Leading the licensing program expansion is Fashion UK, which has been appointed as apparel partner for Peppa Pig with plans to debut a wide range of kids daywear and swimwear in addition to adult nightwear, daywear and underwear which launch at retail from spring/summer 2019.
“Everyone at Fashion UK and Global Licensing is extremely proud and excited to have been appointed as the new Peppa Pig daywear and swimwear licensee from the 1st January 2019,” said Patrick Bailey, Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Fashion UK, Global Licensing. “Peppa Pig is a most highly trusted preschool brand and to now be a licensee and able to work with the eOne team to help to ensure Peppa’s continued growth and success, is truly fantastic.”
Also jumping on board are Alfred Franks & Barlett for sunglasses, Dreamtex for wallpaper, Original Candy for shaped lollies, Great British Teepee Company for playhouses and luggage, Enesco for gifting and limited-edition figurines for the anniversary year, Evode Group for apparel and bedding, and Pez for candy. Other partners continue to extend and deepen their offerings, and eOne is strengthening its ties with Yoplait for snacks and retailers Marks and Spencer and Next for apparel.
“It’s an incredible achievement that 15 years on from its initial broadcast, Peppa Pig remains as loved by children now as it has ever been,” noted Katie Rollings, the Senior Vice President (SVP) of licensing for the U.K. at eOne Family & Brands. “The property has continued to welcome new partners and we’re excited about the new lines that Fashion UK and our other licensees will be producing. We look forward to creating more unforgettable memories for her many fans with the exciting events we have planned next year.”
Anchoring the anniversary celebrations will be a nationwide theatrical release of Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun! beginning Friday 5th April 2019. Continuing to encourage little ones to interact and sing along, the format is designed as a gentle introduction to the cinema, offering fans 10 never-before-broadcast episodes. This includes a two-part festival special and episodes that will introduce new characters, plus exclusive interactive live-action content filmed especially for the release. There will also be live events and location-based entertainment formats, as well as a variety of retail and product initiatives.
Brand partnerships for the year-long Family Celebrations schedule include party themed plush and figures from Character Options, an “Ultimate Collection” of 50 books from Penguin, magazine anniversary specials from Redan, special edition figurines from Enesco, new partyware from Gemma and Fashion UK party themed apparel, with more soon to be announced.
Peppa Pig’s charity collaborations will also ramp up towards the 15th anniversary. eOne will strengthen its partnership with Save the Children by including the brand in the charity’s annual Christmas Jumper Day celebration (Friday 14th December 2018). This year, Paultons Park is creating an exclusive Daddy Pig Christmas jumper as well as exclusive Peppa and George Christmas jumpers available from Amazon Fashion. Ravensburger are also introducing a Christmas themed puzzle, and all the items carry a donation to Save the Children. Plans to accelerate activity for next year’s Muddy Puddle Walk in May are also underway, in addition to the annual Tommy’s Splashathon in summer 2019 with eOne actively seeking retailer partnerships to support these events.
To support the widespread Peppa Pig activity and keep the brand fresh, eOne has made a longstanding commitment to new content. Brand new episodes began airing in 2017 and will continue through to winter 2022.
“Peppa Pig never slows down,” added Rollings. “In fact, our partners are coming up with more imaginative and creative ways to bring the brand to life than ever before. As we usher in her 15th year, we will continue to support Peppa Pig and its associated product ranges with wide-ranging activations at retail, new content, live events, brand partnerships and the in-house expertise that has helped Peppa Pig become such a beloved household name around the globe.”
eOne is bolstering the brand abroad as well, with a Peppa Pig movie co-produced with Chinese distributor Alibaba Pictures set to debut in early 2019, and Alpha Group appointed as master toy partner in the region. New Peppa Pig licensing programs have recently kicked off in Japan, India, Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and Mongolia.
The brand remains highly resilient in the U.K. market, and eOne reports strong performance across all areas this year:
- Character Options’ core toy lines are achieving strong sales at retail with sales uplift of 7% in 2018 compared to the same period in 2017, and there has also been a strong first half of the year (H1 2018) in secondary toy categories for partners such as HTI, MV Sports, Trends and puzzles from new licensee, Ravensburger.
- Redan’s Peppa Pig Bag-O-Fun magazine has seen a year-on-year increase of +10.93%. A total average sale of 85,455 makes it not only the No. 1 best-selling magazine in the pre-school sector, but also in the whole of the children’s sector. In addition, a second magazine title, Fun To Learn Peppa Pig, has reported a year on year increase of +3.44%.
- 2018 titles from publishing partner Penguin have also performed at the top, including sparkly Mother’s Day release I Love You, Mummy Pig (25k copies sold in seven mos.; No. 5 on pre-k charts); lift-the-flap book Peppa Pig at the Zoo (26k sold since May); and Peppa’s Magical Unicorn (37k copies sold since June, No. 1 on pre-k chart).
Peppa Pig began in the UK as a five-minute children’s animated TV series that was first broadcast on Channel 5 in 2004. The TV show is now seen globally, including on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels around the world, including in the UK, Ireland and the USA. In China, the beloved television series made a strong broadcast debut in June 2015 on national broadcaster, CCTV and is now available on multiple leading VOD platforms including Youku, IQIYi and Tencent, where the show has accumulated over 45 billion cumulative views.
Peppa Pig is created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker, produced by Astley Baker Davies Ltd, and airs on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. channels and blocks around the world.
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