The collaboration will see Fuzzballs translated into the award-winning Crystal Art ranges.

“Fuzzballs is a fantastic addition to our licensing line-up, and our first foray into kawaii pop culture,” said Gary Wadhwani, Co-Founder of Craft Buddy.

“Marc’s vision and dedication to the brand mirrors the way Dino and I have built Craft Buddy – with passion, creativity, and a close connection to our audience. We believe Fuzzballs will resonate ‘fuzz-tastically’ with our customers, while also introducing new fans to both crafting and the Fuzzballs universe.”

Marc Sach added: “Fuzzballs has always been about fun, positivity and cuteness overload, and I couldn’t be more excited to see that energy sparkle through Craft Buddy’s award-winning Crystal Art ranges.

“The brand’s relatable characters give fans a way to connect on a personal level, and now this collaboration lets them get even closer by being creative with the characters they love. It’s a wonderful way to expand the Fuzzballs universe, giving fans the chance to not only collect but also create their own pieces of Fuzzballs magic.”

Initial concepts for the range will be unveiled at Craft Buddy’s in-house SS26 showcase at its UK head office and the LA Previews.

The post Craft Buddy to launch Fuzzballs Crystal Art ranges appeared first on Brands Untapped.

WildBrain CPLG has signed a global representation agreement with Kyandii Ltd for Fuzzballs, created by Marc Sach.

Under the new partnership, WildBrain CPLG will spearhead the growth of a cross-category licensing programme for Fuzzballs, targeting key markets including the US, UK and Greater China, with further expansion plans across EMEA and other APAC territories.

WildBrain CPLG will look to accelerate the brand’s licensing strategy across plush, stationery, apparel, collectables and more.

“Fuzzballs started as a fun webcomic of cute, relatable animals, and has grown into a brand loved by fans across the globe,” said Marc Sach, Creator and Founder of Fuzzballs.

“After strong success in the UK and exciting launches set for the US and Australia, partnering with WildBrain CPLG is the perfect next step to accelerate our global expansion. We’re looking forward to bringing even more cuteness overload to new and existing fans everywhere through unique products and experiences, both online and at retail.”

Pau Pascual, SVP of Commercial, Europe, the UK and the Americas at WildBrain CPLG, added: “Fuzzballs is a vibrant, fan-led brand with a unique voice and a rapidly growing global fan community. With our extensive international footprint and deep retail relationships at WildBrain CPLG, we’re excited to unlock new opportunities for Fuzzballs, harnessing the brand’s rich storytelling and distinctive characters to take it to the next level.”

The post WildBrain CPLG to helm Fuzzballs licensing push appeared first on Brands Untapped.

You’ve had cookbooks before, haven’t you? What’s the new book about?
We’ve made some small books before – what I call prototypes… I can show them to people and say, “This is what I’d like to do for the future: let’s see if the fans like it.” We self publish those, but now we’ve teamed up with a company called Quarto to do at least three publications. Our first is a colouring book for adults. It’s pretty thick; lots of lots of pages. Some are easy to colour, some are more difficult to suit different needs.

So Quarto is doing the colouring book – and that’s hitting America first?
Well, they’re going worldwide with it! Obviously, America is one of the biggest countries for that sort of product. They’re also going in big with companies like Big W in Australia. And for some of the territories – like Australia – it’s the first time we’ve had a Fuzzball’s product in those countries…

It takes another step to get into other countries: you need to have the right licensees, distribution, retail and products. With Quarto being so big – and frankly, amazing – they can get the book to companies who wouldn’t ordinarily know we exist… So this then opens up doors for other people to come in with other products.

Sounds amazing. Of which, am I right in saying you’ve been dealing with the folks at Fanattik?
I love the folks at Fanattik! We’ve got at least nine SKUs coming out with them: desk pads, sticker packs, coasters, key rings, bottle openers, limited-edition coins and mystery enamel pins. I’m really excited by the pins because mystery products are really big, and our enamel pins are already one of our biggest sellers. We’ve also got a poker deck coming out, which is cool. Fanattik really know what they’re doing in terms of their product because they’ve done it for a long time – and with some of the biggest video game and film ranges out there. To partner with them and sit next to some of those brands on shelf is absolutely amazing.

