Hasbro’s VP consumer products Marianne James on becoming a pre-school powerhouse

When Hasbro first made clear its plans to take over the Entertainment One entity at the end of 2019, the writing was pretty much on the wall that 2020 was going to be an atypical year for the world of children’s entertainment, licensing, and toys.

No one quite knew exactly how different things would turn out, and yet the licensing and toy industries have persisted and here we stand, on the edge of the first virtual Festival of Licensing in place of our usual Brand Licensing Europe, where Hasbro is about to unveil a whole new slate of content for Peppa Pig, new toy lines for PJ Masks, and its latest plans for Ricky Zoom.

Alongside all of which, we hasten to add, the global powerhouse of children’s entertainment and now one of the world’s biggest players in the pre-school space, will also be rolling out the latest franchising, licensing, and merchandising plans for that staple portfolio of brands such as NERF, Power Rangers, Transformers, Monopoly, My Little Pony… the list goes on.

It should come as little shock that Hasbro is now not only looking to put its stake in the ground in the global pre-school market with Peppa Pig and PJ Masks leading the charge, but developing way beyond the current flagship IP to turn the pre-school space into its own veritable playground.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Marianne James, VP of consumer products at Hasbro to discuss the integration of the Entertainment One property over the course of the year, how 2020 has forced the global entertainment house to evolve to the next level, and just what else Hasbro has cooking now that it spans the entertainment spectrum.

Well, Marianne, it’s been one eventful year, and one that all kicked off with the acquisition of eOne. How has Hasbro’s licensing division adapted to and moved with the changes of the past year?

The biggest major change we made from an organizational perspective is that we’re now one fully integrated Licensing team following the acquisition of eOne last year. At the beginning of the year, we devised a new organisational structure to support our expanded portfolio across EMEA.

It has been a real benefit, allowing us to leverage the vast talent pool from the eOne team while combining it with the Hasbro team. Together it is a true powerhouse that has strengths in so many different areas and a portfolio that is second to none.

In terms of adapting to the vast changes that have occurred externally in the past year, we were quick to pivot and pause our licensing activations during lockdown and create a suite of digital assets for families to enjoy at home. Going forward we recognise the need to be flexible and offer a diverse category mix that can evolve with the changing needs of the world. Our retail approach will focus more closely on e-commerce and the value channel in reflection of what we’re seeing in the marketplace and we’re ready to embrace those opportunities with our product and promotional offering.

2020 has seen Hasbro take on the position of powerhouse in the pre-school space, and you’ve already given us a taste of what’s to come for Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and Ricky Zoom. How much has the acquisition informed Hasbro’s approach to the licensing space this year and going forward? Can you talk us through plans here?

The acquisition of eOne dramatically enhances our storytelling capabilities and franchise strategies through TV, film, digital and other mediums. The new content creates greater opportunity to deliver amazing stories for all screens and audiences. Anytime you acquire a stable of IP as notable as eOne’s, your approach to the business must reflect that; such is the case here. With a strong foothold in the preschool space, we are now particularly excited to dive deeper in that area and explore themes and play patterns complementary to our existing brands.

You mentioned Ricky Zoom, PJ Masks and, of course, Peppa Pig, as the standouts and I can only say that we have more pre-school brands in development now and these will be given the opportunity to leverage the success of those brands.

What is the vision for Hasbro now it spans all entertainment markets, from pre-school to adult? That must be a very exciting dominion for you to be looking after, too…

It is quite exciting. Right now, we are working towards a smooth and compelling integration of our combined portfolio into the retail market. With a repertoire of brands that span every age, demographic and category, organization and careful planning become paramount.

We are always striving to find new ways to work with our retail partners to maximize the breadth and depth of our portfolio. Our goal is to bring a high level of expertise, of knowledge, to every demographic and play pattern. In today’s market there is no substitute for expertise, it is crucial that we stay on top of all areas in order to be the best partner for retail that we can be.

We know that our brand portfolio is our strength. It will set us up for success in 2021 as we work to activate in every imaginable retail channel from the traditional and beyond. Our goal is to lead the market in a 360 approach from CP, digital, experiential, content and brand marketing.

Away from the eOne brands, Hasbro has a portfolio of massive IP like Transformers, Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Hasbro Gaming, NERF… can you talk through some of the biggest developments for these brands? How will Hasbro continue to push the envelope of innovation in the licensing space through the development of this IP roster?

