Rocket Licensing is back at stand A205 - with some big news for BLE 2024!
Rocket Licensing is back at BLE, where stand A205 is the place to be for news and opportunities from one of the UK’s most admired independent licensing agencies and a portfolio of astonishing variety and depth, that includes Miffy, The Elf on The Shelf, The European Space Agency, Godzilla, Little People, Big Dreams, Fuzzballs, Horrible Histories, Horrible Science, Rocky, Legally Blonde and much more!
Miffy, the iconic brand created by Dick Bruna, is a global phenomenon, with over 85 million books sold worldwide supported by television series, a YouTube channel, and multiple influencers and celebrities. At BLE The Rocket Licensing team will focus on further growing the UK & Eire licensing programme in the run-up to her 70th anniversary in 2025, boosted even more by the launch of a new CGI animated TV series to coincide with this major anniversary year.
The ever-expanding portfolio of Miffy licensing partners, with a targetmarket ranging from toddlers to teens and young adults, includes huge success across retail for adults’ and children’s apparel at retail with partners such as Next, Cath Kidston, M&S & Primark.
Skinnydip, the go-to destination for female Gen-Z clothing and accessories, has already enjoyed success with the launch of three Miffy ranges comprising phone cases, nightwear, apparel and fashion accessories, with further collections set for 2025. The collaboration with online fashion retailer Daisy Street is also going from strength to strength with listings on ASOS & multiple independents.
The License to Charm Miffy jewellery range is expanding its retail reach and is now stocked by Urban Outfitters, while Miffy plush distributed by Haus and SC Brands has become more readily available with listings at Urban Outfitters, Fenwick & Next, a retailer where there is a strong and growing Miffy presence.
And that’s not all. A Cath Kidson first collection of womenswear and childrenswear, backpacks and purses launched in April to great success. Autumn and spring will see further launches. More recent licensees include Woodmansterne: its first collection of Miffy greetings cards is on the way this autumn / winter, along with Dreamtex with bedding and cushions and Rose & Blade with signature leggings, top and matching socks. Further Blade & Rose collections are planned for spring and autumn ’25.
Whether it’s living in orbit, exploring new worlds, leading the study of climate change on Earth or peering back in time to the beginning of the universe, The European Space Agency (ESA) has been part of the adventure, sharing the excitement of space and space science with a real badge of authority and an exclusive range of design assets. With the 50th anniversary celebrations in 2025 and headline-grabbing new launches and missions on the way, the brand will continue to build momentum. The range of licensed products, which already includes apparel, model launchers and limited edition prints, was recently joined by a major licensing agreement with DK, the world’s leading children’s non-fiction publisher, to create a range of ESA books for children and young people. The initial launches will include two books: The Astronaut Diaries: Journals of Andi Futura Aged 11 ½ (autumn/winter 2024) and a choose-your-own-adventure-style book called Mission to Mars (spring/summer 2025), both offering an engaging and informative fictional narrative underpinned by STEM content.
Little People, Big Dreams is the market-leading children’s book series celebrating the achievements of some of history’s (and today’s) greatest world-changers – artists, scientists, musicians and more – charting their life stories from childhood dreamers through to their adult accomplishments.
From Frida Kahlo to Gandhi, from Jane Austin to Pelé, each title is stunningly illustrated by a different artist, and this inspirational series has sold over 12 million copies in 35 languages.
Building on Poetic Brands’ successful launch of a Little People, Big Dreams t-shirt range in Tesco for World Book Day 2024, Rocket is spearheading the brand’s retail growth from spring/summer 2025 with new collections at retail and a growing commitment from the major grocers.
The Elf on the Shelf®, the iconic Christmas tradition from The Lumistella Company, has had a delightful role in the festive season for families in the UK for nearly 16 years. The Santa-approved Scout Elves take note of a family’s Christmas adventures, reporting back to Santa at the North Pole each night, then magically returning to their families and perching in a new spot each morning. The tradition that includes the adoptable Scout Elf arrived in book form in the US in 2005 and quickly became a fixture around the globe. 2025 kicks off the celebration of 20 years of elftastical stories. This ‘Santaversary’ aligns with the expansion and development of The Elf on the Shelf® Santaverse™, featuring characters and brands fans already known and loved alongside an expanded cast of North Pole creatures, timeless adventures and all the untold stories that reveal the mystery and magic of the enchanted world of Santa Claus!
