Exclusive launch event is a huge success for Bullseye and Mind

Bulldog Licensing, one of the licensing industry’s leading agencies, are proud to announce the success of an exclusive launch event on behalf of Home Leisure Direct, the UK’s premier games room retailer. Specialising in the finest and highest quality products from pool table to pinball machines, Home Leisure Direct, have an unrivalled reputation for being the best in the market. Their new Augmented Reality Bullseye Darts Game and Bullseye App were presented to visitors and professional players alike at PDC – Cazoo World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palance between 15^th December 2022 and 3^rd January 2023. Allowing over 3,900 attendees to throw some flights outside of viewing the Championship competition, the launch raised an impressive £7,322 for Home Leisure Direct’s charity partner, Mind – which makes a huge difference in the lives of those suffering from mental health and mental well-being issues.

Augmented Reality (AR) darts systems are taking the UK by storm and providing a whole new interactive level to the darts game. The games system features true-to-life darts, trivia rounds, rotating star prizes from Bully’s prize board and full commentary and scoring by Richard Ashdown from Alan Carr’s Epic Gameshow, the Bullseye Edition. There were 906 lucky players at the launch event who won more than 101 or more points with six darts against Round 3 of the Bullseye AR Dart game. They were then entered into a prize draw to win a full home darts set including a Unicorn Bluetooth Smartboard dartboard, Bullseye surround, 40” Samsung TV, Samsung Galaxy A7 tablet, two sets of Bully darts, a Bullseye Oche Mat and a year’s full subscription to the Bullseye Mobile Game app launching this month. The app is ideal for players who can’t get enough of the AR game at their local venue. Players can download the game and play through the whole thing twice for free, before subscribing with a monthly cost of just £2.99 to play the entire game show from the comfort of their own home. Home Leisure Direct are also looking to roll out online play as a free upgrade to enable friends and online competitors to play against each other and attempt to reach the top of the Bully scoreboard.

Rob Corney, Managing Director of Bulldog Licensing said of the exclusive event: “We couldn’t be happier for Home Leisure Direct and for Mind. The money we raised is for such a good cause, and the new Augmented Reality Bullseye Darts Game and Bullseye App look spectacular fun!”

Licensing agency welcomes exciting changes to the team

Bulldog Licensing, one of the licensing industry’s leading agencies, has welcomed Alex Salisbury to its team as Senior Licensing Manager, covering categories such as Publishing and Toys for all brands.

Alex joins Bulldog fresh from a three-month trip travelling around Southeast Asia. Before her well-earned break, she had been at Paramount since 2017, where she held roles as Retail Licensing Manager (UK and Eire), Senior Category Manager (Hardlines, UK and Eire) and Senior Category Manager (Toys, EMEA and ANZ, part of the Global Toy Team). Prior to that, Alex’s roles at Wicked and Mattel ensure that she has a wealth of experience to bring to her new role at Bulldog.

Alongside Alex’s arrival, Sophie Yates has been promoted within the team from Licensing Executive to Brand Manager. Sophie’s key responsibilities in this new role will be to establish strategies and targets for the growth of the brands in Bulldog’s portfolio, and to work closely with licensing and creative teams to ensure those goals are met.

Rob Corney, Managing Director of Bulldog Licensing adds: “It’s a pleasure to have Alex join us with her extensive experience, and Sophie’s promotion is extremely well-deserved too. I look forward to working with them both in their new roles.”

Kokomo and RJ Bags join growing list of licensees for kids’ toy phenomenon

Bulldog Licensing, one of the licensing industry’s leading agencies, has announced two new licenses for Moose Toys’ Magic Mixies, the brand inspired by the award-winning Magic Mixies Magic Cauldron. Magic Mixies captured the imagination of children all over the world when the Magic Mixies Cauldron launched for Christmas 2021. Instantly becoming the hottest toy of the season, it appeared across Top Toy Christmas lists including Dream Toys, and garnered huge press coverage with stock selling through as soon as it hit shelves.

