The Gruffalo takes a walk into new partnerships in Italy

Mondo TV, the third-party licensor for The Gruffalo in Italy, Spain, and Portugal, has detailed a new Italian licensee for the popular children’s publishing brand.

Pon Pon Edizioni has been licensed to launch a range of products including activity and colouring packs and sets. The range is aimed at children aged from three to five.

The deal covers Italy, along with San Marino, Canton Ticino and Vatican City. The range will be available at kiosks and bookstores across all of these territories before the end of the year.

The range uses illustrations and designs from the classic book illustrated by Axel Scheffler and written by Julia Donaldson. The story is a delightful tale of how a tiny mouse outwits a number of animals intent on eating him: a fox, an owl, a snake and finally a big, scary creature called The Gruffalo.

The Gruffalo was initially published in 1999 and has gone on to sell over 24 million copies across multiple formats in 99 languages. It has also inspired a growing global licensing campaign. Global licensor Magic Light appointed Mondo to develop a licensing programme for The Gruffalo in Italy, Spain and Portugal in late 2019.

A love of books brought together Gianni Bono and Marilla Pascale, who launched Pon Pon Edizioni in 2013. Today Pon Pon Edizioni has a portfolio that ranges from first reading and classic fairy tale books to magic pens, sticker albums and much more, with a strong profile in partnerships with licensed brands.

Valentina La Macchia, Mondo TV Licensing director, said: “This is a brand famous for its illustrations as well as its wonderful storyline and Pon Pon Edizioni is the ideal partner to bring those illustrations to the market in the form of activity and colouring packs.

“We are expecting to appoint further high-quality licensees very soon in Italy, Spain and Portugal, where sales of The Gruffalo book are very strong.”

 

Wow! Stuff named master toy partner for Magic Light Pictures’ portfolio

Magic Light Pictures has tapped Wow! Stuff as its master toy partner for the company’s full catalogue of award-winning brands, including The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Zog, and The Snail and the Whale. The toy deal spans multiple territories, and products will be available across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Australia, the US and Canada.

Wow! Stuff is known for its own portfolio of award-winning innovations in tier one brands, and from January 2021 will launch a full line up of toy figures and play-sets based on Magic Light’ library of characters. Prices for The Gruffalo will range from £7.99 through to £39.99 and will include collectables, character action figures, play-sets, electronic animated plush, and more.

Wow! Stuff’s head of product development and licensing, Kenny McAndrew, said: “This is a fabulous way to show what we can do when we have a Master licence and are free to explore traditional key toy categories and add our innovative take. Partnering with Magic Light we’ll bring Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s characters to life with the physical figurines the children dearly love.

“Each character and the play-sets are part of a special universe and perfectly complement and pay homage to the books and films. The characters are hugely ‘toyetic’ and our tests showed the reaction from parents and grandparents and their propensity to purchase was at the very highest level – family awareness and parental approval on the brand is sky high.”

Daryl Shute, brand director at Magic Light, added: “A master toy partner is something we’ve long wanted for our Gruffalo family of brands. The toy category has grown massively for us over the past year and Wow! Stuff are joining us at just the right time. They have added the innovation they’re renowned for and brought the characters to life in a way that is full of the charm and wonder that our little fans know and love.

“This is the third new license announced in this category in the past month, which is something else we’re pretty chuffed about.”

The imaginative play range will complement Magic Light’s existing range of fantastic toy and games partners that have been carefully collated for the Gruffalo over the last 10 years.

Long term Gruffalo partners include high quality plush from Aurora; and puzzles and games from Ravensburger, Asmodee, Winning Moves and Schmidt Spiele.

Magic Light Pictures secures another award win for animated adaptation Zog

Magic Light Pictures’ animated adaptation Zog has scooped the International Emmy in the Kids Awards Best Animation category at this year’s International Emmy Kids Awards.

The most recent accolade follows Magic Light’s win in the same category at the International Emmy Kids Awards in 2018 with Revolting Rhymes, and marks the second award in as many weeks for the animation. Magic Light also took home the Best Children’s Award at the RTS Awards held a fortnight ago.

