Tag Archives: bulldog licensing

Route 66 expands its UK presence with Iconospheric and Assured Products partnerships

Posted on by

Route 66 is continuing to build its presence across the UK and Eire having landed two new licensing partners in the home decor and stationery, and car care product markets.

Brokered by the brand’s UK and Eire licensing agency, Bulldog Licensing, the latest partnerships will see Iconospheric develop a collection of print on demand wall art, apparel and accessories, home decor, gifting, and stationery, while Assured Products will launch car care products like cleaners, polishers, screen wash, and de-icers, and more.

These latest additions join a growing roster of licensees for the US lifestyle property that already boasts more than 750 products available in more than 100 countries. The property has experienced a strong start to its UK fashion launch with Brand Alliance, while Bulldog is now extending its licensing programme with partners across ancillary categories.

Relatively new to the UK, Route 66 – a brand that celebrates the legendary highway that once linked Chicago to the American West – is recognised around the world. Its wealth of designs include over 360 original, iconic artworks and more than 125 photos under the Route 66 style guide.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “Iconospheric and Assured Products are perfect partners for the Route 66 brand and we’re really excited to see the products they create as leaders in their respective fields. The Route 66 brand has a huge appeal across generations as a symbol of freedom and adventure, which is particularly poignant at this time.

“Route 66 is established throughout a wide range of territories and is already a €30 million retail brand. We are looking forward to extending that success in the UK market.”

Sesame Street lands new homewares partner in Texco as demand for retro continues

Posted on by

Sesame Workshop’s evergreen and ever popular pre-school IP, Sesame Street is stepping into the homewares and bedding market with the launch of a new range of duvet sets, curtains, bean bags, towels and more courtesy of Texco.

The new line-up, which will also include cushions and fleece blankets, will feature beloved characters from the show like Elmo, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster. The deal was secured by the European licensing agency, Bulldog Licensing, which represents Sesame Street across the UK and Eire.

The move arrives in the midst of what Bulldog Licensing’s MD, Rob Corney has billed as a ‘huge demand for retro brands among consumers and consequently retail’ at the moment.

“During times of uncertainty, families naturally gravitate towards the tried and true characters who can bring comfort and joy,” he said. “Sesame Street has always been a multi-generational favourite. With Sesame Street’s brand values and brilliant production quality, we look forward to seeing the new range from Texco which will hit the market next year.”

Sesame Street programming airs on leading commercial preschool broadcaster Tiny Pop. Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck launched in 2018, and the channel has since complemented the show with Elmo’s World, which debuted in January 2020, before Cookie’s Crumby Pictures and Super Grover 2.0 joined the portfolio this autumn.

Fred & Ginger pack Popeye punch into pet products portfolio

Posted on by

The design-led pet product specialist, Fred & Ginger has signed up to create a range of pet treats and accessories based on the classic animation brand, Popeye. The deal was brokered by Bulldog Licensing, the European licensing agency for the property as it continues to grow its consumer products portfolio in the UK.

Fred & Ginger is set to create a full collection of feeding mats and bowls, pet beds, toys, accessories, collars and leads, along with a range of treats, including Easter eggs and advent calendars, as well as pet snacks inspired by the iconic strong man.

Having recently celebrated its 90th anniversary, Popeye remains a popular brand in the UK and the world, with a social presence of 9.8 million fans. The TV show is broadcast on Pluto TV (Theatrical Cartoons, YouTube Shorts, additional Popeye Cartoons). 

The latest deal joins an expanding licensing programme, with two new deals announced at the end of last year, Ecell and Ideal Home Shopping for tech accessories and crafting lines respectively. Additionally, both Fashion UK and Bro Global have renewed their deals for the iconic character.

The offering now spans a range of categories including apparel, accessories, dress-up, and Bulldog plans to further strengthen the portfolio in the near future.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “We’re thrilled to welcome Fred & Ginger on board. The team has a robust experience in creating excellent licensed ranges for pet owners, and we’re excited to see their new creations for Popeye as the brand continues to delight fans throughout the UK.”

