Simon’s Cat, part of Banijay UK, has announces it is celebrating its 15th birthday, and in conjunction with Banijay Brands, the commercial arm of content powerhouse Banijay, will release a raft of special content and products.
In March 2008, illustrator Simon Tofield uploaded his first ever video to YouTube…a self-taught animation project inspired by his beloved cat Hugh. That video Cat Man Do became a viral sensation, which 15 years later, has amassed an eyewatering 65 million views on that one film alone, and spawned a globally-loved brand that enjoys incredible success, from a catalogue of online content to gaming, publishing and consumer products.
To celebrate its success, this month, the brand will release a compilation of the very best classic films, reimagined in colour; launch a new Simon’s Cat website, with games, comics, films and more; offer an exclusive signed print of bespoke artwork by Simon Tofield; host a special Q&A session with Simon answering questions from fans on the official social channels; trigger a custom 15th anniversary merch drop including free giveaways; and later this year, release an exclusive set of 15th anniversary pins.
Simon Tofield, creator of Simon’s Cat says: “It brings me immense joy and privilege to be celebrating 15 years of Simon’s Cat. We have grown from a single animation into a global brand with a fantastic and supportive community of fans all around the world. I can’t wait to see what the next 15 years bring for our global superstar feline!“.
Alice Bernardi, Director, International Brand Licensing, Banijay Brands says: “It is wonderful to mark this milestone with special products that the fans will love. The instantly recognisable, iconic animation, coupled with a huge social following makes Simon’s Cat a very strong and desirable IP that works incredibly well across all corners of the licensing industry“.
Created by award-winning illustrator, animator and director, Simon Tofield, Simon’s Cat was first seen on YouTube in 2008. Part of Banijay UK, the brand is now a major global success, with over 3bn online views and 21m fans across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Simon’s Cat has enjoyed international commercial success across multiple categories. It was recently announced that Tactile Games has taken the long-term gaming rights for the brand, following the popularity of mobile titles Simon’s Cat: Crunch Time, Simon’s Cat: Pop Time and Simon’s Cat: Story Time, which have amassed more than 20 million downloads worldwide.
