Barbour enlists Paddington for new Christmas campaign

Leading heritage and lifestyle brand Barbour is collaborating for the first time with the much-loved children’s character Paddington Bear for this year’s seasonal campaign, with a seasonal film that includes the original Peggy Fortnum illustration style which has never been animated before.

Barbour’s festive film follows the mishaps and adventures of Paddington Bear as he comes up with an idea for a thoughtful gift. Full of nostalgia, it celebrates the joy of giving a very special present that means so much.

Paul Wilkinson, Group Marketing Director, Barbour, says: “Paddington Bear is a much-loved children’s character who is kind-hearted and full of good intentions, even if he does get into scrapes along the way!  To celebrate our Re-Waxing Centenary, we have centred the story around a thoughtful gift from Paddington as he re-waxes Mr Brown’s beloved Barbour jacket for Christmas. It’s nostalgic, humorous and sentimental and shows just how much our Barbour jackets are loved and become an important part of the family; if re-waxed at least once a year, they can last a long long time.”

Triple Academy-Award-winning production company Passion Pictures produced the animation in hand-painted 2D. Directed by trio againstallodds, the film was created in TV Paint and aftereffects, with painstaking efforts made to faithfully bring Peggy Fortnum’s signature style to life. Every frame of the animation is hand drawn and painted with close to 3000 hours of work since May going into the design, animation and composition of the final film.

Working closely with the production team at Passion Pictures, Barbour’s integrated creative agency, Thinking Juice, were inspired by the Paddington quote “Please look after this bear” from the original story to come up with the narrative and the creative elements of the campaign.

The agreement was brokered by The Copyrights Group, a Vivendi Company which owns the Paddington brand. Rachel Clarke, SVP UK – Licensing & Retail at The Copyrights Group said: “Copyrights are absolutely delighted to be partnering with Barbour for this wonderful heartwarming campaign full of kindness, humour and fun, just like Paddington himself”.

To support the campaign, Barbour is launching a children’s Paddington Bear collection. Soft jersey sweats and hoodies in navy, red, grey and ecru feature alongside nightwear, all with humorous Paddington Bear illustrations by Peggy Fortnum  – some with a Barbour twist. Accessories include hat and scarf sets, beanie hats and cosy wellington socks.

To watch the Barbour Christmas film via the Barbour website, click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

‘The Adventures of Paddington’ scores a host of Italian licensing deals

The Adventures of Paddington has secured its first Italian deals since launching on kids’ TV channel Rai YoYo earlier this year, helping Paddington firmly establish his presence in the Italian market. The deals were secured through The Copyrights Group’s agent in Italy, Rai Com, the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of Rai.

Edizioni Play Press will be publishing a range of magazines across a variety of formats, to be available in kiosk channels early next year.

Puzzles and games will be launching in Italy with Clementoni, in a deal that spans multiple territories across Europe from Q1 2022.

Rai Com has also renewed the agreement with Hopplà for character costume events in the Italian market. Paddington and Hopplà have had several years of successful partnership, with Paddington hosting English language workshops alongside meet and greet events and rides on Paddington’s train.

These partnerships follow the successful launch of the series on Rai YoYo, where The Adventures of Paddington airs three times daily, with audience peaks exceeding 200,000.

UNICEF will also be launching Paddington’s Postcards in Italy this October. Paddington’s Postcards offers children and families the chance to learn about other children around the world with Paddington, whilst also contributing to raising life-saving funds for UNICEF. Paddington’s Postcards is already available in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, and Italy will be the first non-English-speaking country in which UNICEF will pilot the successful initiative.

The Copyrights Group is a full-service international IP development agency offering strategic worldwide brand development, licensing and retail expertise. Vivendi is The Copyrights Group’s parent organisation, which operates in Italy and around the world.

Paddington embarks on new adventure in China in Langham Hotels experiential partnership

The Copyrights Group is launching a new partnership with The Langham Hotels in China’s Shanghai and Guangzhou that will bring an exclusive and immersive Paddington experience to guests of the luxury hotels.

The activity will span a stay in Paddington themed rooms, Paddington afternoon tea with Paddington Bear cupcakes and themed pastries, as well as a selection of specially curated and limited edition Paddington souvenirs available to purchase at the hotel shops.

Langham has a history with serving afternoon tea, being the first hotel to offer the service from its London hotel when it opened in 1865. Since then, Langham Hotels around the world have become renowned for serving ‘the best afternoon tea experiences.’ In Shanghai, the Paddington afternoon tea has already been awarded ‘most popular themed afternoon tea’ in the 2021 Fifth Hotel Discovery Awards.

The two hotel locations will use different Paddington artwork to showcase the diversity of the Paddington brand.

The partnership is one of several key strategic activations for Paddington across China and aims to strengthen the awareness and the brand’s engagement with consumers. These latest activations have been launched in conjunction with the arrival of the new TV series, The Adventures of Paddington in China.

“The renewed partnership with Paddington at our hotel reflects and reinforces The Langham’s British heritage and legacy,” said Cindy Ying, director of sales and marketing, The Langham, Shanghai, Xintiandi.

“The fun and whimsical never stops at The Langham. Our guests can now have a full Paddington experience right in the heart of Shanghai, from a meet and greet with Paddington, to taking a picture with the adorable British icon as a keepsake to experiencing a full epicurean Paddington themed afternoon tea delight.”

