successfully launched our toys and consumer products all over the world. Despite the numerous challenges posed by the pandemic, our partnership with JustPlay kept Blue front and center at retail. Season 2 is set to premiere in April on 10 Shake with Season 3 launching on Nick Jr in mid-2022. We will continue to focus on core themes of the show “Play to Learn”, “Interactivity” and “Music” and will weave these into all stunts and special across Nick Jr and free-to-air platforms in Australia and New Zealand.

It was a big year for everyone’s favourite puppy, Blue in 2021.

Blue’s Clues & You! continues its multi-platform approach to reaching pre-schoolers on every platform.

We celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Blue’s Clues in true Blue style and generated a staggering 3.7b press impressions. A one-ofa-kind nostalgic music video titled “You Can’t Spell Blue without YOU,” featuring Blue’s Clues

In February 2022, the launch of Nursery Rhymes content on Blue’s YouTube channel saw Blue and the gang as you have never seen her before, reimagined in 3D.

Baby Shark:

Pinkfong’s Baby Shark has become the world’s first-EVER video in YouTube history to reach 10 billion views, cementing its status as the platform’s most-viewed video of all time. The launch of Baby Shark’s Big Show! this past year has transformed Baby Shark from a digital Fin-nomenon to a multi-platform franchise. Baby Shark’s Big Show! is already making waves in Australia, ranked as #2 program on Nick Jr in 2021. In 2022, Baby Shark’s Big Show! continues to swim into action with linear stunts and specials and free to air launching in March. Consumer products are already making a splash at retail, and we have an array of creative assets to really bring the products to life in store. All fins on deck for 2023. With a feature-length film in development, we are only just beginning with Baby Shark’s incredible adventure.

Santiago of the Seas: Shiver my timbers, it’s time put on your pirate hats as we go on a new adventure with our newest pre-school property, Santiago of the Seas.

Santiago is a story about a good pirate captain who leads his loyal crew on daring and magical adventures. They protect their home island and keep the high seas safe from bad pirates. At the heart of the show is pirate adventure and enchanted surprise, with a curriculum centring around Latino Caribbean culture and Spanish language. Santiago is on the right track and has launched on Nick Jr. in Australia and New Zealand, heading to free to air platforms later this year as Season 1 is currently available on Paramount +.

Knowing how much kids love pirates, when Santiago hits shelves, we will be giving this favourite play pattern a whole new twist. Keep a look out for product hitting shelves from our toy partner Mattel in 2023. As we sail through the next few months, we will continue to build momentum for Santiago with new content and marketing support as well as placement at retail. Santiago is everywhere that kids and families go. Adventure awaits amigos!

SpongeBob:

SpongeBob SquarePants has been a fan favourite for over 20 years and audiences can’t get enough of this top-rated iconic series. The SpongeBob universe continues to expand with all new spin offs and movies. First up, we have Kamp Koral: SpongeBob’s Under Years, the first-ever SpongeBob SquarePants spinoff. In this CG-animated prequel, 10-year-old SpongeBob SquarePants and his pals spend their summer building underwater campfires, catching wild jellyfish, and swimming in Lake Yuckymuck at the craziest camp in the kelp forest, Kamp Koral. Next, we have the second half of Season 13 from our core SpongeBob SquarePants series. And finally, The Patrick Star Show, which aired in Australia in December 2021, the second spinoff of SpongeBob SquarePants follows a younger Patrick Star living at home with his family, where he hosts his own variety show for the neighbourhood from his television-turned-bedroom. All this amazing new content has provided the perfect opportunity for driving momentum across key CP categories as well as Global collaborations for fans of all ages.

Garfield:

Garfield is the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world and this pop culture icon has over 40 years of cat-itude. In 2022 we will engage Garfield fans through global and local collaborations, with new product ranges targeted at Millennials 18 – 35

as our core focus and kids as Garfield apparel spans all genders and generations. Garfield has lots of new collaborations coming in 2022, including a Peter Alexander Valentine’s Day execution which landed in store February ’22. In 2023, we will be celebrating Garfield’s 45th anniversary as we continue to reignite this feline’s mass fandom – expect a huge array of consumer products to be rolled out in celebration.

Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra:

Since the launch of Avatar: The Last Airbender in 2005 and and The Legend of Korra in 2012, its engaging characters have transported fans into a rich, immersive and diverse epic where only one person in each lifetime can master all four elements – water, earth, fire, and air – and must use this powerful ability to maintain balance in the world. That person is the Avatar.

Avatar: The Last Airbender, quickly became a fan favourite with the compelling story of a 12-year-old boy, Avatar Aang, who must quickly master the elements and end a century-long war to save the world. The sequel, The Legend of Korra, set in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender 70 years later, followed the journey of Avatar Korra, a 17-year-old girl striving to live up to Aang’s legacy while confronting political and spiritual unrest in fast-modernizing times. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a multi-awardwinning series and one of the most beloved animated properties in history. In 2021, Nickelodeon announced the launch of Avatar Studios, a newly formed division designed to create original content spanning animated series and movies based on the beloved world of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Korra’s 10th anniversary will land in Q2 of 2022 and we have secured year-long acti-

vations, creating bespoke moments for our partners to continue to drive retail opportunities with an exciting new logo and thematics. Avatar fans can look forward to lots of exciting collaborations and merchandise from apparel to collectibles, toys and games which will land in stores throughout 2022.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Let’s get Turtle-y crazy and jump into Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. ,For 2022, our focus is the adult super fan, leveraging nostalgia and love of gaming to engage this audience. On all major consumer product categories, we will see crossovers and collaborations.

August 2023 is set to be a huge moment for the franchise. We can’t wait to bring Turtles to the next generation of kids, through the imagination of lifelong turtle fan – Seth Rogen.

Star Trek Universe:

The Star Trek Universe is gigantic, with six classic TV series as well as new ones, like the award-winning Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard. Let’s not forget the animated young adult series Star Trek: Lower Decks and coming soon we will see the premiere of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. There are over 13 Star Trek films, which have reached an intergalactic global box of USD$1. 5Billion. A new Star Trek movie is scheduled to go into production in 2022.

Star Trek: Prodigy:

And for the first time are we are recruiting the next generation with Star Trek: Prodigy, the first ever series from the franchise aimed at younger fans. Star Trek: Prodigy launched in Australia on Paramount+ in October 2021 and on Nickelodeon in February 2022. Developed by Emmy Award-winning duo Kevin and Dan Hageman, this all-new CG

animated series follows a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search for a better future. The Star Trek: Prodigy universe has diverse characters, exciting vehicles, high tech gadgets and out of this world locations, which is a perfect fit for consumer products. A global partnership with Playmates Toys will see lots of cool toys arriving on shelf and online soon.

MTV:

MTV is a truly global icon. No other brand has ever managed to influence music, television, activism, and created so many unforgettable cultural moments on and off stage. MTV means so many things to audiences all over the world. For many it’s the pulse of pop culture; and for generations of fans, it’s the cherished home of the best of the best in youth entertainment. In 2021, MTV celebrated its 40th anniversary, which we will continue to build on in 2022 with new and exciting retail initiatives coming to stores nationwide soon.

South Park:

This year, South Park will not only celebrate its 25th Season, but it will also celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the show in August. Season 25 premiered on 10 Shake, Paramount+ Australia and Comedy Central NZ in February this year and has a strong presence on all platforms. We are excited to announce that the TV series will arrive on Paramount+ internationally as

the exclusive SVOD home later this year with over 300 episodes. Additionally, South Park will begin rolling out on Paramount+ globally as the new exclusive SVOD home starting with Season 27 in 2024, and the full library is headed to Paramount+ U.S. in 2025.

Emily In Paris:

Season 1 of Emily in Paris was a sensation around the globe and when Season 2 of the hit show dropped on Netflix last December, it was an instant hit once again. Everything’s coming up roses with Season 3 and 4 officially confirmed. The show has it all, French culture and couture, romance, travel and friendship. The fashion seen in the series has made a consumer products program a sure thing. Our global partnership with Lancôme saw a limited-edition collection featuring make-up, skin care and fragrances come to life in 2021.

Paramount Pictures:

With over 100 years of iconic movie making, Paramount Pictures has produced some of the most iconic and beloved films of all time. We are excited to bring some of these to life in consumer products.

