Publisher clinches licensed jigsaw deal with Ravensburger
Crumble & Core has continued its expansion into licensed merchandise, having signed a deal with Ravensburger to translate its greeting card designs on jigsaw puzzles.
The first jigsaw is called Secret Garden and features a bespoke image of an English cottage created by Crumble & Core’s resident artist and director Jilly Mercer.
The deal comes hot on the heels of the publisher’s mugs range with McLaggan + Co and expansion into the US market through Pavilion Gifts, with the licensing activity following on from Crumble & Core appointing Lightbulb Licensing, run by Susan Bolsover, as its licensing agent.
“My work has always looked to capture quintessentially British imagery,” watercolourist Jilly said, “and there’s none more iconic than the countryside cottage and garden. Having the opportunity to create a bespoke scene that jigsaw enthusiasts would find challenging but enjoyable was a new way for me to think about my work.”
Sindy Randall, senior product manager at Ravensburger UK, is responsible for the company’s artist selection and puzzle development, and she explained that cottages and country gardens are ever-popular themes among the company’s customers, adding: “I was particularly drawn to the design style of Crumble & Core with their ability to tell a story through imagery. This is captured perfectly in the company’s first jigsaw image with its slightly opened door inviting puzzlers’ curiosity in imagining what lies beyond.”
Secret Garden will be released as a 1,000-piece puzzle and hits retailers worldwide this month as one of the first designs to be rolled out in Ravensburger’s new-look packaging which part of the its ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Based in East Sussex, Crumble & Core is run by Jilly and her pal Lucy Rigby and her sister-in-law Louise Pike and, as well as the watercolour designs, they offer sterling silver jewellery cards – which have just been shortlisted in the 2024 Henries Awards Best 3D, Handmade Or Hand-finished Range –along with scented candles, giftwrap, stationery and prints.
The business is also the official supplier for personalised greeting card and jewellery products to the Scottish national football team.
