royaltie$, june 2013
DESCRIPTION
Royaltie$ is a monthly magazine highlighting the hottest trends in the licensing industry.TRANSCRIPT
LICENSE TO SHELL!
US licensing and retail information contact:[email protected]
International licensing information contact:[email protected]
CONTACT
1 NMR, most current, 2012 (12/26/11-12/30/12) and 2013 (12/31/12-4/28/13), minimum 4 telecasts2 For 1Q 2013; Source: NPD US Tracking Service 1Q 2013
©2013 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.
• #1 NEW BOY SERIES ON TV WITH B2-11 IN 2012 AND 2013 YTD1
• #2 NEW ACTION FIGURE PROPERTY2
• NEW TV CONTENT COMMITTED THROUGH 2015
• MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM PARAMOUNT ANDEXECUTIVE PRODUCER MICHAEL BAY IN JUNE 2014
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Features
26 MORE BANG FROMYOURANGRY BIRD:BUILDING BRANDS IN THE GAMING INDUSTRYby Jeff McKinney
28 VIDEO GAME LICENSING:PRODUCT PRESENTATIONby Jeff McKinney
30 THE CHANGING FACE OF THE OUTDOORSMENby Jennifer Lynch
32 OUTDOOR AND SPORTING GOODS LICENSING:PRODUCT PRESENTATIONby Jennifer Lynch
34 TRENDS IN LICENSINGby Nancy Lombardi
36 LICENSING SHOW 2013:PRODUCT PRESENTATIONby Jennifer Lynch
Departments12 Observations & Opinions
14 The TICKER
20 Real Deal
24 Royaltie$ Marketplace:
National Football League
70 You’re Hired
74 Calendar of Events
ON THIS PAGE FROM THE TOP: SNOOPY FROM PEANUTS
WORLDWIDE; CUPCAKES & CASHMERE FROM BRAND CENTRAL;VALEN GROUP’S FAZOLI’S LICENSED FOOD LINE; DOWNTON ABBEY
FROM KNOCKOUT LICENSING; SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE FROM
ACTIVISION; NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE; BUSHNELL WOMEN’SPROHUNTER SERIES SNAKE BOOTS
ON THE COVER FROM LEFT: MATTEL MAN OF STEEL SUPERMAN MOVIE
MASTER ACTION FIGURE; ELVIS ALOHA BOBBLEHEAD FROM ROYAL
BOBBLES; BRAND CENTRAL’S PEE-WEE HERMAN; THE WIGGLES;SABAN BRAND’S POWER RANGERS MEGA FORCE; THE JIM HENSON
COMPANY'S DINOSAUR TRAIN; NBC UNIVERSAL’S MR MONK HELPS
HIMSELF FROM PENGUIN GROUP; PENGUIN LOGO; THE WORLD OF
ERIC CARLE’S THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR REPRESENTED BY THE
JOESTER LORIA GROUP; SPROUT’S CHICA FROM THE CHICA SHOW;ZODIAK KIDS’ TICKETY TOC CHARACTERS TOMMY & TALLULAH AND
THEIR DOG PUFFERTY; DREAM WORKS ANIMATIONS’ TURBO
COVER BY JENNIFER LYNCH
JUNE 2013 Vol. 8, No. 3
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34680 | SABAN | ROYALTIES - SPREAD AD | FINAL | May 22, 2013
Trim: 18” x 10.875” | Bleed: 18.5” x 11.375” | Live: 17.5” x 10.375” | Gutter: 0.375”
eclipse | 818.238.9388 | 2255 n. ontario st., suite 230 | burbank, ca 91504
ACTION WHACKED SATURDAY MORNINGS ON THE CW AND 24/7/365 ON MYVORTEXX.COM
LARGEST AGGREGATOR OF KID SAFE CONTENT ON THE WEB
LEADING MOBILE GAMES PUBLISHER AND DEVELOPER
Power Rangers Super Megaforce ™ & © 2013 SCG Power Rangers LLC. Julius Jr. ™ & © 2013 Paul Frank Industries LLC. Digimon Fusion © Akiyoshi Hongo, Toei Animation. VORTEXX ™ & © 2013 VORTEXX Entertainment Ventures LLC. Zui.com ™ & © 2013 Saban Digital Studios LLC. The Playforge ™ & © 2013 Playforge Games LLC. Saban Brands ™ & © 2013 Saban Brands LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The New State-of-the-ArtBold Characters. Fresh Content.Omni-Channel Distribution Platforms.
Connecting Fans to Brands Everywhere, Everyday!
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34680 | SABAN | ROYALTIES - SPREAD AD | FINAL | May 22, 2013
Trim: 18” x 10.875” | Bleed: 18.5” x 11.375” | Live: 17.5” x 10.375” | Gutter: 0.375”
eclipse | 818.238.9388 | 2255 n. ontario st., suite 230 | burbank, ca 91504
ACTION WHACKED SATURDAY MORNINGS ON THE CW AND 24/7/365 ON MYVORTEXX.COM
LARGEST AGGREGATOR OF KID SAFE CONTENT ON THE WEB
LEADING MOBILE GAMES PUBLISHER AND DEVELOPER
Power Rangers Super Megaforce ™ & © 2013 SCG Power Rangers LLC. Julius Jr. ™ & © 2013 Paul Frank Industries LLC. Digimon Fusion © Akiyoshi Hongo, Toei Animation. VORTEXX ™ & © 2013 VORTEXX Entertainment Ventures LLC. Zui.com ™ & © 2013 Saban Digital Studios LLC. The Playforge ™ & © 2013 Playforge Games LLC. Saban Brands ™ & © 2013 Saban Brands LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The New State-of-the-ArtBold Characters. Fresh Content.Omni-Channel Distribution Platforms.
Connecting Fans to Brands Everywhere, Everyday!
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ROYALTIE$
JUNE 201312
Welcome to Licensing Expo 2013. I am happy to report thatdigital advertising and licensing are both finally. . . finallybeing recognized by our industry as a viable, if not necessary,
tool to increase visibility and sales. You might be calling me “Captain Ob-vious” right now. If you are, that means you probably understand the potential of digital mar-keting. But there are still many that either doubt its power or do not understand it. I know thisfirsthand because aNb Media is on the cutting edge of digital marketing with our consumerwebsite www.timetoplaymag.com and our seasonal press events. Our Spring and Holiday MediaShowcases cater to both the traditional media, including TV, newspapers, and magazines, aswell as the top bloggers and influencers on the web for parents. Many of the top kids brands haverecognized this and use our events to influence the influencers.
During my tenure in licensing and toys, consumer marketing has been primarily TV-driven.Since digital marketing got its start, there has been a resistance to embrace the importance ofthis new genre of marketing but now that is all changing. It’s sort of like replacing your cellphone. You know everything about your old phone and it’s comfortable, but after you get the newphone and fully understand it’s potential and functionality, you wonder what took you so long.
Although there are still some hold-outs, wise ad agencies and manufacturers of consumergoods and brands are coming to terms with the fact that it is vital to reach the top-tier online in-fluencers in their respective worlds. From a purely economic standpoint, more than one manu-facturer has candidly told me that they can reach a larger targeted audience for a lot less moneythan they could on TV. Convincing retail partners of this, something that until recently was nextto impossible, is also getting somewhat easier.
The industry is also beginning to understand that creating a Facebook page or Twitteraccount isn’t what defines digital marketing. It’s only the tiniest part of it. In order to get at-tention, third-party participation is mandatory. Consumers trust third-party information. Selfpromotion online isn’t taken seriously.
If that wasn’t enough to convince even the biggest skeptic, there is another way to gauge theimportance of online influencers and that is through licensing. Savvy licensing execs trying tocapitalize on the next big thing are taking a closer look at some of the biggest influencers on theweb. Since finding a property with a built-in audience is one of the prerequisites for taking on anew license, agents are now looking to leverage that trust factor by signing online writers who havelarge fan bases. This could be the wave in the property pool that everyone has been waiting for.
Harness the Powerof the Internet
by Andy Krinner
PUBLISHER ANDY [email protected]
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER BOB GLASER
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR DONNA MOORE
CONTROLLER MARY GROGAN
EDITOR IN CHIEF JIM [email protected]
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR NANCY LOMBARDI
EDITOR AT LARGE CHRISTOPHER [email protected]
EDITOR LAURIE [email protected]
ASSISTANT EDITOR JENNIFER [email protected]
WEB MASTER ERIK [email protected]
WEB CONTENT MANAGER BRENDAN [email protected]
CONTRIBUTORJEFF MCKINNEY
PUBLIC RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE JOSSLYNNE WELCH
LITZKY PUBLIC RELATIONS, 320 SINATRA DR., HOBOKEN, N.J. 07030(201) 222–9118 EXT. 13 • [email protected]
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ROYALTIE$ is published four times per year by aNb Media. Copyright 2013 aNbMedia. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced ortransmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includingphotocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system,without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. ROYALTIE$is a registered trademark of aNb Media. Opinions and comments expressed inthis publication by editors, contributing writers, or solicited or unsoliciteddocuments are not necessarily those of ROYALTIE$ management.
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JUNE 2013 • VOL. 8, NO. 3
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JUNE 201314
XBOX ONE DEBUTSMicrosoft Corp. unveiled Xbox One, the all-in-one gaming and entertainment system. The unit is
expected to be released later this year. An MSRP has not yet been announced. With Xbox One, userscan say, “Xbox On,” to launch a personalized Xbox One Home screen. The more users interact withXbox One, the more it gets to know them and learns what they like. Some of the key Xbox One fea-tures include: TV on Xbox One, in which users can navigate and watch live TV from cable, telco, or asatellite set-top box through Xbox One; Snap, which allows users to do two things at once, such as play-ing a multiplayer battle while watching a movie, talking with friends on Skype while watching live TV,or tracking fantasy teams on TV while watching a game; Skype for Xbox One, which features a spe-cialized design for Xbox One so users can talk with friends on TV in HD or for the first time ever, holdgroup Skype calls on TV; and OneGuide, which lets users find entertainment easily by searching by net-work or name using the sound of the user’s voice. It is also presented in a tailored program guide.A new generation of Xbox Live will allow users to save and store a personalized profile, games, and entertainment in the cloud to access them anytime,
from any Xbox One console. Existing Xbox Live Gold Membership for Xbox 360 will seamlessly carry over to Xbox One. Xbox Live features include anew Smart Match matchmaking system, which aims to eliminate waiting in gaming lobbies by estimating wait times and finding people you want to playwith while you are enjoying other activities; a dedicated Game DVR, which captures and accesses gaming moments and saves them to the cloud to beshared; and Xbox SmartGlass, a native part of the Xbox One platform, built in to quickly render content directly onto your device and connect with moredevices at once for multiplayer and shared entertainment.Microsoft also unveiled exclusive content partnerships. Steven Spielberg will executive produce an original Halo live-action TV series with exclusive
interactive Xbox One content, created in partnership with 343 Industries and Xbox Entertainment Studios. A multi-year partnership will deliver interactiveNFL television experiences for the next-generation Xbox One and leverage Microsoft devices and services to evolve both in-game and on the sideline. TheNFL on Xbox will feature innovations around Skype, Xbox SmartGlass, and player-worn technology; add an all-new fantasy football solution; and createa personalized NFL destination only available on Xbox One. New games on Xbox One includes Forza Motorsport 5 from Turn 10 Studios (available exclusively for Xbox One at launch) and Call of Duty: Ghosts, the
next generation of Call of Duty. FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14, and EA Sports UFC from EA Sports will deliver innovations in true player motionand living worlds. And Quantum Break from Remedy Entertainment will be a revolutionary entertainment experience that blurs the line between gaming andTV by integrating drama and gameplay into one immersive experience.
DISCOVERY LAUNCHES TESTTUBE ONLINE NETWORKDiscovery Communications and Revision3 announced the launch of TestTube, a digital video network targeting men. TestTube debuts with a slate
of 15 short-form series and many more in development. In addition, Discovery Channel’s MythBusters co-host Tory Belleci will headline Blow it Up,a short-form series to launch late summer. It will be available at TestTube.com, and through Revision3’s mobile site and apps, YouTube, Xbox, and addi-tional distribution partners. Revision3 was founded in 2005 and was acquired by Discovery Communications in May 2012.
