The Wombles on reintroducing their story and their association with positive environmental action.
A raft of exhibitors will be taking to the floor for the very first time at Brand Licensing Europe this week (4-6 October). LicensingSource.net catches up with just some of them to find out more on their plans and why they see the event as crucial to their brands’ growth.
Today: The Wombles (D210).
The focus at BLE for The Wombles will be on introducing – or reintroducing – their story and their association with positive environmental action.
The Wombles’ operations team has spent the past few years acquiring the various parts of The Wombles’ IP that had become scattered over the 50 years since they first appeared on TV screens. Now, for the first time in many decades, all of the historic and future rights associated with The Wombles characters are held in one place. And, as befitting the environmental story underpinning the Wombles, the company wants to become a standard bearer for sustainability within the licensing industry.
BLE will act as a platform to showcase a mix of the classic Wombles heritage and the latest CGI animation, with plans being shared for film, TV, publishing and theatrical.
The stand design (D210) will also embrace The Wombles’ eco philosophy. Many elements will be repurposed from old objects and everything, wherever possible, will be reusable or recyclable.
‘Spokes-Womble’, Great Uncle Bulgaria tells LSB: “The Wombles always focus on positive actions and in the world of sustainability there are many inspiring people, brands and messaging. The Wombles are here to celebrate brands or people making a difference.”
With The Wombles’ message perhaps more important than ever, BLE represents a great opportunity to demonstrate why their mix of wit, charm, rich characterisation and engaging storytelling – underpinned by the environmental message – can capture the hearts of a new generation of children and their families.
“Exhibiting at BLE marks an important milestone in the re-emergence of The Wombles as an IP. It gives us a great opportunity to showcase the scale of our ambitions and how, given the global focus on environmental issues, The Wombles will be bigger than ever,” concludes Great Uncle Bulgaria.
This feature originally appeared in the autumn 2023 edition of Licensing Source Book. To read the full publication, click on this link.
