Simon’s Cat sets first paws down in Brazil with Chico Rei partnerships

Simon’s Cat is soaking up some of that Brazilian culture thanks to a new partnership with Chico Rei, the region’s leading e-commerce platform for creative and personalised products that will see the launch of a special line of t-shirts, mugs, notebooks, phone cases and posters. The new range will feature exclusive prints of the world-renowned cat.

In a deal brokered by Endemol Shine Brazil, the entire Chico Rei collection will be handcrafted using 100 per cent natural and sustainable materials. It is also vegan certified with a PETA seal, which guarantees that the products in the clothing do not employ any type of animal exploitation.

“We are thrilled to be the first brand to license Simon’s Cat in Brazil. It is a pleasure to take this kitten from the screen to products and we are sure that the charisma of this character will win the hearts of the Brazilian public,” Bruno Imbrizi CEO of Chico Rei.

Simon’s Cat is a worldwide phenomenon, seen in over 100 countries, with 7 million fans on Facebook, 2 million followers on Instagram, and more than 1 billion views on YouTube. It features the antics of a cheeky white cat and his long-suffering owner Simon. The brand was created by award-winning illustrator, animator and director Simon Tofield.

First seen on YouTube in 2008, the Simon’s Cat brand enjoys international success across multiple categories including gaming, publishing and apparel. There have been more than 80 million digital sticker downloads and in excess of 18 million mobile gaming downloads with further titles in development.

“The expertise of Endemol Shine Brazil is to deliver complete experiences to the public and customers, engaging the audience beyond the television screen. Simon’s Cat is already a global phenomenon with millions of fans around the world, many of whom are Brazilian, and we couldn’t be happier to deliver exclusive and original products to our audience with Chico Rei,” said Fernanda Abreu, head of licensing of Endemol Shine Brazil.

Downton Abbey Gin takes home silver and bronze in the International Wine and Spirits Competition

The Harrogate Tipple’s licensed Downton Abbey gin has picked up a silver and bronze award at the International Wine and Spirits Competition this year. The firm’s Premium Downton Abbey Gin took home the silver, having scored 91 out of 100, and the Rhubarb Downton Abbey Gin was handed bronze for scoring 88.

The International Wine and Spirits Competition has been the world’s premiere contest to find the best in wines and spirits across the world for the past 50 years. This year’s competition saw The Harrogate Tipple take home a total of five certificates.

Steven Green, chief tipple taster for the company, remarked: “A panel of world-renowned experts from across the globe carried out a blind tasting of hundreds of spirits. All spirits scoring 90 and upwards as a result of this process were then re-tasted by the Judging Committee for their final confirmation. With such rigorous tasting, we’re delighted that our two premium Downton Abbey gins received scores of 88 and 91 out of 100. Otterley marvellous.”

Kelvyn Gardner of Asgard Media, who brokered the Downton Abbey license with Universal Studios, added: “Winning these prestigious Silver and Bronze Awards underscores Harrogate Tipple’s commitment to quality. Steven and his team created this gin from scratch after much research going back to the 1920’s era for style, taste, botanical content and even the shape of the bottle.

“Licensors can be sure that Harrogate Tipple will always deliver premium spirits carefully crafted. We’d like to thank Universal Studios for their confidence in granting the Downton Abbey rights.”

For more information on The Harrogate Tipple and their award-winning range of premium spirits visit  https://www.harrogatetipple.com/

For licensing enquiries please contact Kelvyn Gardner at Asgard Media www.asgardmedia.com

 

Marvel Mania returns to the global stage for fifth year with new retail and product initiatives

The popular Marvel retail celebration, Marvel Mania, is making its return this year, bringing kids, families, and fans new ways to wear, connect, and play with the franchise, and it is all kicking off this month with a Marvel-sponsored Superhero Series sports challenge.

Now in its fifth year, Marvel Mania is recognised as the only campaign to bring all the Marvel Super Heroes together as it offers a suite of global retail activations, new content launches, and new products for fans of all ages. The campaign will continue with a host of global activity through to October this year.

Powered by Marvel, the ‘Superhero Series’ is the UK’s largest interactive sporting event dedicated to the nation’s 13.3 million people with disabilities. Six families and their celebrity team captains will be starring in a special shopDisney.com-sponsored Channel 4 programme as they take on this year’s ‘At Home Superheroes’ challenge.

