Including Christmas Clangers campaign and Mattel’s new Nordics/Benelux partnership.
Coolabi is to launch a Clangers Christmas Facebook campaign – 12 Days of Brilliant Surprises – to support the new product range. The festive promotion ties in with the release of The Brilliant Surprise book by Penguin and launches on December 1. Every day for 12 days, fans will have the chance to win a range of new merchandise from licensees including Signature Entertainment DVDs, Clangers toys from Character Options and duvet sets from Dreamtex. There will also be the chance to win a Merlin Family Annual Pass or a family set of Innocent Smoothies lunch boxes and vouchers. There is also a ‘money can’t buy’ prize of a ‘Hoot’ prop used in the making of the new TV show.
Character World has invested in a new software solution as it gears up for further international growth. The ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system has been installed in partnership with Prima Solutions (a specialist in creating solutions for the licensing industry). The new PrimaNet software will enable Character World to operate more efficiently, according to the company.
JAM Media has secured several major broadcast agreements for its new hybrid live action/animated series, Little Roy. NRK (Norway), SVT (Sweden), YLE (Finland) and VRT (Belgium) have all pre-bought the show since MIPCOM. These follow the earlier pick up by ABC in Australia.
Mattel has sealed a new partnership with Nordic Licensing Company to represent its brand portfolio across the Nordic and Benelux regions. NLC already represents the HIT brands in the region (including Thomas & Friends, Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder). It will now add the likes of Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, Monster High and Ever After High to its portfolio.
eOne has revealed strong broadcast and retail success for Peppa Pig in Mexico, stating it is now one of the top three rated shows in the country. In terms of the CP programme (which is managed by Televisa Consumer Products), over half a million toys were sold within the first four months of launch, while over 100,000 Peppa Pig books have been sold by Random House since launch. Other successes include more than 150,000 Famosa plush sold to date, over 90,000 Photopack back packs sold since launch and a live show seen by more than 100,000 people across 30 cities in Mexico.
Jigsaw International has added a Hello Kitty collection to its health and beauty portfolio. Due for a spring 2016 launch, the collaboration with Sanrio will be the ‘largest and most comprehensive’ beauty collection to date, according to the company. It will include some exclusive, never seen before product lines, as well as bestselling customer favourites. Prices will range from £1 up to £29.99.
Rainbow has teamed up with digital publishing solution PubCoder for the launch of Read&Play, a new series of digital interactive e-books. The first title – The Enchanted Concert – can be downloaded for free on smartphones and tablets from iBook Store and Google Play. Following e-books will be priced at €2.99, with ten books dedicated to the adventures of the Winx Club characters.
Busy Wow Stuff is to launch a new master gift range for Mr Men Little Miss in 2016. The deal is the third to be announced in recent weeks – the company is also creating lines for classic Danger Mouse and The Great British Bake Off.
Kidscreen has announced the finalists for its annual awards, due to take place at the Kidscreen Summit in Miami next February. Properties getting nods include Hey Duggee, The Clangers, Sesame Street, Peppa Pig, We Bare Bears, Horrible Histories, Monster High and Adventure Time among others.
