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LICENSING LOONEY TUNES’ MAKEOVER 231
Character building
In The Looney Tunes Show Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and friends have been given a fresh, modern new look and star together in a new sitcom-style cartoon. Lewis Tyler looks at what’s changed and discovers how WBCP plans to take advantage of the new incarnation of this classic brand…
SINCE LOONEY TUNES made its debut in 1933 its characters have been consistently updated to appeal to changing tastes. The Looney Tunes Show is the latest incarnation. Airing on Cartoon Network in the UK and US and with broadcast partners secured in France, Spain, Italy and Turkey, the bold new programme aims to recapture lost fans and appeal to new generations, encompassing the entire classic cast in an extended 22-minute episode.
“In the highly competitive world of animated entertainment, classic properties need to be updated periodically to ensure their relevance to new generations of consumers,” explains Paul Bufton, general manager of Warner Bros Consumer Products UK and EMEA. “Looney Tunes is Warner Bros’ most successful consumer products programme ever and is a classic brand that presents an exceptional long-term revenue opportunity. “Warner Bros starts every new project by asking what elements are core to the franchise and need to remain the same, and what can be changed. The core elements of Looney Tunes are iconic characters,
smart and funny dialogue, physical humour, music and the voices – these were consciously preserved.” The new character designs are different yet recognisable, retaining their iconic silhouettes. A modern look is achieved with a fresh colour palette and exaggerated features. Warner chose Jessica Borutski, artist and Looney Tunes fan, to do the job. Speaking about the task, she said: “The original Bugs and Daffy
giving Daffy purple outlines. But I like colour and like to try new things.” Apart from the updated look, the
other key difference is the format. In The Looney Tunes Show, a single story arc is explored over 22 minutes, with the characters put together in a neighbourhood, rather than appearing in their own separate cartoons. Bufton says: “With the longer running time and the ‘show within a show’ format, coupled with humour
Classic properties need to be updated periodically to ensure their relevance to
new generations of consumers. Paul Bufton, WBCP
are beautiful designs that have been streamlined through the decades at Warner Bros, so that was a tough one for me to figure out. I wanted to keep the spirit of the characters without changing them dramatically. “I gave them slightly different proportions that emphasise things I like about the characters. An example is Bugs’ feet. I streamlined them and made them bigger. I knew I’d upset people by making Bugs mauve and
that works on two levels, we are targeting a broader family audience and the ratings that are coming through prove the show is attracting a new type of audience.” The Looney Tunes Show has now launched in the US, UK, France and Spain to record breaking audiences. In the UK it attracted over one million viewers in its first week airing – more than half of that audience was between four and 15 years old.
“This broad appeal plus crucial parental endorsement are two very positive signs for the consumer products programme. The excellent television ratings are driving demand for licensed product,” says Bufton. The first lines will go to retail in Q2. Over 250 licensees are signed up to Looney Tunes across EMEA and all partners have access to The Looney Tunes Show IP as part of their contracts with WBCP. Traditionally, apparel has been strong for Looney Tunes, along with food and promotions. And now, armed with The Looney Tunes Show, WBCP is looking to push the brand further into toys, with Meccano among the first takers in construction.
Glynn Davies, category director EMEA, toys and publishing at Warner Bros Consumer Products said: “With the arrival of The Looney Tunes Show we now have even more exciting new opportunities in toys. For master toy (figures, play-sets and feature plush), games and puzzles and standard plush, we have developed products with North America and China-based partners that are now available for distribution deals across Europe.”
FEBRUARY 2012
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