The brand has grown in 2022 with the launch of Magic Mixies webisodes on YouTube, introducing fans to the magical world of Mixia – where Magic Mixies live alongside other magical creatures, the Mixlings. Mixlings collectables launched in May with instant success, and the Magic Mixies Mixlings Magic Castle Playset has just been announced on this year’s Dream Toys list. It also won Creative Toy of the Year 2022 at The Toy Foundation’s Toy of the Year Awards. The brand was the No.3 new property in the market in September. In addition, the follow up to the Magic Mixies Cauldron, the Magic Mixies Crystal Ball, launched on 1st October and immediately made it to the No.3 toy in the market for the month (NPD Oct 22) Supporting the huge success of Magic Mixies so far, the brand is underpinned by a heavyweight marketing campaign from Moose including TV, digital (including YouTube pre-roll), animated pre-roll, influencer campaigns, interactive AR app filters, print and online.

To drive the ongoing success of Magic Mixies, Kokomo – a market leader in the UK healthy and beauty market – is planning bath, body, dental and gifting lines under the Magic Mixies licensing banner. Additionally, RJ Bags – a manufacturer of a wide range of bags and accessories – will make a line of bags, backpacks and umbrellas with some of the most popular characters from the Magic Mixies YouTube Series.

Vicky Miller, Licensing Director of Bulldog Licensing, commented: “Last year’s must-have Christmas toy is fast becoming this year’s big licensing hit. We’re delighted to welcome Kokomo and RJ Bags, two respected leaders in their field, to the Magic Mixies family and expect many more big consumer products names to come on board in the coming months.”

Neil Shinner, CEO, Moose Toys Europe, added: “Magic Mixies sales have far outstripped our early estimates and continue to set records. With the arrival of Magic Mixies-inspired consumer products from RJ Bags and Kokomo, it’s clear that Magic Mixies is already well on the way to being the next mega franchise to launch from a hit .”

Lifestyle brand creates a limited-edition collection to celebrate the Care Bears™ 40^th anniversary.

Cath Kidston, the instantly recognisable British lifestyle brand, has meticulously hand-painted its new range of wistful and dream-like prints to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Care Bears™. Inspired by the original watercolour paintings by Elena Kucharik in the early ’80s, the limited-edition collaboration organised in association with UK agent Bulldog Licensing plays on the nostalgia and love of colour and print that is used regularly by Cath Kidston to deliver its recognisable and much-loved products. Arriving just in time for Christmas, and showcased across eight prints, each design illustrates the visually electric stories that Care Bears™ audiences have enjoyed for decades.

The pieces, featuring moons and stars, rainbows and flowers, love hearts and cupcakes, create a unique range suited for adults and kids alike. Loved by fans of all generations, the Care Bears™ feature on prints such as the ‘Wish Big’ print, with its layers of dream-like psychedelia, garlands of stars, clouds, hearts and flowers, and with the beloved Care Bears™ presented as classic cherubs. In the ‘Believe’ print, the Care Bears™ are adventuring across an explosion of watercolour flowers, hearts, rainbows, cupcakes and moons – with the densely detailed pattern layered in horizontal stripes across the night sky. The ‘Bedtime Bear’ print sees the Care Bears™ floating on clouds in a midnight sky, watched over by the moon and stars. Each character is engaged in a different activity: one is peacefully asleep; another is gathering flowers; while two others are chatting on a tin-can telephone. The signature Cath Kidston roses combined with the Care Bears™ ensure they stand out against either the black or pale lilac of the plain backgrounds.

Launching both online, and also at the brand’s flagship store in Piccadilly on 14^th November 2022, the range is rich in gifts to show you care. Offered across all of Cath Kidston’s product categories from homeware to apparel and accessories, including the new teenage sizing, the limited-edition range ensures it can reach fans of all ages.

Holly Marler, Creative Director of Cath Kidston, said,

Our aim at Cath Kidston is to bring joy with our hand-painted prints and, paired with Care Bears™, this charm became unstoppable. Inspired by the comforting 1980s’ watercolours of the characters and their mission to spread love, we also put their delightful belly badges into the prints. So, synonymous with our brand icons, and with our shared duty, this collaboration seemed a dream come true.  We lovingly painted these characters in beautiful scenery – psychedelic clouds, blousey roses, and beautiful dreamscapes, where even the stars smile. With the amazing rainbow colours and heartwarming messages, it was truly wonderful to design a creation of caring this Christmas.

Bulldog works with The Knot Churros and Bubblewrap Waffles to create unique desserts for the Care Bears anniversary.

