LMI to rep The Illuminated Film Company’s The Rubbish World of Dave Spud

Illuminated Films has named LMI as its licensing partner for CITV comedy adventure series The Rubbish World of Dave Spud, a surreal animated kid’s adventure with a most unlikely hero, set in the UK town of Grimsby.

Ratings for the show since the launch of both series 1 and 2 have been strong for ITV, promising great things for the future of the brand and its licensing programme.

The Rubbish World of Dave Spud, produced by Illuminated Films, stars the voice talents of Johnny Vegas, Jane Horrocks, Gina Yashere, Philip Glennister, Lisa Hammond, Akiya Henry and Arthur Smith, and the musical talents of Basement Jaxx.

The new relationship between LMI and Illuminated Films comes from successful Brand Licensing Europe discussions and follows the recent RTS Award for Best Children’s Programme for The Rubbish World of Dave Spud.

LMI to develop UK and Eire licensing programme for The Little Prince

Ahead of the 2023 80th anniversary of the first edition of classic children’s book The Little Prince, LMI will be seeking new partnerships to develop a successful consumer products programme for the UK and Eire for the original illustrations – which are now available for licensing – as well as additional publishing projects including colouring books and activity books.

With more than 200 million books sold globally in 500 languages, the original publication has extended to a cinematic movie, a 3D animated Netflix series, a game with more than 100 million downloads, a theme park attraction, multiple global exhibitions, standalone stores, and a stage show musical.

A new pre-school TV series of 52 x 11 minutes is currently in development. The series, set for a 2023 release, is lead by BAFTA & NFT nominated writer Simon Nicholson, whose many credits include PJ Masks, Paw Patrol, Bob the Builder and Thomas and Friends.

Andrew Maconie, CEO LMI, says: “We are delighted to be working with POMASE [the owner of The Little Prince] and feel that together we can develop some innovative partnerships with key licensees.”

Thomas Rivière, great-grandnephew of Antoine de Saint Exupery and responsible for the estate of Saint Exupéry, adds: “It’s fantastic to be working with Andrew and the team to extend The Little Prince programme to the UK & Eire. LMI are a welcome addition to our expert team of global agents.’’

For further information contact Andrew Maconie, enquiries@lmiuk.com/01425 403430.            

International Space Archives takes giant leap into bedding and homewares through MDL deal

The International Space Archives (ISA) is taking one giant leap into the bedding and homeware sector thanks to a new partnership with the homeware licensing expert, Hermet. The deal has been brokered by ISA’s licensing agent, Maurizio Distefano Licensing.

Under the new deal, Hermet will create a bedding collection consisting of bedding sets and quilts, as well as a homeware collection featuring bathroom and kitchen textiles, living room rugs and cushions, tableware and beach towels. The collection will be customised with images of space exploration mission and the famous symbol of the American space programme.

The collection will be distributed in mass-market stores and in specialty stores for home furnishings. It will also be available online.

Over the past 50 years, manned and unmanned space programmes launched from the US and other countries have amassed a library still and motion photography. For the first time in its history, the International Space Archives has brought together a collection of the best imagery to be made available for licensing worldwide through LMI, and in Italy through MDL.

The Mission Patches, photos, films and video contained in the archive come from a variety of sources including, of course, the American space programme, as well as the international space programmes of Russia, Japan, China, India and the European Union.

Maurizio Distefano, president of MDL, said: “We are thrilled that imagery from the International Space Archives has been an inspiration to a company like Hermet, whose creativity will I’m sure deliver an impactful and eye-catching collection dedicated to space exploration.”

Mayflower 400 cultural anniversary programme gets underway with extension into 2021

Arts Council England and the Mayflower 400 team are hitting the play button on a programme of activity surrounding the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower. The programme started in Southampton earlier this month with the launch of Wampum: Stories from the Shells of Native America, a national touring exhibition curated by The Box, Plymouth.

