March 2018 For licensing opportunities contact: Naomi Sheahan at Haven Naomi@havenglobal.com
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA March 2018 For licensing opportunities contact: Naomi Sheahan at Haven Naomi@havenglobal.com
March 2018 Co-Publisher Editor-in-Chief Francesca Ash francesca@totallicensing.com Co-Publisher Jerry Wooldridge jerry@totallicensing.com Editorial Director/ Editor Rebecca Ash becky@totallicensing.com Business Development Joanna Cassidy joanna@totallicensing.com Subscriptions and Circulation www.totallicensing.com/ subscribe.html
Total Licensing Australia is published as a special issue of Total Licensing magazine.
Total Licensing Ltd 4 Wadhurst Business Park Faircrouch Lane Wadhurst East Sussex TN5 6PT England Tel: +44 1892 782220 Fax: +44 1892 782226 www.totallicensing.com
Japan Agent Roger Berman, ZenWorks rmb@zenworks.jp
Printed in England © 2018 Total Licensing Ltd
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Australia News...............................................................TLA 6 Merchantwise Moose Toys.............................................................. TLA 12 Shaun the Sheep................................................... TLA 14 Molang..................................................................... TLA 14 Uglydolls.................................................................. TLA 14 Twentieth Century Fox......................................... TLA 15 Sony Pictures.......................................................... TLA 17 Lionsgate................................................................. TLA 18 Digital and Gaming.............................................. TLA 18 King Features Syndicate...................................... TLA 20 May Gibbs............................................................... TLA 20 Enid Blyton.............................................................. TLA 21 Howard Robinson’s Selfies....................................... TLA 22 The Latest Nickelodeon............................................ TLA 24
Universal Brand Update........................................... TLA 28 Haven heads into 2018........................................... TLA 34 Music and Technology from Grassby..................... TLA 36 What do Kids Like? Australia versus the UK....................................... TLA 38 The World of Breyer Horses.................................... TLA 40 Disney Unveils Plans.................................................. TLA 43 Theme Parks and the Gold Coast.......................... TLA 44 Research from Kidz Global...................................... TLA 47 Australian Toy, Hobby & Licensing Fair It’s Showtime!......................................................... TLA 49 Show Floor Plan..................................................... TLA 50 Exhibitor lists.......................................................... TLA 52 What’s on Show this year................................... TLA 54
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA
BBC SET FOR A BIG YEAR 2018 is set to be an exciting year for BBC Worldwide ANZ in the licensing space with new properties and extensions to existing favourites. Ahead of the anticipated series 11 launch this year, Jodie Whittaker made her debut as the first female Doctor Who in the Christmas Special - Twice Upon a Time. The special attracted 500,000 (consolidated) viewers on ABC, and 150,000 fans attended the cinema screening. BBC Worldwide ANZ (BBCW ANZ) has signed a host of licensing deals with new and existing partners. Leading the charge at retail are Ikon Collectables with launch plans across S11 toys, new Pop Vinyl and figurines based on the Mr. Men/Doctor Who collaboration. Other best-in-class licensees include Impact Posters (stationery), NZ Mint (Legal Tender Coins), Loungefly (accessories) and Caprice (apparel) to name a few. Series Two of Go Jetters launched on
ABCKids in November 2017, with the Jetters learning about science and geography. This additional narrative brings opportunities through new vehicles, costumes and science-based product. So far in 2018, Go Jetters has been ABCKids’s sixth highest rating programme. In the live space, fans can meet the disco-grooving Ubercorn via new costume character partner, Showtime Attractions. 2017 was a big year for Duggee with The Hey Duggee Cinema Experience playing at 80 cinemas across Australia, two BAFTAs and an international Emmy added to the trophy cabinet, over 1 billion views across streaming platforms in China, the series expanding to cover 150 territories and a third series commissioned and expected to air at the end of 2018. In Australia, BBCW ANZ has renewed the toy, plush and tableware license with Jasnor Australia and signed up new partners Winning Moves for Junior Guess
AUSTRALIAN LICENSES FOR JUVE Italian football giant Juventus Football Club S.p.A is expanding its global presence with a range of new licensed product collections in Japan, China and Australia. The deals were brokered by IMG, Juventus’ licensing representative in Asian territories, Australia and New Zealand. Since appointing IMG in 2016, the Italian club’s licensee portfolio has grown to include new product categories in these markets including apparel, gadgets, car accessories and luggage. In addition to an exclusive branded luggage collection and apparel lines already in market in China, two new apparel collections will be available in Japan by the beginning of 2018. One will feature animated Juventus illustrations, while the other will consist of specially designed jackets, shirts, sweatshirts and polo shirts. The brand is also set to launch car accessories including seat covers, cushions and sun shades in Japan, as well as game cards, phone cases, keychains, wallets and mugs. Juventus products
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are available on e-commerce platforms, such as VIP.com, and in multibrand stores in select shopping malls. “We are delighted to be building our licensing programme in Asia and Australia and driving the Juventus brand into diverse new categories and products,” said Luca Montesion, Licensing Manager at Juventus FC. “We are looking forward to exploring further opportunities in these markets with the support of IMG.” “We have had a successful run of signings in our first year working with Juventus and continue to receive huge interest in the brand,” added Marcelo Cordeiro, Licensing Director, IMG. “The unveiling of Juventus’ new identity and logo presents many opportunities for future brand extension..”
Who & Top Trumps and Designworks Clothing Company for infant apparel. Now supported by Big W, Toys ‘R’ Us, Myer and Coles, there will be new product available throughout the year. Blue Planet II, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, premiered on Channel Nine in February. The show launched in the UK last year attracting an audience of 14.4 million. Over 140 images from the series have been cleared for licensee use, featuring an array of aquatic animals and an exclusive look into Earth’s hidden watery vistas. Top Gear returns this year to 9GO. With a strong history in licensed gift, apparel and car care, the new series offers an array of licensing opportunities. Brigid Roberts, Manager of Licensing and Sponsorship said: ‘It’s a big year for our brand portfolio and we look forward to working with our licensees and partners on new and exciting products.’
NUK MICKEY MOUSE RANGE Classic Disney characters, Mickey & Minnie Mouse are bringing joy to the whole family with the NUK range of bottles, cups, soothers and accessories. The orthodontic NUK Shape is approved by the Oral Dental Health Foundation and is clinically proven to support the problem-free switching between bottle and breastfeeding.The NUK Mickey Mouse range is available in vibrant red and charcoal designs and is BPA free.
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Blue Chip Brands report that Ironman has made an impact in the sports nutrition space with the launch of a range of food products through licensee Go Natural Pty Ltd. Go Natural released three varieties of Ironman protein bars in late 2017 and followed this up with the release of a collection of energy bars and energy gels in early 2018. Ironman protein powder and protein balls will also be released in the coming months creating a complete nutritional product range to be distributed through major supermarkets, health retailers and convenience
stores. Ironman has also extended its licensing partnership with Brands RMJ Pty Ltd beyond soda crystals to include anti chafe roll-on and balm, a magnesium mineral spray for muscle recovery and a range of personal care products for release in the second half of 2018. Blue Chip Brands is looking to build on the brand’s strong identity and reputation in complimentary categories such as vitamins, sports recovery accessories such as sports braces and tape as well as training accessories.
AFL TIE IN WITH ODDBODS Australia’s biggest sports organisation, the Australian Football League (AFL), has teamed up with Emmy nominated globally acclaimed, Oddbods for the launch of the AFL Beginner’s Guide to Footy. With the objective of bringing new fans into the sport, the partnership fully integrates the Oddbods brand across the AFL’s communication platforms using exclusive content, including three pieces of bespoke Oddbods animation that each highlight the unique rules and inclusive culture of the beloved sport in the Oddbods’ humorous way. There will be in-stadium screenings, in-school activations, digital channel integration, club and player collaborations, on-ground events and more starring the seven Oddbods characters. “The AFL and Oddbods are the perfect fit; both brands embrace individuality, fun and teamwork. Partnering with the AFL on this initiative allows us to interact with Oddbods fans in a whole new and meaningful way against the exciting backdrop of Australia’s national game.” comments Anabel Higgin, Marketing Director of One Animation, the studio behind the show. “Australian Football is a big part of this country’s family life, with adults and kids of all ages watching on TV, in stadium, or participating themselves in community programs and local leagues,” AFL Head of Programs and Market Development, Alistair Dobson said. “We fully expect the Oddbods partnership to bring plenty of fun to Australian Football, and are very much looking forward to it!”
JW CONSULTING AND EVOLUTION PROPERTIES Since 2017, JW Brand Consulting, headed by Jason Wang, has been acting as the Australian and New Zealand arm of Evolution USA, enabling its key properties Sunny Bunnies, Narcos, Hello Neighbor as well as Japanese hit anime titles One Punch Man and Death Note from VIZ Media. Sunny Bunnies is a non-dialogue CGI animation comedy for kids aged 3-6. Two series total of 52 x 3.5 minute episodes are already released, with a third season in production. The show is now broadcasted in more than 160 territories with partners such as Disney Junior in the US, Australia, NZ, EMEA and Japan,. Hello Neighbor is a new video game that utilises adaptive artificial intelligence as an opponent that learns from the player’s moves, making each subsequent attempt more challenging. The game has already garnered more than 600 million combined views on YouTube. Since its release in December 2017, the game has already sold more than 410k units in the first month including 24k+ Australian users. Funko leads the merchandise roll out with a collection of 6 Pop! Vinyls, and other global licensees such as Just Toys, Zag Toys and Scholastic to follow. JW Brand Consulting is also the licensing agent in Australia, NZ and Japan for Hamsta World. The brand is already making strides globally with major licensees. A feature collection of Hamsta merchandise will debut at Primark stores from July 2018.
Exhibitors
IRONMAN PROTEIN BARS
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA
Entertainment One continues to expand PJ Masks and Peppa Pig licensing in Australia PJ Masks continues to take Australian preschoolers by storm in 2018. Entertainment One (eOne) has grown its strong line up of partners for the PJ Masks Australian consumer products program, which already boasts over 25 licensees, across a variety of key categories, including toys and games, dress ups, publishing, apparel, back to school products, homewares and FMCG product.
Just Play’s successful PJ Masks master toy line, distributed to the Australian market by The Brand Exchange, is racing towards the top of the Infant and Preschool charts. Best-selling items to date include core vehicles, the PJ Masks Headquarters playset and dress-ups. ‘PJ Masks: Time to be a Hero’ – the brands’ first DVD title, released in November 2017 has well-exceeded any sales expectations, with The Entertainment Store advising that the PJ Masks character appearances are one of the top requested acts in their company portfolio! This April sees the premiere of the
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brand-new 2nd season on Disney Junior Australia, which introduces new characters, sets and vehicles and will ensure the brand continues its status as a preschool television ratings leader; not only on Disney Jr. but also on ABC KIDS. In further news, the 3rd season of PJ Masks has gone into production. Later this year will also see the premiere of the new Australian live stageshow: PJ Masks Live, which tours Australia following a phenomenal tour across North America. eOne continues its growth plans in 2018 with none-other than one of Australia’s favourite preschool brands – Peppa Pig. Now entering its 6th year of the Australian consumer products program, the brand has expanded into various new categories and refreshed many product lines in the retail market. The brand-new 7th season of Peppa Pig, which debuted on ABC KIDS from mid-2017, has again been a winner in the preschool ratings, with even more episodes & content continuing to rollout throughout 2018. Peppa Pig continues to refresh core products across various categories, as well as adding new product lines in the Australian market. New licensees include Nurturecare, with the intro-
duction in Peppa Pig nappy pants and wipes in late 2017, a new confectionery range with Park Avenue Foods and a new puzzles range with MJM Australia. Big Balloon continues to rollout classic toy lines incorporating refreshed figures and playsets, alongside Penguin’s new book titles which rollout across 2018, with both partners incorporating new content from Season 7. A new national live tour, Peppa Pig’s Surprise, will premiere this coming May 2018 and tour across all major Australian cities. Trish Padoin, General Manager at eOne Licensing Australia comments “PJ Masks has certainly captured the hearts of not only Aussie preschoolers, but parents too! The brand has gained strong momentum with leading TV ratings and also with live character appearances in great demand for little ones across the nation.“ Padoin continues, “Peppa Pig is now entering its 6th year of brand licensing in Australia, and still going from strength to strength, with new S7 content driving new and refreshed product in the retail market. We look forward to seeing these new product categories and ranges continuing to expand at retail across both brands.”
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA
NATASHA’S WOOD Lawless Entertainment in the US is marketing Natasha’s Wood with the world! Natasha’s Wood is an adventure story, targeted to children ages 4-8, that takes us deep into an enchanted, Australian bush-land. In this bush-land, winged creatures, fairies, drumming-dragons, a tap-dancing Emu, a beat-boxing dude named Beetle-Butt, and other mythical beings join forces with a human girl, Natasha. Natasha doesn’t know it yet, but she’s a fairy and her violin’s bow is her magic wand. This unlikely mob of musical friends will always stage an adventurous musical concert to protect their charmed fairy-bower home. Natasha’s Wood creator, Fay Maddison, has published the first early reader picture book in the Natasha’s Wood series. With her magic wand – a paint brush – Fay has also designed a sparkling, Natasha’s Wood clothing line that captures the characters from her manu-
scripts for a tween series of novels. The manuscript is adapted from her feature film screenplay – Natasha’s Wood - Musical Wands and Magic Paint Brushes. Each picture book of the first titles in the series will include art created by children. Creator Fay Maddison grew up in the town of Darwin, Australia. The “outback” hometown was hot, humid, and alive with exotic birds and insects. Nestled against a backdrop of rainbow-colored cliffs, the town’s beaches were skirted by overgrown tropical bushes and majestic trees. The sea brought in treasures, flotsam, and jetsam from faraway lands. The magic of the land, the bush, and the beaches stirred this young girl’s imagination and her love of story was
born. Lawless Entertainment is currently seeking co-production partners for this project.
DUCATI APPAREL IN AUSTRALIA Van der Erve – through its subsidiary Beconnected (HK) have secured the apparel rights for the Ducati Brand into both the Australian and New Zealand markets. The brand will be launched with a capsule apparel collection to the retailer Jeans West instore in May. The collection includes winter long and short sleeve vintage tops. Discussions are currently taking place with selected retail partners for summer 2018. Ducati is the first brand into the market for Van der Erve. Plans to develop further license brands in addition to this are well developed.
NEW RANGE FROM PETER ALEXANDER Cartoon Network is celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Powerpuff Girls with the launch of a new range of sleepwear by Peter Alexander. Following the release of the Peter Alexander sleepwear range as part of the brand’s Wanna Play collection, and an exclusive unveiling in Sydney, the celebration continued with the global rollout of new episodes and products. Fourth sister Bliss, voiced locally by Australian-Chinese YouTube superstar ‘Wengie’, will also make a return throughout the year in new episodes. “We are so excited to be working with Peter Alexander to highlight the enduring legacy of the show and
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the girlpower it embodies,” said Robi Stanton, General Manager of Turner Australia, which operates Cartoon Network. “This colourful pop-culture collection shows both the incredible bond between sisters, and just like The Powerpuff Girls, the PJ’s are completely super-cute and super-fierce!”
Peter Alexander is the latest name on a long list that includes: designer Jeremy Scott and Moschino on a global fashion collaboration that was launched in 2016, along with Hot Topic, Spin Master, McDonalds, Ferrero, Cold Stone Creamery, IMG Worlds, Cartoon Network Amazone, Live Nation and Hachette The girls will also be a major part of the branding on the recently-announced Cartoon Network Wave, the first ever Cartoon Network-branded cruise liner which will be making its maiden voyage to Australia soon after it launches in late 2018.
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MERCHANTWISE TAKING BRANDS FURTHER The Merchantwise Group is a leading brand licensing, creative and digital marketing agency in Australia and New Zealand. For over 18 years, Merchantwise has supported many of the world’s best loved brands and properties across children’s entertainment, film and television, digital and gaming, music, icons and legends. Here is a round-up of the latest news and new entertainment properties in the next 12-18 months. WE
KIDS ENTERTAINMENT
MOOSE TOYS Shopkins - The No. 1 girls collectible brand For the third year running, Shopkins™ continues to be the #1 girls collectible brand in the world, generating more than $1 billion in global retail sales. In 2018, a variety of world class partners join the franchise, including Skechers
Pikmi Pops - off to a scent-sational start! Shopkins junior apparel now available in-store and online. 2018 will see Moose’s biggest investment and product development to date, with two new waves of Shopkins toys, new Shopkins Happy Places sets and over 30 new Shoppies dolls releasing. Moose continues to support the franchise with new entertainment, digital and mobile content streaming on YouTube and Netflix as well as a Wild Style movie to air in over 100 cinemas across Australia.
Cutie Cars - The Wheelie Cut Collectible – rolling out footwear in Australia in Feb 18; PEZ, which will launch with three Shopkins Pez dispensers in March 2018; and H&M with a range of
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strong sales in Australia and round the world. Each Cutie Car has its own personality with a die-cast body and a Mini Shopkin in the driver’s seat. Further collectibles have just been released in season 2, with season 3 planned for August 2018. The Cutie Cars licensing program will premiere in September, targeting a younger age demo of 3+ years.
When Shopkins go for a spin what do they ride in? Cutie Cars™, of course! The latest addition to the Shopkins franchise launched in 2017, achieving
Pikmi Pops™ are the big lollipops filled with cute mini-plushies and so many sweet surprises for you! Season 1 launched in Oct 17 with over 45 gorgeous scented plushies to collect. The first two weeks of Pikmi
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Pops sales exceeded the first two weeks of Shopkins S1 sales on launch, with retailers struggling to maintain sufficient stock to keep up with demand. Online, fans are going crazy for Pikmi Pops.
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Uglydolls movie coming in 2017 The Uglydolls brand represents embracing all that makes us special and unique.
Season 2 launches in Australia and the USA in March, featuring all new Pikmi’s and loveable jumbo characters. Plans are underway to launch a targeted range of licensed products in late 2018, targeting children 6+ years.
Shaun The Sheep Coolest Hero on Turf
Shaun The Sheep is the award winning, stop-frame animated family show with adventure, friendship and silliness at its heart. Produced by Aardman, Shaun The Sheep is a global success story loved across 170 territories. The brand has over 180 licensing and merchandising partners worldwide.
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Molang Momentum Builds down-under
What started as a doodle in a love letter between creators David Horvath and Sun-Min Kim became a global plush toy craze, achieving $150M in specialty retail sales.
Born from a Korean emoji, Molang – which means ‘super soft’ in Korean – is a happy, curious rabbit who lives with his friend, Piu Piu, a sensitive and shy little chick. The quirky and lovable TV show - produced by French animation house, Millimages – airs in over 150 countries on Disney Junior and other channels and is consumed by millions on Youtube and other social media platforms.
In Australia, Shaun The Sheep broadcasts on both ABC Kids and ABC Me channels daily, regularly rating amongst the top 10 shows for kids with over 250,000 viewers per episode and millions streaming via ABC Kids iView and ABC Me apps.
Seasons 1 and 2, comprising of 104 episodes, will also launch on ABC TV in 2018. Season 3 now in production.
In 2017, Shaun celebrated 10 years on TV and was a highlight of the recent Wallace & Gromit and Friends exhibition at ACMI in Melbourne which ran for 6 months.
Molang’s momentum is building strongly in the world of consumer products. The brand already has over 30 licensees launching product in 2018.
Following the success of the first Shaun the Sheep Movie in 2015, a major sequel is planned for 2019.
In Australia, master toy partner Tomy released a range of super-soft plush at Myer in Oct 2017, with stock flying off the shelf. Collectible figures and play-sets will roll out from April 2018. Other product categories are also in development including apparel, bags and footwear.
Merchantwise is pleased to be working with Aardman to develop a range of licensing initiatives in Australia and NZ, including live entertainment and attractions. A new toy line will launch from Jan 2019.
FILM & TV
Now STX Entertainment and acclaimed director Robert Rodriguez are combining to bring the UGLYDOLLS to life in a major new animated film scheduled for May 2019, backed by an extensive global marketing campaign. Digital short form entertainment and TV series are also in development. With over 68 loveable characters and a distinctive design aesthetic, the brand lends itself well to licensing and merchandising. Over 25 licensees have already been appointed with a major new toy partnership to be announced shortly. Licensing and retail partnerships are now in active development for Australia and New Zealand.
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Family Guy hits new milestones Family Guy continues to entertain its global fan base with razor-sharp humor, spot-on parodies, and orchestra-backed original music. Since its
The Simpsons 30th season coming soon The longest-running scripted show in TV history, The Simpsons continues to be one of world’s best loved and most watched entertainment franchises. Currently airing its 29th season, this pop culture phenomenon has won every conceivable award including 32 Emmys and 34 Annies. In Fall 2018,The Simpsons will enter its unprecedented 30th season. In Australia, The Simpsons is moving network to a home on Channel 7, while Fox Home Entertainment released season 18 for the first time in December 2017.
debut, the series has achieved cult status among fans, and its breakout star, a talking baby, has become one of the greatest TV characters of all time. Family Guy has racked up numerous awards, including an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series, only the second animated series in television history to be honored with such a distinction. The series’ creator and lead voice actor, Seth MacFarlane (voice of “Brian Griffin,” “Peter Griffin” and “Stewie Griffin”), recently won the 2017 Emmy Award for Outstanding Character VoiceOver Performance. Family Guy is celebrating two incredible milestones. In January this year, Family Guy celebrated their 300th episode with the 20th anniversary celebration to follow in 2019.
Bob’s Burgers movie in the works
A wide array of licensed apparel, accessories, stationery and giftware are available at Australian and New Zealand retail. New local partnerships include The Simpsons Tic Tacs, launching in grocery and other channels beginning in June 2018.
Bob’s Burgers the movie has been announced for worldwide cinematic release in 2020. Winner of the 2017 Emmy Award winner for Outstanding Animated Program, Bob’s Burgers has become one of the world’s best loved TV shows, recently returning to air for its beefed-up eighth season. Maintaining a close connection to the show’s loyal viewers, the season premiere featured animation inspired by fan-created artwork. The upcom-
ing season also will feature its annual holiday-themed episodes and all-new and returning guest voices, including Adam Driver, Fred Savage and Maria Bamford. Bob’s Burgers has been a breakout licensing success in the US and more recently here in Australia. Bob’s Burgers fans of all ages are loving tees now available at Jay Jays with other specialty channels and product categories to roll out from 2018.
Alita Brought to Life in December 2018
Visionary filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) create a ground breaking new heroine in Alita Battle Angel, an action-packed story of hope, love and empowerment. Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic to rebuild her. As the movie unfolds, Alita’s journey
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA becomes one of love, self-discovery and realizing that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, one person can make a difference. Alita Battle Angel is releasing in theatres nationwide on 21st December and will be supported by a licensing program including statues, high-end collectibles and publishing.
Starring Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez and Andy Samberg, Drac’s family and friends find adventure, high jinks and even romance on a luxury cruise ship.
Spies in Disguise to star Will Smith and Tom Holland Star pair Will Smith and Tom Holland and are teaming up for a new animated espionage buddy comedy, Spies in Disguise. Based on Lucas Martell’s animated original short Pigeon: Impossible, Spies in Disguise comes from Fox Animation, Chernin Entertainment and Blue Sky Studios.
Jumanji tramples the box office Sony Pictures’ comedy adventure Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle has delighted audiences and raked in over $850M in Global Box Office, including over $40M in Australia and NZ.