I’m curious: why have you gone with those products, specifically?
As you may know, Fanattik tends to focus on metal products. And actually, I first spoke to Anthony Marks many years ago. He knew Fuzzballs wasn’t quite right for them back then, but as the brand’s grown, so has the kidult market. He’s also expanded his range to include more films and video games, and now he’s targeting that Kawaii style… So he’s come to feel that he can add this kind of character into the metal-product range.

Yes, the market’s broadened enough for you to intersect in the middle there… This is a print interview, so nobody can appreciate that I’m making a Venn diagram with my hands here. Ha! But yes, that intersection is quite a lot bigger than before.
That’s exactly right. And a lot more retailers are now more receptive to this sort of thing, too.

Worth mentioning that we’ve interviewed Anthony a couple of times; I’ll put some links to some of his stuff here and here. Now, in your piece with Billy, I think you said licensing had been a long, tough journey. Obviously, that was a a few years ago… I was wondering, though, if it’s getting easier for you?
I think things have got easier for us over the last few years as we’ve become more recognisable in the industry. Fans and customers recognise us, of course, but you need that recognition in the licensing and retail industries. Traditionally, they’re not very online focused so they don’t follow us at Comic Con or on Instagram or anything. But that’s where they could be looking to find new brands. At the same time, a lot of people are trying to play it very safe – especially with how the economy is going…

So yes – while we’re getting more recognition, the risk aversion is getting stronger and some retailers – especially in the UK – are sticking with things like Harry Potter and other very traditional brands. It reminds me of something someone said to me about a phrase that’s used in the computer industry: “You never get fired if you buy Dell.”

Ha! Because Dell is so reliable, I suppose…
Right! You say to your boss, “I bought a Dell computer!”, they’ll be happy. It’s good, it’s safe, it’s reliable. Whereas if you get the newest thing, then there’s more risk involved – even if it might be better – and there’ll be more questions from your boss!

I love that! So it’s got easier in some ways, but not in others…
Definitely. We’ve now got some licensees on board who have a much bigger worldwide impact, which is helpful… Because as soon as you say you’re in Walmart, other big retailers prick up their ears. It’s definitely a slow growth for us; that way of showing people what we’ve got and why it’s working… That really started with HMV and Gary Williamson. He’s a big champion of the brand; he’s opened so many doors for us! People look at HMV and think to themselves, ‘Well, if it’s selling there, why isn’t it with us?’

Fantastic! Let me ask you this: what do you think is the appeal of Fuzzballs, Marc?
The answer to that is something I find from the customers! It’s the relatability. While we’re a cute brand – and cute sells – we do skew older… Our audience age tends to be 15 to 35. We definitely hit that kidult market: teens and adults who want a bit more joy and happiness in their lives, or the relatability to the characters. Because our characters have different foods, they love video games, they love anime… They have different adventures, and fans relate to the individual characters on those levels.

This character does that… That reminds me of me.
And that makes me feel happy, or not so alone maybe. I think that’s the main part of it, as well as our humour. Our humour is accessible to all ages, but it does change depending on your age. I call it Pixar humour: the kids hear something like “Put yummy things in me!” and they laugh because it’s silly. The adults hear the same thing and snigger and giggle at the innuendo! I think that makes us stand out from all the other cute stuff out there – we’re not just cute. It’s our relevancy and impact and how we relate to normal lives that attracts people.

Good answer. Smoothly done! What else is on the horizon, Marc?
We’ve got a card game. This should reach retail in the next couple weeks. It’s going to be in Waterstones and Forbidden Planet and all the major places you’d expect to find one. Our licensee for that is Scrungo. They do the Cyanide and Happiness card games. The designer is Laura Wing. She came up with the initial concepts, the rules and gameplay, then we themed it to Fuzzballs.

And that’s called what?
It’s called Pizza Thief. Every card has unique artwork! It’s a really fun, easy game for games night; it’s a beginner game… Something to ease you in: you don’t need to read pages and pages of instructions! But it’s filled with interesting, characters and artwork and stuff like that. Every time you get a new card, you get something cool to look at. It’s just arriving at the distributors now, but we launched it at the UK Games Expo. It was really fun seeing people playing it for the first time.