Due to air on August 15th, the programme will be presented by Clare Balding and includes ‘Marvel Mania’at shopDisney break-bumpers. Supporting the at-home initiative Marvel will bring the energy of its iconic Super Hero characters to participants’ homes and neighbourhoods through downloadable games, signs and more to help participants feel like a true Super Hero.

“What started as a targeted retail campaign in the US has grown into an international celebration with a wide range of retailers and more than a hundred global licensees supporting worldwide,” said Paul Gitter, SVP, Marvel Licensing. “The success of Marvel Mania is a testament to the strength, power and diversity our characters represent on screen and beyond with amazing products and experiences.”

In Mexico, Marvel will be collaborating with a sporting and cultural phenomenon this October and in the US shopDisney.com will feature a month-long ‘Marvel Mania’ collector event to debut new products, content and Marvel-themed accessories and apparel.

In China, a Marvel ‘Find Your Power’ campaign will launch this fall with additional Asia Pacific region retail touch points, new product offerings, and multiple consumer activations running through 2021. Japan will feature “A Universe of Heroes” exhibition that celebrates the Marvel Cinematic Universe opening in Osaka, Japan from August 10 to November 23 with limited-edition products sold exclusively at the exhibition including Beams Marvel t-shirts designed by three local artists.

Supporting Marvel Mania will be robust merchandising programmes from major UK and European retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Argos, Smyths, ASDA, Amazon and Carrefour as well as shopDisney and The Disney Store.

In the US Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kohl’s, Hot Topic, Box Lunch, FYE, Party City, Walgreen’s and Books-A-Million will all be taking part. Fans in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and India can look forward to an exciting line-up of Marvel campaigns now until November across the region’s largest online retailers and e-Commerce platforms, such as Lazada, Shopee, Flipkart and Amazon.

These campaigns will bring the latest Marvel merchandise online, from kids’ favourite Hasbro and LEGO offerings, to the ultra-affordable-but-chic MINISO for an added touch of “power” to any home and living space. Latin America rounds out the programme with support from El Palacio de Hierro, Walmart and Marathon. All participating retailers will feature unique ‘Marvel Mania’ promotions and special offers.

Additionally, an exciting cross-category merchandise portfolio spanning video games, publishing, apparel, accessories, toys and more will give kids, families and fans the biggest, broadest, and ‘most diverse merchandise line ever.’

Highlights include launches for the Marvel fanatics such as X-Men 20th Anniversary collectables toys from Hasbro, Marvel Zombies Funko Pop! collectables, the LEGO Marvel Studios Iron Man art set and more, while for kids there will be the likes of the BattleWorld Thanos Ship Showdown from Funko,  Spider-Man: Maximum Venom toys including Venom Burst Action Figures and role play from Hasbro, construction sets from LEGO, and Funko Pops.

Hasbro partners with TOMS to launch limited-edition Candy Land range

Hasbro has partnered with the ethical shoe brand TOMS to launch a new collection of footwear inspired by the popular Candy Land brand. It is the first collection in a series that has been created in partnership with the international toymaker.

‘Inspired by the sweetest of pastimes,’ the TOMS x Candy Land range is a limited edition collection featuring slip-ons for women and children. It features a shimmering Queen Frostine and Princess Lolly as well as a series of four prints including the Candy Land logo on canvas, or a sampling of the game’s treats, all transposed to TOMS’ Alpargata design.

The TOMS x Candy Land range is available from this month with prices ranging from $36.95 to $59.95. TOMS is the original one-for-one company that has spent 14 years on a mission as a business to improve lives.

“Bringing people together has always been a big part of TOMS,” read a press release from the footwear specialist. “The same goes for Hasbro, the brand behind some of today’s most iconic toys and games. Needless to say, TOMS is thrilled to collaborate with a brand that has brought joy, laughter, and time well spent with friends and family to countless players and across generations.”

 

The Very Hungry Caterpillar gets cosy in Peter Alexander’s new sleepwear collection

Australia’s leading sleepwear brand Peter Alexander has partnered with Haven Global to launch the retailer’s first collaboration with Eric Carle’s timeless classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The new deal sees the arrival of a 12-piece capsule collection of men’s, women’s, and children’s sleepwear.