In Australia, the film is scheduled for release in July 2018, followed by the home entertainment release - just in time for Halloween 2018. The Hotel Transylvania TV series launched on the Disney Channel in 2017, achieving no. 1 ratings in its timeslot. The series is nominated for a Kidscreen award and a second season is in production. The new master toy range from Jazwares with be distributed by Banter Toys in Australia, launching in June 2018. Other local licensees include Scholastic, Caprice and Hunter Leisure.
Men In Black reboot in production
Will Smith is to star as the voice of Lance Stirling, an uber-spy at the top of his game, alongside Tom Holland as the voice of Walter, a socially awkward genius who designs Lance’s gadgets. The odd couple find they must learn to work as a team and rely on each other in new ways when Lance is inadvertently transformed into a pigeon. Spies in Disguise is slated to arrive in theatres on January 18, 2019.
The film’s all star comedy cast includes Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan. Sony Home Entertainment will release April 2018 and there’s more exciting news on the horizon for a sequel - stay tuned!
The Drac Pack is Back!
The Drac Pack is hitting the high seas in HOTEL TRANSYLVANIA 3, the next installment of the monster animated film franchise that has delivered over a billion in global box office, home entertainment and merchandise sales.
One of the most successful franchises is coming back to entertain audiences of all ages. MIB is a $1.6 billion global film franchise and is both recognizable and iconic worldwide. Sony Pictures will release MIB4 in June 2019. The new film is driven by a top team of writers, producers and directors, including visionary producers Steven Spielberg, Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. New to the team is high-octane director F. Gary Gray.
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA The film will feature new recruits and agents, global and international locations, a whole new collection of weapons and vehicles and of course aliens!
against the corrupt English crown in a thrilling action-adventure. The film is packed with gritty battlefield exploits, mind-blowing fight sequences and a timeless romance.
Cult fan favourite John Wick is back for more Bestseller comes to life in Chaos Walking
In March 2019, Director Doug Liman will bring to the big screen CHAOS WALKING, based on the first book of the bestselling trilogy by award winning novelist Patrick Ness. The sci-fi adventure stars Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley as two unlikely teenage companions forced on a white-knuckle adventure into an unexplored planet – trying to escape and hide in an environment where all thought is heard, all movement seen – as they both discover the truth about the lives they left behind and the spectacular world they’ve learned to call home.
JOHN WICK is the cult film franchise starring Keanu Reeves as a retired but deadly hitman seeking vengeance. The first two films were successful both critically and commercially, grossing over $260 million globally. A third film is currently in development and is set to release in May 2019. A TV series based on the infamous hotel The Continental is currently in development.
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DIGITAL AND GAMING
Since its launch, emoji® has become a licensing sensation, teaming up with more than 500 partners from all over the world, including high-profile partners including Walmart, Zara, New Era, Nestle, Nikon, Cheetos, Lee, Donut King, Kellogg’s, Dominos Pizza, Krispy Kreme, Penguin Books, Specsavers, Fuji Photo, and more. There is no standing still for the brand. Emoji’s team of in house designers are constantly working on the creation of new icons, patterns and artwork for application across multiple categories. The emoji® brand is a vibrant life style brand that aims to bring joy to consumers while assuring a high quality in both design and production.
Space Invaders turns 40
Robin Hood reimagined In cinemas September 2018, ROBIN HOOD is the legend reimagined with gritty, modern superhero flare, directed by Otto Bathurst and co-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. A war-hardened Crusader Hood (Taron Egerton) and a ish commander Little John Foxx) mount an audacious
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Robin Moor(Jamie revolt
Global lifestyle sensation Emojis are a universal language – over 6 billion are sent daily through messaging and social media platforms. Inspired by this phenomenon, the emoji company was founded in 2013, creating an iconic lifestyle brand with an unbeatable expressive power. Today, the emoji company is registered in all major territories around the globe in up to 25 classes for goods and services. In total, almost 10,000 high vectorized icons have been developed from scratch and filed for copyright protection.
In 2018 Space Invaders celebrates 40 years - the world famous classic arcade video game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado was first released in 1978. Hugely successful on release, Space Invaders transformed video games into a global industry.
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Now a true pop culture brand icon, it is referenced in film and television and features as part of video game and cultural exhibitions. 2017 saw a successful Cotton On program with the brand, encompassing stationary in Typo and a range of women’s tees. A Cotton On Kids range is set to launch in early 2018. In celebration of the 40th Anniversary, the Perth Mint will release a limited 1oz silver lenticular coin in impressive miniature console packaging, sure to impress game fans and collectors alike.
In October 2017, the reluctant hero became one Tough Mudder, teaming up with the world’s best mud run to ‘get strong’ and be ‘strong to the finish.’ Popeye the Sailorman branding popped at flagship Australian Tough Mudder events in Melbourne and Sydney.
In late January 2018, street wear label Lazy Oaf partnered with Betty Boop in a streetwear collection for women and men, that consists of 15 pieces, inspired by the original 1930’s cartoons, vintage memorabilia and the very best artwork from an extensive Betty Boop archive.
More than 25,000 participants were met in the mud by Popeye the Sailorman via a three-month, health-focused integrated campaign across online, including a dedicated training microsite, obstacle course branding and social media platforms.
Gemma Shiel from Lazy Oaf was inspired by Betty as an icon, sexy, sassy empowering and essentially street smart.
Betty Boop to star on Project Runway
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ICONS & LEGENDS
Popeye is a Tough Mudder Since his first appearance back in 1929, Popeye the Sailorman has gone from muscular strength to strength and evolved into a symbol of masculinity, strength and independence.
Betty Boop will appear for the first time in colour on the runway, at this year’s Project Runway All-stars 2018 reality TV series, for a special Betty Boop fashion challenge in the show.
Snugglepot & Cuddlepie celebrate 100 years
Quintessentially Australian, the delightful tales and bush fantasy world of May Gibbs have been a source of fascination for generations of Australian children. In 2018, her most famous creations Snugglepot and Cuddlepie turn 100 years old.
Project Runway All-Stars is now airing on Lifetime in the US and will air Internationally in the next couple of months, including Australia.
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA The 2018 centenary promises to be the year of May Gibbs, encompassing major events and new product releases.
The new products releases will complement the existing range of product inclu ding classic wooden toys from Make Me Iconic and premium organic baby skincare from Bubba Organics. With a highly engaged and growing social community along with the May Gibbs brand website and recently launched May Gibbs Official Online Store, the brand continues to cement its place as an iconic Australian brand that stand the test of time.
Enid Blyton adored by fans young and old
Kicking off with an encore release of the sell-out May Gibbs x Kip&Co collection, during the centenary year fans will be treated to a commemorative edition release of The Complete Adventures of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie from HarperCollins Children’s Books, along with several new May Gibbs inspired story books from Scholastic Australia. Collectibles will include stamps and coins, with homewares and apparel collections keeping the many fans smiling.
The tongue-in-cheek products appeal to grown-up fans, including humorous gift cards from Danilo and puzzles from Gibsons. With titles such as ‘Five Take a Selfie’ and ‘Five Give Up the Booze’ the products have proven a smash hit. A collection of adult games and mini puzzles from Lagoon launches at Spring Fair in the UK, adding further opportunities to tap into the nostalgic audience of Enid Blyton fans.
96 years after her first book was published, the legendary Enid Blyton still sells two million books per year and remains Australia’s 3rd bestselling children’s author. Following the success of Hachette’s Enid Blyton for Grown-Ups book series, a range of stationery and gift products have launched in the UK.
In Feb 2018, News Ltd released its Classic Enid Blyton Collection across all its mastheads, with 15 great titles to collect for $3.00 each when you purchased with a newspaper. Further ranges of stationery, gift and food products will all hit retail shelves this year.
For more information or to discuss your licensing opportunities in Australia and New Zealand, contact: info@merchantwise.com +61 (0) 3 9520 1000 www.merchantwise.com TLA 21
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HOWARD ROBINSON ‘SELFIES’ ‘Selfies’ is the simple concept of adorable images of the animals and pets we all love joining into the worldwide craze for taking selfies. Realistically accurate Selfies then appeal to all ages and peoples worldwide and with many incredibly varied products published so far ranging from surfboards to baby grows and pet products to mobile applications. A winner in the Independent Toy Awards 2016 and a finalist in the LIMA International Licensing Awards 2017, Selfies has been an amazing success for Howard working alone from his home studio taking care of everything from concept to artwork creation and licensing. With currently 68 licensing partners across the UK, USA, Canada, Russia, Poland, France, Germany, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Turkey, Hong Kong & China producing 1000+ sku’s across 122 products for Tourist destinations, National Parks, Zoos & Aquar-
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iums, Independent gift and stationery stores and gaining mass market placements in Wal-Mart, TRU, Staples, Target, Meijer, Aldi, Office Depot, Carrefour, Asda, Samsung app store. Selfies has recently expanded into several new categories and territories. In digital media collaboration with Butterfly-effected GmbH for a unique mobile application has resulted in a large range of Selfie themes exclusive to Samsung. In addition, 1616 Media will soon be launching a new and unique range of Weavyword digital greetings. In home wares and soft furnishings Brumlow Mills using a new innovative printing process will produce a range of accent rugs and carpets. Klaus
Herding GmbH launching a large range of Selfies designs for bedding and cushions. ‘The Mountain’ in the United States after achieving impressive sales of Selfies T Shirts have now expanded into many new products including blankets, throws, cushions, tote bags and pet beds, also in the US Trademark Global have licensed a large range of designs for box canvas and metal prints. Reinders for posters and Karto Finland for office stationery and calendars are other new signings. Highlights have been the continued growth of the best in class worldwide lenticular 3D range with Prime 3D producing over 120 stationery and gift items and for the second year running over one million Selfie Puzzles being sold by various clients worldwide. The demand has been such that Howard has now appointed licensing agent Ramon Go to represent the Selfies in China, South Korea, Philippines and Indonesia. Looking towards Asia and Australia in 2018 it already promises to be an exiting time for the Selfies brand with the launch in April of a new junior Selfies range at Licensing Expo Japan and most exciting is that plans have been drawn and permits granted so that the groundwork is starting on a new Selfie Beach Resort in the Philippines.
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UNIVERSAL BRAND DEVELOPMENT Content slate continues to grow with fresh and relevant franchises for kids and adults Universal Brand Development continues to drive expansion of its international business including the recent announcement of a direct local Australian and New Zealand team; led by Jo Pascoe, Country Director. The new local team is part of a strategic shift to direct management of the Consumer Products business and an overall initiative to build global franchises across the rapidly growing content slate from creative engines; Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment and DreamWorks Animation.
Jo Pascoe, Country Director of Consumer Products, Australia and New Zealand of Universal Brand Development is excited for future. Pascoe said, “This is a very exciting time at Universal Consumer Products Australia and New Zealand. We have quickly galvanised an incredibly talented group of individuals, who are committed to ensuring our local office delivers on being locally relevant, who are specialist across category, marketing and creative and who are passionate about building a culture that is uniquely Universal. When you pair this team with our rapidly growing content slate, the opportunities are endless.�
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Twenty five years ago Jurassic Park captured the imaginations of global audiences and transported fans to a world where dinosaurs roamed the earth. In 2018, the wonder, thrill and adventure returns as Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom makes its highly anticipated debut in local theatres 21 June 2018. This blockbuster release will be supported by a 365-day-a-year program, the Jurassic World franchise includes multiple touch points for fans to engage with the brand, including live entertainment through our partner Showtime Attractions, gaming and digital content, as well as best-in-class, multi-category toy lines from global partners Mattel and LEGO along with lifestyle collections and apparel from DesignWorks.
In conjunction with the LEGO Group, we recently announced the launch of our largest Jurassic World partnership to date, offering an expanded line of construction sets, allnew animated content, and, for the first time ever, a lifestyle collection.
Universal is building upon the success of LEGO Jurassic World, with the debut of construction sets that span every LEGO age category, as well as two all-new, animated videos, and a collection of soft lines and publishing to reach audiences beyond the toy aisle.
to a spin-off in July 2019, as well as the debut of the 9th chapter of Fast & Furious in April 2020. A graphic lifestyle universe has been designed to develop a relevant product offering that will meet the fans’ demand. Additional media content is in development to build the franchise amongst our younger fans.
“Fans embraced LEGO Jurassic World with our initial product launch, and we couldn’t wait to come back and give them more of what they love with new ways to play and new opportunities to interact with the brand,” said Vince Klaseus, President of Universal Brand Development. “The expansion of our partnership reflects Universal’s objective to create lifestyle programs and engaging fan experiences that reach every age category, 365 days-ayear.” More than ever, Jurassic World is THE one and only, definitive, dinosaur brand.
Almost 20 years after its creation, Fast & Furious continues to set boxoffice records worldwide. On the theatrical front, fans can look forward
From E.T. to Back To The Future, Universal has established a portfolio of iconic movies, which contribute highly to cinema history. Jaws, Steven Spielberg’s first major commercial success has frightened generations. Beyond those pop culture
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA phenomena, Universal has also pioneered horror movie creations. The first movie of its kind, The Phantom of the Opera, was created in 1925. The legacy of Dracula, Frankenstein or even the Invisible Man has passed through generations. The fascination for such characters continue to thrive, so that today monsters and other iconic heroes of the U-Vault catalog are trendier than ever! From the creative team at Illumination in collaboration with Universal Pictures comes a newly imagined version of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the title role of The Grinch, in local theatres 29 November 2018. Our seasonal offering in Consumer Products will launch in Q4 2018 and will be driven by our key partners Just Play (distributed by The Brand Exchange), Caprice, Bensons Showbags, Park Avenue and more.
Following Illumination and Universal Pictures’ Despicable Me 3’s record-setting global theatrical debut, Illumination’s Despicable Me has become the world’s largest animated franchise ever, surpassing the billion dollar bar at the global box-office. The franchise’s theatrical releases have generated over $124M at the Australian box office. While fans eagerly await the release of Minions 2 in June 2020, locally we will continue to drive Minions madness as part of all cultural conversations through partnerships and seasonal product promotions at Halloween and Christmas. Our social content will continue to flow, reaching our 58M fans across all platforms. Illumination’s Minions, with their sweet and subversive nature, continue to win over the hearts of the public, especially that of teens and young adults.
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Throughout 2018, DreamWorks’ Trolls will be celebrating Hugs & Happiness with a year-long campaign, that kicked off on World Hug Day, 21 January 2018. Locally we reached over 500,000 consumers across Australia including a TV appearance, media and influencer morning tea event and character appearances at selected Toys”R”Us stores. We will continue the DreamWorks Trolls music and dance party at key events including the Sydney Easter Show and a Coronation Party for our Queen Poppy. Global master partner Hasbro will continue to expand the breadth and scope of its consumer products program.
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Additionally, Poppy, Branch and the Troll Village are back in an all-new 2D animated series, DreamWorks Trolls The Beat Goes On!, which debuted on Netflix this January. Picking up where the film left off, DreamWorks Trolls The Beat Goes On!, is an all-new chapter in the Trolls hair-raising adventures. This fresh new content will be released quarterly until end 2019 and debut on Free-to-Air which builds our audience for the highly anticipated Trolls 2, set to premiere in in local theatres in April 2020.
The DreamWorks Dragons franchise continues to expand its audience with the launch of DreamWorks Dragons: Race to the Edge debuting on ABC ME last month, airing 5:40pm weekdays in addition to the new content currently streaming on Netflix. Fans are eagerly awaiting the release of DreamWorks’ How To Train Your Dragon 3 in local theatres 28 March 2019! The previous two movies performed exceptionally and grossed $47M at the local box-office. We are working closely with our global partners Spin Master and Playmobil for the third instalment of this franchise.
From the DreamWorks Animation Television portfolio, Universal will showcase a programming line-up that offers something for everyone. ABC ME launched the highly acclaimed Television series: DreamWorks Voltron Legendary Defender in January 2018 airing twice a week. New content will continue to be stream quarterly on Netflix until end 2019 and our global partner Playmates (distributed by HeadStart) will launch toys trade wide from March.
DreamWorks Spirit: Riding Free combines all the attributes of success: a sense of adventure and friendship, some strong family bonds, a heroine bursting with freedom and courage‌ and horses galloping freely in the wide open fields of the Wild West. We follow the adventures of Lucky, a fearless 12-year-old girl, as she creates a symbiotic tie with a mustang called Spirit. New content continues to stream quarterly on Netflix until end 2019, we will launch on Freeto-Air and short-form content is available on our YouTube channel DreamWorks TV. Our toy partner Just Play (distributed by The Brand Exchange) launched limited toys last Christmas which flew off shelves and are gearing up for a trade wide release in June.
Get in touch with us: UniversalBrandDevelopment_ANZ@nbcuni.com
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NEW LICENSES FOR SOPHIE Deliso report that Sophie la girafe now has six partners in Australia covering categories including publishing, sunglasses, awakening toys and more. In addition, baby clothing will arrive in Australia for spring/summer 2018 collection thanks to the new partner Smafolk, joining the French, US and Japan collection. Sophie la girafe has partnered with Eyetribe in Australia over the last couple of years to develop ranges of protective baby sunglasses. Publishing is also well established in Australia with around 25 of the Sophie la giraffe titles sold in the territory thanks to publishing partner DK. There is also a long-term partnership with French company Trousselier for nightlight and music boxes which are now available in Australia. The launch of the Sophie la girafe web series in October 2017 was as a result of a growing demand from parents for quality content for younger children. Comprising fifteen episodes and five nursery rhymes, each episode lasts for three minutes and is
set to launch in English as well as French shortly. Sophie was created 57 years ago and has sold more than 55 million products since. The toy is still traditionally produced and product has been sold in more than 85 countries. DeLiSo was founded in 2011, following consumers demands for SLG products. The DeLiSo office is located in Vulli’s factory, in France, where Sophie is still made.
BORN LICENSING GROWS Australian made David Born is celebrating continued growth of his licensing agency Born Licensing, which focuses on the use of licensed properties in advertising campaigns. In the last 12 months Born Licensing has worked on advertising campaigns for major companies such as MoneySuperMarket.com, Facebook, Instagram, Boost Power, T-Mobile, Comic Relief, Tesco, KFC and BT Infinity. Most recently Born Licensing worked with new UK pay-as-you-go energy provider Boost to develop ‘Boost Lee’, a character inspired by martial arts legend Bruce Lee. The firm has just celebrated their first campaign in India with Facebook. India joins the list of markets that ad campaigns have launched in, including UK, Australia, USA, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands and Italy. In late 2017 David appointed Naomi Smith as Licensing Coordinator. Naomi was introduced to the licensing world during a 12-month internship at Mattel UK.
HASBRO MAGAZINES FROM SIGNATURE PUBLISHING Signature Publishing currently distributes four magazines in Australia and New Zealand, under license from Hasbro, via Seymour International and distributed by Gordon and Gotch.Titles include the global franchise brands of My Little Pony, My Little Pony Equestrian Girls, Littlest Pet Shop and Transformers. Without the need to translate editorial, and minimal differences in toy testing and regulations for the cover mounts, all of these titles are UK versions, which are adapted and exported from the UK. This, with strong brand awareness and content created from the rich assets and backstory, produces strong sales despite the higher cover prices when compared to the locally published magazines. In addition to the quality of the magazine packages, investment has also been a key element in Signature’s success and in 2017 this included air-freighting three issues of My Little Pony magazine to ANZ, to ensure the on sale dates
of the special issues produced for My Little Pony The Movie coincided with the film launch and the Christmas special hit the shelves for the peak holiday period in December. Alongside this the magazine was promoted on video walls at WH Smith Travel outlets, along with promotional pockets, while posters were produced for independent newsagents, with a competition for the best display by a retailer in New Zealand.
NEW WAVE OF COLORIFIC PRODUCT
Colorific, the Melbourne-based developer of children’s products, released the second wave of its successful Build-a-Bot brand. The second wave features three new variations of robots and is now available at Walmart. Build-a-Bot Series 1 launched in 2017
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with three variations in over 40 countries. It was Colorific’s first introduction to youth electronics, following the company’s decision to rebrand itself into a progressive and modern toy developer. “We’re thrilled to release this second
wave after a huge demand for more and different versions of the Build-aBots,” said Mark Levi, Managing Director, Colorific. “Our aim is to continue to grow this brand by bringing out new bots to excite loyal fans and bring on new fans.”
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Total Licensing Australia talked to Tom Punch and Yvonne King at Haven to see what’s in-store for 2018 and why they’re so excited for the year ahead.
Haven - What’s in Store for 2018! “We’re set for a bumper 2018, there’s so much going on across our portfolio! We’ve got brands that are super-hot right now, everything across the spectrum from infants to kids and young adults... to brands that speak to them all. We’re seeing much enthusiasm from our retail partners, who have put their backs into licensing again, and we’re pumped for a big year. We have major partnerships rolling out with our mass partners Target, Kmart, BigW and Best & Less, as well as exciting new developments in Specialty with some of our amazing trend-setting retail partners like Peter Alexander, Cotton On, Jay Jays, EB Games and Zing. As always, there’s a heap of confidential discussions underway so we haven’t been able to cover all of our wonderful brands in this feature… so stay tuned as we put out a steady stream of big news stories throughout the year.
First up, we’re incredibly proud to have been welcomed into the wonderful world of Seussville, representing the phenomenal Dr. Seuss portfolio. With well over 650 million books sold worldwide, and more Dr. Seuss books sold here per capita than anywhere else in the world, we know we’re onto a good thing! 2018 will see us launch our brand extension program here, partnering with Qantas, Jay Jays, Peter Alexander, Showtime (showbags) and more. We’re strategically developing our programs based around iconic characters to tie-in with seasonal events throughout the year, such as The Grinch at Christmas and the Lo-
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rax for Earth Day. With treasured classics like The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, Fox in Socks and so many more, Dr. Seuss is a brand with endless possibilities for products and promotions that speak to multiple demographics. In the girl’s space we’re right on top,
with MGA’s L.O.L Surprise kicking off 2018 as the #1 girls doll brand here in Oz YTD with a whopping 20% market share (NPD). Local distributor Headstart is predicting to double last year’s sales to reach a staggering $70 million at retail in 2018! At #1 in the US and other key territories, this one is a global powerhouse and MGA is expecting to triple its retail sales in 2018. The global roll-out into softlines and other key categories is happening now and we are excited to be one of the first territories to have product hitting shelves to meet the incredible demand from little L.O.L. fans. Our retail partners are jumping on board in a big way. Apparel has launched at mass and the initial sales reads are matching the toys. We’ve expanded our local partnership with Caprice across softlines and bedding, showbags are launching for March and we’ll have outdoor and wheeled toys in the market for toy catalogues. Hatchimals is the other big winner for us in the girl’s space. It launched in October 2016 and sparked a global craze of mums everywhere trying to get their hands on one! Spinmaster’s special Surprise Hatchimal achieved #1 dollar ranking property in the plush category in the US, and #1 special feature plush here in Oz (Feb to Nov 2017 NPD) and there is a huge buzz around the Hatchimals Colleggtibles range with
Spinmaster producing a mind-boggling 6 million Colleggtibles every week! Off the back of a 30+ strong licensee network in North America and major support from Target, Walmart and Toys R Us we are rolling out our consumer products program here in 2018. With full mass retail support here for the toys, we plan on having a lot of fun with this one. We have apparel hitting shelves now, Bensons is urgently airfreighting showbag stock to hit their big Brisbane royal show in August and we’re working on everything from bath and body, to confectionery and more. All little girls loooove to dance, and the hit show The Next Step continues to fire here in Oz. We’ve got key strategic retail partnerships in place with BigW and Best & Less, with apparel, sleepwear and accessories ranges that are hitting the mark with Aussie Steppers. This one reaches a huge audience with prime broadcast across ABC ME and Disney Channel, a non-stop global touring schedule and heaps of activity across social media. It’s got a seriously engaged, dance mad fan base and is ripe for category extension as we look to 2018 and beyond. Later this month we’ll be saving the world before bedtime with the launch of our first Powerpuff Girls sleepwear collaboration with Peter Alexander in conjunction with the brand’s 20th anniversary. Kicking off with a pink carpet exclusive launch event, the collection of sleepwear and accessories exudes sugar, spice and everything nice… and we know that long-time fans will snap it up. The launch starts the exciting roll-out of new episodes from Cartoon Network and is the launch pad for our expansion into new categories and retailers.