Oh, you must’ve been chuffed to pieces!
It’s great to see people pick up the box and say, “What’s this? Tell me about it!” And then, because it sounds good, they buy it. That’s the exciting part.

And I recall books and a game being on your wish list… You must be working your way down it! Amazing. Let’s wrap this up, Marc. What’s the one question I could’ve asked you today that I didn’t?
I guess: what’s our big thing for 2026?

Then I’m all ears! What IS your big thing for 2026?
We’ve got further books, more card game and all these new products… But our biggest launch is going to be into the Comic Cons in America. We’ve teamed up with a company called Op Studios. They run the US brand for a company called Milk Mocha Bear, which is a a South Korean Kawaii-bear thing. Quite similar to us, I guess. Anyway, Op Studios run all the Milk Mocha Bear stuff at Comic Cons, and they’re taking our booth from the UK and doing the same in America. We’ll be doing one show every single month!

Oh, wow!
We’ll have a big convention scene, more or less duplicating what I did here initially: taking Fuzzballs to Comic Cons, direct to customers, and showing them what we have and building the fan base. Obviously, that then ties back to retail because they’ll have all these customers from the Comic Cons wanting the product. I’ll be going to some of the shows myself because I think it’ll be a fun experience to meet the fans. We have a huge American fan base who, until recently, haven’t really been able to get hold of product so easily.

Amazing! What extraordinary news, congratulations! Well, thanks again for joining me, Marc; always lovely to get an update and it sounds like you just keep going and growing!

The post New skus and new territories: Marc Sach discusses global licensing deals for Fuzzballs appeared first on Brands Untapped.

1. High demand from both customers and retailers.
2. A diverse cast of characters.
3. An extensive story and world-building foundation.

Each Fuzzballs character comes with a well-developed backstory, bursting with imagination, relatability and cuteness, which makes them adaptable to a wide range of games. The Fuzzballs are all about friendship – and a little rivalry – so games make the perfect sense in their world, as well as ours.

At what point in the brand’s evolution did it become clear that there was board game potential here?
Marc: As Fuzzballs has grown over the years, we’ve expanded our product range to include everything from apparel to plush toys – and even soda drinks. With our ever-expanding fanbase and retailer demand, it became clear that Fuzzballs had significant potential for board and card games.

We noticed how deeply fans were connecting with the characters and stories we were creating, even suggesting the characters would make an awesome role-playing group. Fans wanted to share Fuzzballs with their friends and are often asking – or demanding! – card games and board games featuring all their favourite characters.

Last year, we capitalised on this enthusiasm by releasing a range of roleplaying-inspired merchandise, featuring the Fuzzballs dressing up as dungeon masters, warriors, mages and more, on shirts and gift items. This was met with tremendous success. We even appeared at the UK Games Expo earlier this year and had a sell-out show at our booth – despite not having a card or board game in sight!

Customers loved our range of characters and that proved they wanted interactive versions of all our Fuzzballs. Given this strong response, it made perfect sense to further expand our storytelling by introducing the interactive and strategic elements of card and board games to our world.

And what made Joking Hazard a good fit for this expansion for the brand?
Marc: When I was first introduced to Joking Hazard, I immediately recognised they would be a perfect fit. Like Fuzzballs, they originate from a background of online, viral-led comics created by the original artists – and have successfully transitioned into the gaming world. The similarities were clear, and I knew that this expertise would align perfectly with Fuzzballs. The team are also wonderful. They fully understand what matters, what works, what might not work and how to make the best games possible.

Alex, let’s bring you in! What appealed about partnering with the Fuzzballs brand?
Alex Murty, Head of Global Distribution & Licensing, Joking Hazard: Where to start! First off, we love cats! But other than a mutual love of real life fuzzballs, there were a few key elements that made this the perfect partnership.

Firstly, both brands share a similar history. As Marc said, we both started as comics but have since grown beyond that to become brands with multiple lines in mass retail. We share experiences and just get each other.

Also, have you seen Marc’s art?! It’s unbelievably cute and funny and lends itself perfectly to games and toys. As soon as I showed the team his brand deck and website, they instantly fell in love. I’m pretty sure my distribution partners will be happy too when I show them the long list of retailers that are already stocking Fuzzballs merch! Sometimes a partnership just makes sense on every level – this was one of those.