UK charity Guide Dogs joins Bulldog Licensing portfolio with pet and consumer products plans

Posted on by

Guide Dogs, the UK charity established to support people with sight loss to live actively and independently, has joined the Bulldog Licensing portfolio as it looks to build a consumer products campaign around its well-respected name.

Building on the charity’s reputation for raising puppies to become life-changing partners, the licensing programme will target dog owners with high quality pet products, training aids, and pet travel accessories. Outside of this core area, the programme will also bring to market a range of items including collectable toys, apparel, and accessories.

The product range will be aimed at dog lovers across the nation to include gifting, collectables, and stationery, all of which will focus on the dogs, trained by the Guide Dogs team of experts, to make life-changing differences to visually impaired people throughout the UK.

Guide Dogs was recently named the sixth most popular UK charity in a YouGov poll and is the largest provider of services for children and young people with a vision impairment. Guide Dogs has an unparalleled reputation for canine care and expertise as the world’s largest breeder and trainer of dogs, making it the perfect brand for dog lovers nationwide. 

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “Guide Dogs does some incredible work helping people with visual impairment to lead happy, independent lives safely through their incredible dog partnerships, which gives them a special place in the heart of the UK population.

“We’re excited to start building a range of products for Guide Dog owners and trainers themselves, as well as our nation of dog lovers.”

Bullseye donates ‘significant’ Pembrokeshire Murders fee to UK charity Victim Support

Posted on by

The British game show brand, Bullseye, has made a donation to a charity supporting victims of crime in England and Wales after footage from the show featuring the convicted serial killer, John Cooper, was used in the production of the ITV series, Pembrokeshire Murders.

As a part of its deal with ITV, Bullseye ensured that its licensing fee for the use of the footage was donated to Victim Support, a charity that helps victims of crime to feel safer and find the strength to move beyond crime.

The three-part ITV miniseries, Pembrokeshire Murders, documents the real-life investigation that led to the eventual arrest of John Cooper for a strong of murders in the Pembrokeshire area. Early investigations had discounted Cooper as a suspect due to his appearance not fitting the police artist’s initial impression of the suspect. 

However, Cooper was later convicted when investigating officers recognised him from his appearance on the British game show, Bullseye.

Bullseye creator and brand owner, Andrew Wood and his family were horrified to learn of the connection between the show and the serial killer. When the producers of Pembrokeshire Murders requested permission to use the content in the ITV drama, an agreement was reached that a Wood would charge ‘a significant fee for the clip’ all of which would be donated to Victim Support.

“We were appalled to find that a serial killer had appeared on our show and never wanted to benefit in any way from the footage,” said Wood. “But to be able to donate the fee for its use in the ITV series to Victim Support goes some way to helping those who have suffered at the hands of criminals.”

Bullseye remains a favourite among viewers in the UK and further afield and Bulldog Licensing, which manages the rights for the brand has built a successful consumer products programme for the property, spanning categories such as gifting, publishing, apparel and accessories and is in conversations with potential licensees to further expand the offering.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, added: “We’re pleased that the team at Bullseye were able to create some good from such a terrible situation and offer much-needed support for victims of crime as a result.”

Bulldog Licensing signs Bioworld for Care Bears apparel and accessories

Posted on by

Bioworld is on board to create and launch a range of apparel and accessories inspired by the popular Cloudco Entertainment brand, Care Bears, targeting kids of all ages as the Care Bears licensing programme continues to grow.

Fast approaching its 40th anniversary, Care Bears continues to appeal to a wide range of fans, encouraged in their purveyance of the brand by an ever-increasing licensing portfolio, managed in the UK by Bulldog Licensing. The latest partnership with Bioworld will act to leverage the universal love for the property.

Fashion partners for the Care Bears brand already include the likes of Tikiboo and its athleisure range, Irregular Choice and its footwear line, and Dolls Kill with its clothing collection. The brand even returned to the kids’ aisles earlier this year when Basic Fun launched its toy line.

