King Features Expands Popeye and Olive Oyl into New Territories

King Features Syndicate, a unit of Hearst, has announced expansion into new territories, Benelux, India and the Middle East, for its comic characters, Popeye and Olive Oyl. Building upon its global licensing program, brand owner King Features has signed new agents to support growth in the territories, including J&M Brands (Benelux), Wildbrain CPLG (Middle East) and Black White & Orange (India). 

J&M Brands will continue to grow the characters’ presence in Benelux, which is comprised of the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. J&M Brands will focus on introducing new apparel, collabs, food, health and beauty, and sustainable partnerships that align with the brand and resonate with European audiences. This year, they will introduce two new Popeye partnerships. School of Life Projects (Netherlands) incorporates materials like wool, a renewable fiber source, into their collection to preserve traditional artisan crafts and apparel brand, A-Dam (Netherlands), develops their garments using recycled and organic materials. 

In the Middle East, Wildbrain CPLG is expanding Popeye and Olive Oyl’s reach in new territories including Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates with fashion retailer Riva Fashion and product distributor, Trucare FZC. 

Continuing growth for the characters in India, Black White Orange Brands recently brokered a deal with Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. for a Popeye collaboration with Indian youth fashion and apparel brand, WROGN. WROGN was co-created by Indian cricket star, Virat Kohli, who served as the face of the Popeye campaign. The Popeye x WROGN collection includes a range of 28 t-shirts featuring the sailor paired with the graphic WROGN logo. 

“We’re tremendously proud of the growth and success that the Popeye brand has experienced globally and look forward to the brand’s continued expansion with our newest international agents and partners,” says Carla Silva, vice president and general manager, global head of licensing, King Features. “There’s something extraordinary about the iconic Popeye and his universe that truly transcends across all cultures.” 

King Features’ expansion into new territories comes on the heels of several Popeye initiatives, including apparel collections from ICEBERG, Moncler, Intimissimi Uomo and Mey, NFTs from UNDONE and MADWorld, along with sustainability-focused partnerships with the Popeye Sail Club powered Pick-a-Pier in partnership with Blue Flag and an “Angry Birds Friends” x Popeye tournament in support of ocean clean-up organization, The SeaCleaners.