Category Archives: Live

York Maze celebrates Mr Men Little Miss 50th with world’s largest maize design

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York Maze, believed to be the largest maze in Europe, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the classic British character brand, Mr Men and Little Miss by paying tribute to its cast of personalities by carving out their likeness within its 15 acre expanse.

Covering the area of eight Wembley football pitches, the York Maze design, when viewed from the air, depicts images of the first Mr Men character to be created, Mr Tickle, together with Little Miss Sunshine, Mr Tall, Mr Bump, and the latest character to join the troupe, Little Miss Brave.

Each of the Mr Men characters in the maze are the size of a football pitch, making it a line up of the world’s biggest Mr Men characters on record. The maze features over 5km of pathways in which visitors can lose themselves.

The maze is the creation of farmer, Tom Pearcy who designed the maze to coincide with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Mr Men and Little Miss brand.

“I grew up with the Mr.Men characters and loved watching the original TV series as a kid. I rediscovered the brand when my children were young and just love the images and storytelling which appeals to all ages,” he said. “We were not able to open last year at all because of Covid so we’re really looking forward to welcoming our visitors back for the first time in nearly two years.

“I’m delighted with how the design has turned out and the maize plants are nice and tall already so its a great year to get lost.”

The Mr. Men Little Miss 50th Anniversary Maze is open for visitors to explore from Saturday, July 17th to Monday, September 6th 2021 when the crop will be harvested.

Visitors will have to navigate the maze of pathways to find the six Mr. Men Little Miss characters hidden in the maze. Find all the characters and you could win a prize. For details of opening times visit www.yorkmaze.co.uk

York Maze celebrates Mr Men Little Miss 50th with world’s largest maize design

Posted on by

York Maze, believed to be the largest maze in Europe, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the classic British character brand, Mr Men and Little Miss by paying tribute to its cast of personalities by carving out their likeness within its 15 acre expanse.

Covering the area of eight Wembley football pitches, the York Maze design, when viewed from the air, depicts images of the first Mr Men character to be created, Mr Tickle, together with Little Miss Sunshine, Mr Tall, Mr Bump, and the latest character to join the troupe, Little Miss Brave.

Each of the Mr Men characters in the maze are the size of a football pitch, making it a line up of the world’s biggest Mr Men characters on record. The maze features over 5km of pathways in which visitors can lose themselves.

The maze is the creation of farmer, Tom Pearcy who designed the maze to coincide with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Mr Men and Little Miss brand.

“I grew up with the Mr.Men characters and loved watching the original TV series as a kid. I rediscovered the brand when my children were young and just love the images and storytelling which appeals to all ages,” he said. “We were not able to open last year at all because of Covid so we’re really looking forward to welcoming our visitors back for the first time in nearly two years.

“I’m delighted with how the design has turned out and the maize plants are nice and tall already so its a great year to get lost.”

The Mr. Men Little Miss 50th Anniversary Maze is open for visitors to explore from Saturday, July 17th to Monday, September 6th 2021 when the crop will be harvested.

Visitors will have to navigate the maze of pathways to find the six Mr. Men Little Miss characters hidden in the maze. Find all the characters and you could win a prize. For details of opening times visit www.yorkmaze.co.uk

The Museum of Brands celebrates 50 years of Mr Men and Little Miss with summer Discovery Trail

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The Museum of Brands is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mr Men and Little Miss characters with the launch of a new discovery trail and series of children’s make-and-take creative activities this summer.

The trail will not only look to spark children’s curiosity and evoke nostalgic memories for grown-ups, but will also offer visitors the chance to see original sketches by Adam Hargreaves, the Royal Mint commemorative coin collection, and limited edition Mr Men Little Miss Royal Mail postage stamps.

First created in 1971 by Roger Hargreaves, Mr Men and Little Miss have successfully crossed the generations, enjoyed for their self-expression, colour, simplicity, and humour. What started out in answer to a question posed by Hargreaves’ son, Adam: ‘what does a tickle look like?’ the Mr Men and Little Miss brand has grown into a global entity.

