Animaccord’s Vladimir Gorbulya on the ambitious plans for the fast growing preschool brand.
Licensing already has a firm global footprint, but with the growth of platforms such as YouTube and social media, there isn’t any country that a property feasibly can’t reach.
The Source today kicks off a series of highlights featuring five brands from different territories and sectors of the licensing business which are busy making an impact on UK consumers.
Today: Masha and the Bear (Russia)
Masha and the Bear is the original idea of show creator, Oleg Kuzovkov, who had developed the scenarios for the first eight episodes in her native Russia before the Animaccord studio was established ten years ago.
The show – which stars a mischievous little girl called Masha who explores the world and has many adventures with her friend, the Bear – attracted billions of views on YouTube and has a rapidly growing global broadcast presence on platforms such as Netflix.
Vladimir Gorbulya, vp of Animaccord, enthuses: “We can clearly state that in its home territory, Masha and the Bear has become a true classic. It is the number 1 kids brand in its home territory (source: BrandTrends, October 2017, Popularity Index).” As well as a three-year licensing drive, Vladimir explains that content has continued to be supplemented with new episodes and spin-offs such as Masha’s Tales and Masha’s Spooky Stories.
The brand is now growing steadily in the UK – Lisle handles Masha and the Bear in the territory, while Ink Global looks after the property globally in the broadcasting and licensing spaces.
Partners include Simba Dickie Group (master toy in EMEA), Sambro, TVMania, Procos, Aykroyd & Sons and TDP Textiles. Since December 2017, Masha and the Bear has also been broadcast on free to air channel Tiny Pop (as well as Turner channels Cartoonito and Boomerang and Netflix).
“This was a huge game-changing factor, so that in 2018 and 2019 we expect a lot of new licensees and exciting partnerships,” says Vladimir.
This feature originally appeared in the summer 2018 edition of Licensing Source Book. Click here to read the full publication.
