Ty U.K. to Roll Out Sanrio Characters

Ty U.K. has signed a deal to produce beanies for five additional Sanrio characters, launching this autumn. The deal was brokered by Fluid World, Sanrio's U.K. licensing agent.

The new beanies—Kuromi, Badtz Maru, Chococat, My Melody and Keroppi—will launch with Hello Kitty in key retailers this October in line with the celebrations for Sanrio's 50th anniversary. A full rollout is planned for 2011. Each will come with a swing tag booklet that contains information about all of the characters in the range, including Hello Kitty, to make the connection and encourage collectibility.

"We have been working with Fluid World and Sanrio for a couple of years now and Hello Kitty is by far the strongest license we posses," says Stephen Gomez, business development director at Ty U.K. "Its longevity surpasses other properties that we've worked with. We jumped at the opportunity to develop and produce Beanies for the other Sanrio brands and we're certain that just like Hello Kitty, these Sanrio characters will triumph at retail."