First thing’s first: who are you and what is your company? What do you do?

Emily Blumenthal and Lindsay Kaye Lippman: Thanks for your interest. Emily Blumenthal is the founder of The Charmsters, and Lindsay Kaye Lippman is the co-founder and chief creative officer. Together, we run The Charmsters, a diversity-based animation brand rooted in inclusivity, joy and empowerment.

What did License This! mean to you when you first entered? Why did you enter? 

Winning "The Best Animation" and "Character" categories meant the world to us especially since we are in the early stages of both. The judges recognized The Charmsters retail-with-a-purpose brand, and that joy is an ageless demographic. We are also humbled by the global press coverage and interest, and the many doors this has now opened.

What was being in the competition like? What are your favorite memories from it?

Our favorite memory is the moment when we won and Emily lost her Zoom signal, so it was a lot of chaos, laughter and excitement with Lindsay shouting, “Emily – Are you still there?! WE WON”– It was great fun and a special moment for us both.

What doors did the competition open for you?

It has been wonderful. 2020 was the launch of our Women of Influence #iSeeMyself inclusivity campaign, which is ongoing, 2021 was our introduction to collaborations and partnerships and 2022 is our entry into licensing and retail. We have Winky Lux x The Charmsters launching in Q3 this year and we are absolutely over the moon about this incredible beauty brand selecting us to work with, as well as take it to major retailers. 

Where are you now in terms of licensing? What have you done in the industry that you’d like to highlight?

We signed our first license with Winky Lux and cannot wait to share this incredibly special collection launching at Target and Macys – this year! Outside of make-up, we are entertaining licensing opportunities in multiple categories: apparel, footwear, handbags and home – to name a few. We also have conversations within the NFT space and TV.

We encourage everyone to continue to follow us and see more about The Charmsters on our Instagram @CharmstersNYC and also on Kanvasbrands.com.

To see how the License This! competition plays out at Licensing Expo, register for free to attend here.