UK agency Bulldog Licensing (Sesame Street, Care Bears) has come on board to oversee consumer products in the region for Banijay Kids & Family’s Totally Spies! franchise just months ahead of the brand’s series reboot (26 x 22 minutes, pictured) premiering on France’s Gulli and Discovery Kids Latin America.
Targeting six- to nine-year-olds, the 2D-animated series was greenlit in 2022, and Warner Bros. Discovery has also picked it up to launch next year on Cartoon Network (US) and Max (EMEA).
Totally Spies! originally debuted in 2001 on ABC Family (now Freeform) in the US and ran for six seasons until 2013. The anime-inspired toon about three female teens balancing spy missions and high school drama has since been sold into 220 territories and is currently available in 60 languages.
Over the years, the brand has built and maintained a strong digital presence on YouTube, where 351 million hours of episodes have been streamed, according to Banijay.
Given the original series’ cult following among Millennials and Gen-Z, Bulldog plans to initially tap into the “strong adult nostalgia market” before moving on to product categories for kids. To begin with, the company is eyeing apparel (daywear and nightwear), fashion accessories, health & beauty, stationery and tech products.
Bulldog’s strategy aligns well with a broader industry trend to serve the lucrative “kidult” demographic, which was responsible for nearly US$9 billion in sales last year, according to The Toy Association.
Bulldog managing director Rob Corney says the company will start courting potential licensees soon, on the heels of observing a “great reaction” to the Totally Spies! brand at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe event.