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA At Haven we have fantastic stable of classic brands, and we relish the challenge that comes with having to deliver break-through ideas for brand extension to fuel retail and consumer demand. 2017 saw us proudly reintroducing Sesame Street toys to the market with Headstart. The Tickle Me Elmo plush exclusive with BigW was the #1 selling plush over the key toy catalogue period and Headstart has invested heavily to create a gorgeous 26-sku range. The success of the plush and Ooshies ranges has sparked our
brand extension into new categories and retailers and we’re seeing big wins with a brand that reaches over half a million preschoolers here every day. We’ve just rolled-out a major back to school stationery range with feature point of sale in Australia Post and our collaboration with BabyLove nappies reengaged new mums to the brand. 2017 was also a catalyst year for the Mr. Men Little Miss brand, with the launch of new adult book titles including Mr. Happy and the Office Party, Little Miss Shy Goes Online Dating and Little Miss Busy Surviving Motherhood! We’re now working with licensees on delivering an adult range of merchandise. We’ve seen great success with Target, with our range of infant and kids personality tees a sell-out and some fun collabs with the likes of Subway and Sylvia P, delivering personalized ranges of kids gymnastic gear which were met with massive online and social media fanfare. We’ve partnered with Showtime to manage activations and meet & greets and will be continuing to add new partners to deliver new categories and promotions throughout 2018. Hello Kitty is also hot for 2018, with a recent sell-out collab with ASOS sparking massive interest here locally. Our program is about to explode
with the likes of Cotton On, Supre, MYER, Target, BigW and more onboard and embracing the Hello Kitty craze fueled by the success of ASOS, Lazy Oath, Urban Outfitters, Fila and PUMA. We’ve launched the Hello Kitty Gang (featuring her hot network of fans and bloggers across the cool and creative worlds of fashion and street style), headed up by hot Oz fashion influencers Tara Milk and Kate Hannah, which reached over 1.5 million people. With Hello Kitty back at the forefront of fashion, we’re seeing success across many and varied categories, from cafés to cosmetics and confectionery, apparel, footwear, swimwear and more. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is another super evergreen for Haven. 2017 was huge, with our stellar partnership with BigW delivering eat your heart out infant ranges. The full scale partnership delivered multiple range drops across infant unisex, girls and boys apparel and sleepwear, with robust marketing including catalogue features out to more than 5 million homes. We also saw massive success with the Very Hungry Caterpillar puppet stage show breaking the rules to open at the Sydney Opera House, with ticket sales of over $1.5 million to date! Our Boost Juice promotion rolled-out in December, across 400 stores and 7 countries with 4 fun collectible kids drink cups and we have more healthy food and beverage partnerships in the pipeline. It’s an exciting time as we look ahead to 2019 and celebrating the brand’s 50th anniversary... there’s plenty in the pipeline and lots of scope for new partners to join us. And to round things off, we’re seeing break through results in the specialty market with youth fashion retailer Jay
Jays where we are currently the #1 men’s licensed brand with Cartoon Network’s Rick & Morty AND the #1 in ladies with Pusheen. Rick & Morty sales are through the roof, at Christmas it was their #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 and #6 best-selling tees in the entire chain nationwide with the brand dominating 45% of their men’s apparel business! Jay Jays is an incredible partner and has jumped all-in driving 3 key areas across product expansion (including into women’s apparel and accessories), fabulous instore execution and window displays, a massive in-store presence and creative tie-ins with both Jay Jays and Cartoon Network’s own social media. Pusheen came out of left field to dominate as the #1 ladies’ license at Jay Jays, with a massive range of outerwear and accessories cementing its destination status for Aussie fans. We’ve also seen big success into new categories - our range of sleepwear with Supre sold-
out in just 2 weeks and we’ve quickly grown the gifting and stationery category to have a presence in over 200 independents nationwide. 2018 will see us grow this white-hot brand, with an exciting new fashion collab to be announced very soon, the launch of homewares and footwear and a showbag to launch at the upcoming Melbourne royal show. So it’s a busy year ahead, which is just how we like it. And this is all on top of our wonderful Nickelodeon business which is featured separately in this issue. It really is so hard to try to summarise into a few paragraphs the incredible amount of work the team here at Haven puts into each and every one of our brands and partners. There are so many exciting things in the pipeline that are hush hush right now, so we’ll look forward to sharing more with you soon… when our licensors won’t shoot us for jumping the gun!”
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PROFILE
FROM BABIES AND PETS TO HOUSE RENOVATION AND A MUSIC BAND! Grahame Grassby is working on three key properties this year including The Diary Apps which comprise The Baby Diaries and The Pet Diaries together with Proflipped home renovation training course and Rapid Reno Mate app. In addition, Grassby is working on the 10th Anniversary of Lah-Lah which takes place this year. The Pet Diaries app is a free app that allows pet owners to keep track
tisers direct access to pet owners and will work with leading pet care services, retailers of pet products, publishers of pet books and magazines and pet insurance providers to offer their goods and services directly to the owners of pets. The Pet Diaries app is the sister app to The Baby Diaries app that has been licensed exclusively in Australia to TerryWhite Chemmart, Australia’s largest pharmacy group. The Baby Diaries app allows mothers and carers to keep track of their baby’s daily routine, milestones, memories, growth, medications and photos thus creating a permanent digital baby book of their early years. Both The Baby Diaries app and The Pet Diaries app are being launched into international markets and will provide advertisers direct access respectively to mothers of babies and
of their pet’s lives by tracking their vet appointments, medications, exercise, location, growth and nutrition across their pet’s various life stages. The app will allow pet owners to upload photos of their pets creating a permanent digital pet book of their lives whilst at the same time boosting their pet’s health outcomes. The Pet Diaries app will offer adver-
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owners of pets. Stella has licensed the Baby Diaries App in Australia to a pharmacy chain called TerryWhite Chemmart and will seek similar licensed partnerships in other territories. The Pet Diaries will be licensed to suppliers of pet goods and services across the pet industry. Both apps are or will be free to download from iTunes and Google Play. Proflipped is a professional training package designed to teach people how to successfully renovate houses for profit. The Proflipped home renovation training package has been created by Naomi Findlay, one of the world’s leading experts on renovating houses for profit and is based on the successful training courses she manages in Australia. Proflipped is designed to be licensed to people outside of Australia who
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want to manage their own home renovation training businesses and who need a complete training package containing all of the resources needed to teach people to successfully renovate houses for profit.
on Australia Day at Tumbalong Park in Sydney’s Darling Harbour. In January the other huge news for Lah-Lah has been the broadcast launch of the Lah-Lah’s Adventures music vid-
eo clips across the Unites States children’s TV channel Universal Kids. The Lah-Lah’s Adventures TV series is also being broadcast by Virgin Media in the UK, Knowledge Network and BBC Kids in Canada and on ABC KIDS in Australia. In March this year Lah-Lah will commence their 10th Birthday Party national tour and will be touring to all states around Australia. In April, the Australian Children’s Television Foundation will be launching an in-school music learning course using the assets of the Lah-Lah’s Adventures TV series and featuring Lah-Lah and Buzz the Bandleader as teachers of the music course for primary school children. Sony Music will be releasing a new Lah-Lah music CD to coincide with the national tour and Alfaberry has been licensed to release a range of Lah-Lah inspired clothing to be sold online. Without doubt, 2018 will be a great 10th Birthday Party for Lah-Lah’s Big Live Band.
The Rapid Reno Mate app is a free app being launched in March 2018 and will allow home renovators to keep track of their renovation data, costs and timelines and will give them direct access to some of the best renovation products in the market. In Australia the Rapid Reno Mate app is being launched with a number of exclusive tier 1 advertising partners including Beaumont Tiles, Bristol Paints and Carpet Court carpets. The Rapid Reno Mate app will be launched in other international markets and similar marquee suppliers of renovation products will be sought to advertise their products exclusively to home renovators using the Rapid Reno Mate app. Finally, Lah-Lah is a favourite music band for the under 7s and in 2018 the band are celebrating their 10th anniversary. The year has already started with a big bang with Lah-Lah performing before The Wiggles at two sold out concerts
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Kids Around the Globe... Noah, 5 and Patrick, 2 live in Ocean Grove, Melbourne. Their Dad, Aaron, answered some questions on their likes and dislikes, how they access content, what their awareness of licensed products is, and what influence their peers and TV shows have on their preferences for toys. Halfway across the world, we asked Ashley, mum to Darcie, 5, and Imogen, 2, who live in Kent in the UK, the same questions, to see how children across the globe differ – and what similarities they share. Aaron on Noah and Patrick: What is Noah’s absolute favourite thing to watch on TV? Rusty Rivots or Paw Patrol - he loves them both at the moment And what about Patrick? Peppa Pig and Puppy Dog Pals (we can now recite every episode of Peppa Pig.) And are there some shows that they watch together - or that you all like to watch as a family? They both like watching Paw Patrol and Puppy Dog Pals together as a family - to watch something together can be challenging but if we do it is generally a family-based movie like Finding Dory. Would you say they access their content more via traditional TV, or are they watching on iPhone and iPads as well? They access through the TV and also through the IPads - they know their way around iPads better than us. Is Noah very tech savvy - and has this also filtered down to Patrick? Noah is very tech savvy. We have never sat down and shown him how to do things. He is self-taught and
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most definitely it has filtered down to Patrick. Patrick is able to find shows etc without an issue. In terms of phones and tablets, do they know how to access and even download apps, and how does this differ in their ages? They both now how to get to the App Store as nearly every program has a link to the App Store but neither of them actually know how to do it they both are locked down so they can’t purchase! Toys! If you are out shopping, what sort of toy would Noah be likely to ask for, and what would Patrick? Noah will pretty much grab anything or ask for anything, he will generally though ask for a toy related to what he is watching like Rusty Rivots etc. Patrick will always want Peppa Pug other things don’t really bother him unless Noah says something about it, then Patrick will want it. Together they also tend to go for toys like a water play set. Do you find they have a preference for technology over traditional toys, or is it a bit of a mix? Noah still loves the traditional toy, that is certainly what he prefers. Noah is now at school - how have you noticed his friends influencing his choice of TV, toys, tastes? All the kids seem to be liking the same thing and then the other follows - it is a massive trending thing if it’s popular and the others kids have it, they all have it. Noah is very plain with his tastes and so are his friends just not adventurous at all. And what about Patrick? Patrick is still I dependent with his
choices for TV and toy. As for tastes, if it can be eaten he will eat it! Do you notice that they steer towards ‘boys toys’ organically, or are they just as happy using their imagination with all toys? Generally they will steer towards boys toys although at times they both will play with dolls, etc. And again, because Noah has more peers, do you notice a difference in this? No not at all. As parents - what are YOUR favourite things for them to watch, and do you have a preference for educational programs over entertainment, or a nice balance? You have to have balance - there is a show here called Play Slong with Sam which is a mixture of song, dance, learning and then a cartoon it is a very very good mix. When you go to the supermarket, do they ask for things that they see in the aisles, e.g., Thomas the Tank engine drinks, or Peppa Pig sweets, because of the character they recognise? All the bloody time! We know it’s the same product as the plain package one but “it tastes different dad, it has Peppa Pig on it”. It is such a marketing idea that works! And lastly, again as parents, how do you think their childhood is different to yours e.g., the many more options of content they have, the huge choice of characters, toys, or do you fundamentally think children are always the same and they might be using iPhones but the way they
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Ashley on Darcie and Imogen: What is Darcie’s absolute favourite thing to watch on TV? Films wise she loves Trolls and Shrek. Netflix has just released a Troll series she loves. She also loves Lego Elves! And what about Imogen? Imogen loves Frozen and Minions. TV-wise she likes Peppa Pig and Peter Rabbit. And are there some shows that they watch together - or that you all like to watch as a family? They both like Trolls mini series and Minions. As a family we watch more films than tv shows but TV wise we watch things like the Crystal Maze and GBBO (Great British Bake Off) which Darcie claims to enjoy!! Would you say they access their content more via traditional TV, or are they watching on iPhone and iPads as well? They watch on TV at home but they also access on my phone and iPad very regularly! My phone is used by Imogen when we are out Is Darcie very tech savvy - and has this also filtered down to Imogen? Yes, they are both swiping screens and using remotes etc!
In terms of phones and tablets, do they know how to access and even download apps, and how does this differ in their ages? Darcie does - she will use apps (although she doesn’t download). Imogen will access apps but that’s about as far as it goes Toys! If you are out shopping, what sort of toy would Darcie be likely to ask for, and what would Imogen? They are both obsessed with Kinder eggs and surprise egg toys. Darcie is more likely to ask for a puzzle, craft or a dvd whereas Imogen will go for soft toys or baby dolls. Do you find they have a preference for technology over traditional toys, or is it a bit of a mix? We limit screen time so it’s a massive treat to have the iPad! Given the choice I think they would still go for traditional toys if we allowed them more screen time with the iPad Darcie is at school - how have you noticed her friends influencing her choice of TV, toys, tastes? No - she is very independent with that and has firm likes and dislikes. I have noticed they will play alongside each other in their own games if their friends refuse to play the game they want. And what about Imogen? No - Imogen isn’t really influenced yet. Do you notice that they steer towards ‘girls toys’ organically, or are they just as happy using their imagination with all toys? They both go more towards girls toys Because Darcie has more peers, do you notice a difference in this? I think that Darcie’s peers are generally more girly, as she has befriended the girls! But the boys will also play with crafts and puzzles.
As parents - what are YOUR favourite things for them to watch, and do you have a preference for educational programs over entertainment, or a nice balance? I like a balance! I would prefer them
to watch CBeebies over Lego Elves for example, as it is more educational, but they are very stubborn and watch what they want on the whole! When you go to the supermarket, do they ask for things that they see in the aisles, e.g., Thomas the Tank drinks, or Peppa Pig sweets, because of the character they recognise? Yes - regularly! And lastly, again as parents, how do you think their childhood is different to yours e.g., the many more options of content they have, the huge choice of characters, toys, or do you fundamentally think children are always the same and they might be using iPhones but the way they use their imaginations is the same? When they are playing, they rough and tumble and play mums and dads etc. I think that on the whole at this age they are having a similar childhood in that way. However there is a much greater exposure to the Internet and technology and this is reflected in how tech savvy they are. I used to love playing on our computer but Darcie has more use of the iPad than I was allowed to have. Also we only had children’s TV for a couple of hours a day whereas its on tap for them!
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use their imaginations is the same? We try to limit the use of technology that they have. They both have very vivid imaginations and will play together using their imaginations all the time. For extended periods they are both active and want to be outside playing, which is very similar to our childhood. We try to give them a simple balance They are very similar to how we grew up just with the added extra of the technology part on iPads etc.
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BREYER HORSES
Developing in the Australian marketplace
Who would think that children and adults alike, could make such a connection with a model? Breyer allows their owners to realistically dream and learn simultaneously and Breyer Australia is working to inspire and build on the collectability and creative play elements that Breyer Horses are renown for around the world. Breyer works with film studios and models some of the most famous horses in the world from Olympic Champions to TV icons like Spirit. They are in negotiations to bring more licensed product into Australia and produce some more uniquely iconic Australian models, such as their first effort with Black Caviar. Breyer Animal Creations began as the Breyer Molding Company, a Chicago,
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Illinois-based plastics manufacturing company. Its first model horse, the # 57 Western Horse, made its appearance in 1950. It was a special order for the F.W. Woolworth Company, made to adorn a mantelpiece clock. The company was then flooded with requests from people who saw it and wanted to know if they could purchase just the horse! By accepting that one order, the Breyer Molding Company had changed the focus of its business and compa-
ny direction forever! Reeves International, Inc is a New Jersey corporation with offices in Pequannock and Wayne, New Jersey. Reeves was founded by Swiss entrepreneur Werner J. Fleischmann in 1946. Reeves entered the toy industry as the U.S. distributor of fine European toys and collectibles to the “carriage trade,” that is, toy specialty stores and fine department stores.Top brands such as Stieff, Corgi and Britains were staples of the Reeves International portfolio. Through these brands, Reeves earned an outstanding reputation for sales and distribution. From 1946 through the 1970s, Reeves became one of the nation’s top distributors, operating from its showroom in New York City with a nationwide sales force. And, in 1998, Anthony Fleischmann, purchased Reeves International, Inc. outright from his father Werner Fleischmann. Today, Reeves International is still privately held. In the 1970s, along with the globalization of the toy and collectibles industry, Reeves began to modify its business strategy to shift from sales and distribution to manufacturing proprietary brands.With that goal, Reeves began to acquire manufacturing companies. Reeves International acquired the Breyer Animal Creations brand in 1984 and has gradually completed the transition from distributor to a man-
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA ufacturing and marketing company in the last 20 years. Reeves International also owns The Big Dig. The Breyer Animal Creations brand is Reeves International’s largest line. Today, under the Reeves International umbrella, Breyer manufactures plastic, porcelain, and resin model horses, animals and accessories for play and collecting. Breyer model horses, which begin as artist’s sculptures, are all handcrafted and hand-painted with airbrushes and paintbrushes. Approximately 20 different artisans handle each individual Breyer model from start to finish – a process, which, 62 years later, is still done by human hands, not machines. Even today, no two Breyer model horses are ever exactly alike! Reeves’ Breyer Animal Creations brand dominates the model horse market in volume, sales, distrbution, innovation, and quality. The company’s products are carried in specialty toy stores, tack shops, agricultural stores and agricultural specialists like Wheatbelt, Tractor Supply, Midstates and Purina Mills, as well as at toy chain retailer, Toys R Us. Breyer brings approximately 300 unique horses, animals and accessories to market each year. Created in unique sizes and packaged into distinct lines from the upmarket Breyer Gallery of porcelains and resins to the cuddliest Plush ponies, Breyer is best known for the realism and authenticity of its model horses. Breyer has also expanded its line to include jewelry, casual clothing and other equestrian-themed products. In total, Breyer manufactures and ships approximately 5 million model horses each year, including Special Editions and tack and accessories. The company has a strong collector base for which it published an annual collector publication Just About Horses (JAH), has an online Collector Club, and hosts BreyerFest, the world’s largest model horse collector and equine festival each year. Starting in 1998 with the release of Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer, Breyer has become Hollywood’s “go-to” company for horse films. Brey-
er has made the official model horse of Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Seabiscuit, Dreamer, Flicka and more. With other licensing alliances including Scholastic, Macmillan Children’s Publishing,WNET’s NATURE and now Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse, the magic of the Breyer brand continues to grow each year. The brand creates tribute models to real life equestrian super stars, such as race horses like Black Caviar and Olympic medal winners like Valegro. These are perfected
down to the tiniest detail, including face and leg markings. Bringing the story right up to date, in 2005, Breyer’s parent company Reeves International began to distribute Breyer in the United Kingdom. With the success of its UK expansion, Reeves has gained distribution for Breyer in the following countries: Canada, Russia, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Australia and New Zealand, Mexico, Hungary, Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and South Africa.
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KENNEDY LAUNCH NUM NOMS MAG Following on from the success of the Official Num Noms magazine in the UK, Kennedy Publishing will now be launching the magazine in Australia. Based on the hugely popular MGA collectible toy line, the new monthly 36-page magazine is aimed at children aged 5-9 and is jam-packed with puzzles, colouring and exclusive Num Noms branded gits and stickers. Num Noms are uniquely scented collectable characters which can mixed and matched to make endless scent combinations, and the magazine plays to this with fun recipes, cute crafts and a scented element each issue. Commenting, Kennedy Publishing said, “We are delighted to be working with MGA on the new Num Noms magazine in Australia. The magazine has been a huge success in the UK and we are confident it will enjoy the same popularity amongst Num Noms fans in Australia.”
Kennedy Publishing currently publish over ten standalone character titles under license in Australia including well-known favourites Peter Rabbit, Bob the Builder and Hello Kitty, as well as a large selection of their own successful multi-character magazines.
DENNIS & GNASHER SOLD TO ABC Multimedia powerhouse, Beano Studios, recently announced the first international sale of its hit original series, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed, to ABC Australia. Following a hugely successful UK launch, securing the most watched spot on CBBC in its premiere week, Dennis & Gnasher Unleashed began airing on ABC ME in December. The 26 x 11-minute animation wowed audiences in the UK, securing the top spot as CBBC’s most watched show in its debut week, and has peaked with 259,000 viewers for episode 2. Allison Watkins, EVP Global Consumer Products & TV Distribution at Beano Studios, commented: “This is a hugely important moment for Beano Studios. Following the amazing reaction at Mipcom earlier this year, it is wonderful to welcome ABC to the Beano family as the first International broadcaster to come on board with Dennis and his friends, with further announcements on other key markets to be made shortly. Our amazing group of friends have struck
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a chord with international territories, and we’re confident that global audiences will love Dennis, Gnasher and new friends JJ and Rubi as much as UK audiences have done. It shows there is an audience yearning for fun and mischievous story-telling, where our group of friends are front and centre of all the action.” For the first time, Australian audiences will also be able to find even more adventures from Dennis and friends on beano.com Launching in Australia as website and iOS and Android apps, beano.com is the home of daily videos, games, quizzes and more all housed in a completely safe digital environment tailor-made for 6-12s.
GLOBAL LICENSING NZ TAKE ON SPACE ARCHIVES Licensing Management Intl. (LMI) has appointed Global Licensing NZ Ltd to manage the licensing for International Space Archives for Australia & New Zealand. International Space Archives (ISA) is a vast digital library. The Mission Patches, photos, films and video contained in the archive come from NASA (the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and the international space programs of Russia, Japan, China, India and the European Union. For the first time ever, International Space Archives is bringing together the best of this magnificent still and motion photography into one comprehensive collection for licensing.
KIDDETS SOLD TO ABC AND TVNZ Pukeko Pictures recently confirmed the sale of Kiddets, its sister series to hit animated preschool show ,The WotWots to Australia’s ABC and New Zealand’s TVNZ. Slated to air on both broadcasters later this year, Kiddets expands upon The WotWots franchise with 52 x 11 brand new adventures and sees the introduction of five new WotWot characters - young space cadets in training at a play school space academy on planet WotWot. Aimed at new and existing fans of The WotWots, Kiddets will enjoy a broader audience appeal including older preschool children with each episode demonstrating the positive values of teamwork and the building blocks of true and enduring friendship. The series is co-produced by Pukeko Pictures and Guangdong Huawen Century Animation Company and is the first official children’s television co-production between New Zealand and China. Kiddets has been created by The WotWots’ Creator, Martin Baynton and will be Executive Produced by Richard Taylor.
The Walt Disney Company Australia is gearing up for one of their biggest years to date in 2018, with an action-packed theatrical slate leading to exciting possibilities in consumer products across all four key franchises – Princess, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. The much-anticipated in-cinema releases of Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War, Lucasfilm’s Solo: A Star Wars story and Disney.Pixar’s Incredibles 2, to name a few, will see a whole new range of toys created this year, perfect for technology fans and pop culture enthusiasts.
