Asterix, a small Gaul hero – big in licensing! Euro Lizenzen - September 2015

 

When Renè Goscinny and Albert Uderzo created Asterix back in 1959, they were hardly able to anticipate the future success their character was going to enjoy. Today, Asterix has been celebrating success after success and inspiring his fans from all age groups.

The comic series of Asterix might well be described as unique. The 35 books have been translated into more than 110 languages; and more than 360 million copies have been sold worldwide. That makes Asterix the best-selling comic book series of all times. His last adventure “Asterix and the Picts” was published in 2013 and much acclaimed by more than 5 million fans worldwide.

However, Asterix has proven his potentials even outside the publishing universe. Shortly after his creation, a series of nine animated feature films has been launched. Together with the following four life-action movies the films lured over 200 million visitors into theatres.

In 2015 Asterix continues on his road to success with the start of the CGI animation film “Asterix: The Land of Gods” released end of February. The film wowed young and old at the same time and made it to the top of the charts in more than 40 countries.

Despite his success Asterix never forgets where he came from. So on 22 October 2015 the next comic book hit the market. No doubt “Asterix and the Missing Scroll” will be able to tie in with previous success. A large-scale PR and media campaign by Ehapa is going to support him in achieving this goal.

Being a true classic among licenses and thanks to his continuously growing popularity, Asterix is, will be, and has always been mainly one thing – a true gain for any product range.

Many major enterprises rely on Asterix and generate annual sales of more than 100 million Euros. In Germany, many companies benefit from the overwhelming popularity of the Asterix brand and its 91 percent level of awareness, including Universal Music, Ravensburger, arsEdtion, Pegasus, Theko, Könitz, Logoshirt, and many more.

Another proof of that is the special issue of two stamps that the Deutsche Post released on 1 September 2015 to honour this ageless classics, accompanied by countless limited licensed products. The products are promoted for two months in 9,000 Deutsche Post & DHL shops and service points across Germany.

On occasion of the Olympic Summer Games 2016 in Rio and der UEFA European Championship in France the Gauls dedicate their year 2016 to sports as well. A tailor-made new style guide takes up these themes so that existing and potential licensing partners may develop new exciting product ideas.

“We are convinced that existing as well as new Asterix licensing partners will tremendously benefit from upcoming events. And you are invited to become part of this unbelievable success story”, said Günter Vetter, Managing Director, Euro Lizenzen.