Including licensing specialist Victoria Preston launching The Brand Informer online platform to connect retailers to brand owners.
Source rounds up more news from the licensing industry across the globe from the week.
A new online platform which is aiming to connect retailers directly to brand owners has officially launched. The Brand Informer is the brainchild of Victoria Preston, a licensing specialist who has worked with brands including Williams F1, England Rugby, ITV, England Cricket, England Football and various Premier League clubs throughout her career. The platform is aiming to bridge the gap between brand owners, licensees and retailers, providing a place online for brands to connect with opportunities to support their business growth and retailers to access brands. For retailers, their account will combine a search function, clear categorisation and an events calendar to help them make buying decisions. Buyers will be able to search for products through option choice and filtering systems to enable them to find the specific product they are looking for. As part of the launch, Victoria is hosting a free course starting on 17 May called Simplifying the Brand Licensing Buying Process’, with three live workshops. You can find out further details by clicking here.
Pocket.watch and Sunlight Entertainment have revealed that Ryan’s World will make a foray into the footwear market in a new partnership with Skechers. The colourful collection is a collaboration between Ryan and the Skechers Kids design team and will launch in the US in July. It marks the first time that a major shoe brand has offered a kid influencer a global footwear deal.
ARTiSTORY has partnered with Marcrom Licensing as its sales agent for the Iberian market. Marcrom will focus on securing retail and brand partners to feature designs from ARTiSTORY’s biannually refreshed creative themes across its growing portfolio of art and cultural IP.
Disguise – the Halloween costume division of Jakks Pacific – has secured US rights for BBC Studios’ preschool hit Bluey. The costumes and costume accessories will debut as a first to market launch at Walmart in the US this autumn.
Coolabi Group has partnered with Roblox specialist Aldrich-Callen Studios to develop Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition, a new 3D role-play game for Roblox based on the fantasy brand. The game – which is set in the Forest Territory from the successful book series – will invite players to create and customise their own cat character, explore the vast world of Warriors, join a Clan and interact with other players to make their own Warrior Cats story.
Boxing icon Floyd Mayweather Jr will launch his first drop of legacy collection NFTs ahead of his fight with Logan Paul. IronBend, in partnership with Reality Gaming Group and Zytara Labs, will release the exclusive Mayweather NFTs, including his memorabilia, to commemorate his legacy and return to the ring (which is set for 6 June). Each piece in the unique collection will be secured and protected using blockchain technology, enabling the verification of ownership and authenticity of each collector’s item.
Australian womenswear designer, Anthea Crawford has partnered with the Van Gogh Museum to launch a limited edition autumn/winter 2021 collection, in a deal brokered by IMG. The new range features Vincent van Gogh’s iconic artwork, bold colours and signature styles in a 19-piece collection of dresses, blouses, t-shirts, trousers, coats and jackets.
Merchandise specialist The Koyo Store has secured EMEA rights from Toei Animation Europe to create licensed collectables based on Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super anime TV series. The initial product range will include character pin badges and symbol pins among others.
Ahead of this year’s theatrical release for Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir and the autumn 2021 launch in the US of action-comedy series, Ghostforce, ZAG is continuing to ramp up its consumer products team. It has appointed Hyde Schram as vp of global promotions, plus Betsabe Luna as retail and licensing director, Mexico and Central America.
As part of its 20th birthday celebration, music brand Kidz Bop has partnered with toy company Move2Play and screen-free audio platform Yoto to create a number of new products. Items will include karaoke microphones from Move2Play, while Yoto will make all Kidz Bop albums available on its audio player.
Studio 100 Media and Russian toy company Simbat have secured a new deal with Maya the Bee, brokered by brand4rent. The multi-year agreement covers the rights for a range of products from publishing to games in Russia.
Moonbug Entertainment is expanding its content onto streaming service, Peacock. Blippi, Little Baby Bum and My Magic Pet Morphle are now available on the service.
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