Category Archives: Lifestyle

Thomas & Friends autism-friendly clothing to launch on Character.com

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The Thomas & Friends brand team in the UK are working with the National Autistic Society and Character.com to develop an autism-friendly range of clothing featuring Thomas & Friends.

Some autistic children are highly sensitive to the feel and colour of certain materials, to the extent that some clothing is unpleasant or even painful to wear. This range has been developed in collaboration with the National Autistic Society, who conducted research with families of autistic children and ran focus groups at the charity’s Helen Allison School in Kent.

Parents involved in the focus groups said that their children preferred softer fabric. Over half of parents who responded to the National Autistic Society’s survey said that there are fabrics their children will not wear, as well as specific colour preferences and ease of dressing requirements and needs.

In April 2021, the National Autistic Society conducted a survey* of over 1,500 parents whose autistic children are under the age of 16. According to the results of the survey, the biggest considerations in choosing clothing are:

  1. Pull-on clothing
  2. Easy dressing clothing
  3. No labels
  4. No buttons
  5. Velcro fastenings

The new clothing range, designed with these insights in mind, includes loose-fitting t-shirts, jumpers and tracksuits, all in soft fabrics and designed for ease of dressing. The National Autistic Society then ran two focus groups at their Helen Allison School in October 2021, where autistic pupils tried the clothes over the weekend and shared their feedback. Following reports that many autistic children ‘retain the love for the [Thomas & Friends] brand beyond the core age’, the range has been designed for fans aged from 3 to 16 years.

The range launches on Character.com during World Autism Acceptance Week on 2 April 2022.

Peter Watt, Director of National Programmes at the National Autistic Society, says: “We are delighted to be partnering with Thomas & Friends and Character.com to create such an important range of clothing for autistic children and teens.

“Parents and autistic young people often tell us how sensory sensitivities can mean that children on the autism spectrum struggle with certain clothes. For some, a label on a t-shirt, a prominent seam, or certain fabrics could be incredibly itchy, distracting or even physically painful. Finding the right clothing can make shopping difficult, time consuming and stressful. So, it’s really great to have the chance to develop this autism-friendly collection.”

“Thomas & Friends is an inclusive brand which invites all of our fans to celebrate friendship,” says Claudia Caron, Thomas & Friends Marketing Manager. “We are very proud to be supporting our Thomas & Friends community of autistic fans through our partnership with our friends at the National Autistic Society to offer more choices and accessible clothing based on what mums and dads of autistic children have told us they want to see.”

Karen Hewitt, Co-Founder of Character.com, adds: “At Character.com, we value charitable relationships and responding to our customers’ needs. As a result, we are thrilled to introduce this Thomas & Friends range, which Mattel developed in collaboration with the National Autistic Society. The Character.com team are delighted to be selling a range that is unique to the industry and provides our consumers with exactly what they need. We are thrilled to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause, and we hope that this is the start of many such initiatives from Character.com.”

To find out more about autism or the the National Autistic Society, visit org.uk

*Survey commissioned by Mattel and run by the National Autism Society, April 2021.

Rovio teams with SONIC Drive-In for Angry Birds promotion

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Rovio Entertainment has teamed up again with SONIC Drive-In, the quick-service restaurant chain owned by Inspire Brands, to bring Angry Birds toys to its Wacky Pack kids meals, in a deal brokered by IMG.

The partnership is part of a consumer products programme celebrating the popular entertainment franchise’s first long-format series, Angry Birds: Summer Madness.

From March 28 to May 1, 2022, Sonic guests can collect eight different Angry Birds toys in their Wacky Pack kid’s meals. Available across the more than 3,500 SONIC Drive-In locations in the US, the toys all have unique features such as whistling, wobbling and face-changing effects.

“We are so excited to be partnering up once again with SONIC Drive-In, this time in celebration of Angry Birds: Summer Madness. The new range of collectable premiums brings all the fun and humour of our latest series to life in a new way,” says Katri Chacona, Director of Brand Licensing at Rovio Entertainment.

