Licensed collectables specialist Eaglemoss enters the Advent Calendar market with Doctor Who, Star Trek and more

The licensed collectables specialist and pop culture expert, Eaglemoss Hero Collector is entering into the advent calendars market for the first time, having appointed the PR, marketing, and digital agency Norton PR to spearhead its first campaign.

The company plans to target fans and collectors at launch, as well as run a mass market consumer initiative to drive sales in the run up to Christmas.

With detailed high-quality collectable items hiding behind each of the calendar doors, the new products have been designed to appeal to both dedicated fans from the Sci Fi and Music genres out of season plus have mass market appeal in the run up to Christmas. With a growing trend in the market for calendars that break with the traditional chocolate and sweet treat tradition, each calendar can also be used as a storage and display unit with the idea of keeping single-use packaging to a minimum.

Eaglemoss Hero Collector’s inaugural collection features three licensed calendars: Doctor Who, Star Trek, and The Beatles.

Fans of the fab four can take a trip down Penny Lane and enjoy the countdown to Christmas with The Beatles Advent Calendar designed in a four-tray format within an outer shell featuring iconic Beatles artwork.  Each ‘tray’ is illustrated with a stylized image of John, George, Paul or Ringo on its outer edge and contains a whole host of Beatles-inspired collectable gifts.

Meanwhile, Star Trek continues to delight and entertain fans across the world and followers of Gene Roddenberry’s intergalactic cinematic creation have a whole host of merchandise and collectables to discover in the Star Trek Advent Calendar.

“Norton PR has extensive experience in working with licensed products and a dedicated collector fan base through their work with numerous brands including Warner Bros. Consumer Products, LEGO, Airfix and Thunderbirds,” said Alex Neal, managing director, Ecommerce and brands at Eaglemoss.

“The team’s consumer insight and creative thinking around how we can best promote the calendars to drive retail sales both in and out of the traditional festive season will provide us with the platform we need to launch into an exciting new market for 2021.”

Eaglemoss recently sat down with ToyNews for an exclusive interview, discussing the company’s heritage in the pop culture and collectors space, as well as the thinking and strategy behind the decision to move into the Advent Calendars market this year.

You can read the interview in full in the Spring/Summer issue of ToyNews.

Kids Industries and WWF rally for final Webby Awards push as voting closes today

The final hours of voting for this year’s Webby Awards are now upon us, and so too are the chances to see the UK’s own Kids Industries storm the charts and take home the Family and Kids award for its collaboration on the popular WWF app.

The app, called Amazing Planet and developed to help educate children about the world they live in, is one of five shortlisted children and family-geared applications and features alongside the likes of The Cat in the Hat Invents kids’ app developed in partnership with Dr Seuss, the PBS Kids Video app, and Duolingo ABC.

Kids Industries has been involved in the development of the WWF app, Amazing Planet, one that utilises technology to help children learn about the environment and the world around them. From an AR map that is regularly updated with the weather, temperature, and animal species living across the globe, to information packs with activities and AR stickers that bring scaled down versions of the Earth’s creatures to the palm of your hand, the WWF app calls itself ‘no ordinary subscription product.’

WWF is one of the world’s largest independent conservation organisations, active in nearly 100 countries. Its supporters – more than five million globally – are helping the organisation to restore nature and to tackle the main causes of nature’s decline, particularly the food system and climate change.

“We want a world with thriving habitats and species, and we want to change hearts and minds so it becomes unacceptable to overuse our planet’s resources,” reads a description included within the finalist’s bio Webby Awards bio.

Voting for this year’s Webby Awards will close today, May 6th and winners will be revealed on May 18th this year.

Kids Industries is encouraging anyone considering voting to do so here: https://bit.ly/3v7OfL4

“The natural world is really important to preserve and we think this product is a great way to share this motive with younger generations,” said the team.

Toy shop The Entertainer raises £650,000 for Bristol Children’s Hospital charity The Grand Appeal

The family-owned toy retailer, The Entertainer has raised an impressive £650,000 for the dedicated charity of the Bristol Children’s Hospital, The Grand Appeal, just two weeks after reopening the doors of its high street stores.

