Brand Licensing Europe eight finalists  for 2022 Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition  

Eight aspiring designers, illustrators, inventors and entrepreneurs have been shortlisted for the 2022 Brand Licensing Europe Kelvyn Gardner License This! competition, which aims to boost the profile of businesses and individuals keen to get a foot in the door of the $315 billion* global licensing market

The competition has three categories – Brand & Design, Character & Animation and Product Design – the latter of which is open to students this year for the first time and asked entrants to design a Wallace & Gromit branded STEM toy with an RRP below £30.  

The eight finalists are:  

Brand & Design:  

  • Animo: Animo’s designs are based on the watercolour paintings of animals by the Swedish artist and stage designer Anna Gisle inspired by her many years working in the theatre and the world of Scandinavian children’s literature.
  • Klara Hawkins: Her brand features distinctive, colourful and charming surface design that appeals to all ages!

She said: “Beyond thrilled to be a finalist! Feels completely overwhelming and I’ve cried lots of happy tears since finding out the news. I truly love what I do and do what I love. This is my passion, and I am so grateful and happy to be on this amazing journey.” 

  • The Spookysaurus: The Spookysaurus started as a character in a children’s picture book aimed and, from these books the idea has grown and is soon to be expanded into the children’s fantasy book “The Spookysaurus and the Boy with No Fear”. 

The Spooysaurus’ Crispin Lowrey said: “Wow! Just WOW! I am so delighted to be a finalist at this year’s ‘License This!’ competition! I can’t wait to share more about the Spookysaurus with the judging panel on the day!” 

Character & Animation:   

  • Frobelles: Frobelles is a character and digital toys brand based on sisters Coco, Kelli & Krista. The Frobelles proudly rock their Afro hair and inspire girls to love their natural tresses. Through a gaming app, digital content, a fan club, and activity magazine – the brand provides much-needed positive representation for girls with afro hair, it encourages self-confidence and fosters sisterhood. 

Frobelles’ Yvonne Ottley said: “I am so delighted to make it to the finals of License This! My daughter and I are excited at the prospect of where this competition could take our brand. Having attended Brand Licensing Europe for several years to learn from and be inspired by the incredible brands and experts, it feels surreal to have this opportunity to pitch to industry leaders and possibly win! Best of luck to all the finalists.” 

  • Let’s Go See: Based on the original Pilot Ollie and Pilot Polly adventure books written by Captain Rob Johnson, Let’s Go See uses animations, an augmented reality app, picture books and schools’ packs to entertain, educate and inspire children about the wonders of our world, it’s amazing people and cultures. 

Product Design – this category is in partnership with Mojo Nation and Aardman:   

  • Lorcan O’Shea and his ‘Contraption Creator’
  • Penny Kyriacou and her ‘Invent-A-Cards’
  • Phoebe Bamford and her ‘Stop Motion Bonanza Boz Set’

The live finals will take place at BLE in the License Global Theatre at the following times…  

  • Tuesday 1100-11:30: Product Design category finale
  • Thursday 10:30-12:00: Character & Animation and Brand & Design category finales 

… when all eight finalists will present their properties, concepts and products to the judging panel, which is chaired by Start Licensing Director Ian Downes.  

  • Phil King, Managing Director, Trademark Products Ltd
  • Sabrina Segalov, Senior Licensing Manager, Sanrio Global Limited
  • Emily Fawcett, Head of Global Licensing, Abysse Corp
  • Dan Grant, Licensing Director, Danilo
  • Teri Niadna, Managing Director, Brandgenuity
  • Sarah Ward, Chief Executive, The Giftware Association
  • Clare Piggott, Director of Licensing and Merchandising, Larkshead Licensing Ltd
  • Billy Langsworthy, Co-Founder, Mojo Nation & Brands Untapped
  • Sarah Lawrence, Director, This Is Iris
  • Dale Boreham, Senior Design Manager, Moonpig
  • Maxine Lister, Head of Licensing, Natural History Museum
  • Rob Goodchild, Commercial Director, Aardman
  • Charlie Langhorne, Director, Wild in Art
  • Adam Vincent-Garland, Business Development Manager – Video Games, Toys and Interactive, Aardman

Adam Vincent-Garland, Business Development Manager – Video Games, Toys and Interactive, Aardman, said:  

“I have been extremely impressed by the quality of this year’s STEM Toy design submissions. Wallace and Gromit have been applied expertly with careful consideration for both the commercial and learning aspects of the products. In fact, it has made narrowing the shortlist down to just the last three students very difficult indeed!” 

Brand Licensing Europe is the leading event in Europe for licensing and brand extension, taking place 20-22 September 2022 at ExCeL London. Visitors can register to attend for free at www.brandlicensing.eu.  

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