 First created in 1982 and loved by fans young and old, Care Bears™ is an iconic brand celebrating its 40^th anniversary this year. Lending itself to plenty of consumer products, the licensing programme for Care Bears™, managed in the UK by Bulldog Licensing, already boasts several innovative lines.

In a continuation of the Care Bears™ 40th anniversary celebrations, Bulldog is now working with a variety of food outlets to maximise the brand with fun collaborations. Food collaborations in other territories have been extremely well-received, so as a UK first, The Knot Churros – home to a delicious range of unique desserts – created a special Care Bears menu.

An afternoon tea menu of churros featured different combinations of ice-cream with toppings such as candyfloss and sprinkles with each churro named after fan-favourite bears including Cheer and Funshine, as well as the special 40th anniversary bear, Care-a-Lot. The campaign ran for a month during the summer holidays, was supported across social media and saw a great reaction from customers.

Now Bubblewrap Waffles have just launched their contribution – a specially created Care Bears bubble waffle with honeycomb gelato, strawberries, white chocolate ring and rainbow sprinkles. Available for a month including October half term, Care Bears fans can head to the Bubblewrap Waffles China Town and brand new Westfield Stratford stores.

Sophie Yates, Brand Manager at Bulldog Licensing, commented: “The Care Bears property is such a strong one with huge appeal to children and adult alike, so it’s a great brand for fans of all ages to enjoy together. Core values of sharing and caring lend it so well to food collabs, and our partners can have a lot of fun bringing colourful and delicious Care Bears products to life! The eye-catching treats draw fans and create fantastic content for social media. It has been exciting to see how well the collaboration with The Knot Churros was received and we look forward to the response to Bubblewrap Waffles.”

Bored Ape NFT Collective: Bored of Directors awards licences to Poetic Brands and Ecell

Bulldog Licensing, one of the licensing industry’s leading agencies, was recently appointed to represent the Bored of Directors, the premier Bored Ape Yacht Club (“BAYC”) NFT Collective, in the UK and Ireland on behalf of brand owner NFIP Holdings, LLC. Bulldog Licensing has announced the first licenses it has inked for the brand, consisting of licensed clothing specialist Poetic Brands and consumer electronic products supplier Ecell Global. Both licensees will be using imagery that is both original and inspired by the 12 BAYC NFTs that make up the collective, a grouping of owners of animated blue-chip ape NFTs. However, these are more than just cartoons; they are Ethereum-based nonfungible tokens: unique, collectible artworks digitally certified as the property of one paying owner per illustration, which have been sold for over $3,000,000 at Sotheby’s.

Bored of Directors brings together 12 diverse BAYC Apes, owned by like-minded and respected individual NFT owners and featuring a variety of aesthetics and personalities under one roof. The aim is to bring more BAYC owners on board as the brand grows.

Poetic Brands will be producing a range of kids’ and adults’ apparel including day and nightwear, as well as a gifting range with figurines, mugs, stationery and key chains. The designs will feature the iconic apes that are part of the Bored of Directors collective.

Ecell Global, which designs, manufactures and distributes unique and artistic cell phone back cases to the global market, will be producing a range of phone, tablet, laptop and game console cases and accessories. The range will be available online from autumn 2022.

The Bored of Directors licensing campaign has taken off in a meteoric fashion, inspired by the high level of awareness of the Bored Apes, which have been bought by many well-known personalities and publicised in books, TV shows, articles and social media. Not surprisingly Brand Central, the exclusive global licensing agency for Bored of Directors, recently announced it had appointed seven leading international sub-agents for the Bored Ape NFT collective, including Bulldog. Many categories are now being targeted by Bulldog for this unique brand, taking advantage of a full style guide featuring on-trend images, personalities and graphics. They include food, beverages, beer and spirits, interactive, gaming, homewares, publishing, toys and social stationery.

NFIP Holdings, says: “We have been monitoring the demand for BAYC apes both by end consumers and the licensing community alike and knew that a well-structured packaged offering would be appealing to jumpstart the metaverse apes’ plunge into the world of consumer goods. We have been careful to appoint companies that have a reputation for originality and creativity to work with the brand – and that describes Bulldog. We’re delighted to be working with them.”

Rob Corney, MD of Bulldog Licensing, commented: “We like to think that our success with diverse, distinctive, and highly original properties was a major factor in this appointment. We certainly see very strong opportunities for the Bored of Directors across multiple categories. We’re looking forward enormously to working on this exciting brand.”

