Threewise Entertainment in the UK is expanding on its production and development expertise by adding licensing and merchandising services to its portfolio. 

The five-year-old studio has signed its first deal in these new waters with British prodco Smallfilms, and it will now be the global licensing partner for Bagpuss, an iconic IP that started out in 1974 as a BBC stop-motion series. Threewise is already hard at work resurrecting the property for modern audiences, with a family feature film slated to premiere in 2027. 

CEO and creative director Michael Ford says it was always inevitable that Threewise would build a licensing division, but plans ramped up quickly this year when the company began discussing the L&M potential of Bagpuss with Smallfilms. To run this part of the business, Ford has recruited former Disney EMEA executive Raquel Dobson as Threewise’s first licensing director, as well as bringing in ex-Hasbro SVP Finn Arnesen as a senior licensing advisor. 

“The industry has changed so much in the short amount of time since Threewise launched,” says Ford. “Licensing now feels integral to building a successful studio, because when you look at stellar brands like Peter Rabbit, Bluey and PAW Patrol, merchandise is often the part of the business that helps grow and sustain these companies that work mainly with kids brands.” 

Threewise is currently in discussions with several key partners to start building out the new Bagpuss consumer products program. In fact, it has already secured a global apparel manufacturer that it plans to announce later this month. The team will be at Brand Licensing Europe this week meeting with potential licensees to move both the original stuffed cloth character and its feature film adaptation into toys, plush, stationery and gifts. 

As part of the deal with Smallfilms, Threewise has also taken over the rights to use Bagpuss in fundraisers and nonprofit charities, so it will inherit Smallfilms’ existing partnership with the Hospices of Hope’s children’s units in the UK. At any given time, the Bagpuss Wing of the hospice in Brasov, Romania cares for approximately 150 kids with terminal, rare or life-limiting illnesses.

Ford says Threewise will use the Bagpuss consumer products program to build out a network of licensees and retailers, plus work out any kinks, before it starts offering its services to other third parties. After this initial deal, Threewise plans to evaluate which of its own existing shows (including Rock Island Mysteries and Ghost Scouts) are ripe for merch expansion.