The Gruffalo is a modern classic children’s book that brings together Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, the most successful author and illustrator partnership in picture book publishing. It’s a thrilling tale of a little mouse outwitting a number of animals that want to eat him: a fox, a snake, an owl – and finally a big, scary creature… called The Gruffalo.
But Mondo has been able to build very specific licensing programmes that suit both properties. How has it done this? Well, let’s start with the established property that Mondo is developing for the Italian market.
As a licensing property the Gruffalo has a lot going for it. It’s a highly original tale, loved by all pre-school kids and their parents, and exceptionally well established (it was first published 20 years ago) with sales in excess of 24 million copies worldwide translated over 100 languages. It’s a winner of five licensing awards and over 30 nominations. It already boasts over 80 licensees globally across toys, apparel, gift, home, food and digital categories.
Its popularity has grown even more with award-winning film often aired by major broadcasters around the world, particularly during the Christmas holidays.
Themes of adventure, imagination, exploration and creativity underpin this property, not to mention great storytelling and Axel Scheffler’s distinctive illustrations. There’s no doubt that the Gruffalo has all the right ingredients to sustain its position as a much loved classic brand all over the world.

adventures | creativity | exploration | imagination | collectability