Zog is an animated action adventure feature based on the popular book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The adaptation was directed by Max Lang and Daniel Snaddon and produced by Michael Rose and Martin Pope of Magic Light Pictures, with animation services by Triggerfish Animation.

The half-hour special premiered on BBC One on Christmas Day 2018 and was the fourth-highest rated programme on the day, achieving 8.8m viewers (including repeat). The courageous tale of a keen but accident-prone dragon who gets into all sorts of mischief while at Dragon School, Zog enjoyed the highest share of any programme in the week 24-30 December.

Magic Light Pictures co-founder Michael Rose, said: “We are honoured that Zog has been recognised with this prestigious award, especially considering the quality of the competition from across the globe. It’s a testament to the wonderful work of directors Max Lang and Daniel Snaddon and to the whole, hugely talented crew who worked on the film.”

The International Emmy Kids Awards are the world’s pre-eminent platform for global excellence in television. Winners of the 8th annual awards were announced on the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences website and social media channels on Tuesday 31 March 2020 following the cancellation of the awards ceremony.

Zog is also proving popular internationally. ZDF Germany is a key partner and the film has also been sold to major broadcasters across Europe, Asia and Australia.

The film is the latest in a distinguished line of award-winning festive family specials from Magic Light for BBC One that have become a Christmas tradition on the channel, including such favourites as The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, Stick Man, The Highway Rat, Revolting Rhymes and last year’s The Snail and the Whale.

Magic Light, ViacomCBS, and Sky in production on new pre-school series Pip and Posy

The multiple Oscar-nominated Magic Light Pictures is to produce a new CG animated series called Pip and Posy, based on the Nosy Crow story book series from author Camilla Reid and illustrator, Axel Scheffler.

The series will have the added weight of a first time co-production partnership between ViacomCBS and Sky behind it and will premiere exclusively on Channel 5’s Milkshake and Sky’s on-demand service Sky Kids. Animation services on the series will be provided by Blue Zoo.

Pip and Posy follows a mouse and a rabbit whose lives revolve around a world of play. Packed with warmth and humour, the series is a celebration of friendship, laughter and games, as well as life’s ups and downs. The series deals with emotions, resilience and feelings in a relatable way for pre-schoolers to learn about themselves.

Currently in production, the series is based on characters from Nosy Crow’s popular collection of story books by Axel Scheffler and author Camilla Reid. Pip and Posy is Magic Light’s first pre-school series and sees the continuation of the production company’s 13 year association with Scheffler, which has produced seven high-profile animated specials based on his successful book collaborations with author Julia Donaldson.

Pip and Posy is a delightful series that captures the essence of how young children play, think and feel and fits perfectly with our portfolio of educational and fun programming, teaching pre-schoolers the importance of friendship and understanding their emotional and social wellbeing through imaginative storytelling and creative play,” said Louise Bucknole, VP programming kids, ViacomCBS Networks UK.

“We have a long-running and close relationship with Sky, so it’s very exciting to have commissioned our first co-production together, enabling us to bring the very best of British animation to Milkshake! from world class producers Magic Light Pictures.”

 Lucy Murphy, director of kids at Sky UK & Ireland, added:”Pip and Posy is a playful series that will be loved by young children and their families.  This addition to Sky Kids, plus our recent raft of original commissions, demonstrates our ambition to feature a range of premium British programming for under 12s.

“We bring our customers the very best kids TV alongside our partner channels and this co-production with Milkshake! evolves our close relationship with ViacomCBS.”

 Michael Rose, co-founder of Magic Light, said: “We’re really excited to be producing our first-ever pre-school series and proud to be working with Milkshake! and Sky. Axel Scheffler creates truly enchanting worlds and we can’t wait for viewers to join  Pip and Posy for their fun and adventures.”

Magic Light Pictures holds the global distribution and merchandising rights to Pip and Posy (excluding publishing) and is developing a full licensing programme to complement the new series.

Last year Milkshake! pledged to double its content investment, which will lead to 50 new UK originated hours per year from 2021.

