Fox Chapel Rides wth Jeep for All-Ages Publishing Program
Fox Chapel has acquired the rights for a broad licensed publishing program tied to the Jeep brand, with titles planned across all ages and imprints. The first list will launch this fall with three activity books for children and young adults, followed by additional activity books, a trailside cookbook, and a Jeep travel journal in 2026.
Formats from gift books to peek-inside board books will help capture the brand’s “adventurous spirit,” according to David Miller, Fox Chapel’s president and COO. “It’s a really comprehensive publishing program,” he told PW. “We’ll leverage a lot of the formats where we excel and that are a good match for the brand.”
Fox Chapel has worked with many corporate brands on publishing programs, including Swiss Army, Hormel Foods and its Spam brand, Char-Broil, National Wildlife Federation, the American Kennel Club, and a new addition, the American Cornhole Association. Based on the success of those programs, it was strategizing about additional brands that would be a good fit, and Jeep filled the bill.
At the same time, Jeep and IMG, the licensing agent for Jeep and other Fiat Chrysler Automobiles brands, were in the midst of implementing a new licensing strategy designed to get the Jeep name out to consumers through more touchpoints. Miller noted that Jeep has offered licensed books in the past, but never a full program encompassing children and adults across all formats. “Working with one publisher to bring it all together was very appealing to them,” he said.
The first three titles, set for release in October, are My Sticker Paintings: Jeep: 10 Trailblazing Paintings, Jeep Amazing Adventures Coloring and Activity Book: Color, Learn, and Explore the Great Outdoors, and Jeep Great Adventures Seek & Find Puzzles: Explore Forests, Deserts, Beaches, and Great Cities.
The license is expected to open some new distribution and marketing opportunities for Fox Chapel, including sales through Jeep dealerships and partnerships with other Jeep licensees. For example, Fox Chapel is talking to toy company License2Play about cross-promoting the books with their products, notably a line of official Jeep rubber ducks. These were inspired by the social media-driven Duck, Duck, Jeep trend in which owners of Wranglers and other Jeep models surprise fellow Jeep owners by placing a rubber duck on their vehicle, sometimes with a positive note, as a random act of kindness.
DK Enters the World of Anime with Crunchyroll
DK has partnered with Crunchyroll, one of the leading anime streaming platforms, for a new publishing program. The list will focus initially on DK’s Character Guide and Ultimate Sticker Book formats, across a handful of Crunchyroll properties.
“We’re really excited about this deal,” Mark Searle, managing director at DK, told PW, noting that this is DK’s first major structured foray into anime. The company has been observing how mainstream manga and anime have become, with stores such as Target featuring big displays of both manga and anime, and related merchandise. Although growth has leveled off somewhat from a pandemic-fueled spike in sales, interest remains high and new fans continue to come to the genre, Searle said.
What appealed to DK about Crunchyroll in particular was that it is international in scope, as the publisher is. The streamer’s viewership rise has mirrored the trajectory of the industry, as its paid subscriber base has gone from 750,000 in 2015 to more than 15 million as of August 2024, according to Crunchyroll figures.
Crunchyroll has its own publishing program, encompassing manga, graphic novels, art books, how-to books, and novels, so when DK approached the company, it opened with a conversation about how the platform is making use of its rights and how DK’s proprietary formats and global reach could complement what it is doing. “We can help deepen their fandom through the character guides and other formats,” Searle said.
The first book, published April 1, is the My Hero Academia Ultimate Sticker Collection for ages seven and up, based on the popular series about high school students going through a hero-training program. The My Hero Academia Character Encyclopedia, featuring more than 100 heroes, villains, students, and teachers from the series, is set for an October release.
In 2026 there will be an Ultimate Sticker Book tied to Bananya, an all-ages series about kawaii kitties from outer space who live in bananas, as well as a title to be determined based on Spy x Family, which is about a father who is a spy, a mother who is an assassin, and their telepathic adopted daughter.
While DK is limited initially in the properties and formats it can publish, it sees strong potential for these three IPs. “These are the onboarding anime that new fans will go to, so they give us a broad audience,” Searle said. There is also a chance to expand over time, with additional projects, including some involving new properties and formats, under discussion for late 2026 and 2027. “We see anime as an area of growth for us, and we want to grow [the Crunchyroll program] year over year for the next few years. There’s lots of potential, particularly for DK’s reference formats.”