Angry Birds: Summer Madness sees sparks and feathers fly when a teenage Red, Chuck, Bomb and Stella spend a wild summer together with other Angry Birds at Camp Splinterwood.

 

Funko announces collab with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team

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Funko has announced a collaboration with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Pop! vinyls of seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton and his former teammate, ten-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas, have been launched to coincide with the start of the 2022 F1 season, and come decked out in their 2021 custom race overalls and detailed caps displaying the Mercedes logo. 

Hamilton and Bottas were teammates for five seasons from 2017 to 2021, winning the World Constructors’ Championship during each of those seasons. For four of those five seasons, Hamilton also won the World Drivers’ Championship.

The new Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Botas Funko Pop! figures retail at £12/€15.

 

 

Funko announces collab with Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team

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Funko has announced a collaboration with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team. Pop! vinyls of seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton and his former teammate, ten-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas, have been launched to coincide with the start of the 2022 F1 season, and come decked out in their 2021 custom race overalls and detailed caps displaying the Mercedes logo. 

Hamilton and Bottas were teammates for five seasons from 2017 to 2021, winning the World Constructors’ Championship during each of those seasons. For four of those five seasons, Hamilton also won the World Drivers’ Championship.

The new Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Botas Funko Pop! figures retail at £12/€15.

 

 

Maya the Bee: the new Danone water bottles star

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DeAPlaneta Entertainment has closed a licensing deal with Aguas Danone, S.A. for the launch of two Font Vella Kids water bottle collections in Spain and Portugal. The collections are specially designed for children and feature iconic character Maya the Bee.

Both Font Vella collections include two different Maya the Bee products featuring a range of unique character designs from the series for parents and children to collect: four (33 cl) mineral water bottles are designed in the shape of the characters and a further six designs come with the iconic Font Vella Kids sports bottle top to avoid spills. The bottles are already on sale in supermarkets and include fun activities to make drinking water more fun for kids. Making sure children develop healthy drinking habits has always been a priority for Danone, and the brand’s latest formats, including Font Vella Kids and Lanjarón Kids, are especially designed to promote hydration.

DeaPlaneta Entertainment acts as licensing agent for several brands from Studio 100 Media, including Maya the Bee, which represents strong values including respect for the environment, taking care of nature, bio-diversity, freedom and friendship. Maya is one of the best-known IPs for children in Europe, hitting a multi-generational target. Brands continue to rely on her as the perfect ambassador for organic and natural products, and for CSR activities and awareness-raising campaigns that teach children about the importance of saving the bees.

Barbie x 7th Heaven encourages consumers to Be Good to Yourself

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UK-based face mask specialist 7th Heaven has teamed up with iconic brand Barbie for the Be Good to Yourself collection, consisting of three vegan, cruelty-free face masks to encourage self-care. The collection launches this month with prices ranging from £2.49 and is suitable for ages 8+.

The collection comprises:

‘Strong Girls Make Waves’ Pink Neon Toning Peel-Off – a refreshing aloe vera and grapefruit peel formulation, containing naturally occurring AHAs to help promote brightening and smoothing of skin through increasing the rate of cell renewal.

‘Radiate Friendship’ Pink Rose Cleansing Clay mask – with a blend of cocoa and marula oil, this mask has been specially formulated to soothe redness and blemishes to improve skin complexion. This formulation also contains willow bark, a natural source of salicylic acid.

‘You’ve Got This’ Pink Chocolate Purifying Clay mask – contains a rich blend of cocoa butter, shea butter and sweet almond oil to lock moisture into the skin.

7th Heaven founder Gregory Butcher says: “I’m very excited to announce our Be Good to Yourself range in collaboration with Barbie. The essence of both brands is to promote empowerment and wellness, leading to a match made in heaven. Your future belongs to you – so make sure you Be Good to Yourself!”

Ruth Henriquez, Head of Consumer Products, Mattel EMEA, adds: “We are delighted to be partnering with 7th Heaven to introduce this new range of products, this is an exciting new category launch for the Barbie brand with lots of opportunity across the region.”

