Melbourne Toy Fair Wrap-Up: The Biggest Licensing Trends From the Show Floor

He's just wrapped up a week at the Melbourne Toy Fair - and it was absolutely worth the trip.

In this episode of Born to License, David shares his biggest takeaways from Australia’s largest toy and licensing trade event, attended by thousands of industry professionals and hundreds of brands shaping the next wave of licensed products.

Recorded just before leaving Australia, this episode is a true from-the-field debrief, covering the standout brands, emerging trends, and key conversations happening across the licensing industry.

In this episode:

🎯 The properties everyone was talking about

• Why K-Pop Demon Hunters became the surprise breakout licensing property
• The continued dominance of Bluey in its home market
• Nostalgia brands like Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, and Hello Kitty continuing to drive retail demand

🔍 Industry conversations shaping the future

• What the potential Paramount / Warner Bros Discovery deal could mean for licensing
• Why “direct-to-retail” licensing strategies are becoming a major tension point in the industry

🧠 Behind-the-scenes moments

• A secret preview of the upcoming Masters of the Universe toy line
• The relationships that power the global licensing business
• Why this industry is smaller — and more connected — than you might think

David also shares a personal moment from the trip: balancing Toy Fair meetings with marathon training — including a 4:30am run through rainy Melbourne while preparing for the Rotterdam Marathon.

And the episode closes with a surprisingly perfect licensing story:

Why Daddy Pig from Peppa Pig running the London Marathon is actually a brilliant example of how storytelling keeps evergreen brands culturally relevant.

Because the best licensed brands don’t just sell products — they build emotional connections with audiences.

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Transcript

Hello, I'm recording this from Sydney, Australia. With about 24 hours left on Australian soil and a very large jar of Vegemite in my luggage. Melbourne Toy Fair is done, the meetings are wrapped and I've got a lot to share. Welcome back to Born to License. I'm David Born and this week I'm bringing you straight from the field. My key takeaway is from the Melbourne Toy Fair, which I attended for the first time in nearly a decade. And I have to say, it was absolutely worth the trip. For the first, the overall energy. The show was busy, purposeful and positive. People were there to do business and they were doing it. The bug media stand in particular was buzzing with licensing professionals all week. 

 Speaking of bug media, I was happy to open up the latest edition of the Bug Report magazine and I found a piece written by me on page 20. The article is called what Big Licensing Moments Will 2026 Be Spring? And it covers my predictions for the year ahead, including why K Pop Demon Hunters caught everyone off guard, and why Toy Story 5 is set to be this year's most bulletproof licensing play, and why the real winners in licensing are always the evergreen brands. If you can find a copy, I'd love to know what you think. Now, what were the standout properties on the floor? K Pop Demon Hunters was absolutely the new darling of licensing this year. Everyone's talking about it and if you've been following this podcast, you know I've been tracking this one for a while. 

 The reactive licensing problem it exposed was real. The industry is well and truly catching up though. In fact, I've been told that K Pop Demon Hunters was the hot property at both London and New York toy fairs as well. Thanks to Jenna and Brynna from the Born to License teams for being my eyes and ears on the ground at those events. Bluey, as expected, remained hugely prominent. The giant Bluey popcorn stand, designed to build excitement for the August 2027 release, was one of the most eye catching activations at the entrance and in the conversations I was having. Bluey is doing very well at retail indeed. What else is working? Nostalgic brands, Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, hello Kitty, all still performing strongly. This tracks with everything we know about Evergreen licensing consumers. 

 Keep coming back on the sneak peek front, I got a behind the curtain look at the Masters of the Universe toy range at the Mattel booth. It was in a curtained off section. Top secret. I genuinely cannot say anything more, but I will say it was exciting and I'll leave it at that. Now the big topic on everyone's mind, of course. The Paramount and Warner Brothers Discovery deal. I heard it come up in meeting after meeting. The entire industry is watching closely and for good reason. If that deal closes, the implications for licensing are significant. Consolidated ip, consolidated decision making, and potentially fewer options for licensees and retailers. We'll be covering that in depth on this show as it develops. If you missed my recent podcast about this, go back and have a listen. 

 I literally raced home to my hotel room last week to record it and it's been one of the most popular podcast episodes ever. Retail also came up constantly. There are real concerns about certain retailers DTR strategy that's direct to retail, where retail assigns a license directly with the IP holder rather than going through a licensee. One person described it as being a super aggressive strategy. It's a tension point. The industry is navigating carefully right now. One of the things I love most about this industry came through clearly this week. The relationships. I ran into so many old colleagues, some still in the same role, some who've moved companies multiple times, but almost all of them still in licensing. This is an industry where you don't burn bridges, everyone knows everyone, and you genuinely never know where someone will end up. 

 The person you worked with 10 years ago might be your next license or your next client, your next collaborator. So keep that in mind. And then this genuinely moved me. So many people came up to me and talked about this show that you're listening to right now. They said they listened to the podcast Australians in the licensing industry tuning in every week. That means the world to me and it's exactly why I keep showing up the way that I do. I should also mention that I'm a bit exhausted. Those of you who've been listening for a while know I'm training for the Rotterdam Marathon, and business travel does not get me off the hook from training. One morning I was up at 4:30am running 10 kilometers on the dark, rainy Melbourne streets before rushing to a breakfast event. 

 And that's the reality of the trying to do it all. But honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. After the fair, I came up to Sydney for Born Legal meetings, spending more time with my sister, Emma Tabiri. She's the co founder of Born Legal, and since we live on opposite sides of the world, any time together is much appreciated. I've managed to squeeze in a glimpse of the Sydney Opera House from afar, a handful of Born Licensing and Born to License catch ups, and now it's time to pack. Now before I go, I have to end on a story that is equal parts heartwarming and deeply relevant to this podcast. You might remember mentioning that I'm training for the Rotterdam Marathon. 

 Well, as it turns out, I have something in common with one of the most iconic licensed characters in the world right now. Daddy Pig. Daddy Pig. Yes, that Daddy Pig from Peppa Pig has been announced as a participant in the TCS London Marathon on 26 April, running in support of the National Deaf Children's Society. The cause is meaningful, too. This follows the announcement that George Pig is moderately deaf and the Peppa Pig team has turned that storyline into a real world charitable moment. This storyline ties in really nicely with one of our clients, Bandu, who launched their licensed Peppa Pig headphones a few weeks ago. Peppa Pig is one of the most consistently powerful children's properties in the world and has been for over decades. And what keeps it an evergreen? Well, moments like Daddy Pig running the London Marathon. 

 These are authentic storytelling moments with real emotional resonance and community connection. They're not just selling product, they're building a relationship with families. The London Marathon activation is essentially a giant global PR moment that reinforces everything that makes Peppa Pig a licensing juggernaut. And for me personally, if Daddy Pig is putting in the miles, I have absolutely no excuse. A 4:30am run in the Melbourne rain suddenly seems very manageable. Good luck to Daddy Pig on the 26th of April. I'll be watching and resting after my own marathon. So that's it for my Melbourne Toy Fair debrief. If you want to see the visual side of this trip, the SpongeBob and Patrick inflatables at the entrance, the bluey stand, the licensed product on the floor. Come find me on Instagram. I've been documenting as much as I can. So that's it. I'm heading home. 

 I have my big jar of Vegemite, a head full of ideas and a lot of momentum. More to come next week. If you're enjoying the show, please subscribe, leave a review and share it with someone in the industry. You can find me on LinkedIn, on Instagram and on YouTube. And if you've got a topic you'd like me to cover, reach out via email. It's helloorntolicense.com until next time. I'm David Born and this is Born to License.