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

Moonpig details plans to become ‘the Home of Gaming’ for birthdays as it bolsters its brand portfolio

The online greeting card and gifting platform, Moonpig has detailed its plans to become ‘the Home of Gaming’ for birthdays thanks to a new partnership with not only Nintendo but a wealth of gaming brands.

The new range is built on licensing partnerships with flagship brands such as Nintendo, Pokemon, Sonic the Hedgehog and SEGA, Warhammer, and Marvel Gameverse to name but a few. Moonpig has stated that it is still ‘actively recruiting gaming brands to fulfill their vision of being the ultimate gifting companion.’

“Gaming represents a huge opportunity for us at Moonpig and with incredible household brands – like Nintendo – on board, we’ve only just begun the journey to become the ultimate destination for birthday presents for every gaming fan,” said David Rimmer, commercial director at Moonpig.

“Our ambition is to have a brilliant range of cards that fans can’t find anywhere else and offer matching gifts for the perfect bundle.”

Victoria Connor, licensing executive at Moonpig, added: “We know how passionate people are about gaming and we’re looking forward to extending the licensed range  for cards as well as gifting with more gaming favourite brands.”

The first elements of the gaming range launched in September with a licensed partnership with Nintendo. The bespoke cards were designed by Moonpig’s in-house team, creating a diverse, personalisable range that is not available anywhere else, featuring Super Mario, Animal Crossing and Zelda among others.

Nelson Calvinho, head of marketing for Nintendo UK, said: “Nintendo prides itself on bringing people together through its games and putting smiles on people’s faces. We hope that this new range of cards from Moonpig, featuring many familiar characters from the world of Nintendo, will put a smile on the face of anyone receiving them.”

The next stage of the gaming campaign launched in April this year, featuring bespoke site looks as well as a number of competitions and giveaways on social media, giving participants the opportunity to win prizes, including a number of personalised Nintendo Switch Lite consoles and even a personalised Xbox Series S in partnership with gaming sensation Ali A.

Moonpig details plans to become ‘the Home of Gaming’ for birthdays as it bolsters its brand portfolio

The online greeting card and gifting platform, Moonpig has detailed its plans to become ‘the Home of Gaming’ for birthdays thanks to a new partnership with not only Nintendo but a wealth of gaming brands.

The new range is built on licensing partnerships with flagship brands such as Nintendo, Pokemon, Sonic the Hedgehog and SEGA, Warhammer, and Marvel Gameverse to name but a few. Moonpig has stated that it is still ‘actively recruiting gaming brands to fulfill their vision of being the ultimate gifting companion.’

“Gaming represents a huge opportunity for us at Moonpig and with incredible household brands – like Nintendo – on board, we’ve only just begun the journey to become the ultimate destination for birthday presents for every gaming fan,” said David Rimmer, commercial director at Moonpig.

“Our ambition is to have a brilliant range of cards that fans can’t find anywhere else and offer matching gifts for the perfect bundle.”

Victoria Connor, licensing executive at Moonpig, added: “We know how passionate people are about gaming and we’re looking forward to extending the licensed range  for cards as well as gifting with more gaming favourite brands.”

The first elements of the gaming range launched in September with a licensed partnership with Nintendo. The bespoke cards were designed by Moonpig’s in-house team, creating a diverse, personalisable range that is not available anywhere else, featuring Super Mario, Animal Crossing and Zelda among others.

Nelson Calvinho, head of marketing for Nintendo UK, said: “Nintendo prides itself on bringing people together through its games and putting smiles on people’s faces. We hope that this new range of cards from Moonpig, featuring many familiar characters from the world of Nintendo, will put a smile on the face of anyone receiving them.”

The next stage of the gaming campaign launched in April this year, featuring bespoke site looks as well as a number of competitions and giveaways on social media, giving participants the opportunity to win prizes, including a number of personalised Nintendo Switch Lite consoles and even a personalised Xbox Series S in partnership with gaming sensation Ali A.

Lisle Licensing seals Hallmark, Moonpig, and Carousel Calendars for US brand Kate Smith Company

The UK licensing agent, Lisle Licensing has sealed three early deals for the US brand, Kate Smith Company in the greetings card, online greetings, and calendar categories, tapping Hallmark, Moonpig, and Carousel Calendars.

Kate Smith Company is a brand on a mission to make humans smile. Its origins started several years ago in the greetings card sector with its own ‘From Frank’ brand. Lisle Licensing has secured an agreement with Hallmark as master greetings partner which will see a comprehensive range of cards launch later this year.   