The Museum of Brands celebrates our past through our throwaway heritage with displays of hundreds of products full of memory and meaning. Together they offer insight into how our lives and society have evolved since Victorian times – from the changing role of women to the impact of war and technology; or from the passing of the domestic servant to the ever changing
choices of food and toys, as well as the revolution in shopping habits over the last 200 years.

Robert Opie, founder of the Museum of Brands, said: “During the past hundred years, children’s character merchandise has become increasingly popular, from Felix the Cat that arrived in the 1920s and Mickey Mouse in the 1930s to the likes of Postman Pat in the 1980s. This year we celebrate 50 years of the genius of the Mr. Men characters.”

Adam Hargreaves, Mr. Men Little Miss author, added: “My dad, Roger Hargreaves, created the Mr. Men series in 1971 and it’s a great accolade to his idea that the Museum of Brands has chosen to feature some of the merchandise that started filling up our home 50 years ago. Through the generations, the Mr. Men and Little Miss have been seen on all kinds of products from Mr. Chatterbox radios to Mr. Grumpy Easter eggs.”

Alastair McHarrie, Sanrio’s licensing director, said: “The inclusion of iconic Mr. Men Little Miss products and memorabilia in the Museum of Brands demonstrates how these colorful characters are now part of the UK’s pop collective imagination, alongside many historical brands. We are delighted and honored with this collaboration on the occasion of our 50th anniversary.”

The Mr. Men Little Miss Discovery Trail will launch at the Museum of Brands on 23 July and runs until 10 September.

Hasbro, Science Museum, and Aardman among Brand Licensing Europe 2021 line-up

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MGA Entertainment, Hasbro Consumer Products, Mattel Brands, and the Science Museum Group are among the names confirmed to be exhibiting at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe as the industry readies to meet face-to-face once again at ExCeL London this November.

With just over four months until the in-person return of the London licensing event, the show’s organiser has detailed the first wave of exhibitors confirmed to take part in the trade event this year, spanning a range of countries and categories, from TV production and movie studios, to leaders in the toy space.

Confirmed exhibitors include The Smurfs, Magic Light Pictures, Crunchyroll, Asterix, and Aardman, alongside the likes of Sanrio, SEGA, National Basketball Association, and Gallimard Jeunesse. They join a roster of high profile toy companies who each continue to build on their global franchises through consumer products and licensing. These include Hasbro, Mattel, and MGA Entertainment.

Anna Knight, VP of Licensing, Informa Markets, said: “We are thrilled that BLE will return in-person this year. The support we’ve received from the industry has been amazing, proving that there is a genuine desire for the brand licensing community to reconnect face-to-face once more.

“We are delighted to welcome so many exhibitors already, including GO-N and The Scouts Store who will be new to the floor for 2021, and a wide range of European brands returning including Sophie La Girafe, FC Barcelona, Sagoo, Spain Licensing Pavilion, Tour de France and many more.”

Yana Esieva, Junior PR Manager, Masha and the Bear, said: “We are extremely happy Brand Licensing Europe will gather us in person again! This tough year made us realise the importance of in-person connections and communication, and now we’re anxiously waiting to reconnect face-to-face with our industry friends and partners.”

The exhibitor list is available to view on the BLE website, here.

TikTok launches real life experience with Westfield shopping centre pop up

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TikTok stars and influencers are offering coaching sessions on how to create social media content as the UK’s first TikTok pop-up venue opens its doors to fans as Westfield shopping centre in West London.

The venue allows fans to interact with social media stars who have found success via the TikTok app as they try to create their own mini-films with coaching sessions from influencers charged at £5 a session.

The pop-up venue will be open until August 8th and takes inspiration from TikTok’s homepage which highlights trending clips. 

