Pusheen

What Pusheen does

Pusheen Corp. is a privately held character-IP and licensing company founded in 2010 in Park Ridge, Illinois, by Claire Belton (Creator/Founder) and Andrew Duff (Co-Founder). The company owns and operates the Pusheen cartoon cat brand, which originated as a series of web comics on Tumblr and has since expanded into a globally licensed entertainment and merchandise franchise. The IP now encompasses a cast of supporting characters (Stormy, Pip, Sloth, Cheek, Bo), an extensive library of comics and animated GIFs (estimated 20+ billion cumulative shares across social platforms), and licensed Facebook/Instagram/iMessage/LINE stickers reaching over one billion users. The company operates with 11-50 employees and is independently owned with no disclosed institutional capital or parent company.

Pusheen Corp.'s business model is anchored in a licensing-royalty engine built around 100+ global licensees producing plush toys, apparel, accessories, home goods, stationery, and collectibles distributed in more than 60 countries. Direct-to-consumer revenue is generated through a Shopify-powered Pusheen Shop (shop.pusheen.com), a quarterly Pusheen Box subscription, and publishing royalties from books issued with Simon & Schuster (including titles translated into 12+ languages). The GTM motion is channel-driven: organic social content (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter/X, Pinterest, Tumblr) feeds top-of-funnel awareness, while licensing partners and major retailers (Amazon, Hot Topic, Target, Urban Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, H&M, Boots, Primark, Kiddy Land) handle distribution. The company's proprietary technology stack is light—Shopify for commerce, Google Analytics for traffic measurement, Mailchimp for email automation—with the IP itself and its organic social footprint functioning as the primary competitive asset.

The customer base is horizontal, spanning fans, collectors, cat lovers, and gift purchasers, with a secondary B2B segment of 100+ licensees and retail partners. Strategic emphasis has shifted toward IP extension through cross-brand collaborations (Funko vinyl figures since 2019, Hatsune Miku in 2022, Hello Kitty in 2021, Pretty Cool Ice Cream in 2020), multimedia content (sustained YouTube releases from 2021 through March 2024), and recurring-revenue formats (Pusheen Box subscription). No revenue figures, funding rounds, M&A activity, or regulatory actions are disclosed in the available data, limiting financial visibility into the franchise.

Name

Pusheen

Legal name

Pusheen Corp.

Website

https://pusheen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pusheen Corp. is a privately held character-IP and licensing company that owns the Pusheen cartoon cat franchise, monetizing the IP through 100+ global licensees producing merchandise in 60+ countries, plus direct e-commerce, a quarterly subscription box, and Simon & Schuster book publishing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Character Licensing and Digital Content

NAICS

Public Relations Agencies (541820), Media Buying Agencies (541830)

SIC

Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPACAFAB

Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Digital Media & Content Platforms (Online Video, Podcasts, Creators)/Creator Monetization & Fan Membership Platforms

Keywords

• Character licensing
• Licensed merchandise
• Digital comics
• Animated stickers
• Subscription box

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Licensing Royalties: Pusheen Corp. generates primary revenue through licensing agreements with over 100 global licensees who produce Pusheen-branded merchandise including plush toys, apparel, accessories, home goods, stationery, and collectibles. Merchandise is distributed in more than 60 countries.
2. Direct E-commerce Sales: Direct-to-consumer sales through Pusheen Shop (shop.pusheen.com), a Shopify-powered e-commerce storefront selling official Pusheen merchandise, books, and exclusive products.
3. Publishing Royalties: Revenue from published books including 'I Am Pusheen the Cat' (Simon & Schuster, 2013, translated into 12+ languages), 'The Many Lives of Pusheen', and 'Pusheen the Cat's Guide to Everything'.
4. Subscription Box: Pusheen Box is a quarterly subscription box delivering exclusive Pusheen merchandise and vinyl figures directly to consumers.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Pusheen Corp. is a character IP and digital content company built around the Pusheen cartoon cat, created by Claire Belton and Andrew Duff in 2010. The company monetizes the IP primarily through licensing agreements with over 100 global licensees producing plush toys, apparel, accessories, home goods, and stationery distributed in more than 60 countries, alongside a direct-to-consumer e-commerce shop (Pusheen Shop), a quarterly subscription box (Pusheen Box), and published books. Pusheen also produces original comics, GIFs, animated videos, and licensed chat stickers distributed across Facebook, Instagram, iMessage, and LINE.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pusheen Shop
• Pusheen Box Subscription Box
• I Am Pusheen the Cat (Book)
• Let's Bake: A Pusheen Cookbook
• Pusheen the Cat's Guide to Everything
• Pusheen x Funko Pop! Vinyl Figures
• Pusheen Character Licensing Program
• Pusheen Animated Chat Stickers