The Entertainer has been raising money for the sick children at Bristol Children’s Hospital by simply asking customers to round up their purchases to the nearest pound when shopping in store, by partnering with Pennies, the micro-donation charity.

Despite UK retail sales suffering due to long periods of closure and reduced footfall during the pandemic, the toy chain has raised almost £100,000 for The Grand Appeal in the last year alone, exceeding £650,000 as stores reopened the week before last.

The Entertainer has been raising funds for the charity, after rolling out the Pennies initiative across its stores in the UK in 2011. A total of 17 of the stores across the South West, from Cornwall up to Wiltshire raise funds for The Grand Appeal.

The donations support the charity’s contribution to specialist treatment for sick babies, children and young adults from across the South West and aid the development of facilities that ensure Bristol Children’s Hospital remains at the forefront of children’s healthcare.

Pennies runs the “digital charity box”, the digital upgrade of the traditional charity tin, designed to fit with our increasingly cashless lifestyles.

In 2018, The Entertainer upgraded the technology to enable customers to donate via contactless payments with Pennies, this introduction has seen customer generosity significantly increase with £400,000 being raised in less than three years.

Karen Emery, area manager for The Entertainer in the South West, said: “We are delighted to announce that we have raised over £650,000 for our partners at The Grand Appeal. Despite reduced opening hours over the last year, its simply incredible to witness the continued generosity of our customers, who are willing to go the extra mile to support an amazing cause, even in such uncertain times.

“Many of our customers and staff have personal experience of using the hospital services and have seen first-hand the difference it makes. Thank you to all our customers in the South West for helping us to support The Grand Appeal.”

Alison Hutchinson CBE, Pennies CEO, added: “The fantastic news is The Entertainer has opened its doors to customers again, following the April 12th lockdown easing. We know they’ve been getting back to what they do best – providing a wonderful and welcoming experience to customers – and enabling them to get back to giving right away.

“Congratulations to The Entertainer and The Grand Appeal on this milestone, and a huge thank you to customers in Bristol and across the South West for their generosity.”

Helen Haskell, corporate partnerships manager at The Grand Appeal, said: “Our partners at The Entertainer and their incredibly generous customers have reached an astonishing milestone, which our team are extremely grateful for. Over the last year, fundraising has been especially challenging due to the pandemic and its thanks to supporters, like The Entertainer, that we have been able to continue to provide the vital services for sick children and their families when they need it most. Every penny truly does make a difference.”

As the Bristol Children’s Hospital charity, The Grand Appeal funds ground-breaking medical equipment, three family accommodation houses, 20 specialist support staff and a programme of art, music and play in partnership with the hospital and its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Michael’s Hospital.

Kids’ audio platform Yoto welcomes Frozen, Mickey Mouse and more in Disney and Pixar partnership

The children’s audio platform, Yoto – the team behind the Yoto Player – has detailed a new partnership with Disney and Pixar to release a collection of childhood classics and fantasy favourites, including Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Moana, and more across its library of content.

The new line-up will launch this May and throughout the year. Alongside licensing existing audio, the studio will also release new, original content created by Yoto.

The first collection of five-minute stories will be released in May and will feature much loved Disney characters such as Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen, Mickey Mouse, Moana and more. These will be followed by classics such as Disney’s 101 Dalmatians and Aladdin, and Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Cars. Throughout the year, recent blockbusters including Onward and Soulwill also be released.

Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto, said:We’re thrilled that the Yoto platform will now feature beloved childhood classics from Disney and Pixar. Helping children to explore their creativity and imagination through storytelling is incredibly important for us and this will be amplified even further with these new Disney cards featuring some of our favourite childhood characters that will be released throughout the year.”

The Disney cards will be available from Yoto in the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada from 20th May 2021.For more information please visit www.yotoplay.com.

Licensing Expo 2021 confirms all virtual event with plans for in-person return in 2022

The Las Vegas Licensing Expo is now to be a fully virtual experience, Informa Market’s Global Licensing Group has confirmed this week, with plans now in place to return to its in-person format for 2022.

“We’ve heard from our industry, and the best way to serve the international market in 2021 is to provide in-person experiences later this year, as well as a rich online experience that everyone can be a part of this summer,” said Anna Knight, vice president, licensing, Informa Markets.

