Eight aspiring designers, illustrators, inventors and entrepreneurs have been shortlisted for the 2022 Brand Licensing Europe Kelvyn Gardner License This! Competition.

The competition aims to boost the profile of businesses and individuals keen to get a foot in the door of the $315 billion global licensing market.

It comprises three categories – Brand & Design, Character & Animation and Product Design – the latter of which is open to students for the first time this year. Entrants were challenged with designing 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.
• The Spookysaurus: The Spookysaurus started as a character in a children’s picture book. From these books, the idea has grown and will soon expand into the children’s fantasy book “The Spookysaurus and the Boy with No Fear”.

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 an activity magazine, the brand provides much-needed positive representation for girls with afro hair, encouraging self-confidence and fostering sisterhood.
• 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

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

Brand Licensing Europe is the leading event in Europe for licensing and brand extension. The event takes place 20-22 September 2022 at ExCeL London. Visitors can register to attend for free here.