The British toyco’s CEO Darran Garnham plans to move Tingly Ted’s distinctive bear mascot into categories including plush, apparel and housewares.

Ed Sheeran creates his own hot sauce range

Toikido is mining a uniquely four-quadrant licensing opportunity in its latest partnership. The British toyco has entered into a licensing agreement with Tingly Ted’s—a hot sauce brand created by singer-songwriter (and self-proclaimed sauce obsessive) Ed Sheeran in collaboration with The Kraft Heinz Company.

The Tingly Ted’s sauce range rolled out in the UK last March with two variations (“tingly” and “Xtra tingly”). Inspired by Sheeran’s childhood nickname Teddy, its labels feature a mascot called Ted the Grumpy Bear, who has also starred in an ad campaign.

Speaking to Kidscreen, Toikido founder/CEO Darran Garnham highlights the double-edged appeal of Sheeran’s global audience and Kraft Heinz’s expertise in the condiments market—a combined brand power that presents a strong opportunity to expand the IP well beyond kitchen shelves.

Garnham envisions the quirky bear mascot leaving his distinctive paw prints on a variety of other consumer products categories, including plush toys, collectibles, apparel, housewares and accessories. “The character itself is extremely versatile, but we must never forget the super-cheeky eyebrow,” he says.

“Ed’s fanbase spreads across all ages, which [also] gives us amazing flexibility,” Garnham adds. In addition to posting record-breaking streaming/touring numbers, Sheeran has sold more than 150 million records worldwide and was the third most-followed artist on Spotify as of July. He also recently penned a Christmas song for upcoming kids movie That Christmas, which is due out on Netflix later this year.