Sixteen South taps Bulldog Licensing as global agency for new preschool series tackling the big issues of today

The BAFTA-winning children’s television production house, Sixteen South has signed Bulldog Licensing as its global licensing agency for Odo, the new preschool series scheduled to premiere on Channel 5’s Milkshake this summer and KiKA later this year.

Aimed at kids aged three to five, Odo is designed to teach young children to believe in themselves to help combat the rise in anxiety and depression levels in today’s children. Funny, charming and heartfelt, Odo works on multiple levels to provide a humorous experience with important life lessons for kids and parents.

According to the team, the animation ‘lends itself perfectly to a full cross-category programme of licensed products’, as focus will fall on toys and games as well as apparel, accessories, publishing, home, and stationery. Bulldog Licensing has outlined its plans to partner with leading players in the licensing world everywhere.

Believing that there’s absolutely nothing that he can’t do, Odo is the littlest owl at the Forest Camp who is determined to prove that despite his size, he is as capable as all the bigger birds. The series aims to teach young children self-efficacy and to believe in themselves to help combat the troubling rise in anxiety and depression levels in today’s children.

Comedic and warm, with gender neutral appeal, the stories also deal with important themes such as immigration, racism, respect for others, and show kids how to deal with setbacks in a meaningful way while fostering the development of social skills.

Colin Williams, creative director of Sixteen South, said: “We’ve always been big fans of Bulldog and are delighted they are taking Odo under their wing to manage our global consumer products programme. With their outstanding reputation we know that Odo couldn’t be in better hands.

“We have had an amazing response to the series from broadcasters from the US to  Australia, Canada and all across Europe, with strong presales already, and we’re sure that Bulldog will soon have licensees flocking to get on board.”

Rob Corney, group managing director, Bulldog Licensing, said: “We were completely enchanted by Odo – it’s warm-hearted and funny with a really important message. We’re really excited to be working together with such a talented studio as Sixteen South to help it take flight around the world. It’s full of wonderful, endearing characters which we can already imagine enhancing a whole range of consumer product and experiences. Watch Odo fly.”

Odo is a 52 x 7 hand drawn ‘2.5D’ animation produced by Sixteen South and Warsaw-based 2D animation studio Letko with funding provided by the UK government funded Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF), which is managed by the BFI, NI Screen and the Polish Film Institute.

The Exec Producers are Colin Williams for Sixteen South, Jakub Karwowski for Letko, Sebastian Debertin for KiKA and Louise Bucknole for Milkshake! The Educational Consultant is psychologist Dr Natascha N. Crandall, Ph.D.

British animated kids’ property Moley appoints Bulldog Licensing as its global licensing agency

The British made children’s property, Moley, has appointed Bulldog Licensing as its global licensing agency, marking the latest step for the new animated kids’ IP following the adventures of a fun-loving mole who lives in bustling city of MoleTown.

The character, voiced by Warwick Davis, finds himself on a series of escapades as he explores the world around him with accompanying magic, comedy and adventure.

Bulldog will be launching the brand to the licensing world at a star-studded event, including talent from the Series, at Chelsea’s Physic Garden this July. As one of the first opportunities for the industry to get together since March 2020, the event, set in a four-acre site on the bank of the River Thames, promises to be a spectacular debut for the property and an opportunity to introduce the cast of the 52-episode animation.

Alongside Warwick Davis (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Maleficent), the voice cast includes Julie Walters (Harry Potter, Paddington, Billy Elliot), Charles Dance (Game of Thrones, The Crown), Gemma Arterton (Tamara Drewe, Saint Trinians), Richard E Grant (Withnail and I, Logan) and Togo Igawa (Mama Mia, Star Wars).

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “We are delighted to add Moley to Bulldog Licensing’s carefully selected portfolio of brands. It’s a truly unique property that has the potential to be a global powerhouse in licensing.

“Moley has an endearing appeal which really connects with children and their families. We can’t wait to start working with partners in building a range of products that will capture the essence of this brilliant property and ensure its success everywhere.”