“This collaboration has been a long-time coming,” said Yvonne King, managing director at Haven Global. “We knew Peter would create something really special and memorable with the world’s most famous caterpillar.”

Launched officially on August 7th, Penguin Random House, owners of the World of Eric Carle IP, were thrilled to see Peter Alexander debut his much anticipated first Hungry Caterpillar collection.

“We are delighted to bring these two brands together,” said Jackie DeMaio, licensing director, The Joester Loria Group. “The collaboration of Peter Alexander and Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar brings Eric’s bright artwork and beloved character off the pages onto beautifully designed sleepwear that is sure to delight the whole family.”

The collection is available in-store and online now while stocks last.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, one of the top selling children’s books of all time, has been translated into 60 languages and has sold over 52 million copies since its publication in 1969.

In the (food and) drink with Richard Pink – Pink Key Licensing and the moveable feast of F&B licensing

Richard Pink and his Pink Key Licensing business has become almost synonymous with the food and beverage licensing market, with a portfolio ranging from Kellogg’s, Colman’s, and PG Tips through to the likes of Pringles, SLUSH PUPPiE, and who can forget The Laughing Cow?

But it’s by Pink’s own admission that this was never a deliberate move, but moreover a natural gravitation of the firm towards the kind of brands that have a story to tell. There’s a rich history of cultural affinity with brands like Kellogg’s, Colman’s, and PG Tips that is shared the world over that arguably places this particular trio in the bracket of heritage licensing, while Pringles, SLUSH PUPPiE, and The Laughing Cow (La Vache Qui Rit for our French speaking friends) certainly tap into today’s demand for brands of pop culture status.

No, it may not have been a deliberate move in Pink’s part to find the common thread that ties all of these brands – and the extended Pink Key Licensing portfolio of those outside of Food and Beverage licensing – together, but it was certainly a very smart one, curating a central hub for some of the most iconic brands to have dominated the supermarket aisles and homestead across the decades.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Richard Pink, MD or Pink Key Licensing to talk about the latest trends in the Food and Beverage licensing space, the strength of the Pink Key Licensing portfolio within it, and what the future holds for the market.

It’s always enjoyable looking at the Pink Key portfolio for its Food & Beverage brands and those iconic names with real history. How would you summarise the Pink Key approach to F&B licensing?

Our focus on F&B licensing is a strategy which has evolved organically rather than deliberately. I think people have seen what we have done with Kellogg’s and SLUSH PUPPiE and begun to associate us with these types of brands. Having said that, we have developed a bit of a mantra as we’ve grown: we have to love the brand – genuinely; if we don’t love it, I don’t think we can make anyone else love it and we have to want to keep it in our portfolio forever.

Kellogg’s, Colman’s, and PG Tips arguably straddle both F&B and heritage/vintage thanks to their history and cultural role across the decades, while Laughing Cow, Pringles, and SLUSH PUPPiE are iconic in their own right. Is there a common theme for all of these brands? What do you look for in a brand?

That’s probably the third part of our mantra and something all our brands have in common: they all have a story to tell. Sometimes, as you say, this comes from the heritage of the brand but with a brand like SLUSH PUPPiE, although it plays on people’s memories, it’s still very much a contemporary brand and its story is all about what the brand is going to do in the future, where we can go and how it can develop. This is exactly the same as Babybel, The Laughing Cow and Pringles.

What are some of the key trends in F&B licensing at the moment, and how is the Pink Key portfolio tapping into these right now?

The trends for food and beverage licensing tend to be around particular eras, and luckily, we have access to a broad bank of artwork for each of our brands. As a result, we are able to allow licensees access to artwork by particular decades, for example.

Additionally, with SLUSH PUPPiE, we are very fortunate to work with the licensing agency in America, Design Plus, run by Carol Janet who has managed the brand globally and developed the style guide and assets for many years. As a result, we can be really proactive in developing artwork very quickly to reflect any trend that comes to the market.

What is the strength of the F&B licensing market like right now? Have you seen it evolve and grow over the last year, and how have events of recent months affected or influenced this market in particular?