Moonpig has also been appointed as the online greeting card partner and will offer a variety of the Kate Smith Company lines which have become so popular across the USA and Canada, but are particularly renowned for sending uplifting, happy, positive vibes blended with its vibrant art design house-style.

The range will also be extended in the coming months with designs that can be personalised to add that extra personal touch and make an even bigger impact.

Lastly, Carousel Calendars will launch 2022 dated calendars and diaries.   

All three licensees were brokered by Lisle Licensing who has already seen strong interest in Kate Smith Company’s brands, demonstrating its potential to expand into further categories. Discussions are already taking place with gifting, stationery, and additional categories.. 

Francesca lisle, managing director at Lisle Licensing, said: “When we first set eyes upon Kate Smith Company and saw their success in the USA and Canada, we instinctively knew they had a fantastic future in the UK quite simply because of their humorous, cheeky and happy brand which will aspire to consumers here. 

“We are thrilled that licensees agree with us, and to have got them off to a fantastic start in key categories and strong partners.”

Jen Stephenson, UK head of licensing, Hallmark added: “We’re delighted to be working with Kate Smith Company and so excited about our partnership. Kate is a wonderful designer and we absolutely love her fun, funny, quirky and playful style. As soon as we saw her card designs they made us smile and we knew straight away her brand would be a perfect fit for Hallmark.”

Martin Rees-Davies, product, licensing lead, at Carousel Calendars, said: “We are delighted to be working with Kate and her amazing designs and captions. With the year that we have all had I have no hesitation that the vibrant colours and designs will bring a much- needed smile to everyone’s face.”

Team GB partners with Moonpig for greetings and gifts lines ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

Team GB has landed a new partnership with the greetings card and gifting platform, Moonpig in a deal that will witness the launch of multiple new product lines, including cards, e-cards, mugs and t-shirts featuring designs focused on Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and birthdays.

The range has been developed to celebrate special moments and lands on the platform with just over four months to go until the Tokyo Olympics taking place this year. Brokered by The Point.1888, the deal will enable fans to celebrate this year’s olympic event with Team GB and Moonpig.

The partnership marks Team GB’s first venture into the greetings category with exclusive products that will allow fans to show their support for the country’s athletes in new ways. The Moonpig deal also now takes the total number of licensing partners for Team GB up to 31 as it continues to expand its licensing programme into new categories and retail channels.

The intention is to drive awareness of, and support for the team in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 2021 and generate income to reinvest into the continued success of Team GB.

Meanwhile, since its launch some 20 years ago, Moonpig is on a mission to reinvent the gifting experience and become the gifting companion for all of its customers.

Olivia Wiggett, senior commercial executive at The Point.1888, said: “With the Tokyo Olympic Games being delayed by 12 months as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, we made sure to put this extra time to the best possible use. We’ve been able to reach out to more potential licensees and really take extra care in immersing them in the brand to be sure the products developed and the marketing plans associated with them could reach their full potential.

“Moonpig was a no brainer for Team GB. They’ve done an amazing job on other sports properties and its wider licensing programmes. Their credibility and reach make them a perfect licensee.”

Paul Ellis, head of licensing at Team GB, said: “I’ve been so proud of the team and our licensees for their continued dedication and hard work and am thrilled that we’ve secured such a strong relationship with Moonpig in time for the Tokyo Games.”

The new Team GB products are now available on Moonpig’s website.

Moonpig grows its kids’ gifting portfolio with LEGO partnership and ‘ambitious plans for more to come’

The online gifting specialist, Moonpig has detailed its huge ambitions’ for its giftable kids range, growing its portfolio of toy partners and most recently welcoming LEGO into the fold.

The firm’s partnership with the LEGO Group marks a significant step forward for the company as well as ‘its biggest brand launch on its site to date.’ Until now, Moonpig has partnered with the likes of Playmobil, Hasbro, and Pokemon, but not launched a portfolio as large as its LEGO deal.

The partnership has been billed as ‘the first of more to come,’ as Moonpig outlines its vision to “become the ultimate gifting companion for customers.”

David Rimmer, commercial director of Moonpig, told Licensing.biz: “We have been a huge emphasis on bolstering our gifting offer. As part of this, we have brought on board a number of new toy brands recently, including Playmobil, Hasbro, and Pokemon and will continue to add beloved brands as we build our kids’ gifting and birthday ranges.”

The new LEGO range features 13 different themes with more than 50 products, spanning Duplo LEGO, LEGO Marvel, and LEGO Architecture.

Its licensed line up features the popular LEGO Harry Potter and LEGO Star Wars, while the top selling LEGO City and LEGO Friends also feature.

