Italian licensing and management consulting agency Maurizio Distefano Licensing (MDL) is continuing to build on its position as a leader in the industry, catering to a broad spectrum of interests and demographics. MDL comes to Brand Licensing Europe* boasting not only a wide range of established successes but also a growing portfolio of new property representations, including Care Bears, Bratz, LOL Surprise!, Rainbow High, Yummiland and Little Tikes.

Since their introduction in 1982 through consumer products and greeting cards, and their later success in animated television shows and feature films, the Care Bears have captured the hearts of fans worldwide. This enduring popularity continues as the lovable, huggable bears from Care-A-Lot inspire sharing, caring and togetherness across multiple generations.

The Care Bears brand, owned by Cloudco Entertainment, has seen success across various platforms and product categories. Currently, the brand boasts retail placement with key licensees such as MC2 St Barth and J Brand International, featuring fashion collections at OVS stores across Italy. Additionally, International Games Trade offers a range of Care Bears figurine collectibles.

With the launch of plush toys by Simba – coming to Italy in Q1 2025 – Cloudco Entertainment aims to expand partnerships and attract a wider audience, capturing the nostalgic appeal of parents and attracting new fans.

Other recent Maurizio Distefano Licensing acquisitions include properties owned by MGA Entertainment, which has built a reputation for creating top consumer brands across a variety of product categories. The company was founded in 1979 with a mission to inspire imagination and creativity with innovative toys, entertainment and experiences that turn play into limitless possibilities. It has a diversified portfolio of award-winning brands such as L.O.L. Surprise!™, Bratz®, Rainbow High™, Yummiland™ and Little Tikes®. Each of these brands has its own unique strengths and enjoys strong consumer awareness.

Bratz, the girls with a passion for fashion, debuted in 2001 as a collection of fashion dolls that enjoyed great success with licensed collections in multiple categories as well as an expansion into entertainment that now includes TV and web series, a live-action movie and video games. Today Bratz has grown into a highly followed lifestyle brand across multiple categories with more than five million followers on  variety of social media platforms. It also holds the No. 1 spot as the most followed toy brand on Tik Tok.

L.O.L. Surprise!, the original unboxing toy, launched in 2016 and had immediate success. The brand has always been about outrageous fun and layers and layers of surprise, all contained in mystery capsules.  L.O.L. Surprise! TV series and movies have been produced and shown on Netflix, YouTube Kidoodle, Boing, Cartoonito and other streaming platforms. The latest movie “L.O.L. Surprise! The Skate Dance Movie” premieres in early October 2024.

Rainbow High is all about colourful, creative confidence and features a wide selection of fashion dolls complemented with an audio-visual franchise of in-universe-branded animated TV series on YouTube, Netflix, and Frisbee. Rainbow High was the No. 1 fashion doll globally in 2023 and is trending in the same direction for 2024.

Yummiland, the newest of MGA’s franchises, is where six braves Yummis protect their incredible, edible city with their lip gloss superpowers. Each Yummi has its own special power, but when lip gloss flavours combine, their powers amplify in unexpected ways. The doll line was launched in 2024 along with an animated series on YouTube.

For more than 55 years, Little Tikes has been creating toys that parents and grandparents trust and kids love and features the iconic Cozy Coupe ride-on car. Little Tikes gives preschool children space to grow and imagine – and every day is an adventure, with lots to discover. Cozy Coupe is also the hero of an animated TV series dedicated to the little ones broadcast on Cartoonito and available on YouTube.

In addition to these new representations, the entertainment category of the MDL portfolio continues to boast the top animated series in the market today: notably Bluey, Bing and, of course, Masha and The Bear, which this year ranked in the top 3 on Rai Yoyo. ALVINNN!!! And the Chipmunks, meanwhile, is now Number One on Nickelodeon and CoComelon, which is among the most subscribed YouTube kids’ channels in the world.

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

A major highlight for summer 2024 is the partnership between Canta Tu and Alpitour. Canta Tu, a hit Giochi Preziosi brand, is a high-quality audio-video system designed for easy transport, ideal for both outdoor and indoor parties. Alpitour, a division of Alpitour World, provides a wide range of vacation destinations and family-friendly packages. This collaboration has now brought Canta Tu-branded events to over 20 Mediterranean resorts managed by Alpitour World, where its karaoke format, promises to add a new dimension of family fun to the resorts’ entertainment offerings. A digital campaign supports the initiative, promoting the branded events across official partner platforms.

Among the many successful licensing projects that Maurizio Distefano Licensing has managed this year one of the most high-profile has been a collaboration between Costa Cruises and Acamar Films bringing the popular children’s character Bing to families not just at home but at sea, on some of the most beautiful routes in the Mediterranean via Costa ships.

This special initiative is part of a drive to make the Costa experience of the youngest guests on board unforgettable, and full of fun and surprises on a holiday like no other. The first feedback from children and their parents has been extremely positive with an enthusiastic response to the opportunity to interact with one of the most loved characters in children’s television.

And that’s not all. From this summer on board Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda, the two flagships of the Costa fleet, young guests on a cruise with their families have been able to meet Bing. Meet and greets, costume characters parades, Bing-themed parties, dance activities and many other fun and musical activities have been planned – unforgettable experiences that will live on in the hearts of families long after they reach land.

Of course, the music category brings new artists and bands into licensing every year and MDL is very strong in this area, representing more than 200 artists across numerous genres, of which a small but impressive sample includes AC/DC, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Oasis, Pink Floyd and Kiss.

Maurizio Distefano, founder and president of Maurizio Distefano Licensing, says: “Our portfolio highlights this agency’s ongoing and very successful efforts to offer a variety of options for its partners. 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.”

*To arrange meetings with members of the Maurizio Distefano Licensing team email Fosca Fazioli, Marketing and Product Development (fosca@mdistefanolicensing.com)

Maurizio Distefano – The Evolution of Licensing
Maurizio Distefano, an internationally recognized professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry, is the founder and President of the Licensing and Management Consulting agency that bears his name. Maurizio Distefano’s innovative and exclusive approach is based on a 360° holistic perspective that allows for the analysis and response to the specific business development needs of each licensee. Together with his partner Michela Marchese Patti, Maurizio Distefano selects animated series, films, and brands for successful licensing projects.
The properties launched and distributed by MDL include:
Entertainment: Care Bears, Cicciobello, Masha and the Bear, Bing, Bluey, Tara Duncan, Idefix and the Indomitables, CoComelon, Blippi, Little Angel, Oddbods, Gigantosaurus, ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks.
Brands: Asterix, Canta Tu!, Polaretti, Moomin, Army of Apes, Fall Guys, Baileys, Guinness, ISA (International Space Archives), LIFE.
Fashion: MDL is the Worldwide Master Agent for PREMOLI+DI BELLA
Music: Motörhead, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Backstreet Boys, Whitney Houston, Britney Spears, AC/DC, David Bowie, KISS, Pink Floyd, The Police, Woodstock, John Lennon, Lennon & McCartney Lyrics, Genesis, Janis Joplin, Miles Davis.