Tag Archives: The Point 1888.

Poetic Brands, BB Design, and Aykroyd & Sons sign up with The Brilliant World of Tom Gates

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Poetic Brands, BB Design, Woodmansterne, and Aykroyd & Sons are the first licensing partners to on board the popular children’s series, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates, as licensing agent, The Point. 1888 builds out UK partnerships for the IP.

Based on the successful children’s book series written and illustrated by Liz Pichon, The Brilliant World of Tom Gates follows the hilarious antics and adventures of Tom Gates at home and school in a mixed-media magazine format TV series.

Since The Point.1888’s appointment late last year as the brand’s first-ever UK licensing agent, the agency has attracted a lot of partner interest, based on the popularity of the book series and the increased brand awareness that Tom Gates has enjoyed since the TV series premiered in January 2021.

In addition, Liz Pichon’s 18th Tom Gates title, Ten Tremendous Tales, was published by Scholastic in February and went straight to the top of the children’s book charts.

The Point.1888 worked with Liz Pichon and the TGE team to identify the most relevant categories for an initial range of products focused on encouraging children’s creativity. It has now secured its first licensees, including Poetic Brands for daywear, BB Designs for back to school and stationery, Woodmansterne for greetings cards, and Aykroyd & Sons for nightwear.

Liz Keynes, commercial director, TG Entertainment Ltd, said: “The incredible feedback to the new Sky Kids television series shows how eager young fans are to engage with Tom Gates as he moves from page to screen to shelf. The best-in-class partners The Point.1888 has lined up to launch at retail later this year have developed some epic first product ranges featuring Tom’s distinctive hand-drawn style.”

Janine Richmond, head of product and brand at The Point.1888, added: “In its 10th anniversary year, the Tom Gates brand has had an amazing start to 2021. We are thrilled to be at this stage with our licensing plans and have an ambitious programme launching later this year. This success is in part due to a fantastic collaboration between The Point.1888 and the whole Tom Gates team who have been open to embracing a range of exciting new ideas.”

Products are expected to launch in stores this summer.

Formula One’s Williams Racing taps The Point. 1888 to drive extensive licensing programme

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The Point. 1888 has been tapped to drive Williams Racing’s brand licensing programme into pole position with an extensive range of new products for the Williams fanbase.

Synonymous with top level motorsport since the 1960s, Williams is one of the world’s leading Formula 1 teams, racing in the top echelon or motor racing, where it has won grands prix for more than three decades.

The Point. 1888 will now work with the team to extend its licensing operation using its ‘retail-first methodology’ to ‘reverse engineer the licensing process’ and select licensing partners that align with Williams’ core values. Matching the team with the right companies will open a host of new opportunities for engagement on a global scale, helping boost revenue and brand affiliation for Williams Racing.

Tim Hunt, commercial and marketing director for Williams Racing, said: “We are excited to have The Point.1888 on board to extend our brand licensing programme and to enable us to work with businesses we never thought we would. Through careful consideration of the types of products that will suit our purpose and values, we have the opportunity to increase our fan-base and build on our brand affiliation. We look forward to working The Point.1888 and seeing the incredible results.”

Hannah Stevens, head of retail and sports at The Point.1888, added: “As a huge F1 fan, I have admired the Williams Racing team for many years and I’m thrilled to be able to work with them on this iconic sporting brand as they take their first major steps into the world of licensing  and help fans to find new ways to engage with this incredible sport.”

Millimages taps The Point. 1888 for Molang licensing push across the UK’s Gen Z and pre-school audiences

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The Paris-based production company, Millimages has tapped The Point. 1888 to represent Molang across the UK, as the animation studio looks to build on the character’s growing social audience of 4 million fans across the globe.

Launched initially as a pre-school IP supported by four animated TV series on Tiny Pop and Netflix in the UK, Molang has picked up a cult following of Gen Z and Millennial fans, an age group that embraces the character’s friendship themes, happiness and humour – evidenced by the 13 billion views of Molang on giphy.

Millimages has also witnessed strong adult sales of Molang accessories via the webshop – www.molang.com – that it launched last December.

The Point.1888’s brief will be to define and develop a new, retail-focused licensing strategy for Molang which primarily targets young UK adults (18 to 24 year olds), whilst also encompassing its secondary pre-school audience.

A phased category rollout, split by audience, will kick off with a range of adult gift and accessories (Abysse Corp), plush, apparel, publishing and then followed by fashion and jewellery collaborations.

