Remarkable Brands, the New York City-based licensing and branding agency, has been named North American licensing agent for Deddy Bears, the deadly adorable collectable toys developed by Innov8 Creative Academy. Remarkable Brands joins Surge Licensing, which is working in partnership with Caroline Mickler Licensing in overseeing licensing for the popular brand in the UK and other international markets. Already a pop culture sensation, the spooky and “dead cute” new Deddy Bears offerings are now rolling out to retailers across the US, UK, EU, and Australia and New Zealand.
“Deddy Bears are unlike anything else on the market – equal parts adorable and creepy-cool – and they have captivated audiences around the globe,” said Stacey Reiner, President of Remarkable Brands. “We are honored to represent such a unique and exciting brand and look forward to introducing Deddy Bears to fans across North America.”
“We are thrilled to join forces with Remarkable Brands, Surge Licensing, and Caroline Mickler to unleash the full potential of Deddy Bears around the world,” said Gavin Lawler, CEO of Innov8 Creative Academy, and creator of Deddy Bears. “With their unparalleled expertise, passion, and drive for innovation, we are confident that our licensing teams will elevate Deddy Bears to new heights of success through exciting and relevant consumer products that will allow fans to even more deeply engage with our brand.”
Officially introduced simultaneously in the UK and U.S. in the second half of 2023, Deddy Bears’ initial offerings quickly sold out and now brand expansion is underway with newly-signed North American partner License 2 Play Toys (distributor), Just Toys (plastic figures, compound toy and collectibles), Boston America (energy drinks and candy), High Point Design (socks, slipper socks, and slippers), and Accessory Innovations (bags, luggage, cold weather and headwear). In the UK, the first wave of licensees will be announced shortly. Deddy Bears plush for waves 2 and 3 are already in the works with hundreds of additional characters developed and ready to go.
Known for their creepy-cool and edgy cuteness, Deddy Bears are teddy bears that were unloved, rejected, and then dumped by their factory only to be rescued by a teenage girl who took them under her care in a secret lair. Each Deddy Bear comes in its own unique coffin-shaped package with a character biography describing their individual charm, personality, strengths, and weaknesses.
“I set out to break all the rules when it comes to what a collectible toy line can be by turning the standard teddy bear typecast upside down and inside out and leveraging edgy monster-zombie scary themes, but in uniquely loveable ways,” said Lawler. “Fans simply can’t get enough of them.”
The brand’s TikTok and other social media channels have experienced explosive growth since the line’s debut, attracting millions of views – and growing rapidly!
“The moment we saw Deddy Bears, we knew that Gavin and his creative team were onto something big!,” said Mark Freedman, President of Surge Licensing. “Caroline Mickler and I cannot wait to dive in and deliver a fantastic group of best-in-class licensees for fans to further their engagement.”