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Afro Unicorn – April Showers (Retail Monster)
Afro Unicorn, founded and led by visionary CEO April Showers, is the fastest-growing Black brand in the U.S. and Canada. Initially focusing on party supplies, social expression, and apparel, Afro Unicorn has grown its footprint, offering a diverse range of 25 product categories and 500 SKUs in 40,000 stores, including Walmart, Target, HomeGoods, Kohl’s, and CVS. With 45 global licensees, Afro Unicorn features accessories, backpacks, clothing, collectibles, costumes, toys, original music, and more. The brand secured a production deal for an animated series and published six books with Random House Children’s Books. Afro Unicorn Magical Tresses, a best-in-class hair and styling line, was created in collaboration with Magical Beauty, its first black-owned global licensing partner. Afro Unicorn will launch a live-action series and will partner with Roblox to bring diverse characters to Afronia. Its YouTube Channel features a new Afro Unicorn Kids Show with Nori, Ms. April, and friends.
Black Paper Party (Brand Central)
Black Paper Party, a women-owned BIPOC company, is an inclusive seasonal products company that launched in 2020 with holiday wrap featuring award-winning illustrations of Black families with trend-relevant prints and patterns. Black Paper Party’s three retail alum executives filled a whitespace in gifting solutions featuring Black representation with relatable characters that reflect all family types.
In 2023, with the help of its exclusive licensing agency Brand Central, Black Paper Party continued to expand its brand presence at retail with another robust holiday partnership with Walmart. The brand partnered with leading seasonal licensees for a second year to bring an eight-foot, licensed paper and décor section to life in more than 1,000 Walmart stores and online, garnering millions in retail sales. The brand also had placement in other retailers such as Macy’s, Target, Dollar General, and Amazon. Black Paper Party was also featured on ABC’s Shark Tank and landed a deal with Shark Tank’s Barbara Corcoran.
Crayola
Crayola is a mission-driven brand that strives to help parents and teachers raise creatively alive children. In addition to Crayola’s dominant presence in craft aisles across retail channels, Crayola licensing has successfully extended the brand into a wide range of branded programs. In 2023, Centric Brand’s kids’ bath program commanded retail presence in modular and promotional sets in the mass, drug, value, and wholesale club channels. The Colors of Kindness campaign included collaborations with Zumba and Little Words Project, extending the brand into specialty and direct-to-consumer channels, garnering millions of impressions on social media. Crayola Flowers launched a micro-fundraising website as part of the Colors of Kindness campaign, giving consumers an opportunity to benefit their favorite cause. Crayola Creativity Week reached six million students and 500,000 teachers in over 100 countries, generating 685 million impressions. Crayola’s Create and Play app engaged 4.3 million users and generated two billion impressions on Apple Arcade.
Dr. Seuss – Dr. Seuss Enterprises
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, a leading global children’s entertainment company, is laser focused on promoting literacy, education, self-confidence, and the wonderful possibilities of a child’s imagination through the works of Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss Enterprises continues to build upon the creative, whimsical world of Dr. Seuss and its characters by inking hundreds of licensing deals in virtually every category, and expanding their global presence. In 2023, Dr. Seuss Enterprises found success with a number of top-tier brand collaborations like the festive International Delights Grinch-themed coffee creamers, classic board games from The OP Games, the brand’s first-ever podcast partnership with Wondery, a new line of accessories with Justice, and many more.
Moomin – Moomin Characters Oy Ltd (Rights & Brands)
The Moomins were created in 1945 by artist Tove Jansson (1914-2002). The Moomin books have been translated into more than 60 languages, charming millions of readers with their wit and wisdom. To this day, all new Moomin artwork used for licensing is based on Jansson’s original illustrations. In 2023, Moomin had 800 licensees worldwide, including Adidas, Mattel, Deagostini, 7-Eleven, Barnes & Noble, and Rovio Entertainment. The Moomin phenomenon extends to theme parks in Japan and Finland, over 30 global shops and cafés, and a social media following of 3.5 million, engaging with 65 million fans annually. The artwork is featured in exhibitions worldwide and new publishing based on Jansson’s original stories are published each year. Together with partners like UNICEF, Oxfam, and the Red Cross, Moomin characters continue to work with the initiative ‘Reading, Writing, and the Moomins’ to encourage reading among children.
Strawberry Shortcake – WildBrain
In 2024, WildBrain is celebrating 45 ‘berry’ sweet years of Strawberry Shortcake. Over the years, Strawberry Shortcake has blossomed into a lifestyle brand with nostalgia and mass appeal across generations with new content. The brand has launched merchandise across numerous retailers, including Nordstrom, PacSun, Hot Topic, Urban Outfitters, Walmart, and Target, alongside fashion collabs with Dolls Kill, Sweet Peas, and Peter Alexander. Strawberry Shortcake has also leaned into key strategic partners spanning across multiple aisles, including The Loyal Subjects in collectibles and toys, Goose Creek for home fragrance, SkinnyDip for cases and accessories, as well as stickers for social expression with Blank Tag Co. Strawberry Shortcake’s pop culture appeal and enduring legacy makes her one of the most iconic characters in the world.
World of Eric Carle/Very Hungry Caterpillar – Penguin Random House (The Joester Loria Group)
Global collaborations, DTRs, and multi-category retail campaigns drove 2023 growth and delivered two billion impressions. Promotional partnerships included Kellogg’s Mini Wheats and McDonalds Japan, which engaged millions of consumers with Happy Meal toys selling out in two weeks. Experiential licenses included Play Park Eric Carle in Tokyo, hotel rooms and cafés in Futakotamagawa, nature trails at Bluewater, Festival Place, and dedicated accommodations and experiences at Gullivers, U.K. WEC Live Shows sold out in Australia, the U.S., the U.K., and Japan. The award winning VCH subscription app delivered new content while a dedicated YouTube channel launched. DTRs and collaborations with Tubby Todd, See Kai Run, LouLouLollipop, Loved Baby, Love Your Melon (U.S.), Graniph, United Arrows (Japan), Ella’s Kitchen and MORI (U.K.) delivered offerings across apparel, home, and food. Leading retailers worldwide continue to support WEC apparel, toys, games, home, and more.