“We’ve all felt the impact of not being able to gather in-person in 2020, and while the speed of recovery is promising, we serve a truly global market. Feedback from Licensing Expo customers and partners indicate that August is still too soon for the majority of the licensing community to properly plan and execute participation in an in-person event of this size and magnitude with continued restrictions on international and corporate travel.

“Our mission remains to create the most valuable platforms for our industry to connect and grow, and therefore we have decided to focus our efforts on our virtual experience in August, followed by in-person events in Q4 and beyond.”

Licensing Expo Virtual is now set to take place August 24-26, 2021 as a free-to-attend event supported by a robust online platform that allows exhibitors and visitors to schedule and host meetings, enjoy on-demand content and thought leadership and search and discover a range of properties available for license.

Maura Regan, president, Licensing International, exclusive sponsor of the virtual event, said: “Licensing International’s mission is to serve the licensing industry, help advance our member’s business and celebrate our successes as an industry. Licensing Expo Virtual does all of that and we are proud to be the exclusive sponsor.”

Licensing Expo Virtual will offer curated matchmaking, digital brand roadshows, the Licensing University, a host of world renowned keynotes, and Licensing International’s highly anticipated Licensing Excellence Awards.

Following Licensing Expo Virtual will be the inaugural Brand & Licensing Innovation Summit U.S. (Oct. 27-28, 2021), which will take place live and in-person in New York City at Convene Liberty Street.

Then in November, Brand Licensing Europe will take place live and in-person at ExCeL London on Nov. 17-19, 2021, with an online event following two weeks later (Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2021). To make online participation and navigation seamless, BLE will also use the same platform as Licensing Expo Virtual.

B&LIS and BLE in-person events will be organized in accordance with Informa’s AllSecure health and safety standards designed to ensure all participants can attend safely and with confidence.

Licensing Expo will return to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 24-26, 2022.

The Van Gogh Museum and Royal Talens pay homage to the artist with new painting and drawing collection

The Van Gogh Museum has partnered with the international art supplies specialist, Royal Talens to create a collection of painting and drawing materials that pay homage to one of modern art’s most iconic figures.

The new collection of creative materials, spanning brush pens, water colour sets, and coloured pencils – takes inspiration from the colour palette of several masterpieces at the Van Gogh Museum, and invites users to follow in the footsteps of the artists himself.

The Royal Talens x Van Gogh Museum creative collection caters to amateurs and professionals, and to burgeoning and experienced artists. The colours selected for the products are based on works by Vincent van Gogh, such as the iconic Sunflowers, Irises and Almond Blossom, which are all in the permanent collection at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

The creative collection will be available soon at retail partners of Royal Talens and in the Van Gogh Museum webstore.

The range kicks off with the Ecoline x Van Gogh Museum Brush Pens, a set of five Ecoline brush pens for illustration and calligraphy that takes its lead from the vivid colour palette in Irises (1890). In this work, Van Gogh experimented with powerful colour contrasts. By placing the purple flowers against a yellow background, he made the decorative forms of the irises stand out even more strongly.

Van Gogh x Van Gogh Museum Water Colour Pocket Box is a compact water colour set featuring 12 colours inspired by the colour palette in Vincent van Gogh’s dynamic Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat (1887), in which he used complementary colours.

This special edition of the Van Gogh pocket box is bright orange, like the short stripes of orange paint in the halo around Van Gogh’s head in the self-portrait.

Sakura x Van Gogh Museum Pigma Micron Fineliners are based on Van Gogh’s masterpiece Flowering Plum Orchard (after Hiroshige) (1887) as it marks the perfect link between the Japanese brand Sakura, which celebrates its centenary this year, and Van Gogh, who was greatly inspired by Japanese printmaking.

Van Gogh made three paintings after Japanese prints from his own collection, which gave him a chance to explore the Japanese printmakers’ style and use of colour. The four colours selected for the fineliners are inspired by the colour palette in the painting, and are amongst the most popular colours for writing and decoration.