Find out more about the range at myheavenlyskin.com. Shop the collection online on Amazon.

 

Heinz partners with Ebury for cookbook series

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Ebury, an imprint of Penguin Random House, is to publish the first ever official Heinz cookbooks, including gift books for lovers of Ketchup and Baked Beanz.

The licensing partnership will launch with The Heinz Cookbook in May 2022, followed by four iconic ingredient-led gift titles. Elizabeth Bond, Publishing Director for Ebury Partnerships, acquired world rights (excluding North America) from Claire Potter at Metrostar.

Bond says: “This is an exciting opportunity to partner with our best-loved food brands to create iconic gift books, and develop a range of healthy and delicious recipes which will delight every Heinz fan.”

Jojo de Noronha, Kraft Heinz Northern Europe President, adds:“Our products are loved by consumers, and we know that they are already featuring many of our brands in their day-to-day meal recipes. The Heinz Cookbook and Icon titles will offer surprising new recipes to make exciting dishes for every occasion and the creative licence to experiment with their favourite products.”

Claire Potter says: “We received a number of strong proposals for the rights to publish Kraft Heinz books but were impressed by Ebury’s vision for the brands in publishing and passion for the project. We are excited to see where this partnership can go.”

The Heinz Cookbook (5 May 2022) will be a collection of 100 specially commissioned, ingenious and delicious recipes, featuring over 30 of the nation’s favourite products as the star ingredients. It will be followed in late 2022 and 2023 by the first ever official Ketchup, HP Sauce, Beanz and Lea & Perrins books, the perfect gift for every fan.

Brave Bunnies launches UK publishing with Ladybird

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Ladybird is launching a series of pre-school titles with Brave Bunnies, the global Ukrainian children’s brand. Ladybird Commissioning Editor Ned Hartley acquired UK publishing rights to the brand from Big Picture Licensing, who are the master-agent for Brave Bunnies across EMEA & APAC regions.

Dan Frugtniet, MD of Big Picture Licensing, says: “It’s wonderful to have found a UK publishing home for Brave Bunnies with such a global leader as Ladybird & Penguin Random House. Given the terrible current events in Ukraine, the creators are keen to use Brave Bunnies to spread the important messages of friendship, diversity and inclusion which are the core DNA of the show.”

Brave Bunnies follows the adventures of bunnies Bop and Boo, who live with their family on the Bunny Bus and love to explore the world. At each stop, Bop and Boo make new friends, play new games and discovering a little more about the world and people around them, spreading messages of inclusivity, friendship and respect.

Created by Olga Cherepanova at Glowberry, Brave Bunnies is broadcast in over 63 countries. It launched in the UK on Milkshake! (on Channel 5) and Nick Jr. in February and September 2021 respectively. To date it has reached a UK audience of 4.4million. Brave Bunnies ranked as the #1 commercial channel in its slots for its premiere.

Ladybird launches the first two titles in the series in March 2022: Brave Bunnies Spring to the Rescue and Brave Bunnies Make a Friend, which see Bop and Boo learning lessons about bravery, responsibility and compassion.

Francesca Dow, MD of Penguin Random House Children’s, says: “This partnership is exciting for Ladybird because it is the result of several years of collaboration with the exceptionally skilled and creative team at Glowberry. We were first drawn to Brave Bunnies for its playful and warm ways of talking about friendship with a very young audience, and are excited that our books are now available for young readers to explore, bringing the internationally successful Brave Bunnies to existing and new fans in the UK.”

Motul and Sunrich announce agreement for scale model cars

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Major lifestyle and motoring brand Motul has announced a partnership with Sunrich Toys & Hobby, which designs and manufactures high-quality scale model cars for the global hobby market.

Sunrich will produce and distribute a special range of model cars featuring the classic red and white Motul livery. The deal was brokered by WildBrain CPLG, Motul’s global licensing agent (excluding APAC).

