Including The Point.1888 teaming with the British and Irish Lions for the tour to South Africa in 2021.
Source rounds up more news from the licensing industry across the globe from the week.
The British and Irish Lions has teamed with The Point.1888 to create a range of new products for the tour to South Africa in 2021. Two new partners have already been secured: underwear supplier OddBalls and Game on Glove. The Point.1888 will work on a multi-faceted programme to help meet the Lions’ commercial objectives in the build up to and during the tour. Categories being considered include kids and adult apparel, fitness accessories, publishing, charity partnership ranges, fashion accessories, experiential, homeware, stationery, gifting and collectables.
Endemol Shine Group has revealed that the Simon’s Cat brand has partnered with Lidl for a brand pet product range. Products will launch in stores this summer in the US and across 16 territories in Europe. Lines will include a scratcher and bed for cats, each in three different colours. The partnership also features a bespoke piece of animation created by the Simon’s Cat team exclusively for Lidl, with the mischievous cat playing and interacting with the product. The deal was negotiated by Simon’s Cat’s German licensing agent, Lizenzweft.
A new live action attraction from Little Lion Entertainment – the company behind The Crystal Maze Live – is coming to London in 2021. Judge Dredd Uprising will open in spring 2021 and will be based on the satirical and darkly funny world of science fiction comic book character, Judge Dredd (owned by Rebellion Entertainment). The company is promising ‘incredible’ set design, groundbreaking interactive technology and a real-life cast of crooks, robots and convicts.
Jazwares has teamed with mixed martial arts organisation, UFC, on a new line of action figures and role-play collectables. The line will feature current and former UFC champions including Jon ‘Bones’ Jones and Conor McGregor, with each figure featuring the athlete’s true-to-life details including any tattoos, their respective weight classes and realistic facial expressions. They will also come with two sets of removable hands, each with UFC gloves, feature interchangeable heads and over 30 points of articulation.
WildBrain Spark has been appointed by Benesse Corporation to manage the English-language channel and content for its hit edu-tainment preschool brand, Shimajiro on YouTube. The company will look to grow the brand’s presence with a focus on the UK, US and the wider English global market.
Punchdrunk has revealed a new partnership with real-world AR gaming experience specialist, Niantic. The partnership will aim to see the best of immersive theatre and real work gaming combining to develop the next generation of live experiences. Niantic – which created Pokémon Go – currently has over ten new games in development including prototypes working on AR wearables centered around outdoor exploration, movement and social interaction.
Six new members have been elected by Licensing International to begin terms of the trade body’s board of directors. The new members are: Alan Kravetz, LMCA; Vincent Leoni, Miller Kaplan; Valerie Mitchell Johnston, Sesame Workshop; Roz Nowicki, Peanuts Worldwide; Steven Wolfe Pereira, Encantos; and Miki Yamamoto, IMG. In addition, Jay Asher, partner at Brandgenuity, was elected as chairperson for a two-year term, while Steve Scebelo, vp at NFLPA, was elected as vice chair for a one-year term.
Pocket.watch has unveiled plans to expand hit kids TV series Ryan’s Mystery Playdate to international markets, beginning with Amazon FreeTime Unlimited in Germany. The company’s gaming division – p.w Games – will also be launching a new Ryan’s Mystery Playdate-themed mobile game called Blast. The studio also revealed that the preschool show has been picked up for a fourth season by Nickelodeon amid strong ratings throughout the US, UK, Canada and Australia.
Downton Abbey has added a rather dashing new licensee, with game maker Rather Dashing Games set to create a new card game based on the movie. The deal was brokered by Spotlight Licensing & Brand Management.
Fauna Entertainment has tapped Mexican licensing agency, Exim as the exclusive agent in Mexico, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Chile for its new kawaii character, Paper Poo. The daily ramblings of the toilet roll and his friend, Pompous, have a growing digital following – its GIFs reached 322 million views in just a few weeks.
Japanese casualwear brand, UN3D has teamed up with Japan’s leading mint brand, Frisk from the Perfetti van Melle stable. Inspired by the brand’s logo, UN3D has created a limited edition fashion collection, which launched with a pop-up store in the Isetan department store in Tokyo. The range includes oversized t-shirts and dresses.
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