An Experience Steeped in Tradition

Afternoon teas got their start in the mid-19th century and have become a classic British custom, popular both with visitors, as a unique experience to remember from their trip, and with some local U.K. residents, as an occasional indulgence. The practice is also established in other countries, especially in Asia. 

Licensed versions of these experiences have been growing in popularity for some time, especially since 2019. The initiatives tend to involve character/entertainment IPs, often with U.K. roots; feature luxury hotels and their cafés as hosts of the events; last for a limited time; and take place in the U.K. or Asia. It should be noted that it is not uncommon for licensors and their partners to step outside of this formula, however, as some of these examples from the past couple of years demonstrate: 

• Donpen and Donko, the penguin mascots of Don Quijote (also known as Donki), the largest discount retail chain in Japan, are starring this summer in an afternoon tea at Hotel Indigo Tokyo Shibuya’s Gallery 11 restaurant. Among other elements, sweet desserts in unique flavors are served on mini-skateboards. In Japan, mascots representing towns or corporations such as the Don Quijote Group—which operates 630 stores worldwide, including across Asia and in Hawaii—often spur licensed merchandise and other collaborative activities. 

• Sanrio paired with Best Bridal, a wedding planning service and operator of wedding venues and hotels in Japan, and sister brand Best-Anniversary, for afternoon teas to be held in seven venues across the country during July and August of this year. The wedding-themed events will depict Hello Kitty as a royal princess and will include plenty of photo opps. The sweet and savory treats will capture the theme, coming in shapes such as ring boxes or princess-bride Hello Kittys, or accessorized with tiaras, for example. Hello Kitty has been featured in other afternoon tea experiences around the world, including one at the Hello Kitty Grand Café in Irvine, California. 

• Swizzels, represented for licensing by Blonde Sheep, paired with Brigit’s Bakery to create a 90-minute sightseeing bus tour combined with an afternoon tea tied to the licensor’s heart-shaped Love Hearts candies (similar to Sweethearts in the U.S.). The experience celebrated love and friendship and took place throughout February and March of this year, a period that included both Valentine’s Day and U.K. Mother’s Day. Brigit’s, which serves afternoon tea in its Covent Garden café, also offers a variety of other themed sightseeing-and-afternoon-tea bus tours. Examples include a Paw Patrol tour (with Paramount and Spin Master), coming up in July 2025, as well as past initiatives ranging from Paddington (with The Copyrights Group) in late 2022 to Hello Kitty (with Sanrio) in 2020. 

• Peter Pan, licensed by and supporting the work of the Great Ormond Street Hospital’s children’s charity, is at the center of an afternoon tea that launched in November 2024 at the Aqua Shard restaurant on the 31st floor of the Shard, the Southwark, London, skyscraper, and is still ongoing. Treats for children and adults range from sandwiches and sweets inspired by the story, served on a pirate ship tea stand, to custom teas, punches, cocktails, and champagne. The experience also features views of London from above. 

• Moomin Characters joined with the EL&N Café at Selfridges department store for a Moomin-themed tea for two weeks just before Christmas 2024. The treats ranged from character-inspired sweets like a mini Moominhouse, as well as in-world menu items including mini versions of Moominmamma’s pancakes. The table settings featured pieces from Fiskars Group’s Moomin Arabia ceramics line, marketed by the licensee since the 1950s. 

• The Roald Dahl Story Company, owned by Netflix, worked with the London Marriott County Hall hotel, near the London Eye, for a tea centered on The Twits, for a limited time starting in August 2024. The foods took a Twits twist with items such as Wormy Spaghetti, Maggoty Green Cheese and Mouldy Conflakes, and Trick or Twits scones in buttermilk or the polarizing flavor of Marmite; visitors didn’t know which one they got until they tasted it. These and other options were listed on a menu incorporating drawings by Twits illustrator Quentin Blake. 

• Netflix and Shondaland partnered with The Lanesborough hotel in London for a Bridgerton tea service in summer 2024, just after the conclusion of the two parts of season three of the series. The pastries and finger sandwiches were inspired by characters in the latest season of the show. The hotel, near Buckingham Palace, was built during the Regency Period, which is the era during which Bridgerton takes place, and is known for its rotating series of themed afternoon teas. 

• Penguin Ventures, which oversees licensing for many classic British literary characters, has been a leading player in the afternoon tea space. For example, in March 2024 it worked with The Peninsula London for a Peter Rabbit-themed afternoon tea featuring treats, from Battenburg cake with raspberries to rhubarb chutney sandwiches, as well as springtime-themed décor, giveaway coloring books, and kids’ activities and stay experiences. It also collaborated with JW Marriott Grosvenor House for a tea based on The World of the Snowman from mid-November 2023 through early January 2024, coinciding with a stage show based on the property that was running at the Sadler’s Wells theater. And it paired with Grosvenor House for a Flower Fairies tea in spring and summer 2023; the five pastries and an amuse-bouche, as well as the décor, were inspired by the 170 floral illustrations in the books.  

• The National Gallery, London, and its Asian agent ARTiSTORY paired with Anti:dote, the cocktail bar at the Fairmont Singapore hotel, for a Van Gogh-themed afternoon tea, the first in a series of four art-themed teas, for the month of March 2023. The treats, as well as the décor, were inspired by Van Gogh’s painting “Sunflowers” and were accompanied by a custom cocktail or mocktail. 

• Spin Master collaborated with pastry chef Anna Polyviou and The Langham hotel in Sydney, Australia, for a PAW Patrol-themed afternoon tea to mark the property’s 10th anniversary, as well as the release of PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, in 2023. The menu items, both savory and sweet, were based on characters from the show and the film. 

For more examples of licensed afternoon teas from a bit further in the past, see the last story we posted on this topic, in July 2021, which includes initiatives highlighting classic books, kawaii properties, and Disney IPs, and notes the participation of artists and fashion designers as well.