The home of great brands
30
Sep, 2024
Bulldog Licensing appointed to manage UK licensing for Beano

Bulldog launches its partnership with iconic kids’ brand at BLE 2024

Independent licensing agency Bulldog Licensing has been appointed as UK licensing agent for Beano, one of the best-known and most recognisable brands in children’s entertainment.

Beano, the world’s longest running weekly comic, was first published in July 1938 and continues to be produced weekly at its original headquarters in Dundee and printed in the UK. In addition to a healthy comic circulation – a Beano is sold every 7 seconds, Beano holds the top spot for annuals in 12 out of the last 14 years and reaches millions of fans on its digital network, most notably the award-winning site Beano.com, as well as YouTube and the Beano app on Amazon Kids+.

Bulldog Brand Manager Sophie Yates adds: “Beano is a brand like no other. It’s a part of comic history and the childhoods of many generations, whilst remaining up to date and loved by millions of today’s kids. It offers numerous opportunities for licensing growth across multiple categories and age groups – as the strong interest it attracted at BLE indicates. We are looking forward enormously to building on the existing licensing programme for this iconic brand.”


2
Sep, 2024
Join Bulldog Licensing at stand A190 for three days of BLE hits!

Strength and diversity of Bulldog offering highlighted at Europe’s biggest licensing show

Bulldog Licensing has announced its plans for BLE 2024, where this leading licensing industry agency is once again welcoming visitors to stand A190.

Bulldog will be promoting an impressive selection of brands ranging from world-renowned classic property Care Bears, the iconic Me to You character brand, the incredibly successful Magic Mixies toy-based brand, evergreen hit Sesame Street, the much-loved, classic crime-fighting franchise Totally Spies, the iconic comedy character Mr Bean and one of the most successful children’s publishing brands of the past 25 years, That’s Not My….

Care Bears continues to show incredible growth more than 40 years after the property first appeared on greetings cards and inspired one of the most successful licensing programmes of all time. The clear and relatable brand identity – rainbow colours, loveable characters, and unique belly badges, along with the core messages of kindness and caring – remains as popular as ever.

Not surprisingly, costume character appearances from the Care Bears at the recent Gloworm festival proved popular with kids and parents alike, as did a highly successful two-week Care Bears Forever London art exhibition, which began on 29th  August at gallery@oxo. Its display of new and original, never-before-seen of Care Bears-inspired artwork attracted fans of all ages, as well as the odd celebrity Care Bears fans!

The Care Bears licensing programme is seeing huge retail traction across multiple categories, ranging from plush through to apparel, accessories, and homewares, collectibles and gifts, making Care Bears one of the must-have multi-generational brands in the UK.

Since 2000 Carte Blanche has partnered with best-in-class licensees to bring to market best-selling Me to You products across many categories including apparel, print on demand, food, gifting and nursery – selling millions of licensed products every year. Tatty Teddy is already one of the most popular character brands on the market with 83% brand awareness among UK adults, and has a full, cross-category licensing programme with enormous appeal, particularly among adult women, children and infants, showing strong growth at retail across multiple categories.

Me To You CHARACTER

Bulldog is now taking the extraordinary reach of Me To You’s signature character Tatty Teddy and the nursery property Tiny Tatty Teddy to the next level. Recent licensing deals include Brand Threads for nightwear, Brand Alliance for leisurewear, Pawprint Family for patches and pins and Craft Buddy for arts and crafts kits. In addition, a network of international agents is working with Bulldog to build on the brand’s strong presence in international markets. They include such major names as Revolution in South Africa, Kopa in South America and MJA Licensing France, with another signing – for Australia and New Zealand – expected soon.

Bulldog is also building on the incredible licensing success of Moose Toys’ Magic Mixies toys range, which began with the Magic Mixies Cauldron. This special toy comes with a spell book and everything else needed to mix a potion to create an interactive magical Mixie pet. The newest, highly successful innovation has been Magic Mixies Pixie Supreme – 10.5″ fashion doll with stunning detail and an enchanting style – and the 50 lights and sounds of the Magic Mirror that sets the beautiful Pixie Supreme free.

Magic Mixies characters

The range has been a runaway hit since launch, both in its own right and now as the inspiration for a variety of licensed products.

All products are aimed at the children’s and tweens’ market and are designed with help from the comprehensive Magic Mixies style guide, which makes full use of the colourful characters, logos and imagery that have underpinned the success of the brand in the toy and plush space.

Nightwear, publishing, food and drink containers, bags and accessories are just some of the Magic Mixies-inspired products at retail already – and many more licensing extensions are signed or on the way.

Magic Mixies is a hit on streaming services too! Magic Mixies webisodes, which first launched on YouTube and Kidoodle TV in May 2022, have also been available on Netflix since early 2023 and are boosting an already phenomenally successful brand.

Sesame Street is one of the most iconic brands in the world, engaging fans of all ages while delivering on its mission to help children grow smarter, stronger and kinder.

Sesame Street is a key focus for Bulldog in the UK. Working on behalf of the global non-profit organisation Sesame Workshop, the agency has announced numerous deals for Sesame Street as it continues to grow its presence at UK retail. In addition to Just Play’s master toy programme, there is a rapidly growing pre-school licensed product range at all major retailers. Sesame Street also has strong appeal to the adult market, inspiring successful ranges of apparel, badges, embroidered patches and more.

