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Barbie x 7th Heaven encourages consumers to Be Good to Yourself

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UK-based face mask specialist 7th Heaven has teamed up with iconic brand Barbie for the Be Good to Yourself collection, consisting of three vegan, cruelty-free face masks to encourage self-care. The collection launches this month with prices ranging from £2.49 and is suitable for ages 8+.

The collection comprises:

‘Strong Girls Make Waves’ Pink Neon Toning Peel-Off – a refreshing aloe vera and grapefruit peel formulation, containing naturally occurring AHAs to help promote brightening and smoothing of skin through increasing the rate of cell renewal.

‘Radiate Friendship’ Pink Rose Cleansing Clay mask – with a blend of cocoa and marula oil, this mask has been specially formulated to soothe redness and blemishes to improve skin complexion. This formulation also contains willow bark, a natural source of salicylic acid.

‘You’ve Got This’ Pink Chocolate Purifying Clay mask – contains a rich blend of cocoa butter, shea butter and sweet almond oil to lock moisture into the skin.

7th Heaven founder Gregory Butcher says: “I’m very excited to announce our Be Good to Yourself range in collaboration with Barbie. The essence of both brands is to promote empowerment and wellness, leading to a match made in heaven. Your future belongs to you – so make sure you Be Good to Yourself!”

Ruth Henriquez, Head of Consumer Products, Mattel EMEA, adds: “We are delighted to be partnering with 7th Heaven to introduce this new range of products, this is an exciting new category launch for the Barbie brand with lots of opportunity across the region.”

Find out more about the range at myheavenlyskin.com. Shop the collection online on Amazon.

 

Licensing International announces multi-year partnership with The Insights Family

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Licensing International and The Insights Family today announced a multi-year partnership that will launch a series of collaborative initiatives to help inform the licensing industry as well as provide Licensing International members with exclusive content focused on identifying consumer behaviour within the “Kid Economy.”

The Insights Family, a global leader in kids, parents, and family market research and intelligence, provides organisations with real-time, independent data to help clients understand and define their audiences using their proprietary data, data science, and machine learning algorithms through their groundbreaking real-time portal.

Research into the attitudes, behaviours and consumption patterns of these audiences will enable Licensing International to identify and share relevant trends across categories to its members. Real-time data will be pulled from 22 countries across six continents through the following services:

  • Kids Insights surveys 7,780 children aged 3-18 each week or 469,000 a year
  • Parents Insights surveys more than 3,800 parents of children aged 1-16 each week or 228,000 a year

“With a significant number of member companies servings kids and families, our partnership with The Insights Family will deliver best-in-class research to help them better reach and connect with consumers,” says Maura Regan, President, Licensing International.

Nick Richardson, Founder & CEO of The Insights Family, commented: “We are delighted to have partnered with Licensing International. Since we launched in 2017 we have made it our mission to set a new standard in market intelligence for the licensing industry and this partnership will enable us to demonstrate our support to the industry and how we can help licensors, licensees and retailers drive ROI, maximize opportunities and mitigate risks.”

Licensing International members will receive access to this exclusive content through several formats including joint participation at events like Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe, white papers, webinars, ongoing educational programs, and a global annual report.

Further details on these exclusive content offerings will be available at a later date.

To download The Insights Family 2022 Future Forecast report click here: https://get.theinsightsfamily.com/futureforecast/

Mondo TV’s smash hit MeteoHeroes heads to North America

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Global family mega-hit maker Kenn Viselman (Teletubbies, Thomas the Tank Engine) has announced a partnership with Mondo TV Studios, part of Mondo TV Group, for an exclusive partnership in the United States and Canada for its award-winning world-wide phenomenon MeteoHeroes, which has already sold into 144 countries and 22 languages.

On April 22, 2022, the MeteoHeroes will make their broadcast debut on PBS with an Earth Day Special. Combined with a companion series, Real Superheroes Don’t Wear Capes, executive-produced by Kenn Viselman, MeteoHeroes is planned to premiere in late summer 2022 on PBS.

Based on a series of books, MeteoHeroes is among the most successful Cartoonito children’s series of all time in Italy, and is popular around the globe. The world premiere of the second season of MeteoHeroes (52 episodes x 13′) will air on Cartoonito in Italy in April 2022.