Terrific. Now, what should we expect from the first game in this line?
Alex: We have kept it pretty simple for our first project and created a card game together. We had a signed a game from a very talented designer called Laura Erwin that was about making tea. We loved the game mechanic but were still figuring out what to do with it when we signed the deal with Marc. When we were thinking about what to make with him, it seemed like the obvious choice to be our first project!

Marc then set to work re-theming it, adding his amazing art and editing the rules and card text into his own language. I’ll let Marc tell you about that… You won’t be surprised to hear that the theme of tea has changed to pizza – those little Fuzzballs do love their pizza!

Ha!
Marc: Yes! The Fuzzballs are throwing a pizza party and you’re invited! Get ready for a fast-paced, cuteness overload of excitement, where you’ll be outsmarting your friends and constantly craving just one more slice – I mean round!

Working on this first project was an absolute blast. One of the biggest challenges in any card game is nailing down the rules and gameplay loop. Get that wrong, and the fun disappears. Thankfully, I didn’t have to tackle that part. Laura Erwin did an incredible job crafting a game that’s not only super fun and easy to learn, but keeps you coming back for more.

My focus was on the other tough part: making sure the game looks amazing and is easy to understand. As a more casual player, I love games that are simple and accessible, but I’ve noticed that some games can get confusing when they don’t clearly communicate their mechanics. With this in mind, I made sure the game fit seamlessly into the Fuzzballs universe.

The game’s sneaky tactics revolve around figuring out how many slices the Fuzzballs need, while stopping your friends from doing the same. You can play to win in a friendly way or stir up a little drama – perfect for all ages.

To top it all off, I dedicated a lot of time to creating custom artwork for each and every card. No matter what hand you’re dealt, there’s always something cute, funny, or surprising to help you win the game. I always want to make our products look and be the best they possibly can be. With the help of the Joking Hazard team, we have achieved that!

Is this the first of many titles? Do we feel there’s broad potential for a whole line of games?
Alex: Oh yes… We have big plans. There will be a whole range coming! We are going to keep Marc very busy!

Ha! Brace yourself Marc!
Marc: Ha! I agree that there’s tremendous potential for a whole line of Fuzzballs games – in fact, I’m already at work on the next one! The charm and versatility of our characters, combined with the engaging stories and themes we’ve developed, create a rich foundation for a variety of game types. Do we create a role-playing adventure board game? What about a food matching game? How about a collectible card game? Maybe a Fuzzballs tarot-themed game? The Fuzzballs universe is ripe for expansion.

Exciting times. And Alex, you work regularly with game inventors. Do you welcome that community to come and pitch Fuzzball concepts?
Alex: Absolutely! In fact, we may have just signed something from your Mojo Pitch event earlier this year! Shout out to the Mojo team for putting on an amazing few days of panels, networking events and pitches. It was such a fun and productive time. If you are a publisher or an inventor and haven’t been, I highly recommend you go next year.

That’s very kind of you to say so! Guys, a huge thanks. Congrats on the partnership – I look forward to playing the games soon!

The post Joking Hazard’s Alex Murty and Fuzzballs creator Marc Sach discuss bringing the brand into games appeared first on Brands Untapped.

The deal – brokered by Fuzzballs’ licensing agent Rocket Licensing – is Fanattik’s first gift-focused collaboration. The range will be available for retailers to view at Spring Fair in the UK and Spielwarenmesse in Germany next year.

“I saw Marc at Comic Cons up and down the country over the years selling Fuzzball product and the crowds swamping his booth were incredible,” said Fanattik MD Anthony Marks.

“He has worked incredibly hard growing the Fuzzball fanbase all over the world and we are elated to be part of the Fuzzball journey.”

Fuzzballs Creator Marc Sach added: “I first discovered Fanattik through their impressive range of film and video game merchandise. Their products truly resonate with fans, featuring deep references and exceptional quality.

“Over the years, I’ve admired Anthony’s journey – starting the company from a spare room, much like I did, and growing it through unwavering passion and a keen understanding of customer desires. This dedication is just one of the many reasons I’m thrilled to collaborate with the Fanattik team.”