A RECAP OF INDUSTRY HEADLINES• For More News, Visit www.aNbMedia.com • Sign up to Receive FREE Weekly News Alerts
UNIVERSAL ORLANDO RESORT, FOX TO BRING THESIMPSONS’ SPRINGFIELD TO LIFETwentieth Century Fox Consumer Products announced that Springfield, the
animated hometown of The Simpsons , will come to life at Universal OrlandoResort this summer. The expansive, new area within Universal Studios will beanchored by The Simpsons Ride. It will be the only place in the world whereguests can walk the streets of Springfield. It will include a brand new outdoorattraction, places, and food pulled right from the show. The new attraction–Kang& Kodos Twirl ‘n’ Hurl–will take visitors on an “intergalactic spin designed tosend them into orbit.” Simpsons’ fans will even be able to grab a Krusty-certified meat sandwich at Krusty Burger, snatch the catch-of-the-day at theFrying Dutchman, get a slice of pizza at Luigi’s Pizza, go nuts for donuts at Lard Lad, enjoy a Taco Fresho with Bumblebee Man, and imbibe at Moe’sTavern. Duff Beer will be brewed exclusively for Universal Orlando. Simpsons characters Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Bob will also make theirdebut with the new area.
TRUMP APPOINTS NEW GLOBAL AGENTSThe Trump Organization has appointed a number of international licensing agents in an effort to extend the Trump
brand into new territories through local licensing programs. Trump brands, including Donald J. Trump SignatureCollection and Trump Home, will be represented in the UK, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Latin America, SouthAmerica, and the Caribbean.
New agents for the brand include The Partnership in the UK; Infiniss in South Korea; Supermarcas in Brazil; and P&LGlobal Network in Mexico, Columbia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Honduras,Panama, Dominican Republic, Aruba, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Curacao, Haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Bonaire,Guadeloupe, and Martinique.
A RECAP OF INDUSTRY HEADLINES• For More News, Visit www.aNbMedia.com • Sign up to Receive FREE Weekly News Alerts
ROYALTIE$
JUNE 201316
Springfield themepark attraction
THE PASSING OF CAROL BUTLERElvis Presley Enterprises (EPE) announced that Carol Butler, vice-president of international licensing and pioneer of the Elvis Presley licensing
program, passed away in May following a lengthy battle with cancer. She was 66.EPE issued this statement: “The Graceland family has suffered a tremendous loss and extends our deepest sympathies to Carol’s family. She will
be dearly missed.” EPE says, “Butler joined the staff in 1994 and was charged with the responsibility of promoting the legacy and preserving the integri-ty of Elvis Presley through a global licensed merchandise program. In her many years with the company, she devoted personalized attention to hun-dreds of licensees and under her leadership, helped distinguish EPE’s licensing program as one of the top in the industry.”Donations can be made in Butler’s name to either The Melanoma Research Alliance or The American Cancer Society.
Regular ShowTM
KILLER BRANDSSee us in booth D121.
TM & ©
2013 Cartoon Network.
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MOJANG AND JAZWARESMojang, developer and publisher of the global video game Minecraft, announced Jazwares as a global partner for toys and
electronics. Building from the core pillars of the Minecraft brand, the worldwide agreement will pave the way for a full line ofMinecraft action figures, plush, and paper craft items. Products will launch this holiday at major retailers nationwide.
WWE AND THE BRIDGE DIRECTThe WWE announced an exclusive, multi-year agreement with The Bridge Direct to develop and market con-
struction toys based on WWE events and characters. The agreement marks the first time WWE will enter the con-struction toy category. Targeted to WWE fans ages 4–14, the comprehensive line will include figures, accessories,and construction bricks for “build your own” playsets to bring WWE’s action-packed events and Superstars to life.The WWE construction toys are expected to begin rolling out at major mass retailers in spring 2014.
SOBE PARTNERS WITH PHILLY SWIRLThe Joester Loria Group (TJLG) announced SoBe, the original South Beach Beverage Com-
pany, is entering the licensed food category. In partnership with Philly Swirl, SoBe-flavoredfrozen bars are expected to hit U.S. grocery and mass chains this summer. The SoBe barswill come in assorted, exotic flavors including top-selling SoBe Lifewater & Elixirs fla-vors such as Yumberry Pomegranate and Pacific Coconut.
GLOBAL ICONS AND LITTLE GIRAFFEGlobal Icons now represents Little Giraffe, a luxury baby accessory line. Little Giraffe has been offering
machine-washable, ultra-soft products since 2000. The company’s easy-care, heirloom-style collections arecomprised of blankets and accessories available for babies and adults.Global Icons will support Little Giraffe’s strategic brand initiatives by increasing the brand’s exposure
through new product collections. Brand extensions will focus on select infant products and categories such as strollers,walkers, car seats, cribs, and other infant furniture.
K’NEX AND FAMILY GUYK’NEX Brands has partnered with 20th Century Fox Consumer Products to create a new line of build-
ing toys inspired by Family Guy. The partnership combines the K’NEX building system with the iconiccharacters and elements from Family Guy, including Peter, Stewie, Brian, the Griffin Family station wagon,Stewie’s time machine, and more. The new building sets will be available at major retailers in spring 2014.
SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO SIGNS NEW LICENSEESSeltzer Licensing Group, the exclusive global licensing agency for ScottsMiracle-Gro announced four new licensing partners: Acme United (bladed
lawn and garden tools), Swan Products (hoses and water accessories), Radius Garden (ergonomic gardening hand tools), and Bond Manufacturing (plantsupport accessories).
STAR WARS AND ELECTRONIC ARTSThe Walt Disney Company and Electronic Arts, Inc., (EA) announced a new multi-year exclusive licensing
agreement to develop and publish globally new games based on Star Wars characters and storylines.Under the agreement, EA will develop and publish new Star Wars titles for a core gaming audience, spanning
all interactive platforms and the most popular game genres, while Disney will retain certain rights to develop newtitles within the mobile, social, tablet, and online games categories.
TICKETY TOC AND SCHOLASTICZodiak Kids, a division of Zodiak Rights, has appointed Scholastic as the North American master publishing
partner for Tickety Toc, the new preschool show on Nick Jr. in the U.S. and Disney Junior in Canada.The range of publishing will include storybooks, board books, and story-based sticker books, nov-
elty, and e-books. Product will be available in the U.S. and Canada across all channels of distribution,with product expected in spring 2014.The deal was brokered by U.S. licensing agent, Established Brands and Canadian licensing agent, Stu-
dio Licensing, on behalf of Zodiak Rights.
LYSOL AND QUALITY FILTERSReckitt Benckiser and Quality Filters, Inc., have partnered for a new line of Lysol Triple-Protection Air Filters. The air filters will be available in a
variety of sizes, sold exclusively at Menards as well as through online distribution. The Lysol brand is owned by household cleaning company ReckittBenckiser. The deal was brokered by Lysol’s licensing agent The Licensing Company.
BROOKS BROTHERS AND WARNER BROS.Brooks Brothers released a capsule collection of apparel and accessories in-
spired by Warner Bros. Pictures’ The Great Gatsby. Costume designer CatherineMartin worked closely with the company to create the more than 500 men’s looksseen in the film, using images and products from Brooks Brothers’ archives as in-spiration. Brooks Brothers then adapted Martin’s creations for a limited-editioncollection, available in stores and online.In addition to classic suit pieces, the collection also features blazers, cardigans,
a tuxedo, stud cufflinks, a wing-tip shoe, a walking stick, bow ties, and a strawboater hat.
PAC-MAN GETS AGENT FOR ITALY, GREECE41 Entertainment (41e) announced that it has appointed Team Entertainment (TE) as its new li-
censing and merchandising agent for Italy and Greece for the Pac-Man and the Ghostly AdventuresTV series, which is slated to begin broadcast in fall 2013 in the English-speaking markets and world-wide in spring 2014.
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While it may be the off-season for National FootballLeague (NFL) teams, for fans there is never an off-season when it comes to showing their team spirit.
And that’s why NFL Properties, the league’s consumer products andlicensing division, is also always on. Much like the game itself, licensing for the NFL comes down to its execution.
And just as a team alters its plays depending on its competition, the NFL has refined its strategy to bestmeet the wants and needs of its vast and varied consumer base. Last year, its major retail focus was placedon the newly designed men’s jerseys from Nike and fan headwear from Forty Seven Brand. This year, thecompany will shift the focus to its female and kid fanbase. In 2011, the NFL nixed the long-time “shrink-it and pink-it” apparel approach many sports leagues take
for female consumers and launched its Fit for You campaign. This offers female fans apparel featuring fash-ion-forward styles and figure-flattering cuts from licensees such as All Sport Couture and Victoria’s Secret.This year’s campaigns will emphasize how new women’s jerseys can be worn by female fans. Also ex-panding this year will be its stadium style lounges, which present product for female fans in a way that’s moreinviting, says Leo Kane, NFL’s senior vice-president of consumer products. Last year there were eight loungesacross the 32 clubs, and that number is expected to increase to 11 lounges this year. The lounges offer fansmanicures and pedicures and feature chandeliers, a DJ, and displays on white linens. They also highlight dif-ferent style guides on how to wear favorite fan gear. “We are very focused on the unlimited growth poten-tial we see on the women’s side,” says Kane. “I think the female fan has let us know that she really appreciatesthat we’re designing and making product for her. She’s responded and also helped drive a lot of the growthin all our business because she’s also purchasing for others in her life.”The NFL is also targeting its kid fanbase via the growing popularity of its animated half-hour series
NFL Rush Zone Season of the Guardians, which is based on the NFL’s online destination for kidsNFLRushZone.com. The third season will begin airing on Nicktoons shortly before the start of the2013–2014 NFL season. The series intertwines actual game footage and voiceovers from NFL playerswith a story that centers on Ish and his friends as they work to protect the league’s 32 teams and the worldfrom a plotting master villain—Wild Card. NFL Properties is focusing on the toys and games categories for NFL Rush Zone with partners that in-
cludes LeapFrog and Techno Source. It also has a video game partnership in the works and plans to an-nounce a QSR partner for a promotion this fall. Lastly, homegating NFL games is seen as “the last great campfire for people,” says Kane, so the brand
will continue to expand with new product in housewares, kitchenware, and more to cater to these fans.
NFL Properties’ Fast Facts
• Fifty-six percent offans choose their fa-vorite team by age 12.
• Superbowl XLVIIIwill be held in New Jer-sey’s MetLife Stadium,with the celebration tak-ing place in New YorkCity for the first time inthe game’s history.
• NFL Rush Zone Sea-son of the Guardians isthe first-ever originalhalf-hour animated se-ries developed by amajor U.S. sports leagueand a cable network.
• Last season, eightstyle lounges forwomen across theNFL’s 32 clubs opened.
• Of the estimated 180million NFL fans, onlyabout 10 percent actu-ally attend games.
BY JENNIFER LYNCH
ROYALTIE$
JUNE 2013 25
NikeLast year, Nike took the reigns as the official
and exclusive uniform provider for all 32 NFLteams. The licensing deal also gave Nike therights to create a line of apparel and fan gearfor consumers, available online and at variousretail chains, including Nike stores.
Electronic ArtsEA Sports, a division of Electronic Arts and
the NFL’s long-time gaming partner, willlaunch the Madden 14 game this August forXbox 360 and PS3 systems. The company an-nounced in April that NFL Hall of Famer BarrySanders was chosen by fans to be featured onthe game’s cover.
All Sport CoutureAll Sport Couture signed a licensing deal
with the NFL in 2012 to create a line of jerseysas part of the NFL Fit for You women’s apparelline. The jerseys feature five contemporary fit-ted styles named after common football terms,plays, and formations: Wildkat, Red Zone, FirstDown, Blown Coverage, and Double Team.Jerseys feature each of the 32 teams’ officiallylicensed logos.
Techno SourceWith the NFL RushZone board game from
Techno Source, players can feel the excitementof a real football game. Players split into twoteams and flip a coin to start the game. The of-fense rolls dice to keep the drive alive, whilethe defense tries to sack the quarterback andforce a turnover. Score as many points as pos-sible before the end of the fourth quarter towin. The game includes all 32 NFL teams. It isfor two to six players. The game will be avil-able later this summer.
OuterstuffOuterstuff came on board last year as the
NFL’s youth apparel licensee. The companycurrently offers NFL apparel and accessoriesfor each of its 32 teams in infant, toddler,boys, and girls. Pictured below is a PittsburghSteelers boys performance poly-fleece hoodedsweatshirt and camouflage snap back hat.
Cuce ShoesCuce Shoes produces an NFL-licensed col-
lection of footwear and apparel for female fans. The line currently includes seven styles of
footwear, including snow and winter boots (TheAdmirer, The Aficionado, The Follower, and TheFanatic), wedge boots (The Cheerleader), rainboots (The Enthusiast), and wedge heels (TheGroupie), as well as an oversized off-the-shoul-der sweatshirt (The Sideliner). Each of the shoesfeatures one of the 32 team logos. The aboveshoes are from the upcoming 2013 line. Sizesare also available for kids and tweens.
