In her new role she will be supporting product approvals, creative asset management, trade shows and administrative functions.

In addition, Rocio Fernandez has been promoted to the role of Creative Project Manager, where she now leads product development approvals, oversees creative execution and manages cross-functional teams to deliver licensed product launches.

“Bulldog’s excellent reputation and contacts throughout the world of retailing and licensing makes it the perfect place to build a career in an industry in which it is known and respected,” said Lucy Sowamber.

“It is both a delight and a privilege to get my introduction to licensing with such a highly regarded company.”

Rocio Fernandez added: “Bulldog has given me an amazing grounding in licensing and has been a wonderful place to work and learn. This promotion gives me the opportunity to use my experience to make Bulldog an even more prominent force in the licensing industry. I’m looking forward to it immensely.”

Bulldog MD Rob Corney said: “Bulldog’s continuing strength in a highly competitive market has always been down to the skills of its staff – and that means choosing the right people.

“Lucy’s passion for storytelling and visual design, along with her proven creativity, will be major assets to this company; we’re already delighted with her work. Rocio has established herself as a key player not just in Bulldog but in the licensing world where she is well known and highly respected. Her promotion is well deserved.”

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Rose Marketing is on board for confectionery, with the first two gift boxes containing strawberry-flavoured gummy ‘Bullseyes’ and beer-flavoured gummy ‘Pints’. These will land in the UK later this year.

Elsewhere, Blues Dress-up – the newest division of Blues Group – is launching Bullseye dress-up and dress-up accessories for the adult market in September. This will include Bully and dartboard-themed costumes (with Velcro balls for the board!), a Bully darts shirt complete with character gloves and head, and a ride-on costume that makes it look as if Bully is giving the wearer a piggyback.

Themed.co.uk has launched a Darts Board Backdrop, Wall Stickers, Full Wall Murals, Prints and LED Backlit Wall Art, while an Official Bullseye Quiz Book is on the way from Penguin Michael Joseph in November.

“This is a very exciting time to be part of the Bullseye family, with darts in general enjoying a massive surge in popularity across all ages and the Bullseye brand in particular building on its long-term strength and credibility in the market – thanks to the wildly popular reaction to the new TV show and sterling work from Bulldog Licensing,” said Laura Wood, Senior Brand Manager at Bullseye.

“We’re delighted to welcome these four partners to the Bullseye licensing programme – and there’s much more to come.”

Bulldog MD Rob Corney added: “The saying ’You can’t beat a bit of Bully!’ has never been truer than it is today, with the Bullseye TV show reaching new heights and the brand extending its appeal to new licensing categories. We’re thrilled to be working with Rose Marketing, Blues Group, Themed.co.uk and Penguin Michael Joseph and expecting continuing growth for the brand both in the run-up to the new show and well beyond!”

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Most recently, Bully Beer & Crisps launched a craft lager, a session lager and crisps inspired by the brand.

Elsewhere, UK holiday park operator Away Resorts launched its own Bullseye-inspired game show as part of its evening entertainment offering. Following a trial at Tattershall Lakes, the format was rolled out to three additional Away Resorts locations throughout the summer, with further locations to be added in 2025.

“Bullseye has been enormously popular for over 40 years, remains a favourite with darts fans of all ages and has also been an enduring success as a licensed property,” said Bulldog MD Rob Corney.

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This marks the first licensing push for attitude, and key initial categories will include apparel, accessories, gifts, wall art, houseware and health and beauty.

“We have long believed that, as the world’s biggest LGBTQ+ media brand, attitude has a lot to offer in the realms of licensing and branding with the help of the right partner: in Bulldog we have undoubtedly found that partner,” said Darren Styles, MD of Stream Publishing.

“Its understanding, expertise and vast network of contacts across the industry, as well as its skill in managing diverse brands and target groups, will help us to build on the enormous success and strong awareness that attitude has attracted over more than 30 years.”

Bulldog MD Rob Corney added: “attitude is a byword for excellence in writing, design and campaigning that stands out not just among gay magazines, but as an iconic brand in its own right.

“Popular, admired and culturally significant from day one, attitude offers numerous design assets and fantastic opportunities for licensing that are demonstrably unique – for licensees to address a discerning audience across many categories.”

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The deal, brokered by Bulldog Licensing on behalf of Banijay Kids & Family, will see items land in Spring 2025.

“We are excited to work with an internationally known, instantly recognisable character with cross-generational appeal,” said Lauren Shipman, Group Brand & Marketing Director at Posh Paws International Limited.

“The humour and imagery that is associated with Mr Bean is also ideal for toys, gifts and novelties that we are certain will be popular with both our retail and leisure customers.”

Roubina Tchoboian, Head of Global Licensing at Banijay Kids & Family, added: “Mr Bean is a global phenomenon which is instantly recognisable just about everywhere and, with a new animated series on the way, the brand continues to go from strength to strength.

“Bringing in the expertise of Bulldog, we have an ambitious licensing programme that is perfectly timed for our existing fanbase and a whole new generation of fans – and we’re thrilled to welcome these deals with two leaders in their fields.”

Bulldog MD Rob Corney said: “Mr Bean has been enormously popular from his very first appearance in 1990 to the present day and this high level of awareness will drive an expanded licensing campaign that will be very popular with consumers of all ages.

“Whitehouse Leisure and Posh Paws International have been quick to build on the brand’s massive appeal and many other potential licensees are already showing a strong interest in this unique brand. We’re thrilled to be working with these leading names in toys and gifts and looking forward to bringing this classic character to many new categories.”

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The range will span babywear/accessories, kidswear, apparel, footwear and luggage, launching at retailers across the UK later this year.

“With childrenswear an increasingly strong part of our offering, we are thrilled that so many major children’s and family brands have come to us in recent years,” said Elliott Matthews, Managing Director of Poetic Brands.