This year we celebrate The Godfather’s 50th anniversary, with yearlong retail executions across key categories including fashion, accessories, gifting, and collectables. From one legendary blockbuster to another, Top Gun: Maverick will fly into theatres in May 2022. Raise your hand if you have ever been personally victimised by Regina George. From Mean Girls and Clueless to Coming to America and Flashdance, your favourite film classics are all part of the Paramount Pictures portfolio.

Yellowstone:

Yellowstone was the #1 drama on U.S. cable when the latest season launched and fans can’t get enough with over 10m tuning in for the season 4 finale in the U.S. In Australia,Yellowstone has been a massive hit with fans, with Australian actress Jacki Weaver joining the cast in Season 4. 2021 was full of retail activations in the U.S., with success in Walmart, Amazon and a global collaboration with Wrangler that saw t-shirts sell out within 24 hours.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

BLUEY’S HOME LISTED ON AIRBNB Bluey is a phenomenon around the world – what makes her and the rest of the Heeler family so appealing?

That’s what sets Bluey apart from a lot of other kids’ shows — it’s a series for the whole family, not just a particular age group.

Kate O’Connor: Bluey certainly is a phenomenon. The show is televised in over 60 countries. We’re the number one kids show on broadcast TV in Australia, and were the number one ratings driver on Disney Junior with pre-schoolers in 2021.

Kids love how Bluey is all about games and play, and the fact that it’s quintessentially and unapologetically Australian really adds to its global appeal.

The magic of Bluey is its simplicity and relatability, but I also think Bluey is special because it doesn’t fit the mould of a normal kids show. Despite being about two sisters, it doesn’t fixate on gender — and it’s watched equally by boys and girls. There’s no denying that it is also genuinely funny — funny enough for Rolling Stone to include it in its list of “Top 100 Sitcoms Of All Time” — which means both kids and adults love to watch it together. Bluey is 90% co-viewed which means you’ll find the whole family sitting down to watch it together.

What lead to the exciting partnership with Bluey and AirBnB? BBC Studios partnered with Airbnb to lovingly recreate the Heeler’s house as part of Airbnb’s wildly successful “Only On Airbnb” program. Airbnb has created some amazing activations around the world to bring

The iconic Heeler family home from hit Australian kids’ show, Bluey, is being listed on Airbnb in Brisbane, Queensland, offering one lucky family the opportunity to live like the Heelers for the ultimate Bluey fan weekend. Bluey is a global phenomenon that screens in over 60 countries and is beloved by both parents and kids for its heart, humour and relatable family moments. Airbnb has partnered with BBC Studios, co-commissioner and global distributor of Bluey, on this one-of-akind experience. Total Licensing Australia, caught up with Kate O’Connor, Head of Brands & Licensing, BBC Studios ANZ to find out more.

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Have the first guests booked in yet, and what can they expect?

I love interactive installations, and I can’t understate their importance for us as a company.

Yes, they sure have! Bluey fans could book the stay on a first come, first served basis on Tuesday 15th February via the Airbnb website. From 18th to 20th February the guests then enjoyed an action-packed schedule of Bluey experiences, as well as plenty of downtime in the Heeler home, which was customised to bring the cartoon experience to life.

In this post-Covid world, everyone is looking for better ways to serve and connect with their fan base. At the BBC, we are privileged to be able to work with our partners on incredible interactive installations, such as Van Gogh Alive, as well as specific brand-focused ones, such as Blue Planet in Concert.

They were welcomed by special touches like the red letterbox, garden gnomes, bone-shaped chimney and charming bay window.

key scenes from pop culture to life. The Heeler home is one of only a couple of “Only On” campaigns they’ve done in Australia, and the response has been incredible. From our perspective, it was a way to celebrate the brand and give something back to the fans, who had the chance to book a one-of-a-kind weekend getaway; which also included an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the Ludo Studio where Bluey is created, a Chinese takeaway feast and an afternoon decorating Bandit’s famous duck cake.

After walking through a custom-made front door, almost identical to the Heelers’, they got to enjoy Bluey and Bingo’s fabulous playroom with its signature rainbow canopy, kiwi rug, spotty couches and numerous toys such as Chattermax and Polly Puppy. Tiny details from the show also came to life in Bluey and Bingo’s bedroom; from matching bed linen, to a handmade stained-glass window feature, to the glowing moon and star stickers on the walls. It was absolutely perfect. Do you find it is becoming more and more important to grow in the area of interactive installations?

