Deddy Bears reached 300,000 sales within its first four months and has its second release coming in Q1.

Toy World spoke with Gavin Lawler at Innov8 Creative Academy to hear about the formation of the “disruptive” Deddy Bears brand. The idea of Deddy Bears was born during the pandemic, but it wasn’t launched until February this year at the Spring Fair.

Deddy Bears are zombie-like plush which come with autopsy reports describing each character. They are supplied in a coffin, a ‘deddy bag’ or a blind bag for smaller versions. In the first four months since launch, 300,000 units were sold, and now Innov8 Creative Academy ships to 12 countries.

The bears are currently listed by retailers such as Hot Topic, Showcase, Walmart, Giant Tiger, Books-a-million, Tesco, and about 2,000 independent stores. PMS International distributes Deddy Bears in the UK, where the brand had a national rollout with HMV stores. It can also be found in Forbidden Planet, Big W in Australia, and Spencers in the US. Gavin recently signed a deal with Smyths Toy Superstores for the whole of Europe, and Deddy Bears is now available in around 15,000 retail stores globally.

“It’s been one of those situations which we call ‘lightning in a jar’,” comments Gavin. “Innov8 Creative Academy owns 100 IPs. Some of them are great and some of them are okay, but every now and again you just get that one – and Deady Bears was that one. It’s a phenomenal brand; it’s highly impulsive, has multiple price points, excellent quality and attractive packaging.”

Deddy Bears appeals to a broad spectrum of consumers, right through from child to collector, giving it mass appeal. Following the first wave’s extraordinary success, series 2 will be launched at Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg.

Click here for the full article.