The Very Hungry Caterpillar Cooks Up New Licensing Deal with Ella’s Kitchen

Ella’s Kitchen, a UK-based organic baby and toddler food company, has created a range of snacks based on Eric Carle’s iconic The Very Hungry Caterpillar that launched this fall. The two brands have a strong synergy and are both loved, trusted and instantly recognized by parents and little ones alike.

Inspired by the different foods that the famous caterpillar eats throughout his metamorphosis journey, the new line of products includes Butterfly Pops and Oaty Biccies, both of which are available in sweet and savory flavors. As another nod to the beloved story, some of the flavors include cheese and pickle as well as tomato and nice green leaf, while the biscuits come in shapes and designs inspired by butterflies and caterpillars. 

The mission for Ella’s Kitchen’s first ever brand licensing partnership is using the famous Hungry Caterpillar to engage little ones in their food through imagination and storytelling. The shapes, flavors and packaging will all be inspired by the caterpillar’s journey to become a beautiful butterfly.

The new range is being supported with an extensive marketing campaign including shopper media, sampling, social media promotion, as well as direct marketing to the Ella’s Kitchen Friends database, which has over one million members.

“We are super excited to be launching this range of The Very Hungry Caterpillar snacks,” commented Zoe Batt, who makes Friendly Stuff at Ella’s Kitchen. “When parents are choosing snacks for their little one it is so important that they love them, and we know that our partnership is going to appeal so much to little ones by delivering play and fun using such a well-known character. There is so much affinity between the brands’ missions and it’s been great to develop products that really encourage a foodie adventure for little ones inspired by the caterpillar’s journey to becoming a beautiful butterfly.”

As the licensing representative for The World of Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar in the UK, Rocket Licensing brokered this brand extension in partnership with JLG, the global brand licensing agency for The World of Eric Carle. 

Bombas Introduces Collection Inspired By The World of Eric Carle

Bombas, the brand known for its everyday goods that do good, is teaming up with The World of Eric Carle for a comfy new assortment of socks for both kids and adults. The new line is inspired by the stories that best-selling children’s author Eric Carle brought to life—the green leafy home to the Very Hungry Caterpillar, the icy tundra of the curious Polar Bear, the winding web of the Very Busy Spider. 

These socks were made as a little invitation to share the grand, wildly colorful stories inside us all. Like all Bombas products, for every pair purchased from this collection, another will be donated to someone who needs it. As part of this collaboration, Bombas is also engaging in a three- month collaboration with their Giving Partner, Art Start, who will provide arts and creativity workshops to elementary school age students residing in shelters. These workshops will focus on teaching kids what it means to be expressive and inspiring them to explore their imaginations through Eric Carle’s unique collage style.

The collection launched on Bombas.com on October 4 and includes a baby five-pack gift set, a youth four-pack gift set as well as adult singles and an adult four-pack gift set.

As the global brand licensing agency for The World of Eric Carle, The Joester Loria Group brokered this exciting new collaboration on behalf of the brand. 

Miffy Gets Ready to Celebrate Year of the Rabbit

With 2023 right around the corner, the beloved bunny Miffy is gearing up to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit next year. The brand based on the iconic children’s book character created by Dutch artist Dick Bruna is teaming up with several partners to introduce a variety of new licensed products starting this fall through the first half of 2023. As the North American brand licensing agency for Miffy, JLG has lined up an exciting roster of licensees to help the brand celebrate this special milestone. 

Upcoming launches will include several new apparel and accessories partnerships, which recently kicked off with Hanna Andersson this fall. The collection includes dresses and leggings with as well as matching mommy and me pajama sets in a variety of colors. Prices range from $14.99-$46.80. 

Additionally, Just Peachy will release a new line of clothing and accessories for young adults in November. The fashion forward collection includes bags, sweatshirts, stickers, plush, with prices between $3-$40 and is available to preorder now. 

Following up on two successful collaborations, Ghostly International is partnering with Miffy on an apparel range that will include t-shirts, hoodies, accessories, hats, and more.  Kira Kids will also launch a new collaboration with Miffy during the holiday season, which will be available both online and at the Kira x Miffy store in Honolulu.

In other categories, popular “100-yen” shop Daiso is introducing a collection of stationery, novelty, health and beauty products next year. The line will feature Daiso’s signature dainty and pastel-inspired designs.

Finally, Woobles, a crochet kit company, will introduce three beginner-level crochet kits in late January. The kits will allow kids to create their own crochet versions of Miffy and her friends Melanie and Grunty. Each kit will come with video tutorials and matching accessories.