Genius Brands International Inc (GNUS)

[tdeck]

Now we start on chapter two, one thing so many either ignore or do not know about is the third branding project taken up by Genius Brands right around the time Genius Brands was taking up LLama Llama there was a small apparel company Psycho Bunny trying to go about licesning and building its brand, wanting to step up to the next level, then the next.

Up until this year Psycho Bunny had really not taken off, and indeed it showed in Genius Brands licensing/royalites from the brand, then recently I noticed $168,352 in royalties received related to Psycho Bunny in Q1 2019 for the 2018 year. And I am like has that finally started paying well, why? Will it now start to pay off after all the hard work?

Well this past year it took that leap to the US with a pop up store here and there and then decided in late spring 2019 they opened the first of what hopefully will grow to 100's as this is where everyone wants to be the US market a full on brick and mortar luxury brand. Must have gone well besides opening another international store in Cullican Mexico

https://www.gnusbrands.com/news-media/press-releases?year=2015&page=5
October 23, 2014

Was it a risk, most certainly, for Psycho Bunny and for Genius Brands, it was a commitment that if it did work out, just like Llama Llama and Rainbow Rangers would not see the harvesting of the fruit for 4 years or more minimum, but, when it did there would be no stopping it.

Genius got to work and started doing their thing as the journey began.


Genius Brands International Signs Three New Licensees for Psycho Bunny, Expanding the Product Range for the Luxury Apparel Brand
Jan 8, 2015

Then the expansion of the Japanese line

Luxury Fashion Apparel and Lifestyle Brand Psycho Bunny Enters Licensing Agreement With ITOCHU in Japan to Develop Upscale Accessories Program
Apr 14, 2015


Then the first big move came.

https://www.gnusbrands.com/news-media/press-releases/detail/857/luxury-apparel-and-lifestyle-brand-psycho-bunny-to-launch
Luxury Apparel and Lifestyle Brand Psycho Bunny to Launch in Latin America
April 29, 2015


Then the begining of getting a larger footprint in North America was undertaken.

https://www.gnusbrands.com/news-media/press-releases/detail/871/genius-brands-international-expands-luxury-fashion-apparel
Genius Brands International Expands Luxury Fashion Apparel and Lifestyle Brand Psycho Bunny Throughout North America
Jul 28, 2015

Then the first store was tried overseas to see if/how it could work. Up to that point Psycho Bunny was an exlucives brand in specialty shops around the world in places like Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, London etc.

Genius Brands International and Neroli Open First Dedicated Psycho Bunny Retail Store in Panama City
November 30, 2015

Just after this launch of the first test store an interview was given as you can see by the video was quite the shor strong run operation in it's infancy with plastic shipping boxes in their offices etc, still taking those baby steps working on the end game.

PSYCHO BUNNY New York, What's Haute, Fashion One, March 10, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xwGXLQVAPs

The die was set and off they went, all while continuing to develop Llama Llama and Rainbow Rangers,etc. How it has unfolded to this point where they have in the last 4 months literally gone into overdrive. How a brand is built from a specialty niche market into a Billion dollar brand.

Psycho Bunny
The US brand launches across the UK, following its Harvey Nichols debut
15 March 2016
https://mixmag.net/read/psycho-bunny-fashion-news

A perfect match: Psycho Bunny offers refined English tailoring with bold American design
11th August 2016
https://www.luxurylifestylemag.co.uk/style-and-beauty/a-perfect-match-psycho-bunny-offers-refined-english-tailoring-with-bold-american-design/
Psycho Bunny Adds New Partners

PSYCHO BUNNY RIDE
Jun 30, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3FlDRlxFqA

Psycho bunny collaboration with james goldcrown to launch at Project
Feb 08, 2017
https://mr-mag.com/psycho-bunny-collaboration-with-james-goldcrown-to-launch-at-project/

Psycho Bunny @ROTHMANS
June 2, 2017
https://thegarnettereport.com/fashion/psycho-bunny/

Psycho Bunny Men Fashion Best Sellers // UK New & Popular 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQZfcJkNkck

The Psycho Bunny Story | Behind the Brand Episode 2 | Mainline Menswear
23,202 views Jun 7, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkOlycKC5Cw

Psycho Bunny Line Campaigns 2015-2018
http://www.liamgooley.com/

JoJo Pastors Brings Fun, Edgy, Witty Spin on Men's Summer Fashion with Psycho Bunny
Jun 29, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3pfJAK4Ec4

Psycho Bunny llego a Mexico - Donde comprar basicos para hombre
Nov 30, 2018 (New Store Mexico)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wukGafo-pZk

Psycho Bunny: How The Right Partnership Built a $20M Brand ($20 million in December 2018 things have changed kids, what a difference a year makes) Listen to what these fellows were doing still when signing on with Genius Brands when both were taking a risk them with Genius and Genius with them it is at 11 minute mark.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4KDQiDNtGs

March 19th 2019 another store in Cullican Mexico
La marca neoyorquina de moda masculina ?Psycho Bunny llega a nuevos estados de México, con su reciente desembarco en Sinaloa.
https://mx.fashionnetwork.com/news/Psycho-bunny-desembarca-en-culiacan,1073911.html

Psycho Bunny Opens First U.S. Retail Store in Miami
https://www.financialbuzz.com/psycho-bunny-opens-first-u-s-retail-store-in-miami-1206744/

Started as a pop up in Late November 2018 then opened as a brick and mortar in spring 2019.

https://twitter.com/psychoBunny/status/1089940588793868288

The pop up store won Gold for design, not that it matters but, shows they do things with style.
https://icsc.secure-platform.com/a/gallery/rounds/57/details/14991

The Year Ahead: Innovation and Collaboration with Psycho Bunny
Apr 19, 2019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDnm-5xA5V8

Well the first US store seemd to do well so lets just start rolling this thing out in November 2019 because the US market is when things really get cooking.