The post Fanattik to launch Fuzzballs gifts in 2025 appeared first on Brands Untapped.

I expanded out that original idea by thinking further about how I’d like the character to move and that’s where I came to settle on the round body with a cute, simple face, ears and paws.

So Timmy the Tiger started the ball rolling…
Actually, the first character was a bunny – I owned a rabbit at the time! Once I created it, I decided to see if a few little tweaks would allow this bunny to become a tiger. I swapped the ears, added some stripes and yes, the tiger was born! The tiger was quickly followed a cat, giraffe and other animals.

After messing around with how the characters looked, I created a little bouncing animation test and uploaded it to Tumblr – and people liked it! At this point it wasn’t a brand, I was just drawing for fun and messing around!

At what point did you realise Fuzzballs had brand potential?
Well, I kept uploading animations and drawings, some went a little bit viral and I was gaining a lot of new fans. Eventually the fans started asking for designs on t-shirts and other products. So I thought I’d give it a try!

“I was lucky that greeting card retailer Scribbler saw the potential before anyone else.”

That said, I knew just making shirts and hosting them online was not going to be enough and that I’d have to grow the audience to make these products successful. That’s when I was introduced to MCM Comic Con by a friend. This audience looked to be a perfect match to what I was creating and so I thought I’d try selling them at the next show. I had no expectations… I knew people liked my drawings but would they actually pay money for products featuring them? Long story short, the answer was yes!

We sold all the products I took with us that weekend. Despite having never seen the Fuzzballs before, every single person we met fell in love with the designs and products instantly. That’s the moment I realised people actually liked what I was creating and these drawings could have a bigger life outside of a social media platform.

Now we have thousands upon thousands of fans all over the world buying Fuzzballs products, over 100,000 individual products sold to date, over 250 SKUs available from licensees, over 1.2 billion uses of our social media stickers, customers that own every single shirt we’ve ever made with rooms filled with Fuzzballs products – and even fans that have Fuzzballs tattoos on their bodies!

Fans with tattoos! That’s when you know you’re doing something right!
Yes, we always focus on the fans. Fuzzballs has never had outside investment, has no debts and is 100% supported by the fans. We only exist because they keep buying product, keep supporting the brand, keep wanting more content and continue to drive us forward.

This means we listen to the fans, give them what they want and let them guide us. At the same time we have to be inclusive to everyone, and that basically means never growing up and just being about pure fun. That’s what keeps fans coming back to us.

When you were new to licensing, how did those early conversations with potential licensees go?
Early conversations were tough to get, but eventually I met a lot of kind people who gave up their time to listen to me and give me their thoughts. There were also a few who were less than positive about the potential, especially when comparing us to all the huge companies and brands out there already…

I was lucky that greeting card retailer Scribbler saw the potential before anyone else. They loved the designs I’d created, saw fans were dedicated and that we’d be a great fit in their stores. Having them on board was important for people taking me seriously, especially as many in the licensing world at the time didn’t understand the impact of being popular on Tumblr, Instagram or Comic Con.

“What I quickly realised is that this industry is all about connections – connections I didn’t have!”

I had many people in licensing say to me “This is for kids”, which meant they didn’t understand it at all, because 99% of our customers back then were teenagers and adults. They just saw something cute and assumed it was for kids. What made all this tougher, besides me being new to this industry, was Covid was right around the corner. That certainly slowed down those early conversations due to furlough and lockdowns.

You mentioned some of these early chats were tough. What proved useful in convincing doubting licensees?
The key to convincing licensees was showing them how supportive the fans were and that even though retail was shut, we were growing every day. Our customers were spending and showing they wanted more.

Rocket Licensing joined the Fuzzballs journey in 2019 as your licensing agent. How important have they been for the growth of the brand?
Rocket Licensing have been very important. What I quickly realised is that this industry is all about connections – connections I didn’t have! Rocket were ahead of the curve in signing Fuzzballs. They saw where the industry was going with Anime, Kawaii and pop culture brands. Best of all, Charlie, Rob and the rest of the team have the years of experience and connections to move things quickly.

