Retailers, distributors and manufacturers from around the continent are gathering in London this week to attend Brand Licensing Europe, the annual trade show where they can discover the thousands of brands and properties ripe for consumer products opportunities. Read on to find out why crochet kits should be part of that discovery experience this year.

Crocheting dates back to the 17th century, originating as a simpler way to create dolls, blankets, bags and scarves from colorful yarns. But this very traditional craft is enjoying a vibrant revival today among younger generations—turning a timeless pastime into a fresh licensing opportunity for brand owners to explore.

One company that’s positioning itself to cash in is North Carolina’s The Woobles, which has been gaining ground at considerable speed in the licensed arts & crafts market with its beginner-friendly crochet kits that let kids make their own plush animals, dinosaurs and mythical creatures. And while the US$30 kits primarily target a 10-plus crowd, younger crafters can also pick up the techniques with help and supervision from a parent.

They’ve become a gateway product for newcomers to the hobby by including easy-to-work-with yarn that resists splitting, stitch markers tracking where to go next, and a pre started “magic ring” (a crocheted circle with no hole in the center) to eliminate one of the trickiest steps for beginners. The packaging also contains a QR code that links to a step-by-step tutorial.

Married partners Justine Tiu and Adrian Zhang launched The Woobles in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, when many locked-down people were exploring new pastimes. The company’s mission revolves around the Italian word “fiero”—that feeling of pride that comes with learning a new skill or overcoming a difficult challenge, explains Zhang.

According to UK-based research firm Technavio, the global crochet and knitting market is expected to expand by 6.9% annually until 2029, resulting in US$12.28 billion in new revenue. Crocheting has historically been the most popular with seniors, but that has shifted rapidly, and the 18 to 35 demo now accounts for 73% of all related annual sales. Zhang notes that both kids and young parents are embracing the hobby as a fun way to craft their own collectibles and create handmade gifts for friends and family members.

In the years since the pandemic, The Woobles has grown into a 200-person operation that designs, manufactures and distributes crochet kits widely in North America through its direct e-commerce site. At Licensing Expo 2023, it inked its first licensing deal with Bandai Namco to make a branded crochet kit based on video game icon Pac-Man.

“We were incredibly fortunate to score a deal at that show, because we had no experience in licensing and hadn’t booked any appointments,” says Zhang. “We were taking our products and pitching our hearts out to receptionists first, just to get a meeting with any executive we could.”

Those grassroots efforts were successful, and the company’s licensing portfolio has since expanded significantly. Today, DC superheroes, Hello Kitty & Friends, Harry Potter, Minecraft and Care Bears account for more than 50% of The Woobles’ product offering.

And its latest collab is with BBC Studios for preschool phenom Bluey—kits featuring the blue heeler pup and her family are set to launch on the company’s e-commerce site in time for the 2025 holiday season.

Zhang expects licensing to continue to play a pivotal role in the company’s growth, as it expands its cast of characters even more to reach new fandoms with fresh branded crochet kits. And The Woobles is also planning in-person events to create gathering points for its growing community and to introduce the hobby to more crafters worldwide.

“Our edge is that when we work with different brands, we always pay respect to [their] characters and create an engaging product for our consumers,” says Zhang. “For us, licensing plays a big role in building our community, because it creates a lot of excitement when we bring all of these different fandoms together through one shared experience.”

This story originally appeared in Kidscreen’s Q4 2025 magazine issue.