Character Tours, Parades and Christmas Switch-On Events this November!

Danger Mouse - one of the latest recruits to our licensed character portfolio

Last month, in addition to the regular Costume Character Appearance Programme where Rainbow Productions manages the personal appearances of children’s characters on behalf of brand owners at third-party live events, October saw a spike in characters visiting shopping centres and town centres across the UK over the Half-Term School Holidays, as well as visits to leisure attractions and retailers, in particular, which were hosting Halloween related events.

A record number of licensed children’s characters – almost eighty – also participated in the annual Costume Character Parade during London’s Brand Licensing Europe exhibition.

This November will also see a Character Parade take place: Hamleys’ central London event on November 28 is set to include many famous licensed children’s characters in the Hamleys’ Parade, as part of the brand and entertainment line-up at this festive event.

November also marks the start of the Christmas Lights Switch-On season and will see licensed characters heading to shopping centres, towns and cities across the UK.

This month also sees the continuation of the experiential Snoopy and Charlie Brown UK Tour to promote the upcoming movie release, with Rainbow Productions working closely with partners to manage the character appearances. Cities already visited by the duo include Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Sheffield and Liverpool – with more in the pipeline during November. The film premieres in the USA on November 6 2015; this is timed to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the comic strip and the 50th anniversary of the TV special called ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’. The UK release date for ‘Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie’ is December 21.

A selection of character appearances scheduled for November 2015 is listed. Please note that both the dates and the venues given below are subject to change.

November 1: Bing and Flop are heading to Toys R Us in Milton Keynes.
November 2 - 5: The World Travel Market exhibition takes place at London ExCel across these dates, with Rainbow Productions managing the personal appearances of brand characters, as follows: King Julien, LEGO Knight and Bollywood Dancer (Nov 2-4), Humungousaur and Princess Bubblegum (Nov 4) and Jake & Finn from Adventure Time (Nov 5).
November 5: Fireman Sam will be going to Green Oaks Shopping Centre in Widnes, Cheshire.
November 6: Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman flies into intu Braehead Shopping Centre today.
November 7 & 8: Acamar Films has arranged for Bing and Flop to visit Harrods today.
November 8: Peppa Pig is going to see fans at Dartmoor Zoo in Devon.
November 12: A Peppa Pig and George narration event is taking place at Centrale Shopping Centre in Croydon.
November 12: Cardiff County Council has arranged for Captain Barnacles and Kwazii from the Octonauts to visit the city.
November 12: Lee Valley Velopark will receive a visit from sports mascot, Pride.
November 14: Captain Barnacles and Kwazii will be taking part in mini shows in Belfast, organised by the city council.
November 14: Today Eastgate Shopping Centre in Basildon will receive a visit from Ben and Holly from Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom.
November 14: Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman and Father Christmas will be seeing shoppers at Yate Shopping Centre in Bristol.
November 14: Chase from TV show Paw Patrol will be making his way to Smyths Toys in Nottingham.
November 14: Dartford Borough Council has arranged for Paddington to visit the town.
November 14: Ruckley heads to The Stoop in Twickenham on behalf of the RFU.
November 14: Bob the Builder will be making appearances at The Mall in Camberley, Surrey.
November 15: Ben and Holly will be taking part in a narration event at Cheltenham Racecourse.
November 15: Paddington is going to an event arranged by Mansfield District Council.
November 19: The Gruffalo is heading to and event in Romford.
November 19: Blackburn Business Improvement District (BID) has booked Tiny and Small from the Clangers to head to the town’s Light Switch-On event.
November 19: Peppa Pig will be joined by George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig as they all head to Woking Shopping Centre.
November 19: Sid and Scrat from Ice Age will be in Grimsby town centre.
November 19: The Snowman and The Snowdog will be going to the Howard Centre in Welwyn Garden City.
November 21 & 22: Peppa Pig and George will be present in Hull (Nov 21) and Middlesbrough (Nov 22), for a narration event and family treasure hunt activity.
November 21: The Gruffalo will be making personal appearances at an event in Burgess Hill, West Sussex.
November 21: Strood in Kent will host appearances by Bob the Builder, arranged by Medway Council.
November 22: Bing and Flop will be in Oldham today.
November 22: Captain Barnacles from the Octonauts will be at London Zoo today.
November 25: Wolverhampton City Council has organised a visit from Bing and Flop.
November 27: Medway Council has arranged for Leo and Raph from the Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles to go to Rainham, Kent.
November 28: Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre in Oldham hosts appearances by Fireman Sam.
November 28: The Hamleys’ Parade takes place in London today and as part of the spectacle and entertainment there will be several licensed children’s characters in attendance, including The Twirlywoos, Marshall from Paw Patrol, Sid and Scrat from Ice Age, The Fat Controller, Raymond Briggs’ The Snowman, The Power Rangers, Bing & Flop, Miffy, Peppa Pig, Ben and Holly, Sonic Boom with Amy and Tails, Shaun the Sheep, The Gruffalo, Elmo and Phoebe (Furchester) and Fireman Sam.
November 28: Harrow Town Centre BID has arranged for two brands to make separate personal appearances: Tiny and Small from the Clangers as well as Sid and Scrat from Ice Age.
November 28: Postman Pat sets out to deliver fun to shoppers at White Lion Walk Shopping Centre in Guildford today.
November 28: Dennis the Menace and Gnasher head to Brewers Fayre restaurant in Carlisle.
November 28: Colchester Zoo’s Christmas Lights Switch-on event will include appearances by The Snowman and The Snowdog.
November 29: Pingu will be at Princess Square Shopping Centre in Bracknell today.
November 29: Paddington is visiting Newcastle-under-Lyme Town Centre.
November 29: The Snowman and The Snowdog are going to be making personal appearances at Brent Cross Shopping Centre today.