The Food & Drink licensing market has been very strong now for a number of years. I think this is principally down to the depth and breadth of available assets. Retailers and licensees have become more aware of the amount of amazing artwork that is available because of the rich heritage of many of these brands. I think this is why the trend towards brands with strong logos and a large body of available art has been sustained over the last few years. The fact that interest in these brands has maintained has been extremely exciting for us and, although the lockdown has ‘paused’ things for everyone, I don’t see this changing.

What do you think the future looks like for the F&B licensing market coming out of this peculiar period? How responsive to this sector is retail at the moment, and how will this look going forward?

It’s very hard to say how the market will be affected by Covid and the lockdown, in the same way that it is difficult to predict this for any market sector. However, because of the rich heritage, I believe that consumers are likely to gravitate towards things they find familiar, and I believe inevitably this will have a positive effect for the food and drink licensing sector.

Can you talk us through some of the latest updates for the F&B portfolio, what have been some of the key partnerships you’ve lined up this year? Anything that’s taken you by surprise this year?

We’ve had an extremely strong year with all of our brands. I don’t think we are alone in looking into the possibilities of getting closer to the consumer through Direct to Consumer Print on Demand websites, to try and give ourselves an all year round presence as an additional distribution channel that will support our main business through licensees.

I always say that the brand in our portfolio that completely took me by surprise is SLUSH PUPPiE: we have been amazed by the consumer response and it seems to go from strength to strength driven primarily by the amazing work done by Fizz Creations and their ubiquitous SLUSH PUPPiE machine (available at all good retailers!) along with a range of accessories.

We have also been really pleased by the sales of Manchester Drinks frozen pouches, and we have some very exciting new licensees lined up for the brand who will be bringing product to market later this year.

There seems to have been plenty of activity surrounding The Laughing Cow over the course of 2019/2020 – why is this brand resonating the way it is, and what is the UK strategy for this one?

It’s still early days but the initial response we’ve had has been very positive, particularly in apparel. I believe it resonates because of the heritage and people’s positive associations with it, and the graphics are incredibly strong, but principally because the brand is so positive – it’s all about laughing, and we all need a laugh these days.

Also, we are delighted that our partners for SLUSH PUPPiE and ICEE in the US, Design Plus, have also been appointed as the US agent for the Laughing Cow – we work so well together and I think it’s going to be hugely positive for the brand and its programme.

What further developments in the F&B space can we expect from Pink Key this year and next?   

We are always looking at ways to strengthen our portfolio, but it has to meet the criteria that I outlined at the start. We do have a couple of ongoing conversations which are proving to be very positive indeed and hope to be able to make an announcement nearer to BLE about an addition to our portfolio.

 

Igloo Products welcomes Funko’s Andrew Perlmutter to its board of directors

Andrew Perlmutter, the president of the pop culture giant Funko has joined the board of directors at Igloo Products. Known in the pop culture world as a renowned brand builder, Perlmutter brings decades of professional expertise to the role and will guide the company’s strategic plans for the Playmate collection through licensing and partnerships.

Igloo is widely known for its expertise in the coolers category, and has recently expanded its offering and audience with a raft of licensed products under the Playmate umbrella, including coolers featuring graphics from Scooby Doo, Batman, Star Wars, Hello Kitty, and more.

“We are very excited to have Andrew Perlmutter assume his new Board of Directors role. He is an immediate asset to the team and the brand,” said Dave Allen, president and CEO of Igloo. “Through the years we’ve seen how he has strategically grown Funko’s business and what his team has accomplished under his leadership. We look forward to leveraging his experience to continue to expand and grow the Playmate category and licensed offerings.” 

Perlmutter added: “I am very proud to join the Igloo board. Igloo is an iconic brand within American culture. When I think about the brand, it brings back nostalgic memories I’ve made throughout the years and how it’s played a part in my life’s moments. It’s an honor to be part of the team and I look forward to contributing to Igloo’s success.” 

With decades of experience, Perlmutter is the co-founder of Bottle Rocket Collective, a board and travel games company, President of Funko, Inc., President at Funko Acquisition Holdings LLC (a subsidiary of Funko, Inc.) and holds an B.A. in Interpersonal Communications from Southern Illinois University.

