Brand Licensing Europe 2026 Review: What Did BLE Tell Us About the Future of Toy Licensing?

Brand Licensing Europe 2026 Review: What Did BLE Tell Us About the Future of Toy Licensing?

ToyLicensing.com | October 2026

Brand Licensing Europe returned to Excel London from 6–8 October 2026, bringing together the great and the good of the international licensing industry for three days of meetings, presentations, networking and, of course, the endless pursuit of the next big thing.

For those of us working in the toy and games industry, BLE is always an interesting event. Unlike the major toy fairs, where finished products tend to take centre stage, BLE is much more concerned with the intellectual property behind those products. It's where brand owners, licensing agents, manufacturers and retailers come together to explore which characters, entertainment franchises and established brands might translate into commercial success over the next few years.

The 2026 edition was the biggest BLE to date, with 325 exhibiting companies, an increase of 12% on the previous year, and a show floor expanded by 5%. There were also around 90 new exhibitors, demonstrating the increasing breadth of the licensing business. But beyond the headline figures, what did this year's event tell us about the state of the toy licensing industry, and where are the biggest opportunities likely to come from?

We greatly enjoyed the show and had some great meetings with old friends and contacts, and we met some new people we look forward to building relationships with. Also, we have memories of struggling our way out to Excel via over crowded, infrequent DLR trains, but with the Elizabeth Line it’s now frankly a breeze…as long as all runs well with the Elizabeth line…on our way down to the show it was closed which reminded us of how it used to be as we traversed London via multiple stations, lines and forms of transport!

Licensed Toys Are Becoming More Important Than Ever

One of the most significant developments surrounding BLE 2026 was the release of new market data showing just how important licensed products have become to the European toy industry.

According to figures from Circana, licensed toys accounted for approximately 35% of total toy sales across the five major European markets in the year to August 2026, up from around 31% in 2025. Perhaps even more strikingly, licensed toy sales grew by 20% in value over the same period, compared with growth of 8% for the overall toy market.

In the UK, the position is even more pronounced. Licensed products accounted for 39.3% of toy sales in the year to 22 August, while licensed toy sales increased by 24% compared with the previous year.

These are significant figures because they demonstrate that licensing is no longer simply an optional addition to a toy company's product development strategy. For many manufacturers, it has become one of the principal drivers of growth.

There are obvious advantages to developing products around established intellectual property. Consumer awareness already exists, children often have an emotional connection with the characters, and retailers can have greater confidence in products supported by television, films, gaming or other entertainment.

Of course, there is a downside. Licensing royalties, minimum guarantees, approval processes and contractual restrictions all add complexity and cost to the product development process. Nevertheless, when licensed toys are outperforming the wider market by such a substantial margin, it is easy to understand why manufacturers and retailers remain enthusiastic about the sector.

The Big Entertainment Franchises Still Dominate

Anyone hoping that the major entertainment properties might be losing their grip on the licensing business would probably have been disappointed by BLE 2026.

The established entertainment franchises remained highly prominent, including Pokémon, Bluey, Harry Potter, Peppa Pig, Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, Transformers and numerous Disney and Warner Bros. properties.

There is a good reason why the industry keeps returning to these brands. Successful entertainment franchises can deliver consumer demand over many years, particularly when their owners continue investing in fresh content, new product ranges and marketing activity.

Harry Potter was a particularly good example this year, with Warner Bros. Discovery highlighting the 25th anniversary of the first film and explaining how the franchise continues to attract successive generations of consumers.

For toy companies, this longevity is extremely attractive. Developing a product range around a property with an established audience and a long-term entertainment strategy can be considerably less risky than investing in a completely unproven licence.

However, established franchises bring their own commercial challenges. Competition between licensees can be intense, royalty arrangements may be demanding, and retailers already have plenty of products competing for limited shelf space.

The real question for manufacturers is therefore not simply whether a particular licence is popular, but whether they can produce something sufficiently differentiated to justify the investment.

Bluey Continues to Demonstrate the Value of Strong Preschool Brands

Bluey was another important property at BLE 2026, with BBC Studios using the event to discuss how the Australian preschool phenomenon has developed into a major international entertainment franchise.

The programme's success is particularly interesting because it appeals not only to preschool children but also to parents, who often appreciate the humour, storytelling and family relationships portrayed in the series.

This wider emotional connection creates considerable opportunities for licensing. Whereas some preschool properties experience relatively short periods of intense popularity before children move on, brands with genuine family appeal can potentially enjoy much longer commercial lives.

The forthcoming Bluey movie also provides an obvious opportunity to maintain consumer interest and support additional product development.

For manufacturers operating in the preschool sector, Bluey demonstrates how powerful the combination of engaging content, appealing characters and consistent brand management can be.

It also highlights the importance of looking beyond raw audience figures when evaluating a licence. The depth of consumers' emotional attachment to a property can be every bit as important as the number of people watching it.