Jack, reflecting the positive sentiment around the changing gender roles in society. Gender neutral toys will be released to coincide with the film hitting the big screen in mid-June. The iconic characters from Toy Story, especially Woody and Buzz, are the
Living eternally on retail shelves and in little girls’ hearts are the much-loved Disney Princesses, with a new ‘Proud to be a Princess’ campaign to launch this year, with a toy and apparel range to follow, promoting and supporting the value of play for young Australians. Tangled and Moana were some of their strongest performing ranges, affirming young girls’ strong identification with the brave and courageous attributes of these modern-day princesses. Excitement levels are already at an all-time high for Incredibles 2 and Toy Story 4, with the importance of appreciating family and friends a continuing Pixar theme. There’s been a lot of superhero love as of late, especially for Helen (Elastigirl) who will be out saving the world in the upcoming sequel while Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is left to care for Jack-
toys we always wanted, their adventures excited us as kids and bring back feelings of nostalgia as adults. The dynamic pair is expected to revisit our retail shelves in new ways ahead of the theatrical release of Toy Story 4 in mid-2019.
The year of Marvel is here, with all the hype centred around the different Avengers coming together to battle their most powerful enemy yet in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War film. To build up momentum until the film’s release in late April, exciting, new products will be released every hour at the Universe Unites event on Saturday, 3 March, with the opportunity for visitors to get first look at and test the latest technologies. The event will see Marvel’s Cinematic Universe assemble at Federation Square in Melbourne, to celebrate the stories, characters and worlds we know and love in one action-packed afternoon. With the Solo: A Star Wars story film exploring Han Solo and Chewbacca’s adventures before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, toy possibilities will be nothing that Australia has ever seen before – think young Chewy and the original design for the iconic Millennium Falcon. The era in which the film is based will lead to a whole new range of toys that are sure to excite fans of all ages. Meagan Sanders, General Manager of Disney Consumer Products and Retail, said “The toy landscape is ever-changing, and though change comes with its challenges, it’s a really exciting time in this space. “Our busy theatrical slate will provide us a great opportunity to reinvigorate the idea of play, with the creation of never seen before products that position technology at the forefront. “We’re looking forward to capturing Australians’ imagination this year and beyond through play.”
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA By Utku Tansel Euromonitor www.euromonitor.com
THEME PARKS:
Wanda City versus Disneyland As explored in our global briefing of “Experiential Licensing: Consumer Fundamentals Falling into Place”, Disney Shanghai Theme Park in China has been one the world’s most anticipated attractions in recent years, which is also the new “Experiencing is everything” phenomenon fuelled by “The New Consumerism”. Today’s consumers are redefining their values and priorities, leading to the birth of a new consumerism while time has become a luxury in our connected world. The experience trend is impacting across many areas from travel, theme parks and live shows to sports and music. Theme parks themselves have become an increasingly important component of many brand licensing strategies in recent years, as licensors search for new and innovative ways to leverage their property, enhance brand awareness and connect with fans and followers. China’s booming middle class attracts new actors to town Disney’s Shanghai Park opened its doors on 16 June 2016 at a substantial cost of US$5.5 billion, its greatest foreign investment to date targeting the country’s expanding urban middle class and their children. Disney is by far the world’s largest licensor, commanding a very extensive and unmatched
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portfolio of world-famous franchises. China’s theme park industry has grown much more quickly than that of most countries in recent times, and given the country’s size and population it is ripe for further growth. The Chinese spend only a fraction of their Western counterparts per person on theme parks annually.
quite boldly declared war on Disney as he told China National Television: “The days of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck creating a frenzy are over [...] One tiger is no match for a pack of wolves – Shanghai has one Disney, while Wanda, across the nation, will open 15 to 20 Wanda Cities.” This caused considerable controversy.
However, the market potential also comes with its own perhaps rather unique challenges. Just over two weeks before the opening of new Disney park a rival, Wanda City (also dubbed “Anti-Disneyland”), was opened in Nanchang (a city situated an 8-hour drive from Shanghai) by China’s richest man, Wang Jianlin. The new attraction features China’s tallest and longest rollercoasters. Mr Wang
It is entirely possible that some could potentially interpret the move as sheer hypocrisy, as many fake Disney characters from Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Snow White to Captain America and a Stormtrooper have all been spotted at the park. Disney is thought to be taking legal action. One of the unique selling points which local theme parks claim is their ability to cater for local culture and tastes. For example, Wanda City was opened with a ceremony of traditional dancing dragons and its shopping mall was designed to resemble a massive Chinese tea set. However, having copy Disney characters – in poorly designed costumes – to greet guests did little to help or support this argument at this latest local attraction. It could also be argued that controversy around the Disneyland franchise may sometimes surface from rather unlikely places such as the arts. With his Dismaland “bemusement park” pop-up exhibition in the UK, world renowned British graffiti artist and social activist Banksy had a quite sinister and satirical twist on Disneyland. Located in a derelict seaside swimming resort
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THEME PARK SALES WORLD AND CHINA: 2011 - 2020 RSP 2011 2012
World
2013
China
2014 2015 2106
FORECAST
2107 2018 2019 2020
0
10,000
in Weston-super-Mare, it was opened to the public for five weeks from 21 August 2015. While Dismaland was branded and marketed as “The UK’s most disappointing new visitor attraction”, its motto certainly failed to deter the British public, with their unique sense of humour, making the show a total sell-out within minutes of ticket launches. Disney factor in China Disney has a real edge over local theme parks thanks to its global expertise and operations as well as perennial and vastly famous properties. While Shanghai Disney Resort’s ticket prices are double those of Wanda Park – a weekend day admission costs RMB499 (US$75.90) versus RMB248 (US$37.70) – it is argued that visitors would not be so deterred by high costs and willing to pay a premium to see and spend time with their favour-
20,000 30,000 40,000
ite characters. Putting aside a possible law suit that Disney would bring against Mr Wang for the infringement of copyrights, some believe that the industry could potentially benefit from new openings as supply would sooner or later create demand. The new growing army of white-collar workers in China would eventually – albeit slowly – catch up with their counterparts in developed markets as they adopt a similar approach of spending money at attractions. The number of people who visit theme parks in China is also projected to more than double over the next five years to reach 339 million by 2020 up from 150 million in 2015. Theme parks is projected to be most dynamic activity ahead of all other activities with a substantial 20.7% CAGR, which translates into US$7.2 billion in further sales over the 2015-
50,000
2020 period. Yet it was reported that many of China’s existing theme parks are losing money due to poor management. Disney’s world-wide expert proficiency could theoretically bring and set the know-how. Both Disney and Wanda should also benefit from the government’s new initiatives to create more national holidays and high-speed rail lines according to global travel company Thomas Cook. After all, in absolute terms, rail travel is forecast to be one of the most popular modes of transport, generating US$27.9 billion in additional sales over 2015-2020 in China. Currently, however, in more broad terms, Chinese consumers’ present attitude of not splashing out at theme parks is causing a struggle, leaving many attractions rather cash-strapped. Disney has the potential to change all that.
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THEME PARKS:
The Gold Coast The Gold Coast is synonymous with fun, attractions, and of course, theme parks making it one of the most preferred holiday destinations for travelling friends, families and tourists not just in Australia but also around the globe. And, of course, where there are theme parks, there are opportunities for licensed product. The economic development unit of the Gold Coast made sure that tourists have several options when it comes to a day out on the Gold Coast. All Gold Coast theme parks are clustered together. The IMETT Group SEQ Theme Parks Industry Report which was released in 2012 found theme parks clustered together increase the number of patrons when compared to those that are located individually, much like restaurants. The Gold Coast is the home to six world-class theme parks including Sea World, DreamWorld, Wet n Wild, Warner Bros. MovieWorld, Australian Outback Spectacular and Whitewater World. A Newspoll study revealed that Sea World has been voted the most popular tourist attraction of all time in Australia. The study found that 56% of the adults from the country who have visited the Gold Coast had been to Sea World. Dreamworld came in close at second followed by world-famous Taronga Zoo, Movie World, and Wet n Wild. Sea World’s achievement has definitely helped in boosting the Gold Coasts tourism industry. With a strong Nickelodeon presence, figures revealed
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that the number of international visitors increased by 10per cent last year. This number is more than double when compared to other Queensland regions. What made it so popular to both domestic and international visitors is the fact that it sends the wildlife and the whole conservation message while providing family entertainment to visitors. Dreamworld is equally populated by licensed characters with the presence of The Wiggles, Bananas in Pyjamas, Hoot from ABC and Kung Fu Panda amongst others. Based on figures reported in The IMETT Groups report, Gold Coast theme parks are one of the major reasons why millions of domestic and international visitors chose to visit the region. In 2010, the total theme park attendance was 189.1 million. This represents a 1.9% increase when compared to the figures gathered the year before. Back in 2007, the most visited theme park was Dreamworld with 1,368,141 unique visitors followed by Sea World (1,351,800 visitors) and Warner Bros. MovieWorld (1,323,542 visitors). Despite the fact that the Gold Coast has many amazing theme parks, experts in the hospitality industry believe that introducing a new theme park can help attract new international clients and convince previous visitors to come back. In an interview, Q1 general manager John Wilder believed that the main drive for repeat visits is to offer something unique that people would come back for. He proposed an ocean-based waterpark that features wave-making machines
and water-based rides. He said that offering something that the world has yet to see will make Gold Coast even more desirable to travellers. He added that although theme parks are all over the world, building something that is unique will become a big deal not just for travellers but also for locals. Gold Coast theme parks continuously re-invest in new attractions and brand-new rides not only to improve the number of visitors they receive during good economic periods but also to minimise visitor loss during economic downturns. Bringing the story up to date, Gold Coast theme parks recently had one of their best weekends, thanks to good weather and school holidays. Packed carparks at Dreamworld and Sea World mark a stark contrast to the aftermath of the Dreamworld tragedy when lives were lost after a raft carrying passengers on the Thunder River Rapids ride flipped. Park attendance dwindled over the following 14 months, but staff report that they’re finally back on track. Village Road Show Theme Parks credit their recent success to the arrival of Sea World’s polar bear cub, a new reef attraction, and the hyper coaster at Movie World. Meanwhile at Dreamworld, things are looking up, with the Big 9 thrill rides all running at the same time for the first time since the accident in October 2016. Dreamworld’s latest safety audit recently came back at 100 percent, allowing the park to re-open favourites like the Rocky Hollow Log Ride last year in time for the Christmas rush.
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Which brands should you be selling? Children are quite possibly one of the industry’s toughest critics. Their attention span is far more limited than any adult. They’re swayed by new trends all the time, and they’re continuously motivated by advertising, far beyond their comprehension. As Helen Fowler Neville, a paediatric nurse and author, writes in her book “Is this a phase? Child development & parent strategies, birth to 6 years”, a three-year-old may spend between 3 to 8 minutes independently focussed on an interesting activity, while a six-year-old may stay interested for around 30 minutes. It’s not long to keep them entertained, which is why brands continually seek to establish what will engage their attention the longest – and what will make them want to return for more. Kidz Global (a quantitative market research provider specialising in children, teens and families across 42 countries) interviewed thousands of parents of children aged between three and six in Australia in October 2017 to establish who the most pop-
ular brands currently are, which product categories are performing best, and what children love most. When it came to the boys, there were some clear favourites. Paw Patrol is considered to be the most popular brand, while Lego continues to rank favourite for most demanded, also rising in popularity. Some of the other
brands around this end of the positive scale include Cars the Movie, Minions, Hot Wheels, Play-Doh, Spider-Man and Batman. Less popular are brands such as Justice League, Transformers, The Wiggles, Fireman Sam, and Star Wars. This is potentially reflective of children’s ability to grasp story-lines and plots, as well as how their interests will quickly change as they grow older in a relatively short time-span. Even in their unaided responses, where kids didn’t have any prompts, the boys continued to favour Paw Patrol, with this name ranking first among the top
30 brands. Following behind were PJ Masks, Spider-Man and Peppa Pig. When it came to aided awareness, Peppa Pig topped the charts for being the most recognised brand, with 89% of the boys aged three to six recognising it. This was followed closely by Cars the Movie, Lego, and Thomas and Friends.
By Kidz Global Kidz Global is a quantitative market research and consulting firm. They provide their clients with the right information so they can make the best business decisions. To find out more about Kidz Global, contact: philippe. guinaudeau @kidzglobal.com.
When it comes to what drives their interest, awareness of 24 out of the top 30 brands had come from either television or film companies, 4 had come from toy manufacturers, and 1 had come from a video game company. This goes to show just how valuable licensing can be, particularly with popular TV shows. Children often want to play with toys that they have seen on-screen, adding their own spin to the narratives that have already been crafted out for them. The personalities and story-lines have already been developed on their behalf, meaning they have a spring-board to start playing from. The popularity index spreads to ownership too, with 92% owning merchandise connected with Cars the Movie and 88% for Lego. Despite being less popular, 35% owned The Wiggles merchandise, which isn’t too dissimilar to the ownership rates of Peppa Pig at 42% - despite being overwhelmingly more popu- lar. This could potentially be due to parents looking to introduce a wider
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA and speciality toy or game stores. In comparison, online retailers saw 14% of people visiting weekly, and 44% visiting monthly.
range of brands to their children, rather than them becoming over-exposed to just one popular name. Many families are used to having Peppa Pig dominating their screens each morning, and there’s a chance that many parents are therefore less keen to buy more merchandise with this on. In addition to this, 84% of boys were requesting Lego – either as a general purchase or on their present lists – followed by Cars the Movie, Paw Patrol and Minions. This would have an impact on diluting ownership of other brands. When it came to product categories, the boys were most interested in toys and games, followed by clothing, and then books, magazines and comics. Within the toys market, they were most interested in purchasing figurines and action figures, followed by trucks, cars and tracks, and then games and puzzles. Kmart topped the list as retailer, with 26% of those interviewed visiting on an average weekly basis or every few weeks, while 57% were visiting monthly or every few months. This was followed by Target and then other department stores
Sources: BrandTrends Entertainment Country Review, 3 to 6 years old, Australia, October 2017
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The girls in Australia aged between three and six showed a perhaps unsurprisingly different set of results. The most popular brands were Frozen and Peppa Pig, while Disney Princess was their most wanted brand. Other popular names included Peppa Pig, Barbie, Paw Patrol, Play-Doh, Shopkins, My Little Pony and Minnie Mouse. These are largely brands who gear their marketing towards the female market. Less popular with the girls were brands such as Bananas in Pyjamas, Lego Friends, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, Shimmer and Shine, and Giggle and Hoot. When it came to unaided awareness, Peppa Pig got the most mentions, followed by Frozen, Paw Patrol, Barbie, My Little Pony and Dora the Explorer. 93% of girls recognised both Frozen and Peppa Pig, while 89% recognised ABC Kids, and 84% recognised Minions and Bananas in Pyjamas. The fact so many recognised the latter, albeit not ranking as popular, suggests that exposure to brands doesn’t necessarily correlate with popularity. As this particular brand has been in existence for many years, it potentially lacks the freshness of more exciting names and stories. It could also be reflective of parents who are familiar with this brand but don’t feel the need to buy it for their children, either because they weren’t interested as a child or because it feels more dated than more modern brands such as Minions and Frozen. It could also be representative of the product range and availability, with the larger companies producing a lot more products with a greater variety of licenses for the girls to buy into. This is reflective in
the ownership too, with 83% of the girls owning a Frozen product versus only 17% owning a Bananas in Pyjamas product. An overwhelming 96% owned Disney Princess merchandise, while 72% owned a Barbie. Just like the boys’ results, it seems the girls are largely getting their brand awareness from television and film companies (23 out of the top 30 brands), followed by toy manufacturers (4 brands) and books/ comics companies (1 brand). The girls were most interested in the toys and games product category, followed by clothing and then costumes. Within the toys category, the girls had the strongest buying interest towards dolls and accessories, followed by arts and crafts, and then games and puzzles. Kmart continued to top the list for retailers, again followed by Target and other department stores. Trends are constantly changing and at Kidz Global, research is conducted on a regular basis globally to keep abreast of these. With such research available, it is possible to start predicting where the market is headed to, and this is something Kidz Global offers businesses as part of their consultancy process. This can help buyers identify which licenses to opt for before the wider rush, tapping into a more avid customer base.
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Boutique License of the Year which was awarded to Hey Duggee from BBC Worldwide. March 6th will see the popular Licensing Breakfast, hosted by LIMA Australia and held at the Melbourne Convention Centre. This year’s featured speaker is Teresa Rendo who has worked in retail for over 17 years and currently holds the position of General Manager Commercial for BIG W. Previously, Teresa was Head of Perishables and General Merchandise for
The Australian Toy, Hobby & Licensing Fair opens its doors this March with more than 200 exhibitors displaying product, and licensed properties, that will take the marketplace by storm in the coming year. Last year, the show attracted nearly 5,000 visitors primarily of course from Australasia but also from Europe, the US and Asia Pacific including more than 3300 buyers to the four day event with a number of properties - notably Nickelodeon’s Paw Patrol and eOne’s Peppa Pig and PJ Masks on show across a number of exhibitor booths. This year licensing is fully expected to, once again, feature heavily. In fact, key sponsors of the show this year include eOne, Hasbro, Nickelodeon and LIMA Australia. It will be interesting to see how the miniaturised collectible trend pans out this year, following last year’s strong showing. In addition, visitors can see if last year’s trend of traditional board games, such as those on view from Winning Moves, continues through 2018. The Australian Toy Association, who organise the show, also played host to the Gala Dinner and awards evening. As expected, licensed properties featured strongly. Amongst the winners Headstart International was awarded Action Toy of the Year for their Ben 10 Rust Bucket. Moose Enterprise Pty, one of the leading toy companies in the market and the creator of Shopkins won Collect-
ible Range of the year for their Cutie Cars Shopkins as well as Craft & Activity Toy of the Year for their Oonies Starter Pack. Oonies is a relatively new brand within the Moose stable but, following the success of Shopkins and other brands, in time it is expected to form the basis of a licensing program. As well as toy awards, the event also hosts a number of Licensing Awards. Boys License of the Year last year went to Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice from Warner Bros whilst Girls License of the Year was awarded to Trolls from their Australian agent The Fusion Agency, now CentaIP. Best Promotional Campaign went to Sesame Street for their Cookie Monster and the Australian Red Cross campaign orchestrated by Haven and Preschool License of the Year was awarded to ABC’s much loved Play School which celebrated 50 years last year. The final Licensing Award was the
For full details on the Australian Toy Hobby and Licensing Fair visit www.austoy.com.au or for further information, contact the Toy fair office Toyfair@austoy.com.au or +61 3 9320 2600.
Woolworths Supermarkets and prior to that, Head of Buying for BIG W. Teresa’s success and experience in retail reflects her passion for the industry. and she will outline some of BIG W’s plans for licensing. Of course, a major retailer in the toy business is Toy R Us. The Australian arm of the global giant insists that local stores will trade as normal after the parent company filed for bankruptcy in North America and Canada with the UK struggling. Australia is one of the company’s bigger overseas markets with 39 stores and a number of further stores reported to be planned for opening in the near future.
TLA 49
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA
Exhibitor Floor Plan
A41
C40
B28
A23 A26
B27
C28
D40
D37
LIMA LOUNGE
D36 E33 D30 E29 E27 D26
B21
A01
A18
B17
B22
C22
B06
C18
C06 A06
A02
B05
B01
B04 B02
C03
D21
D17
D22
E25 E23
F40
E34
F36
G36 H37
E32 E34 G30 F28
H29 G24
H22 I25 H23 G22
E21
E18
D14 E15
E12
E28
F18
E18
F16 F08
D12 E11 D10 D08 E07 D06 E05
E06
C04
D04
E04
C02
D02
E02
E12
E06
I35 H28 I29
H25
MEETING PLACE
D20 E17
H36 H32 I39
E30 E32 E28 E30
F06
F02
E04
I21
H21
G14 H17
H18 I17 H12 I09
G12 G10
H04 I05
G08 H07 G06 H05 G04 G02
ENTRY TLA 50
H40
H02 I01
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA
Sunday 4 March Monday 5 March Tuesday 6 March Wednesday 7 March
K40
I34
K37
K36
9am - 5pm 9am - 5pm 9am - 5pm 9am - 3.00pm
L40 M22
L37
L22
K22 K21 I28 I22
J03 J01
L21
MARKET ALLEY
J21
J13
J18 K17
M17
K12 L05
M05
I12 I06
M24
M21
J29
I18 I16
M23
J05
M02
J12 J08 J06
J02
K05
K06 L06
K02
L03 L01
M03 L02 M01
TLA 49 51
Exhibitors
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA
TLA 52
A.J. Leeman Hobbies P/L.................................................MA11 Active Outthere.................................................................... E34 Active Wheels Australia...................................................... D12 Aetherworks........................................................................... I16 All Brands Toys Pty Ltd........................................................B27 AM for Kids............................................................................ E28 AMS Distributors................................................................. G06 Artico Pty Ltd.......................................................MA08, MA09 Artiwood Educational Toys....................................... I05 & I06 ASHTABULA.......................................................................... E27 Associated Retailers............................................................M22 Australian Toy Distributors................................................ H40 Australian Toy Sales............................................................. D02 Axis Toys.................................................................................. J01 Baby Brands........................................................................... C18 BABYink®...........................................................................MA18 Banter Toys & Collectibles.................................................. L05 Belta Brands - Sedlif............................................................. H37 Bensons Trading...................................................................... I39 Big Balloon Pty Ltd..............................................................M21 Big Wheel Toys...................................................................... D36 BMS Wholesale Pty Ltd...................................................... D08 Bobangles................................................................................. I01 Breyer Horses Australia..................................................... G22 Bright Baby Imports.............................................................B04 Britz Marketing Australasia................................................ A26 CA Australia Pty Ltd............................................................ D10 Cactus..................................................................................... H21 Cara Jane / Fairy Girls......................................................... C03 Childsmart............................................................................. D04 Cocomotion............................................................................ J21 Colorific................................................................................. C28 Colourful Learning............................................................MA20 Cooee Classics Pty Ltd........................................................ F18 Coolcasc Spain....................................................................... F31 Cotton Candy Imports........................................................K06 Crazy Skate Company.......................................................... I22 Creative Products Enterprises T/A Bubba Kids............. E32 Crown & Andrews | Goliath Games.................................K40 Crown Products................................................................... A06 Custom Originals.................................................................. E18 Dalex Trading Pty Ltd.......................................................MA14 Danish by Design................................................................. D26 Diecast Distributors Australia............................................B02 Divisible By Zero P/L.......................................................... H02 Drake Collectibles................................................................ F28 Easyread Time Teacher Ltd..............................................MA01 Educational Experience Pty Limited................................. L22 Educational Vantage..............................................................B06 EduKits International........................................................MA03 EE Hobbies............................................................................. E02 Eleganter Australia Pty Ltd.................................................. F06 Elldesigns.............................................................................MA22 Entertainment One Licensing Australia.......................... D22 Eureka Concepts................................................................... E25 Even Toys and Games............................................................ I29
Formula Sports....................................................................... I35 Freod Games......................................................................MA06 Funrise Australia Pty Ltd.....................................................K36 Funskool................................................................................. G04 Furward Pty Ltd (Scentco).................................................. E33 Games Wholesale................................................................ G30 Games Workshop.................................................................. I17 Geek X Distribution............................................................ E12 Geomagworld....................................................................... G02 Go Easy Australia................................................................... J03 Gollygo................................................................................MA05 GPI Apollo Bicycle Company............................................ H23 Guangdong Weili Intelligent Development Co., Ltd....... I12 Hanabee.................................................................................. F33 Happy Hop Australia...........................................................M17 Hasbro ...................................................................................M02 HeadStart International...................................................... A01 Heebie Jeebies.......................................................................K22 Hinkler.................................................................................... D21 Home Grown Brands Australia.......................................... I21 Hunter Leisure..................................................................... D40 Hunter Products......................................................... L40, M24 Ikon Collectables Pty Ltd.................................................... L37 Independence Studios Pty Ltd............................................. J18 Innovation First International.............................................B22 iWorld Australia.................................................................... F29 Jacaranda Music.................................................................MA27 Jasnor (Australia) Pty Ltd................................................... C40 Jedko Games......................................................................... G24 Jenjo Games.......................................................................MA04 Johnco .................................................................................... H17 Jozzies Australia.................................................................MA17 Junda Toys Industrial Company Limited.......................... D14 Junior Learning...................................................................... H07 Kaleidoscope Australasia Pty Ltd..................................... H22 KAPLA.................................................................................... H25 Kawada Australia Pty Ltd.................................................... D17 Keldan International.............................................................K17 Keycraft.................................................................................... J05 KidKraft...................................................................................B17 Korimco.................................................................................. F36 Kudo Banz...........................................................................MA23 La Belle Toys........................................................................... E06 LaQ Australia........................................................................ D20 LEGO Australia Pty Ltd...............................................L02, L06 Leisure Learning..................................................................... J29 Les Folies................................................................................ G10 Let’s Play Games....................................................................K37 Licensing Essentials................................................................ I09 Lifespan Kids......................................................................... C04 LIMA Lounge..........................................................................B28 Little Smiles............................................................................K21 LOGICO................................................................................ H05 Loumet....................................................................................K02 Loz Blocks...........................................................................MA12 LTC Agencies Pty Ltd.......................................................MA24
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA
March 2011
The floorplan and list of exhibitors were correct at the time of going to press. There may have been alterations or additions since that date. Stands labelled MA are situated in the Market Alley area (see floorplan).