MeteoHeroes, which recently came in first place at the 30th annual Kids First! Film Festival, is about a group of six pint-sized superheroes, each of whom represents a different continent and a different natural element. Working in tandem to fight climate change disasters, our fearless heroes go to battle to save our planet, using their own unique superhuman abilities that can control weather phenomena.

With humour and respect for its audience, the series sends the important message to children that you don’t need superpowers to save the world. MeteoHeroes is the only children’s series dedicated entirely to climate and environmental issues. Each episode focuses on issues related to ecology and respect for nature.

North American distribution and marketing for both the series and its first collaboration, videogame MeteoHeroes – Saving Planet Earth for Sony PlayStation, will be managed by Kenn Viselman’s itsy bitsy Entertainment Company (TibECo) in partnership with the show’s co-producers Mondo TV S.p.A and leading weather forecasting centre Meteo Operations Italia (MOPI). Viselman will also personally serve as showrunner and executive producer of the Americanised version of the series for a North American audience. This deal was brokered in 2021 by media executive Emilia Nuccio.

Maria Bonaria Fois, CEO of Mondo TV Studios, says: “Kenn Viselman has an unmatched reputation for finding, building and developing hit brands and shows in the North American market. His insights into production, distribution, marketing, and brand development will, we are sure, bring MeteoHeroes success in one of the biggest and most competitive kids’ markets in the world. And, of course, he loves the show! We’re delighted to be working with Kenn.”

“In over three decades of working in the world of children’s and family entertainment I have never seen a reaction to a kids’ series like I have with MeteoHeroes –  and I’ve seen some pretty huge reactions,” says Kenn Viselman. “The success of the series is its ability to help families deal with children’s increasing climate anxiety and give the audience hope while speaking to them in a fun and honest way. There is no issue more urgent or germane to children’s lives than climate change, and the message that a superhero lives in each of us with the capacity to change the world is one I am thrilled and honoured to shout from the rooftops.”

Warner Bros unveils centennial logo in advance of 100th anniversary

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Warner Bros today unveiled its centennial logo to officially begin an extended rollout of activities leading up to and beyond the iconic Studio’s 100th anniversary on April 4, 2023.

Incorporating one of Southern California’s most recognisable landmarks, the WB Water Tower, the logo celebrates Warner Bros’ unmatched legacy of a century of storytelling.

“We’re so excited to kick off the activities around this historic anniversary and share this commemorative logo with our fans and content partners around the centennial celebration of one of the world’s greatest entertainment studios,” says Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, WarnerMedia Studios and Networks Group. “Throughout Warner Bros’ history, its films and TV shows have been recognised as the gold standard of storytelling, and it was important to us to highlight the fact that telling stories that move the world is at the heart of everything we do.”

Starting at the end of this year, and throughout 2023, Warner Bros’ centennial celebration will include a fully realised, fan-focused campaign involving every division of the Studio – film, series, consumer products, videogames, themed entertainment, studio tours, live events and more – as well as its Studios and Networks sister companies, including HBO Max, the TNets (TNT, TBS and truTV), WarnerMedia Kids, Young Adults & Classics (including WB Animation, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network and TCM) and others. Additional details regarding the centennial activities will be available in the coming months.

Warner Bros, a WarnerMedia company, was founded by Albert, Sam, Harry and Jack Warner and incorporated on April 4, 1923. Today, the Studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, from feature film, television and direct-to-consumer production to animation, comic books, videogames, consumer products, themed entertainment, studio tours and brand licensing.

The Studio’s vast library, one of the most prestigious and valuable in the world, consists of more than 145,000 hours of programming, including 12,500 feature films and 2,400 television programs comprised of more than 150,000 individual episodes. Warner Bros is also home to one of the most diverse portfolios of franchises in the world, including Looney Tunes, Harry Potter, DC, Friends, Hanna-Barbera and many more.

 

Brave Bunnies launches UK publishing with Ladybird

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Ladybird is launching a series of pre-school titles with Brave Bunnies, the global Ukrainian children’s brand. Ladybird Commissioning Editor Ned Hartley acquired UK publishing rights to the brand from Big Picture Licensing, who are the master-agent for Brave Bunnies across EMEA & APAC regions.