There is a great deal going on! We always like to mark milestone anniversaries, and next year we have the 35th anniversary of Transformers. We also have the 85th anniversary of Monopoly commencing later this year. Both events give cause for timely celebration and will be leveraged with exciting collaborations, consumer promotions and retail activations.

Owing to our growing understanding of the changes in consumer behaviour, Nerf is also a property that we believe will enjoy a rapid expansion across multiple categories next year. Its growth will continue to cement our position as a leader in the active lifestyle and sports category. The Nerf franchise will benefit from significant above the line investment in 2021 with soon to be revealed experiential marketing initiatives set to bring the brand to life like never before.

The way we approach our CP program is guided by what we call the ‘Brand Blueprint’. This refers to our strategic framework for bringing our brands to life in exciting new ways to create immersive, 360-degree experiences for our audiences. Right now, we’re focused on deeper consumer engagement, innovative brand and product experiences and increasingly expansive opportunities for our portfolio.

It’s really all about leveraging these great story driven properties like Power Rangers, My Little Pony and Transformers by giving fans new and exciting experiences both at retail and online.

What are some of the key emerging trends within the licensing/consumer product space, and how is Hasbro aligning itself with them and maintaining its position of strength in the field?

Following lockdown, the importance of digital content and e-commerce platforms really came to the fore and that’s a key strategic focus for us. In a very short space of time, access to entertainment and retail via digital platforms really accelerated at an unprecedented rate and given the uncertainty surrounding the next year that’s something we need to be mindful of in every aspect of the business.

We are always monitoring and evaluating all the information we can gather regarding widespread changes in consumer behaviour. There is real value in being able to not only react but anticipate consumer behaviour.

There are fundamental changes that occur that will have reverberations for the industry, so we strive to keep on top of it. Currently, growth is evident in Food, Health &Wellness, Personal Care, Puzzles &; Games, Home Goods, and Classic Play. As always, we will work to service the growing demand and find good fits within our brand portfolio.

 

LEGO commits $400m to accelerating its sustainability pledge in next three years

The LEGO Group is to invest up to $400 million over the next three years in its sustainability and social responsibility initiatives, covering both long-term investments and ongoing costs that includes its ambition to make all of its packaging sustainable by the end of 2025.

The company has made a series of moves over the course of the last 10 years to step up its efforts in the sustainability movement, but has since underlined how ‘increasingly urgent and important’ it now is to prioritise environmental and social activity.

The LEGO Group will, as a next step, begin to phase out single use plastic bags used in LEGO boxes to package the loose bricks. From 2021, Forest Stewardship Council-certified recyclable paper bags will be trialed in boxes.

CEO, Niels B Christiansen, said: “We cannot lose sight of the fundamental challenges facing future generations. It’s critical we take urgent action now to care for the planet and future generations. As a company who looks to children as our role models, we are inspired by the millions of kids who have called for more urgent action on climate change.

“We believe they should have access to opportunities to develop the skills necessary to create a sustainable future. We will step up our efforts to use our resources, networks, expertise and platforms to make a positive difference.

“We have received many letters from children about the environment asking us to remove single-use plastic packaging. We have been exploring alternatives for some time and the passion and ideas from children inspired us to begin to make the change.”

A lengthy process to find the right kind of alternative, several prototypes made from a range of different sustainable materials have so far been tested with hundreds of parents and children. Children liked the paper bags being trialed in 2021 as they were environmentally friendly and easy to open.

In addition to developing and implementing sustainable materials, the $400million investment will also focus on a range of social and environmentally focused actions to inspire children through learning through play, making the business more circular, and achieving carbon neutral operations.

The activity will drive meaningful, long-term change aligned to two United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Number four Quality Education and Number 12 Responsible Consumption and Production.

By 2022, the LEGO Group aims to reach 8 million children around the world annually with learning through play through a range of activities with partners, in collaboration with the LEGO Foundation. It will build on its work with organisations such as UNICEF, Save the Children and local partners to scale up programmes that give children-in-need access to play and opportunities to develop life-long skills such as problem solving, collaboration and communication.

Meanwhile, programmes will be put in place to encourage people to donate their pre-loved bricks to children in need of play. LEGO Replay, which was successfully trialed in the United States in 2019, will be rolled out in two additional countries by the end of 2022. So far, LEGO Replay has donated bricks to over 23,000 children across the United States.

