Duchess’ Business Ready to Take Off

Mickey Mouse, make room for Budgie the Little Helicopter.

The character created by Britain’s Duchess of York--better known as Fergie--will appear in comic books and an animated series.

The company marketing the character doesn’t believe that the Duchess’ separation from Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, will affect sales.

“We believe Budgie is set to become the children’s classic over the coming years,” said Vivien Schrager-Powell, joint managing director of Sleepy Kids.

Sleepy Kids, which earlier this year acquired the rights to animate and merchandise the Duchess’ Budgie stories, said it signed licensing agreements to reproduce Budgie as a die-cast metal toy, a comic book and a coloring book, a children’s coin-operated mechanical ride and a decoration on socks.

The Duchess’ four books about Budgie have sold “hundreds of thousands” of copies worldwide, Schrager-Powell said.