SYDNEY — BBC Studios is delighted to announce that it has signed a global licensing deal with the world’s number one plush toy manufacturer Ty Inc. to produce a line of Beanie Babies for the Emmy® Award-winning animated TV sensation Bluey.

The landmark deal is BBC Studios’ biggest with Ty Inc. to date and will see sisters Bluey and Bingo, plus their dad Bandit and mum Chilli transformed into cuddly and collectable Beanie Baby plush toys. The new line will launch at retail stores across the US, Canada and LATAM, UK and Iberia in December 2024. The range will in Australia and New Zealand in January 2025*.

Julie Kekwick, Head of Licensing for BBC Studios UK & EMEA says: “We are thrilled that Bluey will now feature the iconic Ty red tags. This is our largest deal with Ty to date, underscoring the immense appeal of the hit TV series Bluey and its heartwarming characters.” 

“Bluey brings joy to millions of fans around the world, exploring themes of family and growing up while celebrating imaginative play and having a lot of high-energy fun. At Ty, we share the same purpose – encouraging kids and, indeed, all our fans to imagine and to dream,” says Ty founder Ty Warner.

The Emmy® and BAFTA Award-winning animated TV juggernaut, Bluey, airs in over 140 countries. According to Nielsen, Bluey is the No. 1 most-watched series on streaming this year (2024) to-date among total viewers in the U.S., with over 35 billion minutes watched (584M hours)[1].

Since its first year, Bluey toys have consistently won accolades from trade and consumer publications, toy and licensing industry associations and top retailers around the world, amassing more than 50 awards and nominations in five years. Bluey’s phenomenal popularity across the globe enables its licensing program to grow at pace with 350 licensees globally.

Bluey is the #2 Preschool Toys character property in the US[2] and the #1 license in preschool in the UK for 2023[3]. Additionally, 2023 insights revealed that in the UK alone, children aged 3-6 spent 110 million hours playing with Bluey toys4.

Jointly commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios Kids & Family, Bluey is produced by multi-Emmy® award-winning Ludo Studio in association with Screen Queensland and Screen Australia. BBC Studios Kids & Family also holds global distribution and merchandise rights for Bluey.

The series streams to U.S. and global audiences (outside of Australia, New Zealand and China) across Disney Channel, Disney Jr. and Disney+ through a global broadcasting deal between BBC Studios Kids & Family and Disney Branded Television. In Australia, the show goes out on ABC.

*BBC Studios global licensing deal with Ty for Bluey excludes Asia.

About BBC Studios Brands & Licensing
The BBC Studios Brands & Licensing division is the driving force in extending BBC Studios IP through innovative brand extensions, fostering deep fan engagement worldwide.  Partnering our iconic brands – including Doctor Who and Bluey – with the world’s biggest brands, promoters, and publishers, ignites the imagination of fans and creates memorable brandfame moments. Our diverse portfolio spans consumer products, live entertainment, gaming, and publishing, while BBC Studios Social drives digital presence with over 6.5 billion social video views in 2023, offering advertising and branded content opportunities. Supported by award-winning teams, we focus on finding visionary opportunities to enhance global brand impact and digital growth.

About Ty Warner
Ty Warner is an American toy manufacturer and owner of luxury hotels worldwide. He is Chairman, CEO, and founder of Ty Inc, the largest manufacturer of soft toys in the world. A philanthropist, Warner has donated more than $300 million to a variety of charities. Most recently, Warner released Aloha the Maui Bear, a Beanie Baby all profits from which are donated to the American Red Cross to help those affected by the Hawaii wildfires. In 2020, the United Way Worldwide COVID-19 Fund received 100% of the profits from the sale of Hope, a limited–edition praying bear. In addition, Warner was the first to organize and prepare his Four Seasons Hotel New York as a safe haven for first responders during the pandemic. He made it possible for doctors and nurses working the frontlines to reside at the Four Seasons Hotel New York free of charge. This prevented unnecessary COVID exposure to their families and loved ones, reduced extensive travel to and from the city and allowed first responders the much-needed rest from their exhausting schedules.

Other charities that have benefitted from Warner’s philanthropy efforts include Children’s Hunger Fund, World Vision, Toy Bank, International Toy Bank, Today Show, Children’s Miracle Network, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Toys for Tots, Princess of Wales Foundation, Andre Agassi Foundation, American Red Cross, Save the Children, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, NY Police and Fire Widow’s Fund, Ronald McDonald House, USO, Mayo Clinic and UNICEF.

For more information about Ty Warner’s company, Ty Inc., visit https://shop.ty.com/.

About Bluey
Bluey follows Bluey, a loveable, inexhaustible, Blue Heeler dog, who lives with her Mum, Dad and her little sister, Bingo. Bluey uses her limitless energy to play games that unfold in unpredictable and hilarious ways, bringing her family and the whole neighbourhood into her world of fun. Bluey is created and written by Joe Brumm and produced by Emmy® Award-winning Ludo Studio for ABC KIDS (Australia) and co-commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios Kids & Family. Financed in association with Screen Australia, Bluey is proudly 100% created, written, animated, and post produced in Brisbane Queensland, Australia, with funding from the Queensland Government through Screen Queensland and the Australian Government.

About Ludo Studio
Ludo Studio is a BAFTA, multi-Emmy®, Logie and Peabody award-winning Australian studio and one of TIME’s Most Influential Companies of 2024, that creates and produces original scripted drama, animation and digital stories that are authored by incredible local talent, distributed globally and loved by audiences everywhere. ludostudio.com.au 

[1] Source: Nielsen Media Research, US data based on Persons 2+ time spent viewing for streaming series tracked by Nielsen through their streaming content ratings (1/1/24-7/28/24)

[2] Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service/US/Jan-Jun 2024/Preschool Toys Segment/USD; “Character” as defined by BBC.

[3] Source: Circana Toys Tracking Service/UK/Jan-Dec 2023/Preschool Toys Segment/value sales 4 Source: BBC Studios Insights