On top of this, work will continue on the company’s Sustainable Materials Programme, which employs more than 150 experts, to create sustainable products and packaging. In 2015, the Group set a target to make its products from sustainable materials by 2030. It will expand its use of bio-bricks, such as those made from sugar cane, which currently account for almost two per cent of its element portfolio.

It will continue research into new, more sustainable plastics from renewable and recycled sources, and join forces with research institutes and other companies especially those developing new recycling and bio-based material production technologies to find materials which are as durable and high quality as those used today.

The planned investments include both costs associated with the development of new sustainable materials and the investments in manufacturing equipment.

The Group has also underlined that its manufacturing operations will be carbon neutral by 2022. To achieve this, additional solar panels will be installed on all its factories and onsite capacity will be supplemented with the procurement of renewable energy. Further investments will be made to improve energy usage, for example by installing new systems that use ambient air in cooling processes during LEGO brick production.

Improved waste handling and reduction in water consumption will further reduce the Group’s operational impact on the environment. No waste will be diverted to landfill by 2025 and water use will drop by 10 per cent by 2022.

LEGO will continue to work with organisations such as the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, World Wild Fund for Nature, RE100, UNICEF and Save the Children in order to create the greatest impact.

Christiansen concluded: “At a time when the world is facing numerous challenges, companies must take action to create a lasting positive impact on the environment and society. No one can do it alone. I urge companies, governments, parents, children and NGOs to continue to join forces to create a sustainable future for our children, the builders of tomorrow.”

Forbidden Planet partners BBC Studios and Titan Merchandise on ‘most ambitious Doctor Who merch project ever’

Geek pop culture and hobby retailer, Forbidden Planet has partnered with BBC Studios and Titan Merchandise to launch an exclusive apparel and giftware range for Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious, in what it has billed its ‘most ambitious Doctor Who merchandising project ever.’

Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious is a multi-platform adventure that tells its one story across a range of books, magazines, audio, comics, vinyl, games, escape rooms, immersive theatre, figurines and t-shirts.

The first announced retailer special is a variant edition of Titan Comics’ Doctor Who: Time Lord Victorious #1. This exclusive design combines the Daleks and the iconic Forbidden Planet rocket logo and is available now via the Forbidden Planet website.

It is limited to just 500 copies and is part of the celebration for the 42nd anniversary of Forbidden Planet in 2020 – a milestone number with some significance to fans of British science-fiction and fantasy.

There is also an exclusive glow in the dark Brian the Ood t-shirt, featuring text written by James Goss. This narrative ties into the overall Time Lord Victorious story, offering fans the chance to learn who Brian really is, and how to hire him. Alongside this one of a kind t-shirt is further apparel featuring the Dalek Emperor, as well as Lee Binding’s Time Lord Victorious Iconic image.

Anthony Garnon, licensing and special projects manager at Forbidden Planet, said: “The most ambitious Doctor Who merchandising project ever, finds a home at Forbidden Planet. Fans are excited, and we’re delighted to offer them the entire range of releases in one easy to navigate home – the Time Lord Victorious microsite at ForbiddenPlanet.com. Thanks to James Goss and the team at BBC Studios for making this happen.”

ForbiddenPlanet.com will act as an official retailer, stocking all items and offering exciting first looks at merchandise. It will feature strictly limited edition comic books and merchandise specifically created for the retailer.

More exclusive reveals coming soon to ForbiddenPlanet.com, highlighting characters and concepts from across the Time Lord Victorious journey. 

For more information please visit: https://forbiddenplanet.com/promotion/doctor-who-time-lord-victorious/. 

ViacomCBS turns up its podcast activity with SpongeBob Squarepants, PAW Patrol and Catfish

ViacomCBS has dialed up its podcasting activity with a raft of new series based on its hit children’s and adult entertainment roster, including SpongeBob Squarepants, PAW Patrol, and Catfish. The firm has said that it is ‘accelerating its momentum on the audio space’ with a robust new line up.

The news has arrived the same week that ViacomCBS revealed it was developing a new version of Yo! MTV Raps and more audio spin-offs of The Daily Show. These follow a new deal it has struck with iHeartMedia, Deadline reports.

New shows include in its audio line-up include those from its Nickelodeon arm, SpongeBob BingePants: The Rewatch, an Avatar / Korra Airbender Universe podcast, and a PAW Patrol podcast. The Catfish podcast will come from MTV in partnership with podcast producer Wondery, the company behind Dirty John and Dr Death.