Dan Frugtniet, MD of Big Picture Licensing, says: “It’s wonderful to have found a UK publishing home for Brave Bunnies with such a global leader as Ladybird & Penguin Random House. Given the terrible current events in Ukraine, the creators are keen to use Brave Bunnies to spread the important messages of friendship, diversity and inclusion which are the core DNA of the show.”

Brave Bunnies follows the adventures of bunnies Bop and Boo, who live with their family on the Bunny Bus and love to explore the world. At each stop, Bop and Boo make new friends, play new games and discovering a little more about the world and people around them, spreading messages of inclusivity, friendship and respect.

Created by Olga Cherepanova at Glowberry, Brave Bunnies is broadcast in over 63 countries. It launched in the UK on Milkshake! (on Channel 5) and Nick Jr. in February and September 2021 respectively. To date it has reached a UK audience of 4.4million. Brave Bunnies ranked as the #1 commercial channel in its slots for its premiere.

Ladybird launches the first two titles in the series in March 2022: Brave Bunnies Spring to the Rescue and Brave Bunnies Make a Friend, which see Bop and Boo learning lessons about bravery, responsibility and compassion.

Francesca Dow, MD of Penguin Random House Children’s, says: “This partnership is exciting for Ladybird because it is the result of several years of collaboration with the exceptionally skilled and creative team at Glowberry. We were first drawn to Brave Bunnies for its playful and warm ways of talking about friendship with a very young audience, and are excited that our books are now available for young readers to explore, bringing the internationally successful Brave Bunnies to existing and new fans in the UK.”

Silvergate Media announces broadcast launch of The Creature Cases

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Silvergate Media, producer of global hit IP Octonauts, has announced plans for the broadcast launch of its new animated series, The Creature Cases, which follows the adventures of a unique detective duo who specialise in solving animal mysteries. The first season will debut on Netflix’s global streaming platform from 12 April, 2022. 

Aimed at children aged 4-7 years, The Creature Cases is an original series created by head writer/producer Gabe Pulliam, with executive producers Adam Idelson and Kurt Mueller, EVP Creative Content, Silvergate Media. The action/comedy/detective series is animated by TeamTO, the award-winning French studio, which has a strong track record of animating hit children’s shows, including PJ Masks.

Sam Snow and Kit Casey are the lead agents of CLADE: the Covert League of Animal Detective Experts, who solve animal mysteries by exploring the habitats and behaviours of fascinating, sometimes bizarre creatures. Armed with top-secret intel from their miniature contacts, the Mice Squad, these brilliant animal sleuths travel a world populated exclusively by animals, solving mind-boggling animal mysteries that mix real zoological facts with wild detective action.

“The Creature Cases invites young viewers to train a watchful eye on the many mysteries of the natural world,” says Kurt Mueller. “This show is X-Files for preschoolers, but instead of solving paranormal mysteries, Sam and Kit are solving strange but true animal mysteries. Each episode offers a super serving of odd zoological facts, imaginative gadgetry, and, well, the Mice Squad.  We look forward to introducing the show to audiences around the world this spring.”

“For our first collaboration with Silvergate Media, The Creature Cases was a very ambitious project,” adds Guillaume Hellouin, TeamTO President. “We had to push boundaries, once again, far beyond what we have done before. The diversity generated by the concept of discovering a new animal species in its native environment in each of the 40 episodes was a real challenge. But thanks to our fantastic team, combined with Silvergate’s talent, we managed to deliver an amazing show with a very cool design!”

Moose Toys partners with Silvergate Media for new Octonauts toy line

Style Sisters head to Ideal Home Show

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Aspirational lifestyle duo Style Sisters, Gemma Lilly and Charlotte Reddington, are heading to London’s Olympia exhibition hall this week as VIP guest speakers at the 2022 Ideal Home Show.

The Style Sisters have become well known for their expertise in home styling, interior décor and curating celebrity home transformations. Their practical hints and tips, mixed with their timeless style, have seen their brand continue to grow in popularity over the past 18 months. In September 2022, they are set to launch their own eagerly awaited Style Sisters collection, including home storage, accessories and home fragrance.

