If you’re in licensing and you’re not following TikTok stars like the sister duo WeWearCute, then you better start.
The sisters Ashley and Emma have racked up billions of views on the rising social media platform, and represented by Joester Loria Group and TTPM Influencer Talent Management, they are knocking down deal after deal after deal.
This week Joester Loria announced the duo have now signed with Build-A-Bear for a new collection that brings Emma and Ashley’s fashion flair to customizing plush toys and coordinated clothing. Given the two girls already have millions of fans, Build-A-Bear Workshop is obviously excited to have the two promoting their products online.
“We are excited to begin a strategic partnership between TikTok influencers WeWearCute and Build-A-Bear Workshop,” says Jennifer Kretchmar, chief digital and merchandising officer, Build-A-Bear Workshop. “As leading lifestyle and content producers, Ashley and Emma were directly involved in the design inspiration of this new furry friend capsule collection. We believe their millions of fans and followers will find that this new collaboration captures the style, creativity and energy for which WeWearCute has become known.”
Kretchmar says the colorful WeWearCute teddy bears and stylish apparel will be promoted across all Build-A-Bear social media channels, online and in-store, as well as be featured on WeWearCute’s TikTok channel to its millions of followers.
This collection will be available in all Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and online at www.buildabear.com in late December.
But that’s far from the only deal the two teenagers are working on since signing up with JLG in November 2019. In April WeWearCute signed up with Taste Beauty for their own beauty line, followed up in June for a partnership with Spin Master for stationery, crafts, and activities lines, and then got a deal with Mad Engine for Apparel and Accessories in July.
JLG says Emma and Ashely became TikTok’s number one product creators earlier this year with their creative videos showing off various products that are, as you might expect, very cute. By February 202o the teen team had tallied more than a billion views (yes, billion with a B) on the TikTok platform, and now have well over 6 million mostly tween girl fans.
Their success mirrors to a certain extent the wild success of Ryan Kaji, the young boy who became famous for his ‘Ryan ToysReview’ videos on YouTube that launched in 2015, and somehow completely enthralled other children by unboxing and playing with various toys. Now called Ryan’s World, the channel has amassed 27.2 million subscribers and made the eight-year-old boy the top earner on all of YouTube, with $26 million in direct YouTube revenue in 2019.
Kaji now has a show on Nickelodeon, a deal with Hulu, and his own toy and clothing lines.
JLG, saying it has tapped into the “pop culture zeitgeist,” is similarly growing the profile and licensing portfolio of their own video stars, Emma and Ashley in what can be seen as an early preview for the potential of TikTok as a channel for brand ambassadors.