Separately, DK is extending its Avatar license with Lightstorm Entertainment. Following its successful publishing program for the 2022 film Avatar: The Way of Water, which has sold more than 450,000 copies globally, DK is publishing five books in late 2025 and early 2026 based on the new film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, scheduled for release on December 19. Titles include an updated edition of The World of Avatar and Avatar: Fire and Ash Ultimate Sticker Book, both releasing in November, followed by The Making of Avatar: The Creation of Pandora and Avatar: Fire and Ash: The Visual Dictionary, both coming out the same day as the film. The last title, Avatar Bioluminescent Coloring Book, is scheduled for early 2026.
World of Peter Rabbit Expands in U.S., Canada with New Agency Representation
Penguin Ventures, the consumer products and experiences arm of Penguin Random House Children’s U.K., has appointed Wildbrain CPLG to take its consumer products program for The World of Peter Rabbit to the next level in the U.S. and Canada, on behalf of brand owner and original publisher, Frederick Warne & Co.
The team at Penguin Ventures has seen increased sales for Peter Rabbit merchandise in the U.S. through a mix of licensees and direct-to-retail relationships. “To expand on that, you really need to understand the market from the East Coast to the West Coast and everything in between,” David Sprei, commercial director at Penguin Ventures, told PW. “We knew we needed a team of experts on the ground to supercharge the growth.” In addition, the company wanted to be ready with a broader range of merchandise for the upcoming 160th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s birth in 2026 and the 125th anniversary of Peter Rabbit in 2027.
“The World of Peter Rabbit is timeless, with amazing appeal and heritage, and it’s well-known globally,” Jasen Wright, VP North America at WildBrain CPLG, said. “It’s a great fit for our portfolio, especially with the rise of nostalgic brands and evergreen brands that will last no matter the season or the economic challenges. We’re honored that they’ve entrusted us with this brand, especially with these really big moments coming up.”
Peter Rabbit products have been available at retail for a long time in North America, with key current licensees including Pottery Barn for tabletop items such as plates and napkins, Kids Preferred for plush, and Meri Meri for party supplies and decorations, among others. But the property’s presence in this market has historically been much smaller than in the U.K., where, as a British nostalgia brand, it has a vast program. “It moved into the U.S. market organically over the years, mainly due to a natural fit with Easter,” Sprei said, noting that the holiday is particularly big at retail in the U.S. market. “Peter Rabbit has become synonymous with Easter.”
Penguin Ventures and Wildbrain CPLG hope to build on that foundation, transforming the property from Easter-centric to an everyday brand that hits summer play, back to school, holiday gifting, and Valentine’s Day. They also want to expand the property beyond the traditional consumer base of babies and toddlers and their parents to a wider audience. “Multiple generations love Peter Rabbit,” Wright said.
Among the first initiatives under Wildbrain CPLG’s watch are likely to be fashion collaborations, capitalizing on the many style guides developed by Penguin Ventures, and first foods and beverages for toddlers. But everything from “snuggly” home goods to collectibles are under consideration, Wright said. “We want to dive deep.”
More than 260 million Peter Rabbit books have sold worldwide, including more than 46 million copies of The Tale of Peter Rabbit since its 1902 publication. “It’s a true evergreen,” Sprei said, “but we have to keep reinventing it so it will last another 160 years. It’s our responsibility as a brand owner.”
Bridge Licensing to Assist IDW with Consumer Product Extensions
IDW, known for publishing licensed comic books based on properties such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Godzilla, is now bringing its proprietary IPs into the world of consumer products, signing Bridge Licensing (formerly Segal Licensing) as its global licensing agency, in association with WexWorks Media.
“IDW has historically done little licensing. It wasn’t a focus for previous leadership regimes, and previous attempts at expanding franchises had some execution challenges,” said Davidi Jonas, IDW’s CEO, publisher, and president of IDW Entertainment. “This was something I was thinking about pretty much from day one. I’m fortunate to have incredible colleagues and partners that make it possible for us to expand our opportunity set and execute with excellence.”
“Content remains the cornerstone of success [in consumer products], and companies that prioritize content creation are highly sought-after partners,” said Stuart Pollock, chief strategic partnership officer at Bridge Licensing. “IDW immediately captivated us, particularly given our longstanding collaboration with the pre-Disney Marvel intellectual property.”
