The popular Simon’s Cat brand (part of Banijay UK) announces it is celebrating its 15th birthday! In conjunction with Banijay Brands, the commercial arm of content powerhouse Banijay, a raft of special content and products will roll out for fans of the fur-midable feline.
Simon’s Cat was introduced to the world in March 2008, when 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 65 million views on that one film alone, and spawned a successful global brand that spans online content, gaming, publishing and consumer products.
“It brings me immense joy and privilege to be celebrating 15 years of Simon’s Cat,” said Tofield. “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!”
To celebrate its success, this month the brand will release a compilation of the very best classic films, reimagined in color; launch a new Simon’s Cat website, with games, comics, films and more; offer an exclusive signed print of bespoke artwork by Tofield; host a special Q&A session with the artist 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.
“It is wonderful to mark this milestone with special products that the fans will love,” commented Alice Bernardi, Director – International Brand Licensing, Banijay Brands. “The instantly recognizable, 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.”
Today, Simon’s Cat has totted up over 3 billion online views and 21 million fans across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The brand has also 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.