Sakura x Van Gogh Museum Gelly Roll Gel Pens sees Vincent van Gogh’s Almond Blossom (1890) ties in with Sakura’s mission to allow everyone’s creativity to flourish. The painting shows one of Van Gogh’s favourite subjects: large blossom branches against a blue sky. For this painting, which symbolises new life, Van Gogh drew inspiration from Japanese printmaking. Illustrate, draw and write in the colours of Almond Blossom with this set of five gel pens.

Bruynzeel x Van Gogh Museum Coloured Pencils arive in a luxury storage tin featuring the iconic painting Sunflowers (1889), one of Van Gogh’s world-famous masterpieces. Van Gogh was one of only a handful of painters to give the sunflower the lead role in various flower still lifes. In contrast to traditional, darker floral compositions, his Sunflowers were explosions of colour. The tin contains 12 coloured pencils with high-quality pigments.

The Royal Talens x Van Gogh Museum collection of creative materials will be available soon at retail partners of Royal Talens and in the Van Gogh Museum webstore.

The Bruynzeel x Van Gogh Museum Coloured Pencils will be available in early Augustus 2021.

Mattel named global toy partner for new CG animated series Karma’s World

Mattel has joined forces with 9 Story Media Group and Karma’s World Entertainment for a multi-year global licensing deal for the new CG animated series created by Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, called Karma’s World.

The series is set to premiere on Netflix later this year, while Mattel will be rolling out a full line of toys for the franchise, spanning dolls and doll accessories, styling heads, role play, plush and more. The collection is expected to launch at retailers across the globe from autumn 2022.

“At Mattel, our purpose is to empower the next generation to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential and we take great pride in creating a portfolio of toys that reflects the world kids see around them,” said Nick Karamanos, senior vice president, entertainment partnerships, Mattel.

“We were inspired by Karma’s story, and message of self-empowerment, and look forward to introducing a line of toys that will bring her world to life for children across the globe.”

Kyra Halperin, co-VP consumer products, 9 Story, said: “We are thrilled to announce Mattel as our global toy partner for Karma’s World.

“We’ve been blown away by their passion for the brand and creativity in translating it to a range of must-have toys for fans of the series. With Mattel’s global reach for this age demographic and expertise in the doll space, we know they will develop an unrivaled program that will be loved by kids around the world.”

Bridges, added: “Karma’s World is an important legacy that I want to leave for my daughters. The world needs more positive portrayals of Black girls in pop culture. Mattel has really gotten behind Karma’s messages of empowerment, self-expression and using your voice to change the world, and I’m so excited for the impressive line they are developing to be available to kids everywhere.”

Created by multi-award-winning American rapper, actor, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (Fast and Furious Franchise, Fear Factor, Crash), Karma’s World was originally inspired by Chris’ oldest daughter.

The series follows 10-year-old Karma Grant, an aspiring musical artist and rapper with big talent and an even bigger heart. Every episode is infused with hip-hop music, streetwear fashion and original choreography. The series focuses on themes of self-expression, identity, leadership, creativity and the importance of community.

Geared for children aged six to nine, Karma’s World is a coming of age story about a young Black girl finding her voice and using it to change her world.

The deal was brokered by 9 Story’s dedicated brand management and consumer products division, 9 Story Brands.

Formula One’s Williams Racing taps The Point. 1888 to drive extensive licensing programme

The Point. 1888 has been tapped to drive Williams Racing’s brand licensing programme into pole position with an extensive range of new products for the Williams fanbase.

Synonymous with top level motorsport since the 1960s, Williams is one of the world’s leading Formula 1 teams, racing in the top echelon or motor racing, where it has won grands prix for more than three decades.

The Point. 1888 will now work with the team to extend its licensing operation using its ‘retail-first methodology’ to ‘reverse engineer the licensing process’ and select licensing partners that align with Williams’ core values. Matching the team with the right companies will open a host of new opportunities for engagement on a global scale, helping boost revenue and brand affiliation for Williams Racing.

Tim Hunt, commercial and marketing director for Williams Racing, said: “We are excited to have The Point.1888 on board to extend our brand licensing programme and to enable us to work with businesses we never thought we would. Through careful consideration of the types of products that will suit our purpose and values, we have the opportunity to increase our fan-base and build on our brand affiliation. We look forward to working The Point.1888 and seeing the incredible results.”

