FACTORY RIGHTS SIGNS UP THREE “OFF THE LEASH” LICENSEES AND TWO FOR “ON THE PROWL”
Skwigly
Altrincham-based animation studio and rights owner, Factory has today announced three new licensing deals for the much-loved canine property Off The Leash;; Brown Trout Publishers, Half Moon Bay and Woodmansterne. Alongside deals with Half Moon Bay and Woodmansterne for On The Prowl.
With nearly one million followers on Facebook and millions of views accumulated for the Off The Leash animated videos across all social platforms, Rupert Fawcett’s popular belly-scratching, tail chasing, bed-stealing canine friends cartoon brand is growing from strength to strength with animal lovers across the globe, and the brand will now feature on a wide range of new products.
In a deal inked last week with Brown Trout Publishers, the largest calendar publisher in the world, Factory is excited to announce that a range of calendars and diaries featuring the Off The Leash cartoons will be available next year.
The products will include a Square Wall Calendar, Slim Wall Calendar, A3 Family Organizer and Diary, and will be available to buy in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and North America.
Jack Straw, MD, Brown Trout says: “Everyone I know who has seen the Off The Leash cartoons just loves them. I have no doubt that the collection of different dated products that we intend to publish will sell well and make a lot of Rupert’s fans very happy”.
The second new deal for Rupert Fawcett’s cartoons is with licensed giftware manufacturer, Half Moon Bay. They will produce a Colour-in Alphabet Bunting box set, a great gift and crafting product with the fantastic Off The Leash cartoon dogs having fun on every letter. Consumers will be able to create their own personalised bunting messages, and colour them in to suit any special occasion. Half Moon Bay will also produce an On The Prowl by Rupert Fawcett version for cat lovers too.
Etta Saunders, Head of Licensing and Product Development, Half Moon Bay says “We’re so pleased to be working with Rupert Fawcett; Off The Leash and On The Prowl are such engaging and humorous brands and we are certain that these products from Half Moon Bay’s new book imprint, Ice House Books, will be well-received by animal lovers everywhere”.
Woodmansterne have just renewed their Off The Leash and On The Prowl licences. They have been producing greeting cards featuring the cartoons for nearly five years, having over twenty cards in the current catalogue, plus four Christmas cards which are about to hit the shops too. This year Woodmansterne are also adding pet Advent Calendars to the range, with doggy or cat treats inside for your favourite pet!
“We are absolutely delighted to have extended our licences for Off The Leash and On The Prowl. Both ranges have been so successful over the past few years because the hilarious scenes portrayed in Rupert’s cartoons are so familiar to so many pet owners. We are really looking forward to developing the ranges further and seeing the brands go from strength to strength in the coming years.” Victoria Hunt, Licensing Coordinator
Anya Hollis, Head of Brand Licensing, Factory says “We’re thrilled to be working with these licensees to produce high quality ranges for Off The Leash and On The Prowl. It’s great to be able to satisfy the fans demand for Off The Leash and On The Prowl products, we look forward to seeing these new lines instore.”
Factory Rights manages the rights to a number of properties and art created by David McKee including Mr Benn, King Rollo, Victor & Maria, and Watt The Devil; also Towser and Dr Xargle with Tony Ross and the particularly strong Rupert Fawcett cartoons, including Off The Leash, On The Prowl, Fred and Daddy.
Factory acquired the rights to the long-established Rollo Rights catalogue in a move that further underpins its ambition to develop a rights ownership arm supporting its studio production business.