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Video Games continue to shift from packaged products sold atretail to digital content delivered via direct download. Butwhile retailers might be losing out on the initial sale of the
game itself, video games are expanding from solitary game experiencesto entertainment brands with thriving licensing programs.
The challenge for the games industry is to create and develop games thatgo beyond the initial gameplay experience and grow into highly marketableentertainment brands. At the core of the massively successful Angry Birdslicensing program is an app-based mobile game. That game, which can bedownloaded for free, has spawned countless products available at retail andis scheduled to become a full-length, animated movie in 2016.
“The lines between traditional entertainment brand licensing and videogame licensing is becoming less and less distinct,” says Brennan Townley,director of licensing, PopCap Games, a division of EA. “As a result, oneof the things that PopCap Games is focusing on is building brands and notjust games.” PopCap currently has licensing programs for Plants Vs.Zombies and Bejeweled.
CHARACTERS ARE KEYVideo game characters are some of the most recognizable characters on
the planet, thanks in part to a lesser reliance on dialog—that doesn’t alwaystranslate across cultures—and a greater reliance on visuals, which are uni-versal. Characters such as Nintendo’s Mario, SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog,and the pigs from Angry Birds are mostly silent in their various games, how-ever, all are instantly recognized around the globe. It’s this instant recogni-tion that makes video game characters such a prime licensing opportunity.
For some characters, there doesn’t have to be a video game in the mar-ketplace for a retail program to exist. SEGA is currently building out pro-grams around the company’s rich history of retro game characters. “In themid-1990s, SEGA was ahead of its time,” says Cindy Chau, licensing man-ager, SEGA. “It was very iconic in its day and we want to be able to remindthem [consumers] and bring them back to that nostalgia.” That nostalgianow primarily targets men in their 30s with disposable income.
VIDEO GAMES GO HOLLYWOODMovie-based video games have existed since the days of the first Atari
console. However today’s digital games have the potential to keep movie-
going audiences invested in a franchise between films. Unlike disc-basedgames, digital games provide players with an ongoing experience thatdoesn’t end when the mission is completed. Mobile and social games arecontinually updated with new content that keeps players returning on aregular basis for months and even years. The first Hunger Games moviewas released in March 2012 and the second film, The Hunger Games:Catching Fire, will be released this November. In the interim, fans stayengrossed in The Hunger Games world through the game, The HungerGames Adventures from Funtactix. “This is a universe that continues toexpand,” says Sam Glassenberg, CEO, Funtactix. “Since the game’slaunch last year, we have done dozens upon dozens of updates and are con-stantly adding new districts, new chapters, and new content.”
Game makers are going beyond creating games based on movies and aremaking the movies themselves. For Need for Speed, a high-energy racinggame and one of EA’s most popular series, EA partnered with DreamWorksto produce a movie based on the game. “We are working on a Need for Speedfilm right now,” says Patrick O’Brien, vice-president of entertainment, EA.“We funded and developed a script then went to the marketplace with it.”O’Brien views movies as another way to bring EA’s brands to its fans whilealso attracting a broader audience of people who don’t play video games.
FINDING THE RIGHT PLATFORM FOR THE RIGHT BRANDJust as more original gaming properties are lending themselves to strong
licensing programs, strong entertainment brands continue to lead to suc-
More Bang from Your Angry Bird:Building Brands in the Gaming Industry BY JEFF MCKINNEY
Scene from Activision’s Skylanders Swap Force
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JUNE 2013 27
cessful games. Until recently, video games weremostly relegated to consoles and handhelds—Nintendo’s DS line and PlayStation Vita—aswell as desktop/laptop computers. But now agame can be made for these platforms as well asFacebook, mobile apps, and online gaming sites.Figuring out what type of game is best for anentertainment property can be a challenge, givenhow many platforms exist in today’s market. CBS Consumer Products has been very suc-
cessful in licensing properties from its currentportfolio of programs, including Star Trek,Amazing Race, and CSI, to its classics such asTwilight Zone, Dynasty, and Cheers. “CBSlooks at its roster and then looks at the differentgaming categories and works to figure out whichproperty is best suited for which category,” saysLiz Kalodner, executive vice-president and gen-eral manager, CBS Consumer Products. “It’sabout how do we marry the experience with theoriginal entertainment.”On the gaming side, D3Publisher, who cur-
rently has a partnership with DreamWorks, alsolooks at all platforms when making a game. “D3is a platform agnostic publisher,” says DavidPava, senior director of marketing, D3Publisher.“We love making games for consumers forwhatever platform they are on, and we specializein making games for all systems.”
MAKING THE CASE FOR CONSOLES
While mobile and social games currently pos-sess the potential to reach the widest audience, thevideo game console market is heading into whatshould be one of the most exciting and interestingyears ever for hardware. Both Microsoft (Xbox)and Sony (PlayStation) will release next-genera-tion consoles this holiday season. Everyone will
be watching to see how the successors to theXbox 360 and PlayStation 3 perform at retail. Nintendo beat both Microsoft and Sony to
market by releasing the Wii U during holiday2012. Unfortunately for Nintendo, the Wii Uhas experienced worse-than-expected salesand led to Nintendo’s second consecutiveannual operating loss.With the Wii U’s disappointing sales, should
we expect similar results for Microsoft andSony? Not necessarily, because unlike Nintendoand the Wii, Microsoft and Sony made digitaldownloadable content and online play majorfeatures of their current generation systems andthis year’s new consoles will see greater depend-ency on both. For its part, Nintendo is upping itsdownloadable offerings through its VirtualConsole, which allows users to purchase anddownload games to the Wii U. Game developers and publishers are eager to
release new games for these new consoles. “Thisyear is definitely the year of transition into thenext generation of consoles,” says Tony Key,senior vice-president of sales and marketing,Ubisoft. “Ubisoft is excited to usher in this newopportunity to grow our current brands, via titlessuch as Assassin’s Creed IV, and introduce newones, such as Watch Dogs.”All three new game consoles will also provide
more experiences that capitalize on the popularityof social gaming more prominently found inonline and digital games. “This is an exciting timeto be in our industry, particularly this year with therecently announced new console hardware,” says
Ashley Maidy, head of global licensing and part-nerships, Activision Publishing, Inc. “We alsoanticipate that the new consoles will deliver amore robust social experience to consumers.” It is an especially exciting time for
Activision. Its Skylanders generated more than$1 billion in retail sales in just 15 months,according to the company. For the 2013 holidayseason, Activision will release the third game inthe franchise, which is Skylanders Swap Force.The new game will include a new line of gamefigures whose top and bottom halves can beswapped to create new figures. These figureswill be activated in the game just like the origi-nal, by using the Portal of Power.Disney is introducing its own take on
Activision’s Skylanders with Disney Infinity. Itis an all-new video game initiative starring thecharacters from Walt Disney and Pixar Studios’most popular franchises. Players can place real-world toy versions of their favorite Disney char-acters onto a device called the Infinity Base andtransport them into their different game worlds.Infinity will also include an open-ended, free-play area called the Toy Box. Players will beable to incorporate characters across the Disneybrands in Toy Box mode. Disney Infinity willarrive in stores this August.Creating a successful video game requires
more than just making a great game. Videogames must go beyond their platforms andbecome part of the fabric of our culture so theycan become brands that can be licensed and fur-ther developed. The next Angry Birds is proba-bly out there right now. But finding it among thecompetition will ultimately depend on thestrength of the game and its characters, whichwill allow it to be developed into a brand.
Disney Infinity will be available in August.
VIDEO GAME LICENSING
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BY JEFF MCKINNEY
MicrosoftMicrosoft aims to make the Xbox One, the follow up to the Xbox 360, the all in one sys-
tem for every living room. This more powerful console will feature integrated Kinect func-tionality for voice command options and a redesigned controller. Microsoft has partneredwith the NFL for interactive football viewing experiences and Steven Spielberg will create anew, live action Halo series for Xbox’s online service, Xbox Live.
Video Games continue to shift from packaged products sold at retail to digital content delivered via direct download. But while retailersmight be losing out on the initial sale of the game itself, video games are expanding from solitary game experiences to entertainmentbrands with thriving licensing programs. Following are some of the companies and games leading the way with both initiatives.
SonySony will release the PlayStation 4 this holiday season and hopes the addition of social inte-
gration, online features, more powerful graphics, and speed will return the PlayStation to the topof the console market. The PS4 will feature enhanced social spectating by enabling gamers tobroadcast their gameplay in real-time to friends using live internet streaming services.
ActivisionOne of the most successful video game brands on the market now is Activision’s Skylanders,
which generated more than $1 billion in retail sales in just 15 months, according to the compa-ny. For Q4, Activision will release the third game in the franchise, which is Skylanders SwapForce. The new game will include a new line of game figures whose top and bottom halves canbe swapped to create a new figure. The figure is shown here on the Portal of Power.
D3PublisherD3Publisher has made a name for itself with its licensed games based on DreamWorks
movies. This year, D3 will launch its in-house property Earth Defense Force 2025. The gameis an action-shooter that is already a hit in Japan and lets players defend the Earth from aninvading alien enemy.
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EABattlefield 4 is the 13th installment in the Battlefield series and the sequel to
2011’s Battlefield 3. The game is due out this fall and will receive a full licensingprogram with partners such as Hasbro (board games), Jinx (apparel and acces-sories), Orion (novelization) and Razer (PC peripherals) on board.
Disney InteractiveDisney Infinity is an all-new video game initiative starring the beloved characters from
Walt Disney and Pixar Studios’ most popular franchises. Players can place real-world toy ver-sions of their favorite Disney characters onto a device called the Infinity Base and transportthem into their different game worlds. Infinity will also include an open-ended, free-play areacalled the Toy Box. Players will be able to incorporate characters across the Disney brands inToy Box mode. Disney Infinity will arrive in stores this August.
PopCapPopCap, a division of EA, continues to develop new games for its Plants vs. Zombies
franchise. At the same time, the company continues to grow the game’s licensing programand is working with a long list of partners including Bioworld Merchandising (appareland accessories), Jazwares (plush, figures, and electronic accessories), USAopoly (boardgames), Walls360 (wall graphics), and Incogneato (costumes) among others.
UbisoftNext month, Ubisoft and Sony Pictures Consumer Products follow up on their highly suc-
cessful collaboration on The Smurfs Dance Party, which became one of 2011’s top-selling movie-licensed games in the U.S., to release The Smurfs 2 video game. The game is based on The Smurfs2 movie and is an action-packed adventure game that will be released on all platforms.
NintendoWario, Mario’s alter-ego, is one of Nintendo’s most recognizable characters and
has his own series of games called the WarioWare series. Game & Wario is the firstWario game for the Wii U and features a collection of mini-games that use only theWii U GamePad controller. Game & Wario will be available later this month.
Wario
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Whether hiking, fishing, camping, or hunting—the idea of get-ting back to nature used to be fairly straightforward, just youand the great outdoors. And for licensors this meant perform-
ance and endurance were the drivers, leaving little chance for new brandsto compete against the long-standing, trusted brands in the space. This stillexists, of course. But the overall industry generated $646 billion in salesin 2012, with $120.7 billion in outdoor recreation product sales, accordingto the Outdoor Industry Association’s monthly sales report. New trends arepaving the way for a new breed of outdoorsmen, and with it opportunityfor new product and brands.
The Rise of the Hill BillyOne trend driving growth is the increasing popularity and fascination
with the outdoor lifestyle. From shows such as Hillbilly Handfishin’ toGator Boys to Honey Boo Boo, reality entertainment is giving moreAmericans an inside look at a lifestyle many previously knew little about.“The hill billy culture has always been there,” says Shon Lees, CEO andco-founder of HillBilly Brand, which is tapping into this consumer basewith the motto Born Country, Raised Outdoors. “But because of mediacoverage and more networks dedicating airtime to it, it’s become moreapparent.” The HillBilly Brand currently has deals in apparel, headwear,lighters, knives, and jewelry. “When we started, there really wasn’t a brandthat crossed the whole gamut,” says Lees. “And what we’ve found is ourconsumers are so proud to wear the logo. It’s kind of become a badge ofhonor.” And more people want to be apart of this lifestyle, whether throughsimply spending more time outdoors or fully immersing themselves inbackwoods adventures and sports.
