Read on for news about classic and tie-in publishing leading up to a new animated Cat in the Hat movie, a new HarperPop graphic novel from popular gamer Aphmau, licensed merchandise based on Lauren Roberts’ Powerless, and more.
Baby Evie Inspires New Peppa Pig Publishing
Following Peppa Pig’s 20th anniversary last year, there’s more news in the Pig family as they celebrate the birth of a new baby named Evie, with a heart-shaped birthmark. Licensor Hasbro is supporting the milestone with an in-theater experience, licensed merchandise—and new publishing from Scholastic and PI Kids.
“We’re super excited about this, because it resonates so well with families,” said Debra Dorfman, senior VP and publisher, global licensing, brands, and media. “Retail is really excited about it. There are lots of new toys and consumer products coming, and when we presented our brand updates to our buyers, they’d been talking to the toy buyers. There’s lots of awareness in the accounts.”
Hasbro has put together a number of consumer initiatives, such as a gender reveal in late April on Walmart.com and the Peppa Meets the Baby Cinematic Experience, an in-theater event that premiered on May 30 in 2,600 theaters in 20 markets. The experience is a big-screen showing of 10 new episodes in which the family prepares for and welcomes the new baby, featuring six new songs to sing and dance along to. Meanwhile, Peppa Meets the Baby—The Album and two new singles are streaming, and a range of licensed merchandise is hitting retail. More baby-related activities are ongoing in Peppa’s home market of the U.K. and elsewhere around the globe.
Scholastic is publishing three new titles dedicated to the big event. Peppa Pig: The Biggest Sister, a 24-page 8x8 story book centering on Peppa’s excitement about being a big sister again, released on June 3. On September 16, a 32-page 9x9 paper-over-board hardcover storybook, Our New Baby Sister, at a price point of $12.99, explores questions that Peppa and her younger brother George have about Evie. And a third title in January, Big Brother George, another 8x8, focuses on George’s experience being a big brother for the first time. Starting in late spring and early summer of 2026, Evie will begin appearing throughout the Peppa publishing program. One format under consideration is a board book focused on Evie.
Scholastic has been Peppa’s primary publisher in North America for 11 years, and it boasts more than 27 million copies of Peppa titles in print. The company releases about two titles per season, or six per year. “We also do a huge push with the backlist, because it’s so strong, especially the seasonal titles,” said Dorfman, noting that books on Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Lunar New Year, and more all sell well each year.
Still, Dorfman believes the birth of the baby might give an additional boost to the program. “I think it could, especially because of the focus of these books,” she said. “Parents having a second or third child are looking for books about being a big brother or big sister, and our non-licensed books on this topic do very well.”
Separately, another Peppa licensee, PI Kids, will release a sound button book featuring Evie. Peppa Pig: Baby on Board, an interactive story that takes place in the new, bigger car the family buys in anticipation of the baby, will debut in September.
Tie-Ins Celebrate Cat in the Hat’s Big-Screen Stardom
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, Warner Bros., and Random House are gearing up for the release of a new Cat in the Hat movie on February 27, 2026.
While the studio has not released much information about the film yet, a few details are known. It is animated, with a mix of 2D and 3D techniques, and the plot starts with the story captured in the original 1957 book and takes off from there. Voice talent includes Matt Berry, Quinta Brunson, Xochitl Gomez, Bill Hader, Paula Pell, and Bowen Yang.
“The talent is pretty impressive,” said Geof Smith, editorial director at Random House Children's Books Licensing. “Bill Hader is playing the Cat and should be good at being sort of sly and mischievous and funny at the same time.”
Random House is planning a cohesive publishing program that will include both movie tie-ins and new classic Seuss titles, with the two prongs complementing each other. “The tie-in books will entertain fans of the movie, and maybe drive them back to the classic program,” Smith said.
Random House’s licensed publishing team was called in to oversee the movie tie-in portion of the program, while the Dr. Seuss classic team handles the core titles. “We’re used to the super tight deadlines, the lack of assets, and the rounds of approvals,” Smith said. Because movie studios tend to share images and plot points with publishers at the last minute—for production reasons and to avoid spoilers—the tie-in books will feature illustrations that capture the look of the film, rather than movie stills.
The tie-in list, which has not been officially announced yet, will include a Little Golden Book, a Big Golden Book, a Step into Reading leveled reader, a full-color activity book with stickers, and a junior novelization, all releasing about a month before the film hits theaters. “The Little Golden Books are for ages two to five, the junior novelization for 7–10, and in between there’s a little bit of everything,” Smith said. “It’s a robust line that will appeal to the whole range of fans.”