They’ve also been a fantastic help in supporting me personally, helping me to understand the industry and make the right moves at the right time. Without them, I could have easily made many silly mistakes, but their guidance ensured I avoided that and enabled us to sign up many licensees and retailers.

“Because the Fuzzballs have such a wide range of designs, it’s a bit of a no brainer for us to do collectibles.”

We signed our first licensee, Pinfinity, during the middle of Covid in 2020, got on board another retailer, HMV, a little while after ­– despite their stores being shut during covid – along with Forbidden Planet, Hot Topic and several other licensees during this period too. How many other brands can say they signed deals during this time and added new retailers to their list?

More recently they’ve been a great help in getting our plush toys made by signing KAP Toys as our plush toy licensee for Fuzzballs. They are doing the absolute best job in not only turning my 2D drawings into 3D plush, but also pushing what we can do with the world I’ve created.

Yes, let’s talk about some the recent launches. Talk us through some of the sectors that Fuzzballs is enjoying success in.
Early on it was t-shirts, and then seeing greeting cards in retailers was a proud moment.
After that, enamel pins has been super fun. Pin collectors are on another level when it comes to how passionate they are and working within the limitations of pin design has been a fun artistic challenge.

And I have to talk about the plush toys again. This was the most requested item of all time for us and now we can give the fans what they want – physical versions of the characters they can cuddle and enjoy.

I think we are hitting at the right time too… After two years of being told to keep away from everything and everyone, we miss that physical interaction and plush means they can have something warm to cuddle that makes people feel better. Ultimately that’s the best feeling for me, knowing that I’m making other people happy with what I create.

Looking ahead, what sectors are a priority for Fuzzballs?
Board games and card games are pretty much top of the list. The Fuzzballs world is rich with storytelling, personality, silliness, pop culture references and relatability. Fans fall in love with characters because they remind them of themselves. It’s perfect for a board game.

There has been an explosion in recent years of simple but iconic card games like Exploding Kittens, Cards Against Humanity, Marvel Snap and Pokémon. I feel with our range of characters, costumes and pop culture references, we can tap into this area easily.

Vinyl figures are another much requested item. We’ve had retailers ask for them and the fans too, especially in blind box format. Because the Fuzzballs have such a wide range of designs – covering themes from like Valentines, Halloween and Christmas to Zodiac signs, Japanese food and video games – it’s a bit of a no brainer for us to do collectibles.

I also want to do more books. Our mini cookbook and stationery sets are great sellers for us, but I’ve got plans to write full sized books, starting with a collection of Fuzzballs travel guides, where the Fuzzballs tell you all about a country and how to visit it in their own cute way. I’d also like to do a much more detailed cookbook featuring even more yummy treats that look beautiful, but taste even better. Then there’s colouring books and a whole bunch more…

With all of these, it’s just finding the right partner to produce them as we’ve got retailers and customers wanting them already. If you think you are that perfect partner, then please do get in contact.

As a relatively new brand, what advice would you give someone else looking to make their IP a success through licensing?
Know what you are getting into because it is a long, tough journey. Someone once told me that no one gets into licensing to make money quickly as the industry moves incredibly slowly. I thought licensing would be easy and quick… We were already successful, had a great product, a customer base… Surely people would jump at the chance to be a part of that! But there are a lot of growing pains in the industry as the world changes.

As the younger generation move into key positions in the licensing industry, I believe we will see more change and it will get easier for new brands to enter the market. The younger generation understands the power of social media and that having the same tired brands is not what people want anymore… Tastes have changed over the last few years.

The industry is slow moving and needs to move quicker. We’ve seen it recently with Squid Game being one of the biggest things ever, for about a month. If you weren’t ready instantly you was already too late. That’s what keeps Fuzzballs successful, we move quickly to keep up with the trends that bigger brands miss because they are too slow.

My advice would be to focus on how you can move quickly, how you can find your audience and leverage all the free ways to get noticed. Ultimately though, it comes down to having connections and a great fanbase.

Marc, thanks for this. I have one last question: how do you stay creative?
What keeps me the most creative is the fans. They’re always connecting with me, telling me their thoughts and opinions and ideas. They’re the best sounding board and they inspire me to create new Fuzzballs designs, products and experiences.

Thanks Marc. And folks can click here to learn more about all things Fuzzballs.

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