MAM
Viacom18 to launch exclusive Jungle Book Merchandise in India
MUMBAI: Viacom18 Consumer Products division is all set to bring all the jungle fun associated with the iconic Mowgli, Bagheera, Balloo and Sher Khan. The company recently inked an exclusive deal with animation and gaming firm DQ Entertainment to get the rights as a master franchise to launch the merchandise in India.
This would be Viacom18’s second deal into representing brands outside the Viacom portfolio. The company plans to roll out the products by end of the year.
Viacom18 Consumer Products Head Saugato Bhowmik said, “The Jungle Book is a great franchise with characters that are familiar, iconic and loved by children across the world. DQ Entertainment’s Jungle Book presents the characters in a fun and livelier manner which make the products more endearing and attractive to the consumers.”
The Jungle Book merchandise will cover a whole range of products from apparel to accessories and from toys to books. To be promoted through Viacom18’s distribution network, the products will be available across all leading kids and toy stores, both across malls and standalone stores.
DQ Entertainment CEO Tapaas Chakravarti said, “Our partnership with Viacom18’s Consumer Products division adds to the list of best-in-class partners that The Jungle Book has attracted globally. The Jungle Book has successfully managed to increase its market for the fourth consecutive year with broadcast in more than 165 countries and over 300 product categories ranging from books, apparels, toys, plush, bags, stationary and many others. We are sure children will love the merchandise of their favorite Jungle characters, brought to them by Viacom18.”
The Jungle Book, penned by Rudyard Kipling is a children’s classic that has captured the imagination of millions of children across the world over the years. The show currently airs on Nickelodeon.
MAM
VML India lands two finalist spots at Cairns Hatchlings 2026
The Mumbai agency is back in Australia with two teams, a UN brief and 24 hours to impress
MUMBAI: VML India is heading to Australia again. The Mumbai-based creative agency has secured two finalist spots at the Cairns Hatchlings 2026 competition, one in the Audio category and one in Design, making it the only Indian agency to have reached the finals in both editions of the contest since its launch in 2025.
Four people will make the trip. Senior copywriter Shilpi Dey and senior art director Raj Thakkar will compete in Audio. Art directors Shabbir and Shruti Negi will go head-to-head with the world’s best in Design. The finals take place at the Cairns Convention Centre from 13th May, culminating in an awards ceremony on 15th May.
The work that got them there is worth examining. For the Audio category, Dey and Thakkar tackled a brief for LIVE LIKE MMAD with a campaign called Inner Voice, Interrupted. Using spatial audio techniques, the campaign recreates the overwhelming self-doubt that descends after a long workday, physically panning negative thoughts left and right before cutting the noise entirely to reveal a confident inner voice. Strategically targeted at commuters via Spotify during evening rush hours, the campaign reframes the hours after work as an opportunity for personal growth and charitable action.
For the Design category, Shabbir and Negi worked on a brief for Canteen’s Bandanna Day, a campaign highlighting how cancer pushes teenagers out of their own defining moments. Using a pixelated design language to create stark contrast between a blurred world of isolation and a focused world of connection, the campaign, titled The Flipside of Cancer, shows teenagers fading into the background of birthdays, skateparks and school proms. As a Canteen bandanna appears, the blur flips and the teenager snaps back into sharp focus.
Kalpesh Patankar, group chief creative officer of VML India, made no attempt to disguise his satisfaction. “We are immensely proud to see our teams consistently excel on the Cairns Hatchlings platform since its inception,” he said. “They have masterfully tackled challenging briefs across diverse categories, demonstrating both layered storytelling and a unique creative approach. This exceptional teamwork is truly inspiring.”
Dey and Thakkar, returning to the finals after last year’s run, were candid about the demands of the audio medium. “It’s one of the most demanding mediums, where we only have a few seconds to capture a listener’s world with sound alone, so absolute clarity is essential,” they said. “The true measure of creative work is its ability to create positive change, and our audio submission was made to help those who need it most while encouraging people to silence the inner voices that hold them back.”
Shabbir and Negi, competing in Design for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different beast.” “We see it as an opportunity to showcase our expertise, raise the bar, and challenge ourselves in new ways, while also learning from creative minds from across the globe,” they said.
In Australia, the four finalists will face a live 24-hour brief from the United Nations before presenting in a live pitch session. Twenty-four hours, one brief, one shot. VML India has been here before. It knows exactly what is at stake.
