With the much-loved Trolls, Minions and Po the Kung Fu Panda set to return to cinemas, plus preschool hit Gabby’s Dollhouse continuing its unstoppable rise on screen and at retail, Universal Products & Experiences is heading towards 2024 in upbeat mood. Paul Bufton, vp EMEA consumer products at Universal Products & Experiences, shares the good vibes.
“As a business, we’re really going places. It’s a tough market, but we’ve got so much good stuff going on and a huge amount to look forward to,” begins Paul Bufton.
Chief among Paul’s reasons to be cheerful is DreamWorks Animation’s hit series, Gabby’s Dollhouse, which has enjoyed a “brilliant year”.
“This summer we ran ‘Sprinkle Party’ activations across Europe and a Gabby on the Go! roadshow tour of the UK and France; our UK partnering retailer Smyths Toys saw a significant uplift in participating stores and nationwide for Gabby’s Dollhouse product sales,” says Paul. “What was so humbling about the roadshow was the incredible number of people who turned up. The kids were so excited to have photo ops with [costume-character] Gabby, it was adorable to see.”
Since launching in 2021 Gabby’s Dollhouse has skyrocketed in popularity across North America and EMEA and has charted as an overall top 10 series in 57 countries on Netflix. Most recently, the series has spent six weeks in the Global English TV Top 10 list on Netflix (as of 5 September); and this year it was named the number one new preschool property in the UK toy market by Circana.
UP&E’s product strategy for Gabby’s Dollhouse has been very focused and designed around building a long-term brand. “We have a very intentional strategy for which categories we move into,” Paul says. “The big news for us is LEGO coming on board. The Spin Master toys are incredible and have captured the essence of the storytelling, and having LEGO on board brings a whole new dimension to our toy offering.”
There are multiple reasons Gabby’s Dollhouse has caught kids’ imaginations – cats, crafting, catchy songs – but part of its success comes down to the character of Gabby herself, Paul believes.
“There’s a positivity that flows through the show. Gabby is such a can-do person – she always finds a way through, and that kind of optimism is really needed today.”
Another “ray of sunshine” in UP&E’s portfolio is DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls Band Together, which debuts in theatres this fall, and will feature an all-star cast of musical superstars and comedic powerhouses. “It’s filled with humour and heart,” explains Paul. “There’s also an amazing soundtrack of new and classic pop hits that will appeal to a broad audience of kids and adults alike. We have a slew of retail activations planned across toys, grocers, fashion and more. On the partnership front, Mattel and Moose are new to the franchise. Mattel is debuting new Trolls dolls across the portfolio from small dolls to American Girl accessories, and Moose Toys is launching the franchise’s first ever collectables line, offering more than 100 characters from fan-favourites to new surprises. Additionally, a DreamWorks Trolls Remix Rescue game is launching on console and PC.
“The other exciting proposition for Trolls is that it also has a nostalgia hook, in that it’s inspired by a classic IP, the Good Luck Trolls, which turns 65 next year. We’ve got a lot of activity around the original brand planned for 2024.”
Beyond animation, content-wise, UP&E will be leaning into the horror trend in coming months, following the incredible box office success of M3GAN, the upcoming theatrical release of The Exorcist Believer and the popular annual Halloween Horror Nights festivities happening at theme parks around the world.
“Horror as a genre is going from strong to stronger,” says Paul. “We can play anywhere in that space, from classic Universal Monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein, to modern horror icons like M3GAN and Chucky. Horror characters and stories are not just a Halloween thing; they’re 365 and evergreen, so we can have product in market all year round.”
Coming soon…
Trolls Band Together – This October will be filled with good vibes, glitter and hit songs as the DreamWorks Trolls return to cinemas in the newest chapter of the beloved franchise.
2024 will see the return of the mischief-making Minions in Illumination’s highly anticipated Despicable Me 4.
Kung Fu Panda 4 will debut in cinemas in 2024.
Screens will be turning green with the release of part one of Wicked on 27 November 2024, with part two slated for 26 November 2025.
An all-new live action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation’s beloved How to Train Your Dragon is coming to cinemas in 2025.
The original summer blockbuster JAWS and iconic sketch show Saturday Night Live will both be celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2025.
Jurassic World: bigger than ever
Keeping the engagement level high for brands during non-film years is key to UP&E’s consumer products strategy, Paul explains.
“Part of our responsibility as a licensor is to make sure that when we onboard new audiences, we retain them. It’s easiest when the franchise is a powerhouse, like Jurassic World, which has cross-generational interest.”
Last year was a “big film year” with the release of Jurassic World Dominion – and the largest licensing programme in the franchise’s history – and this year was all about the 30th anniversary of the original Jurassic Park film. Multiple activations included a collaboration with street artists to bring dinosaurs to life in Milan, London, Paris and Madrid, while key retail partners rallied around the #JurassicJune anniversary.
“We back up major milestones with more toyetic moments like Dino Days, which we’ve been running for a few years now,” says Paul. “Outside the movies we have some fantastic awareness drivers, like video games and touring exhibitions; Jurassic World: The Exhibition is currently in Germany, and we also have Jurassic World by Brickman in Sweden, which features dinosaurs made from six million LEGO bricks. In addition, LEGO and Universal are producing some brand new content, coming soon for Jurassic World.”
This feature originally appeared in the autumn 2023 edition of Licensing Source Book. To read the full publication, click on this link.