March 2010
March 2010
March 2011
ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
“...The poster child of user generated content...”
Domo © NHK-TYO 1998–2011. Domo Animation © Domo Production Committee. All rights reserved. www.domonation.com
“...The poster child of user generated content...”
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
Domo © NHK-TYO 1998–2011. Domo Animation © Domo Production Committee. All rights reserved. www.domonation.com
March 2010
Southern Cross Cycles......................................................... I18 Southern Model Supplies....................................................B05 Squatter - Australia’s Classic Game..............................MA21 STC.......................................................................................... E05 Strider Sports Australia...................................................... G12 Tenth Dot Kids Pty..............................................MA25, MA26 The Brand Exchange Pty Ltd............................................. C22 The Bugg Report...............................................................MA13 Theatrix Magic Stuff............................................................... J02 Thumbs Up............................................................................ G33 Tiger Tribe............................................................................... F08 TOMY Australia....................................................................M05 Tower Systems....................................................................... E29 Toy & Hobby Retailer........................................................... F17 Toynetworx............................................................................ L03 U. Games Australia Pty Ltd................................................. L21 Ugears Australia..................................................................... I28 Vadafa Pty Ltd....................................................................MA16 Valiant Enterprises...............................................................M01 Ventura International.......................................................... A02 VR Distribution.................................................................... C02 VTech Electronics (Australia) Pty Ltd..............................M03 Wild Republic........................................................................K12 William Valentine Collection..............................................K05 Windspeed Kites................................................................... E21 Winning Moves Australia Pty Ltd...................................... F02 Wolfpack Games...............................................................MA10 Wooderful Life....................................................................... F16 WYC Imp & Exp Pty Ltd.................................................... H28 Zest Imports..........................................................................B01 Zimbler Toy & Hobby.......................................................... C06 Zing Global Limited............................................................. D37
Exhibitors
Lumina Active Pty Ltd.......................................................... E17 M.B.M.I Pty Ltd..................................................................... G17 MAGFORMERS.................................................................... G36 Make Me Iconic..................................................................MA02 Mattel...................................................................................... A18 MDI Australia......................................................................... F07 Meeple Distributors............................................................. E15 Merrigold Collections........................................................... J13 Micador Group..................................................................... D30 Mideer ................................................................................MA19 Modern Brands Pty Ltd...................................................... A41 Monkey & Chops................................................................. G08 Moose Enterprise Pty Ltd.................................................. A23 Nattou Australia..................................................................... J12 New Urbanites..................................................................... D06 NGS Group............................................................................ E07 Ninja Laser Design Studio...............................................MA07 Nooconz.............................................................................MA15 Pink Poppy............................................................................. H36 Plasticant Mobilo (Aust)...................................................... E30 Platinum Boutique Pty Ltd................................................... J08 Play Pouch Australia.............................................................. E11 Plum Play.................................................................................B21 Product Management Group............................................... I34 Puzzles and Games Specialist Australia........................... G14 Q Toys...................................................................................... E04 Radical Paint........................................................................... E23 Rainbow Pacific...................................................................... L01 Red Bay Republic.................................................................... J06 Regent Sporting Goods...................................................... H32 Rhinocorn.............................................................................. H29 Royal Selangor...................................................................... H18 Rubies Deerfield......................................................... H04, H12 Rusco Imports Pty Ltd......................................................... F40 Scholastic Australia.............................................................. G11 Shamrock a creative product company............................. I25 Shantou Pengrui Electronic Technology Co...................M23
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
The international Sensation Comes to Australia
The international Sensation Comes to Australia
For licensing opportunities contact: anna@stellaprojects.com
For licensing opportunities contact: anna@stellaprojects.com
March 2013
March 2010
March 2013
Magazines for the Australian licensing industry since 2003 ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
March 2011
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
March 2011
March 2010
Domo © NHK-TYO 1998–2011. Domo Animation © Domo Production Committee. All rights reserved. www.domonation.com
“...The poster child of user generated content...”
Domo © NHK-TYO 1998–2011. Domo Animation © Domo Production Committee. All rights reserved. www.domonation.com
“...The poster child of user generated content...”
The international Sensation Comes to Australia
ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
The international Sensation Comes to Australia
For licensing opportunities contact: anna@stellaprojects.com
March 2011
“...The poster child of user generated content...”
Domo © NHK-TYO 1998–2011. Domo Animation © Domo Production Committee. All rights reserved. www.domonation.com
For licensing opportunities contact: anna@stellaprojects.com
The international Sensation Comes to Australia For licensing opportunities contact: anna@stellaprojects.com
March 2010
March 2011
March 2010
March 2010
ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
Domo © NHK-TYO 1998–2011. Domo Animation © Domo Production Committee. All rights reserved. www.domonation.com
“...The poster child of user generated content...”
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
The international Sensation Comes to Australia For licensing opportunities contact: anna@stellaprojects.com
March 2011
March 2011
March 2010
The international Sensation Comes to Australia For licensing opportunities contact: anna@stellaprojects.com
Domo © NHK-TYO 1998–2011. Domo Animation © Domo Production Committee. All rights reserved. www.domonation.com
“...The poster child of user generated content...”
Domo © NHK-TYO 1998–2011. Domo Animation © Domo Production Committee. All rights reserved. www.domonation.com
“...The poster child of user generated content...”
ndford. Martin Ha (c) 2010
r licence from Classic Media Distribution Limited. All rights reserved. ges are used unde nd other ima Characters a
The international Sensation Comes to Australia For licensing opportunities contact: anna@stellaprojects.com
TLA 53
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA
What’s On Show... Total Licensing Australia takes a look at some of the exhibitors showing in Melbourne this year. For stand numbers, see the exhibitor list on the previous page.
AMS
TLA 54
Active Outthere launched in Australia in 2009 and is dedicated to bringing innovative outdoor products to Australia and beyond. The company has grown from importing, wholesaling and distributing to also manufacturing and exporting. Active Outthere is a leading supplier of scooters including three-wheelers, stunt scooters and adult scooters. Brands include Grit, Globber, Crisp and more. Scooters range from 1 year old to adult. They also distribute Italtrike tricycles, made in Italy. The company’s focus has always been on supplying independent retailers with high quality, original products with a point of difference. As such, they are always on the lookout for something clever to bring to Australia. Active Outthere Director, Brett Varga, has had an extensive career in the management and marketing of Australian wheel toys and bikes. His experience qualifies him to determine what products will work in the Australian market. Active Wheels Australia is a recently formed Australian company. The owners and management of AWA have a long and successful history in the bicycle, children’s electric ride-on and the adult mobility business. AWA has recently been appointed the Australian and New Zealand distributor for Yamaha ERO’s and bicycles. Other brands that AWA distribute include Columbia and Universal. AWA are the Australian Distributors for Yamaha Bicycles and Children’s Electric RideOn’s, Columbia Bicycles and Children’s Electric Ride-On’s ERO’s. Ballard Pacific Resources Inc, a worldwide supplier of Bicycles, Bicycle Related Products and Children’s Electric Ride-On’s, recently announced Active Wheels Australia as its Australia and New Zealand Sales Representative and Distributor. BPR is the distributor of several internationally known brand names including Columbia Bicycles and Action Wheels Electric Ride-On’s and sells
Disney Princess and Disney Frozen riding toys in the USA. BPR is also the Yamaha brand Licensee for ERO’s and Bicycles in the USA, and has just added the Australia and the New Zealand markets to its current license. Aetherworks is an Australian-owned and operated business aiming to bring the best of the tabletop gaming and hobby industry into the Australian and New Zealand market. Their main focus is on miniatures, board games and role playing games. They distribute for brands such as Battlefront, Privateer Press, Steamforged, Corvus Belli, Chaosium, Evil Hat and many more. All Brands Toys Pty is a wholesaler/ importer distributing product nationally. They have exclusive distribution of key brands and high profile suppliers and they carry many of the big toy brands from many suppliers. They support their clients with timely product information, product releases, and continuous new offerings. AM for Kids offers a range of educational classic toys and 3D puzzles. Created more than 40 years ago in Amsterdam, AM-Living’s expertise and interests go back many centuries. AM-Living’s collection of furniture, artifacts, and accessories is inspired by the age of discovery, maritime history, campaign travel, and more... Their continuing quest for unique objects and designs, coupled with their goal to share their stories with a dedicated audience never ends. AMS Distributors is a company importing and distributing the Playzone range of Rugs for both the retail and education markets. Display options for their Kids play mats can be viewed on their stand for retailers. Their Rug range is designed for the classroom environment bringing in natural tones to create a calm atmosphere. Artico is a family business that has operated in Australia for over 25 years. They have a strong design team that focuses on developing products specifically for Australians. Additionally they have great partnerships with
European and American design-led businesses. Recently signings include Robert Fredericks Classic Games and North Parade Publishing’s Wonders of Learning to Australia. Artiwood Educational Toys is an award-winning boutique educational toy company. The company is dedicated to sourcing and supplying quality, eco-friendly toys that suit all budgets and every occasion. They are the Australian distributor for Kinderfeets (Tiny Tot trikes & Kinderboards), Indigo Jamm, Micki Leksaker, Apple Park, Organic Farm Buddies, Caaocho, Freckled Frog, I’m Toy, Inakids, and Zee, New Classic Toys, Kidstart and more. Their business began as the personal passion of founder, John Daniels. For many years he helped small family owned handicraft manufacturers in rural Sri Lanka bring their products to market. Ashtabula is a specialist supplier of licensed infant apparel, Ashtabula’s focus is providing quality and affordable products for football communities across Australia & New Zealand. As is evidenced by their Footysuit range of products, they pride themselves on innovation and a fresh approach to the infant supporter category. Associated Retailers operate in Australia and New Zealand as the largest independent retail group. Australian Toy Distributors will continue to bring unique items to the market in 2018.Their latest range will be complemented, offering exclusive licensed product from Mattel and Hasbro. They are the exclusive distributors of Dolu, Monarch, Bubbadoo, American Plastic Toys, Casdon, Skullduggery and more as well as local distributors for Britz n Pieces, Hasbro, VTech, Winning Moves and HeadStart. Australian Toy Sales (known as ATS) is an importer/wholesaler of exclusive brands throughout Australia. ATS supplies a range of Eco-friendly, educational, infant & pre-school products and their brands include EverEarth, Maxim, Racer and NEW brands
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA being launched at the Toy Fair 2018. Axis Toys is the exclusive distributor in Australia and New Zealand for DoodleArt, Goetz, Lundby, Sassi, Leolandia, Kaethe Kruse, Micki, Miniland, PlayBox, Plasto, Cayro, Wooden Story, Little & Sleepy, Chic2000 Bayer and Goldfish Gifts. They are also the developers of the new ColourAway and Scribbla brands. They are also the exclusive distributor for WWF in Australia and the agent for Steiff and FischerTechnik in Australia and New Zealand. Axis has an active publicity and social marketing campaign. This allows them to work alongside their customers to provide further tools to levage their exposure. All their suppliers’ products conform to the latest safety standards and they are able to supply disclaimers for each supplier to verify this fact. In recent news, Axis Toys has announced that it will be distributing the Teebee range for 2018 in Australia and New Zealand. This Danish-designed toypod/lunchbox accessory lands mid February and they envisage a strong up-take with its amazingly versatile design.Teebee is a transportable, compact toy box made from food-safe plastic for kids aged 3-12 years, designed for use on the go whether in the car, plane or at a temporary destination from the beach to the park. Teebee comes with a sorting tray and plate for Lego, Mega Bloks, Kreo, etc., but works for all kinds of creative toys. Teebee is robust and can accommodate the smaller pieces of toys, which children are usually not allowed to bring on a trip. Baby Brands has been bringing products to the Australian market for almost 20 years. Their range includes world famous brands for babies and kids as well as many of their own brands including Discoveroo Wooden Toys, Twigz Kids Gardening products, Two Nomads travel accessories and more. Overseas brands include: - Oball, Halo Innovations, Little Partners Original Learning Tower, Mombo and more. Baby Brands began in 1999. It was started by a mum like so many other businesses in the nursery catgeory.
The idea was to find the best baby brands around the world and share them with like-minded retailers and parents. Baby Brands has introduced many great brands and categories to Australia. Baby Einstein, Taggies, Swaddle Me, Halo, Diono, Mebby, Pabobo among many others. Baby Brands also offers a whole range of The Wiggles wooden musical instruments and educational toys. Presenting for the first time at ATA, Babyink has a fast-growing following and is ready for retail shelves. This unique product allows parents to capture hand / footprints, mess-free and easy. It is the only colour ink-less technology world-wide. Banter Toys & Collectibles are leading distributors of licensed entertainment toys and collectibles in Australia and New Zealand. The company is located in Melbourne and has been servicing mass and specialty retailers since 1988.The company is the market leader in trading cards and has a growing toy business. Because of its historical trading card relationships, the company is able to offer its supplier partners very broad distribution, beyond just mass retailers. The company attends all major trading card and toy industry events around the world and exhibits every year at the Australian Toy Fair. Belta Brands (formerly Sedlif) are the Official Australian Distributors of Sluban Building Blocks which are compatible with other leading brands. Their Forever Dreaming Girls Range includes Lockable Diaries, Music Jewellery Boxes, Fairies, Unicorns, Mermaids, Tea Sets, Stationery Sets and more. Their Belta Beach Range has over 100 product lines including masks, snorkels, Pirate and Mermaid buckets and spades and cricket sets. Bensons Trading is a family owned business operating for over 60 years. They are one of the country’s leading importers, wholesalers, and distributors of licensed and generic novelty toys, gifts, plush and showbags. They have a diverse product range to service the AU/NZ retail market and amusement industry and currently represent under the Benson’s portfolio some of the most popular brands
worldwide. Current brands include Paw Patrol, Shopkins, Grossery Gang, Doctor Who, Peppa Pig, Ben 10, Sesame Street, Pokemon, Animal Planet, Thomas & Friends, Num Noms, Hello Kitty, Emoji, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Blaze and the Monster Machines, Hot Wheels, LOL Surprise, Adult Swim, Twozies and more. Big Balloon is an Australian, full service toy distributor. Launched in December 2010, their expertise in sales and marketing focuses on developing toy ranges in multiple categories across 5,000 retail stores in Australia. Their brands include Ty, Pokémon, Stretch Armstrong, Cars, Transformers, Cabbage Patch Kids, Smooshy Mushy, Stick Its, Peppa Pig, Nella the Princess Knight and Fireman Sam. Big Wheel Toys is a supplier or Stikbot, Globe A Bubbles, Play Tape, Farm Hoppers, Squishable, Bolli, Bulb Botz and more. They will also be presenting official LEGO licensed products Alarm Clocks and Buildable watches by ClicTime, and Storage and Display Cases by Room Copenhagen. This includes the re-launch of the LEGO Storage Head and the new LEGO brick drawers! Big Wheel Toys supports International manufacturers with the launch, management and distribution of their products in Australia and New Zealand. Their focus is on building long-term value in prominent brands by securing the right retailer distribution. A deep passion for consumer brands drives them to work hard with our partners to achieve smart, sustainable growth for their brands. BMS Wholesale is a glob- Axis Toys al wholesaler, distributor and manufacturer, selling books, toys, games, craft kits, homewares and stationery products. BMS Wholesale helps the local Australian indepen-
TLA 55
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA dent stores by providing a wholesale service by not only supporting their own product ranges but by working with many trade partners to become a “one stop shop” for a number of book, toy and game ranges. Their main aim is to make top quality products affordable for everyone. They carefully select every title they sell in order to bring consumers the very best from locally and around the world. BMS Wholesale initially started of life as a remainder books dealer in March 2009. Bobangles brands include Fat Brain, Uncle Goose, eeBoo, Floss & Rock, Jack Rabbit, Maud ‘N Lil, Mudpuppy, Ooly, Peaceable Kingdom, The Purple Cow and Puzzles from New Yorker and Pomegranate. In addition, they market a range of kids socks from Foot Traffic. Breyer Horses Australia bring consumers the world’s most realistic model horses, riders and accessories for play and collecting. Breyer is especially known for its Traditional, 1:9 scale ‘portrait’ models of great champions like Secretariat, Hollywood heroes like The Lone Ranger’s Silver and Roy Rogers’ Trigger and literary legends like Black Beauty. Baby Brands
Starting in 1998 with the release of Robert Redford’s The Horse Whisperer, Breyer has become Hollywood’s “go-to” company for horse films. To date, Breyer has made the official model horse of the following, The Horse Whisperer, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Seabiscuit, Hidalgo, Dreamer, Flicka and Michael Morpurgo’s War Horse Breyer has also been a sponsor of such
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prestigious international championships as the FEI World Cup Finals and the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, where it was the Official Model Horse. Bright Baby Imports specialising in unique award winning children’s toys, gifts and games from Europe. The company is the exclusive Australian distributor of quality brands including Janod, Haba, Playforever, Kaloo, Goki, Lilliputiens, Heimess, Holztiger, Fiesta Crafts and Buttonbag. Bright Baby Imports focus on products that are of the highest standards in terms of design, materials used, educational value, craftsmanship and safety. Britz Marketing Australasia is a family owned, home grown Australian organisation that distributes and produces toys that promote fun, active and imaginative play. They design, innovate, source and distribute award winning toys and recreational sporting goods for children of all ages. Our major brands Wahu and Britz’n Pieces are house hold names. Wahu, a homegrown Aussie brand since 1999, embraces all aspects of the classic, Aussie outdoor lifestyle. Every year the company’s unique games and beach toys for kids join thousands of Australian families on weekend trips to the beach, to pool parties, and of course to the backyard barbeque. For endless hours of outdoor play the company has inflatable pool toys, pool slides, colourful neoprene balls and fun beach toys for kids. Their range of backyard games and toys enhances safe, imaginative and active play. This summer, consumers can magic their backyard pool into a Wahu fun park with a massive super doopa pool slide, floating slide or kid-sized paddle wheel, together with aqua pods and their deluxe inflatable Chillax chair. There is also Wahu’s Nippas range of pool toys and inflatables for babies and toddlers. Britz Marketing’s toys are available in various international locations. Babies and toddlers will be thrilled to get in the water this summer as they learn to swim with the Wahu Nippas range of swimming equipment for tots. Nippas is a specialised range of products developed by Wahu to assist babies and toddlers as they learn to
swim. Wahu’s sister company, Britz’n’Pieces continues to astound kids with multi-faceted toys that fly, glide, hover, boomerang, change gears and even light up the night sky! CA Australia has been established since 1976 in the Asia Pacific Region specialising in plush, souvenir, promotional and licensed products. Their licensed brands include The Wiggles, Animal Planet, Gold Coast 2018 and Eric Carle.They have recently been appointed as the exclusive Australian distributor for the iconic realistic plush range from Hansa Creations C.A. Australia Pty Limited is a wholly owned Australian company. They have been in business since 1976 as a designer, manufacturer and wholesaler of soft plush toys, gifts and souvenirs, as well as various homewares and manchester items. They produce their own brands plus a range of licensed products. They also design and manufacture customer specific products for many organisations and companies throughout Australia. More recently they have been appointed by several overseas companies to distribute various products compatible with our own ranges in Australia. They are headquartered at Brookvale on Sydney’s northern beaches and have offices or agents in all States and Territories, and in New Zealand. Cactus is Australia’s #1 brand of watches for kids and teens.Their range includes cute and colourful time teachers to help with learning how to tell the time, trendy and durable watches for active kids, water resistant watches for the beach and pool, and their new collection of activity trackers and smart watches for tech-savvy kids. Distributed globally by Avantco. Cactus was started in 2006 by Sheryl and Len Smith, husband and wife team with many years’ experience in the watch industry. There was so little available for parents who wanted to buy their child a first watch with good design and form. Parents could choose poorly made product from licensed movie themes and TV characters, knowing that their child would soon lose interest in the character or theme. They wanted to make kids’
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA watches that would last, would be classical yet trendy and modern. But above all, they wanted to make quality products that boys and girls would be proud to own and want to look after well. The different collections include 30m water-resistant watches, 100m water-resistant surf and beach watches, cool and trendy time teachers, and their latest new range of smart watches and fitness trackers catering to kids, children and teens for all aspects of life – school/work, party/play, and sport/ leisure. Childsmart is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand distributor of a large portfolio of toy, nursery, kids lifestyle and children’s FMCG brands which has enabled them to build strong customer demand for a broad range of licensed and non-licensed products across the toy, nursery and kid’s lifestyle markets. As the exclusive distributor of BRIO, World’s Apart, Crocodile Creek, SelfieMic, CoCaLo, RoomMates, Born With Style, Drink and Play, Think King, Rosie Pope and Kidsline (within Australia and New Zealand), they pride themselves on being an authority within the Children’s Experience Market. Since their inception in 2002, Childsmart has consistently grown and evolved as a business, continuously diversifying our business portfolio to support the ever-changing market place. As a family owned and operated business, they are passionate about maintaining positive relationships with both major toy retailers and traditional boutiques, which offer an increasingly personalized experience. Colorific is an innovative family business based in Melbourne. They started as an independent business in 1990 with the purpose of creating and sharing kids’ products for the world’s next generation to experience. Colorific has enjoyed an exciting and successful history over the past 26 years. They pride themselves on this history. Colorific began as a small division of the Alexander Group in Melbourne, Australia in 1986. The company developed and marketed a unique range of children’s craft to the toy and craft industries, and school suppliers.