And, of course, our engaged Bluey fan-base is incredible; we are always trying to find ways to surprise and delight them. We have collaborated with a number of big brands to create a combination of brand collaborations with names like Peter Alexander, Crayola, Bonds and Adairs; activations, such as Only On Airbnb; and even theatrical productions with our partner Andrew Kay, who we just wrapped Bluey’s Big Play in Australia with and with whom we have more great plans. Do you see similar partnerships in the near-future? We have so many exciting things on the horizon and are always looking for ways to bring the show to life for our fans. I’m pleased to announce our next big partnership is with Colgate, who will be bringing our favourite Heeler family onto toothpaste and toothbrushes later this month. It is very exciting for us to get to work with leading brands like Colgate, and even more exciting that this is the first time in Colgate’s history that they’ve put an Australian brand on their products. We’re thrilled to bring Bluey to our fans in this way. We’ve also announced other amazing global partnerships with the likes of Crayola and Hasbro; who will be releasing Bluey Trouble and Bluey Monopoly Junior. Towards the middle of the year there will be some more exciting announcements, so stay tuned!

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

BLUE CHIP BRANDS GETS INTO GEAR FOR 2022 Specialist brand licensing company, Blue Chip Brands has several new exciting programs scheduled for release in 2022 headlined by the major launch of lifestyle brand LA Gear with retailer Big W. The iconic Southern Californian active and lifestyle brand that shot to fame in the 1980s will be positioned as the premium sports and activewear brand within Big W and feature across men’s & women’s apparel, footwear and accessories. The LA Gear brand offer will be supported by a national advertising campaign, social media/influencer program as well as partnering with 1% for the Planet to support environmental initiatives. Ultimate automotive performance brand Shelby is also set for an exciting year through deals brokered by Blue Chip Brands. The headline act is the global launch of Shelby Golf Carts and resort transport vehicles which premiered at the PGA Trade Show held late January in Orlando.With high performance models based on the Shelby GT350, GT500 and the Shelby Cobra the range is destined to be the most powerful drive on the fairway. Other product releases include a limited edition set of coins featuring iconic Shelby & Ford Mustang vehicles from Downies Collectables and apparel and headwear from DFM Australia. The Ford consumer products program continues to prosper through Australasia based on both Australian

Ford vehicles such as the Ford Falcon and global nameplates like Mustang and Bronco. Limited edition product based on iconic and highly sought after vehicle nameplates has proven to be a winning formula. Publishing partner VIP Automotive will release a follow up to the staggeringly successful ‘bible’ based on the 1971 Ford Falcon XY GTHO Phase III which is widely regarded as the most iconic vehicle ever manufactured in Australia and the fastest four door production sedan in the world. Following the success of the men’s launch of apparel & accessories in 2021 global partner Cotton On will release a range of women’s apparel featuring Ford retro designs from the 1970s and 80s. In another licensing partnership with Cotton On, ultimate glamour girl, Betty Boop will feature on a range of women’s apparel and accessories to be launched during

the year. The consumer products program for Australian illustrator Steven Rhodes continues to grow after another successful year in 2021. Empire Apparel has inked a deal and will supply apparel and accessories to Jay Jays whilst on the global stage new deals have been announced with UK licensee Poetic Brands for apparel and Boston America Corp for a range of novelty candy and drinks. The success of the Steve McQueen x Mr Simple brand collaboration launched for Summer 2021 will see the program repeated throughout 2022 with the Winter menswear offer featuring statement pieces including bomber jackets, cable knits, corduroy blazers and pleated pants. Albert Einstein will be the focus of a range of limited edition collectable product that celebrates the 100th Anniversary of his theory of general relativity being proven in Wallal, Western Australia. Blue Chip Brands will also be seeking to finalise deals for new brands it has recently been appointed to represent. Motul is a global leader in the oil and lubricants industry and a partner to numerous leading motorsport teams and events including Moto GP, World Rally Championship, Le Mans 24 Hours and Paris-Dakar’. Licensing opportunities exist in lifestyle apparel, motorcycle apparel and accessories, workwear and garage and workshop products. Evel Knievel is possibly the best-known stuntman of all time. He invented himself and his business jumping, crashing and miraculously recovering to promise even more outrageous stunts to come. His most famous stunts include jumping the fountains at Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas and the jump at Snake River Canyon. Evel Knievel is testament to the saying ‘pain is temporary, glory is forever’. With a strong consumer products program developing internationally licensees have already been appointed and will be launching men’s T-shirts and headwear in time for Father’s Day in Australia.

