Cawston Press and Portmeirion among licensees to launch new ranges for classic brand.
Classic brand The Very Hungry Caterpillar has been enjoying further success of late – with new product launches and the biggest ever Giant Wiggle, as well as a number of nominations in The UK Licensing Awards 2017.
The brand – which is handled by Rocket Licensing in the UK – has welcomed a number of new products.
Notable recent launches include a 100% natural apple press drink – available in Waitrose, Ocado and Tesco – from Cawston Press, plus a new range from Portmeirion, including melamine for the first time.
The new line was launched at the Harrogate Home & Gift Buyers’ Festival and complements Portmeirion’s existing range. New items include melamine and ceramic three-piece gift sets, a kids’ baking kit, a placemat and a sectional plate.
New product is also being developed and launched in the gardening, dress-up, travel accessories and baby apparel categories.
Meanwhile, complementing the retail and licensing activity in the first half of 2017, Action for Children’s The Giant Wiggle charity event inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar has had its most successful year.
The fourth Giant Wiggle campaign achieved the highest participation to date with over 62,306 children taking part. Since 2014 there have been 4,244 Giant Wiggle events and over 172,000 children have taken part.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar live show is also continuing to attract the audiences during a 56 venue tour in 2017. It will end the year with a London West End run in December and January.
The brand’s licensing activity has also been highlighted with three nominations in The UK Licensing Awards – Best Pre-school Brand, Best Licensed Paper Product or Stationery Range and Best Toy or Games Range.
Charlie Donaldson, joint md of Rocket Licensing, commented: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar approaches its 50th anniversary as a firmly established and enduring classic of children’s literature.
“This wonderful story and character has such a wide appeal that it’s no surprise to see it supporting major charity events, theatre shows and, of course, a wide-ranging and enormously successful licensing campaign.”
Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter.
