Afro Unicorn continues to blaze a trail
Further expanding the Afro Unicorn® program and perfectly timed with Women’s History Month, founder and African American trailblazer April Showers has announced a new global licensing partner, Magical Beauty, LLC., for the empowerment-led brand with the mission to positively uplift and impact women and children of color.
Ms. Showers, founder and CEO of Afro Unicorn, stated: “We are thrilled to add Magical Beauty, our first black-owned global licensing partner, as our newest licensee to offer our fans a whimsical experience in hair care. I am extremely proud of what Afro Unicorn has achieved in less than four years, and I am incredibly grateful for the tremendous amount of support we have received from our licensing and retailer partners, the media, and a whole host of influencers that have shared our story.”
A global leader in multicultural consumer products dedicated to expanding the reach of Black-owned businesses around the world through unique innovation and rapid retail expansion, Magical Beauty is creating a new line of unique hair care and styling products for kids (ages 2 – 12), ‘Afro Unicorn Magical Tresses,’ to debut in the U.S. at Walmart and CVS stores in fall 2023 and roll out internationally in early 2024, as well as via e-commerce. The collection aims to celebrate a child’s unique curl pattern with a product line created for all textures and tresses, as well as designed to be kid-friendly and mom-approved.
“We’re thrilled to team up with April and the Afro Unicorn franchise to bring Magical Unicorn’s devotees an exciting, new way to care and style their hair furthering the brand’s position as a part of their ‘get-up-and-go’ daily routine,” commented the Magical Beauty Executive Leadership Team.
Magical Beauty joins a rapidly growing roster of over 45 licensing partners worldwide, including Just Play (master toy), Random House and Bendon (publishing), American Greetings (greeting cards), Disguise (costumes), H.E.R. Accessories (accessories), Jay Franco (bedding), MAD Engine (apparel), Unique (party supplies), Handcraft (underwear), Komar (sleepwear), DanDee (plush), and many more.
Since introducing Afro Unicorn apparel and accessories in 2019 through an e-commerce strategy, Ms. Showers became the first Black woman to own a fully licensed character brand in major retail with the brand’s debut in over 3,800 Walmart stores. This year, Afro Unicorn’s retail presence expanded to seven of the world’s top retail stores, including Walmart (U.S. and Canada), Target, HomeGoods, Kohls, JCPenney, Amazon, and NovaKids, with a diverse product range boasting over 25 categories, including publishing, games & puzzles, apparel, accessories, activities, seasonal, outdoor play, and more.
A new line of original Afro Unicorn books under the Random House Books for Young Readers imprint will be released widely in fall 2023. Toys from Just Play will launch in 2024.
Additionally, L.A.-based studio Pure Imagination has teamed up with Afro Unicorn to develop and produce a broad range of content for broadcast, digital, theatrical, and gaming, starting with an animated show for kids (ages 5 – 8) centered around three Afro Unicorns Unique, Divine, and Magical, all with distinct personalities.