California-based Black Female Founder of Afro Unicorn® Expands her Brand into Canada

Afro Unicorn®, a fully-licensed character brand founded by trailblazing African American founder and CEO, April Showers, begins 2023 with a breakthrough year for
creativity and authentic representation. Shattering the glass ceiling, Ms. Showers is the first Black woman to own a fully-licensed character brand in major retail.

More than a brand, Afro Unicorn® is creating a movement: “Afro Unicorn signifies two ideas,” says Ms. Showers. “First, to empower and elevate emerging entrepreneurs.
Secondly, it’s an homage to Africa and a promise to amplify representation. We deliver a product that feels ‘true and right’ and normalizes Black beauty. By doing so, Afro
Unicorn uplifts women and children of colour with the confidence they need to embrace who they are – unique, divine, and magical.”

Building the brand from the ground up, Afro Unicorn® started in the e-commerce industry in 2019. At that time, the company was an organic, grassroots brand, and Ms.
Showers was pressing shirts and selling them through her eCommerce store, adding logos to T-shirts and bags at her customers’ requests.

Afro Unicorn® burst onto the scene when a video of a little girl wearing an Afro Unicorn® shirt went viral in August 2021. Soon after, Ms. Showers received an email
from Walmart with the subject, Afro Unicorn x Walmart collaboration, marking her debut with Walmart as one of the first Black women to enter the party supplies/celebration
category with Afro Unicorn® gaining prime shelf placement next to Marvel characters and Disney princesses.

In 2022, Afro Unicorn® hit the shelves of 3,800 Walmart stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico with party supplies and apparel. For the holidays, Afro Unicorn® launched a new gift-giving tradition with its Magic Afro Unicorn® Gift Box, encouraging acts of kindness. The conscious brand also debuted an original EP featuring Grammy Award
Winning Anthony Hamilton, Lara D, Brooklyn Marie, and executive produced by producer Askia Fountain, Afro Unicorn®’s GM.

2023 promises to be a Jordan Year for Afro Unicorn® with a major presence at seven of the world’s top retail stores, including Walmart, Target, HomeGoods, Kohls,
JCPenney, Amazon, and NovaKids. This next phase sees Afro Unicorn® launching into Walmart Canada.

The brand will skyrocket onto the scene with 25+ categories, from apparel and accessories to toys, puzzles, books, bedding, bandages, backpacks, collectibles, and
more. With 45+ licensee partners worldwide, Afro Unicorn® is the “blueprint” to empower and inspire entrepreneurs to enter the licensing space.

Children will soon be able to live and play in a world of Afro Unicorn® with plushies, collectibles, games, puzzles, books, playsets, ride-ons, outdoor play, and live animation
in the works. A new line of original Afro Unicorn® books under the Random House Books for Young Readers imprint will be released in Fall 2023, featuring three Afro
Unicorn® characters by name across all Afro Unicorn® products.