New Character Launches in Australia

Designer Guy Paterson has launched a new, Australia-focused character brand, Smiling Bear, which debuts with three strategic partnerships: Moonpig, Zazzle and the Australian Koala Foundation.

The koala character was inspired by the laid back, feel-good Australian lifestyle, and carries the message "Smile More." The brand is targeted to junior to teen girls, but plays to both older and younger audiences.

Moonpig has launched Smiling Bear personalized greetings cards and mugs on its Australia, U.K. and U.S. sites.

Zazzle now offers a large range of branded products including t-shirts, bags, accessories, stickers, mugs, cards and iPhone cases.

Smiling Bear has been named an official sponsor of the Australian Koala Foundation, which now offers a line of co-branded apparel with 100 percent of the profit from online sales and one percent of all Smiling Bear company profits to go to the Foundation.

"There is something memorable about the common confusion that koalas are not bears," says Paterson. "I wanted to play on that in the character name."