Polly Emery, SVP brand and international licensing, The Copyrights Group, added: “This new collaboration for Paddington with The Langham Hotels is a wonderful opportunity for fans of all ages to engage with the brand in a different way and we hope they will enjoy these fun experiences in both Shanghai and Guangzhou.”

The partnership was brokered by CAA-GBG, Copyrights’ agent for Paddington in China.

Paddington sets fresh paws down in South Korea with luxury retailer Hazzys

The Copyrights Group has struck a new retail partnership for a bespoke Paddington clothing, accessories, and golf line in South Korea with the luxury retailer, Hazzys. The deal will witness the launch of a dedicated range of co-branded apparel and accessories across all 35 of the retailer’s stores in South Korea.

Creative director Hun Kim, currently the head of design at Karl Lagerfeld and previously in senior design positions at Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Converse, has been appointed to work on this new collaboration.

The range is currently available in-store and online at Hazzys.com. To further extend the reach of the Paddington range and build additional engagement with South Korean fans, a seasonal golf collection and associated apparel and accessories will launch in late Spring 2021.

“We see that this collaboration will strongly appeal to young Korean customers who have purchasing power. Hazzys’ brand concept of British casual looks and the adorable Paddington graphics are a perfect match,” said Jung Hyuk Park, senior manager, global business for HAZZYS. 

“We are thrilled to be working with Hazzys on this fantastic collaboration. We feel the pairing of these two iconic brands offers something new and exciting to the market,” said Polly Emery, SVP brand and international licensing, The Copyrights Group.

Hazzys first started in 2000 in Korea as a men’s British traditional casual brand. Since then, it has expanded to various areas including Ladies clothing, Accessories, Golf and Kids, offering a lively look with an urban feel. Over the years, HAZZYS has grown beyond Korea’s domestic market to become a global brand appreciated by consumers across the globe.

Studiocanal confirms Paddington 3 as The Copyrights Group appoints new Italian licensing agent

Plans are underway to strengthen the Paddington brand across the Italian market with the appointment of the territory licensing agent, Rai Com. It follows the successful launch of The Adventures of Paddington on Rai YoYo earlier this year, a channel on which the series now airs three times a day.

Rai Com is now working to build on the show’s success with the development of a full consumer product range for Paddington, Initial categories include the distribution of the Phat Mojo master toy range, kiosk items, stationery, back to school, and FMCG.

Rai joins the existing team of Paddington agents working on the brand worldwide, which includes Studiocanal for France, License Connection for Benelux, Edebe Licensing for Spain, Partner Plus for Greece, Plus Licens for Eastern Europe and the Nordics, Copyrights Asia for Japan, Global Brands Group for China and WP-Brands for Australia.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Rai Com to develop together Paddington in Italy. The successful launch of the show is full of promises and no doubt a whole new generation is about to adopt the beloved bear from darkest Peru,” said Sophie Kopaczynski, CEO of the Copyrights Group.

The news lands in the midst of other major developments for Paddington who, it is confirmed, will star in a third feature film, with work currently underway.

News of the film was shared via Variety earlier this week and has since been met with widespread celebration by fans keen to see the latest offering.

A spokesperson for Studiocanal told the publication: “We can confirm Studiocanal is working very hard on film three with the utmost craft and care – as with film one and two.”

Previous reports state that Studiocanal will once again be teaming up with David Heyman’s Heyday Films, while Paddington writer-director said he will not be directing the third film, but will still be involved.

With its mix of live-action and CGI, Paddington has become a global box office success, with the two previous films grossing more than $280 million and $225 million worldwide, respectively.

The movies have also previously pulled in the acting talents of Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Hugh Bonneville, and Sally Hawkins, while Ben Wishaw has lent his voice to the titular bear, both in the films and the television series The Adventures of Paddington, also produced by Studiocanal.

Season two of The Adventures of Paddington will air on Nickelodeon in the US this month, before rolling out to territories around the world in April.

The Copyrights Group lays plans for Paddington in Benelux with License Connection partnership

Brand development agency, The Copyrights Group has appointed License Connection as its Benelux licensing agent for Paddington Bear. The outfit will represent the popular IP across classic, baby, movie, and TV for a broad range of products in the region.

Written by Michael Bond and first in print in 1958 in the volume titled A Bear Called Paddington, Paddington has become a literary icon that has gone on to sell 35 million copies worldwide. The series has since been translated in to over 40 different languages.

The Paddington movies produced by Studiocanal, with Harry Potter’s David Heyman have become the most successful independent family movie franchise ever, with more than $500m at the box-office.

This year will see a brand-new Paddington TV series designed for a pre-school audience launch worldwide on Nickelodeon. The Adventures of Paddington features a young Paddington and reaches out to a whole new generation of fans.

Franca Bernatavicius, senior international licensing manager, The Copyrights Group, said: “We are very pleased to be working with License Connection on Paddington Bear in the Benelux. This is a very exciting time for Paddington, with the rich publishing heritage and the success of the films now paving the way for the upcoming TV series and a new generation of fans across the Benelux.”

Daphne Kellerman of License Connection, added: “We are delighted that The Copyrights Group has appointed License Connection as the Benelux Licensing Agent for Paddington. We see great potential for the brand in the territory because of its heritage and the new adventures that are about to come.

“It is a well-known brand already globally and we look forward to add partners to create new products, so kids and parents can go on their own journey with Paddington.”