TOTAL LICENSING
From Pooh to Paddington to
Potter (Beatrix and Harry!)
Publishing has generated more long-term properties
than any other media
Characters that have their roots in at the top of their lungs? Online bookselling has
children’s publishing seem to be able There seems to be little cor- been a phenomenon
to sustain mass longevity. Of all the relation linking the success of the World Wide Web,
children’s characters around at the of the publishing industry with sites like
Amazon.com
moment that see varying degrees with enduring characters. meaning books are eas-
of success, a multitude of them have Trends in sales in children’s ily browsed and accessible.
come in some shape or form from lit- publishing have seen ups Throughout the ups and the
erature. In fact, it can be hard to think and downs. The late 1980’s downs of publishing, char-
of a character that hasn’t. and 1990’s were, according acters continue to emerge
One only has to look at Harry Potter to economic statistics, boom that have huge branding
to see that, far from being a dying art, years, followed by several po wer.
children’s publishing and literature in years of decline which influ- Education and teaching
general is on the rise, but before the enced much of the consolidation children moral guidance
quill of J.K. Rowling brought us Pot- and cutbacks of that time, followed can play a strong part in the reason
ter, Hogwarts and Muggles, char- by a slow recovery, helped in part by so many characters that started off in
acters as diverse as Winnie the blockbusters such as Harry Potter, print stay around for years. Fairy tales
Pooh, Batman, Paddington Bear and increased concern for the bet- such as Beauty and the Beast, teaching
and Peter Rabbit were all cre- ter library and school funding. These youngsters that beauty comes from
ated on the page. days paperbacks take up a large share within, became a Disney classic. Enid
Beatrix Potter began by of sales, with licensed books being far Blyton’s Noddy was a naïve yet honest
sketching the animals in more common. Similarly, bookstores and decent young chap, surrounded by
her garden, over a cen- have seen a rise in popularity, thanks in good friends and living a simple, happy
tury ago, and Peter part to places such as Borders which existence, as 1950’s aspirations would
Rabbit, among others, aim to turn reading a book into a lei- have dictated. Aslan, King of the Beasts
continues to generate sure activity, with children’s play areas in Narnia, was alleged to have repre-
success as a brand, with and plenty of caffeine for the adults. sented the struggles of Christ, and
recent announcements
Richard Scarry is one of the most beloved children’s authors and illustra-
that he will have own stage
tors of all time. Since the 1950’s boys and girls worldwide have grown up with
show.
his books and characters like Huck, Sally, Lowly, Hilda, Pig Will, Pig Won’t, Mr.
Paddington Bear, who first
Frumbles and many more. To date, more than 150 million copies of his books
appeared in a book in 1958,
have been sold with total sales of $300+ million worldwide. Over 300 titles
was again featured in print in 2008. In
are in the Richard Scarry library and have been translated into 30 languages.
between this has seen the bear’s rise
Cookie Jar in Canada has created a television series, Hurray For Huckle!, inspired
to fame in his own television series
by the books. It has been one of the top two rated preschool shows on the CBC
and advertising Marmite, and the an-
for several months running. The network recently picked up season 2 which is cur-
nouncement of a forthcoming film.
rently in production. The series is also on air in Quebec (SRC), France (France 5 and
Batman, originally a creation of Marvel
TIJI), Germany (ZDF and KIKA), Italy (Nick) and Denmark (DR). It will air in Fin-
Comics, has winged his way from the
land (YLE), Iceland (RUZ), Norway (NRK), Sweden and in Poland (TVP1) in 2009.
page to television series and several
Copyright Promotions will be
sets of films.
handling licensing for the brand
Why is it that characters that start off
and current partners include
in print, historically in humble forms,
Ncircle for home entertainment
have such staying power? How is it
(four releases are planned for
that a bear named after A.A. Milne’s
2009) and Simon & Schuster
son’s favourite toy is now an interna-
(publishing in Spring 2010). In
tional Disney star? That a humorous
addition, Cookie Jar is also plan-
sketching of four turtles could spawn
ning an immersive website, set
three live action films and a genera-
to launch April 2009.
tion of children shouting ‘Cowabunga’
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