Mind Candy Focuses on U.S. Licensing for Moshi Monsters

LONDON: Eric Karp has joined Mind Candy as head of licensing for the Americas, leading the company’s newly formed New York-based division.

Karp is responsible for developing, expanding and rolling out a licensing program in the Americas for the digital Moshi Monsters property. He will be building a U.S.-based team to help drive the growth of the brand within the region. The company’s efforts to drive brand awareness in the Americas are already under way, with a number of licensing partners on board for the property, including Spinmaster, Scholastic, Topps and Basic Fun. Books and trading cards are already available at U.S. retailers, with toys and other key lines set to launch this summer.

Darran Garnham, Mind Candy’s head of global licensing, to whom Karp will report, commented: “Moshi Monsters currently has almost 40 million users worldwide, around a third of which are based in the U.S, making it our biggest territory. The brand is rapidly gaining momentum so the time is right for a dedicated American team. We’re thrilled to have Eric on board, he brings with him vast knowledge on Americas licensing and retail and transmedia kids brands.”

Karp added, “I’m hugely excited about the opportunity to work on a children’s brand as hot as Moshi Monsters. We’ve only scratched the surface on its potential, so I’m thrilled to begin the heavy lifting and bring Darran’s global vision to life for kids in this hemisphere. We have some big surprises up our sleeves.”