Other softlines planned for 2022 onwards include homewares, health and beauty plus cosmetic collaborations. Hardline categories identified include gaming and FMCG.

Retail targets for these young adult ranges will encompass specialist outlets that appeal to lovers of Korean culture (Molang was originally created by a Korean artist) and fans of kawaii products, as well as more mainstream high street retailers.

For Molang’s pre-school audience, The Point.1888 will develop baby and toddler nightwear, fashion daywear and accessories, together with book and magazine publishing.

Mickael Zeggagh, commercial director licensing at Millimages said: “Our long-term vision is to build Molang into a global, 360 lifestyle brand for all ages. We’re certain The Point will become an invaluable strategic partner to help us realise this vision in the UK – a hugely important market.

“Together with Highlight PR, whose brief this year is to increase their creative influencer campaigns to continue driving brand awareness amongst Gen Zs and millennials, we are now in a strong position to ensure Molang takes off in the UK.”

Will Stewart, founder and managing director, The Point.1888, added: “We’re really thrilled to be working with Millimages studio and Molang. This is one of those brands that the entire team got excited about and the potential across retail and product is endless.

“As a retail-first agency we see what buyers want and ask for, and with Molang we can tick so many boxes. 2021 and beyond is going to be incredibly exciting for our team and all at Millimages, as we roll out our agreed strategy, work together on new creative and introduce this brand to a wider audience. As well as some exciting collaborations which we cannot wait to get started on.”

Story House Egmont acquires magazine and activity book rights to pre-school hit CoComelon

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Story House Egmont – formerly Egmont Magazines – has acquired the magazine rights to the hit pre-school property CoComelon, spanning all territories in the group for magazines, as well as colouring and activity books across EEA regions.

The move follows what has been a highly successful run for CoComelon, which is not only the current number one children’s channel on YouTube, but was 2020#s most popular show on Netflix. On YouTube alone, the series garners 3.5 billion views per month, and is adding to its 107 million subscribers every day.

CoComelon is the latest addition to Story House Egmont’s pre-school portfolio, which currently includes Thomas & Friends, Milkshake!, Ryan’s World, PAW Patrol, and more. Story House Egmont has itself seen vast success in the pre-school sector, having seen a ten per cent growth in RSV year on year.

The deal was signed by Story House Egmont Publishing Director, Laura Adnitt and includes all territories in the group for magazines, as well as Colouring & Activity book formats for EEA territories.

Adnitt said: “As a parent, I know first-hand the great appeal and value of CoComelon. As a publisher, I see the huge potential to share this blissful brand in a printed format with thousands of young families across our publishing network. CoComelon, with its mind-blowing reach and ‘of the moment’ relevance, is a wonderful addition to our publishing portfolio, where we aspire to offer something for every child. We are incredibly excited by this acquisition and can’t wait to get started on our product development with Moonbug.”

Katie Wilkinson, publishing manager at The Point.1888, said: “When Story House Egmont takes on a new brand, it fully commits to the partnership and to building the brand. The scale of CoComelon is like nothing we have seen in preschool and we cannot wait to see what this new partnership will deliver to its fans.”

Team GB partners with Micro Scooter in latest deal from The Point. 1888

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The hit outdoor and wheeled toys brand, Micro Scooters has partnered with Team GB to launch an officially licensed range of Team GB Micro Scooters, now live on the Micro Scooters website.

Developed under a partnership brokered by the UK licensing agency for Team GB, The Point. 1888, the new range of Micro Scooters includes three variations: The Classic Team GB Micro Scooter, The Sprite Classic Team GB Micro Scooter, and the children’s Mini Micro Team GB Deluxe Scooter.

Prices on the new line range from £79.95 to £159.95. The partnership with Team GB marks the first licensed deal secured by Micro Scooters

In an announcing made via The Point. 1888 online platform, head of product and brand, Janine Richmond, said: “For me, this was a dream partnership with such paralleled values. I’m genuinely a massive fan of Micro Scooters – they are perfectionists with the quality of product and branding, which I’ve experienced first-hand having now bought most of their range for my children.”

The new range lands just months away from the much-anticipated Tokyo Olympics 2020 that, having been postponed owning to the pandemic, will take place this July under the same branding. It is expected that a massive 94 per cent of the UK population will be following the games this July and August.

