The Point.1888 doubles Moomin UK licensing programme with raft of new partnerships

The Point.1888 has announced a raft of new Moomin licensees for the UK market, including The Hut Group and Moonpig.

Since announcing its partnership with Moomin Characters Ltd and Rights & Brands in January 2020, The Point.1888 has focused its retail-first brand extension model to widen both retail and licensing partners on the much-loved heritage brand.

The last two years have been hugely exciting for the Moomin brand, from celebrating their 75th anniversary to launching their ABC initiative, a literacy programme to help develop young readers and writers. This initiative has been hugely successful and will be the basis of a touring exhibition, with the first stop being held at the Eden Project this February half term.

The Point.1888 has now added new partners to the licensing programme, covering a broad range of categories and distribution channels including, but not limited to:

The Hut Group for a DTR consisting of apparel, homewares, furniture, stationery & paper goods, own brand, and collaborations

Fashion UK for kids’ and adult daywear, hosiery, and accessories

Denicci for baby and kids’ day and nightwear

Aykroyds for nightwear, swimwear and underwear

William Lamb for footwear, bags, purses, wallets and umbrellas

Moonpig for personalised POD greeting cards

IAMFY for prints, cushions, and throws

PSTR for print on demand art prints

Heart & Soul for celebration crackers

Artisiana Miniatures for miniature figurines

Potato Cellar for tote bags via Etsy

The Point.1888 has worked alongside Moomin Characters to grow the depth of distribution over the past two years, with licensing deals ranging from a partnership with Oxfam to HMV cross-category activations, through to new lines with dedicated partner Truffle Shuffle for key trade events.

2021 also saw the launch of new babywear SKUs within ASDA George, and new ladieswear lines.

Katie Wilkinson, Head of Publishing & Operations at The Point.1888, says: “We are so privileged to work with Moomin Characters and Rights & Brands on Moomin. It’s a brand whose values are more relevant today than ever before and that chimes so clearly with us as a business and individuals.

“The love for Moomin from both retailers and licensees is palpable and we are excited for how much there is in the pipeline for this brand.”

The Point.1888 secures 7 more licensees for Percy the Park Keeper

Moomin Characters backs Finnish literacy campaign Read Hour as it makes UK debut

Finland’s successful literacy initiative, Read Hour is coming to the UK for the first time this year, with the help of the country’s best loved literary export, the Moomins.

Celebrated on UN International Literacy Day, Read Hour was created by the Children and Youth Foundation with a mission to encourage people to spend one hour of their day on September 8th reading.  Kids will be encouraged to read whatever they can get their hands on, whether a book, magazine or comic book.

After witnessing the success of the Read Hour campaign in its home country, Moomin Characters was inspired to help launch the initiative on an international scale. Three years since its launch, Read Hour has now attracted growing support. Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland, has been the patron since Read Hour began and thousands of Finns shared their Read Hour participation on social media every year.

In the UK, organisations who have pledged to support Read Hour so far include Waterstones, Macmillan Children’s Books, Sort Of Books, Oxfam, World Book Day, BookTrust, Love Reading and many more.

There will be special Read Hour events taking place at Waterstones stores in London and Glasgow on September 8th at 4pm. The Glasgow event at the Sauchiehall Street store will see Moomin storyteller Liz Fost entertain audiences with interactive storytelling and crafts.

Meanwhile, in London’s Kingston store, attendees will have the opportunity to meet and have a photo with Moomintroll and hear tales of Moominvalley from children’s author Philip Ardagh, the author of The World of Moominvalley.

Roleff Kråkström, managing director of Moomin Characters, said: “We have made a long term commitment to helping spark a love of reading and writing in young people around the globe, and are delighted to be bringing Read Hour to the UK as part of that mission.

“We believe that being able to read and write opens up a world of possibilities for young people, allowing them to communicate their hopes and dreams, relate to others, engage with the big issues of our times, and create positive change.”