Today (Thursday 24 March) the Style Sisters will participate in three separate sessions at the Ideal Home Show on the Interiors Stage (11am and 4pm) and in the Super Theatre (12.30pm). Titled “Embrace Your Space”, the sessions will focus on giving the audience practical solutions on de-cluttering and tips on how to organise both wardrobe and home. Their sessions will also include visual demonstrations and step-by-step “How To’s” in styling and organising space around the home.

Deborah Haigh, Commercial and Retail Manager at Lisle Licensing, which represents the girls’ for their licensing strategy, says: “Gemma and Charlotte’s appearance at the Ideal Home Show is so fitting.  They’re at the UK’s most loved homes and interiors show and attendees will be able to see just how beneficial a stylish and organised living space can be to their lives.

“2022 is already shaping up to be a great year for the Style Sisters, and their own range, carefully created by the girls and our fantastic licensee partners, gives consumers everything they need to embrace their space.”

Motul and Sunrich announce agreement for scale model cars

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Major lifestyle and motoring brand Motul has announced a partnership with Sunrich Toys & Hobby, which designs and manufactures high-quality scale model cars for the global hobby market.

Sunrich will produce and distribute a special range of model cars featuring the classic red and white Motul livery. The deal was brokered by WildBrain CPLG, Motul’s global licensing agent (excluding APAC).

Sunrich, a wholesale distributor and exclusive importer of premier scale model cars, will produce 10-15 models covering race cars from IMSA, WEC and Le Mans. Each one will be a highly detailed scale model of a well-known automotive brand, and all will feature the famous Motul livery.

The model cars will launch on the market in summer 2022. They will be distributed worldwide through the Sunrich network of trusted partners for sale at retailers and online. More brand-related racing models are planned.

The main consumer market for Sunrich is hobbyists and collectors. However, Sunrich also offers OEM services to various car manufacturers and retailers, creating customised models for use in product launches and promotional events. Motul, a regular partner to major teams at numerous important motor racing events, plans to use these exceptionally detailed scale models as part of its on-site promotions throughout this and next year.

Sunrich Toys & Hobby was founded in 2002 with the goal of offering the highest-quality scale model cars to the US hobby market. By partnering with some of the highest-regarded brands in the industry, it quickly rose to become one of the largest importers and distributors of model cars in North America. Sunrich began manufacturing its own scale models in 2007 under the brand TSM-Model. It is now a premier worldwide brand.

This partnership demonstrates the strength of the Motul brand, which is known in over 160 countries and is now taking that powerful reach into a major lifestyle branding campaign.

Motul is targeting a range of high-end collaborations and co-branded products as well as categories, ranging from apparel to backpacks and, of course, car accessories, supported by global licensing agent WildBrain CPLG, as well as recently appointed agents for Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

Glen K. Chou, President, Sunrich, says: “Like many racing fans, I grew up watching Motul-sponsored BMW and Honda race cars, so it is a dream come true that I can work with the iconic Motul brand. This partnership will not only allow us to gain access to the vintage Motul race car livery, but it will also help us to connect with various Motul racing teams around the world. We look forward to working with Motul to develop a wide range of brand-related racing models.”

Managing the Motul campaign is Laurent Taieb, a licensing specialist with over 25 years’ experience. He says: “Motul’s strong association with some of the biggest motorsport manufacturers and events on the planet is part of what makes it a classic brand. This agreement, with a company that is a byword for craftmanship and style, offers a perfect showcase for the famous Motul livery and will delight hobbyists and motorsport enthusiasts everywhere.”

Skydance Animation names Spin Master as its master toy licensee

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Skydance Animation has announced a multi-year agreement with Spin Master, under which the global children’s entertainment company will become the studio’s master toy licensee.

The first feature property included under the agreement is Apple Original Film Spellbound, directed by Vicky Jenson, which will debut globally on Apple TV+. Spin Master will bring characters from the show to life with products including fashion dolls, mini-dolls and vehicles. The agreement also gives Spin Master the rights to develop toy lines for other upcoming Skydance animated features.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with a company like Spin Master that is as committed to quality and attention to detail as we are,” says Luis Fernández, Head of Consumer Products, Skydance. “As we ramp up production on our slate of animated features, we could not imagine a better partner to bring our visually stunning and epic animated worlds to life.”

