Licensing agent appointed in Japan and new product ranges across Europe, Australia, North America and Asia
Banijay Brands announced this week a litter of new licensing deals for its digital content sensation, Simon’s Cat, and says Japanese agency ZenWorks has been appointed to represent the brand’s interests in that cat-crazy country, home of the cat cafe.
The licensing program for Simon’s Cat is continuing to expand with new licensees appointed for fashion, crafting, phone accessories, puzzles and accessories, said Banijay, in announcing deals with Fashion UK, Wulydermy, Ecell, Pinfinity, and Dr. Woof.
“Simon’s Cat is such a lovable brand that resonates with fans all around the world,” said Jane Smith, Group Director, Brand Licensing at Banijay. “The extensive licensing programme, that continues to expand, is testament to its enduring popularity.”
The Simon’s Cat brand enjoys international success across multiple categories including gaming, publishing and apparel. There have been more than 90 million digital sticker downloads, in excess of 20 million mobile gaming downloads and over 2 million books sold in 30 countries. Simon’s Cat has more than 18 million fans and subscribers across social platforms, with the films totalling more than 2 billion views. Recent successes include the brand-new match-3 mobile game, Simon’s Cat Story Time, from developer Tactile Games, which launched last month, exclusively on Apple Arcade, Apple’s award-winning game subscription service.
“I am always amazed that there are so many Simon’s Cat fans all over the world,” said Simon Tofield, creator of Simon’s Cat. “Our audiences are incredibly passionate about Simon’s Cat and it is wonderful to be able to offer them such a brilliant array of products.”
Banijay says Fashion UK is developing a range of ladies’, mens’ and kids’ apparel, accessories and essentials for the UK market, while Wulydermy is launching a selection of craft kits for release later this year, also for the UK. Global online retailer and manufacturer Ecell is set to launch Simon’s Cat phone covers in Q3, while puzzle maker Heye has just sold out of the first print run of its 1,000-piece Simon’s Cat puzzle. Pinfinity will be releasing a range of augmented reality Simon’s Cat branded metal pins, and Australian medical wear specialist, Dr. Woof, has signed a deal which covers branded medical and clinical apparel.
Banijay launched these initiatives while also launching the refresh of the official Simon’s Cat webstore, managed by key e-commerce partner, Star Editions, which also released a collectible limited edition branded coin to coincide with the new store look.
Following the success of its previous Simon’s Cat releases, leading social commerce platform Spring is extending its partnership with the brand to deliver an extensive range of products this year for worldwide distribution, which will include a collaboration with Rubik’s Cube, bespoke apparel drops, and a limited edition Kitten Care Kit collection of pet products.
In Asia, Banijay Brands has appointed renowned agent ZenWorks Licensing to represent the Simon’s Cat in Japan, and following the success of its initial partnership, apparel specialists Quanshang in China has renewed its deal for a second year.