FremantleMedia Enterprises and the Leomil Group today announced a new deal to launch Rebecca Bonbon footwear and apparel throughout major European territories. The hugely popular Japanese character and super cute fashionista, Rebecca Bonbon, was created by the original Hello Kitty™ designer Yuko Shimizu. Rebecca Bonbon, a young French bulldog, lives a luxurious life in New York in her apartment overlooking Central Park. Rebecca loves all things sweet, especially bonbons, which is how she came to be affectionately known as Rebecca Bonbon. Rebecca Bonbon was an instant success in Japan with over 50 licensees across many different product categories. August 2010 sees the launch across the US and Canada in both Sears and Kmart, covering a variety of key categories, including apparel, outerwear, headwear, accessories, bags, cosmetics, sleepwear, home décor, plush and pet products just in time for the back-to-school shopping season.

The first collection from the Leomil Group, in both footwear and apparel, is targeted at kids and tweens aged between the ages of 6 and 12, and will be presented to customers for winter 2011 across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux and France. Existing Rebecca Bonbon products in France include bags, stationary, back to school, bed linen, accessories and apparel. European licensees include French company Alpa who are producing more than 60,000 branded products; Italian company Manifatture Zotti for apparel; German company Trend Import and UK stationery company Blueprint. FME acquired rights to the brand from Crown Creative and represents the brand globally (excluding Japan, Korea and China). The property appeals to a broad demographic of tween and teen girls, as well as women who will appreciate the iconic, cute and fashionable nature of the brand.

Albert Milhado, CEO of the Leomil Group, commented: “We are thrilled to work on Rebecca Bonbon as we believe she will quickly grow to be one of the hottest items around. She appeals to tweens, teens and women and the fashionable nature of the brand will make her a must-have for everyone with style.”

“Following on from the success of our licensing deals to date, we are extremely excited to launch the Rebecca Bonbon franchise even further across Europe. We’re looking forward to working with Leomil Group, as there is a shared vision and commitment to the success of the Rebecca Bonbon brand,” added Nathalie Delin, Vice President Licensing, FremantleMedia Enterprises, France.