Get Our Newsletter

Sooty for sale

Hit Entertainment seeking buyer for veteran kids property.

Author:: Samantha Loveday
Publish date:: Oct 8, 2007
Social count:: 0

The longest running children's TV programme in the UK, Sooty - and his friends Sweep and Soo - are understood to have been put up for sale by joint brand owners Hit and Guinness Flight Venture Capital Trust.

It is thought the two companies are selling the property because they see little scope in selling it around the world. Sooty first featured on British TV in the 1950s with Harry Corbett, who has bought the puppet in Blackpool to amuse his son, Matthew.

The show switched to ITV from BBC in 1968, with Matthew succeeding his father as presenter in the 1970s. Matthew left the programme in 1998, but Sooty is still aired on CITV.

Bridgefilms, the joint venture which owns the rights to Sooty and another character Mumfie the Elephant, bought the characters in 1996 for £1.4m.

However, last year ITV cancelled a planned new Sooty series which had been expected to boost merchandise sales. This caused Guinness Flight to slash its valuation of Bridgefilms. The company's value was cut from more than £2m to just £324,000 in Guinness Flight's last accounts in February.

Image placeholder title

In 2007, it looked like Sooty might have launched his last custard pie following a difficult time under the ownership of Hit Entertainment. But Sooty presenter Richard Cadell acquired the rights and set about restoring the iconic puppet to its former glory. Now The Sooty Show is a ratings hit for ITV with licensing partners including Redan Publishing, Golden Bear and Fashion Lab proudly on board. Cadell talks to Billy Langsworthy about saving Sooty, picking partners and why a CGI version would be the nail in the coffin for the yellow bear

1_Sooty Show.jpg

Abbey Home Media to roll out episodes of CITV series in August.

Redan Alchemy has partnered with Fun Stickers to launch new collection based on the iconic kids' TV show.

1_Sooty and Sweep, small.jpg

Firm appointed licensing agent as new show set to debut in September.

Spellbound pre-school property secures new partners in Portugal and Spain.

Retail, entertainment wholesale and publishing businesses drop for 19 weeks to June 14th; chief exec stands down.

Hit brand is the number one pre-school publishing property for 2008.

Sweep in the shower.jpg

Redan Alchemy inks deal with firm for new toiletries line.

Part of the brand team, The Brand Manager works closely with several members of the department, including Studio Publicist, Community Managers, Licensing, Sales and Attractions and Live Experiences teams to implement local and international strategies in the form of brand plans and maximising on all activity surrounding the properties.

Working in tandem with the Product Development team and reporting into the Design Manager EMEA, the purpose of this role is to drive forward our creativity across all licensed consumer products. As part of the creative team, you’ll be developing exceptional creative assets and product concepts for numerous NBCUniversal franchises that inspire licensing partners across the entire region.

Best known for global icon Hello Kitty, Sanrio has a portfolio of more than 400 characters. We license a unique collection of branded gifts, stationery and fashion accessory items while collaborating with the most respected companies in the world. Our EMEA business coordinates the development licensing throughout Europe, Russia, Middle East, Africa, Asia (for Mr Men), Australia and New Zealand. An exciting, permanent opportunity has come up at our London office to lead our Design team as Creative Manager (m/f)

Vivid is Britain’s biggest toy company and the 20 largest in the world. With offices across the globe, they sell an amazing portfolio of toys and games to over 60 countries. Vivid is best known for its association with blockbuster brands and is very excited about future opportunities around the world.