Category Archives: Highlight

The Royal Mail celebrates the best of British video games of the ’80s and ’90s

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The Royal Mail is celebrating the best of British video games from the 1980s and ‘90s with a new set of 12 stamps depicting some of gaming’s most iconic titles.

Among them, Lara Croft can be found swinging from the Tomb Raider video game franchise, alongside the likes of the 1995 title Worms, the space trading title Elite, 1989’s Populous, and Sensible Soccer.

The Royal Mail’s Philip Parker, said: “The UK has been at the forefront of the video games industry for decades. In the 1980s and ‘90s, young designers grappled with coding on the new microcomputers and set the template for the industry with iconic games.

“We celebrate some of their landmark creations on stamps.”

The Royal Mail selected the games to include in the set of 12 with the help of the gaming trade body UK Interactive Entertainment (UKIE).

“This collection celebrates a selection of the great British video games that have helped define both the national and global development scene over decades,” said UKIE chief executive, Dr Jo Twist.

“Video games are a key part of our cultural footprint and we’re pleased to see their contribution recognised in such memorable style.”

ITV Studios secures raft of US and Canadian partners for Schitt’s Creek

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ITV Studios has detailed a raft of new US and Canadian licensing deals for Schitt’s Creek, as the hit comedy series readies for the launch of its sixth and final season this month.

The show received four Emmy, five Critics’ Choice and two SAG nominations, and won multiple Canadian Screen Awards in 2019, picking up a growing audience of cult fans due to its own brand of quirky humour. 

The 14-episode sixth season will air on the same day and time across the US on Pop TV, and Canada on CBC, with syndication across the US to follow in Autumn 2020 along with Netflix in the US, UK, Eire, Australia, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Japan.

Created and produced by Daniel Levy and his father Eugene Levy, the series follows a wealthy family who lose their fortune and are forced to relocate to a rundown motel in the small town of Schitt’s Creek.

The cast includes Eugene Levy (American Pie), Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone, Beetlejuice), Daniel Levy, Annie Murphy, Chris Elliot (Everybody Loves Raymond, There’s Something About Mary), Emily Hampshire, Jennifer Robertson, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan, Sarah Levy, and Karen Robinson.

Licensing partners include Rizzoli with 2020 and 2021 calendars, Beekman 1802 for a collection of  high end gift toiletries based on the in-world brand Rose Apothecary, Hi-Line whose official web store is now live and who support the ongoing live shows with tour merchandise, and Funko who will launch a range of Pop! Vinyl figures based on the main characters from March.

UGC and fan art designs are also available direct-to-consumer through Redbubble.

To celebrate the launch of the new season, Pop TV held exclusive pop up Visit Schitt’s Creek immersive experiences in New York City and Los Angeles this past November and December, with Hi-Line servicing the official merchandise.

The event offered free reservations, which were all claimed within minutes by thousands of fans who interacted with authentic set pieces and detailed recreations, allowing them to visit the world of Schitt’s Creek; coverage of Visit Schitt’s Creek has reached billions of impressions.

In addition, Beekman 1802 is planning a Rose Apothecary-branded takeover in their flagship New York store on January 7th to promote the new range and the return of the series.

Further deals currently in negotiation include Apparel, Publishing and other exciting merchandise tie-ins.

MDL builds European licensing programme for Zafari following Rai Yoyo broadcast success

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Maurizio Distefano Licensing has secured a raft of new European partnerships for the popular pre-school animation, Zafari, a series that has seen sweeping success across the region since it started airing on its children’s network, Rai Yoyo.

A property of Ink Group, Zafari is a new CGI animated series produced by Zafari Holdings and distributed worldwide by NBC Universal. The series comprises 52 11-minute episodes and is aimed at children aged four to nine.

Building on its early broadcast success across Italy, MDL has been building a licensing programme around Zafari that now spans partners including Salani for master publishing who will now develop a line of colouring and activity books, as well as puzzle and novelty titles, Ravensburger who is developing a range of puzzles and memory games, and Publievent who is to produce costume characters based on the stars of the series for special events and meet and greets.

These will be joined by Pon Pon Edizioni, who will launch the official Zafari magazine his year, Multiprint and its assortment of stamp sets and markers, Edizioni Play Press whose Magic Albums, puzzles books, and activity books will populate kiosks across Italy, and Dolfin, who will launch a range of Zafari chocolate and confectionery items.

