Bulldog Licensing will once again be showcasing a sizzling portfolio of top brands at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe event.

Amongst these is Sindy – the world-famous British doll that first launched in 1963 and enchanted a generation of young girls – becoming the biggest selling toy in Britain by the late 60s. Over 150,000,000 dolls have sold worldwide to date and there is a large adult fanbase for a brand that is a fashion phenomenon and attracts considerable attention from the sector – Top Shop has featured Sindy in blogs and major footwear brand Irregular Choice has used Sindy in its 2012 Lookbook. With 2013 marking Sindy’s 50th anniversary and licensor Pedigree announcing that a mass-market partner is being sought to bring Sindy back to the high street, interest from the licensing sector and retailers is extremely high and a rapidly expanding licensing programme has seen Bulldog sign the Art Group for greetings, Poetic Gem for apparel, Helen Rochfort for handbags, and Diablo Skinz for a range of Sindy-branded skins for mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Robert Tonner has also recently signed a deal to produce high-end dolls for the collectors market, whilst Bulldog is targeting sectors that tie in with Sindy’s strong position within the fashion world, such as perfume, accessories, jewellery and footwear.

Another Bulldog brand at BLE 2012 will be Monkey – the woolly ad legend who has transcended his starring role in the PG Tips campaign to become a cultural icon and one of the most saleable brands in Britain for the 16-34 year old consumer, with a massive Facebook following. Monkey merchandise is proving very popular, with a plush line from Posh Paws recording huge sales across the UK high street, whilst apparel from BCI is flying off the shelves at outlets such as New Look, Next and Sports Direct. Also on board are GB Eye for posters, Danilo for greetings and calendars and Mask-arade for masks. Bulldog is seeking partners for sectors such as gifting, accessories, bags and executive toys.

Also appearing on the Bulldog stand will be LIFE – the legendary publication that continues to enthral millions of people each week in its current incarnation, Life.com, and through its continued book publishing of titles such as Titanic: 150 Years Commemorative and the Rolling Stones: 50 Years of Rock and Roll. The LIFE photographic library is a vast stock of pictures, many made famous by the magazine itself, that includes some of the world’s most recognisable photographs. These include historical pictures dating back to the Crimean war, snaps of legends such as the Kennedys, world-famous landmarks like the Empire State Building, and incredible images of the world around us. In total, around 10 million pictures are available to license and, driven by the iconic LIFE logo, present a fantastic merchandising opportunity. A strong programme is spearheaded by apparel from Poetic Gem, which is performing astonishingly well at retail, whilst Pyramid is on board for calendars and wall art and The Art Group is producing greetings cards and postcards. Bulldog is looking to bolster this by linking up with partners in sectors such as bags and social stationery.

Making its BLE debut in the Bulldog line-up is Mr Bloom’s Nursery – the hit BBC kids show that is set in a colourful and fertile allotment run by the green-fingered Mr Bloom. The show combines live action with puppetry to introduce children to the experience of nurturing plants and is already one of the UK’s highest rating pre-school shows through broadcast on CBeebies and BBC2. A third series has been commissioned - Mr Bloom’s Nursery: Get Set, Grow! – that will see Mr Bloom head out across Britain to set up a travelling village fete to interact with children all over the country. The show’s huge fanbase and mixture of musical, educational and horticultural themes makes it a merchandising dream and several of the industry’s major licensees are now working to develop a programme with Bulldog.

Iconic football brand Shoot will also be featured at BLE. Shoot has captivated successive generations of football fans with sharp, incisive writing and contributions from the stars of the game, from Bobby Moore through to modern day legends such as Frank Lampard. Shoot became the first football magazine to be made available around the world on the Web. Today, Shoot continues to be recognised as one of the most respected football brands on the market and the Shoot Annual remains the leading football Annual in the UK. The brand’s presence in the licensing sector is far reaching, with Bulldog having brought on board Portico for greetings cards and gifts, Samuel Eden for socks, Poetic Gem for adult apparel, and Iron Gut for framed wall art, whilst an exclusive men’s gifting line from Peter Black is performing very well at M&S. Shoot’s presence is also growing steadily in the digital realm – a Shoot online slot game from Microgaming is proving to be a huge hit, whilst Bulldog has also brokered a deal with The Magazine Cloner that allows football fans to access Shoot magazine through an app, and Kavcom is set to launch a downloadable Shoot quiz for mobile phones. The global appeal of English football means the brand also has considerable international appeal and Bulldog has already signed deals as far afield as Australia, Spain and the Nordics and talks continue with potential licensees in countries including Eastern Europe and China.