Gaming Properties Are Now a Major Force in Toy Licensing

Another important theme at BLE 2026 was the continued integration of video gaming and traditional consumer products.

Minecraft, Pokémon, Sonic and other gaming-related franchises featured prominently, reflecting the increasingly blurred boundaries between digital entertainment and physical play.

Minecraft is a particularly interesting example. Its popularity is not dependent on a traditional television series or film franchise, although entertainment extensions obviously help. Instead, much of its success comes from the enormous amount of time consumers spend engaging with the game itself.

This gives the brand an unusually strong foundation for licensed products, particularly construction toys, collectibles, figures and playsets.

The BLE programme included a presentation from Xbox and Merlin Entertainments exploring the development of Minecraft experiences, demonstrating how gaming properties are expanding beyond both screens and conventional merchandise.

For toy manufacturers, there is a clear opportunity here, but also a warning. The gaming audience is not necessarily identical to the traditional toy-buying audience, and successful products must understand how consumers interact with the original game.

Simply putting a recognisable gaming character onto an otherwise generic product is unlikely to be enough in an increasingly competitive market.

Anime and Japanese Entertainment Continue Their Expansion

One of the most interesting areas of licensing growth is the increasing importance of anime and Japanese entertainment properties in Western markets.

BLE 2026 reflected this trend through the presence of companies and brands associated with Japanese animation, character licensing and collectible products, including Crunchyroll, Toei and a variety of other rights holders.

For the toy industry, the opportunities are substantial. Anime fans often demonstrate particularly strong engagement with their favourite characters and franchises, and many are enthusiastic collectors willing to purchase multiple products. This creates opportunities in action figures, plush toys, trading cards, collectibles, model kits and other categories.

Importantly, anime licensing is not exclusively concerned with children. Many properties attract teenagers and adults, bringing them firmly into the expanding kidult and collector segments.

For European toy companies, this represents an opportunity to develop product ranges aimed at audiences that might not traditionally have been considered mainstream toy consumers. Nevertheless, choosing the right property is critical. Anime encompasses a huge variety of genres, age groups and fan communities, and a successful licensing programme requires a clear understanding of the intended audience.

Toy Brands Are Increasingly Becoming Licensing Properties Themselves

One of the more interesting aspects of modern toy licensing is that the relationship between toys and intellectual property increasingly works in both directions.

Traditionally, manufacturers would acquire the rights to an established entertainment property and develop toys around it. Today, successful toy brands are also being extended into entertainment, fashion, experiences, publishing and other consumer product categories.

Hasbro's presence at BLE 2026 illustrated this approach particularly well.

The company highlighted a franchise-led strategy built around properties including Transformers, My Little Pony, Peppa Pig, Monopoly, Play-Doh, Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, looking beyond traditional toy sales to engage consumers across multiple categories.

This approach makes considerable commercial sense. A strong toy brand can become a valuable intellectual property asset capable of generating revenue well beyond its original product category.

For smaller toy companies, the lesson is worth considering. Building a distinctive, ownable brand can create long-term opportunities that would never exist for a collection of unrelated products.

Naturally, not every toy range is going to become a global entertainment franchise. But developing memorable characters, coherent brand identities and repeatable play concepts can help build assets that become more valuable over time.

The Best Licensing Partnerships Offer More Than a Logo

One of the most interesting toy-related collaborations announced during BLE was the partnership between Plus-Plus and Crayola. The companies are combining the Plus-Plus construction system with Crayola's established expertise in creativity and colour, developing products that encourage children to build, draw and create. The range, scheduled for launch in 2027, includes construction and colouring combinations alongside collectible character products.

This is an excellent example of what a licensing partnership should ideally achieve. Rather than simply applying a famous brand name to an existing toy, the collaboration brings together complementary strengths to create a potentially more appealing consumer proposition.

There is an important lesson here for manufacturers considering licensing opportunities. A well-known brand can undoubtedly help drive sales, but the most successful partnerships should also make the underlying product more interesting, differentiated or desirable.

Ultimately, consumers are buying the product, not the licensing agreement behind it.

Sport Is Becoming an Increasingly Attractive Licensing Opportunity

Sports licensing was another prominent part of BLE 2026, with football clubs, international competitions and other sporting organisations represented across the event. The show's sports-related exhibitor offering increased by 17% year on year, reflecting growing interest in the category.

For toy companies, sports licensing offers opportunities in collectibles, trading cards, figures, games, construction sets and a variety of novelty products. Football is particularly attractive because of its enormous international following, although commercial success depends heavily on the particular rights being licensed, the popularity of teams or personalities, and the intended distribution markets.

Circana's European toy market data also highlighted the impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with football-related licensed merchandise benefiting from the event. However, sporting licences present an interesting challenge. Consumer interest can fluctuate dramatically according to major tournaments, team performance and individual personalities, making forecasting difficult.

