MUMBAI: FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide (FLW) has announced the appointment of a raft of licensees for the classic nostalgia kids' brand, Rainbow.
Newly appointed to the Rainbow fold are licensees Trademark, Samuel Eden and Bacup Shoe Company.
FLW has granted Trademark rights to produce men's T-shirts, sleepwear and underwear; Samuel Eden has been granted rights for men's socks while Bacup Shoe Company will be producing branded men's slippers.
In addition, FLW has renewed its agreement with The Big Badge Company to produce Rainbow pin badges, which will be distributed at retail and through banks and corporate offices to raise money for a number of charities throughout 2006. FLW has also granted non-retail plush rights to Whitehouse Leisure.
Trademark, Samuel Eden, Bacup Shoe Company, Whitehouse Leisure and The Big Badge Company join the existing raft of licensees for the Rainbow brand which includes Custom Accessories (plush in-car air fresheners), Danillo Promotions Ltd (calendars, sound cards, greetings cards, gift wrap) and BBC Music Ltd (music publishing).
FLW is looking to extend the brand further through gifting, stationery and women's fashion for 2006. With 96 per cent brand awareness amongst 18-34-year-olds, the new Rainbow licensing programme will have a retro look and feel.
FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide vice president, licensing, UK Dom Wheeler said, "Rainbow was a huge hit in its heyday and even though it is no longer on air, this cheeky, fun-loving and cool brand is enjoying a resurgence among the same people who originally watched the show. Rainbow is a proven brand at retail and product sell-through remains strong - the branded car air fresheners have sold more than 200,000 units over three years and sales are still increasing year-on-year, while the Zippy greeting card continues to be a top-seller at Clinton's. We are really pleased to announce the appointment of Trademark, Samuel Eden and Bacup Shoe Company and look forward to bringing even more product to market in the near future."
Rainbow, which was produced by Thames TV, first aired in October 1972 on ITV and ran through until 1992. The programme's 1,200-episode run established the stars of the show, Zippy, George and Bungle, as household names.
A successful licensing campaign was launched in 2000 with merchandise including apparel, plush, stationery, books, DVDs and even a hit single. The Rainbow Disco Roadshow saw MC Zippy and DJ George perform to over 70 packed out student bars throughout the UK in 2001, while Zippy's cheeky persona made him a star when he was chosen to spearhead Marmite's 2002 'Love It or Hate It' advertising campaign.
