Book relaunch to give Dahl characters new lease of life

Children’s favourites Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and The Twits are among the Roald Dahl characters about to have new life breathed into them.

The classic novels are being extended into new product lines for the first time as part of a marketing push.

Publisher Puffin is relaunching the books this spring, with new cover designs by Quentin Blake. The relaunch will be supported by a TV advertising campaign created by Mustoe Merriman Herring Levy. It will run throughout April on GMTV with the strapline “Good children never, ever read Roald Dahl”.

A range of stationery, including writing sets, notebooks and gift boxes will also be launched in the summer/autumn. The items will be available in department stores, gift shops and stationery retailers.

The range, which design company The Nest helped to create alongside Blake, is produced by the Robert Frederick Group.

Negotiations are also under way to create a range of board games and puzzles based on the books. Calendars and diaries for 2002 will be produced under the World of Roald Dahl moniker.

A Roald Dahl website has been launched featuring the voice of his granddaughter, Sophie Dahl, with John Cleese, Danny De Vito and Rhea Perlman lined up to contribute.