Having been met with strong sales and keen reception in the US market, Basic Fun recently launched its toy range to the UK where it is currently experiencing very strong sell-through already. The range is being supported with a heavyweight marketing campaign featuring two TVCs for both its plush and interactive Care Bears.

Meanwhile, the Care Bears’ broadcast partner Tiny Pop is supporting the series Care Bears: Unlock the Magic with daily slots on the channel. New partnerships with Sky and Moonbug now further position Care Bears for significant growth in the kids market here in the UK.

Bioworld joins other children’s partners, including Zak for homewares, Whitehouse Leisure, Redan, Aardvark, Crackerjack, and the Fun to Learn magazine.

Rob Corney, MD of Bulldog Licensing, said: “We’re thrilled to have Bioworld on board for Care Bears apparel. The brand has built a strong following over the past 38 years and has devoted fans who grew up with Care Bears, as well as an ever-growing following of little ones who are discovering the brand for the first time.” 

Roubina Tchoboian, VP of international licensing, added: “Bioworld joins at an exciting time for Care Bears, as the brand is continuously building with a range of best-in-class partners creating show-stopping ranges and collaborations.”

Classic greetings brand Holly Hobbie secures Truffle Shuffle deal through Bulldog Licensing

Posted on by

Truffle Shuffle has been confirmed as the latest retail partner for the vintage Holly Hobbie brand and a recently launched collection that spans limited edition t-shirts, mugs, and tote bags all based on the classic greetings card characters of the 1960s.

Illustrated by the artist of the same name, the Holly Hobbie property was originaly introduced in 1967 when the American author sold artwork of the rag dress-wearing little girl to American Greetings. The distinctive characters become popular and the first licensed product came to market in 1975, in the form of rag dolls from Knickerbocker Toys.

The property quickly moved in crafts, apparel, lifestyle, publishing, stationery, dinnerware, home goods and more. As a brand, Holly Hobbie has since generated over $1bn in retail sales.

Bulldog Licensing is now managing the rights for the brand in the UK and Eire and is building a programme around the classic artwork targeting adults, as well as a live-action, music-driven children’s programme, based on the hugely popular new show on CBBC soon to be in production on its third season. 

As well as adding Holly Hobbie to its roster, Truffle Shuffle has also renewed its deal for another of Cloudco Entertainment’s generation-spanning brands, the Care Bears.

Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing, said: “We’re thrilled to have Truffle Shuffle on board for Holly Hobbie as we build a licensing programme for this much-loved brand. They have already done a fabulous job with the Care Bears collection, and we are delighted with the new lines for Holly Hobbie. The brand has beautiful artwork, an instantly recognisable design, and huge vintage appeal for today’s audience.”

Bulldog Licensing lands Little Brother Books and Texco for Moose Toys’ Kindi Kids

Posted on by

The European agency, Bulldog Licensing, has secured two new deals for the global toy company, Moose Toys and is pre-school doll brand, Kindi Kids, as the IP’s YouTube series hits 82 million views online.

Little Brother Books has inked a new deal to produce Christmas, seasonal, and activity annuals for the popular toy brand, while Moose Toys plans on more content and product launches for spring/summer 2021.

Also joining the growing Kindi Kids consumer products portfolio is Texco, who will be launching a range of bedding and home textiles, including duvet sets, curtains, bean bags, towels, cushions, and fleece blankets. Each launch will use images of the Kindi Kids pre-school characters, along with scenes from the YouTube original content.

The latest licensees join as Bulldog Licensing, who manages the UK rights for Kindi Kids, witnesses a continued and ‘overwhelming’ positive reaction to the brand from both retail and licensees. The team is now building a portfolio of carefully selected partners across all categories.

Meanwhile, Moose Toys is putting plans in place to ensure momentum for the brand continues to grow, with the season three webisode now on YouTube and additional distribution platforms coming in 2021.