 

Glue Creative Thinking: “There’s always been room for a design-led brand in the pre-school space”

Glue Creative Thinking refers to itself as a ‘David sized team working with a portfolio of Goliaths’ in its role as brand extension and licensing agency that has seen it not only carve out projects for the likes of BBC Studios’ own London Fashion Week activity, and managing MTV’s Music Meets Fashion competition, but help bring the likes of The Natural History Museum or Tatty Devine into the homeware, fashion, stationery, and accessories sectors in just a few short years.

The outfit, which started out under the guidance of its founder and director Carla Bowden six years ago, recently made the industry headlines for its latest partnership with the fledgling children’s brand Lemon Ribbon and its plans to build out the branding and consumer product programme across the UK’s children’s sector.

Licensing.biz catches up with the team at Glue Creative Thinking to explore the potential for the lifestyle brand, the company’s successes in the licensing business, and what the future holds for the space from here on out.

Hello team! To start, can you tell us about Glue Creative Thinking? Who’s in the team, how long have you guys been in the licensing business, and what does Glue Creative bring to the licensing space?

Glue Creative Thinking is a brand collaborations and licensing agency built of a team of creative yet commercially aware individuals. Carla Bowden, founder and director, started the go-to agency six years ago after 20 years of experience of licensing, fashion and retail with Blu-chip names such as Disney, Boots and Habitat. She sourced; Jess Brown, account director, due to her experience and knowledge within the licensing and buying arenas from her time at Nickelodeon, Warner Bros and Disney, Saskia Anderson Harper, project and account manager, for her fashion knowledge, and Martin Williamson, designer and office manager to ensure the team is well equipped to deliver above expectations.

With a clear understanding of entertainment, fashion and licensing industries, the team can bring them all together momentously with ease.

Can you talk us through the Glue Creative Thinking portfolio? Who are you guys working with and what makes a brand/client a perfect fit for you?

We’ve worked on some incredible projects with globally influential entertainment names that we’re really proud of, including; launching BBC Studio’s #SustainableMe Halo activity at London Fashion Week and mapping out the brand collaborations and licensing strategy to follow. Most recently we’re managing MTV’s ‘Music Meets Fashion Competition’ with ViacomCBS; a global student competition in collaboration with the British Fashion Council, River Island and designer, ICEBERG.

Through our licensing arm, we’ve brought iconic names such as The Natural History Museum, Tatty Devine and Barbara Hulanicki (the founder of Biba) into the world of Homeware, Fashion, Stationery and Accessories.

We are a David sized team that works as an extension to these Goliath names, helping them weave the market and innovatively adapt to propel their message forward.

 Focusing on the recent announcement around your plans for the Lemon Ribbon brand, what attracted you guys to the children’s lifestyle space? What are your plans for the brand? 

We first discovered the Lemon Ribbon brand about three years ago and have been actively talking to the team for about two years. As soon as we saw the brand the whole team fell in love with it. We were instantly drawn to the design aesthetic with its playfully bright and bold colour palette and the fun and engaging characters.

We have worked with the team at Lemon Ribbon Studio to build a three-year strategy to kick start the licensing journey for the brand here in the UK. Initially we are planning to launch with brands collaborations across lifestyle categories including Apparel, Homewares, Stationery and Gifting, and we will look to complement this with a master toy licensee. From there we will be building a core licensing programme across all categories as we move into years two and three.

As the brand continues to evolve there will also be animation by Cloth Cat Animation coming through as part of the new content pipeline and as this develops, we will incorporate this into the brand’s consumer product strategy.

Why is now the right time to be developing the Lemon Ribbon licensing programme? Do you think ‘lockdown life’ has underscored the value in the children’s market/lifestyle space?

Even before the Covid-19 pandemic we felt there was room for a new design-led brand in the pre-school market, one like Lemon Ribbon, which could resonate with children and parents alike and the lockdown has definitely amplified this.

Lemon Ribbon has the great ability to engage and inspire families. Now more than ever we appreciate how important it is to enrich pre-schoolers minds and this is supported by the science which tells us 90 per cent of a child’s brain development happens before the age of five. Through their refreshing, inclusive and joyous characters Lemon Ribbon will captivate children’s imaginations and ultimately, we want to bring these characters to life through the range of consumer products we are aspiring to create through a program of brand collaborations and licensees.

The team at Lemon Ribbon have already embraced the principle of play led educational content in their current partnership with ‘Imagine That Publishing’ who have produced 10 books utilising their characters and unique design aesthetic. However, we are now actively looking to build on this, and we are starting the process of talking with new publishing partners.

