Bulldog Licensing has added four more licensees to the licensing programme for Shopkins, the red-hot collectible that recently won the girls category Toy of The Year Award at the New York Toy Fair, adding to its Collectable of the Year award from the BTHA.

Shopkins are cute little characters that live in Shopville. There are 148 to collect in each series, including limited edition and ultra rare characters. They are sold inside adorable little shopping bags and despite only having been on the market for a few months the brand has sparked a craze that has swept the world, fuelled by an online presence that has seen over twenty million hits on the official Shopkins Youtube channel with over 400 million views across fan videos. Retailers across the UK are struggling to satisfy demand and air freighting new product to cope.

The new partners are Sambro for bags and umbrellas; Spearmark for lunchware, tableware, drinkware and lighting; Topps for collectable cards, trading cards, sticker products and accessories; and VMC Accessories for headwear, scarves, gloves, sunglasses and phone/tablet cases & accessories.

This adds to a large existing programme that includes NJ Screenprints (apparel) Aykroyds TDP (nightwear and underwear), Autumn Publishing (publishing), Character World (bedding and beanbags), RMS International (arts and crafts), Pedigree (annuals), DJ Murphy (magazines), Winning Moves (games), Pyramid (posters) and Whitehouse Leisure (amusement plush).

Comments Bulldog Group MD Rob Corney: “Shopkins is hotter than ever – the figures are selling in colossal numbers and branded merchandise is flying off the shelves. This is the biggest new brand in the UK and is taking a huge share of the girls’ market with retailers keen to support a very wide range of product to supply the consumer demand.”