Maurizio Distefano Licensing Brings Expanded Portfolio to BLE

Italian licensing agency, Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL), is set to showcase an expanded portfolio at Brand Licensing Europe, featuring established successes and new property representations. New additions include global brands like Care Bears, Bratz, L.O.L. Surprise!, Rainbow High, Yummiland and Little Tikes. 

Care Bears, owned by Cloudco Entertainment, currently boasts retail placement with key licensees such as MC2 St Barth and J Brand International. Its fashion collections are featured at OVS stores across Italy. International Games Trade offers a range of Care Bears figurine collectibles. Simba will launch a line of Care Bears plush toys, which will arrive in Italy in Q1 of 2025.  

MDL’s recent appointment to represent MGA Entertainment will see the agency represent the franchises L.O.L. Surprise!, Bratz, Rainbow High, Yummiland and Little Tikes in Italy. Bratz, known for fashion-forward dolls, has built a strong following across multiple platforms, including TikTok. L.O.L. Surprise! remains a popular unboxing toy brand, and its latest movie will premiere in October. Rainbow High, MGA’s fashion doll line, continues to trend globally, while Yummiland launched a new doll line with an animated series on YouTube this year. MDL’s portfolio also includes popular animated series like “Bluey,” “Bing,” “Masha and The Bear,” “ALVINNN!!! And the Chipmunks” and “CoComeon.”  

Adult-targeted brands within the agency’s portfolio include Il Milanese Imbruttito, which references the style and humour of Milan. The brand is building a strong licensee base that includes Cromo with its irreverent Il Milanese Imbruttito greeting cards, which will soon be followed by mugs and tags. Pon Pon Edizioni is also gearing up to introduce a new product range featuring a calendar, sticker pack, notebook and more. La Casa de Las Carcasas launched its mobile phone covers and accessories collection in July. Looking ahead, De Fonseca, a leading Italian brand in slippers and lightweight outdoor and beach footwear, will unveil Il Milanese Imbruttito products in fall/winter 2025. 

This summer, Canta Tu and Alpitour launched a partnership. Canta Tu, a Giochi Preziosi brand, is a portable karaoke system, and Alpitour, a division of Alpitour World, provides a wide range of vacation destinations and family-friendly packages. This collaboration has brought Canta Tu-branded events to over 20 Mediterranean resorts managed by Alpitour World. A digital campaign supports the initiative, promoting the branded events across official partner platforms. 

Another successful licensing project that Maurizio Distefano Licensing has managed this year is the collaboration between Costa Cruises and Acamar Films, bringing the popular children’s character, Bing, to families on routes in the Mediterranean via Costa ships. On board Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda, the two flagships of the Costa fleet, guests have been able to meet Bing. Meet and greets, costume characters parades, Bing-themed parties, dance activities and many other fun and musical activities await guests. 

MDL also represents more than 200 artists across numerous music genres, including AC/DC, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Oasis, Pink Floyd and Kiss. 

“Our portfolio highlights this agency’s ongoing and very successful efforts to offer a variety of options for its partners,” says Maurizio Distefano, founder, president, Maurizio Distefano Licensing. “With the addition of some impressive new properties to an already high-quality selection, this agency is continuing with its mission to provide valuable opportunities for both licensees and licensors across multiple brands, demographics and categories.”