The home of great brands
24
Feb, 2017
Bulldog Bags New Partners For Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

Bulldog Licensing has picked up a trio of new licensees for hit superhero animation Miraculous, with Maad Toys, Gemma International and Rubies all joining the fold.

Miraculous is attracting legions of fans through an action-packed story that centres on Marinette and Adrien – two normal kids secretly chosen to save Paris from arch-villain Hawk Moth. With the help of their magical Kwamis they transform into young super heroes – Ladybug and Cat Noir – with a mission to capture the Akumas, the butterfly minions who are threatening Paris, and restore peace to their cherished city.

The first series of Miraculous is already the No. 1 show on the Disney Channel UK and will debut soon on the free to air ratings powerhouse, Pop.

The new deals will see Maad Toys produce colour-in backpacks, shoulder bags, handbags and purses, whilst Rubies is on board for dress-up, and Gemma International for greeting cards, gift packaging and partyware.

The new partners join a fast growing licensing programme. A toy range from Bandai was launched exclusively in ToysRUs before a high profile full market roll-out earlier this year. Other partners include Aykroyds/TDP (nightwear and underwear), Whitehouse Leisure (amusement plush), and Dreamtex for a range of bedding and homewares products.

“Miraculous is a truly beautiful show with engaging storylines that tap into the superhero phenomenon,” says Bulldog Group Managing Director, Rob Corney. “This is reflected in a rapidly growing licensing programme that I’m sure we will be adding to again very soon.”

9
Feb, 2017
New Deal Gives Garfield Major Socks Appeal!

Bulldog Licensing has inked a new deal that will see Misirli produce a range of socks featuring legendary cartoon cat Garfield.

Garfield is an instantly recognisable figure thanks to the cartoon strip that was first introduced in 1978 and is now featured in over 2100 newspapers across the globe, holding the Guinness World Record for the most syndicated cartoon strip as a result. Garfield books have sold over 200 million copies to date and the character has spawned two animated television series, two feature-length live-action films, and three CGI animated movies – as well as thousands of lines of licensed merchandise. The cartoon strip appears every day in the Daily Mail, the UK’s second most popular newspaper, and ‘The Garfield Show’ cartoon is one of the top-rating shows on digital channel Boomerang.

The new agreement will also see Misirli produce Garfield-branded slipper socks and children’s nightwear.

This adds to Garfield’s major presence in the UK licensing sector. Other partners include Sambro (bags and stationery), Ravette (publishing), J Fox (accessories), and SNI Optometric (eyewear). Garfield apparel is also a major seller on the high street through lines from Blues, Poetic Gem and BCI.

”Both kids and adults love Garfield, which makes the brand highly versatile and profitable,” says Bulldog Licensing MD Rob Corney. ”This cross-generational appeal has allowed us to build a very strong programme, which I’m sure will continue to expand.”

6
Feb, 2017
Shopkins Season 7 Hits Shelves!

Millions of young girls will be in collectible heaven today thanks to the launch of Shopkins Season 7 – the latest release in the phenomenally successful series from Moose Toys.

The release of the party-themed Season 7 was celebrated yesterday at Toys R Us with a special International Shopkins Day – attended by Toys and Me vlogger Tiana. The new figures are sure to boost the brand’s incredible sales figures even further – revenue went over $125million in 2016 in the UK alone with strong growth forecast across multiple categories through 2017. The property is the biggest girls’ brand in the UK toy sector, a massive £16.2 million ahead of the next biggest brand, whilst even Happy Places – the Shopkins sub-brand – is bigger than any other girls’ collectable on the market!

Licensing representative Bulldog is dealing with huge demand from licensees and retailers, with scores of major names already on board. These include Universal (DVD), Gemma (party goods), Fashion UK (apparel), Aykroyds TDP (nightwear and underwear), Spearmark (lunchware, tableware, drinkware and lighting), Topps (collectible and trading cards), VMC (headwear, scarves, sunglasses and more), Blueprint (stationery), Character World (bedding, inflatable chairs and beanbags), Danilo (greetings cards, wrap and calendars), DJ Murphy (magazines), Winning Moves (games), and Whitehouse Leisure (amusement plush), most of whom list Shopkins at the very top of their sales charts.

“Nothing seems to stop Shopkins – it just keeps on growing,” comments Bulldog Licensing Director Vicky Hill. “Each new season brings fresh interest and excitement and I’m sure Season 7 will be no different!”