Influencers on the roster include British teenager Kyle Thomas, comedian Ehiz Ufuah, chef Poppy O’Toole, and freestyle footballers Jeremy Lynch and Ben Black. Their sessions will explain how to make content for TikTok, while parents will be able to learn how to keep teenagers safe on the platform.

The venue will also feature several rooms to provide different backdrops for visitors to film their own content, including a kitchen which will showcase viral recipes and cook-offs. A dressing room will host beauty, fashion, and transformation challenges.

Attendees of the event will be given exclusive TikTok merchandise.

Harita Shah, marketing director for UK events at Westfield’s parent company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, said: “TikTok has become a cultural phenomenon. It’s where many of our visitors are getting their inspiration from, whether that’s fashion trends, the newest home styling, influencer or foodie fads.

“Having a physical space at Westfield London gives TikTok the chance to immerse shoppers and new creators in full 360 experience where the best of the online platform merges with a real life experience.”

Paddington embarks on new adventure in China in Langham Hotels experiential partnership

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The Copyrights Group is launching a new partnership with The Langham Hotels in China’s Shanghai and Guangzhou that will bring an exclusive and immersive Paddington experience to guests of the luxury hotels.

The activity will span a stay in Paddington themed rooms, Paddington afternoon tea with Paddington Bear cupcakes and themed pastries, as well as a selection of specially curated and limited edition Paddington souvenirs available to purchase at the hotel shops.

Langham has a history with serving afternoon tea, being the first hotel to offer the service from its London hotel when it opened in 1865. Since then, Langham Hotels around the world have become renowned for serving ‘the best afternoon tea experiences.’ In Shanghai, the Paddington afternoon tea has already been awarded ‘most popular themed afternoon tea’ in the 2021 Fifth Hotel Discovery Awards.

The two hotel locations will use different Paddington artwork to showcase the diversity of the Paddington brand.

The partnership is one of several key strategic activations for Paddington across China and aims to strengthen the awareness and the brand’s engagement with consumers. These latest activations have been launched in conjunction with the arrival of the new TV series, The Adventures of Paddington in China.

“The renewed partnership with Paddington at our hotel reflects and reinforces The Langham’s British heritage and legacy,” said Cindy Ying, director of sales and marketing, The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi.

“The fun and whimsical never stops at The Langham. Our guests can now have a full Paddington experience right in the heart of Shanghai, from a meet and greet with Paddington, to taking a picture with the adorable British icon as a keepsake to experiencing a full epicurean Paddington themed afternoon tea delight.”

Polly Emery, SVP brand and international licensing, The Copyrights Group, added: “This new collaboration for Paddington with The Langham Hotels is a wonderful opportunity for fans of all ages to engage with the brand in a different way and we hope they will enjoy these fun experiences in both Shanghai and Guangzhou.”

The partnership was brokered by CAA-GBG, Copyrights’ agent for Paddington in China.

Penguin and Peter Rabbit help kids celebrate nature this summer with new campaign

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Penguin Random House UK and its Peter Rabbit team has launched a new annual campaign aimed at encouraging children and their carers to enjoy being creative in nature this summer.

The Peter Rabbit: Friend to Nature campaign has also tapped the popular lifestyle blogger, Laura Brand as its ambassador to create and present a series of filmed tutorials on the Peter Rabbit website. The nature-filled activities will be shared every Friday in July to inspire parents to enjoy the outdoors with their kids.

The weekly content series is based around themes of nature and friendship and will run throughout the month culminating on International Friendship Day on July 30th.

Brand said: “I grew up with the stories of Beatrix Potter and have loved introducing my two daughters to the world of Peter Rabbit. We have had so much fun creating a series of nature activities for families to enjoy together in the garden or out on a nature walk.

“These ideas are all inspired by Peter Rabbit and the mischievous adventures that he has with his friends and I hope families will enjoy them as much as we have.”

In addition, a series of classroom activities and learning resources have been developed for KS1 school children with Puffin. These will be hosted online and mailed to 37K primary teachers in the UK and made available to key English language-speaking territories.