Creator of Moley, James Reatchlous, added: “The journey of Moley has been incredible – he has gone from a father’s bedtime stories to the star of an incredible animated show. I can’t wait for the Physic Garden event at which we will premiere a number of episodes to show the industry how Moley will reach new audiences around the world.

“With Bulldog now building the global licensing programme for Moley, I’m so excited for the next chapter of the brand.”

To find out more and catch up on all Moley news, please go to www.mastermoley.com/master-moley-news 

Bulldog Licensing signs up with Marcus & Marcus as baby brand makes European licensing push

The mother and baby brand, Marcus & Marcus has shifted its licensing focus on to the European market, with the appointment of Bulldog Licensing to head up its plans across the children’s space and into toys, gifts, nursery products and more.

Initially created as a range of infant feeding products, Marcus & Marcus recently revealed its plans to expand the brand name into the wider consumer products arena, taking on categories such as apparel and publishing by utilising its character IP that includes Marcus the lion cub, Lola the giraffe, Ollie the elephant, and Lucas the hippo.

Under its remit as European licensing agency for the multi award winning brand, Bulldog Licensing will be looking to partner with a raft of licensees across toys and gifts, nursery products, homewares, and more.

‘The founders of Marcus & Marcus are parents themselves with a love of unique, modern designs. Marcus & Marcus’ delivers simple, effective designs with quality, safe and sustainable products to keep children entertained and engaged,’ read a statement from the firm.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, added: “We’re really excited to be working with Marcus & Marcus. Their fun, bold designs offer a great opportunity for licensees to develop quality, smart and functional products in a wide range of categories to build on the existing, award-winning range using the instantly recognizable artwork.”

Brand Alliance welcomes LIFE to portfolio of global brands in Bulldog partnership

Brand Alliance is to launch a range of adult apparel based on the LIFE brand thanks to a new partnership with the European agency, Bulldog Licensing.

A creative fashion-focused designer and manufacturer, Brand Alliance boasts more than 20 years’ experience in apparel. The deal will see the team launch a range of day wear and night wear based in the LIFE brand, tapping into its network of key retailers.

The LIFE brand combines the iconic LIFE logo – made famous by the eponymous magazine – with pictures from the brand’s extensive photographic library. LIFE magazine photojournalists captured some of the 20th century’s most defining events, historic figures, and nature, making up an enormous 10 million images. 

With such a vast resource available for licensing, the LIFE collection has enjoyed a key presence across UK fashion retailers with strong sales in the categories of greetings cards, calendars and wall art, as well.

It now joins a roster of major brand names to have partnered with Brand Alliance, who portfolio includes the likes of Coca Cola, VW, Polaroid, UFC, Jeep, and more. 

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “Brand Alliance is a perfect fit for LIFE, its fashion forward, high quality ranges have a great synergy with the brand, and we’re looking forward to seeing the first designs.

“The LIFE brand offers a wealth of material for licensing partners, giving them a free rein with creative direction, while also offering immediate recognition with consumers throughout Europe.”

Bulldog Licensing secures Roy Lowe & Sons socks deal for Care Bears

The European agency, Bulldog Licensing has signed a new deal with the licensed socks expert, Roy Lowe & Sons for the launch of a new line of Care Bears socks based on the loveable characters from Care-A-Lot, for both adults and children.

Spanning the generations, the range will tap into not only the older audience who grew up watching the much-loved property, but children who are now being introduced to the brand through its new toys line, TV series, and popular Care Bears: Unlock the Mysteries music videos.

Launched in 1982, the Care Bears are now nearing their 40th anniversary. The  theme of the property has remained popular and the Care Bears: Unlock the Magic television series currently airs weekly in the UK on Pop and Tiny Pop. 

Roy Lowe & Sons has been creating licensed and unlicensed quality socks since 1996. The company boasts an array of licences, including blockbuster movies, children’s entertainment brands, lifestyle properties, sports licences, and more. 

