Smiffys are pleased to announce that The World of Eric Carle™ has joined their licensing portfolio in a deal with Penguin Ventures, who manage the licensing and consumer products rights in the UK & IRE. This partnership brings Smiffys industry expertise and The World of Eric Carle’s iconic characters, which include everyone’s favourite caterpillar, together to launch a collection of costumes, accessories and partyware coming in Spring 2026.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ has been a staple in households for generations, with a copy of the award-winning classic children’s book selling somewhere in the world every 15 seconds!
“We’re excited to have this heritage brand in Smiffys children’s licensed collection - The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s bold, colourful illustrations translate perfectly into costume.” Dominique Peckett – Director, Smiffys.
Zoe Smith, Senior Licensing Manager at Penguin Ventures said: “The Very Hungry CaterpillarTM is one of the best loved and iconic children’s books of all time. Role play & celebration are cornerstones of the brand story and we are delighted to be working with Smiffys on these exciting new ranges that bring Eric Carle’s much-loved story books to life."
Smiffys are developing a range of character costumes and accessories, ideal for at home play and World Book Day, along with co-ordinating partyware ranges, The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ collection is perfect for birthday and baby shower celebrations.
The collection will be available to order in the UK & Ireland later this year.
For more information on Smiffys new range or bespoke product opportunities, get in touch with the Smiffys team at: sales@smiffys.com or visit: smiffystrade.com
About Smiffys
Smiffys are a leading global supplier of fancy-dress costumes, wigs, accessories and make-up. Their catalogue contains over 5,000 party, Halloween, Carnival and officially licensed products. Smiffys are renowned for providing quality, innovative and fun designs for their customers who love to stand out from the crowd and celebrate in style with a sense of humor. They are proud to design all their costumes and accessories “in-house” in the UK.
About The World of Eric Carle
The World of Eric Carle™ is a design-driven licensing and merchandising program based on the beloved picture books by Eric Carle. A prolific author and artist, Eric Carle has written and illustrated more than seventy books which have sold over 175 million copies worldwide. Like his books, The World of Eric Carle brand draws upon Eric Carle’s approach to creativity, discovery, play and development. Licensing and merchandising programs are ongoing in the US, Japan, China, UK, Australia, and Europe. For more information, please visit: https://eric-carle.com/ @worldericcarle
About Penguin Ventures
We’re off the page and on an adventure.
Penguin Ventures is the licensing and consumer products division of Penguin Random House Children’s UK. We manage and exploit our portfolio of iconic literary brands and characters: PETER RABBIT™; THE SNOWMAN™; THE WORLD OF ERIC CARLE™; FUN WITH SPOT™; FLOWER FAIRIES™ and Tom Fletcher’s WHO’S IN YOUR BOOK?, we find new ways to tell the world's favourite stories.
Working with best-in-class partners in licensing, retail, promotions, theatrical, exhibitions; at location-based experiences; and across the digital landscape, we take our beloved characters off the page and on new adventures. For more information visit www.penguinventures.co.uk TM & © 2025 Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.