Izzy Richardson, director owned brands at Penguin Random House, added: “During her lifetime, Beatrix Potter was a pioneering conservationist who was passionate about the natural world. So who better than Peter Rabbit to champion the joy that spending time in nature can bring?

“Peter has an authentic connection to nature and this mid-year campaign will enable us to reach families with meaningful and engaging content beyond Easter. Friend to Nature is perfectly timed to drive awareness of our newly relaunched website, the first in a refresh of all of our Peter Rabbit digital platforms.”

Peter Rabbit: Friend to Nature will launch on Friday, July 9th with new tutorials uploaded every Friday throughout July. www.peterrabbit.com

Brand Licensing Europe’s character parade to make its in-person return at ExCeL London this November

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The characters will once again be parading as the doors swing open and Brand Licensing Europe sounds out the return of its in-person event at ExCeL London this November, enabling visitors to once again have their photos taken with some of the biggest personalities in the industry.

Making its in-person return this year, and marking the ‘return of normality’, the character parade has become an annual tradition since the concept was created in 2008, and without a doubt one of its most popular attractions. Taking place at 11am on the first day of the show, the parade will feature up to 100 of the industry’s most loved characters.

Over 500 characters have taken part in the parade over the years, including The Gruffalo, Paw Patrol, The Hungry Caterpillar, Sonic the Hedgehog, Peppa Pig, Hello Kitty, Minions, Paddington Bear, The Cookie Monster, The Simpsons, Dennis the Menace, Asterix and many more.

Simon Foulkes, managing director, Rainbow Productions, said: “The BLE character parade has grown dramatically over the years to the point now that it is widely recognised as one of the industry’s red-carpet events. Like anything, its success is in the weeks and months of planning to ensure that each character is accurately animated, each brand is meticulously represented and every costume is presented to maximise its appeal.

“As the clock ticks down to parade-time the atmosphere and tension in the character green room is electric and as lint rollers and velcro-guards get scattered at the exit curtain each character confidently and assuredly steps out to meet the discerning licensing industry to what we hope will once again be rapturous critical acclaim.”

Anne de Galard, producer, Go-N Productions, added: “We’re really happy to see the character parade back again! The first time we ever set foot at BLE, back in 2017, we were new to the world of licensing and merchandising. We were standing in the lobby when the parade began so we got to see the whole procession from start to finish!

“It threw us headfirst into the festive playfulness and vibrant energy of BLE and we’ve been learning more and more about this business since and now Simon (our adorable animated rabbit) is going to be part of the parade this year – a very gratifying and exciting development.”

BLE will also be launching a #paradeyourself campaign on social media in the run up to the event in November, inviting the industry to share selfies taken with the characters over the years. There will be a prize for the best selfie withthe winner being offered the opportunity to be photographed at the front of the parade at BLE 2021.

Posts must include the hashtags #paradeyourself #BLE2021 and @bleurope.

Anna Knight, VP of licensing, Informa Markets, said: “As soon as we announced BLE would be back in-person this year, the one question we were repeatedly asked is ‘will the character parade be coming back?’.

“Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes and we can’t wait to work with Simon at Rainbow Productions again to bring back the joy cuddling a character brings to so many people.”

Warner Bros. to launch Wizarding World’s ‘most comprehensive touring exhibition ever’ next year

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Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment has teamed up with Imagine Exhibitions and EMC Presents to cook up the Wizarding World of Harry Potter’s ‘most comprehensive touring exhibition ever presented.’

Called Harry Potter: The Exhibition, the touring event will kick off at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in early 2022 before making its way around the world, stopping off in Latin America, the Asia-Pacific Region, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

The new behind-the-scenes exhibition will use the latest innovations in immersive design and technology to celebrate the films and stories of Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, and the expanded Wizarding World, including harry Potter and the Cursed Child, through crafted environments that honour the moments, characters, settings, and beasts seen in the films and stories.