“I think you’re beginning to see that the everyday guy wants to get intouch with his primal instincts and get outdoors,” says JP Stoops, directorof licensing for Animal Planet, a division of Discovery Communications.However, in order for an entertainment property to successfully translateinto the more rugged outdoor product categories, they must be directlyaligned, Stoops adds. Thus Discovery programs, such as Call of theWildman and Gator Boys, which focus on the trend of the outdoors hill-billy lifestyle but lack a direct product tie-in, tend to have more success inthe apparel and novelty categories. In contrast, Bear Grylls, who original-ly connected with U.S. audiences through Man Vs. Wild and will play hoston a new series Get Out Alive with Bear Grylls this fall, has been taken
seriously as a brandbecause of his back-ground in the BritishSpecial Forces andoutdoor survival.Under Bear GryllsVentures, the brand willadd a line ofcamping gearsold under Bear Rivers International to its portfolio this year. (Bear GryllsVentures could not be reached for comment as of press time.)
Another brand that’s been able to bait consumers in this space is RiverMonsters, based on the extreme angler reality series in its fifth season onAnimal Planet. And for a casual fisherman who watches River Monstersand is looking to get more involved in the sport, branded gear might bemore appealing. “Our line is perfect because it offers nice opening pricepoints for someone who wants a quality product that they can use when-ever they get the urge to get outdoors,” Stoops says. Its consumer productsprogram now has more than 22 items in its line of fishing gear, developedby South Bend Sporting Goods. And this year, it’s expanding with a newRiver Monsters Junior line for younger anglers.
New Consumers Lead to New ProductViewed as an entry point to the outdoors, fishing is also a good area to
look at to get a sense of the overall consumer trends across the space.“Fishing is seen as a gateway activity,” says Frank Peterson, president andCEO of The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF). “Abouthalf the U.S. population participates in outdoor sports and activities andabout half that fish. Fishing is one of the easiest ways to introduce people toother outdoor activities.” And in the past five years alone, the number ofactive fisherman, or anglers, has been rising, reversing a previous 20-yeardecline, says Peterson, referencing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2011National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation.The growth of anglers is specifically rising among females (17 percent),Hispanics (six percent), 25- to 34-year-olds (26 percent), and 55-plusretirees (28 percent for ages 55–64; 44 percent for ages 65 and up).
While cultural differences remain an obstacle in how best to reach theHispanic audience, for the outdoors space right now women are an audi-
BY JENNIFER LYNCH
close-up of the RiverMonsters Junior Fishing
Combo
The Changing Face of the Outdoorsmen
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ence that is proving easier to translate productfor. As with most other categories, “women aremaking more of the decisions in householdsabout their recreational opportunities,” saysPeterson. Outdoors manufacturers are respond-ing with a greater push in product designedspecifically with women in mind. Bushnell, forexample, offers a line of footwear licensed byBBC International that now includes styles withmore feminine color palettes and better fit andperformance for women, says MichelleAlfandari, president and CEO of MODALicensing, which manages the Bushnell brand.
Versatility for Core ConsumersThe demand for fit and performance is
something that will always take priority for themore avid outdoorsman. And while entertain-ment trends might introduce consumers to thespaces, the more time they invest in outdoorsports and activities, the more they will likelyturn back to more timeless core brands. “Aswith any activity, people start out with limitedexpectations,” says RBFF’s Peterson. “You canget by with the basics equipment but if youreally want to get into it and become more avidabout it, you might want to invest in higher-endproducts with more bells and whistles.” Thusthe focus for core outdoor brands remains onextending their high performance and technicalbrand equity to parallel categories.
“When we started with Bushnell footwear itwas mostly focused on hunting because there wasa lot of use for it with core product—binoculars,scopes, etc.,” says Alfandari. “But that has evolvedbecause there has been a greater interest in theproducts’ performance and technology. There is atremendous amount of loyalty in the technical
field. So if you’ve been satisfied with a Bushnellproduct, you’re more likely to stick with theBushnell brand.” Just as Bushnell has becomeknown for its innovation in high-performancesports optics, the brand is applying that to itsfootwear by using light-weight materials andwater-proof membranes that are also technical toprovide a similar level of quality performance.
Versatility is another growing demand amongcore consumers. “We are seeing more trends for
multipurpose products and products that helpreduce other materials you might otherwise needto bring on a backpacking, hiking, or campingexcursion,” says Greg Winters, licensing pro-grams manager for Boy Scouts of America. Forthe more casual outdoorsmen, it allows them touse the gear for everyday use, while versatility forthe core outdoorsmen can provide better overallperformance. “When evaluating different types ofproduct licensing opportunities, we might lookfor products that could be relevant to enhancing afamily camping experience,” says Winters. “Butwould likely be relevant for an outdoor enthusiastas well.” BSA recently introduced the BePrepared First Aid Kit by Curad, which has broadappeal for both of those segments.
Whether consumers are looking to tap intotheir inner wildman or extreme angler, or simplyseek refuge from the fast-paced, high-techworld, there are many facets of the great out-doors to do so.
Getting Back to Nature Through FitnessIt’s no surprise that like many consumer categories, women are leading the charge of pur-
chases. But as a subset of simply getting back to nature, it also taps into the related trend ofmore Americans, particularly women, taking their workout routines out of the gym and off thebeaten path. And health-focused brands are also finding opportunities to tap into the movementtoward greener workouts, such as outdoor boot camps and yoga hikes, through licensed goods.SELF Magazine played host to its 20th annual Workout in the Park series this year, whichencourage women to get outdoors and get active through a series of exercise workshops, class-es, and more, held in city parks nationwide. And in coordination with those efforts, SELF andits licensing agent FremantleMedia debuted its first licensed line of fitness gear, during theWorkout in the Park series. “Outdoor boot camps are gaining popularity as people eschew gymmachines for functional training,” says Lucy Danziger, editor-in-chief of SELF Magazine.“Everything in SELF’s new line is designed to encourage consumers to enjoy their activelifestyle and take part in [these] top trends.”
Bushnell’s Stalk Mid shoes feature the high-performance avid outdoorsmen seek in an athletic
style that can be worn everyday.
OUTDOOR AND SPORTING GOODS LICENSING
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BY JENNIFER LYNCH
BUSHNELLBushnell and BBC International partnered a few years ago to create a Bushnell line of branded footwear, which has
expanded to include more offerings for the female consumer as well as creating a more athletic-inspired look that offers moreversatility for its consumers. Pictured is the Bushnell Women’s Prohunter Series Snake Boots. The boots feature Tuftex snakebite resistance, Hydroguard liners, and ScentMask antimicrobial odor elimination.
Opportunities for licensing in outdoor and sporting goods are on the rise. A category that hasoften been limited due to the fierce brand loyalty of its core consumers is now allowing newbrands to join the space thanks in part to the growing popularity of the hillbilly and outdoorlifestyle, as well as a trend to take fitness outdoors, which caters to more casual consumers.
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICABoy Scouts of America (BSA) signed a deal with Curad for a Be Prepared first aid kit
for hiking, camping, and all outdoor activities. The 140-piece kit includes scissors, rolledgauze, waterproof tape, an arm sling and tourniquet, large absorbent dressing, and otherfirst aid essentials.
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONSDiscovery Communications launched the River Monster+ sport fishing app powered by
FishBrain. The mobile app, inspired by the Animal Planet series River Monsters lets anglers log andshare fishing catches and network with fellow fishermen. The app is available for iOS and Androidplatforms. The basic version is free and a pro version will be released later this year with added fea-tures only available through subscription.
HILLBILLY BRANDHillBilly Brand has partnered with Calico Scripto for a branded utility lighter. The lighters are currently available nation-
wide in convenience stores and Scripto is currently targeting hardware, sporting goods, warehouse, and grocery stores foradditional distribution.
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SELFSELF Magazine, a Condé Nast publication, and its licensing agent, FremantleMedia, have
unveiled a new line of SELF-branded fitness products that will launch later this year. The productline was developed by CAP Barbell, Inc. Products include hand weights, fitness hoops, weightedballs, yoga mats, weighted vests, and jump ropes. Each piece of equipment includes QR codeslinking consumers to WWW.SELF.COM for online tips about proper use, as well as exercise routinesdesigned by SELF specifically for each particular piece of equipment. Products retailing for$19.99 or more will contain an offer for a free SELF subscription.
BEAR GRYLLS VENTURESBear Grylls Ventures is teaming with Bear River International to create the first line of Bear
Grylls-branded camping gear. The line will include hammocks, backpacks, daypacks, tents andsleeping bags. Each model was tested and approved by Grylls. The products are scheduled forlaunch later this year. Pictured is the Bear Grylls Survival Tool Pack from current licensee Gerber.
ZIPPOLast year, the Zippo lighter brand underwent an overhaul from marketing to product
development. Its new Zippo Outdoor line focuses on delivering an overall camping expe-rience, and introduced a line of new products earlier this year, which include a WindproofStove, All-Terrain Grill, 4-in-1 Woodsman, and more.
RAPALAThe Wildflower Group has brokered two new deals for Rapala, a manufacturer of fishing-related prod-
ucts. Open Road Brands’ Rapala line will include wall art, wall clocks, temperature gauges, serving trays,coffee mugs, magnets, boxes and containers, fishing pole hangers, and pillows. Cranston Fabrics will pro-duce Rapala-themed piece goods, printed fabrics, printed fleece, and pre-printed fabric kits. The productsbased on Rapala’s extensive archive of famous lures and archived ads are slated for retail this summer.
VOLKSWAGENThe Monster Factory has created a line of officially licensed Volkswagen camper tents inspired by the iconic 1965
Split Screen VW Camper Van. Its exact scale replica blue tent is waterproof and can sleep four people in two rooms.There is also a kid-sized version, available in pink, blue, and red, is made for indoor or outdoor use. These tents canaccommodates up to three kids and come packaged in an easy to store VW wheel bag.
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Trends in Licensing
As another Licensing Show kicks off in Las Vegas, it’s time to assesshow the industry is faring thus far in 2013. Those interviewed allexpressed the same positive sentiment about the trade show itself
as well as the overall state of the economy.“Everyone is somewhere between cautiously optimistic and optimistic,”
says Marty Brochstein, senior vice-president, industry relations and informa-tion for the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). “No onefeels we are totally out of the economic hole but there are positive signs.”There are also signs of a few clear trends emerging as we move into the
second half of 2013. The most significant trend that was mentioned by thoseinterviewed is that licensing is now being fully embraced by manufacturersand retailers for a number of reasons. It’s recognized as an obvious revenuegenerator. It’s recognized as a marketing tool. It is also recognized as a wayto engage with consumers.“There are certain financial incentives to licensing,” says Allison Kopcha
executive vice-president of The Licensing Company, North America. “It’s away to market a brand and generate revenue. There is also a strategic compo-nent as well. It’s oftentimes a way to engage with consumers in new distribu-tion channels where the core brand may not be found.”With limited shelf space and the limited attention span of today’s consumers,
retailers are now strategically evaluating where licensing sits within their portfo-lio. “We are seeing retailers take the initiative to schedule meetings to plan two orthree years out for what can work in their product mix and what exclusives canbe developed,” says Joy Tashjian, principal of Joy Tashjian Marketing Group. In addition, a new business model is emerging as private equity firms,
licensing agencies, and corporate brands are colliding to create a new formatfor brand extension, according to Ross Misher, CEO of Brand Central.Debra Joester, president of The Joester Loria Group (TJLG) agrees. “Brands
are being sold to companies where the entire business model is a licensingmodel and that changes the landscape.” She cites Iconix Brand Group andAuthentic Brands Group as two companies with this business model. SequentialBrands Group and Hilco Consumer Capital also fall into this category.
DIGITAL WORLDWhile classic properties remain the obvious drivers of licensed goods, the
way in which consumers engage with the characters and properties is con-stantly evolving, especially as social media evolves.“Good characters and good storylines are what people continue to grav-
itate toward,” says Leigh Anne Brodsky, managing director of PeanutsWorldwide (a joint venture between Iconix and Charles M. Schulz CreativeAssociates). “But the way people are consuming media is different. It’s adeeper engagement through social media.” Brodsky uses the Peanuts Comic Strip as an example calling it, “bite-sized
media.” Whereas at one time the strip would have been read in the comics sec-tion of a newspaper, the same classic comic strips with their still-relevant mes-saging can now be enjoyed and shared on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. In addition to repurposing the classics for today’s generation, the digital
world has allowed new stars to emerge covering every genre of consumerinterest. Beanstalk recently launched a new division called Tinderbox devotedsolely to identifying and growing digital properties. “Tinderbox’s first clients will be the tween social network
MovieStarPlanet; a world-building music game app My Singing Monster;and the Beetnuks, a new brand under development, which will be support-ed by a mobile game and other media,” says Debra Restler, associate vice-president of business development and marketing at Beanstalk.Brand Central is working on a similar strategy. The company’s client roster
in the new media space includes blogs Apartment Therapy and Cupcakes &Cashmere as well as mobile and online social game Crowdstar.
