US deal could make Peppa a billion-dollar pig
She's best known for her flushed cheeks and a love of jumping in muddy puddles.
Peppa Pig: Fourth highest selling character toy in Britain
Now after taking Britain by storm, Peppa Pig is set to make a massive splash in the US - having signed a deal with toy giant Fisher Price.
The transatlantic alliance is expected to trigger a windfall of as much as £600m ($1bn) for Entertainment One, the company that owns the rights to the hit animated series.
It means that merchandise featuring Peppa, her brother George and friends will hit shopping malls across America in time for Christmas next year.
Entertainment One, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, generated £200m in sales from Peppa toys and games in the UK last year.
But finance director Giles Willits estimates that US sales could be 'two or three times' greater.
He told the Daily Mail: 'It's not as if it'll go from zero to hundreds of millions of dollars in sales overnight. It'll take three to four years to build up the franchise.
'Kids brands aren't about overnight success, they're about building slowly over time.'
Thomas the Tank Engine, he noted, has been a staple in children's playrooms for the best part of six decades, with Bob the Builder nearing the ripe old age of thirty.
Such is Peppa's growing TV audience in the UK and increasingly the US, that Entertainment One could end up adding Bob and Thomas to its roster. The two brands - owned by debt-laden Hit Entertainment - were among a 'whole heap of opportunities' in the fast-consolidating industry, said Mr Willits.
Meanwhile, the Peppa deal will propel Entertainment One into a merchandising market worth £56bn a year, Mr Willits added.
Peppa is the fourth highest selling character toy in Britain - outgunning stalwarts such as Thomas.
The series has picked up more than 500,000 US fans since launching there in February, propelling it into the top ten American pre-school shows.
Most watched Money videos
- Aston Martin unveils new Vantage sports car capable of 202mph
- How to invest to beat tax raids and make more of your money
- Iconic Dodge Charger goes electric as company unveils its Daytona
- Mini unveil an electrified version of their popular Countryman
- Would you retire abroad for cheaper living costs?
- Pair of rare 1980s Ford Sierra RS500 Coswotths head to auction
- German car giant BMW has released the X2 and it has gone electric!
- Skoda reveals Skoda Epiq as part of an all-electric car portfolio
- Steve McQueen featured driving famous stunt car in 'The Hunter'
- BMW's Vision Neue Klasse X unveils its sports activity vehicle future
- The new Volkswagen Passat - a long range PHEV that's only available as an estate
- MG unveils new MG3 - Britain's cheapest full-hybrid car
- Competition watchdog clears Aviva's £460m acquisition of...
- William Hill owner 888 agrees to flog assets as it...
- Bidding war erupts for UK telecoms firm Spirent as...
- Superdry founder Julian Dunkerton ends his pursuit of the...
- No one should expect sympathy when the crypto bubble...
- Insurers are STILL stinging drivers by undervaluing...
- MARKET REPORT: North Sea oil producer Enquest posts loss...
- Thames Water shareholders refuse £500m lifeline plea
- My friends say I'm a shopaholic but I'm 34, single and...
- Disgraced crypto tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25...
- Legal firm representing St James's Place customers to...
- JD Sports boss fires out at Nike for failing to produce...
- Spirent ditches Vivai as Keysight gatecrashes deal with...
- My blood boils when I hear critics say Waspi women should...
- Dividend hero SAINT's manager on the best shares for...
- BUSINESS LIVE: Crypto fraudster SBF handed 25-year prison...
- EnQuest posts another loss after hit from oil and gas...
- Insurance market Lloyd's of London toasts best result 'in...