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By Noelene Treloar, Of Counsel and Adrian Trioli, Principal Adrian M Trioli Intellectual Property www.adriantrioli.com

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

Promoting Innovation in the Toy and Games Industry Changes to Australian Design Law**

Noelene Treloar The Toy and Games Industry increasingly relies on intellectual property (IP) to protect research, development and innovation and gain commercial benefits through licensing. Registration of industrial designs is one form of IP and plays a key role in the recognition of toy and game products. In Australia, design registration is a relatively quick and inexpensive procedure. Recent major changes to Australian Design Law provides support for toy and game owners to protect, enforce and licence their design rights in Australia. We focus on two changes below. •

Introduction - Designs in Australia

Design rights protect the new and distinctive appearance of a product – features such as shape, configuration, pattern or ornamentation. Registration of a design grants to the owner the exclusive rights to use, make, import, sell, hire or otherwise dispose of the product or authorise another person to do so – including through exclusive licensing! Under Australian Design Law, a design application undergoes an initial formalities examination by IP Australia and is then automatically registered within about six (6) weeks. A registered design can remain reg-

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istered and not examined for the life of the registered design, being a maximum of ten (10) years, with a renewal due after five (5) years. Once a design has been registered, the design owner can request postgrant examination of the design by IP Australia whereby the visual features of the product are compared against the prior art base. Assuming that post-grant examination is successful, the registered design will then be certified. Requesting examination is not mandatory. However, enforcement action can only be taken against third party infringers once a design has been examined and certified by IP Australia. A design needs to be certified before a “cease and desist” letter can be issued to an alleged infringer. The Australian Government has recently made a number of refinements to Australian Design Law, with two significant changes highlighted below: 1.

A new 12-month Grace Period for SelfPublication or Disclosure

In a significant development for Australian Design Law, commencing 10th March 2022 and for publications or use on or after 10th March 2022, there will be a 12-month grace period for self-publication or disclosure before filing a design application in Australia. This step will bring Australia into line with jurisdictions such as the United States and the European Union. The introduction of the 12-month grace period provides greater scope for toy and game companies to work with third party designers, whilst reducing the risks of invalidating disclosures.

Exclusive Licensees have the right to claim infringement

From 10th March 2022, the exclusive licensee of a design in Australia will have the right to bring design infringement proceedings. Whilst the right to obtain relief will only apply to conduct occurring after 10th March 2022, the change aligns Australian Design Law with the rights of exclusive licensees for other IP rights. This change recognises the impact design infringement can have on exclusive licensees. Depending upon the circumstances, the registered owner will still need to be involved in any design infringement proceedings (whether as a defendant or plaintiff). •

Summary

Research, development, innovation and licensing are key drivers of competitive advantage and success in the Toy and Games Industry. The introduction of a 12-month grace period for self-publication or disclosure of a design brings Australia into line with jurisdictions such as the United States and the European Union. The ability of exclusive licensees of registered designs to bring design infringement proceedings aligns with exclusive licensees of other IP rights. Could your business benefit from the changes? **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 (www.adriantrioli.com). Ms Noelene Treloar will also be participating in the Australian Toy Fair Digital from 28 March 2022 to 1 April 2022. Otherwise, please liaise with your local IP Counsel to put measures in place to best protect your IP.

TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

“Vlad & Niki” is an imaginative, live-action preschool YouTube series, showcasing the everyday comedic antics of two young brothers, starring eight-old Vlad Vashketov and six-year-old Niki Vashketov, along with the help of their humorous mother Victoria Vashketova. “Vlad & Niki” have more than 236+ million subscribers worldwide, with 78+ million subscribers on their English Channel. They have received more than 135+ billion total views. In Australia and New Zealand they capture an average of 19+ million monthly views The streaming short-form content is packed with non-stop adventures, creativity and tons of fun. Localized on 21 channels and translated into 18 languages, the key preschool learning themes for “Vlad & Niki” include family fun, discovery play, home adventures, indoor and outdoor fun and games, singing and dancing. The inspiration for the series began when Vlad noticed the antics of other kids while watching YouTube, and wanted to make a video of his own. The Vashketov family began recording and uploading videos of the boys during their free time on the weekends in their home. As their popularity grew, so did the families’ creativity. Each episode is produced with an innovative mix of live action, animation

and music to create comedic videos that capture the attention of the preschool demographic. Their one-yearold brother Christian often gueststars in the episodes. “Vlad & Niki” continues to be well received by critics as well as the public as the dynamic duo captured three

more prestigious awards in 2021, including being named ‘Best Web Series for Kids’ by the National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA); winning the Shorty Awards honor for ‘Best Influencers & Celebrity YouTube Campaign’ and the 42nd Annual Telly Awards’ ‘Bronze Winner in the Gen-

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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA

For more information visit Vlad & Niki on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/c/ vladandniki

eral Children’s Online.’ Those were added to earlier recognition from the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences’ 10th Annual Lovie Awards ‘Outstanding Work Shortlist’ category. The two young brothers have received numerous YouTube Creative Awards, commonly known as Play Buttons, including a Ruby Play Button for 50 million subscribers; three Diamond Ruby Play Buttons for 10 million subscribers; 16 Gold Ruby Play Buttons for a million subscribers; and 16 Silver Ruby Play Buttons for one hundred thousand subscribers. In recent news, WarnerMedia Kids & Family acquired the Vlad & Niki library

2021 Awards •

Vlad & Niki and Zuru won the silver prize in Toy Shop’s UK’s 2021 Independent Toy Awards Silver Prize in ‘License of the Year’ category

•

Shorty Awards 2021 - won “Best Influencer & Celebrity YouTube Campaign”

•

National Parenting Product Awards (NAPPA) 2021 Awards – awarded “Best Web Series for Kids”

•

42nd Annual Telly Awards - won “Bronze Winner in the General Children’s Online” category

•

11th Annual Streamy Awards - received a nomination for “Best Influencer Campaign”

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to begin streaming on HBO Max’s Cartoonito in March 2022. In addition, mobile apps have surpassed more than 100,000,000 downloads. On the licensing side, a deal with Playmates Toys includes more than 15 SKUs and Zuru Toys will produce 2 SKUs. Vlad is the rambunctious, adventurous and competitive older brother who enjoys playing soccer, kickboxing, and water sports. A natural performer, Vlad is obsessed with animals and, when not in school, he spends his free time hip hop dancing and singing to his favorite performers including Maroon 5 and Imagine Dragons. Vlad is in second grade and speaks English and Russian. Niki is the precocious younger brother who loves traveling, fashion, singing, dancing, painting and being creative. In his free time he enjoys do-it-yourself projects, arts and crafts, cooking and baking - pies are his favorite. Niki is in kindergarten and speaks English and Russian. Victoria is the fun-loving mother whose lively personality is essential to the “Vlad & Niki” storytelling. The mother of three began her career performing as a competitive gymnast in Russia. She had a reputation for being the lively, expressive gymnast

showcasing her exuberant personality during competition. The “Vlad & Niki” video-streaming property is created, written and produced by Sergey, the boys’ father, and his wife Victoria. Before garnering viral global attention, Sergey was a successful salesman and applied his skills to help create a worldwide brand that includes international licensing deals and brand integration. Vlad & Niki brand-new toys and playsets created by Zuru Toys and Playmates Toys are available in retailers such as Target, Walmart, Amazon and Smyths in Europe. Fans can become fully immersive with “Vlad & Niki” on their website https://vladandniki. com where consumers will be able to watch videos, play games and purchase exclusive merchandise including apparel, accessories, drinkware and home goods. Vlad and Niki are encouraging preschoolers to learn and engage in exciting adventures with 12 mobile application games for Android and IOS. Their games, which have 100,000,000 downloads feature music, funny animations, entertaining challenges and adorable characters. The family now resides in Miami, Florida.

