Pivotal Licensing International has just brokered the first US deal for a hot Korean preschool series called Bread Barbershop, and the agency sees a lot more category potential in the IP.

707 Street will make backpacks and keychains for the CG-animated series, which is produced by Korea’s Monster Studio. The products are set to come out by Q3. Aimed at four- to nine-year-olds, Bread Barbershop is soon to be a five-season series (its latest batch of episodes is due out later this year) about food-inspired barbers who give their customers new looks.

The show debuted on KBS in Korea and Tooniverse in 2019, and Netflix (international) and Prime Video (North America) picked it up in 2020. The first four seasons racked up roughly 30 million views on Netflix in the second half of 2025, according to the streamer’s latest What We Watched engagement report. Monster has also rolled out three theatrical films and built up a strong digital presence for the IP; its English-language YouTube channel alone has more than 700,000 subscribers.

Bread Barbershop already has more than 100 licensing partners in Korea and its neighboring countries, says Christine Annechino, president of Pivotal Licensing International, which first moved the brand out of APAC in 2022 when it signed a deal with Ravensburger to release puzzles and games in Italy.

Pivotal’s next steps will be to find US licensees for Bread Barbershop in footwear, apparel, toys, plush, drinkware and party goods. It also has a natural special interest in any and all food category deals.

The appeal of the series comes from its makeover format, which easily resonates with kids around the world, says Annechino. Breadshop Bakery leans on humor and satire to explore themes like confidence, expressing yourself and belonging. And it helps that the characters are inspired by deserts, which makes them stand out on the screen and the shelf, she says.

“That combination of creative distinctiveness, cross-demographic appeal and commercial flexibility is what positions Bread Barbershop as more than a hit show—it’s a durable global character brand,” she says.

Image courtesy of Pivotal Licensing International.