Set to launch in a year full of Peppa Pig celebrations around the globe, including the 15th anniversary of the television series in the UK & Australia, the playful new camo print designs feature the show’s much-loved characters, Peppa Pig and her brother, George. Rain boots, backpacks and umbrellas in three different styles will be available for kids ages 2 to 5 in the UK, North America, Canada, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia, France, and Italy this July. Within the collection are the new Kids Grab Handle Wellington boots, cleverly designed so that small hands can pull them on all by themselves.
“There’s a natural synergy between these two British brands that makes this partnership the perfect fit.” says Andrew Carley, executive vice president of global licensing at eOne Family & Brands. “The vibrant collection that Hunter has designed will create must-have items for Peppa’s many fans and we look forward to making a big splash at retail when the products launch in key markets this summer.”
“At the core of a great Hunter experience is fun, adventure and preferably a muddy puddle. I can think of no better partner to bring this spirit to life than Peppa Pig,” said Alasdhair Willis, creative director at Hunter.
The Hunter x Peppa Pig collection of accessories and rain boots includes the new Kids Grab Handle Wellington boots, designed so that small hands can pull them on all by themselves. Ranging from £30 to £45, it is aimed at ages 2-5 and will be available in UK, North America, Canada, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia, France and Italy in July 2019.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Peppa Pig television series in the UK and Australia.
The series follows Peppa, George, their parents, grandparents and little animal friends in their day-to-day lives, going to nursery school, buying spaghetti from the supermarket, flying kites or going to the beach.
The recent announcement adds to eOne’s anniversary efforts, which to date have included partnerships with the likes of Character Options (plush, figures), Penguin (books), Redan (magazine specials) and Enseco (figurines).
eOne has been promoting Peppa’s birthday with a number of new initiatives, including 10 new episodes of the series, and a different two-part special about the characters attending their first-ever music festival, in April. The episodes will be combined into one film and get a cinematic release in Australia and the UK.
This year also happens to be the Year of the Pig in China, and the brand has been growing in the region with the recent consumer products deal naming Alpha Group as master toy partner to create play sets, figurines and role-play items, which launched at the end of 2018. eOne is also capitalizing on the celebrations with a different two-part Chinese New Year special, sold to Nickelodeon and several free-to-air broadcasters around the world. eOne also signed a recent partnership with leading Chinese e-commerce platform Tmall to sell its products and help sell its products.
Peppa Pig is wildly popular. The children’s television series has been translated into more than 40 languages and is broadcast in 180-plus territories, including on many Nickelodeon channels around the world and on Viacom’s Channel 5 Milkshake in the U.K. The brand is a licensing powerhouse, with total retail sales in 2017 reaching US$1.2 billion for the little pig. Meanwhile, licensing and merchandising revenue reached US$59.3 million that same year, driven by growth in the US where L&M revenue increased by more than 170%. Last year, eOne’s Family & Brands business grew 29% to US$97.5 million in the first half of the year due to continued strength from Peppa, which was up 18%, and its CEO is hoping to reach $2 billion by 2020.
A brand-new Peppa Pig Live! stage show is also set to launch in the UK in October 2019, and will run throughout the whole of 2020, and a musical album is also set to be released this year. Peppa Pig season eight will also debut on Nick USA this year.
Peppa Pig is created by Neville Astley and Mark Baker and produced by Astley Baker Davies Ltd and Entertainment One (eOne). The animated preschool show is one of eOne’s key properties. In 2017, it announced that 117 new episodes were entering production, which will start airing in 2019 and take the total episode count to 381. Peppa Pig will be celebrating her 15th anniversary throughout 2019 with a raft of activities for fans.
Hunter is best known for its Original rubber boot and makes footwear and outerwear suited to a variety of weather conditions. Hunter has the Hunter Original brand, which is more urban and fashion-oriented, and Hunter Field, which is more about performance and countryside pursuits.
Hunter is built on its 160 year heritage of designing footwear and outerwear to protect from the weather and perform across all terrains. The British brand, founded in 1856 by American entrepreneur Henry Lee Norris holds two Royal Warrants of Appointment to HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Willis was appointed creative director in 2013 when two new brand categories, Hunter Original and Hunter Field, were introduced.
More Nick: Peppa Pig's Muddy Puddle Walk for Save the Children UK | 13-19 May 2019!
Sources: The Toy Book, Retail Times, Kidscreen, Footwear News, License Global, Fashion Network, FashionUnited.
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