Completing the line up, Clementoni is launch a range of educatioal toys, and Modecor will launch a line of Zafari cake decorations.

Zafari follows the adventures of Zoomba, a baby elephant born with zebra stripes who worries about being different until he and his best friend, a Borneo tarsier monkey named Quincy, discover Zafari, a world in a valley at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.

Zafari takes up themes such as inclusion, tolerance and friendship through funny and exciting stories, creative characters and high-quality production values that bring beautiful locations and animals to life in stunning computer graphics.

In addition, a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has allowed the creation of 52 special mini videos, one of which will appear at the end of each episode. The videos will show real images of animals in their natural habitat, adding a touch of real-life magic to each delightful animated tale.

The RHS extends partnership with Heathcote & Ivory for new Flower Blooms Lavender Garden collection

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The Royal Horticultural Society has extended its partnership with the British beauty and fine toiletries brand, Heathcote & Ivory for the launch of its 2020 line, the RHS Flower Blooms Lavender Garden collection.

The third in the RHS Flower Blooms series, this collection contains shower gel, scented soap, body lotion and hand cream as well as a set of three hand creams and a weekend away bag containing body wash and body lotion.

Accessories include garden drawer liners, pillow mist and a lavender-filled eye mask. All the items in the collection offer bespoke formulations blended with botanical extracts of wisteria and lilac with Lavandula essential oil.

The items also make use of lavender-themed designs inspired by artwork from the RHS Lindley Collections, the world’s largest collection of botanical art. It’s not just the designs that are inspired by the RHS, but the fragrance too, inspired by the scent of the Lavandula x intermedia Olympia.

RHS Flower Blooms Lavender Garden launches at retail in spring 2020. The range will also be previewed at Spring Fair at the NEC in Birmingham from February, 2 to 6 2020 at the Heathcote & Ivory stand (Hall 3 Q10-R11). Heathcote & Ivory will be targeting leading department stores and garden centres, all of which are among the regular stockists of Heathcote & Ivory products. The range will also be available online at heathcote-ivory.com

The RHS Flower Blooms Lavender Garden collection is the latest range from the RHS partnership with Heathcote & Ivory. The partnership launched in spring 2019 with Flower Blooms Daisy Garland and Tender Palm, two ranges comprising gift sets of washes, lotions and creams for hand and body as well as standalone shower gels, body lotions and hand creams. Trellis, the second in the RHS Flower Blooms series, launched in the autumn of this year.

Denis Aaronson, managing director, Heathcote & Ivory, said: “RHS has been a welcome addition to our select licensing portfolio of some of the UK’s leading design and lifestyle brands. The resources of the RHS Lindley Collections and the strength of the RHS brand have been perfect inspiration for this gorgeous lavender-themed collection.”

Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, added: “Lavender is a much-loved fragrance and a popular plant among gardeners – an ideal inspiration for the RHS Flower Blooms Lavender Garden collection. Our partnership with Heathcote & Ivory has already inspired some wonderful collections and this range is no exception.”

BBC Studios and Forbidden Planet celebrate Doctor Who with exclusive t-shirt partnership

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BBC Studios and Forbidden Planet have devised an initiative to release a new and exclusive line of Doctor Who T-shirts throughout the current twelfth series of the popular sci-fi TV show. The newest season started airing on January 1s this year.

A range of 10 Doctor Who T-shirts will launch during the new series, themed around each week’s episode, with each being available to pre-order at ForbiddenPlanet.com the morning after transmission.

Kicking off the new series, Doctor Who returned to BBC One on January 1st for a New Year’s Day special named Spyfall, with subsequent episodes broadcasting every Sunday. The series sees Jodie Whittaker continue her role as the Thirteenth Doctor, as she resumes her travels through time and space with friends Ryan (Tosin Cole), Yaz (Mandip Gill), and Graham (Bradley Walsh).

Anita Majhu, senior licensing manager at BBC Studios, said: “This is such an exciting line and we’re thrilled to be offering Doctor Who fans the opportunity to be a part of the new series in this way.”

Anthony Garnon, licensing and special projects manager, Forbidden Planet, added: “Months of behind the scenes planning and co-ordination, this is Doctor Who merchandising on a whole new level. Don’t just watch the episode, live it with Forbidden Planet.”

