Arts & crafts manufacturer Horizon Group USA has inked a licensing deal with Hasbro to make and distribute a new range of branded Play-Doh compounds, DIY kits and air-dry clay. They will roll out globally at retail beginning next January. 

The move is part of a broader plan to expand Play-Doh’s presence on shelves and unlock new product categories for the brand, says Bradley Bowman, Hasbro’s senior director of global toys and licensed consumer products. 

And Hasbro’s timing could not be better, given that reusable modeling compounds are currently dominating the top-10 list of bestselling arts & crafts products in the US, according to research firm Circana. Play-Doh’s classic colors pack was the number-two product in the category last year, only losing out to The LEGO Group’s The Great Wave Hokusai building set. And overall, the Play-Doh brand claimed half of the top-10 spots, with Spin Master’s Kinetic Sand compound also making the list at number five. 

Horizon’s licensing portfolio also includes partnerships with Nickelodeon (Baby Shark), ZAG (Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir), MGA Entertainment (L.O.L. Surprise! and Rainbow High) and BBC Studios (Bluey).