New VHC Licensees Land in U.K.

In celebration of its 50th anniversary this year, The Very Hungry Caterpillar has announced a raft of new licensees in the U.K. and Ireland.

New licensees include natural family skincare specialist Bloom and Blossom, which is currently developing The Very Hungry Caterpillar range of toiletries within its Bath, Book and Bedtime mission; and Licensed to Charm, a creator of unique high-quality licensed jewelry and charms that will produce a special range of VHC jewelry for babies, children and women, including christening gifts.

Bags specialist William Lamb will create a VHC backpack for Character.com and the debut range of personalized gifts from Signature PG.

Meanwhile, The Very Hungry Caterpillar publisher Puffin is planning to publish six new books in this anniversary year including a gold 50th anniversary edition, supported by a PR and marketing campaign that includes Very Hungry birthday parties across hundreds of bookshops, a major online campaign, lighting up London with butterfly projections and placement of VHC across a range of print, online and broadcast media.

This increased activity in an already successful licensing program is driven by heightened brand awareness during The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 50th anniversary year, for which many events are planned.

A program of competitions, readings, retail events, new licenses, online and magazine promotions and support from women’s, kids’ and parenting print and online media will continue to extend public awareness of the brand this year. A new live tour of The Very Hungry Caterpillar live show starts in May and the biggest-and-best-ever Giant Wiggle campaign for the charity Action for Children, now in its fifth year, is also in store.

In the U.K., VHC has already inspired lines of developmental toys, plush, games, bedding, apparel, puzzles, craft and activity sets, greeting cards, toiletries and more.

The licensing campaign for The World of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar is managed in the U.K. by Rocket Licensing through worldwide agent The Joester Loria Group. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the centerpiece of the global licensing campaign around The World of Eric Carle brand, which brings together the much-loved, multimillion-selling works by author and artist Eric Carle.

“Awareness and appreciation of Eric Carle’s classic children’s character has always been high, but now, with The Very Hungry Caterpillar celebrating his 50th year, interest from consumer, media and retail is greater than ever, a fact reflected in the growth of an already-strong licensee list which now boasts more than 30 U.K. partners,” says Melissa Satterly, brand manager, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Rocket Licensing. “We are delighted to welcome these new licensees to the program in this tremendously exciting year for the brand!”