How has business been for Glue Creative Thinking over the past few months? How has the current situation influenced or impacted upon the licensing strategies you look at?

Fortunately for Glue, we’ve always been a remote, global team so there wasn’t much of an adjustment period when lockdowns occurred and due to our knowledge and size, we were able to act fast on the changing needs of our clients and their consumers.

We’ve been keeping an eye on the market; on which industries and brands are leaving this period stronger than before as well as which trends and innovations are working in this elevation of digital importance.

What do you think the future of licensing will look like as we emerge from this pandemic?

We’re incredibly optimistic for the future of the licensing industry and how we, as an industry, can provide consumers with what they’re looking for.

Working with influential brands we look to bring nostalgia to the public with innovative and engaging experiences, both physical and digital, especially now when igniting memorable connection is more important than ever.

The landscape is changing, and we’re excited for the new opportunities that digital provides.  We’re especially supportive of the growing desire for sustainability to be at the forefront of the conversation and how the two can support one another’s growth.

 What’s the next big step for you guys?

We’re here to support our clients through this next phase, helping them meet targets and reach consumers authentically, whatever the future may bring.

We’re excited to bring Lemon Ribbon to the wider UK market and are actively looking for partners. The third instalment of the ‘Music Meets Fashion Competition’ launches at London Fashion Week this September, we’ll be releasing some exciting updates, so keep your eyes peeled for that! We’ve also been actively looking ahead to 2021, working on a few different proposals for the gaming and TV worlds; we’ve been, gratefully, very busy!

 

Vans celebrates pop cultural icons The Simpsons in new collection

Icons of animation and longest running US sitcom series, the now Disney-owned The Simpsons has teamed up with the lifestyle specialists Vans to launch a new collection spanning footwear, apparel, and accessories.

An American icon in its own right, Vans uses its collaborations o pay tribute to American culture, this time launching a new range that pays homage to the popular animated series that leapt onto the pop culture scene over 30 years ago to provide a satirical insight into suburban family life in the US.

‘This season, Vans honours The Simpsons with a vibrant collection of footwear, apparel, and accessories that celebrate iconic moments from the historic series,’ read a statement from the lifestyle brand.

The new collection will be available from August 7th this year.

 

Reemsborko’s Max Arguile: “The anime investment bubble shows no sign of bursting”

With a portfolio spanning some of the most iconic IP in pop culture, including Bill and Ted, Dragon Ball Z and and extended library of anime properties now starting to gather pace here in the UK, Max Arguile, founder of the licensing agency Reemsborko is riding on the crest of a wave that shows no sign of ebbing any time soon.

Much like the Big Bang, the pop culture explosion seems only to be expanding further and further into even the most distant corners, helping the kind of properties and fandom that was once deemed ‘underground’ pitch new flags in the mainstream channel, and finding new ways to engage audiences the world over.

While lockdown has not come without its challenges for the pop culture space, and for Arguile’s own Reemsborko business alike, it’s with a sense of optimism that the pop culture specialist takes his position at the front of that charge, and the wealth of new developments he has managed to forge, even in the face of the last few months.

Licensing.biz catches up with Arguile to talk about the latest projects for Reemsborko, the unerring passion for pop culture, and where business is heading from here on out.

Hi Max, to kick us off, how has business been for Reemsborko over the last few months?

It was pretty mixed under lockdown. Three deals fell apart in early on and it was tough but I still managed to get a dozen contracts signed, mostly new business but a couple of renewals.

What sort of impact do you think the lockdown has had on the pop culture/anime licensing and merchandising business?

Consistent with all industries, it has been horrific for those companies that have gone bankrupt and for those that have had to down-size. I have been working from home since early 2018 so no real change for me but everyone has had to adapt to survive. And coming out of lockdown a big impact for the companies that are still trading is the disruption to production timelines and therefore a delay for new business.

The numbers of people streaming content over the lockdown has surged – a good share of which is anime content… Meanwhile, Netflix continues to bulk out its own anime library – how do you think this may impact the merchandising opportunities?

Whatever people love represents a merchandising opportunity. Unsurprisingly Netflix did phenomenally well with a captive audience and other streamers must have done OK but everything has a cost.