In 1990, Wayne Brander and Peter Levi acquired Colorific. Each partner had a background in successful retailing, and both were founding directors of Australia’s second largest toy buying group, Toy Kingdom. In the first full year of trading, the business more than trebled. Colorific became an established name in the toy industry and in 1992, Colorific expanded into New Zealand. In 1999, Colorific featured in a multimillion-dollar TV, press and billboard campaign nationally to promote the Commonwealth Bank and in 2001, Colorific purchased Glow Zone - the leading marketer of glow in the dark toys in Australia and New Zealand.The range was redeveloped in-house, and relaunched in 2002. In 2006, Colorific brought home the ATA Australian Development Award for their new construction product, LUGZ. and in February 2010, Colorific acquired Fun N Fashion Australia, a leading distributor of girls’ accessories and toys, including the Crystal fairy brand. Colorific acquired children’s furniture, nursery equipment and play accessories brand Jolly Kidz from Protoys in July 2013 and in 2014 they released their newest craft brand, Bloom Pops the latest flower fashion creations. Colourful Learning produces unique educational games. Children of all abilities are captivated with the excitement of learning through these colourful games. Their games are ideal for your store, boutique or online shop. Cooee Classics manufactures diecast scale models available in 1:64, 1:76 and 1:87 scales and a large range of Australian cars in HO gauge for model train layouts. In addition, they have numerous diecast Bathurst race cars from the 1970’s in 1:64 scale packed into counter presentation packs. Coolcasc are the market leaders and innovators in the design of lycra helmet covers, for skiing, bike riding and most helmets in the market. With an amazing range of funky and bright designs, there is no limit to their imagination. Cotton Candy Imports specialises in innovative on trend products, with
their in house design team creating winners year on year. 2018 brings great new designs adding to their awarding winning Chloe’s Garden fairy house, fantasy lanterns, new baby doll designs and lots more Crazy Skate Company is Australia’s leading skate manufacturer and distributor of Australia’s #1 Skate brand Crazy. Their product range includes Roller (Quads), Inline (Blades) Skates, Scooters and related skate accessories and apparel. The Crazy Skate Compan ywas Divisible founded in 2004. By Zero Company Director John Moore owned and operated a number of roller skating facilities in Australia and saw an opportunity to produce and market innovative, quality products to the industry. With an understanding of the industry and the needs of the end consumer - the Crazy Skate Company was born. Initially working within Australia, the popularity and reputation of the brand spread to overseas markets and in 2011, the brand was launched in the United States of America. Since then, they have established a company and licensed distribution facility to cater for the needs of the North American market. The brand has continued to grow from strength to strength each year. The Crazy Skate Company is a young and progressive brand that understands the ideals and importance of doing business in this technological age while simultaneously respecting the age old traditions of developing and maintaining loyal relationships with our retail partners and customers. As a company, they are focused on creating the wave, rather than riding the wave of our competitors. Bubba Kids is an Australian owned business that has been established since 2000. They are all about choosing the latest and most unique children products from around the globe and making them available in Australia.
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Bubba Kids is one part of an Australian company that has a long history in gifts and souvenirs in both design, manufacturing, importing & wholesaling and now online retail in Australia. All stock comes out of their Sydney warehouse and has the security of being quality checked thoroughly before delivery. Crown & Andrews | Goliath Games Crown & Andrews / Goliath Games has been bringing Australians great games, jigsaws and toys for more than 50 years, truly believing that great games, toys and puzzles really can bring people together. Crown Products/MJM continues to dominate the kids licensed category in games and puzzles. New licenses include PJ Masks, LOL Surprise, Hatchimals, Disney, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Marvel, Star Wars, Shopkins, Paw Patrol, My Little Pony, Transformers, Thomas the Tank, ABC Kids Brands & Peppa Pig, together with their Spirograph and Fashion Plate ranges. MJM Australia and Crown Products have extended their range to stationery, crafts and toys, however still with a strong base of puzzles and games. Their licenses include the most up and coming as well as happening brands for boys, girls and pre-school. They constantly strive to develop and look for innovative toys for children to help them learn, develop cognitive skills and most importantly to have fun. Custom Originals Australia is the exclusive Australian and New Zealand distributor for Diecast Masters range of Caterpillar Diecast Scale Models. Diecast Masters manufactures the world’s widest range of Cat scale model replicas – well over 100 items that represent nearly every machine category offered by Caterpillar. In addition to the current items available, new models are constantly being developed for regular release. Dalex Trading Pty Ltd is an exclusive distributor of the Wooden City brand in Australia and New Zealand. This is a new European brand of original 3D kinetic models for self-assembly made of plywood. The growing range of models from beginner to advanced level of complexity targets teenagers
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and adults who are interested in engineering and challenging DIY projects. The company is a sole designer and manufacturer of mechanical 3D wooden puzzles and models based in Europe. They designed their first model in 2015. It became our inspiration for the brand name Wooden City. Their growing experience in designing new models helped them to move forward with their ideas. Currently Wooden City models are sold to 12 countries worldwide. The company uses highly accurate laser equipment and the raw material is exclusively eco-friendly birch plywood. The manufacturing process is fully automated and every single manufactured model is tested by qualified technicians. Danish by Design are suppliers of some of the world’s best toys for children. When sourcing brands they look for unique features, great packaging and exceptional quality as well as value for money. At this year’s ATA they are showcasing Moover Toys, Kipod, Milaniwood & Calafant, all from Europe and each with an exciting collection. Today they import a substantial range of stylish, modern designer nursery furniture and infant products and toys based on true craftsmanship and innovation. Their aim is to offer Australian parents well designed products that not only look good but are super practical for both parent and child; products that have versatility and longevity and are great value. Today Danish by Design is the proud distributor of many brands and has some serious celebrity clientele, including Nicole Kidman, Rebecca Twigley (Judd), Mel B and Megan Gale! Their team thrives on the challenge of trying to find more unique products to add to our range, preferably from Scandinavia. Each product they take on board has to match their design, function and quality standards. They also strive to be the best they can be regarding customer service and trust. Diecast Distributors Australia is a major contributor to the Australian diecast market and happily so over the last 17 years, having the largest range of diecast in Australia. With their passion for cars over the years, the own-
ers John and Christine express this in their ever expanding range. This year the team at DDA are presenting their vastly increasing selection from DDA Collectibles, including their newest additions of iconic Australian motorcars. As well as opening up the Diecast world by showcasing the biggest and best from Australian history, they will also be expanding their popular pop culture selection and venturing into the comic pages. The Brisbane-based company is the exclusive distributors of DDA Collectibles, Greenlight Collectibles, Precision Collection, Highway 61, Hawk, King Creations, Motorcity Classics, Coca Cola, Schuco and Shelby Collectibles. DDA also distributes an extensive range for the hobby market with popular brands including: AMT, Lindberg, MPC, Polar Lights, Glencoe, Moebius, Mostly Signs, Jada, Sign of the Times, ACME, Ace Models, Dickie Toys, GMP, Golden Wheels, Lucky Diecast, Hot Wheels, Motormax, New Ray, Oz Legends, Sun Star, Vitesse, Welly, Majorette, Matchbox and Real Art Replicas. Divisible by Zero DBZ is the Australian distributor for Fascinations Metal Earth. These 3D Laser Cut models are cut from an 11cm square thin sheet of metal. Each model features detailed laser etching and includes easy to follow instructions to help build Museum quality models. Recently added to this ever-growing range is four titles of Legends - Batman, Spider-Man, Super Man and Wonder Woman, along with four Freightliner titles COE Truck, 114SD Dump Truck, FLC Long Nosed Truck and the 114SD Snow Plow. They also have Dr Who Rusty K9 and four new Star Wars titles, which brings the total of Star Wars models to 26 titles. The new titles for Star Wars are ATM6 Heavy Assault Walker, Resistance Bomber, Resistance Ski Speeder and Kylo Ren’s TIE Silencer. Our existing range also includes five Star Trek models, five Avengers models, five Batman models, four Transformers models, six Boeing models, five Caterpillar models, five Dr Who models and four Harry Potter models Drake Collectibles is a manufacturer and distributor of high quality
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA diecast replicas of Australian truck, trailers and associated products. Their products are not only very popular in Australia but around the world. They are rapidly being recognised as a major contributor to the world wide premium collectible market. Drake Trailers is Australia’s leading manufacturer of heavy-duty trailers and specialised transport equipment. Since 1960, Drake Trailers has developed equipment that delivers on their promise of quality, reliability, and durability, both in Australia and internationally. Drake has generations of experience in the heavy transport industry and a comprehensive range of designs and manufacturing facilities. 2010 marked the beginning of a new identity, Drake Collectibles.This was in response to demand from avid diecast collectors and Drake Trailer operators alike. Their initial focus was on replicas of Australian produced equipment, starting with the iconic Drake Swingwing Low Loader, Dolly and Kenworth T908 Prime Mover combination. Drake Collectibles in its own right has now produced a variety of highly collectable replicas of both Australian and international pedigrees and are rapidly being recognised as a major contributor to the world wide premium collectible market. Easyread Time Teacher Ltd is a family business dedicated to helping children and adults overcome the problems encountered when learning to tell the time on analogue clocks. The business was started by Roger Shackleton, based in Sydney Australia and a winner of the Australian Design Award. Roger designed the EasyRead Dial and the Three Step Teaching System after finding it extremely difficult to teach his own children to tell the time using regular analogue clocks. Roger’s business started in 2011 under the name Theme Time Australia. In 2012 his sister Sue Shackleton, based in Malvern UK, joined him to develop the business in the UK and Europe. EasyRead Time Teacher Ltd, a UK registered company, was formed in 2013. Roger’s designs have been so successful that the clocks are now available in Europe, Australasia and North Ameri-
ca, from Amazon, eBay and an increasing list of other outlets. Educational Experience is one of Australia’s leading suppliers of quality learning resources. As a trusted learning resource supplier and advisor with over 40 years’ experience, Educational Experience understands the importance of inspiring young minds and enriching children’s learning and development through child-led, play-based experiences. 2017 saw the company’s 40th birthday. They celebrated by passing on some of the biggest savings to our customers in our long history, sponsoring the sectors most coveted awards and partnering with some of the worthiest causes.And in 2018 they are taking this to the next level! This year they will continue our support of the sector, sending Educational Experience sponsored educators all over the globe on educational expeditions, expanding knowledge and gaining extraordinary experiences. Educational Vantage was established in 1980 specialising in the manufacture of educational paint and glues. Today They are Australia’s largest educational paint manufacturer and can be found in 96% of primary schools. Their products are sold into 28 countries and they are the largest exporter of educational paint to Singapore and South Korea. Educational Vantage is privately owned and currently employs 35 staff. Their head office and warehouse is located in Melbourne and they have a showroom in Collingwood. In 2014 Learning Can Be Fun (started 1986) was added to the group portfolio and in February 2014 they took ownership of Gillian Miles, the number one poster and placemat brand in Australia. During that time, they renamed the business of Educational Colours to Educational Vantage. The name change reflected the growing number of businesses under the one rooftop. Educational Vantage can be found in over 3500 stores in Australia and the team speaks to over 150 customers a day. EE Hobbies ‘ brand MakeBlock is a line-up of robotic products for STEM education. Creativity is at the heart of every dream. Every idea, every ground-
breaking leap that changes the world starts with the vision of talented creators and their tools. At EE Group, they sell these tools to bring their ideas to life. Today, these products are redefining industries. Professionals in film making, agriculture, conservation, search and rescue, energy infrastructure, and more trust EE Hobbies to bring new perspectives to their work and help them accomplish feats safer, faster, and with greater efficiency than ever before. Eleganter Australia is a wholesale supplier of wooden toys who has been servicing the industry with high quality products and outstanding customer service. Brands include Kaper Kidz, Koala Dream, Tooky Toy and Top Bright. They currently have an extensive range of wooden and educational toys, musical instruments, decorative and novelty items, fancy stationeries, puzzles and games. All products are crafted from plantation woods and non-toxic paint. Elldesigns supplies creative and innovative ways to stimulate minds. Their product range includes Australian made Iron Me Beads, Melty Crystals and Imagination Craft Activity Boxes all designed to take children back to basics. Australian made Iron me Beads are made and owned in Australia by Australians. Iron me Beads are fun to use and educational at the same time, suitable for everyone from 5 to 99 to use and will keep everyone occupied for hours. Boys and girls alike love to use Iron me Beads to create fridge magnets, suncatchers, necklaces, key tags and their own unique creations. Iron me beads are used by placing the beads onto a bead/peg board randomly or in a pattern. Cover your Iron me Beads with ironing paper and iron the beads! (This will melt the beads together) Turn the beads and board over, remove the board, place another piece of ironing paper over the beads and iron this side off the beads. Allow to cool then remove paper. Entertainment One Licensing Australia manages the creation and development of consumer products and associated marketing and promotional campaigns for some of the most
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA high profile film, TV and lifestyle properties including Australia’s favorite preschool brands Peppa Pig, PJ Masks and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom . Even Toys and Games have been distributing quality board games and card games to Australian retailers for 17 years. In 2018 they will be introducing a new range of educational games and re-introducing some old favourites. Suited, Ghost Blitz and The
Entertainment One
Magic Labyrinth will all be available in 2018. Formula Sports is an Australian based distributor and manufacturer of indoor and outdoor games. With a heritage in darts and snooker, their business has expanded in recent times to include table tennis, toys and lifestyle products. Leading brands include Formula Sports, Target Darts, Riley and Longhorn Sports. Freod Games is a West Australian board/card game publisher that specialises in fast family co-play games (all players play together non-stop from start to finish - no waiting for turns). Funrise Australia is debuting the Sunny Bunnies toy collection at the Australian Toy & Licensing show. Developed in partnership with Media I.M. Digital Light Studios and Evolution, the innovative new preschool toy line brings the charm, comedy and playfulness of the Sunny Bunnies animated characters to life. Developed by Digital Light Studios and distributed by Media I.M., Sunny Bunnies is a new entertainment property that has captivated kids
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around the world. After an unprecedented rise to fame on YouTube with over 260 million views in less than 18 months, Sunny Bunnies started airing on the Disney Channel and Disney Jr. worldwide, continuing its monumental growth in popularity. The Sunny Bunnies are five beaming balls that can pop up wherever there is a source of light, bringing their cheeky brand of fun and games to diverse locations to spread laughter and happiness. Each episode is capped by a collection of animated bloopers. Sunny Bunnies toys will be available at retail in North America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand starting September 2018. The range of innovative and interactive toys include light up and bounce plush, talking plush, super-sized huggable plush, and the bunny blast cannon playset. Funrise is a global innovator and industry leader in the design, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of toys and games worldwide. Delivering fun for kids of all ages, Funrise creates toys and games for high-profile brands including Tonka, Gazillion, Luna Petunia, Space Racers and Sunny Bunnies, is the global master toy partner for Paramount Pictures’ highly anticipated animated feature film, Amusement Park, and is a co-production partner and toy creator for the upcoming series Rainbow Butterfly Unicorn Kitty. Furward PL distributes Scentco, a range of authentic scented pens, pencils, markers, crayons, note pads and other scented gift items for kids. Scentco has also partnered with Disney, Marvel, Crayola and Dreamworks to merge their popular characters with Scentco’s scents. Games Workshop manufactures, distributes and sells all of the gaming and support materials for the world’s most successful miniatures wargames, based around their key brand names - Warhammer Age of Sigmar and Warhammer 40,000. Geek X is a Melbourne based distribution company, representing brands such as Bandai Namco, Mattel, Tomy, Hasbro and more. The company specialises in all things pop culture and Geek X is a one stop destination for movie, TV, gaming and comic merchan-
Funrise dise. Geomag is a magnetic construction company whose product lines include Color, Mechanics, Pro L, Magicube and KOR, all of which all follow the STEM methodology. They sell Geomag products domestically in Australia. Geomagworld SA is a company where creativity and learning have been working side by side since 2008. Their classic toys exploit the potential of magnetism for play and education. Geomag’s products help children of all ages to develop and train their minds, imagination and curiosity through the science of magnetic construction. Each year, Geomag introduces new and innovative product lines. Geomag has received several international awards for quality and play value. Go Easy Australia is a privately owned and diversified company located in Melbourne and was established in 2005. Andrew Tawaf the founder of GoEasy created the company with a vision of becoming Australia’s largest independent provider of action sports and leisure products. GoEasy Australia maintains his vision by continuing to expand its quality focused retail and wholesale product range into various industries including ATVs & Dirt Bikes, E-scooters, Cycling, Fitness and Outdoor Products. Whether it’s their own developed brands such as GMX Motorbikes, GoSkitz (e-Scooter) or all other leading international brands, GoEasy Australia is one of Australia’s leading independent retail and wholesale provider. Gollygo’s extensive range of quality dress ups is designed for children to
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA play hard. Every day is a special occasion in a Gollygo dress up. GPI Apollo Bicycle Co has been a major supplier of bicycles and accessories to the industry for 40 years. The Apollo name is synonymous with supplying quality products at an affordable price. Apollo has many key brands in its stable, including Cheetah bikes and Croozer kiddy carriers to name a couple. Guangdong Weili Intelligent Development Co., Ltd is located in Chenghai District of Shantou City which is famous for the manufacture of toys and gifts. They specialize in research, manufacture and distribution. Their main products are mini remote control cars, alloy remote control cars and remote control planes. Hanabee Entertainment is a distributor of licensed products and provides sales and marketing services for entertainment brands.Their operation serves as a one-stop shop for entertainment brands who place a high value on community engagement. They distribute, merchandise via wholesale and also direct-to-consumer through conventions and their eCommerce stores. Hasbro is a global play and entertainment company committed to creating the World’s best play experiences. From toys and games to television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products, Hasbro offers a variety of ways for audiences to experience its iconic brands. Key brands in the Hasbro portfolio include Transformers, My Little Pony, Monopoly and others. Headstart is one of the hottest toy companies in Australia with a focus on building the best brands in toys. Their brands include LOL Surprise, Ooshies, Little Tikes, Baby Born, Sesame St, Ben 10 and much more. Their Sesame St range has been particularly successful and is now the leading branded preschool plush in Australia. Headstart’s June 2017 catalogue featured Tickle Me Elmo on the front cover and over 8,000 units sold in just four weeks. In addition to the Tickle Me Elmo plush, last year Headstart introduced a talking Cookie Monster puppet and character pillows. Christmas saw a new Elmo, Cookie and Abby talking
plush. Heebie Jeebies produce toys and geeky gear for all ages including Mrs Green - gardening for littlies, Quack Traditional fun toys and craft, Liquifly - rocket science at home, Smart Brain GamesPop - giant bubbles, Chameleon - colour changing accessories, Sterling Books and Giant Microbes. Hinkler creates spontaneity, joy and learning across a wide variety of book, art and craft, and toy categories, with a commitment to producing high-quality products affordable to every family. Hinkler is a global, independent publisher based in Melbourne. Their mission is to surprise and delight every child, adult and retailer by publishing books with a difference. Hinkler was founded in 1994 in Melbourne. Since that time, they have focused on making quality products that are affordable for families. They are motivated by their belief that price should be no barrier to the enjoyment of good books and language and distance should not be barriers either. Every year they sell 20 million products in 38 languages throughout 77 different countries. Home Grown Brands is a onestop-shop for skateboards, scooters, pool fun, water and surf, snorkelling and sun protection. Products have a unique lifetime warranty, the toughest quality control procedures with new and improved products with same-day order dispatch and order accuracy from their Scan-Pack warehouse. Hunter Leisure owns and operates their office and distribution warehouse from Melbourne from which they distribute nationally. Their extensive top selling product range includes fast moving children’s products in the best selling licenses and brands. Hunter Leisure is a 30 year old family enterprise, 100% Australian owned, commanding one of the most comprehensive range of leisure products available in Australia including toys, sporting goods, stationery, craft, party, and carnival covering all markets, age groups and price points. One of Hunter Leisure’s greatest strengths lies in developing products in partnership with local and international licensors such as The Walt Dis-
ney Co. Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox. Hunter Leisure also has proven ability to build and market successful brands, across a range of solid, staple lines as well as develop exciting, new products. Some of their most outstanding marketing successes include Huffy Bicycles and Basketball Systems, Cyclops Toys, Presstik stationery, FunStuff - colouring and activity products and CraftStuff - craft & scrapbooking ranges and NSI - craft and science products. Hunter Leisure’s customer base includes major retail chains, discounters, department stores, newsagents, schools, stationery stores, specialty sports and wholesale outlets Australia wide. Over the years, Hunter Leisure has devised creative strategies resulting in excellent sales, increased market share, and reinforced brand recognition. They have been recognized as a premier marketing and distribution company in the Australian Leisure Industry, nominated by peers, competitors and industry associates. Hunter Products is one of the largest privately owned toy and sporting goods importers in Australia. They focus on distributing a wide range of the hottest licensed and non-licensed toys, electric ride-ons, scooters, bikes, fitness equipment, inflatables and more! Hunter Products are one of Australia’s leading importers of todays best toys, sporting goods, fitness equipment, and aquatic accessories along with a huge range of licensed products. Ikon Collectibles is Australia’s premier wholesale distributor of today’s leading officially licenced popular culture merchandise. Ikon is recognised for their broad range of products, from the award winning Pop! Vinyl range to action figures, statues, gift-
Headstart
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA ware, replicas, trading cards, games and much more. Ikon also has their own range of officially licensed products designed in-house that are sought after in the collectables market. A new signing is a Replica Aquaman Trident. Ikon has been a Warner Bros licensee for many years and has made a number of replicas along the journey such as Harley Quinn’s Baseball Bat and Mallet from Suicide Squad. Aquaman’s Trident will be the latest in our line of replicas. As seen in the 2017 Justice League Movie and the upcoming 2018 Aqua-
man movie; this replica has been designed using 3D files created by the movie studio. Assembled, the Trident stands 213cm tall and is a metal and fibreglass construction that screws apart into four pieces. The four pieces of the replica come protected in a burlap bag and then packaged into a detailed wooden chest. Independence Studios is Australia and NZ’s leading wholesaler of toys, homewares and gifts. They exclusively represent some of the world’s leading toy, game and licensed brands such as Jellycat, Lagoon, Luckies, Paladone and NPW. In addition to these brands, they distribute their own gift brand. Their competitively priced, broad collection encompasses plush, classic, seasonal, card/board games and educational toys. Independence Studios is Australia and New Zealand’s leading wholesaler of homewares, gifts and toys. The company began in 1987 when founder James Smail sold internationally sourced artisan wares at Sydney Markets. Innovation First International are inventors and designers of Hexbug