“That’s Not My… is firmly established as an evergreen property that is a part of the childhood of millions of children. We’re delighted to be working with this great brand on a range we are certain will be enormously popular.”

Bulldog Licensing Group MD Rob Corney added: “That’s Not My… is a genuine publishing phenomenon, with a strong appeal to many generations of pre-school children across the UK and a design style ideal for bright, appealing licensed products of the sort that Poetic Brands executes with great skill. We are delighted to be partnering with them in a very important deal to bring this property to the key apparel, footwear and luggage categories.”

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William Lamb Group is on board to develop a range of Magic Mixies footwear, bags, purses and accessories. The collection will debut with a retail exclusive bag in spring 2024, while the full range of products will be in development later in the year.

Elsewhere, Imagine8 will be developing Magic Mixies jewellery and accessories. The range will launch with a retail exclusive cap and sunglasses in the spring.

“This innovative and colourful toy brand has clearly caught the imagination of kids everywhere and is perfectly positioned to bring its magic to many licensing categories,” said Sandra Vanstan, Head of Licensing at William Lamb Group.

“We’re enormously excited to be taking Magic Mixies into footwear, umbrellas and more, in which we are certain the brand will enjoy even more success.”

Norman Thompson, MD at Imagine8, added: “Bringing together the massive appeal of Magic Mixies with our own expertise in licensed character merchandise is a great opportunity to extend this popular property into new categories.

“Jewellery and accessories are perfect for Magic Mixies, and we’re delighted to have been chosen to bring these key products to retail across the UK.”

Bulldog is also in advanced discussions with several partners across secondary toy, arts & crafts and activity, publishing, home and further soft lines.

“The phenomenal success of Magic Mixies continues, both for the retail property and for the growing number of licensing extensions it inspires through partnerships with leaders in their field – like William Lamb and Imagine8,” said Rob Corney, MD at Bulldog.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these high-quality partners to a campaign that is getting more exciting by the day.”

Lucy Wynn-Jones, Licensing Director at Moose Toys, added: “These important additions to the licensing campaign fuel the growing popularity of the brand and fans’ desire to share their love of all things Magic Mixes.

“With retail demand high, a hit streaming show and more licensee announcements on the way, our partners continue to build on the momentum of Magic Mixies.”

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What’s been your best BLE memory?
There are a lot of great memories from BLE, but launching Shopkins has to be one of the best. We were only appointed as agent about four weeks before the show and had no signage planned for the brand. We redesigned everything at the eleventh hour and it was incredible. We had queues of people wanting to sign up there and then! We had samples of the collectable on the front desk and – despite having thousands at the start of the show – we’d run out by the end of the first day!

Ha! A good sign! Now, what makes for a good BLE meeting?
BLE acts in two ways – it’s a place to showcase opportunities new and old to existing partners, and it’s a place to meet potential new clients.

For existing partners, preparation makes the best meetings. The show is like nothing on earth. There’s music, shouting, a mariachi band trying to navigate a 12 foot Toothless whilst dodging Cookie Monster… Trying to bring an oasis of calm and organisation to make an effective catch up requires a plan. With that in place, the show is an amazing venue for intensive updates with both licensees and retailers.

For new partners, it’s important to have resources available on the stand to help explain the process of licensing, who we are and what services we offer. There are amazing opportunities to find new partners at the show but licensing can be a daunting process… Many have tried approaching a major studio and found themselves either unanswered or unwelcome, so it’s important that we are there to help bring fresh ideas into the industry by helping people navigate the complexities and risks.

Great points. What’s your key aim for this year’s BLE?
BLE will be another opportunity to showcase our portfolio of market-leading brands and to continue to build and refine our plans with our retail and licensee partners. From Care Bears and Sesame Street through to Magic Mixies, That’s not my… and Odo, we have a portfolio that delivers stellar numbers for all our partners – and which is fit for purpose in the current retail environment.

Focusing on sell through rather than sell in has always been a key mantra for the company and our desire to plan ahead for this means people are able to see our brands as safe bets in challenging times.

Before we let you go, can you give us a BLE tip or recommendation? Could be a restaurant, pub, venue or show advice…
As with all trade shows, if you want to eat at the venue, make sure you’ve got a decent spending limit on your cards. There’s a reason there’s a defibrillator on the wall next to the takeaways… It’s for when they give you the bill.

Haha! And where is Bulldog based this year?
We’re at A190.

Great stuff. Thanks Rob!

If you still haven’t registered for BLE this year, click here to do so!

BLE 2023 runs at ExCeL London from October 4th to 6th 2023.

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Supreme Imports has launched a Sesame Street range of Sealions kids’ multivitamins, while GHS Studio is set to release a line of Sesame Street beanbag sofas, chairs, homewares and onesies later this year.

“The strength of Sesame Street both at retail and on TV is a testament to its continuing relevance and enduring appeal across multiple generations,” said Bulldog Licensing Group MD Rob Corney.

“As more youngsters discover this wonderful brand, we expect to see an even stronger retail presence in the UK for Sesame Street in the coming years.”

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Alex joins Bulldog fresh from a three-month trip travelling around Southeast Asia. Before travelling, she was Senior Category Manager for Toys at Paramount.

Elsewhere at Bulldog, Sophie Yates has been promoted from Licensing Executive to Brand Manager. Sophie’s key responsibilities in this new role will be to establish strategies and targets for the growth of the brands in Bulldog’s portfolio, working closely with licensing and creative teams to ensure goals are met.

“It’s a pleasure to have Alex join us with her extensive experience, and Sophie’s promotion is extremely well-deserved too,” said Rob Corney, Managing Director of Bulldog Licensing.

“I look forward to working with them both in their new roles.”

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