WildBrain, a global leader in kids’ and family entertainment, is further expanding the offering for fans of its beloved Strawberry Shortcake franchise with a heaping new serving of licensing partnerships, creative activations and distribution deals to reach new audiences as the brand continues to grow in popularity. Fresh off a second GLAAD nomination for WildBrain’s original new animated series, Berry in the Big City, the Strawberry Shortcake brand is surging in popularity with fans. In Q1 2023, Strawberry Shortcake jumped onto the charts as the sixth most popular character among kids 6 to 9 in the US, according to independent consumer research firm The Insights Family, beating out Harry Potter, SpongeBob SquarePants and Barbie.
Excitement for the brand is set to continue building as season three of Berry in the Big City launches on the official Strawberry Shortcake YouTube channel on July 15. The hit series, which is also available on Netflix, was recently featured in director M. Night Shyamalan’s film Knock at the Cabin. In the new season, fans will meet Crabapple Jam, the new owner of Berryworks, who shakes things up in unexpected ways for Strawberry Shortcake and her berry friends. Strawberry Shortcake fandom will continue to build into the fall as the first of four new, highly anticipated premium CG-animated seasonal specials (4 x 44’) will launch on Netflix worldwide later this year and also on WildBrain’s Family Channel in Canada.
Elizabeth Litten Miller, Vice President, Franchise Strategy at WildBrain, said: “We’ve seen incredible growth in Strawberry Shortcake fandom this year, with this iconic character continuing to capture the hearts of audiences young and old around the world. As we harness WildBrain’s 360-degree approach to brand building across content creation, audience engagement and global licensing, the soaring popularity of the World of Strawberry Shortcake has generated not only new content deals, but a whole new wave of licensing opportunities and innovative activations. We’re thrilled that partners and fans are embracing Strawberry Shortcake to celebrate her message of diversity, creativity and friendship in so many imaginative and inspiring ways.”
Attendees at Licensing Expo, from June 13–15, are invited to visit WildBrain CPLG at stand F214 to learn more about partnership opportunities for the World of Strawberry Shortcake.
Berry sweet licensing deals and activations
WildBrain CPLG has secured a wave of new global licensing partnerships for the classic Strawberry Shortcake brand, including with Funko for their iconic pop figures, A Leading Role for costume apparel and accessories, SkinnyDip for phone cases, and Diamond Art Club for craft projects. Existing partner Dolls Kill has also launched a second collection globally, which has expanded to include homewares alongside apparel and accessories.
In the US, new partners signed by WildBrain CPLG include Hunnideux for character-inspired make-up palettes; Little Bird Bamboo for matching ‘mommy & me’ sets and infant and toddler apparel; Goose Creek Candles for strawberry-scented candles; Hot Topic for a Direct to Retail (DTR) collection spanning apparel, accessories, beauty, and footwear; and an expansion of a current deal with Centric to now include beauty. A recent collection from Loungefly (part of Funko) of scented bags and accessories was launched at SXSW, with four out of the five designs almost immediately selling out. American Girl have launched Strawberry Shortcake doll accessories for the ’80s Courtney Doll in the US and Canada, including doll pajamas, girl pajamas and a sleepover set, while in Australia, Peter Alexander recently launched a sleepwear collection which sold out within a week.
WildBrain’s in-house franchise team has also inked new partnerships and activations in the US, including Color Me Mine for a paint-your-own pottery studio experience; CAMP, a family experience company with locations across the US; and new and renewed promotional partnerships with Dana’s Bakery, Sunkist Growers (oranges, lemons and limes), Crofter’s Organic (jams and fruit spreads), Chuao Chocolatier, and gift-giving site Lula’s Garden. Additionally, Sprinkle Pop has launched Strawberry Shortcake baking decorations, and Fla-Vor-Ice has launched a Strawberry Shortcake-themed promotion for their freezer pops.
New distribution partners for Berry in the Big City and seasonal specials
Bringing Strawberry Shortcake content to new audiences, WildBrain has inked a wave of distribution deals across all three seasons of its original 2D-animated series, Berry in the Big City (120 x 4’). Season one has been acquired by Pluto TV (US and Canada), Showmax (Africa) and Kanopy (US) for its Kanopy Kids offering; while seasons one and two have sold to TFOUMAX and MYTFI (France), and MiniMini+ (Poland). CANAL PANDA (Portugal) has acquired seasons one to three.
The four new CG-animated seasonal specials (4 x 44’) have also been acquired by CANAL PANDA (Portugal), TVNZ (New Zealand) and MiniMini+ (Poland).
Berry in the Big City and the seasonal specials are produced by WildBrain’s Vancouver animation studio with renowned show runner Michael Vogel (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic). The series celebrates stories of diversity, creativity and friendship as Strawberry Shortcake heads to Big Apple City to find her big break and “bake the world a better place.”