This retail and licensing growth is supported by Sesame Street’s strong multi-platform presence across the UK including the recent expansion to Amazon Kids+ with a new season launch in Fall 2024. Sesame Street content is also available on Tiny Pop’s FAST channel, Channel 5’s Milkshake! pre-school programming block, and Sesame Street’s YouTube channel attracts an incredible 94 million annual views from the UK and Ireland as well as a strong social media engagement and reach.

In addition, the brand is going from strength to strength in soft lines, with a major fashion retailer recently launching a broad new range. In the run-up to BLE, Elmo made a long-awaited visit to the UK sharing laughter and learning with all his friends.

BEYBLADE X makes its BLE debut for Bulldog and marks the fourth iteration of the hugely popular anime series and toy brand which has sold over 500m lifetime units of the iconic toy lines. With a high profile TV platform launching this year, support across digital channels and a huge toy plan from partner Hasbro, this is set to be one of the biggest boys’ brands in the UK and excitement amongst licensees is palpable. Initial licensed lines will roll out from early 2025 in support of the incredible toy lines and a full cross-category campaign will build throughout next year, making BEYBLADE X a must-have for retailers everywhere.

Produced by Banijay Kids & Family label Zodiak Kids and Family France, animated spy-fi series Totally Spies! originally ran from 2001 for six seasons. It hooked a generation of fans with its iconic aesthetic and powerful female leads, and has recently returned with an all-new 7th season.

The initial licensing focus for Bulldog is on a strong adult nostalgia market keen to revisit an entertainment classic which has been viewed over 2.1 billion times on YouTube. Some of the early categories targeted will be apparel (daywear and nightwear), fashion accessories, tech products, health & beauty and stationery.

The campaign will be further boosted with the brand’s introduction to a whole new generation of fans. A new season of the animated show has already begun airing internationally with Gulli (France), and will soon be heading to Discovery Kids LATAM and across EMEA and the US with Warner Bros Discovery. An 8th season of the animated seris has been confirmed, and a live action version is also in development with Amazon MGM Studios, Banijay Kids & Family, and Jessica Elbaum and Will Ferrell’s Gloria Sanchez Productions. Licensing industry interest is already strong, with the first deals expected to be announced soon.

Bulldog Licensing has also been appointed by leading children’s entertainment powerhouse Banijay Kids & Family as UK licensing agent for Mr Bean – the iconic comedy character, co-created by Rowan Atkinson and Richard Curtis,  that has been wildly popular for nearly 35 years in both live action and animated formats (produced by Tiger Aspect Kids & Family).

Mr Bean tries to solve apparently minor problems presented by everyday tasks and often causes major, and hilarious, disruption in the process. The visual and often non-verbal comedy that drives the character has ensured there have been no language barriers to a success that has brought Mr Bean high awareness and enormous popularity in close to 200 countries. Mr Bean also has a staggering online presence that has attracted 19 billion lifetime views on YouTube and placed the property at the number one spot for TV and film brands on Facebook worldwide.

Bulldog Licensing will be building on Mr Bean’s existing licensing presence and pursuing new and expanded opportunities in kids’ and adults’ markets, focusing on both the iconic original series and the highly popular animated series. Already a hugely successful brand in retail, imagery from both live and animated formats will inform growth in the licensing campaign, targeting multiple categories including (to name only a few) homeware, stationery, t-shirts, toys, collectables, bags and greeting cards.

Recent signings for the iconic comedy character include Whitehouse Leisure/Posh Paws for plush aimed at both the retail and amusement sectors and Heathside Trading which will be developing collectables and gift lines.

Published by Usborne, That’s Not My… is the bestselling touchy-feely book series for babies and toddlers and a gifting favourite for newborns as their first book. Featuring bright pictures, with patches of different textures, the books are designed to develop sensory and language awareness. There is also a little white mouse for children to spot on every page.

The humour, bright colours and distinctive That’s Not My… illustrations have inspired a delightful, top-selling range of babywear/accessories, kidswear, apparel, footwear and luggage from some of the UK’s major names in licensed apparel. Other licensed products currently available include wall stickers, bags and a gift range. That’s Not My… is firmly established as an evergreen property that is a part of the childhood of millions of children and, after the recent launch at retail in the US, the fan base is still growing.

Bulldog will be targeting a wide range of categories ranging from toys and apparel to nightwear and games for the US, while continuing to build on the already established UK licensing programme. It has also signed WB Brands as agent for the key Australia and New Zealand markets.

There’s a lot more news at stand A190, including licensing deals for Popeye in his 95th birthday year, the ten-year licensing success of hit TV darts-based quiz show Bullseye and new brand representations, including attitude, the definitive gay magazine.

Bulldog Licensing Group MD Rob Corney says: “We’re looking forward to highlighting both our established representations and some very exciting new brands that are already inspiring a strong industry buzz. All of the brands we represent highlight the strength and diversity of the Bulldog offering, a theme that will be key to the company’s message to its visitors at Europe’s biggest licensing show. See you on stand A190!”