BBC Studios renews toy deals with Golden Bear Products Ltd and 8th Wonder, new partnerships include HTI and Fiddes Payne.
BBC Studios is delighted to announce it has renewed licensing deals with Hey Duggee toy partners Golden Bear and 8th Wonder. These new deals will see the launch of new Hey Duggee children’s toys in the UK in 2021.
BBC Studios is also thrilled to share a raft of new partners for Hey Duggee, including: HTI for a range of bubbles, outdoor, electronic musical instruments and character cases and Fiddes Payne for home baking. Hey Duggee also has its first confectionery product with Kinnerton launching at Easter.
Julie Kekwick, Senior Licensing Manager at BBC Studios said: “It’s a real joy to start 2021 by renewing licensing agreements with two hugely valued partners and adding further great new deals to our Duggee portfolio. I’m excited for parents and kids to experience and enjoy the incredible selection of new Hey Duggee products on offer this year.”
Hey Duggee had a hugely successful 2020 and became the most-watched kids’ show of the year on BBC iPlayer, with over 192 million requests. Meanwhile, Golden Bear saw sales of its Hey Duggee product grow 97% year-on-year with products such as Adventure Bus, Singing Sticky Stick Stick, and figurine packs proving popular with Hey Duggee fans.
2021 will see the launch of an extensive new range of Hey Duggee toys from Golden Bear as part of its licensing partnership with BBC Studios. Hero SKUs will include: bathroom play products Toothbrush & Handwashing Time with Duggee and Duggee’s Light Show River Boat; toys aimed at aiding the expression of emotions, mindfulness, and focus, like My Best Friend Duggee Soft Toy and Duggee Hug Squirrel Club Soft Toy; and toys designed to inspire creativity, such as the Interactive Club House and the Spin & Groove DJ Duggee.
Barry Hughes, Managing Director, Golden Bear Products Ltd said: “Hey Duggee is a phenomenal success and an iconic brand with a hugely prominent position in the UK toy market. We’re delighted to continue our long-term partnership with BBC Studios and drive forward into 2021 with a stellar range of new products to excite both children and parents. The new lines deliver a strong and appealing choice to consumers and they translate the learning benefits and quirky and humorous nature of this amazing show.”
Hey Duggee is also a top performing brand for 8th Wonder and they have more new wooden toy product on the horizon. From February 2021, 8th Wonder will launch further Hey Duggee educational toys at retail, such as the Hey Duggee Word Match and Spell. The Licensee will also launch products in new categories like games, arts & crafts and outdoor, such as the Hey Duggee Tumbling Tower game and a 3-in-1 Hey Duggee Table Top Easel. BBC Studios first partnered with 8th Wonder in 2018, launching a wooden toy range with the specialist design studio and manufacturer.
Louise Tyrer, 8th Wonder’s Sales Director said: “We’re delighted to have agreed a renewal with BBC Studios for Hey Duggee. Hey Duggee has been our top performing brand and a brand the whole team is passionate about. 2021 will see our range expand further to circa 25 lines and we are pleased to introduce some new, higher price points and categories. This will strengthen the overall brand position and help our growth ambition. 2020 was a fantastic year for us and we have seen significant growth. The icing on the cake was for our Hey Duggee wooden toy range to be nominated in the best toy category at the licensing awards, a fantastic end to 2020 and something the whole team is proud of.”
Hey Duggee has an extensive licensing portfolio in the UK. Its current partners include: Trends for electronic learning toys; Ravensburger for puzzles and games; Finsbury for celebration cakes; Aykroyd and TDP for daywear, nightwear, swimwear and essentials; Fashion UK and Dennicci for daywear; Dreamtex for Bedding; Roy Lowe & Sons for socks; William Lamb for footwear and bags; Drew Pearson for accessories; Amscan for party and dress-up; Danilo and Moonpig for greetings cards; DNC for dining and hydration; Penguin for publishing; and Scary Beasties for apps.
Hey Duggee, a Studio AKA production with BBC Studios, is a six-time BAFTA and international Emmy award-winning hit on CBeebies. In 2020 it was the most-watched kids’ show on BBC iPlayer with over 192 million requests. Additionally, the series is available on BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Apple iTunes and Google Play, and its official YouTube channel has over a billion lifetime views and nearly 800k subscribers. Hey Duggee also has an impressive global footprint in over 150 countries.
For more information please contact:
Frances Cherry-Becker, Publicist (Tuesday-Thursday) - frances.cherry-becker@bbc.com
Ali Laurie, Publicist (Monday and Friday) - ali.laurie@bbc.com
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC Group. Formed in April 2018 by the merger of BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services and ancillaries. BBC Studios’ award-winning British programmes are internationally recognised across a broad range of genres and specialisms. It has offices in 22 markets globally, including seven production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which makes 2500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK’s independent sector. BBC Studios has revenue of £1.4bn, and returns around £200m to the BBC Group annually, complementing the BBC’s licence fee and enhancing programmes for UK audiences.
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About 8th Wonder
8TH Wonder started over 24 years ago and we are still a privately owned company based in Wigan. We specialise in design and manufacture of own brand, licensed toys and gifts in both plush and wood for the global market . All wooden toys are made from FSC and this sustainably message is important to our business and close to our hearts. We create high quality products, offering all customers unmatched value. The expanding team in all areas are committed and passionate about the market we play in and proud to work in this industry. 8th Wonder are a growing company and are delighted to be working with big brands and licenses. This portfolio has significantly increased during 2020 and now includes amazing brands like Hey Duggee, Paw Patrol, Bing, ITNG, Sarah and Duck, Mr Tumble Something Special, Paddington, Little Tikes, LOL, Minions, Jurassic World, Only Fools and Horses, The Inbetweeners, Mr Bean, Friday Night Dinner and Battersea. New news will also be available soon so please get in touch .
For more information please visit https://www.8thwonder.co.uk/
About Golden Bear
For over 40 years, Golden Bear Products has produced high-quality, safe and reliable children's toys that delight parents as well as excite and inspire children. Specialising in both own brand development and licensed plush and plastic product, Golden Bear has grown significantly since 1979 and continues to grow year-on-year through innovation, proactivity and responsiveness in today's ever-changing market. The company is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of quality toys and Golden Bear’s portfolio includes many popular children’s and pre-school brands, such as Mr Tumble Something Special, Hey Duggee, Bing, In the Night Garden, Twirlywoos, Waffle the Wonder Dog, My First JCB, Sooty. Love Monster, FunLockets, Smart Ball, and TRAPPED Escape Room Games.
For more information, please visit www.goldenbeartoys.com.
