New Apparel Licensees Add To Growing Global Franchise

Leading family entertainment producer and distributor Chorion has secured a raft of new apparel licensees for the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters across the United States and Europe, highlighting the brand’s appeal to fashion conscious young adults, teens and kids as it heads to the Licensing International Expo. In the US, Chorion expands its robust apparel business with Fruit of the Loom’s FunGals brand girls’ underwear. The first phase featuring a girls’ packaged brief program is planned to roll-out in spring 2011, with new collections in development for 2012.

Mothercare will launch its first ever line of Mr. Men and Little Miss baby wear in the UK in June. The range will include two-pack all-in-ones and two-pack bodysuits for both boys and girls. The licensee, Crystal Martin, a preferred supplier to Mothercare, is now working on new concepts for the Mr. Men and Little Miss brand for spring/summer 2011.

Elsewhere in Europe, the textile and apparel manufacturer Sahinler Group is producing Mr. Men and Little Miss baby wear for the first time. The collection will roll-out alongside its existing line for kids in retail outlets across France and Germany. Blues Clothing is also developing a full range of classic Mr. Men and Little Miss apparel for tweens, teens and adults for retail in France from 2011. In Germany, TV Mania has launched their Mr. Men collection, with product rolling-out in Ernsting’s Family department stores from summer 2011.

“We are excited to introduce trend inspired apparel collections in new categories for adults and kids at leading retailers worldwide and look to further expand the Mr. Men and Little Miss program into additional categories for girls and boys including footwear, outerwear, swimwear and eyewear,” says Steve Cipolla, EVP, Global Licensing and Sales.

Tamra Knepfer, EVP, Brand Management and Marketing, adds: “Mr. Men and Little Miss is all about the winning combination of self-expression and humor. The publishing program continues to be strong and last year 11 million books were sold. We look forward to The Licensing Expo where we will debut new creative and marketing initiatives to continue to fuel the brand’s incredible growth.”

With over 100 million copies sold worldwide, Mr. Men and Little Miss books have become a publishing phenomenon. Truly a property everyone can relate to, the brand has inspired a comprehensive consumer products program with over 280 licensees worldwide. Whether it is through the animated sketch comedy series – The Mr. Men Show — or its award winning Website, Mr. Men and Little Miss gets consumers laughing about the range of personalities we encounter in life.