“Care bears offers the adult side of our customer base a fresh, nostalgic feel with a real throwback brand, whilst also appealing to kids. It fits in perfectly from the fashion end, to the more novelty side of socks. Working with the Bulldog and Care Bears’ teams has been a pleasure and we can’t wait to bring these new concepts to people’s feet,” said Ben Lowe, account manager at Roy Lowe. 

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, added: “We are really excited to be working with the team at Roy Lowe who are developing lovely designs to appeal to Care Bears fans of all ages. Care Bears continues to be a much-loved brand and consumer appetite for heritage properties is at an all-time high at the moment, so it’s great to get some new Care Bears’ products into their hands.”

Roy Lowe & Sons are also set to include Care Bears in their Roy’s Boys cosys and matching adult and kids cosy socks launching late 2021.

Sesame Street’s Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Elmo partner with watchmaker Bamford London

Bulldog Licensing has inked a new deal with the luxury watch manufacturer, Bamford London, to create three limited edition pieces based on the popular Sesame Street characters, Big Bird, Elmo, and Cookie Monster.

Making up part of the Bamford London range, the company will sell just 20 pieces of the Big Bird design and 50 pieces each of the Elmo and Cookie Monster designs. The Bamford London dual time GMT features Big Bird, The Bamford London Mayfair Date shows Cookie Monster and the Bamford London Mayfair Sport features Elmo.

On the face of the Bamford London dual time GMT, Big Bird moves his feathered arms around the dial as the hour and minute hands. Many of the hour markers have been replaced by feathers, while the features of the original version of the watch all remain.

Cookie Monster’s arms as the hour and minute hand on the Bamford x Sesame Street Cookie Monster Mayfair Date, move around the dial pointing to cookies (some already nibbled) as the hour markers. Following the success of the first Mayfair, the new version features the Swiss Ronda 715 Date Quartz Movement. 

Finally, Elmo’s design will see the character surrounded by musical notes in place of hour markers on the Bamford x Sesame Street Elmo Mayfair Sport. The Sesame Street logo features on the dial and a white ring has been added to match the white minute markers. The watch features a Miyota Quartz Calibre 2035 movement and 10ATM water resistance. 

George Bamford, founder of Bamford London, said: “Who doesn’t love Sesame Street? The brand has reached far and wide, and we are so happy to partner with Sesame Street and have these iconic characters on the dial of our watches. There is nostalgia and a splash of colour which can brighten up your day when you look down at your wrist.”

Rob Corney, MD of Bulldog Licensing, added: “We’re delighted to be working with Bamford London on this amazing collection of watches. Their reputation for great design and a high-quality product is a perfect fit with one of the world’s favourite entertainment brands.”

Bulldog Licensing inks first partnership for Rolling Stone with Iconospheric

Bulldog Licensing has brokered a new partnership between Iconospheric and the iconic music and culture brand, Rolling Stone, marking the fist to be signed by the licensing agency since it picked up the popular property earlier this year.

The new Iconospheric collection will feature a range of products including apparel, accessories, home, and gift merchandise all of which will celebrate Rolling Stone’s heritage and authority across music, culture, and politics. Rolling Stone’s platform reaches a global audience of over 600 million people per month.

Through the partnership, Bulldog Licensing continues to widen its consumer product offerings in the UK, spanning gift, accessories, stationery, wall art and home.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “Iconospheric is the perfect first partner for the UK Rolling Stone programme. We love their approach to design and it means that we will have high quality Rolling Stone merchandise available all year round.

“This collaboration showcases our ability to deliver a wide range of quality products that represent the influence of a truly iconic brand. The interest in the programme has been very strong thus far, and we look forward to announcing additional key partners soon.” 

The Iconospheric x Rolling Stone collection launched yesterday and is available for purchase online at  iconospheric.com/pages/rolling-stone-collection.

Care Bears adult licensing roster continues to grow as Somerbond lands ladies’ nightwear

CloudCo’s heritage children’s animation, Care Bears is continuing to expand its licensing portfolio thanks to a new partnership with the ladies’ nightwear specialist, Somerbond.

The partnership is the latest in a recent flurry of licensing activity and licensees secured by the property’s European licensing agency, Bulldog Licensing. The brand has experienced strong sales across its adult offering recently, following collaborations with Dolls Kill, Irregular Choice, Tikiboo, and Bershka.

