The Pokémon Company International has announced that its official e-commerce arm, Pokémon Center, will soon be expanding to Australia and New Zealand, offering Trainers in these markets another way to access premium Pokémon merchandise. Currently available in the US, Canada and the UK, Pokémon Center is the premier online destination for Pokémon products, with something for Trainers of all types and ages.
King Features Syndicate, a unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters, has announced a feast-worthy lineup of upcoming book releases for Cuphead fans from Dark Horse Books, including the new graphic novel, Cuphead Volume 3: Colorful Crack-Ups & Chaos, and two art books titled The Art of The Cuphead Show and The Art of Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course. The announcement includes the official cover reveals for both The Art of The Cuphead Show and The Art of Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course.
Cloudco Entertainment, the proud owner of the iconic Care Bears brand, is excited to announce a vibrant array of new licensee partnerships that extend the reach of the beloved Care Bears and their inspiring message of sharing and caring. This year, CloudCo is delighted to introduce new licensee collaborations across multiple categories, propelling the Care Bears universe into new and exciting territories. For fashion-forward fans, our partnerships with Jacmel and Hybrid bring an innovative range of Care Bears apparel and accessories. In addition, Accutime are set to launch a stylish collection of timepieces and accessories, while Accessory Innovations, Fast Forward, Pan Oceanic, and Sun-Staches will provide trendy bags, backpacks, sunglasses, and headwear. Spirit Jersey rounds out our apparel offerings with exclusive designs that capture the essence of Care Bears cheer.
Bulldog Licensing, one of the licensing industry’s leading agencies, showcased a range of its plans for the year at Las Vegas Licensing Expo 2024. Bulldog will again be promoting a show-stopping selection of brands, headlined by the world-renowned classic property Care BearsÔ, toy phenomenon Magic Mixies, the iconic Me to You character brand, evergreen hit Sesame Street, the much-loved, classic crime-fighting franchise Totally Spies, the iconic comedy character Mr Bean and one of the most successful children’s publishing brands of the past 25 years, That’s Not My….
Penguin Ventures, the consumer products and experiences team at Penguin Random House Children’s UK, has announced their renewed long-term agency agreement with Sony Creative Products (SCP) in Japan for The World of Peter Rabbit, on behalf of brand owner and Beatrix Potter’s original publisher Frederick Warne & Co. Ltd. The new six-year agreement will see Penguin Ventures and SCP focus on driving consumer products and licensing growth with additional investment in local Peter Rabbit brand activity. The long-term partnership between Penguin Ventures and SCP has seen significant year on year growth, delivering a 142% net increase in 2023 – reinforcing Japan as the largest market outside of the UK for Peter Rabbit.
Sony Pictures Consumer Products exhibited its diverse portfolio of properties at this year’s Licensing Expo, which combined timeless classics and evergreen releases with new and modern content. Amongst the expansive collection of Sony IPs at Licensing Expo 2024 are the enduring Ghostbusters and Karate Kid properties, both set to celebrate 40-year anniversaries in 2024, as well as contemporary standouts including The Boys, Cobra Kai, Gen V, The Last of Us, Goosebumps, Twisted Metal, and many more.
Hasbro, Inc (NASDAQ: HAS), a leading toy and game company, and Secret Location, a Toronto-based, Emmy Award-winning content studio, have partnered to launch Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder, an all-new, immersive show, at Illuminarium Las Vegas on June 5th. The 60-minute experience will combine the nostalgic delight of Lite-Brite with cutting-technology, designed to inspire child-like wonder, creativity and fun for kids and adults alike.
Dr. Seuss Enterprises (DSE) and Random House Children’s Books (RHCB) has announced the lineup of authors and illustrators who will create the first original books inspired by Ted Geisel’s (aka Dr. Seuss) unpublished sketches and illustrations for Seuss Studios, a new line of books in the Dr. Seuss publishing program at RHCB announced in 2022. The first lineup of creators are Lala Watkins, Sarah Hwang, Jerrard K. Polk, and Avani Dwivedi. The inaugural title, HELLO, SUN! (Random House Books for Young Readers, ages 3–7, $9.99 US/$13.99 Can.) by Lala Watkins, will release on January 7, 2025, and is available for pre-order now. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches by Dr. Seuss, HELLO, SUN! tells a bright and playful story and encourages imaginative play as a worm, his friends, and the sun itself spend a day doing everything they can think of.
BBC Studios, distributor and licensor for the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning animated series Bluey, is once again expanding its licensing program with partner renewals and new licensees. The company has renewed its licensing deals for Bluey with Spin Master, Horizon Group and Jay Franco (U.S. and Canada). Additionally, TOMY International has expanded their Bluey lines, adding the Pop Up Bluey game (Global excl. Asia).