Jennifer Saunders, Cressida Cowell, Laura Dockrill and Philip Ardagh are among the celebrities and authors who will be supporting Read Hour on social media. Anyone taking part is encouraged to share a photo of themselves or the book they are reading on social media using the hashtag #ReadHourUK.

The official Read Hour will be held at 2pm-3pm, but anyone unable to take part then is encouraged to hold their own Read Hour at any time that suits them on September 8th. Reading alone and reading together with a family member, friend, classmates or colleagues are equally encouraged.

A range of Read Hour resources are available here for bookshops, schools, and libraries who would like to take part in the initiative. Please contact emily@riotcommunications.com for further information.

Cath Kidston partners with Moomin Characters for new summer range of clothing, bags, and accessories

The British lifestyle brand, Cath Kidston has partnered with Moomin Charatcers to launch a new Moomin range for summer 2021, refreshing its archive prints – linen sprig and mushrooms – for a collaboration that celebrates ‘love and looking after one another.’

The new products range includes fashion for adults and children, from print dresses and pyjamas to Breton tops and embroidered shirts, as well as a selection of rucksacks, tote bags, and accessories. Stationery, water bottles, travel cups, and lunch boxes will all be available, as well as beakers and plates for children.

The colour palette for the collection is a ‘summery yellow and pink’, and the main characters featured are Moomintroll, Moominmamma, Snorkmaiden and Little My. The range boasts a strong floral theme, with characters depicted gardening, wearing traditional Scandinavian flower crowns, and enjoying meadows full of bright blooms.

Cath Kidston’s creative director, Holly Marler, said: “Nature was such an important inspiration to Moomin creator Tove Jansson – her illustrations are full of magical flowers, fascinating plants, and mysterious forests. We’re delighted to present this collection which takes its cue from Tove’s love of all things floral to celebrate summertime in bright, blooming colours.”

The price range of the collection begins at £7 for a Cath Kidston x Moomin pen and goes up to £75 for a patterned sleeveless midi shirt dress.

The Cath Kidston x Moomin range will be available to purchase from Cath Kidston 180 Piccadilly and cathkidston.com from 21st June.

Moomin Characters whips up tasty partnership with Lola’s Cupcakes

Finland’s Moomin Characters has teamed with Lola’s Cupcakes to launch a new, ultimately delectable, range of Moomin themed cupcakes across the UK.

The range will include six different cupcake designs featuring the inhabitants of MoominvalleyMoomintroll, Snorkmaiden, Little My, and a cast of others will jump from the page straight to the icing paper to adorn Lola’s Cupcakes’ signature treats.

There will also be limited edition Moomin cakeboxes to protect the cupcakes on their travels.

On top of this, and as the range focuses on the love and friendship between the series’ characters, there will be a special giveaway of the cupcakes at the Moomin shops, in Covent Garden and Camden Stables Market, on Valentine’s Day

The first 50 customers to visit each of the Moomin shops on 14th February will receive a free cupcake

Sophia Jansson, creative director of Moomin Characters and niece of Tove Jansson, said:Moominmamma says that all good things are good for the stomach. She is known throughout Moominvalley to always welcome you with something delicious when you visit.

“That is why Lola’s Cupcakes, famous all over London, match so well with the values of the Moomins for whom food is also a source of joy and togetherness.

“Just like the Moomins, we long to be snug and cosy and feel a sense of togetherness which makes February the perfect time to launch this range, with Valentine’s Day bringing those we love to the forefront of our minds. We hope Moomin fans will find joy from this delicious collaboration with Lola’s Cupcakes.”

Asher Budwig, managing director of Lola’s Cupcakes, added: “Respect for nature, one of Moomin Characters core brand valuescomplemented our core mission at Lola’s Cupcakes, which is to create delicious cakes from the finest natural ingredients

“We also believe that our cupcakes should look as good as they taste, which has been easy to achieve using the beautiful images from the Moomin archive.” 

The Moomin x Lola’s range of cupcakes will be available from 1st February. The cupcakes will cost £4 each.