One of the inspirations for IDW to expand its licensing efforts was the sell-out success of its recent foray into whiskey with its Wynonna Earp IP. A second spirit, Doc Holliday Docquila, is coming out soon, and a Wynonna Earp cinnamon whiskey is in development. More products are planned for this property.
Other priority IPs include Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, and Locke & Key, all of which have either been produced as TV shows or films or are likely to be in the future. “Those titles are the lowest hanging fruit, as they have—or will have—big audiences and exposure,” Jonas said.
While these initial properties and others are mostly for older teens and up, the IDW list includes a number of titles for younger audiences that also have potential for licensing, including You Wish, The Unpettables, Pirate Penguin vs. Ninja Chicken, Kodi, Surfside Girls, and Korgi.
“The brands IDW encompasses cater to a diverse range of preferences, ensuring a wide appeal to consumers,” Pollock said. “Furthermore, the extensive library and upcoming releases hold immense potential to be sought after by retail and consumers for years to come.”
Categories in the companies’ sights include apparel, food and beverages, collectibles, plush, interactive and board games, and other media. “We want to give fans as many ways as possible to authentically enjoy the characters and stories they adore,” Jonas said. “I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to see a fan’s eyes light up when I tell them about some of our plans for franchises like Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees and The Rocketeer.”
In Brief
BBC Studios’ Bluey Book Reads, a video series where off-screen celebrities read licensed Bluey titles from Penguin Young Readers, accompanied by visuals from the books and live-action shots, launched its second season with an episode featuring Sesame Street’s Elmo and Cookie Monster reading What Games Should We Play? The first season has generated more than 75 million views on the official Bluey YouTube channel.... In other Bluey news, Penguin Young Readers is releasing a deluxe comic-style chapter book based on the most-watched episode of Bluey ever, The Sign, an emotional special where the family contemplates moving to another city. The title joins the company’s extensive Bluey publishing program.... As part of their continued partnership, Rebel Girls and Nike are publishing a book, A’Ja Wilson: The Best Is Yet to Come, along with video and audio content, through the A’ja Wilson A’One campaign. The venture is part of the new Rebel Girls Sport vertical.... Alien Books acquired the rights from Zorro Productions to publish Zorro Comics in both remastered editions of historic comics from the likes of Dell, Gold Key, Marvel, and Dynamite, as well as brand-new series. One of the first projects will be a Kickstarter campaign for a deluxe hardcover edition of a series by Alex Toth from 1958.... Funko released Pop! vinyl collectibles in collaboration with an author for the first time, launching figures of Paedyn Gray and Kai Azer from Lauren Roberts’s romantasy series Powerless. This also marks the first time Funko has created a character from the pages of a book without pre-existing visual references. Roberts is represented by Moxie & Co. for licensing.... PBS is launching Acoustic Rooster, a jazz-filled multiplatform property consisting of an animated special, Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band; a series of shorts called Acoustic Rooster: Jazzy Jams; and an interactive game, all based on the book Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band by Kwame Alexander, also represented by Moxie. On April 1, Sleeping Bear Press, which published the original book in 2011, released two board books by Alexander, Acoustic Rooster and Friends and Acoustic Rooster Sings the Alphabet, featuring art from the special.... Mattel and IDW partnered for a new, five-issue comic book series, Monster High: World Scare, expanding on their growing Monster High program. Among the other spring releases is Monster High: Bull’s Eye, which brings a selection of decade-old, out-of-print titles back to life for the first time.... IDW also partnered with Webtoon Entertainment to bring some of its franchises to the Webtoon platform, starting on April 25. They include the licensed Godzilla: Unnatural Disasters, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees, and the George Takei memoir They Called Us Enemy.... Gestalten is adding to its Marvel list with Disney Hotel New York: The Art of Marvel—The Complete Art Collection, which releases on June 10 after an April publication in the U.K. and Germany. Disney Hotel New York—The Art of Marvel, located at Disneyland Paris, is an immersive Marvel-themed hotel that houses the largest collection of Marvel art in the world.... Oni Press and Warner Bros. Consumer Products are celebrating the 10th anniversary of Rick and Morty comics with a five-volume, 2,000-plus-page limited-edition Rick and Morty 10th Anniversary Deluxe Omnibus Library featuring the first 100 issues in chronological order.
