BRAND EXPERIENCES WITH ADDED CHARACTER AT JANUARY EVENTS

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles join Rainbow Productions' licensed character portfolio; pictured during Brand Licensing Europe 2013.

This January will see event spaces, shopping centres, leisure venues, trade shows and other locations hosting visits by famous licensed children’s characters such as Peppa Pig, Mike the Knight and the Moshi Monsters.  During these public appearances children’s characters are set to interact with and entertain family guests, in turn playing a role in generating memorable brand experiences.

An indication of confirmed character events scheduled to take place during the month of January is detailed, below.  On these dates, the characters will be seen in public at intervals, with both the location and the licensed character still subject to change.

From January 1st 2014, Garfield will also join the raft of licensed children’s properties represented under licence by Rainbow Productions and offered for personal appearances.

The company’s roster of licensed characters is set to grow in 2014, consolidating the acquisition in Q4 2013 of Q Pootle 5, Om Nom from Cut the Rope, Red Bird from Angry Birds as well as the company formally representing Nickelodeon’s brands the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer.

January's line-up of character events includes:

• January 1^st: Peppa Pig will be joining family race goers at Cheltenham Racecourse.
• January 4^th, 5^th, 11^th, 12^th, 18^th & 19^th: Mr. Peabody and Sherman, stars of the 3D computer-animated film produced by DreamWorks Animation, continue their tour of UK shopping centres on behalf of distributor Twentieth Century Fox.
• January 8^th: Dora the Explorer will be making a media appearance in Dublin, Ireland.
• January 11^th: Moshi Monster Katsuma will be in-store at Tesco Metro Bermondsey, London.
• January 15^th: A National Basketball Association event at London’s O2 will include a visit from Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to support Warner Bros. Consumer Products’ partnership with the NBA to feature Looney Tunes characters on NBA products, campaigns and events.
• January 19^th:  eOne is supporting the London Taxi Drivers’ Fund for Underprivileged Children by arranging for Peppa Pig to attend the annual Mad Hatter’s Tea Party event which will be held at Grosvenor House on Park Lane.
• January 19^th: Mike the Knight will be galloping along to intu Potteries shopping centre in Hanley, Stoke on Trent.
• January 21^st: Press Day at Toy Fair will see Rainbow Productions managing the media appearances of licensed brands in support of both licensors and licensees, in front of a mainly retail audience.   Confirmed attendees, to date, include Pikachu and other characters from The Pokémon Company, Tigershark, Laloopsy’s Jewel Sparkles, The Minions, Buster Bumblechops from the Moshi Monsters, Ben and Holly, Peppa Pig and George, Sonic the Hedgehog, Dennis the Menace & Gnasher. Many brands will also be on the show floor for additional days during the Toy Fair trade exhibition.
• January 25^th: Thomas the Tank Engine and The Fat Controller will both be present today at Brent Cross shopping centre
• January 26^th: Noddy and Tessie Bear are both heading to intu Potteries in Hanley, Stoke on Trent to greet shoppers.
• January 30^th: The Newlands Shopping Centre in Kettering has arranged for Aardman’s Shaun the Sheep to head along and entertain shoppers.