To break into the children’s oral care market, Ordo knew its toothbrushes had to have a character or design that kids recognized, said Marketing Director Emma Harnett.

But to do that, Ordo — which launched in the U.K. in 2019 — needed to land a top licensing agreement.

Large, established brands, including Philips and Oral-B, dominate the electric toothbrush category. To break into the adult U.S. market, Ordo decided to lead with its children’s product line to attract kids with a character.

“To drive brand awareness takes a lot of dollars,” Harnett said. “Being able to work with a franchise and a licensed partner that already has that weight behind it in terms of its fandom and its pool of people who are engaged, has been a great thing for us as a brand to collaborate and work with.”

The Licensing Door Opens

Ordo’s first foray was a license with Squishmallows. Founder Barty Walsh reached out to toy brand Jazwares in a cold LinkedIn pitch to begin the partnership. This door opened — although many did not during the brand’s beginning days, Harnett said.

The Squishmallow toothbrush announced Ordo had arrived in the U.S., and it was ready to be on retail shelves and on the bathroom sink.

The top of the brush has a Squishmallows figure that entices children to reach and grab. This is a key element for a children’s toothbrush, Harnett said.

“We know from the research that a key component of breaking through those bushing battles is the kids having a brush that they want to use,” Harnett said.

The brand started with a skinny sales tower in CVS stores for holiday 2024 to prove sales demand, which it did. In March 2025 CVS upgraded its displays and by September 2025, CVS carried its products normally on the shelf.

This case study of sell-through in CVS opened the doors for Ordo to sell at Target and Walgreens. The Squishmallows toothbrushes continue to drive sales for the brand, Harnett said. In the last 12 weeks ending in June, Squishmallow brushes drove $1.6 million in sales, which was a 28% increase from the previous 12 weeks.

From Squishmallows to Wicked

Not only did this open the door for more retailers, Ordo could now prove to other companies that it could handle a big account and build sales, Harnett said. That, plus a lot of persistence and tenacity, Ordo landed a license with Universal for a Wicked product line, which launched in September 2025.

This was huge, not only because of the wide brand recognition, but it also unlocked an older audience for Ordo of tweens and even adults, Harnett said. While there are many toothbrushes that cater to children, and plenty of children’s licenses to be had, there were not as many that catered to tweens, she said.

“The licensed partners that we pick are considered to make sure that we’re engaging kids of a variety of ages, and we’re always mindful that interests evolve with age and with time,” she said.

Wicked brush sales were great, she said, especially because the product launch coincided with the movie release.

“You can take something that they love like Wicked and you can put it into a toothbrush and everyone’s like, ‘This is genius. This is amazing. This is the best thing I’ve seen,’” Harnett said. “The fans went crazy for it. It sold out within 48 hours on our website, our Wicked Sonic Light Range.”

Ordo’s Latest License is Minions

The successful Wicked product has led Ordo to its most recent license, again with Universal, but this time with Minions. The product launched in June, and in the first two weeks, shoppers bought 7,000 units of the Minions brushes at Target, she said.

Minions has great brand awareness with children, including older children, Harnett said. Ordo is excited to have this particular license and how it will continue to fuel the brand’s growth.

“When we considered our product portfolio, it’s making sure that we continue on that journey of engaging more kids into these better habits,” Harnett said. “Squishmallows has been brilliant, but to really tap into all kids and make it more accessible to more kids, adding more characters into the range is going to be a component of that.”

Again, the toothbrush launch came just a month ahead of the movie premier in July. This helps the brush piggyback on the hype.

Ordo Aims to Build a Community for Parents

Overall, Ordo’s strategy is working, as 85% of Ordo’s U.S. sales are from children’s products, while in the U.K., children’s products are about 50-60% of sales. This breakdown is fine as it is helping the brand establish itself in the U.S., with the goal of parents purchasing its adult products after being exposed to its children’s products.

Recently, Ordo changed its U.S. social media accounts to focus exclusively on children’s products. Instead of showcasing a mix of products, Ordo is working to grow a community of parents. While there is overlap, the marketing team decided it was better to focus its storytelling in one lane, Harnett said.

“The whole tone of voice with kids is one of non-judgment,” she said. “We hear you, we see you parents. We know that you’re finding this difficult, and here’s a great dentist-approved solution for you.”

In addition, the brand is working with influencers to provide tips and education about children’s oral care. Plus, it has charity partnerships, such as America’s ToothFairy, to provide resources to underprivileged children and educate consumers on healthy oral hygiene for kids.