“Powered by an expansive portfolio of leading brands and iconic IP, ViacomCBS is accelerating its fortified momentum in the podcasting space,” said Domenic DiMeglio, EVP, head of operations and chief marketing officer for ViacomCBS Digital. “With a robust slate of new and returning series, we are building from an incredible foundation to super serve our global audiences wherever they choose to listen.”

LEGO and Levi’s build new collection that turns fashion line into “a blank canvas for LEGO play”

The worlds of fashion and toys have discovered an innovative way to combine through a new partnership between The LEGO Group and Levi’s and the introduction of the customisable baseplate, that will turn your pair of jeans “into a new blank canvas for LEGO play.”

Exclusive to the collection, the collaboration features the first flexible LEGO baseplate, a pliable LEGO silicone panel onto which fans can create their own customised designs using the LEGO Dots system, a new concept that was introduced by the LEGO Group earlier this year.

Sewn directly onto the garment, LEGO and Levi’s fans alike can create their own design using the mosaic-like tiles that snap onto the baseplates. The baseplate features as a customisable patch on the vintage stonewash Levi’s Trucker Jacket, a Dad Crop Trucker Jacket, 501 ’93 Straight Jeans, and a line up of hoodies, crewneck sweatshirts, and accessories.

Customisation pieces from the collection will come with a Levi’s and LEGO Group branded bag of 110 LEGO Dots. Graphic t-shirts are also included in the collection, featuring co-branded graphics. LEGO elements also appear in product details across the collection, including shank buttons in yellow, red, green, blue, white, and black. The Levi’s standard leather patch has also been converted to a flexible red LEGO patch.

“This is such a fun collaboration celebrating self-expression, creativity and nostalgia,” said Karyn Hillman, chief product officer for Levi Strauss & Co. “It’s Levi’s and the LEGO Group coming together to co-create something really special and new, but undeniably familiar. With the customizable baseplates, Levi’s is now literally a new blank canvas for LEGO play.”

Lena Dixen, senior vice president and head of product and marketing development at LEGO Group, added: “There’s so much passion and energy in this partnership, working with the creative and iconic Levi’s brand is inspiring, and is pushing the way we innovate the LEGO brand experience.”

The gaming community nutrition brand Respawn teams with Mars Wrigley to launch Respawn by 5 chewing gum

The mental performance nutrition brand for the gaming community, Respawn, has partnered with Mars Wrigley’s to expand its consumable line-up with the launch of Respawn by 5, a new gum that has been developed to ‘add a new layer of focus to the gaming experience.’

The sugar-free chewing gum is formulated with B vitamins and nutrients such as green tea extract, and has been developed by the teams at both Mars Wrigley’s 5 gum, and the gaming division of Respawn’s sister company, Razer. It has been devised as a gum to increase the focus of gamers while they are playing.

Respawn by 5 comes in three flavours – Cool Mint, Tropical Punch, and Pomegranate Watermelon. The former is a mainstay gum flavour while the latter is among the most popular flavours of Respawn’s mental performance drink.

“Respawn was created to address the clear market for food and beverage products in gaming that help players maintain focus and mental agility during gameplay, without the intense rush provided by many energy products,” said Sean Driscoll, senior product evangelist for Respawn Ltd. “Mars Wrigley brings with them immense experience and market leadership in the gum category and was a perfect partner for our new consumable line.”

Flip Block, global brand director at Mars Wrigley, added: “Finding an innovative way to service new and existing customers, and uniquely so within the gaming space, is one way we continue growing our gum business, maintain our leadership and demonstrate expertise.

“It was an easy decision to align with Razer and Respawn’s existing drink mix line to develop this product and satisfy a new market with Respawn by 5.”

Respawn and the Mars Wrigley’s 5 gum team organised focus groups and taste tests studying the habits of gamers and their product consumption while gaming to determine the best gum in form factor, ingredients, and taste. The findings then helped the team adjust and finalise the flavors and formula.

Video games market to exceed $200 billion by 2023, says latest Juniper Research

The video games industry is on track to exceed $200 billion in value by 2023, according to the latest report from the global hi-tech communications analyst Juniper Research, growing from an expected $155 billion in 2020. The research company suggests that the growth will be lead over the next three years, by mobile and cloud gaming.