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Toys and Vex by Hex Robotics. Innovation First is a leading name in robotics, STEM and fun toys. Along with their award winning products they distribute Corolle Dolls, Spy X, Lottie Dolls, Hama, Infantino, Little Bird Told Me, the O2Cool water bottles and multi award winning Silverlit Drones, robots, blasters and preschool toys. Established in 2006, iWorld Australia is a leading supplier of steam education & audio products in both Australia and New Zealand. iWorld Australia has a very select range of exclusive agreements with the following worldwide brands: Arckit - Crosley Audio - Circuit Scribe - Edwin The Duck - littleBits - Makeblock - MudWatt - Marbotic - Primo Toys - Strawbees, Teknikio and Zometools. Since 1988, Jasnor has been a leading distributor of quality toys and gifts, boasting an extensive collection of beloved children’s brands across multiple product categories – from gifts for baby, to plush bears and animals, seasonal offerings, licensed products and educational toys. Key brands include Pusheen, The Wiggles, Paddington, Bush Baby World, Hey Duggee, In the Night Garden, Peter Rabbit, Sesame Street, Eric Carle & GUND. Founded in 1988, Jasnor is one of Australasia’s leading distributors of quality and innovative toys and gifts with a reputation for providing value for money combined with a high level of service, experience and expertise. Jedko Games is a one-stop supplier for games, jigsaws, playing cards, and puzzles, with over 6,000 products. They are the exclusive Australian distributors for Holdson, Jumbo, Wasgij, Heye, Piatnik, Cheatwell, Professor Puzzle just to name a few! They are distributors for Gamewright & Imagination, and also wholesale most major brands of games and jigsaws. Jenjo Games Pty Ltd is a Melbourne based company distributing all over Australia and New Zealand, with a range of games suited to all ages. Their products are mostly wooden design with only a few plastic products. Johnco is a leading wholesaler of quality children’s toys with a strong focus on STEM. With over 30 years of experience and an extensive retail
distribution network, Johnco products include the 4M brand, educational science and nature products, craft kits, speedster cars, books, backpacks, novelty products and more. Jozzies Australia has a large choice of Australian animals, birds and marsupials. It is an Australian owned and operated company that makes Australian made native and heritage toys.The company has a strong focus on unique Australian animals including iconic Aussies like Kangaroos, Koalas, Emus, Echidnas and Platypus’ as well as some less known animals such as Numbats, Dunnarts and Rainbow Lorikeets. They also have teddy bears and Merino ewes and rams. Product is sold through wildlife stores, museums, gallery and zoo gift shops and various other stores. Junior Learning is a leading developer of educational toys, games and technology applications. By combining the latest educational research with expertise in toy design, Junior Learning’s educational toys and games are world class. Their main customers are e-commerce, retail and school supply. They have a line of over 250 products including 100 new products for 2018. Kaleidoscope Australasia distribute hiigh quality educational award winning toys and gifts. They are distributors for Djeco puzzles, games and art/ craft, Papo figurines, Le Toy Van wooden toys, doll houses and role play, Wheely bug ride-ons, Folkmanis puppets, Bonikka Dolls, Meiya & Alvin rubber baby toys, Mamagenius wooden toys, KiddieConnect educational toys, Shoenhut Pianos, Manhattan baby toys, Trybike trikes and bikes, Tender Leaf wooden toys. The company was founded in 1989 with the goal of providing high quality toys and children’s products to the Australian market. Since that date they have grown into a market leader in the Australian toy industry by upholding that goal, and continuing to deliver high quality products paired with great customer service. Keldan specialises in unique gifts concepts featuring wildlife,Australiana and sea life.They are the Australian distributors for 3D Livelife and the new Inflatimals range comprising pet themed
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA products as well as their new birds of Australia ranges. Keldan International was founded in 1999 and has grown from very humble beginnings into one of Australia’s most successful suppliers of innovative novel gift ideas. After consulting extensively with retailers and consumers Keldan discovered the market needed and deserved more innovative products that are designed specifically for Australian niche markets. As a result, in 2001 they began creating their own product concepts. Today, Keldan has formed exclusive partnerships with some of the most innovative and well respected manufacturers in Asia and They will continue investing in the development of novel gift concepts that will keep them at the cutting edge of the market. Keycraft are impulse purchase experts. They believe great products, well packaged should be a given. They source and develop quality items that promote creativity, engagement and integrity.They also package and display them in ways designed to optimize impulse purchases. For 50 years, KidKraft has helped create imaginative play through award-winning products for the bedroom, playroom and backyard. Built to last, KidKraft toys are designed to spark imaginations, inspire curiosity and celebrate play. In 2018, KidKraft provides greater innovation and new ways to Live, Learn, Play and Explore through a product lineup providing more life-like interactive features, modern play platforms inspired by cultural trends and consumer feedback, and an improved assembly experience through the introduction of EZ Kraft Assembly technology. La Belle Toys is an exclusive distributor for the Fun Factory and Viga wooden toys as well as Gowi Toys of Austria. Their range includes educational toys, puzzles, musical instruments, doll house furniture, multicultural dolls, role play home corner, board games, puppets, doll prams, animal replicas, sports items, beach toys, art and craft, stationery, novelties and more. LaQ is a very simple, yet highly creative and tactile construction toy. Its
uniqueness comes from using just seven types of block parts to make unlimited creative 2D and 3D models. LaQ is invented and made in Japan, and has won numerous international toy awards. Smart Toys Trading is the authorised distributor for LaQ in Australia. The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company with headquarters in Billund, Denmark. Founded in 1932 and based on the iconic LEGO brick, it is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials. The company is committed to the development of children and aims to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through creative play and learning. LEGO products are sold worldwide. Leisure Learning produce quality educational games and toys. Their brands include Smart Games, Crazy Aarons Thinking Putty SmartMax, Geosmart, Amos Craft, Buki Books, Edushape, Popular Playthings, The Learning Journey, Mindwister, Brainbox/Green Board Games, Silli Chews Blue Orange Games. Les Folies is the sole distributor of the world famous Sophie la Girafe and other Vulli products in Australia. Les Folies was founded in 2006, and the sole and exclusive Australian distributor of Sophie The Giraffe , the teething toy still hand made in France by Vulli since 1961. Les Folies was created by two French ladies Isabelle and Cecile who remarkably grew up together as best friends in the heart of France. They would have never thought that they would both end up marrying Aussie’s and moving to live in Australia. Soon after with new born babies of their own, the girls naturally went to buy the Sophie teether. To their amazement Sophie had not yet travelled down under so the girls jumped on the phone to France and Les Folies has been very proud to distribute, throughout Australia, Sophie and all other Vulli products such as the Magic Tree, ever since. Each Sophie voyage seems to be part due to the growing international notoriety of this wonderful baby product and part down to the people who import her. The Les Folies family now
includes Isabelle, Mike, Cecile, Guy, Charlie, Jim, Coco, Louise, all of whom are very happy to be part of the story. Let’s Play Games is Australia’s premier distributor of specialist board games, role playing games, card games, gaming accessories and organised play kits. They are staffed by game experts with a deep personal and professional commitment to building gaming communities across Australia. Let’s Play Games distributes Dungeons and Dragons, HABA Dragon Ball Super Card Game and Cards Against Humanity. Licensing Essentials is a wholesale company representing high profile brands specialising in exclusive development as a point of difference with key retail partners. Brands represent-
ed include Disney, DC Comics, Marvel, Pokemon, Movie entertainment, sports brands like AFL & NRL, Holden and Ford just to name a few. Product ranges from apparel, headwear, melamine, coffee mugs, drink ware, cooler bags, plush, stationery, back packs and all other accessories items. Licensing Essentials is an Australian-owned company with its Head Office based in Melbourne. Lifespan Kids specialises in a range of kids indoor and outdoor products ranging from trampolines, cubby houses, sandpits, play kitchens, swing
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sets, slides, inflatable jumping castles and water slides and climbing frames just to name a few. With over 8 years of experience in kids outdoor playground equipment, Lifespan Kids is Australian owned retailer with over 35,000 happy customers.The company Lifespan Kids kicked off in 2008 with a range for trampolines and wooden play equipment. The HyperJump series trampolines quickly became the flagship product with unique design attributes and a high level of after sales service. The Lifespan Kids range continues to expand into indoor play, toddler play and inflatables. Little Smiles is the exclusive Australian importer and wholesale toy distributor for some of the world’s leading toy brands, such as Step2, Kid O Toys, Ambi Toys, Classic World,Vilac, Battat, Wonder Wheels, Vilacity, Quut Petitcollin and Jejura. EUToys is the exclusive Australian distributor of the Logico educational game that introduces new concepts of learning for cognitive development. The game is recommended for families, schools and kindergartens because it is educational and engaging. Logico is widely used throughout Europe, Asia and the USA by educators in preschools and primary school and has received a number of international and national awards. Loumet aims to bring the best of the world’s outdoor and indoor play products for children. Presenting extensive licenses through our play products which include playballs, flash balls, Foam Sculptured Balls, hopper balls, bucket sets, wheelbarrow sets and more. 2018 will see Loumet Toys outdoor range expand to include new leading licenses including Star Wars, Frozen, Disney Princess, Cars , Mickey , Minnie, Incredibles 2, Finding Dory, Marvel Avengers, Marvel Spiderman, Powerpuff Girls, Paw Patrol, Sesame Street , Ben 10, Despicable Me 3 and The Wiggles. Loz Blocks is an Australian Distributor of Guangdong Zhenfeng Science and Educational Toys Co., Ltd. The company was established in 1998 and their main products are Loz brand
building blocks, diamond blocks and mini blocks. They export to Australia, US, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia. Lumina Active Pty Ltd offers interactive & light-up Cricket Australia, BBL & Disney licensed products that maximises the enjoyment of sports. The company began in 2006 when Designs To You (DTY) offered Cricket Australia a compelling solution to completely manage their junior participation program. Almost a decade later, participation levels grew by some 30% and the significant cost savings and efficiencies gained by Cricket Australia was reinvested directly back into Milo 2Cricket and Milo T20 Blast programs. They now distribute over 60,000 participant packs to cricket clubs all over Australia and with a projected 30,000 more set to join as part of the Australian Sports Commission Sporting Schools Program. Make Me Iconic takes on an entirely new tack on designer home wares, toys and premium Australian souvenirs. They produce high quality and iconic gifts that people enjoy, connect with and want to talk about. Their goal is to bring the unsung icons of Australia and its cities to life and into people’s homes. At the same time their products aim to enlighten consumers by providing facts about the icons of the city and what makes them so special and iconic. Working with young, local designers in Melbourne and Sydney, their products make fresh things familiar and familiar things fresh. With an exclusive range of designer toys, cushions, tea towels, mugs and screen-printed wall posters, they have everything consumers need to take a piece of your favourite city home. Mattel is a creations company that inspires wonder in the next generation, to shape a brighter tomorrow. Their mission is to be the recognised leader in play, learning and development worldwide. Mattel’s portfolio of global consumer brands includes Barbie, Fisher Price, Hot Wheels, Thomas and Friends, Mega, among many others. MDI is a specialist developer and distributor of gifts, toys and homewares based in Brisbane, Australia. They partner with international brands to bring their products to Australian shores,
tailor existing products to better suit the Australian market and develop products from scratch for Australia and for global export. Meeple Game Distributors is Australia’s No.1 choice for board games, card games, role playing games, miniatures, gaming accessories, puzzles and more. They stock huge brands like Fantasy Flight Games, Asmodee, Czech Games Edition, Crown & Andrews, Days of Wonder, Chessex, Educa and many more. Merrigold Collections is an importer/wholesale distributor of quality educational early childhood and preschool toys in Australia. They stock an extensive range of modern teaching aids. Their brands include Merrigold Fabric, Safsof, IQ and they have exclusive distributorship for Wonderworld and Blue Ribbon. Their wooden toys are made from rubberwood and all products conform to EN71 safety standards, made in 100% safe materials. Micador is an Australian owned business which develops and distributes art, craft, stationery and technology products into both the Retail and Education channels. Over the last 60 years Micador Group has become a constant in the art, craft and education markets. Mideer is a Melbourne-based company, dedicated to looking for fun and quality toys to import.They focus on bringing fun to kids’ learning process. Currently they are the exclusive distributor of MiDeer and JoanMilo in Australia and New Zealand.Their main customers are toy retailers, boutique gift shop and news agencies. Modern Brands is the exclusive distributor for Australia and New Zealand of world-leading retail toy and entertainment brands. Modern Brands supply to all retail channels major grocery, toy specialty, nursery, pharmacy and gifts. Modern Brands represents some of the best quality toys from all over the world including Sylvanian Families, Schleich, Melissa & Doug, Ravensburger, Eurotrike, Playmobil and many more. Moose Toys is an Australian-owned Award winning company that is known for developing, designing and distribut-
TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA ing toy and lifestyle products around the globe for children of all ages and the young at heart. The team has innovation in their DNA and are famous for the design, development and manufacture of award winning toys that continue to disrupt the market. Moose dominates in categories including collectibles, craft, dolls, games and youth electronics featuring much loved brands such as Shopkins, Little Live Pets, Beados, Happy Places, The Grossery Gang, The Trash Pack and Mighty Beanz and is consistently recognised as the most creative company in the industry. Moose Toys calls Australia home and has teams across Los Angeles, Hong Kong, China, London, Paris and Vietnam, employing more than 350+ staff and distributing to over 100 countries. NGS Group is a supplier of electric ride-on and foot-to-floor vehicles to the retail Industry with over 20 years of experience. They have also added storage and kids furniture to their portfolio recently. The Australian Toy Fair 2018 is the debut for Hinja: Instant Origami from Ninja Laser Design Studio. Hinja are Australian-made modular origami construction units, die cut from durable, reusable polypropylene film, with engineered folds that guarantee accurate millimetre-precise construction. Depending upon which folds and colours are engaged, a multitude of 2D, 3D cubic, and complex 3D polyhedral designs become possible. Nooconz offers an Australian designed and manufactured connection system for pool noodles. Children can build from pre-packaged kits or create their own shapes. Happy Hop Australia is the sole distributor of Happy Hop children’s inflatables in Australia and New Zealand. Happy Hop is a worldwide industry leader of the production and supply of domestic jumping castles and inflatable water slides. Happy Hop has forged its reputation in Australia over the last 14 years and uses state-of-the-art technology to provide innovative functional design and highest quality products at affordable prices. Pink Poppy /Yipose Trading Company was established in July 1987 and
is today one of the major suppliers of children’s contemporary gift, accessory, toys and novelty products in Australia.They supply their Pink Poppy brand to many of the leading children’s retailers across Australia. Platinum Boutique Pty Ltd t/ as Balance Buddy is an Australian owned company, trademarked in Australia and New Zealand. They sell balance bikes which are engineered for minimum wear and maximum fun for children aged between approx. 18 months to 5 years old Plum Play is an active play specialist. Plum offers an extensive range of trampolines, climbing frames, swing sets, sand and water play, indoor kitchens, role play toys, scooters and much more. They are passionate about designing and manufacturing toys that look great, are super safe and have that all-important fun factor. Founded in 2007, Product Management Group is a full service product marketing and distribution company specialising in bringing innovative global brands across a diverse category range to Australian and New Zealand consumers. They are suppliers of The Elf on the Shelf Christmas Tradition, Cloud b sleep aids, Crayola modelling dough, Ann Williams creative craft kits, 3D Light FX wall decor, and more. Puzzles and Games Specialists Australia is the largest traditional games company in Australia. Ranges on show include the latest Dal Rossi Italy Range and the large range of other games and brainteaser puzzles. The Dal Rossi Italy design luxury chess and backgammon sets are a statement of extravagance coveted world over for their elegance and flawless construction. Q Toys is one of Australia’s leading suppliers of wooden furniture and toys to the children’s sector. With over 12 years experience Q Toys continues to enhance their reputation with research and development in this ever changing demographic. Product is manufactured in their own factory in Vietnam using ecologically sourced timbers and finished with natural oils including beeswax. Rainbow Pacific is the distributor of two iconic brands. Collecta is a range
of hand sculpted and painted animal figurines. National Geographic offers a selection of natural animal soft toys and body puppets. Both enjoy the finest quality manufacturing and great branding, while offering the best value, quality and profit margin. Since 1885, Royal Selangor has been synonymous with design and craftsmanship, offering a range of tableware and gift items. Royal Selangor has a retail presence in more than 20 countries and has worked with partners such as Disney and Warner Brothers to commemorate popular culture franchises such as Star Wars, Marvel, and Batman. This year, Rubie’s Deerfield are exhibiting a brand new non-licensed collection of costumes, which celebrates the ‘everyday’ costuming needs as well as provides inspiration for special events like Halloween and Book Week. The new toddler, child and teen collection focuses on “re-imagined classics” including devils, witches, skeletons, vampires and pirates but also features exciting new costume ideas for boys and girls like gypsies, French mademoiselles, werewolves, a Green Army soldier, dinosaurs, a unicorn and a kangaroo. In addition, their licensed range of costumes will of course be a highlight of the stand as They introduce new licenses to their portfolio in 2018. PJ Masks, Qantas and Jurassic World are brand new ranges for Rubie’s.They are also celebrating their local development of the iconic Australian brands
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TOTAL LICENSING AUSTRALIA Qantas and The Wiggles. Both licenses will be on display at the Toy Fair. As always movie launches provide perfect platforms for costume development and they are excited to have costumes and accessories for all the blockbuster movies being launched in 2018. Rusco distributes a range of vehicles including Nikko RC, Rusco Racing RC, AGM Top Racer Slot Cars and GIGO Dream Collection Dolls. Licenses held include Hot Wheels, Ford, Subaru, Mercedes - Benz, Jeep, Audi and Nissan. Squatter is Australia’s No 1 Australian board game. Entertaining and authentic, this game is a realistic mix of luck and strategy. Suitable for 2-6 players - adults and children 10+. Unequalled in its educational value across many curriculum areas including business management, finance, cultural heritage, livestock raising, mathematics and English. Strider Sports Australia are the official Australian distributors of American Strider Balance Bikes. Suitable for 18 months to 80+ years. This year sees the launch of New 14X Strider Balance Bike with attachable pedal kit. Strider balance bikes are industry-leading balance bikes that help children as young as 18 months learn to ride on two wheels. Strider balance bikes focus on the fundamentals of balancing, leaning, and steering without the distractions and complications of pedals or training wheels and many Australian parents are looking at our bikes for their kids’ first bikes. The Strider’s simple, no-pedal design of their balance bikes (also called glider bikes, running bikes, no-pedal bikes) builds confidence and eliminates fear by allowing kids to have their feet on the ground and progress at their own pace. This unique design teaches young children balance on two wheels right from the start, avoiding developmental
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delays typical with tricycles and training-wheel bikes. The Brand Exchange is one of Australia and New Zealand’s fastest growing toy companies, representing one of the worlds fastest growing toy companies - Just Play Products. Just Play work with leading children’s entertainment brands including Disney Consumer Products, Mattel, EOne and Nickelodeon to offer a range of product in pre-school and girls’ categories. Thumbs Up brings fun, quality and value to the technology, home and lifestyle marketplace. An award-winning product development company with innovation running through its DNA – Thumbs Up has been bringing quirky products to retailers large and small since 2004. Tiger Tribe creates a range of children’s activity sets, gifts and toys. Compact and portable, Tiger Tribe’s activity sets are ideal for travel and cafe play. Product categories include activity sets, magnetics, active toys, bath toys and wooden toys. Tomy Australia is the distributor Tomy toys and games, John Deere toys, replicas and ride-ons, ANIA collectible animals, licensed plush featuring Harry Potter, Nintendo, Sonic, Disney and Molang including Mocchi Mocchi plush. In addition they distribute lifestyle and electronic toys such as KiiPix and other radio control products, Lamaze Infant development System, JJ Cole & Boon Baby Accessories,The First Years Infant Feeding Play and Development Range including car seats. U. Games Australia is celebrating its 21st anniversary, supplying fun and educational toys, games, creative kits and puzzles. They represent some of the world’s largest, most creative and innovative companies in the toy industry and are constantly on the look-out for new opportunities to develop brands and enhance their range. As a family business, Valiant Enterprises is proud of its tradition and heritage in representing and distributing quality international baby and nursery brands since 1965. With almost 50 years of experience, their track record is second to none in
providing service and customer satisfaction to both retailers and end users alike, across a range of innovative and quality products and brands. VR Distribution is Australia’s fastest growing distributor of board games, toys, video games, collectibles, trading card games, clothing and licensed merchandise. They are authorised distributors of leading brands and represent world-leading game titles and manufactures. Located in Adelaide, VR Distribution offers complete sales, marketing and distribution services with an emphasis on customer satisfaction. Since 1976, VTech has developed high-quality, innovative educational toys for children from birth to preteen that deliver smart-play through entertaining electronic formats. In 2016 VTech acquired Leapfrog, creator of award-winning learning toys, reading systems and tablets. LeapFrog is trusted by parents, valued by teachers and loved by children. William Valentine designs and distributes a unique line of more than 1500 high-quality and innovative gifts, collectibles, outdoor, novelty and specialty toy products. Notable featured brands include BigMouth Inc. Pool inflatables & Novelties, NMR Aquarius puzzles, playing cards and board games, Gamago lifestyle baby ranges, Whiffer Sniffers scented backpack clips, Icup Inc’s iPartyHard games, Watchitude slap watches & Marshmallow Fun Co marshmallow shooters. Winning Moves manufactures and distributes licensed and custom editions of the world’s hottest games, including Monopoly, Cluedo, Risk, Trivial Pursuit, Top Trumps, Guess Who, Connect Four and Operation. They work with internationally recognised entertainment brands and have strategic partners across the world including Disney, Warner Bros., Hasbro, Mattel, Nickelodeon and many more. Zest Imports is a distributor to the independent toy and gift market with brands such as Dickie, Simba, Aqua Play, Zinc Scooters, Majorette, Adora Dolls and Regal Doll Carriages, For over 50 years Zimbler have been selling quality toys with big brand names like Bruder, Maisto, Carrera and Laser Pegs.
TOTAL LICENSING Philippe Guinaudeau of Kidz Global gives Total Licensing readers an overview of the market highlighting some of the brands that are working in the Italian market. There is a strong list of brands preferred by girls whilst boys tend to appreciate cross-gender brands. Infants/preschoolers are also highly gender-orientated with the exception of Mickey Mouse,VTech and Noddy.
How to read the graph Mostly mentioned by girls 7 - 14 Mostly mentioned by girls 0-6 Mostly mentioned by boys 7 - 14 Mostly mentioned by boys 0-6 Diameter - Number of mentions
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June 21-23, Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las Vegas In its 36th year, Licensing Expo has connected the world’s most influential entertainment, character, fashion, art and corporate brand owners and agents with consumer goods manufacturers, licensees and retailers. This is where the global licensing industry will gather, to build partnerships, check out latest trends, and talk business. Millions of products across the world started life as a conversation at Licensing Expo,. In 2015, 461 exhibitors representing more than 5,000 brands gathered in Las Vegas and more than 16,150 key decision making retailers, manufacturers, marketing and advertising professionals attended, across all consumer product categories. Read our detailed preview over the next several pages, with news from exhibitors, previews of what to expect from the show, who is looking for new partnerships, and highlights of what of the three days in Vegas! Don’t forget the sunscreen!
Mickey Mouse
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Paw Patrol boasts 68% awarenesss amongst boys aged 3 to 6 who love the property. And consumer demand for licensed products is extremely robust. 60% of boys aged 3 to 6 want to receive a product featuring Paw Patrol in the near future mainly covering three different categories including toy ranges and apparel.
Although Star Wars appeals to boys 7 to 9 and 10 to 14, as well as older consumers, the brand is also very much appreciated by girls of the same age groups. However, ownership vs awareness of the brand shows some room for improvement. 43% of boys 10 - 14 know the brand and have a product featuring Star Wars.
We’ll be all over social media at the show, updating the industry with all the latest. And to be included in our NEW show dailies, please email becky@totallicensing.com with your news!
Kids aged 3 to 6 and 7 to 9 know Lego. Although ownership is quite general consumer demand remains rebust with more kids willing to have products than kids already having products.
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censed products, which ran during the film show time, to raise money first in order to manufacture products.” But that was the story two years ago. Li stressed that October Media nowadays has launched a wide range of licensed products and promotional events for the successful property. “We have also started licensing activity on our upcoming movies too,” he added. The same lesson was also learned by Enlight Media, one of the biggest entertainment groups in China. Before the company had their films shown on the cinema screen, they already launched an impressive quantity of licensed products for customers. The movie Big Fish & Begonia last year, and Dahufa which launched this Summer, are good examples. Many official licensed products can be found in the market, especially online, including on the crowdfunding sites of Taobao and
Italy is a very competitive country in terms of licensing. The top entertainment brands in the country are a mixture of a number of international brands together with a few strong national brands such as Geronimo Stilton and Clementoni.