SERVING UP FOOD LICENSINGThe food licensing craze really kicked into high gear during the recession
as consumers had to cut back on eating out yet still wanted to enjoy restaurantfavorites. Licensing allowed them to do that at home. Even though consumersare spending once again, this is a trend that is not slowing down. Americanconsumers are developing a taste for “ethnic” and “exotic” foods—as long theexperimentation can be carried out in the safety of the frozen food section ofthe local supermarket. For licensors and licensees food licensing is a big winbecause, “once you have a hit, it doesn’t get cancelled,” says TJLG’s Joester,which represents Entenmann’s. “It stays around for years.”With the popularity of the Food Network and food bloggers, it will last
because as consumers have less time to shop and less time for recreation, “foodhas become entertainment,” says Joester.
LICENSING Y’ALLWhile American consumers may be getting a bit more exotic with their
food choices, their TV viewing habits are not quite as sophisticated. The lasttrend cited by those interviewed is the popularity of the “Hillbilly” and“Redneck” lifestyles. TV series such as Duck Dynasty and Here ComesHoney Boo Boo are something that consumers can relate to and make fun ofat the same time. For more information on this trend, see Outdoor andSporting Goods licensing on page 30. Despite the uncertainty that remains at retail, especially as it relates to
the future of JCPenney and Sears/Kmart, opportunities for online retailersare growing rapidly. Superheroes are popular this year, the WWE looks tobe on the upswing, and Disney has a lineup that’s on fire. The next fewyears look to be a promising time for the licensing industry.
BY NANCY LOMBARDI
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Licensing Show 2013
Activision PublishingSkylanders Swap Force introduces an all-new play pattern that lets gamers reconfigure 16 Swap Force inter-
action figures into more than 250 unique characters by swapping the top and bottom halves of the toys. Playerscan mix and match characters’ powers and moves and experience an unprecedented level choice previouslyunseen in a Skylanders game. Fans also can play Skylanders Swap Force with their entire collection of charac-ters from Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders Giants.
The Skylanders franchise was created by Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard,Inc. Activision announced earlier in the year that together Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure and Skylanders Giants have generated more than $1 billion inretail sales worldwide, inclusive of toys and accessories. Among the 135 licensees already on board for Skylanders Swap Force are MEGA Bloks.
Skylanders Giants Happy Meals arrived at McDonald’s restaurants in April, marking Activision’s first-ever partnership with McDonald’s. TheSkylanders Giants Happy Meal program offered customers who purchased a Happy Meal one of nine unique toys from Skylanders Giants, each withtheir own play feature, as well as a coupon for $10 off the Skylanders Giants starter pack.
To maximize awareness, McDonald’s supported the three-week promotion with a fully integrated marketing campaign that included branded televi-sion advertising, in-restaurant merchandising, custom packaging, and an online web and social media presence. The inaugural program will roll out inother select countries later this year.
CBS Consumer ProductsCBS Consumer Products manages a diverse portfolio of 200-plus iconic properties, including the Star Trek franchise, which continues to grow this year
with the theatrical release of Star Trek Into Darkness. Hasbro and Namco will lead retail activity for the franchise along with nearly 100 new licenseesworldwide. Licensing initiatives also include a growing publishing program along with initiatives in food and beverage and co-branded collections.
Upcoming licensing programs for NCIS, Elementary, and The Good Wife lead CBS’ primetime initiatives, while The Little Rascals and TheHoneymooners headline CBS’ Television City properties. The launch of international e-commerce platforms also furthers CBS Consumer Products’reach into local markets and improves fans’ access to its properties.
American Greetings PropertiesAmerican Greetings Properties has many new initiatives planned for the U.S. and abroad. The Care Bears;
Strawberry Shortcake, which recently introduced new character Huckleberry Pie; and Holly Hobbie serve as thecornerstone brands for AGP. Newer properties such as Boofle, a pup made out of grandpa’s sweater that appealsto a wide demographic; Packages from Planet X, a comical mystery targeted at boys 7–11; and The WotWots,a preschool property that focuses on brother and sister aliens as they explore their new surroundings on Earth,round out the portfolio.
The following companies represent a sampling of what will be on display at the Mandalay BayConvention Center in Las Vegas during this year’s Licensing International Expo.
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Discovery CommunicationsOver the next year, Discovery Communications’ Animal Planet will continue
to build out its pet programs with the debut of new products as well as line exten-sions. Premium Pet Health has developed a complete line of all-natural AnimalPlanet Crunchy and Chewy Dog Treats made of 100 percent real meat and aregrain-free. In conjunction with licensee Fantasia Accessories, Animal Planet willdebut a line of dry grooming products designed to provide maximum comfortand safety for groomer and pet. Wet grooming products were introduced lastyear. Other recent licensees include FoodScience, which offers nutritional sup-plements chews for dogs and cats, and Merchsource, which continues to expandits lines of pet care products such as bedding, pet toys, and other items. AnimalPlanet will continue to grow its direct-to-retail partnership with Toys “R” Us byintroducing new products to the Animal Planet-branded toy line. Animal Planetrecently introduced Hide & Seek Pets, its first interactive activity app for kids 3 and up, developed in partnership with Cupcake Digital. The sale of AnimalPlanet products fund R.O.A.R partnerships with organizations that protect domestic animals, wildlife, and their habitats. Discovery Channel will expand its merchandising programs inspired by its top-rated broadcast programs including Moonshiners, Gold Rush,
MythBusters, and the TV event Shark Week. The lines will focus on product from key categories, including soft goods, gift and novelty, and publishing.Discovery also announced The Devils Ride consumer products program, in partnership with the show’s production company, to develop product for boththe series and the motorcycle clubs featured on the past two seasons. The product program’s first licensee Changes will develop a line of apparel andaccessories, including T-shirts, sweatshirts, fashion tops, belt buckles, dog tags, key chains, and bandanas. Plans are underway to extend the line laterthis year into after-market car and motorcycle accessories.TLC’s Cake Boss brand continues to expand with new SKUs rolling out from Dawn Cakes, including ready-to-sell cupcakes, cake mixes, and fon-
dant cakes, which will be available at grocery stores nationwide. TLC will also launch a line of Cake Boss-branded bakeware (Meyer) and party goodsand stationery (Action Products).Big Tent has inked several new deals that expand the Discovery Kids brand’s presence both at retail and online. New deals include partnerships with
retail outlets, social media site Kazaana (digital interactive content), and licensees such as Basic Fun (View-Master), NKOK (arts and crafts and R/C),Quality Playing Cards (card games and playing cards), Merchsource (inflatable bowling sets, wall maze, and toy tablets), Masterpieces (paint-your-ownwooden mobile), and Walgreens (outdoor activities assortment). Big Tent is seeking additional licensing partners for Discovery Kids in the followingcategories: video games, electronics, apparel, home décor, outdoor sporting goods, toy, food, and promotional partnerships.
HasbroHasbro continues to extend the reach of its global brands including Transformers, Nerf, My Little Pony, Littlest Pet
Shop, Monopoly, Play-Doh, Tonka, Magic the Gathering, and Furby. This year at Licensing Show, Hasbro will present brand-ed play statements across all categories from fashion apparel, publishing, digital gaming, domestics, and youth electronics toplush, novelty, and trading cards.
Cake Boss-branded bakeware
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Such a Boy Scout.
You never know who might be a Boy Scout.
Boy Scouts come from all walks of life. They ride with veterans’ groups. They own businesses. They teach school. They perform, they design, they build. They may no longer wear their uniform, but they wear their Scouting experience with pride.
Since 1910, over 50 million living alumni and their families have connected with the Boy Scouts of America. Today, they are influencers and decision-makers, and their affinity for the Boy Scouts of America’s brands has never been stronger.
To learn more about the Boy Scouts of America’s licensing program visit www.scouting.org/licensing, call us at 800-323-0732, or email to [email protected].
Boy Scouts of America | 800.323.0732 | [email protected] | www.scouting.org/licensing | Twitter: @bsalicensing
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Licensing Show 2013DreamWorks AnimationDreamWorks Animation (DWA) is now the hub for family-friendly IPs on a global
scale, as the studio’s deep portfolio of new and classic franchise properties offers a wealthof opportunities across all categories. Led by master toy partner Mattel, the studio’s nextfranchise, Turbo, races into theaters July 17, followed by the debut of Turbo F.A.S.T.,exclusively on Netflix this fall.This year and beyond, properties inspiring theatrical and television franchises, including Turbo, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, and The
Croods, will lead the charge at retail along with the classic properties of Olivia and Where’s Waldo?, which is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.DWA continues to build its robust roster with new programming for feature films and franchises highlighted by a trio for 2014: Mr. Peabody &
Sherman (March 7), How To Train Your Dragon 2 (June 18), and Happy Smekday! (working title, November 26). On the horizon, B.O.O.: Bureau ofOtherworldly Operations and Trolls are poised to make their mark with audiences and at retail.
Kidz BopKidz Bop kicked the summer off with all-new promotional partnerships, licensing agreements, consumer
products, and live events. The newest volume in its best-selling audio series, Kidz Bop 24, will be availableon July 16. The album includes 16 chart-topping hits sung by the Kidz Bop Kidz. The release will be sup-ported by a major national TV campaign, online advertising, national radio campaigns, and more. Timed to the release of Kidz Bop 24, Sonic will launch a four-week My Wacky Pack kids meal pro-
motion in August. Kidz Bop-themed premiums will be distributed at more than 3,500 participating Soniclocations nationwide. The promotion will also feature a free song download for each kids meal pur-chased, in-restaurant signage, on-pack promotion, and custom online content. Kidz Bop and Church & Dwight Co., the maker of Arm & Hammer Tooth Tunes, are launching a new
line of musical toothbrushes featuring Kidz Bop music.Kidz Bop and LeapFrog continue to distribute monthly downloadable content though LeapFrog’s digital app center for LeapPad 1, LeapPad 2,
Leapster GS, and LeapReader platforms. The Kidz Bop Pop Star toy line from Imperial and the Kidz Bop youth electronics line from Sakar will continue to roll out in the U.S. and Canada
throughout 2013.Kidz Bop is also teaming up with Six Flags to kick off its fourth annual Kidz Star USA Talent Search—for kids ages 15 and under. For the first time,
kids can audition live by participating in this summer’s 10-city Official Live Audition Tour at Six Flags Theme Parks. The tour kicks off this month atSix Flags Great Adventure and wraps up in August at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Starting this month KidzBop.com will be accessible via mobile devices with the launch of Kidz Bop Mobile. Following the mobile launch, Kidz
Bop-branded apps will be released across multiple platforms. With more than 25 live appearances and events booked in major markets throughout the U.S., fans can now see the Kidz Bop Kids perform live pop
songs. Kidz Bop has partnered with The Agency Group, a leading booking agency, to bring the Kidz Bop Live Experience to cities across the U.S.
Turbo
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[email protected], 805-466-9229Open categories: Apparel, Footwear, Headwear,Electronics, Interactive, DomesticsCopyright © Patch Products, Inc. All rights reserved.Planet Sock Monkey and Monkey Up are trademarks of Patch Products, Inc.
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Licensing Show 2013Striker EntertainmentStriker Entertainment will be featuring several new properties at Licensing Show including Divergent, the latest feature film franchise from
Summit/Lionsgate based on the book series by Veronica Roth, and Catching Fire, the film sequel to The Hunger Games due in theaters November 22.Striker will also feature AMC’s The Walking Dead, returning this fall for its fourth season and currently supported by more than 25 licensees; Need
for Speed, from DreamWorks Studios based on the video game racing franchise from Electronic Arts; and the upcoming film Ender’s Game, based onthe popular sci-fi book series.Additional properties that will be featured include the Seth MacFarlane live-action feature film Ted; the critically acclaimed Netflix series House of
Cards; Kick Ass 2, the upcoming feature film sequel based on the Mark Millar/John Romita Jr. comic book series; Ghost House Pictures’ Evil Dead;and new properties that will be revealed during Licensing Show.
Saban BrandsSaban Brands continues the year-long celebration of the Power Rangers franchise’s 20th anniversary. Saban
debuted its all-new series on Nickelodeon, Power Rangers Megaforce, early this year. With more than 190 licensees,the brand is building with new Power Rangers Megaforce-licensed products and limited-edition anniversary and“throwback” Mighty Morphin Power Rangers products for kids and collectors.Saban Brands has applied a robust global strategy since its acquisition of Paul Frank in 2010 that has amplified the
brand with more than 150 strategic partnerships and collaborations. In addition to retail partners in-store and online,Paul Frank product is available in its more than 60 stand-alone stores worldwide.The company continues to acquire and develop digital channels for its audience as well. Following its acquisition
of Zui.com, Saban announced plans to globalize the property by launching the first-ever worldwide network of kid-connected sites with powerful parental controls. Saban Brands’ digital arm, The Playforge, continues to expand itsfootprint with a steady stream of new games, including Eat Eat Hooray!, which launched last month, and additional titles launching this year. In addi-tion, Saban Brands has made the five-hour action, adventure, and comedy TV block Vortexx, which airs on The CW every Saturday, available to kidsall week long through MyVortexx.com. The site features hundreds of episodes, games, points, rewards, and more.Saban announced its new animated series Digimon Fusion will begin airing on Nickelodeon this year, while Julius Jr., a new animated preschool
series inspired by the Paul Frank family of characters, will also launch on Nick Jr. (U.S.) this year. Also for Julius Jr., Saban signed Fisher-Price to serveas the global master toy licensee.