“We know fans want to feel more connected to the brands they love,” continued Richmond. “The Olympics inspires us to become more active and get outside, so this is a great way of getting closer to the action through product.

“It’s so exciting to see the concepts coming through – the product range has surpassed all expectations. The Micro Scooters team are fuelled with amazing ideas of how to get interaction with their product whether on the track; through school programmes or fanZones; they are hugely committed to making this a success and are a joy to work with ….watch this space.”

Iceland extends its range of Barratt confectionery ice lollies to include Foam Bananas, Cola Bottle, and Milk Bottle flavours

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The popular confectionery brand, Barratt, is tripling the number of SKUs in its range of ice cream lollies exclusive to Iceland, with eight new flavours inspired by the likes of Foam Bananas, Cola Bottles, and Nougat, joining the existing four across Iceland stores from April 12th.

The extension of the range follows on from the success of the licensed collaboration, arranged by Barratt’s brand licensing agent The Point. 1888, in summer 2020 that saw more than 1.3 million units sold within the first 12 weeks of launch.

Building on the original line-up of Flumps, Black Jack, Fruit Salad, and Dip Dab flavours, this year’s range will include Foam Banana, Wham, Cola Bottle. Milk Bottle, Strawberry Milkshake, Nougat, Anglo Bubbly, and Sherbert Fountain. The range is designed to recreate the  feeling of eating a classic sweet, with many of the ice lollies offering a fun nod to the original sweets.

In developing the range, Barrat has kept the calorie-conscious in mind, with the Flump lolly consisting of only 55kcal per lolly.

The extended range is expected to fly off shelves and will be well supported with TV and press advertising, a Barratt Branded Freezer unit and store window POS.

Russell Tanner, marketing and category director, commented on Iceland’s investment in the wider range: “After our ice cream range sold six times faster than expected in 2020, investing in additional products was a no-brainer. The Barratt ice cream range is a simple way to bring a little bit of excitement to the supermarket shop, and is aligned perfectly with our fun and fizzy brand experience.

“Working with Iceland, It was really important to both parties that the new products delivered on quality and experience to satisfy discerning Iceland shoppers and Barratt fans.

“The runaway success has shown us just how well-loved the Barratt brand is and opened up doors for the brand in terms of exploring licensing opportunities across new food categories.”

Sally Bentley, senior buyer at Iceland said: “We’re thrilled to be extending our range with Barratt and it’s been fantastic to see how the brand has resonated with our customers.”

Bethan Garton, The Point.1888’s commercial director, commented: “As the success of the launch last summer proved, we struck gold with our ice cream range of Barratt’s best loved brands. With the time and attention invested in the product development and flavour profile matching we’re thrilled the range will once again be hitting the shops, bigger and better than before.”

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

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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.

Character Options named master toy partner for Moonbug Entertainment’s Morphle

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Character Options has been named the EMEA and Australian master toy partner for the popular children’s series Morphle in the latest advance for Moonbug Entertainment’s growing licensing plans.

The deal was brokered by The Point. 1888 and will see Character Options produce a range of Morphle branded play-sets, plush, vehicles, figures, bath toys, as well as dough.

This comes just a few months after The Point.1888 announcing multiple major licensee partnerships for two of Moonbug Entertainment Ltd.’s other world-famous brands, Cocomelon and Blippi.

With over 300 episodes created and broadcast via YouTube and Netflix globally, as well as other platforms, Morphle has amassed a following of over 18 million subscribers. It follows the adventures of an energetic little red creature who can morph into anything that Mila’s playful mind can imagine.

Mila’s dad runs the only magic pet store in the city – a fantastical place where you can find all sorts of cute and quirky pets who each have their own unique magic powers, and he has gifted Mila the most magic pet of all, Morphle. She shows him everything she knows about the world, and in particular how to have fun. With Morphle’s morphing powers and Mila’s boundless imagination every day is the most exciting playdate.

Jon Diver, Joint MD of The Character Group plc, said: “As the nature of the lead character, Morphle, is to morph into many different things, it gave us so much scope for toy development. As a result, we’re investing heavily in the brand and the range and are thoroughly enjoying working with Moonbug and The Point.1888.”

Bethan Garton, commercial director at The Point.1888, said: “When Character Options takes on a new brand, it fully commits to the partnership and on building the brand. We haven’t had the good fortune to work with the company before but it’s been a life-long dream of mine, having seen how they launched, developed and managed a number of successful preschool master toy programs.”