Magic Light Pictures and Merlin Entertainments are bringing Zog to Warwick Castle

Magic Light Pictures has teamed up with Merlin Entertainments to bring a new 3D interactive Zog trail to Warwick Castle.

Due to launch at the historic venue this Easter, the trail brings to life the world of Zog the lovable dragon – first created by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler – with a host of activities for kids that mirror Zog’s own lessons at dragon school.

From soaring over the top of the Castle mound without actually leaving the ground, to testing out the Roar-o-meter at Bear Tower and helping kids to capture a princess, children will collect a stamp at every task. A final challenge will see them join in with Sir Gadabout’s school for ambitious knights and will be followed with a meet-and-greet with Zog himself.

Based on the million-selling book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Zog premiered on BBC One on Christmas Day 2018. It follows the tale of a keen but accident-prone dragon who gets into all sorts of mischief while at Dragon School, and was the fourth-highest rated programme on the day, achieving 8.8m viewers (including repeat).

The sequel, Zog and the Flying Doctors, has recently been announced as the Christmas 2020 collaboration between Magic Light and BBC One.

Daryl Shute, brand director, Magic Light Pictures, said: “We are delighted to partner with Merlin Entertainment to bring Zog to their fantastic venue. Warwick Castle is the perfect setting for dragons, princesses and heroic deeds. Our close collaboration is creating a truly special experience for kids that allows them to step into the magical world of Zog and live the story for themselves.”

Liam Bartlett, operations director for Warwick Castle, added: “We’re thrilled that Zog is flying in to Warwick Castle – it’s going to be roar-some. The interactive trail is great for kids of all ages, and supports the key messaging from the storybook itself around tenacity, persistence and rising to the challenge.

“It’s a fantastic addition to the Warwick Castle experience and shows once again why we’re a leading attraction for families from across the UK and beyond.”

The Gruffalo taps sustainable play-sets and playground signage in latest raft of licensing partners

Magic Light Pictures has secured a raft of new licensees for its hit animated IP, The Gruffalo, as development of its licensing programme continues for 2020. Visage, MBI, Robert Fredrick, Playpress, and Snappyjack are the latest to join the Gruffalo family.

Textile specialists Visage will produce Gruffalo craft printed fabrics, MBI has signed on for gifting and collectables, including gift packaging for the recent 20th anniversary coins issued by The Royal Mint and stamps from the Royal Mail, and Robert Fredrick will launch a range of stationery, gifts, and games this summer.

On top of all of this, Playpress is working on a Gruffalo buildable play-set, made with recyclable and biodegradable material, while Snappyjack will be offering new Gruffalo playground signage.

Magic Light has also signed renewals with two of its biggest partners: Aurora, a partner since 2009 who has now committed to a further three years, as well as its biggest DTR partner, Sainsbury’s, who has been a constant retailer for The Gruffalo since 2011.

Daryl Shute, brand director at Magic Light Pictures, said: “We are thrilled to see The Gruffalo venturing out in new categories, to give the many fans fresh opportunities to engage with him and his world. The Gruffalo’s 20th anniversary in 2019 saw exceptional growth and a big range of marketing activity, so it is great to carry on this momentum into 2020 with further development of our licensing programme. It’s testimony to the fantastic work our in-house licensing team is doing to grow the Gruffalo brand.”

The Gruffalo, first published in 1999 and written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler is a modern classic of children’s literature, adapted for both stage and screen and has been translated into 84 languages.

A year-long programme of exciting activities in 2019 to mark its 20th anniversary included The Gruffalo’s first-ever appearance on a coin with a commemorative 50p piece collection issued by The Royal Mint.

The Royal Mail issued a set of commemorative Special Stamps, while the Global Gruffalo campaign saw 20 cuddly Gruffalos let loose around the world, a host of special anniversary Forestry England picnic parties, bespoke summer celebrations at Chessington World of Adventures, open-air cinema mini festivals with Luna Cinema, a pop-up shop in Covent Garden, and special activity across major retailers.