Intrepid announced today that it served as the exclusive financial advisor to Cloudco Entertainment, owner of The Care Bears among other iconic intellectual property, on its acquisition by IVEST Consumer Partners.
Cloudco’s Rich 40-Year History
Originally launched by the Weiss family in 1981 as a division of American Greetings called Those Characters from Cleveland, Cloudco has a deep history in creating and managing over 30 renowned children’s brands like The Care Bears, Holly Hobbie, Madballs, and Pretty Freekin Scary. After American Greetings sold to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in 2018, TCFC was spun out as a standalone business, renamed Cloudco Entertainment, and refocused exclusively on its commitment to enriching its 40-year heritage with iconic IP.
The Next Chapter
After a successful relaunch of The Care Bears in 2019, and subsequent success with other IP such as Holly Hobbie, Madballs, Boy Girl Dog Cat Mouse Cheese, Buddy Thunderstruck, and others, Cloudco is aptly positioned to continue its success developing and revitalizing IP for toy, apparel, and accessories licensing, as well as TV and film. The management team at Cloudco is ready for a new owner who can help us build upon the success we have already had with our IP and continue to serve our licensees, streaming partners, and co-production partners even better than before.
IVEST’s Thesis on IP Licensing
In IVEST, Cloudco found a growth-oriented investor perfectly aligned with Cloudco’s 360 degree IP strategy to develop iconic properties that resonate as both consumer products and for content audiences. IVEST’s experience working IP licensing companies was unmatched among other investors in Intrepid’s process.
Why This Deal Matters
- Tremendous scarcity of trophy children’s IP assets as the overall industry has consolidated
- As audiences continue to demand new original content, streaming platforms look to existing IP to develop new TV and film
- Children’s content attracts the most sought after audience for streaming platforms and traditional broadcasters alike due to the stickiness of the viewers
- Rise of collectibles among adults has created a new category of consumer that is a rapidly growing part of the market driving success in both content and consumer products
- Strong momentum with iconic nostalgic IP like Barbie, Sonic, and others provides ample tailwinds behind the upcoming Care Bears feature film
The Bottom Line
Amidst a challenging M&A market for consumer products and entertainment companies, iconic IP houses remain highly sought targets for financial and strategic buyers. Intrepid continues to focus on working with companies across the consumer products and entertainment landscapes who show a strong differentiation and competitive advantage. Intrepid ran a disciplined process with potential buyers to find the best partner to expand the business, ultimately resulting in an exceptional outcome for the Weiss family and the Cloudco management team as a result of our team’s creativity and thoughtfulness throughout the deal.