T-shirts will be available to pre-order online at ForbiddenPlanet.com and will be priced at £15.99.

HMV warns of store closures as negotiations over ‘extortionate business rates’ take place

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HMV has detailed its intentions to close three of its stores by the end of January as the retailer enters negotiations with landlords across ten of its locations, citing the impossibility of contending with “extortionate business rates.”

The music and entertainment specialist has admitted that such are current business rates, it has left the operation of certain locations among its chain of high street outlets, ‘no longer viable.’

HMV confirmed that stores in Bury St Edmund’s, Fopp Glasgow Byres Rd, and Nuneaton will close by the end of the month. The retailer also plans to relocate branches in Lincoln and Plymouth with new stores opening in the cities at the beginning of February.

In response to reports of more closures, HMV has said there are now 10 stores in which negotiations with landlords are taking place. The retailer maintains, however, that it is hopeful of securing nw deals.

“These stores are due to close later this month unless new deals can be agreed,” HMV said in a released statement. “The closures are no reflection on our superb staff and where we are not able to come to a new agreement, or relocate staff within the business elsewhere, unfortunately this does mean some of our staff will lose their jobs.

“Landlords are working hard with us to try to come to agreements. However, in some cases the extortionate business rates just mean that certain locations are no longer viable. At present, there are negotiations with landlords over our locations in Birmingham Bullring (this does not impact The HMV Vault opened in Birmingham in October), Leeds Headrow (we opened a new store in St John’s Centre), Bristol Cribbs, Edinburgh Ocean Terminal, Glasgow Braehead, Grimsby, Merryhill, Reading, Sheffield Meadowhall and Worcester.”

In February last year, HMV was sold Sunrise Records & Entertainment Limited, a Canadian music company owned by Doug Putman. The firm acquired 100 stores across the UK, transferring some 1,487 store and head office employees as part of the rescue bid.

Interview: Soula Zavacopoulos of The London Studio talks originality in the greetings cards space

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Soula Zavacopoulos is an award-winning artist and designer and founder of The London Studio, a specialist in the greetings cards category, and a growing name in the wider design-led licensing community, thanks to an ever-expanding portfolio led by Blonde Sheep Licensing.

Kicking off Licensing.biz’s 2020 coverage, we chat with Zavacopoulos about the importance of originality in a sector increasingly fraught with ‘copycats’, the ongoing battle for shelf space at retail, and how licensing is helping to cast designers and artists into the spotlight.

Hello Soula, it’s an interesting portfolio you have to your name at The London Studio, can you talk us through your style?

My work is very varied, I don’t have one style like many creatives, instead I develop very different properties ranging from inspirational, wellbeing ranges to quirky humour properties. I also like to develop ranges that are unusual and have not been seen before in the market – like my secret message range, For Your Eyes Only. I really love coming up with new ideas that are different to what’s already out there and I get a buzz out of seeing the surprise and delight in people’s faces.

Could you give us a bit of background as to what you do and deliver to the greetings cards sector and the wider design space?

My background is in graphic design and advertising. My clients were big blue-chips and it helped me develop my ability to work many different styles, observe what the needs of the market are and analyse data to enable me to produce work that was most likely to be successful. The results of my work were always measured and I always analysed the data to help me develop even more effective and commercially successful products. It’s meant that the work I create serves a purpose and fills a retail need, rather than just being “nice design” so it’s more commercially successful in the market.

Soon after setting up my design company, The London Studio, I was lucky enough to be featured in the national press and my work attracted a number of celebrity fans and support including international popstars Boy George, Dannii Minogue, and Peter Andre, supermodel Caprice, as well as BBC Dragon and retail magnate Theo Paphitis. I was honoured when I won his SBS Award and he even provided a testimonial for the cover of my first book.

I went on to win a number of other awards, from retail awards, to design awards and industry awards such as The Gift of The Year Award. This helped my work gain recognition and my design studio became ranked in the top 20 most creative & innovative businesses in the UK and named one of the UK’s Top 100 Businesses in the Smarta100 Awards.

I started publishing my own greeting cards, together with licensing properties into other categories such as gifting and tableware. Through my own publishing company and through licensing I supplied some of the biggest names in retail, from high end stores Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols, to grocers including Tesco, Waitrose, ASDA & Sainsburys, as well as high street chains, including Urban Outfitters, Marks & Spencer, Paperchase, Waterstones & WHSmith.