SMC Entertainment Group SMC Entertainment Group, Inc. (SMC), continues to grow its portfolio of licensees for the 3-D, CGI animated series The Jungle Book. Currently airing
in 165 countries around the world, the property continues to expand and diversify its licensing offerings with six new partners. New U.S. licensees includeInkology (stationery and activity products), Kellytoy (amusement plush characters), Newcastle Fabric (fleece blankets and knits), and LA Rug (children’splay rugs), as well as Newco International for children’s upholstered furniture, bean bags, bean bag chairs, toy boxes, foam furniture, adult furniture, night-stands, desks, and dressers. Other SMC properties available for licensing include Angry Little Girls!, H20 Just Add Water, and Dance Academy.
FOR MARKETING AND LICENSING INQUIRIES, CONTACT:
Sasha Junk (212) 598-2200 [email protected]
© 2013 Kidz Bop, LLC. “KIDZ BOP” and “Kidz Bop Kids” are registered trademarks of Kidz Bop, LLC. All rights reserved.
The social network and video site for kids
WE’RE THE #1 MUSIC BRAND FOR KIDS!AGES 5-12
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TechnicolorTechnicolor will be presenting a new children’s TV property, The Deep, which is
based on the international hit graphic novel series of the same name, created by writerTom Taylor and published by Gestalt Comics. Technicolor debuted the new animatedadventure TV series to international television buyers earlier this year and plans to devel-op a global consumer products program for the property, which targets kids ages 8–12. The new television series, currently in development on 26 half-hour episodes, follows
the Nekton family of adventurers as they explore unchartered areas of the Earth’s oceansand seek to unravel the mysteries of the deep sea.
Scholastic MediaAs Clifford the Big Red Dog’s 50th anniversary celebration continues, 2013 will see new
product releases for the brand including apparel (Hybrid Apparel and JCorp, Inc.), beddingand bath (American Homes & Textiles), food and beverage (Color-A-Cookie and Hansen),publishing (Scholastic and Bendon), plush toys and fashion accessories (Douglas), boardgames (Patch Products), science kits (Young Scientists Club), amusement toys (A&AGlobal), plush rocker (Foland Group), and bookmarks (Andrews Blaine). In addition,Buffets, Inc., will become an underwriter for the Clifford The Big Red Dog televisionseries on PBS Kids. Clifford will also receive promotional support at all Buffets, Inc.,restaurants this year including Clifford-branded activities, placemats, stickers, and coloring books for customers at locations nationwide.I Spy will receive new QSR restaurant promotions for the iconic seek-and-find franchise in the U.S., including Wendy’s, Popeye’s, and Sonic.
Briarpatch will release three new I Spy games, and the I Spy Spooky Mansion for Leapster Explorer along with new apps for the LeapFrog App Centerwill launch in 2014.The Magic School Bus will see the release of The Magic School Bus: Dinosaurs for Leapster Explorer this fall and Young Scientists Club will release
two new kits—Weather Lab and Exploring the Wonders of Nature.The Goosebumps franchise continues to expand with new Halloween costumes and masks from Gemmy, along with new books from Scholastic
and T-shirts from Local Celebrity. Ralcorp will feature an on-pack Goosebumps book offer on three million boxes of cereal and crackers for backto school. Internationally, Wendy’s will feature Goosebumps-branded premiums in its kids’ meals at more than 160 locations, including Mexico andNew Zealand.Kids Station, Baby King, and Tara Toys will release new Scholastic-branded product, including educational science kits, infant development toys,
and games and puzzles.Scholastic’s WordGirl will receive promotional support at all Buffets, Inc., restaurants in 2013 including WordGirl-branded activities, placemats,
stickers, bookmarks, and reading logs for customers at locations nationwide.Scholastic Media is also actively seeking partners for the rest of its brand portfolio including The 39 Clues, Flyguy, Maya & Miguel, Animorphs,
Turbo dogs, and Dear America.
Clifford decorated cookies from Color-A-Cookie
The Deep
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Licensing Show 2013The CollectiveThe Collective Digital Studio and its licensing agents, which include The Joester
Loria Group (TJLG)(North America), Rocket Licensing (UK), and Gaffney GlobalLicensing and Stella Projects (Australia and New Zealand), will debut new licenseesand expand new merchandise programs for Annoying Orange, the YouTube phenom-enon created by Dane Boedigheimer featuring an annoying Orange who playfullyheckles other animated fruits, vegetables, or nearby objects with puns and jokes. Ananimated series based on the web show, produced by The Collective Digital Studioand written by Tom Sheppard (Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs) debuted on CartoonNetwork in the U.S. last year. The series is also set to move into multiple international territories.In conjunction with licensing agent TJLG, Collective Digital Studio continues to expand its U.S.-based publishing program. HarperCollins will launch
a series of Annoying Orange joke books for kids debuting this fall. Papercutz will also release a second Annoying Orange graphic novel later this year. In the UK, Rocket Licensing is working on several opportunities for the brand including for toys and publishing. The latest licensee is Pedigree
Books, which joins Underground Toys (toys), Egmont UK, (publishing), TV Mania (kids’ apparel), Poetic Gem (adult apparel), Morphsuits(Morphsuits), and PMS (amusement toys). The show is expected to begin airing in the UK soon.In Australia and New Zealand, the TV series has been licensed to ABC3 and the home video to Roadshow Entertainment. Toys are distributed by
Moose Toys and T-shirts will be sold into Target stores by Casco Blu later this year. Other partners include Bensons Trading for carnival products andLegends for bedding in specialty. New categories being sought by Gaffney Global Licensing and Stella Projects include confectionary, publishing, nov-elty items, and bags and accessories.
Meredith CorporationMeredith Corporation Brand Licensing will be showcasing the company’s portfolio of powerful consumer brands including Better Homes and
Gardens and Parents as well as Allrecipes.com, Family Circle, EatingWell, and Successful Farming, which are new to the licensing market.Better Homes and Gardens extends across print, social media, the web, tablet, mobile, broadcast, and broadband, serving and connecting women who
are passionate about their homes and the lives they create there. The brand represents the largest paid monthly magazine in the U.S., and has currentlyhas 3,500-plus branded home products at Walmart, furniture by Universal, flowers and plants by FTD, and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate inpartnership with Realogy Corporation. Parents is the leading voice for a community of more than 15 million moms who are engaged and inspired by the brand’s trusted content. The multi-
platform brand is dedicated to engaging and inspiring moms with the information they need, wherever they go.Allrecipes.com is the world’s leading digital food brand that reaches family-focused women who connect and inspire one another through photos,
reviews, videos, and blog posts. Allrecipes is a global, multi-platform brand extending across 18 websites, 18 mobile sites, 11 mobile apps, and 14eBooks serving 23 countries in 12 languages.EatingWell is a leading source of science-based nutrition advice, delicious, easy and healthy recipes, and useful shopping information. The diversi-
fied brand is produced over multiple formats, including a website, custom publishing, consumer cookbooks, and health books.
North America: Jennifer Coleman at [email protected] • 00 1 212-590-2100Europe: Sandra Arcan at [email protected] • +44 1753 271 721 www.yugioh.com©1996 Kazuki Takahashi
©2011 NAS • TV TOKYO
©1996 Kazuki Takahashi
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VISIT US aT BOOTH
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Pretty Ugly LLCMimoco, makers of the Mimibot line of designer USB flash drives, will introduce a brand new character in the
Uglydoll x Mimibot line: Big Toe Mimibot. Available in up to 128GB and in USB 3.0 capabilities, the USB flash drivecomes preloaded with bonus “Mimory” and the MimoDesk personalization suite of wallpapers, icons, and avatars. BigToe joins Babo, Wage, Ice-Bat, and OX in the existing Uglydoll x Mimibot collection, which was released at last year’sNew York Comic-Con.Pretty Ugly has also signed deals with Boldface Group, Inc., to expand Uglydoll to a range of beauty and personal care
products and with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, on behalf of DC Entertainment, for a co-branded collaboration with DC Comics Super Heroes andUglydoll characters.
MattelAmerican Greetings partners with Mattel to introduce a line of Barbie-themed ornaments. The collection will fea-
ture 14 designs including a commemorative 25th anniversary Holiday Barbie ornament. The line will be available thisfall at select mass, specialty, and drug retailers nationwide and at americangreetings.com. From Franco Manufacturingcomes a line of Barbie bedding and accessories. Inspired by the Barbie in the Pink Shoes movie, the collection featuresBarbie ballerina-themed sheets, comforters, blankets, throws, and pillows. Mood Entertainment launched a line of BarbieWorld Tour Party Mix and Holiday Party Mix albums. The albums feature popular hit songs performed by kids. Launchingthis fall, the Barbie App-tastic Cash Register from Kid Designs features an LCD screen, working keypad, and cash drawer. Kidscan download the companion iOS app to scan real UPC codes, create personalized membership cards, and more. The MEGA Bloks Barbie constructionline will launch the new MEGA Bloks Barbie Rock Star Stage playset this fall, complete with amplifiers, glittering blocks, and a sparkling disco ball.Elan Polo International is launching Monster High footwear for back to school this year. The line will include high-top sneakers, vulcanized canvas
rocker boots, moto booties, and slippers, detailed with iconic Monster High art such as a glitter Skullette logo, coffin-shaped gem stones, and more.Now available in Canadian Walmart locations, Calego International has created a Monster High line of luggage, featuring hard shell rolling suitcaseswith imagery of fan-favorite ghouls Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf, and Draculaura. Franco Manufacturing also created a Monster High-themed line ofbedding and bathroom accessories. Products range from sheets and comforters to blankets, pillows, towels, shower curtains, and more. Bivona & Company has introduced a line of Fisher-Price nursery furniture that grows with baby from crib to toddler bed to day bed to full-sized bed.
Select cribs will feature Just the Right Height adjustable legs for three different crib heights. Furniture will be offered in eight styles and three colors:snow white, cherry, and espresso. Also available are mattress and contour pads. In conjunction with Hunter Amenities, Fisher-Price introduced a newline of bath and body products uniquely formulated for newborns, infants, and toddlers. Products are made with natural and organic ingredients.Mood Entertainment launched a new line of Fisher-Price board books, tailored for infants and toddlers to accompany its current music program for
the property. Fisher-Price partners with TCG to introduce a new line of preschool games that will leverage some of the brand’s iconic toys. Grow-with-Me game levels provide advancing difficulty and complexity as a child’s skills develop. The line will launch this fall.Launching this summer the Camelio tablet by Vivatar is taken to the next level by Sakar and Mattel, letting Barbie, Monster High, and Hot Wheels
fans personalize their tablets through Vivitar’s personality packs. Personality Packs include branded apps, content, wallpaper, widgets, as well as abranded themed case. The packs will be available this fall.
Licensing Show 2013
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�is one-day event give exhibitors the opportunity to showcase products in front of all key media, encompassing print, broadcast, and online media as well as the most in�uential parenting bloggers.
Time to Play will unveil its coveted Most Wanted List, the hottest trends, properties, and video games for the season.
To reserve your space today, contact:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2610AM–3PMMETROPOLITAN PAVILION125 W. 18TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY
Donna [email protected]
*new location*
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Licensing Show 2013Brand Central
Brand Central is seeking new opportunities for both new and existing clients. In the food and beverage category, theagency currently represents Dr Pepper Snapple Group; Necco Candy; and Beekman 1802, the brand behind The FabulousBeekman Boys reality TV show and winners of The Amazing Race.
Fitness, wellness, and lifestyle brands represented by Brand Central include eco-home brand Seventh Generation,yoga and wellness lifestyle brand Gaiam, and personal health and wellness pioneer Dr. Andrew Weil. Brand Central isalso showcasing its new partnership with Miraval Resort & Spa and a new brand in the company’s lifestyle division:footwear brand Eastland. The Eastland brand is specifically seeking partners across lifestyle products ranging fromapparel to accessories.