The tie-ins will be accompanied by a range of movie-related licensed products from new and ongoing Seuss licensees, with one area of focus being an expansion of the brand’s toy program.
As for classic Cat in the Hat publishing to mark the film release, three new titles will go on sale on January 6. They will include a special edition of the original book with a lenticular cover; a new oversize seek-and-find board book that is the first of a new series; and a title in the Beginner Book series, If It Were My Birthday Party—By the Cat in the Hat.
Beyond the film, new titles also continue to be introduced in key formats and series. Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat Official Activity Book with 500 Stickers comes out July 1; the second Cat in the Hat graphic novel by Art Baltazar, Thing One and Thing Two Have Homework to Do, is set for release on September 30; and two additional titles will release on January 6: the third title in the Dr. Seuss Babies board book series, Good Night, Baby!, and Dr. Seuss: Thing One and Thing Two Painting Book: Coloring and Activity Book with Paint Box.
“We continue to build on the program in a variety of formats, from the Beginner Book series, to board books, to coloring and activity books,” said Cat Reynolds, senior editor, Dr. Seuss Publishing, at Random House Children’s Books.
Another cause for celebration comes in 2027: the 70th anniversary of the original The Cat in the Hat, accompanied by more publishing and consumer products to be announced later. “It’s a super exciting milestone,” Reynolds said.
“Any Dr. Seuss project feels kind of special, and especially the Cat in the Hat,” Smith said. “It’s a thrill and a little bit of a responsibility to help get it to the next level.”
Minecraft Gamer Aphmau Makes Graphic Novel Debut
HarperCollins’s HarperPop imprint has paired with Aphmau (a.k.a. Jessica Bravura), the number-one female gamer on YouTube, for the influencer’s first graphic novel, Aphmau: Searching for Home. It goes on sale June 17.
“I’ve long been a fan and have followed her channel forever,” said David Linker, editorial director at HarperCollins. “It’s a fully realized world, with characters, conflict, action, and adventure. And it has a big platform of fans.”
The novel is aimed at middle grade readers. “This is a good entry point for new fans, but existing fans will see their favorite characters in a way they’ve never seen before,” Linker said.
Bravura started creating Minecraft YouTube videos in 2012 after she had had her first child. “It was kind of a passion project,” said Timothy Salmon, president of Aphmau’s company, CatFace. “She always wanted to tell stories, and they really resonated with the fan base.”
The content began with role-play videos, which feature storyline content in a game environment. When Covid restrictions made meeting in person and producing role-plays impossible, she turned to creating Minecraft game-play videos. That was when her following really took off, Salmon said. She had five million subscribers at the beginning of Covid and 15 million by the end of the lockdowns, and has 23.7 million followers (with a running total of 23 billion views) today. Her game-play content regularly appears on the lists of top-watched Minecraft videos, and CatFace, headed by her husband, CEO Jason Bravura, now has 93 employees, up from 12 in 2018.
“We’re one of those channels that, unless you have a young girl, you don’t know it,” Salmon said. “They don’t get enough credit for building this from their garage, literally, into a multichannel platform with products in Target and Walmart.”
The Aphmau videos are a good fit with the world of middle-grade books. As a mother of four, “[Bravura] makes content her kids could watch,” said Salmon, who added, “A lot of game play is world-building. Going into graphic novels is a logical step because it’s also world-building.”
The graphic novel features the character of Aphmau, in a younger version than appears in the videos, going to a new school and meeting the characters from her world for the first time. “We can do things differently in graphic novels than in Minecraft,” Salmon said. “There’s a freedom in this that we embraced.”
“It’s really been a labor of love,” Linker said. “They’re taking it really seriously, and they’ve given feedback on every panel and every word. They want to make sure their first-ever book will be a great reading experience. They want kids to read and they want this to be what makes them read.”
“This is a brand that is very beloved by its audience, so we want to make sure we give them something they need and want and find valuable,” Salmon said.
The fans are enthusiastically awaiting the publication date. Aphmau’s announcement video for the book attracted more than 688,000 views, and 150 tickets for her meet-and-greet and signing at the Huntington Beach, Calif., Barnes & Noble on June 18 sold out in less than 48 hours.
Aphmau has inspired a range of licensed products, including a flagship collectible plush line with Bonkers Toys. The plush, and most of the merchandise, is based on the Meemeows, a fan-favorite group of cat characters that is front and center in licensed products and also appear in the book, albeit in a slightly different version than on screen. In the graphic novel, Aphmau looks to the Meemeows to make her feel calmer and more comfortable, much as her fans do with the plushies in real life.