This will be followed with an online documentary presented by the TV historian Dan Snow on September 16, marking exactly 400 years to the day since the Mayflower ship set sail. The documentary will reflect the story of the Pilgrim’s journey, its impact on the Native American people who helped them when they first arrived and the wider colonial context of this journey.

It will also include a look at some of the cultural projects involved in the programme.

The Mayflower 400 programme will then run through to 2021 culminating with a Four Nations Commemoration Ceremony involving the USA, Netherlands, UK and Wampanoag nations on July 11 next year.

Deputy leader of Plymouth City Council, Pete Smith, said: “It’s been an extraordinarily challenging year, but we’re delighted to be able to carry so much of the Mayflower 400 commemorative programme into 2021. A huge amount of work has already gone into all of these events, so it’s fantastic that locals and visitors will still be able to enjoy what is an impressively varied and creative programme throughout the next year. 

“The finale will be the spectacular Mayflower Four Nations Public Ceremony on the Hoe; it’s going to be an unmissable event which brings together all four nations involved to reflect on the Mayflower story.” 

Adrian Vinken OBE, Chair of Mayflower 400, added: “After all the recent uncertainty I’m delighted that we’re finally in a position to confirm the key elements of the Mayflower 400 programme starting now and taking us through to next July. We look forward to people across the country engaging with these remarkably diverse activities and the raft of other smaller Mayflower community projects based on the voyage and its many impacts.”

The Mayflower 400 programme is supported by national supporters and sponsors; Womble Bond Dickinson, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, Visit England, Visit Britain, Plymouth City Council, Royal Navy and Babcock. 

For all Licensing enquires please contact enquiries@lmiuk.com 00 44 (0) 1425403430

LMI plays the licensing game with Asmodee’s best-seller Dobble

Asmodee’s number one selling brand, Dobble is exploring a life outside of party gaming thanks to a new partnership with LMI, a UK licensing agency that will identify opportunities to expand the reach and audience for the IP through licensing partnerships.

Andrew Maconie and the team at LMI have been appointed as the licensing agent for the UK, Eire and Benelux and are now already busy identifying and planning the brand’s development.

Having sold 21 million games worldwide and been named the UK’s best selling game has given the Dobble game a firm platform from which to build a wider brand.

In the UK, Asmodee has been the country’s most effective marketer in the Family Games category and now stand as the top-ranked manufacturer in the overall Games category – progress made thanks in no small part to titles like this one.

The partnership has been announced as Dobble now celebrates its 10th birthday this year.

Alex Green, managing director of Asmodee UK, said: “We are delighted to have LMI on board to help take the Dobble brand even further. The game has come from humble beginnings to become a household name and we can’t wait to see it thrive with new opportunities as a result of this partnership.”

The development is part of new campaign from Asmodee UK which will see it launch a new Family Games range at Toy Fair next week, showcasing ‘best in class products that excel at bringing all ages together around the tabletop for shared fun.’

The Family Games range will be led by Dobble 360, lending the title a 360-degree twist. Like all of the Family Games portfolio, Dobble 360 will benefit from comprehensive marketing support, including a huge TV and digital ad campaign.

Also featured are Ticket to Ride London, the bite-sized edition of the millions-selling Modern Classic board game that lets players rush around the capital for points in just 15 minutes, and the hugely popular BrainBox range of educational games, which deliver learning and memory challenges based on a variety of topics.

The collection is completed by the hilarious dexterity challenge of Crazy Eggz, the shadow-puppetry creativity of Picture Show and the magnetised sailing adventure of Bermuda Pirates.

The creation of the Family Games range follows similar groupings of key products by Asmodee for clear marketing focus, including the Modern Classics, Party Games and newly rebranded Quick Play titles.

Visitors can find Asmodee at Toy Fair on Stand E109 but should also keep an eye out for a second stand on E15, where some of Asmodee’s standout brands will be celebrated, including Dobble, Catan and BrainBox.