The Point.1888 was appointed last summer as Master Licensing Agency across EMEA for Moonbug Entertainment’s entire portfolio. Since coming on board, the brand extension specialist has sought to capitalise on the shows’ popularity with young children as well as the need to keep them entertained and engaged by signing licensees across a broad range of categories.

Character Options join Aykroyds TDP (Nightwear, Underwear & Swim), Poetic (Daywear), Zak (Lunchware), Character World (Bedding).

Product development and marketing plans are underway and The Point.1888 is currently in talks with retailers and distributors.  The range will launch in Q4 2021 with a full EMEA roll out in 2022.

The Point. 1888 plans busy year of licensing for University of Cambridge through Virtual Summit

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The University of Cambridge is on for a busy year of licensing, thanks to plans unveiled today by its UK agent, The Point.1888 and Fitzwilliam Museum Enterprises Ltd., the subsidiary of the University of Cambridge responsible for licensing.

The mission of the University of Cambridge has always been to contribute to society through education, learning and research at the highest international level. Known for its education and research excellence, there has been a growing interest in its collection of museums, libraries and botanic garden, which cover art, artifacts, polar exploration, anthropology, zoology, geology and the history of science.

Since signing with FME in early 2020, The Point.1888 has already facilitated successful partnerships for the university with online homewares, wall art, furniture, and accessories platform Fy, with a range of  eight prints which launched In September 2020.

To add to this success from last year, the goal for 2021 is to roll out more licensing programmes for the university brand as well as its museum collections and botanic garden.

In order to deliver on this, The Point.1888 is in the final stages of organising a Virtual Summit to be held early summer, for licensees and retailers to get to know the institution, see the key collections and hear all about the forthcoming plans.

The event will be key for extending the brand into new categories this year, which include Homewares, Garden, High end food gifting, Collaborations, Toys and Games, Apparel and Accessories.

One success initiated in early 2020 by FME Ltd involved the adaptation of works of art from the Fitzwilliam Museum to show what social distancing might look like through the ages. The team went on to inspire consumers with a launch of greeting cards, print-on-demand stationery, gin, homewares, apparel and, of course, face masks.

Bethan Garton, commercial director at The Point.1888, said: “The University and its museums normally welcome 7 million visitors each year which has been negatively affected by COVID.  We were pleased in 2020 to support their important work via licensing to generate much needed income. Our plans for this year will do so much more and we’re delighted to be seeing it all put into action.”

Len Dunne, CEO of FME Ltd, added: “All of our income goes to support the vital research and activities of our museums and botanic garden. We are excited to expand our UK licensing activities programme working with the dynamic team at The Point.1888.”

The Point.1888 details structural changes amid its leadership team

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A company that refuses to sit still, and only a few weeks after the appointment of five new members, The Point. 1888 has promoted three of its senior team members in preparation for the busy year ahead.

Sarah Crimes has been promoted to director of marketing, reflecting the growth of her role over the last 12 months, which now includes marketing for the agency, its clients and the agency’s growing creative division, Story.1888.

Meanwhile, Hannah Stevens has been promoted from head of retail to head of retail and sport, an acknowledgement of the agency’s rapidly growing sports division which includes Team GB and The British and Irish Lions. The agency expects to be busy with both clients this year with the upcoming Tokyo Olympics and the South African Rugby Tour.

Finally, Janine Richmond has been promoted from senior commercial manager to head of product and brand, marking an important new role for the agency that will see her take responsibility of the product development team, as well as opening up new category opportunities across the brand portfolio.

As with the new appointments announced in January, each promotion will be crucial for the company’s continued growth. It should also allow the agency to fulfil the many exciting plans it has for 2021 which include international licensing programmes, transatlantic sporting events, and a number of hotly anticipated product launches.

Will Stewart, managing director of The Point.1888, said: “I started The Point.1888 on my own five years ago and while I knew I’d need strong people around me to make the business a success, I never imagined I’d have such an incredible leadership team in place today. This has been a disastrous 12 months for businesses all over the world, but our team has demonstrated remarkable resilience and strength and the promotions are all undoubtedly well deserved.”

Established in 2014, The Point.1888 delivers retail focused brand extension programmes by creating new products based on the gaps it sees at retail, rather than what it thinks the brand’s target demographic might like. This supports a higher chance of retailer buy-in and a better sales performance.