Another major Bulldog brand at BLE will be Build-a-Bear Workshop – the familiar high street presence that boasts more than 50 company-owned stores in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. The stores are a hit with parents and children alike and allow guests to choose a teddy bear and then specially personalise it at eight different stations that all offer a range of fantastic accessories. Bulldog recently signed a deal with leading publisher Pedigree that sees a Build-a-Bear Workshop Annual hitting shelves this year, featuring colouring, recipes, make-its and fun activities based around occasions such as Halloween and Christmas. Other activity has seen a collectable mini plush Fun Pack and premium gift tin programme launched by Click Distribution UK Ltd that has enjoyed a strong reaction from retailers. A number of new deals are currently in discussion to add to the roster for one of the most popular brands in the UK.

Classic animation property Roobarb and Custard is also part of the Bulldog portfolio. The stars of the much-loved British cartoon series Roobarb and follow-up Roobarb and Custard Too have attracted licensees such as Fatspanner for pub entertainment machines, Diablo Skinz for mobile phone, tablet and laptop skins, Brazier for plush, Mogzilla for publishing, Poetic Gem for apparel, Museums and Galleries for greetings, PMS for amusement plush, and Riviera for canvas wall art, whilst a pet accessories range from Fred and Ginger has enjoyed a very positive response. The property is also involved in a massive promotional partnership with leading animal charity the PDSA that has seen the cartoon duo front charity collections in ASDA, appear on T-shirts, shop fronts and PDSA vehicles, feature in the charity’s London Marathon publicity, promote the organisation’s Pet Fit Club and text-to-donate campaigns and also appear on the livery of Centaur vehicles, the leading pet goods company that supplies the PDSA and veterinary clinics up and down the country. A new agreement with Daredevil Developments Ltd for Roobarb and Custard apps will even see the pair feature in a platform-style game or mobile phones!

Another classic brand on the Bulldog books is Batfink. Just as much a legend today as he was in his 80s heyday, Batfink is proving to be a success and attracts consistent interest from the licensing community, whilst an apparel line from Poetic Gem is recording impressive sales figures.

Top family entertainment brand Monster Jam will also be roaring in to BLE this year. Featuring stadium and arena based racing and freestyle stunts from some of the world’s premier monster trucks, the Monster Jam European tour packs stadiums throughout the UK, Ireland and Benelux whilst accompanying TV shows continue to pull in big audiences. The brand even has its own YouTube channel, which is proving a massive hit with fans, with over 14m viewings recorded for some of the most popular videos. Monster Jam’s licensing presence is equally impressive – master toy licensee Mattel sells millions of products each year and a wide range of other partners includes top licensees such as Winning Moves for Top Trumps cards, Activision for computer games, K’NEX for construction toys, Lanoo for back to school in the Benelux and Sunset for apparel across Europe.

Another massive Bulldog brand appearing at BLE is one of the world’s most recognisable characters - Garfield. The cartoon strip featuring the acerbic pet cat was first introduced in 1978 and is now featured in over 2000 newspapers across the globe, holding the Guinness World Record for the most syndicated cartoon strip, whilst Garfield books have sold in excess of 135 million copies to date and the character has over 5 million Facebook fans. Garfield has also spawned two animated television series, two feature-length live-action films, and three CGI animated movies – as well as thousands of lines of licensed merchandise. Garfield is hugely popular in the UK – the cartoon strip appears every day in the Daily Mail, the country’s second most popular newspaper with a circulation of nearly 2 million, and ‘The Garfield Show’ cartoon is one of the top-rating shows on digital channel Boomerang. Bulldog is looking to explore Garfield’s potential as both a classic brand and a kid’s brand and add to the property’s considerable presence on the high street, which has seen apparel from Blues, Silverknit, Somerbond and Brand Alliance selling in huge numbers across UK retail. Other sectors in place include publishing from Ravette, amusement plush, online personalised greetings and gifts from Moonpig.com, dress up from Smiffys and pet products from Sert MST, whilst Bulldog has recently signed a deal with J Fox for accessories. Sales of Garfield product in the first half of 2012 are over 340% up on the same period last year and interest in the brand is incredibly high. Bulldog is currently in talks across a number of categories including stationery, bags and promotions.

Licensing heavyweight Gogo’s Crazy Bones will also feature at BLE – the famous collectible brand has topped the collectibles charts around the world in territories including the US, UK, France, Spain, Germany, Benelux and Aus/NZ, with the product also selling in huge numbers in parts of Eastern Europe, the Nordics and Italy. A large and wide-ranging programme is in place across all major territories and new opportunities are now being made available in the US and Eastern Europe for licensees.

“Brand Licensing Europe is a major event for us and we are looking forward to presenting a range of brands that all offer considerable potential,” says Bulldog MD Rob Corney. “The properties we manage are all thriving and licensees have the chance to talk with us about how to capitalise on this upward trend.”