Acamar Films continues Bing’s Italian adventure with Prénatal partnership for kids’ clothing

Italy’s leading mother, baby and children’s retailer, Prénatal has detailed the launch of an exclusive new clothing range inspired by the popular pre-school series, Bing. The launch marks the latest brand extension signing for Acamar Films across the region.

Brokered by Acamar’s Italian licensing agency, Maurizio Distefano Licensing in partnership with Sicem International, the partnership sees the launch of an extensive line of clothing aimed at children aged nine months to five years old. It includes Bing socks, pyjamas, t-shirts, tracksuits, hoodies, and more.

Bing has seen tremendous success in Italy since its launch in 2018. Currently rated number one on the Rai YoYo Raiplay app, young children across the country have embraced the programme that celebrates the joyful and messy realities of pre-school life. Audiences in Italy are enjoying new episodes of Bing on Rai Yoyo, which started this month.

Bing episodes (along with many educational games and activities) are also available to watch through the recently launched Bing app, ‘Bing: Guarda, Gioca, Impara’, and on the official Italian YouTube channel, which generates an average of 30 million views every month.

Bing will continue to be available on TIMVision’s on-demand platform (which is currently producing the first Bing version with sign language) and on DeA Junior where it is the #1 show on-air. Bing is also now available to watch on Amazon Prime Video Italy. 

Poetic Brands tunes up new Fender apparel range

The licensed clothing specialist, Poetic Brands has tuned up a new European deal with the musical instrument manufacturer, Fender, to create a raft of new apparel lines for adults. The partnership arrives off the back of a trend for music properties within the consumer products space over the last few years.

The new range is set to launch this autumn/winter and will be led by nightwear, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tracksuits. The new signing expands Poetic Brands’ music portfolio which already includes the likes of AC/DC, Def Leppard, Pink Floyd, Woodstock, and MTV.

Established in 1946, Fender has a long history of revolutionising music and culture across all genres, from rock ‘n’ roll to country and western, jazz, and rhythm and blues. The brand name has become a cultural icon that rolls out Fender guitars, basses, and amps played by music lovers the world over.

Elliott Matthews, executive director of Poetic Brands, said: “Having Fender on board adds a new dimension to our music portfolio, with a global guitar brand to join our range of bands and artists. 

“Fender is a leading brand in the music sector and we are looking forward to leaning on its heritage and ethos to create an innovative on-trend collection. Music brands have been increasing in popularity recently, so we’re sure consumers will love this range.”

BlackMilk partners with Nintendo to launch Super Mario and Animal Crossing: New Horizons collections

The globally loved Nintendo franchises, Super Mario and Animal Crossing: New Horizons are finding a new footing in the fashion world, thanks to a partnership between the video game maker and apparel specialist, Black Milk Clothing.

Renowned for its unique take on licensed collaborations, BlackMilk Clothing is offering gaming fans a new way to express their love for both Super Mario and Animal Crossing through the brand’s signature styles, including leggings, dresses, overalls, and more.

BlackMilk x Super Mario will be the first of the two collections to be released, going live at 7am on October, 6th 2020. The collection features some of the franchise’s favourite characters, including Princess Peach, Yoshi, Bowser and, of course, Mario. It will also feature the game’s iconic power-ups and numerous items. Active wear and unisex pieces are on offer alongside a variety of fun outerwear styles. 

Meanwhile, customers will then be treated to an entirely new collection when BlackMilk x Animal Crossing: New Horizons is released a week later, landing at 7am on October 13th, 2020.

Fans of the Nintendo Switch game will be able to shop a range of pieces featuring their favourite islanders and collectibles. Alongside BlackMilk’s signature bold printed styles, the collection includes designer pieces made with specially created fabrics, such as a unique flocked Timmy and Tommy design. 

BlackMilk is expecting both collection ‘to be hugely popular, with some limited edition pieces likely to sell out fast.’

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.

Macmillan Children’s Books celebrates Dear Zoo in new F&F at Tesco range

Macmillan Children’s Books has struck up a new deal with Tesco’s clothing brand F&F to launch a range of baby clothing based on the classic pre-school storybook Dear Zoo created by Rod Campbell.

Developed by Paul Dennicci for F&F at Tesco, the range launched last week across 165 stores nationwide, tying in with a special Tesco Baby Event. The initial collection features six garments, including vests, bibs, and a sleeping bag, all designed for babies aged 0 to 24 months.

The launch reflects the renewed interest in Dear Zoo and builds on the success of the core licensing partners, including Hacche Retail (puzzles and games for Marks & Spencer), Milly & Flynn (games and wooden toys), Neviti (party paperware) and Paul Lamond Games (puzzles and dominoes).

The launch will be supported by a campaign with ComeRound (www.comeround.com), the word-of-mouth marketing agency that is dedicated to harnessing the power of real people recommending products they genuinely love from inside the home. Over 100 families will receive a pack of Dear Zoo books and merchandise and will celebrate at the end of July with at-home Dear Zoo Read and Play Days. Alongside, there is also strong online influencer activity, focusing on the new apparel.

Stephanie Barton, publisher at Macmillan Children’s Books, said: “We brought the licensing of Dear Zoo in-house to take full advantage of the popularity of this evergreen and well-loved book. We are targeting a small number of core product categories to build on the success of our current, long-standing licensing partners. We’ve had such a wonderful response to Dear Zoo, in part due to the wonderful new assets that Rod Campbell himself and the team at Macmillan have created.

“We are delighted with Tesco’s commitment and enthusiasm and I know that Dear Zoo readers and their parents will be very excited by these lovely new products.”

The Dear Zoo classic storybook continues to be at the heart of families throughout the UK. Following on from its place as the number one Picture book in 2018, sales last year were up 19 per cent. The classic board book version appeared in the Nielsen Preschool Top 20 every single week of 2019.

The Dear Zoo Live on Stage play launched in 2018 and already nearly 85,000 children and families throughout the UK have enjoyed the performances. It also successfully toured in the UAE, Hong Kong and Singapore in 2019. With World Book Day 2021 already in mind, Macmillan Children’s Books is intending to add to the list of Dear Zoo licensees across the core dressing up, soft toy, nursery, gifting and stationery sectors shortly.