Bulldog licensing continues to roll out a cross-category programme for the much-loved brand, featuring apparel, accessories and home. 

Meanwhile, the children’s programme is underpinned by strong ratings for the Care Bears Unlock the Magic show, airing on Pop. This content will soon be bolstered by new music videos being released by digital partner, Moonbug.

The new licensees join a robust licensing programme, including a newly launched range from Master Toy partner, Basic Fun, which has seen a strong launch in the UK, along with a number of other best in class licensees including Dennicci, Bioworld and Park Agencies.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “Care Bears may be nearly 40 years old, but it remains as popular as ever among generations of fans. The original fans are still embracing the brand and we’re looking forward to adding new lines with these two new partners to expand the offering for them.”

Skinnydip London partners Bulldog Licensing to launch Care Bears apparel and accessories

Skinnydip London has partnered with Bulldog Licensing to introduce a large new collection of apparel and accessories based on the much-loved character IP, Care Bears.

The range will feature accessories such as hats, bags, phone cases, make-up bags, and more, as well as apparel lines such as cardigans, cropped vests, t-shirts, hoodies, and nightwear. The 31 piece collection offers something to appeal to fans of Care Bears and the Care-A-Lot lore.

The designs include fun slogans, super soft faux fur materials, and dreamy pastel prints as the perfect tribute to the evergreen Care Bears brand.

Launched nearly 40 years ago, the Care Bears can currently be found airing in the UK on Tiny Pop in the latest series, Care Bears: Unlock the Magic.

Meanwhile, the brand is now present at retail across categories including apparel, publishing, partyware, and accessories. Bulldog Licensing plans to build on the existing licensing programme and further the reach that the Care Bears currently have in the UK for babies, young children, and adults.

“We’re thrilled to have Skinnydip London on board and it’s sure to be a big hit with the property’s adult fans,” said Sole Puerto, senior creative manager at Bulldog Licensing. “We’re looking forward to continuing to grow the consumers products programme at a time when heritage brands are particularly strong for consumers.”

Roubina Tchoboian, VP of international licensing, Cloudco Entertainment, added: “We love the way that Skinnydip London incorporated the playful, whimsical nature of the Care Bears into their pieces and are eager to see how our fans react to this fun and colourful collection.”

Bullseye scores Nintendo and PlayStation games deal with digital developer Sabec

The video games developer, Sabec, has signed a new partnership with Bulldog Licensing to create a series of digital games for download across the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation, based in the British gameshow, Bullseye.

Sabec is considered a leader in its field of developing games for licensed brands and its own IP, having worked with leading global entertainment brands like Hasbro, MTV, and Wiley Publishing as an approved Nintendo, PlayStation, Microsoft XBox, Apple, Roku, Samsung, Oculus, and Google developer.

Bullseye, meanwhile, is a much-loved British gameshow that first made its appearance in 1981 to reach is peak audience figures of 19.8 million on Boxing Day 1989. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the brand continues to hold a place in the hearts of the British public. In fact, when Sky Challenge relaunched the gameshow in 2006, it quickly became the channel’s top rating show.

Bulldog Licensing’s consumer products programme for the brand features an internet scratch card game from Camelot, and a spot on Cosmic Concept’s pub quizzes. The agency has been working closely with licensees to create strong collections of apparel and leisurewear, toys and games, and housewares.

“Bullseye is the perfect fit for digital gaming,” said Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing. “The show’s format is loved nationwide and is a firm family favourite, so we’re thrilled to have Sabec on board to bring the experience into people’s homes with innovative gaming concepts.”

Trudi Hayward, co-founder of BRAND-WARD Services Ltd, who brokered the deal, speaking on behalf of Sabec, said that Bullseye is a perfect fit for Sabec and console games, because darts is becoming increasingly more popular.

“Bullseye has such heritage in the UK, we know the game will be a sure fire hit, not just the fans that remember Bullseye but the younger generation who enjoy darts too,” she said.