Moonpig launched the new brand with bespoke site looks – a dedicated landing page as well as content all around the site to showcase the extensive range, and has the ambition to grow the offer even further throughout the year.

Rimmer added: “We are very excited for Lego to join our offer as the latest addition. Our ambitions are huge for our kids range, so make sure to watch this space.”

The Moonpig business has been bolstering its expanding gifting offer with a long list of brands. In the past three months, Moonpig has introduced over 50 new brands across food, alcohol, beauty, home and toys, including Playmobil, Hasbro, and Pokemon.

Moonpig partners with KFC to launch limited edition Christmas cards and merchandise

Moonpig has reignited a partnership with KFC to launch a limited edition range of Christmas cards in its move to ‘spread chicken and cheer’ for the holiday season. The series of six Christmas cards come complete with festive designs while a portion of sales will go to Comic Relief through the KFC Foundation.

Featuring carol Zingers singing, sleigh bells winging and Colonel Sanders slipping a hot wing under the tree, the launch has been manipulated to ‘sprinkle some much needed joy to this year’s festive season. ‘

“So, why not send a lenticular card with a gravy optical illusion to your gravy lovin’ gran, or a personalised ‘Fillet Navidad’ card to your KFC obsessed mate?” says Moonpig via a press release.

The KFC x Moonpig Christmas card range is available online exclusively at Moonpig. Ten per cent of net sales will go directly to KFC Foundation’s charity partner, Comic Relief and its work to support young people across the UK to fulfil their potential.

“But it’s not just cards we’ve launched this Christmas…” added the company. “We recently announced the launch of our first ever line of merch ahead of the festive season, with a clucking good range of streetwear and Christmas jumpers.”

The new range can be viewed here.

“So, whether it’s a Christmas eve filled with a Family Feast or watching Mother Hen take a snooze after one too many egg-nogs on Boxing Day, KFC & Christmas will always have one thing in common, they’re meant for sharing,” Moonpig concluded.

Acamar Films signs slate of new UK partners for its hit pre-school series Bing

Acamar Films has signed up a slate of new UK partners for its hit pre-school show, Bing, including the likes of Beautiful Game and Kennedy Publishing, as well as further line extensions with Moonpig and a renewed partnership with CBeebies Land at Alton Towers Resort.

Beautiful Game launched Bing wall stickers in late August this year, which are now available direct to customers from its web shop (www.beautifulgame.co.uk) and on Amazon Prime. Founded in 2014, the platform is recognised as a leading official and exclusive home of sports and entertainment wall art.

Sebastian Mather, managing director of Beautiful Game, said: “We are delighted to partner with Acamar for these brand-new wall stickers. Bing is a visual treat, colourful and fun, and will make wonderful wall art for nurseries or play areas. We are sure that Bingsters will love the chance to be surrounded by their favourite character and his friends.”

Meanwhile, Kennedy Publishing launched its Box of … Bing! on 13 August. The deal is for an innovative branded carry box containing a 16-page craft magazine, a 16-page colouring magazine, two fold-out sticker sheets, a fold-out poster, giant sticker story and lots of creative gifts, from paint pots and crayons to cookie cutters and craft supplies.

Priced at £3.99, the newly themed box will go on sale across news-stands every six weeks. Bing will also feature in Kennedy Publishing’s compilation titles, Busy Time and Get Busy.

Moonpig launched first with personalised Bing cards in January 2020 and then expanded the collection to the addition of e-cards from April 2020. The Bing launch has been a great success and Acamar Films is developing more product with Moonpig.

Bing has been resident in CBeebies Land at Alton Towers Resort since 2017 and due to the ongoing popularity of the brand the partnership is confirmed to continue into 2021 with 2 mini shows and Bing and Flop meet and greets. The popularity of Bing is also reflected in merchandise sales with Bing continuing to be the top-selling brand in the retail stores within the CBeebies Land and CBeebies Land Hotel.

Louise Simmonds, head of UK licensing and merchandising at Acamar Films, said: “We are thrilled to announce we are teaming up with these respected partners to offer Bing fans a selection of wonderful new quality products. We are excited to be expanding our Bing licensing programme thanks to our dedicated focus and carefully considered strategy, which has seen strong growth over the past year.”

These deals follow hot on the heels of new toy partnerships with 8th Wonder and MV Sports, with recent NPD data listing Bing among the top 10 fastest growing toy licenses from January to June 2020 in the UK. Acamar Films will be exhibiting at the Festival of Licensing 6-8 October.

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.