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ billion GIFs and images shared across social media platforms since creation in 2010
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Hatsune MikuminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2022Pusheen collaborated with virtual singer Hatsune Miku to create exclusive LINE stickers featuring both characters (24 original animated illustrations). Exclusive merchandise was made available at FYE, Hot Topic, and Pusheen Shop. The collaboration was promoted on social media with hashtags #MikuWorldCollab and #HatsuneMikuXPusheen.
• Pretty Cool Ice CreamminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2020Pusheen collaborated with Chicago-based Pretty Cool Ice Cream to create exclusive Pusheen-inspired ice cream popsicles. Three flavors were created: Pusheen's Marshmallow Cat Nap, Pusheenicorn Party, and Pusheen's Matcha Sea-crets. A portion of proceeds from the collaboration was donated to Black and Pink (an LGBTQ+ prisoner advocacy organization).
• FunkocoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 29 April 2019Pusheen partnered with Funko to create a series of Pusheen x Funko Pop! vinyl figures. The collection includes classic Pusheen, Dragonsheen, Mermaid Pusheen, Pusheenicorn, Super Pusheenicorn, and Pusheenosaurus figures. Exclusive variants are available at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Hot Topic, and Funko's online store.
• FacebookcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2013In 2013, licensed Pusheen images were made available as emoji-style chat stickers to over one billion Facebook users, launching the character into 'super stardom overnight'. The stickers remain available on Facebook and Instagram platforms.
• 100+ Global LicenseescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Pusheen Corp. works with over 100 licensees globally to produce Pusheen-branded merchandise across various product categories. These licensees distribute products in more than 60 countries worldwide.
• Simon & SchustercoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2010In 2013, Simon & Schuster published the comic compilation 'I am Pusheen the Cat', which has since been translated into more than 12 languages. Additional books including 'The Many Lives of Pusheen' and 'Pusheen the Cat's Guide to Everything' have been published.
• Black and PinkminorOthersLGBTQ+ prisoner advocacy organization that received a portion of proceeds from the Pusheen x Pretty Cool Ice Cream collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Funko: Funko produces Pop! vinyl figures and licensed collectibles across hundreds of character IPs and is both a Pusheen licensing partner and a directly comparable character-to-product licensing business. Comparable in translating character IP into mass-market physical merchandise, though at a much larger scale.
• Kidrobot: Kidrobot creates, produces, and licenses designer art toys and character collectibles, including collaborations with independent artists and IP brands. It is comparable to Pusheen in translating character art IP into vinyl figures, plush, and collectibles through artist-led licensing partnerships.
• Smoko: Smoko is a London-based character and lifestyle brand (famous for its Pusheen-like smiling food/character designs) selling directly and through licensed retail. It is comparable to Pusheen as a small, design-led cute character brand monetized through licensing, own-store retail, and lifestyle merchandise.
• Sanrio: Sanrio owns and licenses Hello Kitty and a portfolio of cute/kawaii character IPs (Gudetama, Cinnamoroll, My Melody) globally. Pusheen and Sanrio have even co-branded (Hello Kitty x Pusheen), and they share the same business model: character IP creation, global licensing, and direct merchandise.
• Cinnamoroll / Sanrio (sub-brand): Cinnamoroll is one of Sanrio's flagship cute-character IPs, with a comparable kawaii aesthetic, sticker distribution, plush-toy licensing, and global retail presence to Pusheen. The two brands compete for the same category of cute-character consumer.
• LINE Friends: LINE Friends creates and licenses original character IPs (Brown, Cony, Sally) with a strong base in messaging/sticker distribution and global retail stores. It is highly comparable to Pusheen because it monetizes the same combination of stickers, licensed merchandise, cafés, and direct-to-consumer product.
• Miffy (Mercis / Nijntje): Miffy is a Dick Bruna-created character IP licensed globally across plush, apparel, home goods, and publishing, with a similarly minimalist, design-led aesthetic. It is comparable to Pusheen as a single-character licensed brand with strong international retail and merchandise presence.
• Tokidoki: Tokidoki is a designer character brand founded by Simone Legno that licenses its original characters across apparel, accessories, beauty, and collectibles. It is closely comparable to Pusheen as a small-team, artist-founded character IP business with a similar cute/aesthetic-driven licensing model.

Broad incumbents

• Disney Consumer Products: Disney's consumer products division is the largest character IP licensor globally (Mickey, Disney Princess, Marvel, Star Wars). It is comparable to Pusheen as a character-licensing platform, but operates at vastly greater scale and across a much broader IP portfolio rather than a single character niche.
• Mattel: Mattel designs, produces, and licenses character-based toys and merchandise (Barbie, Hot Wheels, American Girl, and licensed Disney/sanrio partnerships). It is comparable as a character-IP and licensed merchandise business, but competes in toys rather than the soft-goods and sticker-driven categories where Pusheen is strongest.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Pusheen
• YouTubeyoutube.com/pusheenthecat
• Facebookfacebook.com/Pusheen
• Instagraminstagram.com/pusheen
• Pinterestpinterest.com/pusheen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pusheen