Puma backtrack after row over Teletubbies name
Sportswear brand Puma has had to revise plans to brand a new “fun” footwear range La-La because the production company behind the hit TV show The Teletubbies owns the rights to the name Laa-Laa, one of the characters in the programme.
Production company Ragdoll owns the rights in connection with the names of the four characters in The Teletubbies – Laa-Laa, Dipsy, Tinky Winky and Po. Instead, Puma plans to call the new lifestyle range “New Collection”, but will incorporate La La into individual products names, such as Tra La La and Spa La La. The New Collection range will be introduced into the market through Footlocker stores in November and rolled out nationally in January next year.
The shoes will be priced from &£40 and be aimed at the younger section of the market.
Puma European marketing director Paul Gaultier says: “The New Collection will be marketed as a fun and a functional brand. It is all about not taking sports too seriously, not about being aggressive or only about winning. Puma intends to bring fun to the market with this launch.”
The launch will be supported by a press and poster campaign, created by Puma’s US-based advertising agency, Gyro.
In June, the company launched a paraffin-based clothing range, called Eclipse Gilet. The range is designed to regulate body temperature for outdoor activity. The clothing will form part of Puma’s Lateral Collection, which includes clothing and shoes for extreme sports (MW June 21).