In the digital arena, the company represents home blog Apartment Therapy and the recently signed blog Cupcakes and Cashmere, which focuses onfashion, food, interior design, travel, and beauty. Cupcakes and Cashmere is ideally suited for licensees and retailers seeking a fashion brand targetedfor millennials, according to Brand Central. Brand Central has also announced a new partnership with food blog Spoon Fork Bacon.
In its home and baby division, Brand Central represents First Alert and celebrity nursery stylists Samantha Winch and Nina Takesh, owners of thehigh-end baby boutique Petit Trésor (with agency ACI).
In outdoor recreation, Brand Central continues to seek partners on behalf of The Jarden Corporation for its roster of brands, which include Colemancamping, K2 skiing, Ride snowboards, Marmot, Rawlings, Berkley Fishing, and Shakespeare Fishing.
Brand Central is also seeking partnerships for current entertainment clients. This includes Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, ABC’s daytime cookingshow The Chew, Pee-wee Herman, and IPs from Mark Burnett and One Three Media (a venture between Hearst and Burnett) including Are You SmarterThan A 5th Grader?, The Apprentice, and One Three Media’s newest game show, debuting on TBS this fall, Trust Me I’m a Game Show Host. BrandCentral also recently signed on to represent Shine America, producers of Fox’s MasterChef. With Brand Central, MasterChef will extend its consumerreach through kitchen consumer products and food and beverage categories.
D3M Licensing GroupStrong Arm Management has signed a deal with D3M Licensing Group (D3M), granting the company
global rights for licensing and endorsements for hip hop artist Flo Rida (pictured). Strong Arm, a manage-ment company founded by Lee Prince, is home to Flo Rida and emerging stars such as StayC, TylerMedeiros, Whyl Chyl, Team Phlyte, and more. D3M will leverage its network to extend the brand into keycategories, including apparel, accessories, health and fitness, consumer electronics, music-related products,and more. The team is negotiating endorsement deals with brands looking to tap into Flo Rida’s fan-base.
This year, Flo Rida was contracted to perform at corporate venues for Samsung, The Coca-Cola Co., T-Mobile, and BlackBerry. He currently has adeal with Beamz Interactive to produce a series of Flo Rida interactive music products and, in tandem with D3M, a deal to create unique brand experi-ences at retail and beyond using the latest FuelAR technology.
Flo Rida has collaborated with musical artists including T-Pain, Ke$ha, David Guetta, Sia, and more, across musical genres. Among his most popularsongs are “Low,” “Right Round,” “Club Can’t Handle Me,” “Good Feeling,” “Whistle,” and “Wild Ones (featuring Sia).” He is the founder of Big DreamsFor Kids Foundation and co-founder of the Florida Youth Football League and works with Think Pink Rocks. The Flo Fit gym will open in Miami this year.
Cupcakes and Cashmere creator Emily Schuman
Flo Rida
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SPD BrandsSPD Brands announced new licenses for its lineup of properties, which include Heart Girl, a
whimsical character based on the simple premise that little girls love to draw hearts; Flight Patterns,a collection of original travel-centric designs inspired by the three-letter airport designation codes;and Malibu Life, which captures the casual luxury and affluent lifestyle of the Southern Californiabeachfront community.
The Licensing Group, on behalf of SPD Brands, has brokered the following deals with Italy’sMulti-Print (Malibu Life back-to-school items), McSteven’s, Inc. (Heart Girl hot chocolate drinks),Glittertainment (Heart Girl temporary glitter tattoos), Zing Revolution (Heart Girl, Malibu Life, andFlight Patterns skins for mobile devices), and Card Corporation (VISA and MasterCard debit cards featuring Malibu Life and Flight Patterns.)
The Licensing Group will be seeking additional partners for the brands in apparel, stationery, accessories, games, and publishing.
The Jim Henson CompanyThe Jim Henson Company is officially launching the licensing and merchandising campaign for its preschool CG-animated series Doozers, which
focuses on the three-inch tall Doozers of Doozer Creek. Henson is seeking partners across all key categories including toys, publishing, apparel, andsocial expression. Last September, Henson signed Turner Broadcasting EMEA to air the series in most territories across EMEA on Turner Broadcasting’spreschool channel, Cartoonito, beginning this fall. In October, Henson appointed product licensing rights for EMEAto Turner Enterprises. Henson also licensed the series to Discovery Kids Latin America.
Chatter Zoo (working title) will also debut at Licensing Show. Created by Alex Rockwell(Pajanimals), the series is an interactive preschool show featuring four baby animals in their habi-tat at the Zippertown Zoo. Set to debut this summer, the show will first be introduced through anapp-based episode developed by kids’ mobile developer Mindshapes. Henson signed a licensingagreement with Sassy to develop a broad line of infant development toys and products based onthe Chatter Zoo characters and Zippertown Zoo. Henson is partners for infant apparel, accessories, and room décor.
Dinosaur Train continues to roll out its licensing and merchandising program. New U.S. licensee TDG & Associates will introduce a line of healthytoddler meals and snacks for major grocery stores and mass-market retailers for fall 2014. The Dinosaur Train Live touring theater show will kick offthis fall. Rail Events will expand its Dinosaur Train U.S. tour schedule for 2013. Cranston Fabrics will also introduce new fabric collections in the U.S.New deals were also brokered for the brand by its agencies in the UK and Ireland (Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products), Spain (Selecta Vision)and Italy (Dall’Angelo Pictures SRL).
New licensees for the animated musical preschool series, Pajanimals, in the U.S. include Briarpatch (games and puzzles), BuySeasons, (party goods);Clothworks (fabrics), Running Press (picture books and more), Bentex (sleepwear), Planet Sox (socks), and California Costumes (infant/toddlerHalloween costumes). In Australia, master toy licensee TOMY has already launched products at Target and ABC Stores alongside the show’s DVDreleases from Beyond Home Entertainment.
The 30th anniversary celebration of Fraggle Rock continues with 30 brands, designers, and artists for the Dance Your Cares Away celebration withproduct rolling out throughout the year.
Chatter Zoo characters
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Licensing Show 2013Warner Bros. Consumer Products
Warner Bros. Consumer Products is signing licensing partners for 2014’s highly anticipated movie, Godzilla,across a variety of categories including toys, apparel and accessories, costumes, and publishing.
Man of Steel hits theaters in June and its global master toy licensee Mattel is serving up an extensive toy lineincluding action figures, vehicles, playsets, and collectible figures. LEGO, Rubie’s Costume Co., and Under Armour,among others, also offer fans additional product to engage with the film.
This summer’s 300: Rise of an Empire, which builds on the legacy of 300, already has a number of licensees onboard. Among the partners are Noble (prop replicas), Museum Replicas (replica costumes), Changes (T-shirts andaccessories), Trends (posters and calendars), Funko (figures and bobbleheads), Tonner (collectible dolls), and more.
Master toy partner Jazwares, along with Mattel and USAopoly, are among the partners helping to celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz. Newlicensees include Dylan’s Candy Bar, Philosophy, Julep, Kurt Adler, Accutime, and more.
DC Comics Super Heroes has new partners to support the DC Comics properties, including Lauren Moshi (high-end casual women’s apparel),Uglydoll (plush figures), and Pez (candy dispensers inspired by the Justice League). The new TV property, Teen Titans Go!, has inspired a licensingprogram with support from master toy partner Jazwares and others.
The Big Bang Theory also maintains support for its merchandising program from retailers and licensees alike, including Hot Topic and Ripple Junction. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a fully immersive themed attraction currently at Universal Orlando Resort, is set to open at Universal Studios
Hollywood and Universal Studios Japan. Harry Potter: The Exhibition, currently headed to Tokyo with additional stops planned for 2013 and beyond,continues to bring the Harry Potter experience around the world with a state-of-the-art interactive exhibition highlighting artifacts from the Warner Bros.films based on J.K. Rowling’s book series.
SproutThe 24-hour preschool network Sprout has retained Big Tent Entertainment as its U.S. licensing agency of record. Big Tent
will represent the network to develop a fully integrated Sprout presence at retail and create a consumer products program for kidsages 2–5 under the Sprout brand. In addition, Big Tent will help introduce product based on the network’s growing roster oforiginal programs including The Chica Show and The Goodnight Show.
Sprout recently launched an all-new online retail experience at www.shopsprout.com, powered byCafePress. The online shop showcases designs that feature a range of products, including Sprout-brand-ed apparel and plush toys, puzzles, DVDs as well as iPad and iPhone accessories featuring the network’sfavorite characters such as Chica.
Sprout recently announced several upcoming new shows to its lineup including Ruff-Ruff, Tweet and Dave, Boj, Tree Fu Tom, and Driftwood Bay aswell as the second season pick-up of The Chica Show. LazyTown is also returning to Sprout for a third season.
Additionally, Sprout continues its digital expansion with more than 150 new online games introduced just this year along with a growing library ofmobile apps to keep preschoolers engaged with their favorite Sprout shows, including The Chica Show and Pajanimals. Sprout also launched a “video juke-box” microsite at sproutonline.com/sprout-tunes, which features more than 40 full-length music videos from Sprout favorites, including Laurie Berkner.
Mattel’s Man of Steel action figure
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Sync Beatz EntertainmentSync Beatz Entertainment and Bandai Co., Ltd. are re-energizing Tamagotchi, the iconic 1990s toy as an adult-target-
ed fashion and lifestyle brand, Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. (Love Is Fun Everywhere). The multi-faceted brand initiative began withthe launch of its website in November 2012 and the establishment of its Hometown Heroes program, where fans can nom-inate someone making a measurable difference in their community.
The Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. app successfully launched on iOS and Android earlier this year, recreating the classicTamagotchi gameplay. As of late April, the app has surpassed more than 2 million downloads–1.2 million on the iOS plat-form since its release on March 28, and another 850,000 on the Android platform since its release on February 14.
The next phase for the brand will be introducing branded products in a wide range of key categories including appar-el, home décor, stationery, and accessories.
SynchronocitySynchronocity announced that the bestselling book Parenting: Illustrated with Crappy Pictures
by blogger Amber Dusick is available for licensing. Published by Harlequin, the book launched inMarch. In her blog of the same name, Dusick shares her funny and insightful take on life’s every-day and not-so-everyday trials and tribulations of being a parent, illustrated with “crappy” pictures.The brand is seeking partners for calendars, journals, stationery, greeting cards, infant products, T-shirts, bags, gift wrap, and more.
The Bark magazine and its Dog Is My Co-Pilot are also available for licensing. Considered“The New Yorker for dog lovers,” The Bark is suited for upscale dog accessories, pet toys and bed-ding, puzzles, calendars, journals, and more. Dog Is My Co-Pilot bumper stickers, magnets, mugs,glassware, pillows, and T-shirts are coming soon.
Highlights of the Tootsie Roll Candy Brands program include SRM’s Tootsie Pop Ice Pop and Tootsie Roll Lollipop Makers, Masterpiece Puzzle’sset of Tootsie Roll and Blow Pop photo collage 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzles, Lotta Luv’s Blow Pop lip balm, and more. Synchronicity and ValeroEnterprises announced that the Tootsie Roll Candy Brands has joined forces with The Public Zoo for a new licensing program, The Public Zoo in TootsieLand. Pop artist and Bobby Jack brand creator Han Lee has imagined a world where Tootsie Rolls, Tootsie Pops, and Dots candies come to life. Thecompanies will team up for licensing across all categories for juniors, tweens, kids, and adults. Valero will head up international efforts.
New to the Wham-O toy and surf brands licensees is Bailey Apparel with T-shirts for young men, juniors, and kids. Bailey Apparel offers a line ofMorey Boogie and Boogie Board tops. Kiloo’s Frisbee Forever 1 and 2 apps continue to find worldwide success. Frisbee scratch Games of Summer lot-tery tickets will also go on sale in Virginia this month.
Both Target and Walmart will feature Sassy Slang greeting cards by Recycled Paper Greetings beginning this fall. Walmart will carry Sassy Slangnotebooks and portfolios for back to school. Additional products include NBSP’s can and bottle coolies; giant and regular lighters, and cases, which willbe available at Dollar General; Sassy and Sporty Slang Roxo charms for Roxo band bracelets; and bowling balls from Leading Edge. Slang Brand’s UKagent Bulldog Licensing brokered two deals: Poetic Gem for T-shirts, nightwear and daywear, and Portico for greeting cards and calendars.
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Licensing Show 2013The Licensing ShopMoose Toys, creator of The Trash Pack, will debut its proprietary girl brand The Zelfs at Licensing Show.
