What a year 2023 has been for Rainbow!
We kicked off the year with three new appointments!
Magdalena Foulkes joined the company as Licensing Director and James Barlow was promoted to Sales & Marketing Director.
Plus our very own mascot, a red-furred bear named Ruby, was unveiled at the DEAL 2023 show in Dubai. Created in celebration of Rainbow’s 40th anniversary, Ruby showcases our first-class mascot manufacturing skills, featuring stunning fabrics and innovative 3D printed props.
This landmark milestone also provided us with the perfect opportunity to rebrand. Still very much Rainbow Productions at heart; our website and logo had a bit of a refresh! Whilst upholding a professional aesthetic, the new branding maintains the sense of fun that our services provide and represents the creativity of our talented production department.
The new branding was launched at the Licensing Awards 2023 with Ruby handing out 1000 red roses to mark the occasion! The Original Stormtroopers also made their debut appearance at the awards.
As well as the Original Stormtroopers, a host of new characters joined our licensed portfolio in 2023 including… Booba, Cody from CoComelon, Mia and Twinkle from Little Baby Bum, Odo, Pinocchio and Friends, and Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster & Elmo.
It was also an amazing year for Bluey who rose to the number one spot on our character list with 179 appearances!
2023 also saw the launch of several new sports mascots. Wolverhampton Wanderer’s Wolfie and Wendy had a mascot-makeover and were joined by a third member of the team, Wilfred. Albärt was unveiled as the mascot for the UEFA Euros 2024 in Germany. Plus, Compare the Market’s Carl the Wombat was brought to life as part of their sponsorship of The Hundred cricket tournament and we were delighted to also manage his appearances at all 32 matches.
In July, we took on the London Bridges Challenge and raised over £3000 for The Light Fund and Mind by completing the 30-mile hike from Hampton Court Bridge to Tower Bridge in 30-degree heat!
Then in October, Danny Smith returned to the team as Senior Account Manager after 8 years, tasked with developing Rainbow’s new non-character activations such as product demonstrations and interactive displays.
And finally we acquired a new premises in December, which has doubled our ground space and will become home to our Events and Wardrobe departments.
As we head into 2024, here’s a list of events taking place this month (*events can be subject to change)…
1st January: Bluey & Bingo Meet & Greet – Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, London
3rd January: Hey Duggee Meet & Greet – Kingdom of Winter, ExCeL London
13th & 14th January: Teletubbies Meet & Greet – RuPaul’s Dragcon UK 2024, ExCeL London
15th January: Hey Duggee Meet & Greet – Selfridges Oxford Street
27th & 28th January: Bluey Meet & Greet – Spa Valley Railway, Tunbridge Wells
Unit 3 & 4,
Greenlea Park
Prince Georges Road
London
SW19 2JD
UK
