Tag Archives: William Lamb

Character.com launches Mighty Mike in the UK

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Leading French Animation studio TeamTO and UK Licensing Agency This is Iris have been working together on a number of licensing collaborations for popular international kids’ animated comedy Mighty Mike (78 x 7).

The first of those collaborations to be announced is with leading online character specialists Character.com, with products launched on Monday 21 March. The first lines available to pug-loving consumers will be apparel, nightwear and backpacks, with licensees TDP, Aykroyds and William Lamb.

“We are really excited to be working with This is Iris and to be the first to market with Mighty Mike,” says Karen Hewitt, Co-Founder of Character.com. “We know how popular Mike and his friends are and we hope that this range will let their fans support their favourite canine in style.”

Mighty Mike can currently be seen on screens across the globe, from the US, UK and Australia to France, India and China. Top partner broadcasters include CITV, Cartoon Network, France Televisions, Super RTL, Family Channel Canada, Boing, YLE, and many more.

“We instantly loved this show the minute it was presented to us,” says Sarah Lawrence of This is Iris. “Throughout the last year we’ve heard from licensees and retailers who have been watching Mighty Mike with their children, telling us that it’s the perfect show to bridge the gap between preschool and tween, with families coming together to watch Mike’s humorous attempt to impress Iris, the neighbour’s poodle.

“We’re thrilled to be launching with Character.com. They loved the show and together with our partners have been fantastic in developing the collection during such a challenging time for all involved in manufacturing.

“We have every confidence in this show as further deals are to be announced shortly. Not only is this show funny and packed with character, being non-verbal and built around our love for our pets, especially pugs, means that this show reaches a much wider audience.”

Patricia De Wilde, Director of Marketing and New Business at TeamTO, adds: “We are delighted to be working with This is Iris to make Mighty Mike a household name in the UK. Sarah’s original and creative approach to bringing out Mike’s inherent humour, personality and charm is guaranteed to result in a spectacular licensing range. We can’t wait for UK fans to discover our favourite pet pug!”

For more information see: Mighty Mike – This is Iris and www.TeamTO.com

Growth for Bing softlines as Acamar Films renews deals with apparel partners

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Following the continued success of Bing softlines in the UK, Acamar Films has announced the renewal of existing apparel partnerships with William Lamb, Aykroyds & TDP and Fashion UK.

In the last year, there has been an increase in the overall apparel business with sales doubling in the first six months of 2021 against the same period in 2020 and the daywear business seeing a significant increase. Yearly trend guides are supporting the development of fresh and colourful designs and the latest guide, released in September, is already inspiring new ranges for delivery in 2022.

Aykroyds & TDP has been a successful long-term partner for Bing, with its nightwear range naturally aligning with bedtime routines, one of the show’s key themes.

Dean Greasley, Head of Licensing at TDP Textiles, says: “Bing has been a core offering in our preschool stable since 2016 and each year the Bing business has steadily grown for us. We are delighted to be renewing our partnership once more with the Bing team.”

Bing’s gender-neutral appeal has enabled Fashion UK to capture key online retail space during a challenging time, offering apparel-buying departments flexibility with their merchandising.

Hannah Miles, Joint Managing Director at Fashion UK, says: “Gender neutral brands are becoming more of a consideration when our buyers are looking at properties to support. Bing has a unisex appeal and the yearly trend guides mean that we can offer each of our retailers a different look and feel, with timeless designs to suit any time of the year.”

Online was a key area for softline growth in 2021. The launch of new girlswear lines on the Asda George website for spring/summer, Smiffys’ new Sula costume at Sainsbury’s TU for World Book Day and a Character.com website takeover in July generated a huge audience response, with Bing’s highly engaged social community sharing photos of their Bingsters enjoying their Bing apparel.

Meanwhile, autumn/winter has seen the launch of the new Bing BBC Children in Need range, with exclusive clothing lines available on The Bing Store and a portion of the proceeds going towards helping young people across the UK.

Louise Simmonds, Head of UK Licensing at Acamar Films, comments: “We are delighted to have seen real growth this year across all our apparel categories. The launches of some great new products and an expansion of our retail footprint is a real positive in what has continued to be a tough year. We very much look forward to continuing with all our partners.”