Psycho Bunny Adding Four Stores in U.S. This Fall
This includes the brand's first outlet store in Orlando, Fla.
By Jean E. Palmieri on November 11, 2019
https://www.pressreader.com/usa/wwd-digital-daily/20191112/281526522876970

Store #2
Psycho Bunny Continues Retail Expansion with Atlanta Opening
November 7, 2019
https://retailrestaurantfb.com/psycho-bunny-continues-retail-expansion-with-atlanta-opening/


Store #3
Psycho Bunny opens store at new ‘guitar’ hotel
November 22, 2019
https://insights.retailenvironments.org/2019/11/22/psycho-bunny-opens-new-location-at-seminole-hard-rock-hotel-casino/

Literally while the workmen were finishing up..................45 second mark in.
https://www.facebook.com/WPLGLocal10/videos/shopping-at-the-new-hard-rock/2615139355208927/

Store #4
December 13,2019 Las Vegas
https://essential.vegas/three-new-retailers-debut-exclusively-in-las-vegas-at-the-forum-shops-at-caesars-palace/

Store #5 December 14, 2019
Orlando International Premium Outlets® "Whats New"
https://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlet/orlando-international

New Store In Columbia in this recent Q

Psycho Bunny inaugura tienda en Cúcuta y continúa su expansión
New Store in Columbia
28 Nov 2019
https://www.modaes.com/empresa/psycho-bunny-a-por-mas-locales-en-colombia.html

Psycho Bunny Makes Screens Centerpieces Of Its Bricks And Mortar Stores
December 11, 2019 by Dave Haynes
https://www.sixteen-nine.net/2019/12/11/psycho-bunny-makes-screens-centerpieces-of-its-bricks-and-mortar-stores/

It is now becoming a blow up brand that everyone who is anyone is wearing from Dubai to Tokyo to New York

https://www.instagram.com/psychobunny/

https://psychobunny-blog.jp/brand/psycho-bunny

https://www.psychobunny.com/pages/men-of-mischief-gallery

https://footwearnews.com/2019/business/retail/back-to-school-news-sales-analysis-trends-1202805637/

Even my man Hodor from game of Thrones styling Psycho Bunny, it is turning into like a Ed Hardy kind of thing, with the "in" crowd "golf" crowd.

https://winteriscoming.net/2019/12/02/kristian-nairn-speaks-at-nmu-plus-more/


https://www.morningread.com/apparel/feature/2019-05-01/psycho-bunny-hops-into-golf

Remember Ed hardy apparel and accesories people got to where they were collecting it when it blew up, well its starting.

https://twitter.com/neak_1/status/1214585187956383745/photo/1

https://twitter.com/VanessaPascale/status/1217494696769003521

Recent article January 16, 2019
Cool article on Malls being refurbished into upscale destination places, has quote from Psycho Bunny about opening their first US store there, before only being online in US.

Until now 9 months later 5 stores and growing.

http://www.sanjuanweeklypr.com/pdf/Jan-16-20/business.pdf

Store in 2018 was actually just a pop up store open in Nov/Dec then closed for 3 1/2 months til reopening the store, store in April.

Blog post from store in Japan February lited edition jewelry being test marketed I believe from what I can gather.
https://psychobunny-blog.jp/brand/psycho-bunny/shop/psychobunny-shibuya/5b415f23-a47d-4887-9f0e-5d58649abf8a?categories%5B0%5D=RECENT+ENTRY&categories%5B1%5D=PICK+UP&title=

And............

From DXLG conference call Q&A with analysts
Harvey Kanter
Yes. So one other comment I just would tell you on that and hopefully you will, I don't know how long you have been shopping with us, but one of the important points is like Psycho Bunny is a perfect example where for Psycho Bunny which is one of our fashion brands, we will rotate through the tees and there is kind of a collector level of involvement, for lack of a better way to say, with our core consumer that comes in every four to eight weeks, looking for a new tee.

Has it taken a long time for Llama Llama, Psycho Bunny and Rainbow Rangers to start to blow up, yes, but CEO said all along it will take years, well the time has come to harvest. It won't be this one or that one it will be all three and Kindergarten Superhero we that is just the icing on the cake.

Next two chapters coming Rainbow Rangers and Kindergarten Superhero which the latter will not take years to blow up, that is going to debut interantionally with a full line of merchandise from the jump in 2020. Thta's what happens when you have the Governator involved and Alibaba partnered with you to take on China/Asia from the jump.

And let's hope to see snother 20-30 Psycho Bunny stores open in 2020 and the "in" crowd continue to make this an Ed Hardy type deal where Psycho Bunny is seen everywhere and collectors of their T-shorts etc abound. Looking forward to seeing what the royalties are for 2019 they were very very busy.