The company behind the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is on a mission toward brand expansion.
Wimpy Kid Inc. dropped the curtain on a refreshed licensing program this week that includes new partners, including The Op Games | usaopoly, Go! Toys and Games, and Trevco. Under the deals, new Wimpy Kid-branded games, puzzles, and apparel will begin hitting retail this fall. The news comes just as an earlier licensee, Goliath Games’ Pressman, releases its Diary of a Wimpy Kid Cheese Touch Game on Amazon.
According to Vanessa Jedrej, global brand manager at Wimpy Kid Inc, the brand enjoys an “active Gen Z following” and the new licensing pacts are expected to help the brand grow among younger fans. “We plan to broaden our licensed portfolio into categories such as bedding and room decor, party goods, stationery, and back to school, to name a few,” she says. “The venture feels perfectly timed as we look on to an enviable program of brand entertainment for the years ahead.”
Since 2007, books in author Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid series have sold more than 275 million copies worldwide. The franchise spawned live-action films and is now being explored in animation. On Dec. 2, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules will debut on Disney+. The animated film follows the success of last year’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