How to read the graph Mostly mentioned by girls 7 - 14 Mostly mentioned by girls 0-6
Philippe Guinaudeau of Kidz Global gives Total Licensing readers an overview of the market highlighting some of the brands that are working in the Italian market.
Mostly mentioned by boys 7 - 14 Mostly mentioned by boys 0-6 Diameter - Number of mentions
Boys and girls, as in many other countries, appreciate different brands. Infants and preschoolers are less gender-orientated, with the exception of Clementoni, Minions, Nintendo or the TV channels Cartoonito and Boing.
TOP 30 FAVORITE ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS IN ITALY Kids aged 0 to 14 years. January 2017 an industry for committed, hard working and creative people, who seize the opportunity, when it comes around – especially in Germany. Germany has a challenging segmented retail structure and self-confident and critical consumers, who know very well what they want. None of the licensors, licensees, the agencies and all the great people, working in German licensing business get anything for free. But those, who accept the challenge, have a good chance of major success in one of the most thrilling markets in the world.” LIMA has one of the largest memberships in the world within Germany with more than 180 members covering licensors, agents, licensees and retailers. The Association runs different events during the year, including their major Day of Licensing in April and Licensing Market Germany in October.
Of course, with more than 170,000 square metres, the world’s largest Toy Fair, which has a major impact on the licensing industry, is also held in Germany. The Nuremberg Toy Fair (Spielwarenmesse) opens its doors on January 31 to more than 2800 exhibitors from 60 countries and trade visitors numbering in excess of 75,000.
Minions is the most cross-age and crossgender of the entire landscape; almost as many young boys, young girls, older boys and older girls place the brand as their favorite brand. Consumer demand on the brand, however, is weaker.
On the following pages we take a look at some of the companies involved in the licensing business in Germany which, hopefully, will give our readers a feel for the marketplace. Universal Consumer Products Germany are gearing up to the launch of Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom which will be released on 7 June. Commenting on the brand, Kathrin Brandhorst, Country Director of Universal Consumer Products Germany GmbH, believes, “Jurassic World: The Fallen Kingdom is a blockbuster movie on our agenda, which will entertain a wide target group. For us, as a young company, it is important to make a global impact to thrill existing and
7 - 14 years
73% of girls aged 3 to 6 love the Frozen brand. 11% place the brand as their favorite brand. And 72% of these girls want to receive a consumer product with the brand on it.
0 - 6 years
Masha and the Bear became the most popular entertainment brand amongst young kids aged 0 to 2 and 3 to 6 - over the last few quarters. Although slightly preferred by girls than boys, the consumer demand for licensed products is extremely strong.
Despite its international success, only half of the 7 to 25 year olds - boys and girls - know Minecraft.Younger boys aged 7 to 9 tend to appreciate the brand more and want licensed products featuring the brand.
Kids 3 to 6 and 7 to 9 know Lego and love it. And although ownership is quite general, consumer demand for the brand remains very robust. However, less kids are willing to have products than kids that already have the products.
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For more information, contact Elena Snagovskaya elena.snagovskaya@ grand-expo.com
Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark (collectively the Nordic countries) have a combination of high living standards and low income disparity that has captured the world’s attention. At a time when the growing gap between the rich and poor has become a political hot button in developed nations, the Nordic region has been cited by many scholars as a role model for economic opportunity and equality. The Nordic model has attracted a significant amount of attention from other nations. Many wonder if it provides a template for smaller countries where citi zens are more homogeneous in terms of their opinions and experiences yet live in poverty or repression as a result of Marxist government policies. Others believe it provides a template for reforming the unchecked capitalism that has created notable income inequality and dramatic differences between the quality of life between the rich and the poor in prosperous nations. Sitting between the controlled economy of Marxist re-
gimes and unchecked capitalism at the other end of the spectrum, the Nordic model is sometimes referred to as “the third way.” Licensing in Nordic territories is, as one would expect, very developed and sophisticated, with a combination of home-grown brands and international ones. In the following pages, we take a look at different sides of the industry, and
a few different properties which we hope will give our readers a flavour of what’s on offer in Scandinavia. Icelandic character-based lifestyle brand Tulipop has flourished in its most exciting and productive year yet. The magical world and its quirky, colourful characters came alive in a series of webisodes on a dedicated Tulipop YouTube channel launched in October, while a pitch for an animated TV series created intense interest at Cartoon Forum. In addition, the company’s first flagship store opened in Reykjavik and the brand continued its global expansion with a growing presence in the US centred on an exclusive retail launch in 300 Hot Topic stores in November. Founded in 2010 by celebrated Icelandic illustrator Signy Kolbeinsdottir and marketing expert Helga Arnadottir, Tulipop has developed into a multiple-award-winning design brand with a growing global fanbase through its range of quality character products. “Since Tulipop first appeared, fans have been asking for more ways to get to know the world and the characters,” explains Helga. “It has always been our ambition
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12 - 16 July 2017 Coex Halls, Seoul, South Korea Total xhibitors 320 Total attendees 128,000.
With over 29 billion views, Masha and the Bear from Animaccord in Russia is one of the most watched YouTube videos of all time. During 2017, Animaccord continued the successful media and licensing expansion of Masha and the Bear. In June, Animaccord together with the Ink Group, brought the show’s Season 1&2 to Clan TV, making it the first time the series was released on a free TV channel in Spain. Viacom18 Media Pvt. Ltd., one of India’s fastest growing entertainment
networks, introduced Masha and the Bear Season 1&2, and the spin-offs Masha’s Spooky stories and Masha’s Tales to Indian audience in May. Following the huge potential of the show in India, Nick Jr. has partnered with Animaccord to release the Masha and the Bear Season 1 on TV in India on November 13th. Turner Broadcasting System signed a deal with Animaccord to purchase the rights for the core show’s Season 3, which was launched on Cartoon Network Latin America on December 4th. In Italy, Rai Yo-Yo has snapped up Season 3 and spinoff Masha’s Spooky Stories being released on December 17th and August 11th respectively. In France, France TV
launched Season 3 on November 6th, whilst in Poland Puls TV is on board for Masha’s Spooky Stories. In Canada, the free TV channel in English – Treehouse – released Masha and the Bear Season 3 on November 6th. This year Animaccord has conquered the top by inking the deals to bring Masha and the Bear show for the first time to free TV channels in the United States and United Kingdom. Thus, in September the show was released on NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment’s - Universal Kids network. The series is aired from Monday to Friday at 6 p.m. In the UK. Animaccord, together with the Ink Group, partnered with CSC Media Group, a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Television, launched Masha and the Bear the Season 1 on the free children’s TV channel, Tiny Pop, on December 11th. In terms of consumer products for Easter 2018, Ferrero will launch a special collection of licensed Kinder Surprise Maxi eggs in Europe and Kinder Surprise eggs in Mexico, Central America, Europe and CIS. Simba Dickie Group, the Master Toy Partner of Animaccord in the EMEA region, has recently presented a plush for the Christmas season, which was available for purchase in major retailers across Europe. The
new toy makes snoring sounds and dressed in pajamas. Hachette designed a new collection of licensed partworks, which consist of book with the learning letter, activity book, a magnet and magnetic board, launched in Poland in November 2017 and in France in December 2017. Brand4rent group of companies develops licensing in Russia and CIS across all licensing categories, from traditional character licensing to sport, lifestyle and art licensing.The company was established in 2015 and became one of the top three licensing agents in very short period of time. Currently b4r works with leading international and local licensors providing them with sales, marketing and creative support. Their kids portfolio includes Super Wings, Wissper, Oddbods, Tobot, Maya The Bee and other brands. Brand4rent Sport is the leading sports licensing agency servicing local and international sport brands including leading local football clubs like Spartak and CSKA as well as international leaders like Eurosport, Slazenger, Everlast and others. Brand4rent Art is the leading licensing agency focusing on lifestyle and art brands. Their portfolio includes Pepsi, Moomin, Gapchinska, Miffy and other brands.
NORDICS
Japan is the third largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP and the fourth largest by purchasing power. In addition, it is the world’s second largest developed economy. Little surprise then that, according to the LIMA Annual Global Licensing Survey, Japan is the world’s third largest market for licensed products, after the US and UK markets with $11.9 billion in retail sales for 2015. However, the Japanese market is one of stability rather than one showing significant growth. It is still the largest electronics goods provider and, faced with increasing competition from its South Korean and Chinese neighbours, the country today focuses primarily on high-tech and precision goods. It is also a popular tourist destination with tourist numbers growing significantly and expected to grow yet more as we get closer to 2020 when the country will host the Olympic Games in Tokyo. So where does Japan stand in terms of licensed products? To find out more, we talked to Roger Berman of ZenWorks and Kaori Taniguchi from LIMA Japan who gave us their take on the state of the marketplace and how we can expect it to develop over the coming period. According to both Kaori and Roger, the market is a pretty stable market with this year’s retail sales figures on a par really with the previous year’s
figures. “If there has been any growth,” explained Roger Berman, “it has been incremental rather than anything else.” According to both, the Japanese market is very much subject to movement only as a result of a hit character. For example, between 2012 and 2015 there were a number of hit properties which helped to grow the market. As Kaori explained, “Frozen, a social phenomenon in Japan, and Yo-kai Watch both had a huge impact on licensing and allied industries. The toy
industry, for example, rose 10% as a result of Frozen toy sales.” But whilst some of the hit properties were, as one would expect, the international success stories such as Frozen, others were very much Japanese in origin and execution. Kumamon was a mascot created for tourists by the government of the Kumamoto Prefecture in 2010. It helped attract visitors after the Kyushu Shinkansen line opened and by 2011 had become nationally popular. Sales of Kumamon merchandise grew from $26 million in 2011 to $120 million in 2012. The government issued licenses to manufacturers but did not charge
for the usage, which certainly helped the merchandising program and such was the popularity of the character that it made a cameo appearance in the 2014 Yo-kai Watch 2 video game and, beyond Japan, the character is also now beginning to be popular in
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The Emerging Licensing Destination
By Marcus Macedo Santa Cruz Marketing and Director, Abral Brazil
BRAZIL: A FRESH LOOK When one looks back to the first decade of this century, specially between 2005 and 2010, the licensing business in Brazil was reasonably levelled. Licensors such as Disney, Warner Bros. (along with Cartoon Network) and Mattel had local offices in Latin America´s largest consumer market. Studios like Universal, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, Discovery, Fox, Sony, Marvel and Paramount and brand owners like American Greetings and Sanrio – to name a few, were largely represented by local or regional agents with a strong local market footprint. The economy was showing incredible performance and consumers were out spending money. Brazil was celebrated as the new kid on the block, its economy ranked among the world´s top 8 largest and international investments poured in.
incapable of sustaining actual wealth creation. Despite the fact that a considerable part of the low-income families celebrated a spike in consumption, the “middle class dream” did not last long. For over 13 years, the worker´s party, led by populist president Lula, tried to install what has been called “white socialism” - a free market economy with a heavy state presence geared towards subsidies distributed to lowincome families. Not only did it not work on the basics of the economy, but it opened the doors for one of the largest and most systematic corruption schemes ever seen in the mod-
ern era. For months a fair share of the population hit major city streets across the country to demonstrate its revolt and repugnance and it made it clear the government could no longer stand as it was. Before the end of 2016, Dilma Rousseff who succeeded president Lula was impeached by congress and the country plunged into one of the worst political and economic crises of its history.
By Rutika Malaviya Editor- in - Chief, Licensing Corner rutika@roohentertainment. com
A countrywide investigation, led by federal judge Sergio Moro,
What the world failed to see (or conveniently didn´t want to see…) was that the country was anchored on income distribution programs devised by an inexperienced government that lacked the responsibility to create solid economic foundations and
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Without any doubt, the German licensing market is amongst the top brand markets in the world. As Peter Hollo, who heads up LIMA in Germany explained, “ First of all, Germany is a fantastic market. Not only, regarding the licensing business. Germany has a strong and growing economy, is politically stable and amongst the most reliable and predictable regions in the world. A good place to invest money and grow your business at low risk.” “In terms of retail sales for licensed goods, Germany is a strong #4 in the world,” he continued. “German retailers are doing a fantastic job, when it comes to doing business with licensed products. They know very well how licensing supports them in securing and growing their businesses. Licensed products help them explore new target audiences or regain target audiences, thought to be lost. Licensed products create new touchpoints and opportunities for consumer sales, every single day. Of course, this is not happening ‘just like that.’ Licensing is
Grand Expo JCSC in Moscow, organisers of Kids Russia and Licensing World Russia are bringing Total Licensing readers the latest developments from a number of key players in the Russian marketplace.
market, to award-winning catalogue shoots across the world. Already the website has become an integral part of our business and we’d encourage your readers to look around and really get to know us! We’ve also continued our focus on diversifying our brand portfolio - while entertainment will always remain the backbone of our business, we now also extend across the key pillars of sport, brands and art and design. With new brands we’re opening up opportunities for retail collaborations that until now have been unheard of in our markets. And if that’s wasn’t already enough for one year – we then launched a brand new office in the Philippines - HavenAsia - extending our reach into South East Asia and beyond. We’ve worked hard to put together a fantastic team on the ground, and with Nickelodeon as our first major partner we’re already moving forward with opportunities in this new market that we’ll be announcing soon. It’s a very exciting time!”
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Haven goes Global! between partners and what we offer is so much more than that. Doing the deal is the easy part! We’re market makers, brand builders and managers. We create new opportunities for brand extension and drive success at retail with compelling marketing programs. Everything we do is strategically designed to push our brands’ awareness at all levels, and at the end of the day the deals and contracts are just the papering-up of these processes we go through! With the rebrand came a new website – www.havenglobal.com, which truly illustrates the breadth of our business and the variety of our accomplishments – from fashion collaborations with some of the best Australian labels, to launch events for unique product we’ve brought to
Film Licensing Market Size in China
MARKET OVERVIEW
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With a new look, a new website and a new office in the Philippines, Haven’s business is changing to reflect the changing global environment. Total Licensing Australia caught up with Tom Punch and Yvonne King to find out more.
This makes a pleasant change. The box office record for a Chinese-made animated film is still Monkey King: Hero Is Back, made in 2015, which generated 957 million yuan ($144m). The movie was produced by October Media but, at the time, Chinese film makers were not really ready for licensing activities. “Our focus was for on the film content itself, but we didn’t expect it would be so successful,” said Li Zhen, Licensing Director of October Media. “Large numbers of the audience were looking for licensed products after they watched the movie, but there was virtually nothing in the market. It was only then that we realized we should launch licensing products as soon as possible. So we immediately created an online crowdfunding project on Taobao for the li-
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“2016 was a huge year for us, with some bold and exciting changes at Haven to meet the ever changing environment in which we all do business. First and foremost, we’ve undergone a rebrand process and come out the other side with a fresh new look that truly reflects what it is that we do and what we offer our partners. The industry and the way we work has changed so dramatically over our 23 years in the biz, and we felt it time to reflect these changes within our own branding – including dropping the word ‘Licensing’ from our name. Finally we feel our outsides are matching our insides and showing what we’re really capable of! In reality, a ‘license’ is simply the terminology to describe the agreement
This summer, the Chinese film market hotted up.The Wolf Warriors 2, directed and starred in by action film star Wu Jing, launched in cinemas on July 28. Wu’s first Wolf Warrior film came out in 2014, but had little impact on the market. Wolf Warrior 2, however, has become a phenomenon. The film broke box office records in China in only twelve days, became the first Chinese movie to be ranked in the world’s top 100 in only 18 days, and generated 5 billion yuan ($750m) in 24 days. And it just keeps on growing. Meanwhile, the licensed products based on this record-breaking film have also been welcomed by the market. Licensed products featuring Wolf Warrior 2 include toys, models, apparel, accessories, housewares, electronics and more, covering almost every traditional licensed product sector. Although the major income for film producers in China still lies with the box office, the idea of developing licensed products at the same time is already on their minds.
alice_yang@tjpa-china.org
Las Vegas 2016
TOP 30 FAVORITE ENTERTAINMENT BRANDS IN FRANCE Kids aged 0 to 14 years. January 2017
78% of girls 3 to 6 love Frozen. 31% even place the brand as their most favorite - and 85% of these girls want to receive a consumer product featuring the brand.
By Alice Yang Licensing Project Manager China Toy & Juvenile Products Assocation
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The French licensing marketplace, in common with the Italian market covered in this issue, is a highly competitive market, largely created by a mix of international brands and a number of strong national brands.
Playmobil is a popular brand amongst boys and girls aged 3 to 6 as well as 7 to 9. The brand is mostly appreciated for its master category - toys. The potential for the licensing of Playmobil appears limited at this time.
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Licensing opportunities now exist in all spheres in India. Manufacturers from various industry sectors including apparel, consumer goods, toys, gifts, accessories and sports are keen on acquiring licenses. The emergence of modern and more organized retail in India has set the pace for new collaborations between International licensing companies and Indian business houses. Character and entertainment licensing has witnessed terrific activity. The children’s entertainment market is steadily gaining pace. Licensing in sports has also developed into a multi-billion dollar systematic business in India with the formation of various sports leagues. The attraction of licensing trademarks for business objectives appear to be at an all-time high. Many eminent personalities and fashion designers in India have started licensing their brands to business houses that independently produce and sell on a large scale and give royalties to designers. The brand licensing business that was launched 11 years ago in India is currently growing at 15% over $1.2 Billion USD. The total Indian retail industry is growing at CAGR of 13-15% yearly (estimated to reach $948 billion USD by 2019). Currently, e-commerce retail sales stand at $29 billion USD with whopping growth of 68% in 2015. Disney, Viacom, Cartoon Network,
IMG-Reliance have their own offices. There have been number of success stories of Indian Brands. One sector amongst these is celebrity licensing. Salman Khan’s Being Human had accounted to $55 million USD in 2016 under the stewardship of Manish Mandhana of Mandhana Retail Ventures. An Indian originated animated IP Chhota Bheem owned by Rajiv Chilaka, Green Gold Animation has over 100+ product categories covered with 4000 SKUs and is now present in 15 International markets. A Film Production house - Yash Raj Films is bringing in the Entertainment to Experience Brand Licensing & Merchandising programme. India is in many ways a tougher mar-
With Brexit now around the corner, do you think the UK will continue to be the gateway to Europe in terms of licensed products? Rob Corney Bulldog Licensing
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Despite the uncertainty of Brexit and all its implications, the UK it seems at present is business as usual. For this year’s Roundtable, we spoke to a number of individuals, on different sides of the industry, to see how they view the marketplace in the UK both today and, importantly, looking ahead into an uncertain future.
ket. Its population is poorer and its infrastructure worse. But its prospects look remarkable. The income per person, which in 2014 was $1,570, could be twice that by 2025. Two-thirds of Indians are younger than 35 and their phones give a huge number of them access to the Internet. In December 2014, smartphones accounted for one in five Indian mobiles, according to Goldman Sachs. Just six months later, they accounted for one in four. Morgan Stanley expects Internet penetration to rise from 32% in 2015 to 59% in 2020. By 2030, India is projected to be a one-billion-person digital market. India is one of the fastest growing retail markets in the World with 10%
Rob Corney: I think there’s a big question as to whether the UK has ever been the gateway for products... for brands rather than products, the UK is seen as the springboard for success across Continental Europe in many ways and this will certainly continue. The US is seen as a marker for likely growth of brands in the UK and there has never been an official trading relationship between our two countries, so it would be very odd to suggest that the changing nature of our political relationship with Europe would affect the position of the UK as a barometer for a brand’s opportunity elsewhere in Europe. But for products I think the traf-
fic is much more inbound. There are certain categories, mainly hardlines, in which major UK companies take the lead in distributing their products around Europe, though most of them have had a footprint on the continent for years, with local staff managing their product roll-out. In these categories, with high costs to entry and long lead times, this trade is generally carried out under the terms of Pan-Euro (or certainly multi territory) agreements - there is a question as to whether or not the potential for tariffs on certain classes of goods could impact a UK company’s ability to distribute internationally, but even under WTO rules (assuming favourable terms cannot be agreed), corporation tax levels, labour regulations, economic stability, etc. in the UK are still far better than in most of the rest of Europe so a base here will continue to make sense, even if some adaptations might need to be made, depending on the outcome of conversations in Brussels. Where the biggest change could possibly come is in cross-border trading. At pres-
OUR 2017 PANELISTS
A look at some of the companies and properties making waves in the Canadian marketplace.
Rob Corney, Group Managing Director, Bulldog Licensing Rikesh Desai, Licensing Director Merchandise/ Gaming, Consumer Products, BBC Worldwide Kelvyn Gardner, Managing Director, LIMA UK Darran Garnham, CEO, MTW Toys Hannah Mungo, Country Manager UK and Ireland, Universal Brand Development Tom Roe, Commercial Director, DHX Brands Meera Santoro, Founder and Creative Director, Santoro ent, inbound licensed products, trading into the UK under EU free trade rules, cause huge challenges for local licensees.There is some traffic heading the other way with UK licensees shipping to European retailers under the auspices of ‘unsolicited trade’ but the UK really bears the brunt of this due to language issues - most Licensors seeing product development from a UK licensee in anything other than the
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9 Story Media Group is a leading creator, producer and distributor of kids and family focused intellectual property. Its award-winning animation studio, Brown Bag Films, is recognized around the world for best-in-class brands such as Doc McStuffins, Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood, Octonauts, Wild Kratts, Peter Rabbit and The Magic School Bus: Rides Again. The company’s international distribution arm, 9 Story Distribution International represents over 2,700 half-hours of animated and live-action programming, seen on some of the most respected international channels and platforms. With facilities in Toronto, Dublin and Manchester, the 9 Story Media group of companies employ almost 600 creative and corporate staff. 2017 has been an exciting year for Peg
+ Cat! Master toy partner Imports Dragon introduced an exciting first line of toys for the brand, featuring an assortment of high-quality plush, arts & crafts sets, games and wooden puzzles. These are available in Canada on Amazon.ca, ToyRUs.ca, and Renault-Bray. On the home entertainment front, eOne has released two titles: The Chicken Problem and The Christmas Problem. With relatable and funny adventures filled with upbeat music, the multiple Emmy award winning series has garnered a growing audience and has been sold to over 180 countries. 9 Story also report that there are several exciting things in the works for Nature Cat as we move into 2018. New North American master toy partner TOMI is hard at work on the brand’s first line with plans to launch
in early 2019. Tomi is currently working on plans for plush, figures, play sets and role-play skus. Aimed at children 3-8 years old, Nature Cat helps children relate to and engage with the natural world. The series was recently renewed for second and third seasons. On the consumer products side, 9 Story represents various territories for several key children’s properties, including: Daniel Tiger’s Neighbourhood in selected markets, Peg + Cat worldwide, Nature Cat for worldwide excluding the US, Wild Kratts for the world excluding North America, and Luo Bao Bei for worldwide licensing. Nelvana is one of Canada’s premier animation companies and a worldleading producer and distributor of children’s content. Nelvana has delighted audiences around the globe for more than 40 years with a vast library of more than 4,000 episodes from original, award-winning series like Babar and Franklin. Nelvana’s content is distributed in more than 160 countries worldwide and broadcast across Corus Entertainment’s suite of leading kids networks. Nelvana Enterprises, the global licensing and merchandising arm of Nelvana, manages the organization’s portfolio of in-house and third party brands with offices in Toronto and Paris. Nelvana Studio in Toronto and leading digital animation software
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