“Spin Master strives to work with the best partners on long term-licenses and we are honoured to align with Skydance, to infuse our marquee innovation on the fantastical worlds and enchanting characters they create,” adds Chris Beardall, Spin Master’s President of Toys and Chief Commercial Officer. “We know that children around the world are going to fall in love with the magic of Spellbound and we can’t wait to deliver that magic to the playroom through an innovative and imaginative toy line.”

Spellbound is a new animated musical that follows a young girl who sets out to break the spell that has divided her kingdom in two. It is written by Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin and Linda Woolverton and features an original score by Academy Award-winner Alan Menken, and lyrics by Glenn Slater. Chris Montan serves as executive music producer.

Launched in 2017, Skydance Animation aims to use the power of animation to create original stories for global audiences of all ages, set in fantastic new worlds with unforgettable characters. The studio’s inaugural Apple Original short film, Blush, had its world premiere as part of the Tribeca Festival’s animated shorts programme and is now streaming globally on Apple TV+.

Later this year, Skydance Animation and Apple Original Films will also premiere their first animated feature, Luck, debuting on Apple TV+ on August 5, 2022.

ZAG appoints Rafael Baltodano as VP, North America Retail Development

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Award-winning global independent animation studio ZAG has announced the appointment of Rafael Baltodano, formerly with The Walt Disney Company, as Vice President, North America Retail Development. The announcement was made by Julian Zag, EVP Global Operations and Head of Consumer Products.

Reporting to Lisa K. Foster, Sr. Vice President, Licensing, North America, Rafael will manage strategic relationships across all tiers of retail throughout North America for the roster of properties under the ZAG Heroez label – an umbrella brand franchise that brings together the superheroes from ZAG’s animated properties, which include the global phenomenon Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Power Players, and the company’s newest property, Ghostforce. He will help further ZAG’s mission in building best-in-class licensed programmes, supporting licensees with product placement and promotion.

Rafael’s initial focus will be to work with retailers on the autumn rollout of products for ZAG’s Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, for which over 200 million products have been sold during the past three years.

“Demand continues to be extremely strong for Miraculous, with sales exceeding expectations across the board,” says Julian Zag. “Rafael will lead the charge to expand placement for our partners, as well as securing promotional space for retailers around key events surrounding the brand.”

“I have been impressed by the tremendous growth of ZAG over the past couple of years and the quality of content and merchandise the company creates,” adds Rafael. “I look forward to working with the ZAG team, retailers, and our partners, to bring a whole new range of quality products to our Miraculous fans across North America this fall and throughout 2023.”

Numerous licensed Miraculous products are rolling out this year alongside the new autumn 2022 toy line from ZAG Lab and Playmates, which includes an expanded Heroez doll line with new characters and nineteen Kwami collectibles. Toys have been rolling out in planogram at retailers Walmart, Target and Kohl’s, to name a few. Other products rolling out this year include watches from Accutime, craft and activity products from Horizon, walkie talkies from Kid Designs, healthy snacking from Crunch Pak, and fruit snacks from Ferrara.

These new products will join numerous items already at retail, including publishing from Little Brown Books for Young Readers; colour and activity books from Bendon; an expanded apparel line and sleepwear from Bentex Apparel Group, Komar and BioWorld; girl’s apparel from Jerry Leigh of California; footwear from SG Companies; underwear from Handcraft; fashion and accessories products including hair accessories and jewellery from HER; puzzles and games from TCG; stickers from Trends International; outdoor and seasonal products from What Kids Want; beverages from Good to Grow; seasonal candy from Galerie; wound care from Aso, and the Miraculous Spinbrush and Orajel toothpaste from Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

Prior to joining ZAG, Rafael served in several key licensing and retail positions for The Walt Disney Company, Pixar, and Marvel, spanning over 15 years.  Most recently he served as Director of Retail Brand Development, creating the overarching go-to-market retail strategies for the Disney and Pixar franchises.