Families facing increased streaming bills will have been glad of not only the BBC but also free channels like POP, which apparently enjoyed record viewing figures. For everyone still undecided, yes, Dragon Ball is still the number one boys show on POP with more content on the way.

What lasting impact do you think recent events will have on licensing? How well has the pop culture scene adapted to the changes, and what do you think this will mean for its licensing?

Recently it was Comic-Con From Home – the online version of a crucial pop-culture event. I’ve seen some good presentations done with flair and imagination (Factory Entertainment and Super7 take a bow), and others that just looked like giant Zoom meetings and so I didn’t even bother.

E-commerce has leaped forward by about five years since March, and as a trader, if you don’t have a vibrant route to market online then it’s going to be tougher from now on. Fortunately for Reemsborko, the fans of the licenses I sign don’t usually expect to find the corresponding merchandise in bricks and mortar, you know? The fans just wouldn’t think to look there – the first place they will go is online hence the licensees I have that do online selling in a meaningful way actually did OK in Q2.

The Reemsborko portfolio is now looking very strong. Can you talk us through some of the exciting developments for you over the last few months/first half of 2020?

The portfolio is decent but frankly there isn’t enough in there. We’re not resting yet. I’m looking for more animation properties, and also video games – anything that is cool and interesting, rather than simply a cashcow (although I’m not against those).

Hatsune Miku has been extremely strong in 2020 firstly at the level of interest and secondly now in the market place. The first Wild Bangarang range launched just last weekend – online only – they are very happy with the sales and consider this to be a signing that will grow, especially once the fans start discussing their purchases. Not only is the fanbase super-engaged but we have influencers on board that will wear and show the product via their social media channels – free advertising, directly to the fans never hurts. Likewise, Dragon Ball also continues to work. Junji Ito hasn’t really started yet in Europe (although the t-shirt range will hit retail in Australia by Q4) and there is a lot to come on both Heathen and Black Hammer.

Heathen should start filming in January – they have cast the lead so that is pretty exciting, and we are in the midst of approving a massive apparel range for Black Hammer.

What have been some of the key partnerships you’ve established for 2020 so far?

I’m very happy to now be working with some major talent in the comics industry. Dark Horse have already committed to pushing new Black Hammer products via their Twitter account and Vault Comics are really punching above their weight as a publisher. Aside from Heathen, they have a range of titles, one of which – Vagrant Queen – was made into a TV series, showing recently on Syfy. Vault are fully open to maximising on their whole catalogue – so if anyone is interested in original IP to develop as live action or animation, please get in touch.

You’ve recently partnered with TMS to bring Lupin the Third into the portfolio. What sort of plans have you got for the property in the European market? What is the strength of the brand here in Europe?

Lupin is a well loved classic animé – I aim to start with apparel and collectibles and the new feature length CGI film should be released this year so I’m hopeful of also capitalising on the halo effect that will have

It’s a topic we’ve discussed many times before, but always worth highlighting – what do you make of the current strength of the pop culture scene across Europe? How has the demand for animé ‘swag’ in Europe grown? 

Pop culture is just getting bigger in all territories. What was traditionally underground is becoming mainstream and, as the saying goes, the geek shall inherit the earth.

Animé is only getting started in the UK outside of specialty – we have a long, long way to go catch up with Europe and North America. Furthermore, the animé investment bubble shows no sign of bursting – the streaming platforms continue to commission new content which just increases the size of the total offering.

Conventions won’t be happening so there will be no physical meeting for a while but communication never stops. The fans are fully aware of new developments, and new content almost before they are announced – it’s the job of people like me to ensure that they also know about new products too.

The fans should have the swag so it is our job to make the good stuff visible to not just the fans but also the gift givers. We have our work cut out but the future is bright.

What’s the next big step for Reemsborko as the world wakes up from the pandemic lockdown?

Before Matrix 4, Cyberpunk 2077, John Wick 4 and the new SpongeBob movie, remember that the renaissance of Keanu Reeves starts in earnest when Bill and Ted Face The Music reaches fans worldwide in September.

For many years licensees have enjoyed a steady pace of success with the merchandise from the first two Bill and Ted films – Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey. A healthy dose of Bill and Ted is something we could all use right now

Anything you’d like to add?

Be excellent to each other!