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>> Bulldog has something of a stellar track record when it comes to spotting a collectables success story, dating back to 2008 with Gogo’s Crazy Bones. Current highlights include:
Shopkins, the hit collectable from Moose Toys, continues as the No.1 brand for girls YTD, with over 1 billion Shopkins sold. Heading into Series 9, unheard of for a collectible toy, there are hundreds of the cute little characters to collect, including special limited edition characters. Shoppie dolls are the No.1 fashion doll in the UK, and Shopkins holds the position of No.1 playset themed doll. Its popularity is bolstered by a growing entertainment slate, with top selling DVDs from Universal, fortnightly webisodes on YouTube , that are now available on Netflix, as well as catchy music and a portfolio of apps.
Moose Toys has recently added to the Shopkins universe with the launch of Cutie Cars which have proved to be an instant hit in the UK with retailers struggling to keep them in stock! Each Cutie Car has its own lovable personality and unique features, and comes with its own Mini Shopkin. There are over 35 adorable cars to collect in Series 1 with more to come in 2018!
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Match Attax is the trading card game of choice for all footie-mad kids. It is the UK’s top children’s football brand - with over one million collectors - and nearly half of all boys in the UK collect Match Attax. It is a massive playground craze, while live swapping events are held across the country. The brand also has an online presence - Toppsfootball.com – that boasts over 800,000 registered users and is the ninth most visited boys’ site in the UK. Bulldog is currently targeting apparel, accessories, stationery and gift, with merchandise predicted to hit retail from spring 2018.
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>> Two classic properties form the backbone of Bulldog’s publishing offer for 2018:
Enid Blyton is the much-loved children’s author whose books have delighted successive generations of British children - hundreds of millions of copies have been sold and she regularly features in the top-ten list of the UK’s best-selling authors. 2017 marked the 75th anniversary of one of her best-known series - The Famous Five - which has inspired a range of tongue-in-cheek adult’s books, such as Five On Brexit Island and Five Give Up the Booze, which have regularly topped the bestseller charts.
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Bulldog has leveraged the author’s huge cross-generational popularity to build a strong licensing programme, which includes partners for dress-up, puzzles, toys and games, greeting cards and gifting.
The World of Dinosaur Roar! - inspired by the best-selling, classic 1990s picture book Dinosaur Roar! - is a new concept that teaches pre-schoolers about dinosaurs in a fun and engaging way. Macmillan has released a series of books based on the property, produced in association with the Natural History Museum, while Golden Bear is on board as master toy with product launching alongside significant brand activity in 2018.
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>> From retro and classic brands, through to favourites from the pages of cartoons and the screens of mobile games, to new TV shows making an impact, Bulldog’s entertainment roster is enviable:
2017 has been a fantastic year for Miraculous™: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir – the smash-hit show from kid’s entertainment specialist ZAG. The series is dominating the kids’ TV scene in the UK, where it is the No. 1 girls’ show on both Disney Channel and Pop (where it is simulcast). Season one is now available on Netflix globally and is performing as one of its top three kids’ shows. Over 25 licensees will be on the market by mid-2018 and initial reads are very strong with Miraculous nightwear the bestselling line for two major hit with another winner - Zak Storm. This features the eponymous Zak, a fearless teen surfer who finds himself sucked into the Bermuda Triangle. The eagerly anticipated show saw a great reaction and excellent viewing figures after debuting on Pop from October 2017.
Garfield needs little introduction – the legendary cartoon cat celebrates his 40th birthday in 2018 and age has been no hindrance to his astonishing popularity. The portly feline still features in over 2,100 newspapers across the globe, is responsible for book sales in excess of 135 million copies to date, two feature-length live-action films, three CGI animated movies and a musical. It doesn’t stop there - a brand new animated series will launch in 2018, while a new full-length feature film is currently in development.
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Angry Birds is the mobile game that has transcended its original medium to become a global phenomenon, with 3.7bn downloads since launch. The franchise features a host of titles - including latest release Angry Birds Match - and is the most downloaded game series of all time. Angry Birds is now a massive property with a reach across the generations and has nearly 25million Facebook followers, while the Angry Birds cartoon series boasts three billion YouTube views. 2016’s Angry Birds movie – a major box office hit - boosted the brand’s profile even further and introduced the adorable Hatchlings, now the stars of their own YouTube show - Angry Birds Blues. Movie two launches in September 2019, supported by an enormous marketing and promotional campaign.
The Crystal Maze is the legendary adventure gameshow that built a cult following in the 90s and is now back on UK screens, with Maze Master Richard Ayoade leading the teams through a variety of challenges and tricky puzzles. Now the number one entertainment show on Channel 4, the new series has peaked at 4.3m viewers with #crystalmaze at number one in the twitter trends during broadcast. Products launching through 2018 includes apparel, board games and gifting lines.
Care Bears have been a staple of childhood for over a quarter of a century. The group of fun, lovable bears from cloud-filled Care-a-lot have one special mission - to teach caring and sharing to others and show them how to express their feelings. With 98% awareness across kids and their mums, Care Bears has a very wide appeal. Care Bears TV shows are available in UK on Tiny Pop, as well as through Lionsgate for home entertainment and VOD from Netflix. Bulldog is building on the brand’s immense popularity and is in talks with a range of licensees.
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>> Rounding out the portfolio, Bulldog’s lifestyle properties show the agency is as comfortable with photographic image rights and iconic vehicles as it is in the entertainment sphere:
London Taxi is a brand that’s the epitome of Britain – the unmistakable black vehicle that is one of the top three most recognised symbols of the UK across the world. Licensor the London Taxi Company is the world’s only manufacturer and retailer of these globally famous vehicles, which roll off the production line in its Coventry factory and Bulldog sees strong sales of merchandise ranging from die-cast to fashion and homewares.
LIFE is a unique brand that combines the instantly recognisable LIFE logo - made famous by the legendary LIFE magazine - with pictures from the vast LIFE photographic library. This features millions of images - including historical pictures, snaps of legends such as the Kennedys and Winston Churchill, and world-famous landmarks like the Empire State Building - and makes the property a fantastic merchandising opportunity. Bulldog has represented LIFE for nearly ten years and during that time the brand has built up a huge presence in the apparel sector thanks to a Poetic Brands range available across UK retail, wall art and stationery lines from Pyramid and fashion lines across continental Europe from Fipo.
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