I have been lucky enough to have my work displayed at museums and galleries including the Design Museum in London, and I was headhunted by the Licensing Committee for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Can you talk us through the past 12 months within licensing for you? What kind of reception have you had? 

I license my greeting card designs to publishers including Woodmansterne, Pigment Productions, Emotional Rescue, Ling and Paperlink. I work with many as each of my ranges is very different in style and genre; they are each aimed at different markets and different audiences, so depending on the range, they’re supplied across the whole retail spectrum.

With Blonde Sheep Licensing I am growing the core licensing business across more key categories including social stationery, gifts, books tableware, homeware and apparel. I’ve had a lot of success with my quirky or humorous ranges, which have won awards and been featured in the national press. One such property that is gaining a lot of traction at the moment is For Your Eyes Only.

It’s a funny and naughty range that incorporates a hidden secret message that is revealed either by special magic glasses or by heat changing ink (depending on the product). The range started life as a greeting card range which smashed sales targets and sold out. With two years of proven commercial success as cards under its belt, For Your Eyes Only was licensed into a gift book and released by Summersdale Publishers (part of Hachette).

The range is also being developed into gifts by Widdop & Co and include mugs where the hidden message is revealed when hot water is poured into the mug, or sequinned cushions where the funny secret message is revealed by brushing the sequins in the other direction.

In stark contrast in style to For Your Eyes Only is my wellbeing property: Dream Big! This too is gaining traction in the licensing arena, yet instead of its focus being humour, this range focusses on the ever growing trend for mindfulness and wellbeing.

It uses a combination of contemporary illustration combined with motivational quotes to inspire us to live life to the full. The language is uplifting, inspiring and positive, to make people feel happy and inspired to live our best life.

Dream Big! has just been shortlisted in the Gift of the Year Award 2020 – the Diary and Happiness Planner wowed the judges and is part of a social stationery collection of Dream Big! products licensed to and published by BrownTrout Publishers.

What is the current health of the greetings cards market? What have been some of the biggest challenges in the space and how are you utilising your brand to overcome these?

One of the biggest challenges at the moment is how the high street has been suffering in today’s challenging market and therefore retail buyers are not buying as much as they once did; they are also hesitant to take risks on properties that are not as well known.

The way I overcome this is by providing data to the retailers – namely, I test my designs before approaching retailers and I use the subsequent sales data to determine which designs are the top sellers and which we might drop, to ensure that I have a commercially successful range before launching it to retailers.

This pre-testing stage gives the retailer the safest possible offering, rather than them having to take a punt and see if the public buy.

And what does The London Studio bring to the space?

I would say originality. There is a lot of copying going on in the industry, but I try to counter that by thinking up original ideas and looking at where there are gaps in the market that I can fill to bring out commercially successful ranges.

My background of analysing data to help build successful products and campaigns is also useful, as I use this in my work, along with the testing I mentioned, to launch ranges that do well.

I have a lot of different ranges and new ideas, so as the market changes, so too do my designs and ideas. I try to keep ahead of the trends and forecast what people may want – I guessed the wellbeing trend well before it even became a trend for example.

What are you setting out to achieve in the licensing space? Why is this an important sector for The London Studio?

Licensing is important as it’s a way to expand my ranges and reach more people, sharing humour and wellbeing through the different ranges.  I don’t have the time or expertise to handle everything by myself, so I appointed Blonde Sheep Licensing as my agent to handle licensing outside of greeting cards.   

I changed my greeting cards business model four years ago from publishing to licensing as I wanted to concentrate on what I enjoyed most – namely, focus on my art and design work, coming up with ideas for new properties, brands and ranges. So licensing is incredibly important to me, as it is how I now get these ranges to market.

What does the coming year have in store for The London Studio?

Through my agent, Blonde Sheep Licensing, we plan to develop Dream Big! further – the wellbeing movement is growing, and this is a strong range that will help people. I love the idea of doing something positive through my work and making a difference, so I will work hard on Dream Big! as it’s set to help people.

We will also will expand on my humour ranges. I feel honoured that my work in humour has been well received, not just with awards but it is regularly featured in the national press and on television, including the BBC, ITV’s This Morning, The Times, The Guardian, The London Evening Standard, The Sun, The Independent on Sunday, At Home magazine, Stylist and OK Magazine. Humour is an area that is growing in retail as well, so it’s definitely a focus for me in the coming year.

