For many emerging kids brand owners, the dream is to bring their IPs to life as toys and collectibles. But in today’s market, that goal is getting harder to achieve every year. Between the increasing pressures of tariffs, the growing costs of toy production, risk-averse retailers and consumers keeping an eye on household budgets, new brands have to defy a lot of odds to land on those coveted shelves.

So maybe it’s time to consider a different aisle as a retail entry point—starting with what goes in the pantry.

Some of the most common items that millions of consumers regularly stock up on include cereals, boxed pasta, canned goods, bottled beverages, toiletries, snacks and sugary treats. These low-cost goods move fast and account for more than half of all consumer spending in the US for three core reasons: They’re essentials that are used in everyday life; most items have a short lifespan; and consumers often need to restock them repeatedly throughout the year.

And unlike toycos, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies are on the lookout for any brand deal or opportunity they can leverage to help trigger more sales and move record amounts of inventory. Fast-moving goods generated more than US$5.2 trillion in revenue worldwide in 2024, and that figure is expected to increase by 9% year over year until the market reaches US$11.2 trillion in 2033, according to a report published by Deep Market Insights in June.

Geographically, North America accounts for 30% of annual FMCG spending, followed closely by APAC (26.65%) and Europe (25.48%).

The FMCG industry as a whole is on the upswing, with food & beverage brands leading the category, says Brand Activation Consulting (BAC) CEO Michelle McLaughlin, who represents the likes of Hormel, Hershey, Reese’s, Jolly Rancher and Twizzlers. She notes that the prevailing trend making these brands so attractive to IP owners is that they hit on multiple consumer touchpoints: They’re nostalgic, they have the power to appeal to both kids and adults, and they don’t depend on an entertainment release schedule to remain evergreen at grocery retail.

For kids brand owners looking to score their first deal, BAC recommends researching FMCG partners in the US market first because it’s the top player for forming creative brand collaborations, and it also has fewer food regulations and regional flavor profiles compared to other markets.

However, unlike toy and apparel deals, McLaughlin warns that brand owners will need to be more hands-off and trust their FMCG licensees to not only make their branded food item tasty, but ensure that it meets Food and Drug Administration guidelines to the letter.

“Licensing in food & beverage requires specialized expertise,” she notes. “Ingredient and food brand extensions need to meet the same high quality and safety standards as the core product, because consumers assume the brand owner is making it. A failed launch here can do more damage than in non-FMCG categories because it has an impact on the user’s quality of life—which is why we carefully vet partners for quality control, marketing capability and sales reach before moving forward with any deal.”

When it comes to looking for potential partners in this space, IP owners will need to look for licensees with strong quality control credentials, such as GFSI or SQF certifications, which are necessary for suppliers to sell their products to major retailers, McLaughlin explains. From there, a dedicated sales team, a proven retail network and the financial ability to invest in promotions can help form the solid bedrock for a strong FMCG campaign.

“Sometimes the right move is partnering with a household name like General Mills or Hormel; other times, a niche company with deep category expertise can execute the licensor’s brand vision even more effectively,” she says.

Look for the blue label

One major brand that broke into the FMCG category last year is preschool phenom Bluey. BBC Studios’ EVP of global consumer products Suzy Lee Raia says 2024 was the right time for the blue heeler pup to make a play in this market, after establishing successful programs in toys and apparel over the previous five years. Learning from those experiences, Raia and her team nailed down a formula for developing strong licensing deals by delivering products that translate or capture moments directly from the series, which she calls “show to shelf”.

“Applying this concept in the FMCG category isn’t always straightforward,” explains Raia. “We have to dig into our creativity to make items really stand out and feel like the consumer is getting something that’s unique to Bluey or featured in some way in the show, versus the same item that’s simply wrapped in a brand.”

In a key example of this strategy at work, BBC Studios partnered with Bush’s Beans in May to roll out a Bluey-branded SKU of baked beans, which have been a staple in the Heeler family’s pantry since season one. In addition to branded packaging, Bluey’s canned beans also provide links to the Bush’s website, where families can discover a variety of recipes inspired by the show—such as chicken nachos, protein mac & cheese and octopus hot dogs—to encourage picky young eaters to try more bean dishes at mealtime.

This deal also figured into BBC Studios’ Let’s Play Chef campaign for the Bluey brand last year, which generated a wave of other new FMCG partnerships with Lactalis (yogurt), Crunch Pak (fruit snack packs), P&G (diapers) and Home Chef (meal kits). As a result of the successful launch into canned goods with Bush’s, BBC Studios also signed a deal with Campbell’s in November for Bluey to get her own SKU of SpaghettiOs.

“The short-term goals for us in this category are simply to give families their favorite character on products they love so Bluey can be part of their everyday lifestyle,” says Raia. “In the long term, we want to build partnerships that echo the core values of Bluey, which are relatable family moments, reminding kids and parents that it’s the everyday moments that matter most [for kids to] learn and grow.”

Flipping the category upside down

In the lead-up to Stranger Things season five’s premiere at the end of November, Netflix built a consumer products program with Target that encompassed hundreds of exclusive licensed items, including toys, collectibles and kids apparel. From the outset, FMCG was also a part of this product mix, says Tanya Isler, the streamer’s senior director of consumer products for the US and Canada.

She sees Stranger Things as a perfect brand for this category because of its deep roots in the ’80s era of American pop culture and its in-world references to both fictional and real-world food brands such as Eggo waffles, Coca-Cola and Surfer Boy Pizza. For past seasons, Netflix has bolstered the show’s presence in the FMCG space, teaming up with Coca-Cola in 2019 to sell more than half a million cans of the revived “New Coke” and creating a 14% jump in Q4 sales for Eggo products when season two premiered in 2017.

“Each season, the products change based on what’s on screen and new for the fans to discover,” says Isler. “With season five, we really leaned into nostalgia, asking partners to consider bringing back packaging from the 1980s, or even reimagining their package designs and campaigns to travel back to that moment in time.”

Netflix challenged its partners to dial up their creativity for the final season’s campaign, motivating Eggo to launch its first-ever strawberry-flavored waffle; Chips Ahoy! to roll out a new cookie inspired by the Upside Down rifts; and Doritos to bring back its ’80s logo and packaging with a Pizza and Cool Ranch flavored SKU.

FMCG deals like these are invaluable because they allow the fandom to amp up their viewing experience and immerse themselves further into the brand, says Isler.

“FMCG is steeped in so much innovation, and the trends change at a rapid pace,” she notes. “We see a desire for a variety of food options across the board, as well as a desire from fans to incorporate FMCG into their regular lives. It’s not about a snack or candy item that sits on a shelf in collector packaging, but about those moments during the day where a fan can tap into their fandom to add some fun and excitement to their everyday [lives].”

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen‘s Q1 2026 magazine issue.