Vicky Hill, brand manager, Bulldog Licensing, said: “We are delighted to welcome Texco and Little Brother Books to the exciting Kindi Kids programme. The brand is surpassing all expectations and there is an enormous amount of activity planned to keep the preschool audience engaged.

“Kindi Kids is the number one large doll brand in the UK and with a fantastic, expanded range on the market for AW2020 we are seeing phenomenal sales. Consumer demand for licensed product is huge and we are excited to launch the new ranges to retail.”

Posh Paws named EMEA plush partner for Sesame Street

Posted on by

The plush specialist, Posh Paws and its parent company Whitehouse Leisure, has been named the new plush partner for the iconic and globally popular Sesame Street brand in a deal that will cover the EMEA region. Under the partnership, Whitehouse Leisure will also be developing plush ranges for amusement channels.

In a deal brokered by Sesame Workshop’s UK and Eire licensing agent, Bulldog Licensing, Posh Paws will build on the brand’s character appeal with a line featuring interactive Elmo and Cookie plush, alongside a wade range of basic plush characters.

The firm will support the product launch with a heavyweight marketing and PR strategy featuring TV, print and digital campaigns including a focus on opportunities to work with influencers in the pre-school area.

Over 50 years since its launch, Sesame Street remains a favourite brand in the UK. The property has four series airing on leading commercial preschool broadcaster, Tiny Pop. Cookie Monster’s Foodie Truck launched in 2018, and the channel has since complemented the show with Elmo’s World, which debuted in January 2020, before Cookie’s Crumby Pictures and Super Grover 2.0 joined the portfolio this autumn.

Posh Paws joins a licensing programme for Sesame Street which is reportedly ‘showing huge growth across multiple categories.’ The successful, long-established adult apparel lines were recently joined by accessories and homewares ranges. Meanwhile, the children’s programme is experiencing robust revenue growth across apparel, accessories, toys and home, with multiple new product launches planned over the coming year.

“As retailers everywhere look to build on their portfolio of great classic properties, Sesame Street offers something for everyone; from the fans who have followed Cookie Monster and friends from the outset over 50 years ago, to the new generation discovering the delights of Sesame Street and their favourite furry red monster Elmo for the first time,” said Rob Corney, MD, Bulldog Licensing. 

Lauren Shipman, brand and marketing director at Posh Paws International, added: “We’re delighted to be partnering with one of the world’s best-loved brands in Sesame Street. The characters have entertained and educated generations of children and continue to be a staple for kids and adults everywhere.

“We look forward to continuing the strong growth the brand is seeing across retail with new and innovative product ranges to appeal to fans everywhere.”

Moose Toys’ hit doll line Kindi Kids lands bag and stationery items with Blueprint Collections

Posted on by

Moose Toys popular toy brand Kindi Kids is building out its licensing programme thanks to a new partnership with Blueprint Collections to launch a range of licensed bags and stationery items.

In a deal brokered by Kindi Kids’ licensing and merchandising representative, Bulldog Licensing, the new licensed range will include backpacks, notebooks, colouring activity books, scrap books, pens, pencils, and crayons all aimed for children under five years old.

Since launching a year ago, Kindi Kids has taken pre-school toy market by storm. The brand has held the top spot in the Large Doll category for the month of June and YTD, whilst also maintaining a strong position of number 17 item in Total Toys. Retailers are now excited to expand their product offering for this super fun brand across a wide range of new areas.

Kindi Kids characters share their journey through their magical rainbow kindergarten with their YouTube fans and aim to show children how much fun kindergarten can be. Bulldog Licensing, a leading European agency, is building a strong consumer product offering to compliment the core toy lines. Meanwhile licensor Moose Toys is ensuring continued momentum for the property with new content, regular new toy lines, and a heavyweight marketing campaign.

Vicky Hill, licensing director, Bulldog Licensing, said: “Kindi Kids is establishing itself as a leading pre-school and doll brand, with its bright, fresh new approach to the market. We are thrilled to have Blueprint Collections on board to further enhance the licensing programme with bags and stationery for the cute preschool dolls.”