Hannah Stevens, head of retail and sports at The Point.1888, added: “As a huge F1 fan, I have admired the Williams Racing team for many years and I’m thrilled to be able to work with them on this iconic sporting brand as they take their first major steps into the world of licensing  and help fans to find new ways to engage with this incredible sport.”

Kids audio platform Yoto partners with Ameet and LEGO for Duplo story cards

Yoto, the audio platform for kids and firm behind the critically acclaimed and award-winning Yoto Player, has detailed a new  partnership with AMEET Publishing and LEGO Duplo.

Under the deal, AMEET will co-create a series of six new audio card packs to complement its well-established LEGO Duplo range. The new series will launch this June.

The new LEGO Duplo series of Yoto Cards will allow early learners to enjoy themes ranging from animals shapes, to mindfulness, using the colourful DUPLO bricks alongside the cards to heighten their imaginative play and motor skill development.

The Yoto Player is a screen-free, camera- and microphone-free connected speaker designed specifically for the use of children from three to twelve years old to safely control their listening by entertaining and educating them while reducing screen-time.

Ben Drury, CEO and co-founder of Yoto, said: “Allowing children to increase their creativity and imagination through play and storytelling is incredibly important for us at Yoto and so working with a like-minded company with the same core values as AMEET and the LEGO Group was a no brainer for us. This partnership is hugely exciting for us with lots more to come so watch this space.”

Dan Shepherd, international sales and marketing director from AMEET, added: “The Yoto cards will bring DUPLO stories, learning, and play to modern families through immersive audio experiences that encourage creativity and storytelling whilst promoting active, physical play. We are proud to partner with an innovative children’s platform like Yoto.”

The co-created audio cards will be available from June 2021.

Magic Light Pictures names Marc Ollington its new marketing director

Magic Light Pictures has appointed Marc Ollington as its new marketing director, a major new role created to build on the significant and continued growth of the BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated production company.

An experienced marketing professional, Ollington joins the firm from Sky where he was marketing director of entertainment, responsible for the brand marketing function for Sky’s entertainment channels, and original and acquired shows. Prior to that, he spent over 15 years with 21st Century Fox.

In his career, Ollington has worked across diverse brands including Sky Atlantic, National Geographic, Fox Sports, The Bundesliga and FX, and on iconic, award-winning TV shows including The Undoing, The Walking Dead, I Hate Suzie, Roald and Beatrix, The X-Files, True Blood and Free Solo.

At Magic Light, Ollington will drive marketing across the business, supporting growth and maximising awareness of the company and its brands and content to both audiences and broadcast and digital partners. He will sit on Magic Light Picture’s Executive Group along with Daryl Shute, brand director; Clare Swain, finance director; and Muriel Thomas, international distribution director.

Magic Light has just launched its first-ever preschool series, Pip and Posy. The animated series celebrates the friendship of a mouse and rabbit, whose lives revolve around a wonderful world of play. The series premiered on Channel 5’s Milkshake! in March and launches on Sky Kids on demand service in May.

The company continues to produce the magical animated specials it’s renowned for and is currently in production on Superworm to premiere on BBC1 at Christmas. Magic Light has been building the much- loved Gruffalo licensing brand over the past decade. Already well established in the UK, the brand is now showing significant growth in Germany among other international territories.

The company is also in development on new pre-school property Mr Panda based on the successful books by Steve Antony, as well as a slate of live action family dramas.

Martin Pope and Michael Rose, joint managing directors, Magic Light Pictures, said: “We are delighted to welcome Marc to the Magic Light family at this exciting time of growth for us. He has an impressive and distinguished track record, and his experience, knowledge, insight and flair will be hugely valuable to our expansion both in the UK and internationally.”

Ollington said: “I’m a huge fan of Magic Light’s fantastic content, reputation and commercial prowess. I have spent many happy hours watching their incredible award-winning specials with my daughters. With the recent launch of the wonderful new preschool series Pip and Posy.

“I am delighted to be joining the company at such a pivotal time. Magic Light’s future plans are big and inspiring, and will be a great challenge. I want to help with the growth and continued innovation of such a creative and forward-thinking company.”