Fans flocked to Toys Centers across Italy for Masha and the Bear promotion

BRANDORA Editorial Staff - Januar 2019

Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), which manages licensing for the Masha and the Bear brand in Italy and Switzerland, has announced the success of a major partnership between the nationwide Italian toy chain Toys Center and the enormously popular children’s characters Masha and the Bear, which recently teamed up for a massive promotion.

The promotion ran from 1 to 15 November 2018, in any Toys Center containing the relevant promotional material, customers who spent a minimum of €19.90 on Masha and the Bear products were able to claim from the cash desk an amazing Masha doll: Masha the Superhero, in full superhero costume, driving her very own train!

This great offer, which applied exclusively to participating Toys Center shops and Masha and the Bear toys sold in those shops, was a big hit with fans of the incredibly popular children’s brand.

Launched in the 1990s, Toys Center has in the past fifteen years become the leading toy retailer in Italy, with over 120 stores in total, covering the length and breadth of Italy. One in every three toys sold in Italy is sold in a Toys Centre store.

This two-week promotion built on high consumer awareness of Masha and the Bear, and its success, both as a licensed brand and a TV series, with Italian families. Now in its third season, repeat showings and new episodes of Masha and the Bear are greeted with enormous enthusiasm by big audiences on both Dea Junior and Rai YoYo.

So popular is the brand that two spin-off series – Masha's Tales and Masha's Spooky Stories – have been created. Episodes of these three shows are also available to mobiles, PCs and tablets, and streaming on Infinity, a dedicated YouTube channel and the official Masha and the Bear Facebook page.

The success of the property is also reflected in a hit film – Masha and the Bear: Friends Forever – a popular live show and, of course, a thriving licensing campaign. Masha and the Bear remains one of the most sought-after licenses in the children’s market; at present there are about 40 Masha and the Bear licenses in the Italian market alone.

Maurizio Distefano, President, MDL, said: “This successful promotion in an enormous number of toy stores, proved, yet again, the staggering popularity of the Masha and the Bear in the pre-school market – and especially in Italy. We’re delighted to have partnered with the leading name in Italian retail to bring this wonderful offer to Masha and the Bear fans.”