Mood Bears creator Jo Proud and Dragons’ Den star Touker Suleyman, accompanied by the characters she dreamt up on her kitchen table, turned up at Tomy’s stand at Toy Fair to usher in the next phase of their development.
The duo were marking Tomy’s partnership that sees the toy giant looking after the brand after a deal to acquire worldwide rights to manufacture, sell and distribute the cute bears aimed at promoting wellbeing and positive mental health.
Suleyman was in attendance alongside the creator as part of the ongoing involvement of the stars of the TV show. Proud and her Mood Bears were supported by all five dragons in the programme, a rarity.
“We are growing the brand and taking the message further, it’s exciting to see it build and build”
Claire Ridley Tomy
Tomy’s Claire Ridley said: “We are growing the brand and taking the message further, it’s exciting to see it build and build.”
She added that Tomy was undertaking research into the market for Mood Bears, working with Funadmentally Children to understand how the bears are helping children, as well as working with educational partners and continuing to take the bears to hospitals to support children in need.
Proud told TnP: “Tomy’s involvement has taken the pressure off me and I’m now working at promoting the brand, doing school and hospital visits and working on licensing the brand into other areas. “
Suleyman said: “It’s all happened so fast, I never envisaged it would grow and take off so quickly. It’s phenomenal.”
