BBC Studios is delighted to announce that it has signed a global licensing deal with the world’s number one plush toy manufacturer Ty Inc. to produce a line of Beanie Babies for the Emmy® Award-winning animated TV sensation Bluey.
The landmark deal is BBC Studios’ biggest with Ty Inc. to date and will see sisters Bluey and Bingo, plus their dad Bandit and mum Chilli transformed into cuddly and collectable Beanie Baby plush toys. The new line will launch at retail stores across the US, Canada and LATAM, UK and Iberia in December 2024. The range will in Australia and New Zealand in January 2025*.
Julie Kekwick, Head of Licensing for BBC Studios UK & EMEA says: “We are thrilled that Bluey will now feature the iconic Ty red tags. This is our largest deal with Ty to date, underscoring the immense appeal of the hit TV series Bluey and its heartwarming characters.”
“Bluey brings joy to millions of fans around the world, exploring themes of family and growing up while celebrating imaginative play and having a lot of high-energy fun. At Ty, we share the same purpose – encouraging kids and, indeed, all our fans to imagine and to dream,” says Ty founder Ty Warner.
The Emmy® and BAFTA Award-winning animated TV juggernaut, Bluey, airs in over 140 countries. According to Nielsen, Bluey is the No. 1 most-watched series on streaming this year (2024) to-date among total viewers in the U.S., with over 35 billion minutes watched (584M hours)1.
Since its first year, Bluey toys have consistently won accolades from trade and consumer publications, toy and licensing industry associations and top retailers around the world, amassing more than 50 awards and nominations in five years. Bluey’s phenomenal popularity across the globe enables its licensing program to grow at pace with 350 licensees globally.
Bluey is the #2 Preschool Toys character property in the US2 and the #1 license in preschool in the UK for 20233. Additionally, 2023 insights revealed that in the UK alone, children aged 3-6 spent 110 million hours playing with Bluey toys4.
Jointly commissioned by ABC Children’s and BBC Studios Kids & Family, Bluey is produced by multi-Emmy® award-winning Ludo Studio in association with Screen Queensland and Screen Australia. BBC Studios Kids & Family also holds global distribution and merchandise rights for Bluey.
The series streams to U.S. and global audiences (outside of Australia, New Zealand and China) across Disney Channel, Disney Jr. and Disney+ through a global broadcasting deal between BBC Studios Kids & Family and Disney Branded Television. In Australia, the show goes out on ABC.
*BBC Studios global licensing deal with Ty for Bluey excludes Asia.
- Source: Nielsen Media Research, US data based on Persons 2+ time spent viewing for streaming series tracked by Nielsen through their streaming content ratings (1/1/24-7/28/24)
- Source: Circana Retail Tracking Service/US/Jan-Jun 2024/Preschool Toys Segment/USD; “Character” as defined by BBC.
- Source: Circana Toys Tracking Service/UK/Jan-Dec 2023/Preschool Toys Segment/value sales
- Source: BBC Studios Insights