TOTAL LICENSING

Work Made For Hire Agreements Explained

Legally Speaking

By: Gregory J. Battersby Copyright law protects a potentially copyrightable work from creation in a fixed form. Thus, from the moment it is set in a print or electronic manuscript, a sound recording, a computer software program, an illustration, or another such concrete medium, the copyright becomes the property of the individual, typically called the author who created it. Only the author or those parties who acquire the rights from the author can rightfully claim rights in the copyright. When an employee of a company creates the work in the scope of their employment, the company is deemed the owner of the copyright rights to such work. Therefore, no specific assignment agreement is necessary to transfer ownership. When a non-employee, e.g., an independent contractor, creates such works, the copyright rights to such works are retained by the contractor absent a specific Work Made For Hire agreement reciting that they were created on behalf of the company and, as such, all rights belong to the company. This agreement needs to be in writing and specifically reference the copyrightable work. Absent a written Work Made For Hire agreement, the contractor may be found to retain the copyright rights to the works. A word of caution, however. Not all types of copyrightable works are covered by the Work Made For Hire doctrine. It only covers the following types of works: contributions to a collective work; parts of a motion picture or other audiovisual work; a translation; a supplementary work; a compilation; an instructional text; or a test or answer; or an atlas. Graphic designs of the type frequently seen in licensing may…or may not…fall under these categories. To protect themselves, companies will frequently include “belt and suspenders” language in the agreement to ensure that copyright rights get validly transferred. Such language provides that should the work in question not qualify for Work Made For Hire status, the contractor agrees to assign the copyright in the works to the company. Such language protects the company should the work fall outside the above categories.

The typical operative language in such an agreement reads as follows: FOR GOOD AND VALUABLE CONSIDERATION, receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the parties agree and acknowledge that works created and developed and all works derived therefore by Contractor while working on behalf of Company (collectively the “Works”) shall constitute a Work Made For Hire on behalf of the Company upon their creation and Company shall be the sole and exclusive owner of the Works and all rights, whether intellectual property rights or otherwise, therein including, without limitation, the copyright and all renewals and extensions of copyright. Company shall have the sole and exclusive right to use or exploit the Works in whole or in part, throughout the universe, in perpetuity, in all media, now known or hereafter devised, alone, or together or as part of other works of any kind or nature. Contractor hereby waives any “moral rights” (as said term is commonly understood), to the extent any such rights are vested in Contractor, Contractor may have in and to the Works throughout the universe. To the extent that any of the Works do not for any reason vest such rights in Company as a Work Made For Hire for the consideration set forth herein, Contractor hereby irrevocably and assigns, sets over, and grants to Company, its successors and assigns, exclusively, in perpetuity, throughout the universe, an assignment of all rights in and to the Works of every nature, whether now known or hereafter devised or recognized, including, but not limited to: the sole and exclusive right to exploit, revise and use the Works in any form of medium, expression, or technology now known or hereafter known or developed; all copyrights and renewals and extensions thereof, all of which Contractor hereby represent are and shall at all times be Company’s sole and exclusive property, free from any adverse claims or rights therein by any third party; and the right to make all additional contracts, agreements and arrangements (including, but not limited to, all licenses and assignments) for the Works, all rights in and to the Works, and all decisions affecting the Works.

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 published 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 gjbattersby@gbiplaw.com www.gbiplaw.com 131

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MIPTV London Book Fair Brand & Lifestyle Licensing Awards Licensing China Licensing Expo Cartoons on the Bay Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit Licensing Japan Children’s Media Conference Kidscreen Summit Licensing Awards Brand Licensing Europe Toy Fair Dallas MIP Junior MIPCOM Frankfurt Book Fair China Licensing Expo Brand & Licensing Innovation N America

April 4 - 6 April 5 - 7 April 27 May 5 - 7 May 24 - 26 June 1 - 5 June 21 - 22 June 29 - July 1 July 5 - 7 July 18 - 21 Sept 13 Sept 20 - 22 Sept 20 - 22 Oct 15 - 16 Oct 17 - 20 Oct 19 - 23 Oct 19 - 21 Nov 8 - 9

www.miptv.com www.londonbookfair.co.uk www.brandlicensingawards.co.uk licensing-china.hk.messefrankfurt.com/shenzhen/en www.licensingexpo.com http://www.cartoonsbay.rai.it/en/ www.brandlicensinginnovationsummit.com https://www.licensing-japan.jp/en-gb.html www.childrensmediaconference.com www.kidscreen.com www.thelicensingawards.co.uk www.brandlicensing.eu https://www.toyassociation.org/ta/events/fall/ www.mipcom.com/mipjunior www.mipcom.com www.buchmesse.de www.chinalicensingexpo.com www.brandlicensinginnovationsummit.com

These dates were correct at time of going to press.

