When brands ignite: BRANDbabys step into the spotlight at BRANDmania

• Latest BRANDbaby: Barbie x Helene Fischer
• Festival for licensing, brands and collaborations from 24 to 25 June in Essen

Two brands, one business date and endless possibilities: for years, BRANDmania has been the setting for extraordinary collaborations that combine the best of both worlds. When brands’ DNA matches, so‑called BRANDbabys are born — creative projects that originate from meetings, conversations and ideas at the largest B2B networking festival for licences and collaborations. The latest success story is the BRANDbaby from Universal Music and Mattel, who celebrated the launch of “Barbie x Helene Fischer” at Tchibo. For the upcoming BRANDmania on 24 and 25 June at Zeche Zollverein in Essen, a dedicated special area will showcase successful brand partnerships for the first time.

Barbie meets Helene Fischer 

The newest BRANDbaby grew out of a partnership between Universal Music and Mattel. What began as initial talks at BRANDmania 2025 developed within months into a comprehensive, high‑profile collaboration combining Barbie and Helene Fischer. The partnership’s current highlight is the launch of the exclusive “Barbie x Helene Fischer” collection at Tchibo. The exclusive fan collection, developed jointly with Tchibo, includes fashion highlights such as T‑shirts, sweatshirts, nightwear, caps, accessories and lifestyle products for children and women. This BRANDbaby — involving Mattel, Universal Music and Tchibo — is a prime example of how first encounters at BRANDmania can grow into successful partnerships that emotionally enrich brand worlds and create cultural relevance.

Two brands, one BRANDbaby 

Whether limited editions, plush figures, school and leisure products, decorative cosmetics or fashion, BRANDbabys will have their own stage at the upcoming BRANDmania for the first time. Participants can admire concrete product examples from past creative collaborations at a large special area and draw inspiration from them. “That’s exactly why we do BRANDmania: to bring people, brands and ideas together. Our BRANDbabys are proof of what can happen when the chemistry is right, creative energy meets strong brands and a first meeting turns into a real collaboration — the proof of concept for our event,” says Katrin Störr, Head of BRANDmania. The following brand collaborations are included:

• Bavaria Media Licensing x Rewe
• CRAZE x Heunec
• ECM/RTLZWEI x FRANZIS
• Fanatics x DFB x Spreadshirt
• FRANZIS x BurdaVerlag
• Frechverlag x KIDDINX Media
• Germany’s Next Topmodel x Ardell Lashes
• Heunec x Heavysaurus
• KIDDINX Media x von.tz
• Mattel x Condor
• Mondelez x Bandai Namco Europe
• Natubini x Anouk
• Schmidt Spiele x gomazing
• Studio 100 International x Haba
• Tessloff x CRAZE
• Undercover x WildBrain CPLG
• Warner Bros. x Parfumlovers