Visitors will get an up-close look at authentic props and original costumes from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films and have the opportunity to engage with innovative and magical environments and installations in ways never before experienced in a touring exhibition.

“This exhibition will be unlike any other Wizarding World touring exhibition. The inclusion of technology, attention to detail and integration of magical touches created by our partners at Imagine Exhibitions is truly unique,” said Peter van Roden, Senior Vice President of Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment.

“We are elated to be launching the world tour at the Franklin Institute and for fans to be able to have another way to experience the Wizarding World.”

Tom Zaller, CEO of Imagine Exhibitions, added: “We are very excited to be launching the world tour of the all-new Harry Potter: The Exhibition in Philadelphia at The Franklin Institute in early 2022. The Franklin Institute is a trusted partner of ours, a national leader for world-renowned exhibitions, a great cultural driver for Philadelphia, and a perfect location for fans to experience our groundbreaking new exhibition.”

Larry Dubinski, president and CEO of The Franklin Institute, said: “The Wizarding World is a sweeping phenomenon that crosses generations and delivers astonishing global appeal.

“We are thrilled that Harry Potter: The Exhibition will make its world tour debut in 2022 at The Franklin Institute, putting Philadelphia in the national spotlight, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region and providing months of sustainable tourism revenue.”

Scholastic UK celebrates RHS children’s books launch with kids’ gardening competition

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Scholastic UK and the Royal Horticultural Society have launched a new series of illustrated activity books for children. Aimed at encouraging readers to explore and enjoy nature outdoors, the books have been inspired by RHS gardens across the country.

The first three titles in the series were launched in the spring and include The Outdoor Adventure Handbook, which looks at discovering plants and wildlife and getting closer to nature, with activities for all weathers. Further books in the series will follow in autumn 2021 and beyond.

To celebrate the release of the first titles, Scholastic UK has also launched a nationwide gardening competition, encouraging children to create their own unique garden designs. The competition kicked off in June and will run for four months, welcoming all sizes of garden design, ranging from miniature gardens in a tray or a garden pot, to a space in a back garden, community garden, or allotment. 

The competition runs until September 30th 2021 and is open to all children aged seven to 12. The judges will include gardeners from the RHS.

The prize for first place will include a VIP guided tour of RHS Garden Wisley, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at RHS Hilltop – The Home of Gardening Science. RHS Hilltop is the UK’s first dedicated centre of excellence for horticultural research, which helps to protect the future of plants, people and the planet.

The prize winner will also receive a full set of RHS/ Scholastic publishing and a selection of RHS licensed products to encourage their future gardening efforts. 

Cathy Snow, licensing manager, RHS, said: “The RHS is extremely excited to be involved with the judging of this competition and to provide a VIP behind-the-scenes tour of RHS Garden Wisley as part of the prize. We hope as many young people as possible will take on this design challenge and think creatively about designing a garden to suit their space at home – no matter the size of the space they have or whether it is indoors or outside.”

The Scholastic UK partnership has been curated at a time in which social restrictions have seen parents and families spending more time outside in gardens and parks. According to a survey carried out by the RHS last year, time spent gardening has increased 149 per cent, while 60 per cent of people with an outdoor space felt that having a garden helped their physical health during lockdown.

Matthew Pottage, Curator, RHS Garden Wisley, added: “My passion for gardening and growing plants started at an early age in my parents’ garden and developed into an amazing horticultural career with the RHS. I’d love this competition to inspire young people to get involved and share in my love of gardening. I’d encourage them to enter the competition – no matter what their ability or space – to be creative and to marvel at the wonder of the natural world around them.” 

Elizabeth Scoggins, publisher non-fiction, brands and licensing, Scholastic UK, concluded: “Gardens and gardening have been more important than ever to our wellbeing in recent months and few gardens are as well-loved as the five RHS gardens that are among this country’s greatest horticultural achievements. They have been an ideal inspiration both for our new range of books and for this competition, which will, we believe, attract and delight children all over the UK.”