Sunrich, a wholesale distributor and exclusive importer of premier scale model cars, will produce 10-15 models covering race cars from IMSA, WEC and Le Mans. Each one will be a highly detailed scale model of a well-known automotive brand, and all will feature the famous Motul livery.

The model cars will launch on the market in summer 2022. They will be distributed worldwide through the Sunrich network of trusted partners for sale at retailers and online. More brand-related racing models are planned.

The main consumer market for Sunrich is hobbyists and collectors. However, Sunrich also offers OEM services to various car manufacturers and retailers, creating customised models for use in product launches and promotional events. Motul, a regular partner to major teams at numerous important motor racing events, plans to use these exceptionally detailed scale models as part of its on-site promotions throughout this and next year.

Sunrich Toys & Hobby was founded in 2002 with the goal of offering the highest-quality scale model cars to the US hobby market. By partnering with some of the highest-regarded brands in the industry, it quickly rose to become one of the largest importers and distributors of model cars in North America. Sunrich began manufacturing its own scale models in 2007 under the brand TSM-Model. It is now a premier worldwide brand.

This partnership demonstrates the strength of the Motul brand, which is known in over 160 countries and is now taking that powerful reach into a major lifestyle branding campaign.

Motul is targeting a range of high-end collaborations and co-branded products as well as categories, ranging from apparel to backpacks and, of course, car accessories, supported by global licensing agent WildBrain CPLG, as well as recently appointed agents for Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Glen K. Chou, President, Sunrich, says: “Like many racing fans, I grew up watching Motul-sponsored BMW and Honda race cars, so it is a dream come true that I can work with the iconic Motul brand. This partnership will not only allow us to gain access to the vintage Motul race car livery, but it will also help us to connect with various Motul racing teams around the world. We look forward to working with Motul to develop a wide range of brand-related racing models.”

Managing the Motul campaign is Laurent Taieb, a licensing specialist with over 25 years’ experience. He says: “Motul’s strong association with some of the biggest motorsport manufacturers and events on the planet is part of what makes it a classic brand. This agreement, with a company that is a byword for craftmanship and style, offers a perfect showcase for the famous Motul livery and will delight hobbyists and motorsport enthusiasts everywhere.”

Prisoners of Geography taps Map Marketing for licensed merchandise

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Independent publisher Elliott & Thompson’s Sunday Times best-selling Prisoners of Geography books by author Tim Marshall continue to engage fans of maps and facts from 6-80 years. With unprecedented and continued global sales success, the franchise is extending into a range of licensed merchandise for launch during 2022.

Map Marketing Ltd is on board to develop a range of printed maps, posters and framed prints in various sizes and gifts featuring the beautiful map illustrations from the Prisoners of Geography illustrated edition.

“Map Marketing lives and breathes everything to do with maps, so Prisoners of Geography was a no-brainer licence acquisition for us,” explains Brian O’Donnell, MD of the Devon-based business. “We absolutely love the detailed but easy to understand map illustrations, which in themselves are beautiful works of art. We’ve seen a huge growth in consumer interest in geography and maps as both educational and beautiful art for home decor in recent years. Prisoners of Geography is a hugely versatile brand and is also perfect for our growing direct-to-schools business Geopacks.”

Maggy Harris from BlueSkye Licensing, which brokered the deal, says: “Extending the franchise is a natural step forward for Tim’s books and we are delighted to welcome Brian and his Map Marketing team into the Prisoners of Geography brand family. We’re seeing a great response from companies responding to increased consumer interest and demand for quality, factual, fun, family brands. The detailed illustrations are perfect for family-focused edutainment merchandise. Watch this space for further 2022 product launches across jigsaws, games, puzzles, gifts and stationery.”

Lorne Forsyth, Chairman of publisher Elliott and Thompson, adds: “Prisoners of Geography has been an astonishing, long-lasting hit in hardback and paperback, providing a gripping exploration of the power of geography to shape humanity’s past, present and future. It is acknowledged as one of the bestselling international geo-politics books of all time.”