Aphmau and the HarperPop team are currently focused on the initial title, but they are open to doing more graphic novels; expanding into other formats, from traditional novels to activity books; and creating books based on other CatFace properties. “The brand has 12 years of IPs we’ve created and built, and we’re still launching new series,” Salmon said. “There’s so much we could do, and we’re open to whatever the audience allows us to do.”
Candles, Jewelry, and Other Products Deepen Fans’ Enjoyment of Powerless
It is unusual that a YA book series, especially in the romantasy genre, lends itself to much licensed merchandise. But Lauren Roberts’s Powerless series is proving to be an exception to that rule. “She’s the real deal,” said Arlene Scanlan, managing partner at licensing agency Moxie & Co.
Scanlan’s business partner Tassie Anthony, a longtime romantasy fan, called her attention to the series two years ago. “She said this was the next Hunger Games and we should be looking into it. She was a visionary,” Scanlan said.
Roberts, now 22, started writing at age 16. She began self-publishing and gained a strong social media following, before signing with Simon & Schuster U.K. for the Powerless series. The first book, Powerless, came out in January 2023, followed by Reckless in July 2024. The two books had sold upward of six million copies by the time the third novel, Fearless, was released this April with a one-million-copy first printing. The franchise also includes a novella, Powerful, published in April 2024. A recent signing at the Union Square Barnes & Noble attracted 900 fans.
Licensed merchandise launched in April, timed to the release of Fearless. A big program at Books-A-Million featured a wide range of merchandise including journals from Insight Editions, vinyl figures from Funko, jewelry, candles, pins, and more. Barnes & Noble was also an early supporter. Unlike many other romantasy series, Powerless is focused on love and romance rather than edgier sexual content, and its audience ranges from 15 to 50.
“We go to retailers that are predisposed to appreciate who Lauren Roberts is and put programs together with them. We don’t have to sell them on it; they already know because these are bestsellers,” Scanlan said. “We collaborate about the categories and quality of products that work for this genre and then we bring companies that retailers have relationships with.”
The products’ look-and-feel is inspired by the blue, red, and pink of the forget-me-nots, poppies, and roses that appear on the novel covers; icons like flowers, leaves, crowns, and daggers; and character images from the books. An artist was hired to create a logo and expand the portfolio of images that licensees can use in merchandise.
Phrases from the books are also featured on the products. “The stories Lauren tells and the characters she has created are very inspirational, and the inspirational quotes are part of what makes the merchandise work,” Scanlan said. The categories included are meant to enhance the experience of reading the books. “The fans want to create a space in a cozy corner and be immersed in the moment and get away from everything. It’s also about gifting to a best friend or mom.”
Future product drops will be introduced in conjunction with new book releases, with the next drop timed to the publication of Roberts’s second Powerless novella in September. And more products will be added to the core categories over time. “We’re branching out from there, but we want to make sure we’re not rushing,” Scanlan said.
In Brief
Mattel and IDW are releasing a new series of comic books based on the 1990s TV and action figure property Street Sharks. Five issues debuting in September will continue the storyline of the animated series, which ran from 1994 through 1997.... Mattel is also introducing a four-issue miniseries, Masters of the Universe: The Sword of Flaws, from Dark Horse Comics.... Hidden Pigeon Company announced new licensing agreements with Cottage Door Press for its Luna Storytime Projector (featuring Unlimited Squirrels) and Tonies (adding Knuffle Bunny to its existing line of audio players). Other new licensees include Berkshire Fashions, Centric Brands, and Changes (apparel and accessories), CAMP (meet-and-greets), CreateOn and Playper (construction toys), First Stage (live events), Foco (Major League Baseball co-branded collectibles), Franco Manufacturing (home goods), Kansas City Royals (themed games and bobbleheads), and Party Kandy (party sets). Retail Monster is HPC’s global licensing agent.... Simon & Schuster and its agency Moxie & Co. licensed Amaxi Nutrition Products for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Oat Milk Plus and Bits & Bows for a collection of Eloise jewelry, hair accessories, handbags, and gift sets timed to the character’s 70th anniversary.... On the publishing side, Simon & Schuster is merging its Daniel Tiger and Donkey Hodie programs, both licensed by Fred Rogers Productions, for the first time. Donkey Hodie Meets Daniel Tiger, set for an August 26 release, is based on a crossover episode where Daniel Tiger pays a visit to Donkey Hodie. Both characters are descended from characters who resided in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe on the original Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.... MerryMakers is now representing the Escargot book series, written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by Sydney Hanson, for consumer products licensing.... Playtex Baby introduced a limited collection of Dr. Seuss Baby bottles, cups, and pacifiers, as well as a baby shower gift set, under license from Dr. Seuss Enterprises.