Manufacturers need to think carefully about development timelines, product availability and the risk of being left with inventory once a particular sporting event or period of excitement has passed.

The Rise of Unconventional Licensing Opportunities

One of the strengths of BLE is that it introduces toy companies to intellectual property they might not ordinarily consider. Alongside the familiar entertainment and character brands, this year's event featured opportunities associated with museums, art galleries, music, heritage brands and other cultural organisations.

The licensing industry's growing interest in these areas is significant because it demonstrates how broadly the concept of intellectual property can be applied.

For toy and games companies, museum and heritage partnerships could offer interesting possibilities in educational games, science kits, puzzles, construction products and creative activities.

Music licensing also offers potential, particularly for collectible products, music-related games and gift-oriented merchandise aimed at adult consumers. Not every licensing opportunity needs to involve a cartoon character or blockbuster film. Sometimes the most commercially interesting partnerships come from finding a distinctive brand that connects naturally with a particular product category.

The Challenge for Smaller Toy Companies

Despite the optimism surrounding BLE 2026, it is worth remembering that the licensing business can be a difficult environment for smaller manufacturers. Major entertainment properties often come with substantial minimum guarantees, demanding contractual requirements and significant expectations around marketing support. The pressure to deliver products within specific entertainment release windows can add another layer of risk.

Retail distribution is another major consideration. A manufacturer may secure an attractive licensing agreement but still struggle to achieve sufficient retail listings to make the programme profitable.

In some respects, the growing popularity of licensed toys could make life more difficult for smaller businesses. As more manufacturers compete for the same established properties, the commercial terms may become harder to justify. However, there are also opportunities. Smaller manufacturers can often move more quickly, develop distinctive niche products and pursue less obvious licences that larger companies may overlook.

The key is to match the scale of the licensing commitment with realistic distribution capabilities and consumer demand, rather than becoming carried away by the excitement surrounding a particular property.

The Importance of Retailers in Making Licensing Work

One of the most commercially useful presentations at BLE involved Carrefour, Jazwares and Sun City discussing the realities of successful licensing partnerships in European retail.

It highlighted something that can sometimes be overlooked when manufacturers become enthusiastic about new intellectual property: ultimately, somebody has to buy the finished products, and retailers play a decisive role in determining which ranges reach consumers.

The Carrefour perspective was particularly interesting, emphasising factors including appropriate launch timing, product differentiation, consumer awareness, family appeal and meaningful support from licensors. From a toy manufacturer's perspective, these are sensible criteria.

A strong licence may help open doors, but it does not automatically guarantee retail listings. Buyers still need convincing that a particular product offers something new, that the pricing is competitive, and that sufficient consumer demand exists to justify allocating valuable shelf space. For smaller manufacturers especially, the best time to begin discussing retailer interest is often before committing to substantial licensing guarantees.

BLE Remains Fundamentally a Relationship Business

For all the impressive presentations, elaborate stands and exciting intellectual property, the real value of Brand Licensing Europe remains its ability to bring the licensing industry's decision-makers together in one place.

Licensing is a relationship-driven business, particularly when complex commercial agreements, brand management and long-term partnerships are involved. A successful licensing arrangement requires trust between licensors and licensees. Rights holders need confidence that manufacturers will develop suitable products, maintain quality standards, support the brand and deliver on commercial commitments.

Manufacturers, meanwhile, need confidence that licensors will provide the necessary approvals, marketing support and long-term investment in their properties. These relationships are rarely built through a single email or online enquiry. Events like BLE provide opportunities to meet people, understand their priorities and explore possibilities that may not have been apparent beforehand.

For companies actively involved in licensing, the commercial value of the show will ultimately depend less on the number of meetings attended than on the quality of the partnerships and business generated afterwards.

Our Verdict: An Encouraging Show, But Commercial Discipline Matters

BLE 2026 provided further evidence that the licensing industry is expanding, becoming more diverse and playing an increasingly important role in the commercial performance of toy companies.

The growth in licensed toy sales is particularly striking, and it is difficult to ignore the opportunities presented by established entertainment franchises, gaming properties, anime, sports and the expanding kidult market. At the same time, the industry's increasing enthusiasm for licensing should not obscure the fundamental realities of the toy business.

A licence is not a substitute for a good product. It does not eliminate the need for consumer research, competitive pricing, strong retail distribution or effective marketing. And an expensive licence attached to a mediocre product can become a very costly mistake.

Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of BLE 2026 was the growing variety of intellectual property available to manufacturers. There are now more opportunities than ever to identify brands that appeal to specific consumer groups, rather than simply chasing whichever entertainment franchise happens to be fashionable.

For the toy industry, the biggest opportunities will probably come from companies that combine good licensing decisions with genuine product innovation and disciplined commercial execution.

BLE 2026 reinforced one important point: licensing is becoming an increasingly powerful force in the toy industry, but choosing the right licence and turning it into profitable sales remain two very different challenges. And that, ultimately, is what makes the business so interesting.