Bay Laurel Advisors to represent Care Bears in location based entertainment
By News Release | June 5, 2024
LOS ANGELES — Care Bears, one of Cloudco Entertainment’s most beloved properties, has retained Bay Laurel Advisors to help strategize Care Bears expansion into the world of Location Based Entertainment and secure licensing opportunities for high-quality guest experiences within theme parks, family entertainment centers, themed-dining, themed-retail, hospitality, and other location based entertainment venues.
The Care Bears, with over 40 years of heartwarming adventures, were recently honored as “The #3 Hottest Brand” in the global character licensing business by License Global Magazine. These remarkable milestones, coupled with the thriving success of its YouTube Channel, which has amassed over 185 million views, and a TikTok presence boasting over 400 thousand followers and 9.3 million likes, underscore the enduring appeal of the Care Bears brand. It continues to captivate existing fans while strongly resonating with the next generation thanks in part to the success of the new animated TV program Care Bears: Unlock the Magic, which debuted in 2019. New episodes and mini-movies are currently streaming on Max.
Bay Laurel Advisors is led by its founder and President, George Wade, an executive with decades of location based entertainment experience collaborating with major entertainment brands to create appealing entertainment based experiences. Joining George on the Care Bears account is Joe Lawson, who worked with George Wade during his days leading entertainment content and brand partnerships for Rovio Entertainment. In addition to working on Angry Birds, Joe also led numerous licensing, publishing, location based entertainment and brand partnership deals during tenures at Netflix, DreamWorks Animation. and 20th Century Fox.
Care Bears is building off a successful 2023, which saw three licensed destinations open across Asia. A pop-up experience in Hong Kong’s Langham Place Mall welcomed 2,000 visitors per day, with the store averaging even higher numbers on the weekend. The location also quickly surpassed its revenue goal. Meanwhile, cafe activations in Seoul (South Korea) and Bangkok (Thailand) continue to thrive in the region. Seoul’s Care Bears themed Baskin and Robbins store, has become the number one performing location across 1800 stores across South Korea. Care Bears will also have their first dedicated retail experience opening in London this summer. In the US, the Care Bears just completed a very successful Care Bears art gallery exhibition at the Corey Helford Gallery in Los Angeles, where they attracted five times the number of daily visitors compared to previous exhibitions. Guests came to experience and purchase unique Care Bears-inspired art developed by over 75 artists.
Cloudco Entertainment’s Head of Global Licensing Robbie Prinzo said: “We’re beyond excited to bring the heartwarming world of Care Bears to life in immersive experiences and destinations for fans of all ages and are delighted to be working with Bay Laurel Advisors who bring a great amount of experience and expertise to the Location Based Entertainment market.”
Bay Laurel Advisors’ President, George Wade added: “With captivating, candy-colored visuals, multi-generational appeal and storylines centered around celebration, sharing and treating others with respect, Care Bears is the perfect brand for location based entertainment. We can’t wait to build deep emotional connections with fans of all ages for this nostalgic, huggable, unforgettable brand and are excited to assist Cloudco in the Care Bears’ mission of spreading cheer and kindness.”