SEGA Europe has announced new licensing partnerships with Wow! Stuff and HoloToyz to mark the 30th anniversary of its flagship property Sonic the Hedgehog.
Wow! Stuff will be bringing the speedy video game character to its award-winning Wow! Pods range, which will feature light-up characters from the Sonic universe, housed within interconnecting display cases. In the agreement with HoloToyz, the parties will be launching a range of stickers, decals and temporary tattoos embedded with augmented reality technology which can be brought to life via the company’s free HoloToyz app.
The toymakers join a line up of industry-leading licensees who are jointly helping SEGA celebrate three decades of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise this year, just as the franchise is preparing the launch of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Production on the sequel is currently underway, and Netflix has also boosted the brand’s popularity with the unveiling of a new series called Sonic Prime. Both the film and the TV series are due for release in 2022.
“This is a momentous year for Sonic the Hedgehog and his fans, and we are incredibly proud to be partnering with so many leaders in their field across such a diverse range of product categories,” said Jason Rice, director of brand licensing at SEGA of Europe. “Our partners list will continue to grow throughout the year so look out for more exciting announcements in the near future!”
Several other deals have been inked with licensees for other types of products, such as home, textiles and personal care items. These include: Character World for bedding; Groovy UK for bath robes, towels and washbags; Stor for tableware; and Corsair with a brand-new range of kids’ toiletries.
In the gifting and greetings cards space, SEGA Europe continues to add new partnerships to support an already flourishing business. Fizz Creations is preparing gift sets, drinkware, electrical accessories, games & puzzles and even Christmas decorations, whilst leading online retailer Moonpig, has already launched a successful series of personalised greetings cards.
The Sonic licensing programme is also expanding into food & beverage with leading UK based food manufacturer Finsbury Foods set to launch branded celebration cakes into major grocers later this year, and G FUEL’s Sonic branded energy drink, already a massive hit in the US, will be arriving to UK shores soon. As well, Global Brands Group is developing an exclusive new kids’ apparel range for leading fashion retailer Skechers, for a launch throughout Europe later this year.