The Very Hungry Caterpillar extends deals with Bluewater and Eden Project

Brandora Redaktion - March 2020

Rocket Licensing, the UK licensing agent for Eric Carle’s classic children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, is building on the success of last year’s 50th anniversary celebrations, as further activity was launched this February half term with iconic Bluewater shopping Centre, Europe’s leading retail and leisure destination.

The popular children’s character took centre stage during half term with sold out story time activations, which took place throughout the day from February 17th to 20th at the mall. The activity offered families the chance to attend an immersive 20-minute interactive show, followed by a fun craft activity and costume character appearance, where tots could meet the caterpillar himself.

Bluewater also promoted a number of the licensed product ranges throughout the week. The 3,000 children and parents that attended the story telling sessions were each given a The Very Hungry Caterpillar apple drink from Cawston Press. Meanwhile, a promotion from Bloom and Blossom in Boots stores was highlighted with a product win competition on the Bluewater Facebook page.

Action for Children also gave away 2,500 promotional bookmarks to children visiting Bluewater over the half term break, to promote the Giant Wiggle fundraiser, which is now in its sixth year and is set to have a fundraiser event at Bluewater in May, further extending the experiential partnership.

Children and families were then able to enjoy The Very Hungry Caterpillar themed Nature Trail in the grounds of Bluewater, which was launched last summer as the first instalment in the two-year partnership between the evergreen children’s brand and the leading shopping destination.

Wiggling from the south-east to the west country, Rocket Licensing has also extended its relationship with world famous Cornwall-based visitor attraction, the Eden Project. The collaboration began last year with the hugely successful inaugural The Very Hungry Caterpillar weekend which welcomed close to 6,000 visitors over one weekend - three times the target set. The event also gained industry recognition as a finalist in the Licensing Awards for the Best Promotions category, and in the Progressive Preschool Awards for the Marketing Award.

March 14th-15th 2020 will see the activity return to the popular venue and this year, children will enjoy a focused story trail around the biomes, where each station is an activity cleverly linked to a day of the week described in The Very Hungry Caterpillar book.

Families will also enjoy story telling sessions and face painting, as well as The Very Hungry Caterpillar-themed craft activities, where children will be able to create and take home items such as origami butterflies, balancing butterflies, caterpillar head bands, stained glass butterflies and even pompom caterpillars.

There will be a range of the licensed merchandise for The Very Hungry Caterpillar available in the visitor shop, and the activity will be supported by an extensive marketing campaign.

Melissa Satterly, Brand Manager of The Very Hungry Caterpillar at Rocket Licensing, says: “We are thrilled to be extending the activity with Bluewater and The Eden Project. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a favourite story across generations, and families love getting hands-on with the brand together and incorporating it into their days out to make them extra special. The wonderful character and bold, recognisable designs lend themselves really well to experiential brand activations and help to immerse the audience in the world of the much-loved tale.”