I’m also working on some new book ideas – again, with a humour focus, and also growing my wellness and inspiration range, Dream Big! to help people live happier lives.

Silvergate and Merlin Entertainments bring world’s biggest Octonauts attraction to Shanghai

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Silvergate Media has landed a major new creative partnership with Merlin Entertainments that will bring its hit pre-school property Octonauts to Chang Feng Ocean World in Shanghai, part of the Sea Life global aquarium chain.

Launching to the public in June 2020, the new attraction will be the biggest Octonauts attraction worldwide and will expand the universal appeal of the brand by offering a unique new underwater experience.

“Our partnership with Merlin Entertainments underlines our ongoing commitment to dive deeper into innovative and immersive events that bolster our brands,” said Ron Allen, EVP commercial, Silvergate Media.

“This new interactive adventure with Changfeng Ocean World  will give fans an unforgettable Octonauts experience that truly reflects the show’s core values of education, exploration and entertainment – it’s a perfect brand synergy. We look forward to sharing the attraction with fans in China this summer.”

The world-class visitor attraction operator Merlin is creating an authentically themed Octonauts experience that will give families the opportunity to play and explore in a fully submersed Octopod within Changfeng Ocean World’s huge new ‘Stingray Bay’ experience.

Visitors to the new attraction will join characters including Captain Barnacles, Kwazii, and Peso and embark on an exciting Octonauts mission, learning about the world’s oceans and the creatures that live within them. There will also be a dedicated gift shop on-site offering retail opportunities to the brand’s many licensing partners.

The attraction will be promoted with a heavyweight media campaign and a press launch is scheduled in January 2020 that will give media a first look at the new site prior to its official opening in the summer.

This latest deal further cements Silvergate’s existing relationship with Merlin, and builds upon the momentum of previous Sea Life partnerships in the UK, Europe, Australia and the US with additional new activations due to be announced in 2020.

“Fun and discovery are at the core of what we do at Merlin and that is why Octonauts is an ideal fit for us. The new attraction will bring Octonauts to life in a way that has never been done before and we are very confident it will drive growth in visitor numbers when it launches at Changfeng Ocean World,” said Anthony Newman, Sea Life’s global brand marketing director, Merlin Entertainments.

Silvergate Media’s pre-school animated TV show, Octonauts, continues to appeal to audiences around the world with the show’s storytelling, educational narratives and compelling characters enabling it to cross cultural divides.

Currently, Silvergate is readying the launch of the fifth season of Octonauts which will bow this year.

The Smiley Company forges new partnership for Rubik’s Cube in Spin Master collaboration

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Spin Master is teaming up with the world-famous Rubik’s Cube to launch a new range of Perplexus Puzzles with a twist, in a new deal brokered by The Smiley Company, the master licensee for Rubik’s.

Together the pair will develop a co-branded Rubik’s x Perplexus range, which will feature a 3D ball-in-a-maze puzzle and labyrinth toy. By twisting and turning the cube, players attempt to manoeuvre a small steel ball through an intricate maze made up of a number of steps along narrow tracks.

The result – according to Spin Master – creates the ultimate Rubik’s Cube puzzle and maze, ‘adding in another level of fun and making the Cube even more challenging than ever before.’

“Collaborating with such an iconic toy like Rubik’s Cube is a unique opportunity to expand the fun and challenge of the Perplexus play experience,” said Elizabeth LoVecchio, VP marketing for Spin Master Games.

“Perplexus is already captivating minds, both young and old, and we are excited to work together with The Smiley Company to expand the popular line and further push the boundaries of fun and innovation.”

Lori Heiss-Tiplady, VP brand strategy at The Smiley Company, added: “Perplexus has become famous for its ingenious sculptural designs and various levels of challenge. These values are perfectly aligned with those that have made the Rubik’s Cube the best-selling toy in history.

“We are committed to extending the brain-boosting credentials of the Rubik’s brand by partnering with world-class companies, like Spin Master, who share our goal of nurturing smarter future generations through products that help learning, boost intelligence and evolve Rubik’s STEM accreditation status.”

The range of new games is currently in development with the first product set for launch in summer 2020, and additional toys earmarked to roll out soon after.