Historic licensing company of “The Smurfs,” IMPS / Lafig has chosen Rainbow Group to manage the licensing plan that will accompany the new series of “The Smurfs” on the Italian territory.

"We are thrilled and it's a pleasure to work for a timeless brand like ‘The Smurfs,’ already beloved by the Italian audience and undoubtedly synonymous with cutting-edge values,” says Matteo Olivetti, sales director, global consumer product, Rainbow Group. “We are already in the process of finalizing several agreements with top-level partners for CP development in the classic categories but stepping outside the box and experimenting is one of our strengths, and we look forward to launching new collaborations.”

Rainbow has already inked deals with many CP partners for the development of the countless possibilities offered by the brand, a success that is supported by more than four generations of fans and always very popular.

“The love story between ‘The Smurfs’ and the Italian audience is a long and passionate one and we are so happy to now have such a strong and dynamic agency as Rainbow on board,” says Véronique Culliford, president and founder, IMPS / LAFIG and daughter of Smurfs creator, Peyo.

“We are very excited to work together making the blue color of the rainbow shine with a broad range of amazing Smurf products.”

The new season of the property will debut on Nickelodeon next fall and on Italian free-to-air Rai Yoyo in spring 2022. Following, the series will also land on TVOD, and AVOD platforms in the first half of 2022, to be distributed on SVOD in early 2023.