The Gruffalo renews plush deal with Aurora and makes sustainable move with Playpress – ToyNews

Magic Light Pictures has secured a raft of new licensees for its hit animated IP, The Gruffalo, as development of its licensing programme continues for 2020. Visage, MBI, Robert Fredrick, Playpress, and Snappyjack are the latest to join the Gruffalo family.

Textile specialists Visage will produce Gruffalo craft printed fabrics, MBI has signed on for gifting and collectables, including gift packaging for the recent 20th anniversary coins issued by The Royal Mint and stamps from the Royal Mail, and Robert Fredrick will launch a range of stationery, gifts, and games this summer.

On top of all of this, Playpress is working on a Gruffalo buildable play-set, made with recyclable and biodegradable material, while Snappyjack will be offering new Gruffalo playground signage.

Magic Light has also signed renewals with two of its biggest partners: Aurora, a partner since 2009 who has now committed to a further three years, as well as its biggest DTR partner, Sainsbury’s, who has been a constant retailer for The Gruffalo since 2011.

Daryl Shute, brand director at Magic Light Pictures, said: “We are thrilled to see The Gruffalo venturing out in new categories, to give the many fans fresh opportunities to engage with him and his world. The Gruffalo’s 20th anniversary in 2019 saw exceptional growth and a big range of marketing activity, so it is great to carry on this momentum into 2020 with further development of our licensing programme. It’s testimony to the fantastic work our in-house licensing team is doing to grow the Gruffalo brand.”

The Gruffalo, first published in 1999 and written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler is a modern classic of children’s literature, adapted for both stage and screen and has been translated into 84 languages.

A year-long programme of exciting activities in 2019 to mark its 20th anniversary included The Gruffalo’s first-ever appearance on a coin with a commemorative 50p piece collection issued by The Royal Mint.

The Royal Mail issued a set of commemorative Special Stamps, while the Global Gruffalo campaign saw 20 cuddly Gruffalos let loose around the world, a host of special anniversary Forestry England picnic parties, bespoke summer celebrations at Chessington World of Adventures, open-air cinema mini festivals with Luna Cinema, a pop-up shop in Covent Garden, and special activity across major retailers.