New The Elf on the Shelf licensees include CFR Management Services, which is launching magic sipper straws and gingerbread, brownie and cookie bake mixes for autumn / winter 2024, and Lights4Fun with its new range of festive lights.
Rocket, the UK licensing agent for Legendary, will be showcasing several key IPs from the studio’s line-up at BLE this year. Following the blockbuster success of bothDune: Part Two andGodzilla x Kong: The New Empire, both the Dune and Monsterverse universes are continuing to expand with an exciting array of franchise extensions including theDune: Prophecytelevision series, scheduled to launch this autumn, followed by the highly-anticipatedDune: Awakeningvideo game in 2025. And though not yet officially announced, fans are of course also eagerly awaiting the theatrical follow-up toDune: Part Twofrom director Denis Villeneuve. On the Monsterverse front, the next film instalment has been dated for 26 March 2027, but in the meantime fans can enjoy season two of the hit AppleTV+ seriesMonarch: Legacy of Monsterslaunching in 2025 with multiple spinoffs recently announced for the streamer, promising to take the franchise into exciting new directions. And on the interactive front, the Titan Chasers mobile game will also be available for fans this autumn.
Beyond the Dune and Monsterverse franchises, Legendary also has several new titles releasing soon including animated series, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft on Netflix, the raucous comedy Animal Friends, starring the voices of Ryan Reynolds and Jason Momoa hitting theatres on August 15, 2025 and a live-actionStreet Fighterfilm based on the iconic video game franchise launching the atrically on March 20, 2026.
Now into its fourth decade of success, Horrible Histories is the multi-million-bestselling book series written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown that has inspired award-winning TV series, a star-studded feature film, exhibitions and numerous live shows and attractions. The stage shows – Rotten Royals, Terrible Tudors and Awful Egyptians, and Horrible Christmas– are hits in the West End and on tour. This year’s recent summer holidays also saw the return of the Terrible Thames tour.
Horrible Histories licensing continues to attract big names, including Tonies, which was shortlisted in the Best Licensed Written, Listening and Learning category at the Licensing Awards 2024 for its Rotten Roman audio figures. More audio figurines are planned for 2025.
The hugely popular and award-winning children’s book science brand (over four million books sold in the UK), Horrible Science was the star at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which put on six weeks of Horrible Science-inspired summertime activities for families during the school holidays. With unique input from Kew’s own scientific and horticultural experts, and inspired by the books of Horrible Science author Nick Arnold and illustrator Tony De Saulles, a series of interactive installations across Kew revealed more than visitors ever imagined about the worlds of Fiendish Flowers, Greedy Greenery and Vicious Veg. Meanwhile science kits from Galt, a key partner since 2003, continue to enjoy strong sales across a wide retail reach.
Amazon MGM Studios’Rocky is the ultimate motivator – with an inspirational message at the heart of the franchise. Rocky and Creed films together – with a global value of $2 billion – combine to make a truly knockout franchise. The franchise has a huge social media presence, with nearly 20 million followers, and a long-standing and very successful licensing programme. Awareness is strong ahead of the 50th anniversary on 2026.
The Stargate franchise, Legally Blonde, and theMidnight Movies Collection are among the other Amazon MGM Studio’s classics supported by Rocket.
Born as a web comic, Fuzzballs has skyrocketed to social media stardom, boasting an astounding 1.7 billion sticker downloads! This irresistibly cute universe loved by kidults revolves around Whisky the Cat, Timmy the Tiger, Ollie the Bunny and a whole cast of friends filled ith pop culture references, humour and cuteness overload. The brand hasinspired a diverse range of licensees and Rocket is thrilled to announce that its latest licensee, Scrungo, is launching an exciting range of card games for autumn 2024.
Kodak's extensive archive, featuring bold designs, iconic logos, stunning photography and influential styles, has led to relationships with leading designers and retailers. This archive has also helped drive the success of Kodak's licensed products, culminating in a Licensing International Best Brand Award. Building upon these achievements, Rocket is crafting captivating consumer products that are already inspiring the industry. With a focus on apparel and stationery, the licensing programme is merging Kodak's heritage with modern trends, an approach which is resonating with today's consumers.
Rob Wijeratna, Joint Managing Director of Rocket Licensing, says: “We’re proud to offer a portfolio that is notable not just for quality but for its very eclectic nature. Looking for blockbuster movies, space exploration, Christmas traditions, fun new takes on science and history or everyone’s favourite little bunny? Our brand partnerships offer all of that – and more! See us at stand A205, where we’ll tell you all about our headline-making properties.”