Activision Blizzard/Merchantwise ...............................99 Beano ................................................................................... 5 Blinky Bill/Merchantwise .............................................116 Brave Bunnies ................................................................ 2, 3 Cancer Council of Australia .........................................83 China Licensing Expo .....................................................89 Cobrandz ..........................................................................51 El Ocho ................................................................ 42, 43, 44 Emoji/Merchantwise .....................................................103 Halo/Merchantwise ........................................................97 Howard Robinson ..........................................................23 Konami ........................................................................13, 15 Licensing Awards .............................................................77 Licensing China ................................................................82 Licensing Expo .................................................................67 May Gibbs/Merchantwise ...................................112, 113 Merchantwise .................................................................101

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Milano Day of Licensing .................................................37 Minecraft/Merchantwise ................................................91 MIPTV ................................................................................45 Miraculous/Merchantwise ...........................................109 Mondo ...............................................................................11 Pac Man/Merchantwise ................................................105 Paramount ......................................................................134 Rubies .................................................................................. 9 Sea Believers ...................................................................... 1 Sonic the Hedgehog/Merchantwise ............................93 Sony Pictures/Merchantwise ......................................107 TF1 Licensing ..................................................................... 7 ViacomCBS .......................................................................81 Warhammer ...............................................................19, 20 Warner Bros Consumer Products .............................87 Xbox/Merchantwise .......................................................95 List correct at time of going to press

March 三月 2022

March 2022

A TOTAL LICENSING GROUP PUBLICATION

Winter 2022

WINTER/SPRING 2022

Total Licensing, Total Licensing China, Total Brand Licensing, Total Licensing Australia For more information, or to subscribe, free of charge, visit www.totallicensing.com

BRAND TOTAL

AUTUMN/FALL 2021

March 2020

A TOTAL LICENSING GROUP PUBLICATION

Autumn/Fall 2021

Winter 冬天 2021

March 2021

LICENSING

May/五月/2020

Fall/Autumn 2020

BRAND TOTAL

SUMMER 2020

A TOTAL LICENSING GROUP PUBLICATION

LICENSING

Total Licensing Spring 2022

Articles inside

Promoting Innovation in Toys and Games

Legally Speaking

The Expanding World of Vlad and Niki

Blue Chip gearing up in 2022

Multi-Generation Icons

Star Trek Universe and Prodigy

Bluey Listed on Airbnb

Adults and Superfans

Pre-school Powerhouses

Blinky Bill

Romwe x Pink Floyd ViacomCBS Consumer Products

Miraculous

Sony Pictures

Halo

XBox

Sonic the Hedgehog

Activision Blizzard

Minecraft

Zing and Warner Bros Consumer Products Merchantwise

Cancer Council’s Sun Protection Programme

News from the market

Sustainability

Industry Reacts to Ukraine

MIPTV - All back to Cannes

The Importance of Representation

Pets and the Pandemic - a lighthearted look

The World of Tom Gates

Artistory, Obode and the National Gallery

Nostalgia and the Kidult Market

2022 - A Mammoth Year for Licensing

The Incredible Rise of LBE

Video Games - the Secret to Moving Brands

TF1 Licensing - A Key Player

The Ultimate Guide: NFT Cheat Sheet

Cobrandz - Event Preview

Interview: Chefclub

Children’s Market in France

CTV: The MVP of Every Brand’s Playbook

Spotlight on Spain’s El-Ocho France

Market Round-Up

Mondo’s MeteoHeroes

Milano Day of Licensing Returns

Growth of E-Commerce in Italy

A layered and complicated market

Licensing Expo

The Metaverse and Licensing

A Big Year for Warhammer

Brave Bunnies

Global News

The Future Belongs to those who Believe