New alliance, launching at BLE, will expand licensing for popular Me to You brand.

KIDZ BOP, the #1 music brand for kids, has appointed Bulldog Licensing, one of the licensing industry’s leading agencies, as its official UK licensing agency, beginning at Brand Licensing Europe (BLE).

KIDZ BOP is a global family music brand that records today’s biggest hits, sung by kids for kids, and currently records in five languages. Since launching in the US in 2001, KIDZ BOP has sold over 23 million albums and generated over 8 billion streams and was also named Billboard Magazine’s “#1 Kid Artist” for eleven consecutive years. KIDZ BOP has 24 Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200 Chart; only three artists in history—The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Barbra Streisand—have had more Top 10 albums. 

Over the past five years, KIDZ BOP has expanded internationally into territories including the UK, Germany, France, and Mexico, with dedicated KIDZ BOP Kids in each market. Since its launch in the UK in 2017, KIDZ BOP has garnered seven Top 10 albums. The brand continues to grow its partnership with Sky Kids in the UK, where they’ve co-produced several specials and series starring the British KIDZ BOP Kids, including ‘KIDZ BOP Halloween Party,’ ‘A Merry KIDZ BOP Christmas,’ ‘KIDZ BOP Presents: MOVE IT!,’ ‘KIDZ BOP Live in Concert,’ and more. They’ve also made several guest appearances on shows including Crackerjack!, Children’s BAFTA, BBC Children In Need, Loose Women, and Good Morning Britain, and performed live at the London O2 Arena and The Eventim Apollo, Hammersmith. Building on this success, Bulldog will be targeting a wide range of categories for the brand in the UK, including apparel, video games, gifts, toys, and accessories, with a target market of both girls and boys from 5-12 years old. The Bulldog team will be bringing the property to BLE for the first time to discuss KIDZ BOP opportunities with visitors and potential partners.

Rob Corney, MD of Bulldog Licensing, commented: “This is a property with a strong identity, a massive appeal and a growing international reach, all of which make it perfect for an expansion into a wide range of merchandise that reflects the values of fun, style and great music that underpin the brand. We’re thrilled to be working with KIDZ BOP.”

The agency is set to create a UK licensing programme for the virtual pet sensation

Launched in the 1990s, Bandai’s Tamagotchi became an overnight global sensation as it taught children how to care for a pet. The toy released in Japan in 1996 and was out of stock within a week due to unprecedented demand from consumers. Over the following year, 40 million units of the virtual pet were sold.

Over the last 25 years, Bandai has continued to create new generations of the pet, including licensed versions, such as the Hello Kitty Tamagotchi, the Pac-Man Tamagotchi and even a Star Wars version, bringing sales to date to an incredible 80 million.

As such a key part of pop culture over the last three decades, Tamagotchi provides the ideal addition to Bulldog’s carefully curated portfolio of brands. With its rich heritage and instantly recognisable branding, the agency will build a portfolio of hand-picked licensees to expand the world of Tamagotchi for consumers and the army of devoted fans.

Bulldog Licensing’s team will be exploring partnerships in a range of sectors, including publishing, apparel, homewares, gifts, stationery and more. Meanwhile, brand owner, Bandai will continue to introduce the Tamagotchi brand to new fans, while also delighting existing enthusiasts with a re-launch of the original Tamagotchi, as well as the new generation, Tamagotchi Pix.

Tamagotchi Pix allows users to interact with their Tamagotchi character in a whole new way, with a built-in camera and touch buttons to enhance the experience.

Rob Corney, Managing Director of Bulldog Licensing, commented: “A brand as iconic as Tamagotchi is a fantastic addition to our portfolio. The wealth of assets makes this the perfect property to build a meaningful, impactful and fun consumer products programme. We are really excited to present Tamagotchi to our best-in-class licensing partners and create a wider Tamagotchi world for consumers to enjoy.”

“We are proud of the continued success of Tamagotchi more than 25 years after its initial launch,” said Aâdil Tayouga, Director of Licensing and Business Strategy at Bandai Namco Europe. “Our toy line has been expanding and growing rapidly in the UK, with both younger and adult generations really being fond of Tamagotchi, which brings exciting licensing opportunities. We are looking forward to work with Bulldog Licensing to deliver more Tamagotchi to our consumers.”