In its new report, Video Games: Industry Trends, Monetisation Strategies and Market Size 2020 – 2025, Juniper notes that the popularity of free-to-play games like Fortnite and Call of Duty Mobile is intensifying the move to in-game monetisation, and that cloud gaming and other video game subscriptions will grow at an average rate of nine per cent per year.

The industry is to see the projected growth despite the expected five per cent decline in purchase revenues over the next three year.

“At current gaming subscription prices, it will take an average of ten month of a subscription p[ayment to cover the retail cost of a single AAA game,” said co-author on the research paper, James Moar. “The value of these platforms lies in keeping players within an ecosystem, ensuring that revenue across multiple games is captured by a single platform.”

The research goes on to note that, thanks to the increase in gamers signing up to subscription services such as EA Access, Google Stadia, and Xbox Gamepass, as well as buying fewer standalone games, only mobile games will see a net increase in game installs between 2020 and 2023. It also suggests that 99 per cent of mobile game downloads in the next three years will be free-to-play.

Juniper anticipates that less than 50 per cent of PC game installs over the period will be paid for. However, these games will be the most lucrative segment for in-game purchases, approaching $32 billion in 2023. Mobile games will have more purchases, but higher value game expansion purchases will keep PC in-game revenue growth strong. Smartphone in-app revenue will grow at an average of eight per cent over the forecast period, as smartphone gaming in emerging markets grows.

Acamar Films sees ‘huge growth for Bing toy sales’ as MV Sports and 8th Wonder join the roster

Acamar Films’ hit pre-school series Bing has seen toy sales achieve huge growth at UK retail over the past year, with the NPD Group listing it within the top ten fastest growing toy licenses for the period of January to June 2020. The surge follows the launch the Golden Bear master toy line in 2019.

Acamar Films is confident that the trend for toys will continue to prove the property as popular at retail as it is on the screen, as two new toy licensees in 8th WOnder and MV Sports launch their ranges this year.

Golden Bear’s initial toy line for Autumn/Winter 2019 was an instant success with pre-schoolers with the award-winning soft toys, figurines and wooden puzzle proving to be the company’s fastest-selling range in years. Last year’s success has resulted in Golden Bear doubling their number of lines, while key retailers have doubled their listings going into Autumn/Winter 2020.

With innovative new lines including a Bing Lights and Sounds Train, new mini play-sets, new plush, figurines and role play items, Golden Bear and Bing look well set for further growth in the second half of 2020.

Acamar Films continues to build out its toy programme with the addition of two new licensees: 8th Wonder for wooden toys and MV Sports for wheeled toys. These new categories further strengthen Bing’s offering at retail.

8th Wonder’s first range launched in Spring/Summer 2020 with 11 lines including games, puzzles, shape sorters and pull-along stacking toys. A soft launch with Very and Next proved very positive, while all three lines included in Aldi’s special buy toy event in March sold out. Expanding again for Autumn/Winter, lines will be available from Amazon, Asda, Argos, Very, Aldi and B&M.

MV Sports, the UK’s leading designer and supplier of wheeled and outdoor toys, are set to launch with three lines in Autumn/Winter 2020. Their colourful Bing Balance Bike, Tri Scooter and 12’ Bike will be available from B&M, Very and Aldi.

Louise Simmonds, head of UK licensing and merchandising at Acamar Films, said: “We are thrilled with the success of Golden Bear’s fabulous toy range, which reflects the ever-growing demand for all things Bing, and are very excited about their new range which we are sure will be another huge hit.

“We are also delighted to welcome our new partners 8th Wonder and MV Sports, allowing us to offer an ever-expanding variety of toys which capture the essence and values of Bing and give Bingsters fun new ways to engage.”

Louise Tyrer, sales director at 8th Wonder, added: “We are greatly encouraged by the initial success of our new range of innovative wooden Bing toys and the overwhelming response from retailers and customers alike. We are set to welcome additional key retailers on board throughout Autumn/Winter 2020 and early indications for next year are showing even further growth.”

Phil Ratcliffe, sales and marketing director at MV Sports, said: “Were excited to include Bing in our preschool portfolio. As the UK’s leading supplier of wheeled and outdoor toys we recognise that Bing’s affinity with play, the outdoors and nature is a great fit for our product.

“MV Sports see Bing going from strength to strength in the UK and are delighted to be on this journey with Acamar Films.”

Royal Mail celebrates 100 years of Rupert Bear with collection of eight limited edition stamps

The Royal Mail has partnered with DreamWorks Animation and Universal Brand Development to issue a set of eight stamps marking the 100th anniversary of Rupert the Bear. Each of the stamps will feature the artwork of Alfred Bestall, the author and illustrator of more than 270 Rupert stories after he took on the role in 1935.

The set is made up of four pairs of stamps, each pair featuring two illustrations from one of Rupert’s adventures. Stories featuring in the collection include the 1944 tale Rupert’s Rainy Adventure, the 1952 Rupert and the Mare’s Nest, Rupert And The Lost Cuckoo created in 1963, and the 1947 festive tale Rupert’s Christmas Tree.

Rupert made his first appearance in the Daily Express on November, 8, 1920. Herbert Tourtel, who wrote the stories, was an editor at the Express, and his wife, Mary, was the illustrator.

Many of the early Rupert stories were inspired by fairyland characters and sometimes featured medieval knights, ogres and witches. Soon after the stories appeared, they started being reprinted in books. The Rupert Little Bear Library Series ran to 46 issues and was published periodically between 1928 and 1936. 

 In total, Mary illustrated 89 stories, which were later reprinted in books. She retired in 1935 due to her failing eyesight.

Her replacement was Alfred Bestall, an established artist with Punch and other magazines, who also illustrated children’s books. Bestall wrote and illustrated 224 Rupert stories for the newspaper and provided 47 other stories, mostly for the Rupert Annuals. In 1985 he was awarded the MBE for his work. He died the following year.

Bestall developed the Rupert tradition of featuring a rhyming couplet beneath each picture, plus a few lines of story text to accompany them. His couplets often ended with the promise of a mystery – a cliffhanger to leave children curious to see how the story would unfold, and eager to read the next day’s paper.

Bestall also introduced new characters to add variety, including Lily Duckling, Gregory Guineapig, the Old Professor, Bingo and the Imps of Spring and Autumn. Most Rupert stories commence with the bear leaving home and end with him returning after an adventure in time for tea to tell his mother of his experiences. 

While books of reprinted Rupert stories appeared in the 1920s, it was decided that an annual publication would appear every Christmas. It was titled, Monster Rupert. The first volume was issued in 1931 and continued up to 1934, ceasing after Mary Tourtel retired.

The Rupert Annual was revived in 1936, featuring Bestall’s illustrations. From 1942 to 1949, the Annuals had card covers due to wartime, but board covers returned in 1950, when over 1.7 million copies were printed. Such was the popularity of the annuals, that even in paper rationing during the Second World War, the government sanctioned sufficient paper for the annuals to be printed, to help boost the morale of the public.

Rupert Bear annuals have been published every year since 1936. In 1970, The Adventures of Rupert Bear aired on ITV. It ran for seven years, with over 150 episodes produced over four series.


Philip Parker, Royal Mail, said: “We celebrate the 100th birthday of Rupert, one of the most-loved characters in children’s literature. He has introduced successive generations of children to a wonderful make-believe world of magic and adventure.” 

The full set of eight stamps, available in a Presentation Pack, retails at £10.00. The stamps and a range of collectible products are available from today at: www.royalmail.com/rupertbear

Moonpig launches largest on-boarding project in its history to support the creative industry

The online card, gifting, and flowers retailer, Moonpig, has launched its largest on-boarding programme in the company’s history in a move to help support the creative industry that found itself hit hard by the effects of the global pandemic.

The UK company has issued a call for established publishers, as well as any creative talent passionate about greeting cards and eager to develop different ranges for sale on the Moonpig website.

During the initial phase that will run until October, Moonpig will look to triple the number of publishers it works with, focusing on design led, humour and topical ranges to extend its existing 12,000-strong catalogue. The aim is to bolster the card offering with non-personalised and relevant (topical and trending) cards, while using this opportunity to make its range more representative, and continue to offer the best choice for its customers.

“The creative industry has been hit hard by the pandemic this year and we wanted to support young, talented people by offering them the opportunity to get their designs to market in a quick and effective way,” said Sarah-Jane Porter, head of cards at Moonpig.

“This is a brilliant chance for them to get their designs in front of millions of people and build a successful brand for themselves.”

The programme has already found success with a number of independent designers and established publishers signed up, including: Charly Clements, Dean Morris, Filthy Sentiments, JOLLY AWESOME, KitsCH Noir, Klara Hawkins, Lucy Maggie, Objectables, and more.

The team at Moonpig encourages anyone eager to cooperate to get in touch on hello@moonpig.com.