The Zelfs line of collectible dolls, which focus on fashion and hair play, will roll out this fall with small, medi-um, and large dolls featuring 12 key characters and play sets. Each character is uniquely identified by theirspikey hair and special power represented by a “Zelfmark.” The launch of the program will be supported witha marketing campaign including TV advertising, a dedicated website, social media, webisodes, live events, andpublic relations outreach. The Zelfs licensing program will be represented by The Licensing Shop, Inc.Get Set Games, Inc., IPs Mega Jump and Mega Run brands, along with their star character Redford will also
be represented by The Licensing Shop. The games tell the story of Redford, a small red monster with huge shiny eyesand a toothy grin, who spends his time trying to save his brother and sister from his nasty King Uncle and making his wayback to his home planet.
Jakks PacificBased on the anticipated live-action film The Smurfs 2, Jakks Pacific will release a new lineup of collectible figures, plush,
fashion dolls, and playsets. The detailed 2.75-inch The Smurfs 2 Movie Figures will feature more than 24 different figuresto collect, while the 7.5-inch Movie Mushroom House playsets bring to life the houses of favorite Smurfs characters. Jakkswill also introduce The Smurfs Micro Village, a line of highly detailed one-inch figures and playsets with connecting plat-forms. The Smurfs line will be available at Toys “R” Us, Target, Walmart, and Kmart. Jakks brings iconic superheroes and villains to life with new 31-inch Collectible Action Figures, featuring seven points of
articulation and highly detailed features. Available this year is the all-new MegaForce Red Power Ranger and 31-inch GiantDarth Vader, which is also available in a Deluxe Edition complete with a lightsaber with lights and sounds. DC Comics fanscan also collect the Man of Steel and a new variation of Batman from The Dark Knight Trilogy.
Jakks will introduce a toy line based on the popular Spanish-language comedy series El Chavo, which was made famous by comic Roberto GómezBolaños more than four decades ago. It is now a top family property among Latinos worldwide. The line will include an 18-inch Parlanchin El Chavo doll(pictured) as well as 12-inch soft dolls, packaged with a DVD featuring a full-length Spanish language episode of El Chavo; 2.75-inch collectible figures;five-inch vinyl toys; finger puppets, and El Chavo’s iconic green hat, available in adult and kid sizes.This fall, Jakks will launch a roleplay, dress-up, and plush line for Disney Junior’s all-new animated TV series Sofia the First. Little girls will love
dressing up in Sofia’s dazzling tiara and beautiful gown that transforms into a tutu. Additional roleplay items will be included in the line as well as plushproducts featuring Sofia’s furry friends like Clover the Rabbit and a Sofia Soft Doll.To mark Cabbage Patch Kids’ 30th anniversary this year, Jakks is introducing Cabbage Patch Kids Celebration Kids dolls dressed in party-themed
fashions with brightly colored hair streaks.Tollytots, a division of Jakks, will introduce a new line of Little Mermaid toys including Under the Sea Surprise Ariel, Secret Reveal Ariel, Ariel’s Bath
Vanity, Magical Mermaid Kitchen, and Ariel Musical Light Up Dress. Tollytots will also bring Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to life this summer with aproduct line for preschoolers, debuting at Toys “R” Us.
El Chavo
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Sesame WorkshopSesame Workshop continues its partnership with Hasbro. Hasbro’s Playskool brand will
feature a full range of Sesame Street characters, including the new Big Hugs Elmo, which canactually hug kids back, and the Sesame Street Roads & Rails collection, which includes threevehicle-themed playsets featuring Elmo, Ernie, or Cookie Monster. Sesame Workshop has partnered with Qualcomm to create the app Big Bird’s Words app,
available this year. The app features the first-ever use of Qualcomm Vuforia augmented-real-ity platform’s text recognition capability. Within the app, children are guided via the use of avirtual “wordoscope” to search for and find new words in their environment, helping to build their vocabulary in an interactive way.This year marks the 30th anniversary of Big Bird in China, the iconic one-hour special. Sesame Workshop is celebrating with special events, a social
media campaign, and online activity.Also, a new indoor themed ride, Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase, made its debut at Universal Studios Singapore this year.
Knockout LicensingKnockout Licensing announced the appointment of sub-agents in the UK, France, and Australia for
Boo—The World’s Cutest Dog. MJA Licensing was appointed for France and Grahame Allan Company Pty.Ltd. will manage the program in Australia. Caroline Mickler Ltd. was appointed in the UK and Ireland andhas already signed deals for the property with Blueprint Collections Ltd. (writing instruments, pencil cases,stationery sets, notebooks, notecards, storage boxes, stickers, book bags, and more) and Global Licensing(adult T-shirts). MJA Licensing was appointed to oversee the Boo licensing program in France.Knockout Licensing also announced five new licensees for Boo, including Bentex Group (children’s
swimwear), Department 56 (holiday ornaments, mugs, figurines, and waterglobes), Enterplay LLC (col-lectible Fun Packs comprised of mini-games, mini-figurines, charms, and more), SGFootwear/SGI Apparel(children’s sleepwear and footwear), and Trends International LLC (posters). For Downton Abbey, Knockout Licensing has signed a trio of new licensees. Bradford Exchange will
design and manufacture figurines and collector dolls based on Downton Abbey characters. Danbury Mint,a division of MBI, Inc., will create a line of fine jewelry based on jewelry featured in the show, which willbe sold directly to consumers online and by mail. And Kurt S. Adler, Inc., was granted the license to makeand sell a range of Downton Abbey holiday décor, including hanging ornaments, stockings, stocking hang-ers, light sets, water globes, nutcrackers, and more.As Downton Abbey’s North American agency, Knockout Licensing is actively seeking additional part-
ners for categories such as home furnishings, including home décor and bedding, kitchen accessories, light-ing, timepieces, tableware, and formal attire.
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Licensing Show 2013K’NEX
K’NEX is expanding its line of Nintendo Super Mario building sets with new additions inspired by titlessuch as New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario 3DLand, and New Super Mario Bros. 2. Now available is thenew Super Mario Bros. Wii Mystery Figure Bags Series 1 for ages 6 and up. Additional figure packs launchingthis fall include Super Mario Mystery Figure Bags Series 2, Super Mario: Figure 3-Packs, and Super Mario:Enemy Assortment. For ages 8 and up, K’NEX will also launch four new building sets, such as the Super Mario:Cannon Building Set, which features exclusive jump panels to attempt to dodge Bullet Bill as Mario is firedfrom the cannon. The set also features a star, warp pipe, flag, and coins.
K’NEX will also introduce a line of building toys inspired by the new animated series Pac-Man and theGhostly Adventures, premiering on Disney XD this fall. The line will feature seven SKUs, including the PAC-MAN and the Ghostly Adventures: Mystery Figure Packs Series 1, which features the characters Pac, Cylindria, Spiral, Inky, Blinky, Pinky, and Clyde.All figures are sold separately and compatible with the entire Pac-Man line of K’NEX products. Mystery packs also include an evil minion ghost anda display stand that allows the ghost to “float.” This and other items in the line will be timed to the show’s launch this fall.
Universal Partnerships & LicensingUniversal Partnerships & Licensing (UP&L) has a slate of properties available for licensing, retail, and pro-
motional partnerships at this year’s Licensing Show. Despicable Me 2, in theaters July 3, is an all-new ani-mated adventure featuring Gru, his girls, and his vast army of Minions that has already attracted a numberof licensees including Thinkway Toys, Hasbro, and Gameloft. In addition, a spin-off installment of the samefranchise, Minions, is also planned for release by Illumination and Universal on December 19, 2014.
Also due out is the long-awaited Jurassic Park 4. The studio has pushed back the release date, whichwas originally scheduled for June 2014. Director Steven Spielberg returns to produce the epic 3-D action-adventure. InFebruary Hasbro was named the master toy licensee for the film. Hasbro was given the rights to develop a wide variety of toys including figures, plush,dolls, playsets, vehicles, roleplay, games, KRE-O-branded building sets, and novelty items.
Illumination Entertainment will also make announcements about an all-new, original 3-D film in July 2015 fol-lowing the box office success of its previous films including Despicable Me, Hop, Dr. Seuss’ the Lorax, and theupcoming releases of Despicable Me 2 and Minions.
WowWeeWowWee is seeking licensing partners for its Once Upon a Zombie brand, based on new property created by
Toon Studio of Beverly Hills. The line of Once Upon a Zombie fully articulated 11-inch dolls puts a zombie spinto the classic fairytale princess characters.
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The Wiggles2013 marks a new era for children’s entertainment group, The Wiggles, with new cast members Emma
(Yellow Wiggle), Simon (Red Wiggle), and Lachy (Purple Wiggle) joining veteran Blue Wiggle Anthony.Emma Watkins is the first-ever female Wiggle. The Wiggles head out on their Taking Off! world tour thissummer. The tour’s North American leg kicks off mid-August and runs through October.The Wiggles’ new Taking Off! album was released in North America this spring and the Taking
Off! DVD is due out later this summer. The Taking Off! album plays like a full Wiggles concert andincludes songs from the new television show Ready, Steady, Wiggle!, airing on Sprout and TreehouseTV (Canada) this fall.
The Wiggles will also launch new licensed products this fall from licensees including master toy partner Wicked Cool Toys, video and music part-ners NCircle Entertainment and Razor & Tie, and entertainment partners Sprout, Sirius, and Corus Entertainment (Canada). Deals were brokered by TheWiggles’ licensing agent Brandberry.
NBC UniversalBased on Monk, the comedic detective mystery series that originally aired on USA from 2002–2009, Penguin Group
is releasing the hard cover book Mr. Monk Helps Himself this month. This is the 16th book in the series about the obses-sive-compulsive police detective Adrien Monk. Dynamic Forces launched a line of Grimm comic books and graphic novels last month, with a free inaugural issue
for Free Comic Book Day to kick off the monthly series. The books and novels are based on Grimm, the police dramaTV series inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ Fairy Tales.Fitness Ridge World Wide is bringing The Biggest Loser to Chicago this month with the opening of The Biggest Loser
Resort Chicago. Guests can experience a structured calorie-controlled program crafted to foster a positive lifestyle change.Created for men and women of all ages and fitness levels, as well as ages 14 and up, The Biggest Loser Resort featuresspa cuisine meals, nutrition classes, trainers, state-of-the-art fitness equipment, spa treatments, a pool, and more. BodyMedia has also created the Core 2 Armband, an activity/health tracker armband originally used by The Biggest Loser contestants. The small wearable multi-sensor device is the first to offer a choice on interchangeable jewelry-like faceplates, straps, and cuffs. It will also feature a new heart rate monitoring option,energy-saving Bluetooth Smart Ready technology, and data-rich mobile and online apps. It launches at retail in August.McCall’s is licensing the Fashion Star brand in a line of four new, inspired sewing patterns, launching this July. The line will include designs from
season two designers Jesse Ray Vasquez & Garrett Gerson, Johana Hernandez, Cassandra Hobbins, and Hunter Bell. For Parks and Recreation, licensee Ripple Junction will create a Halloween mask and bobblehead based on the show’s character Rob Swanson. The
mask will have lifelike features and Swanson’s iconic facial expressions. The talking bobblehead will say classic Swanson’s quotes. These items willlaunch this fall. Currently available from Trends International is a line of Parks and Recreation posters and bookmarks.For the classic Battlestar Galactica, Dynamic Forces is launching a line of all-new monthly comic books featuring original stories set against the
backdrop of the 1978 series. The comics’ launch is timed to the show’s 35th anniversary this month. Moebius Models is also launching the 1:32-scaleColonial Viper Model kit, featuring launch tube packaging for display. Big Bang Pow! has also created Battlestar Galactica pint and shot glasses.
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Licensing Show 2013Firefly Brand Management
Patch Products announced an agreement with Firefly Brand Management to represent its new brand of Planet SockMonkey dolls. The line features 10-inch knit sock monkeys, each dressed in a signature style with detailed accessories.The licensing partnership will translate the Planet Sock Monkeys’ likeness across a variety of new consumer goods,including apparel. The line’s first wave of sock monkeys will launch this fall, with additional waves of six characters antic-ipated for rollout.
The Joester Loria GroupThis year The Joester Loria Group (TJLG) is working with Kellogg’s to expand its brands in housewares with colorful collections of dinnerware,
serveware, and glassware across multiple brands from Tabletops Unlimited. The company is also developing retro and contemporary graphic designsfor Kellogg’s iconic characters, including Tony the Tiger; Toucan Sam; and Snap, Crackle and Pop as well as vintage art collections that celebrate itshistoric advertising art and packaging. A wide range of kitchen tools and accessories, including the Special K portion control kitchen tools and Keeblerbaking tools from Acme International, will be available in specialty and national chains this fall. Kellogg’s also plans to introduce new product andexpanded retail distribution this year for food and storage products and Keebler and Pop Tart appliances. New collections of Kellogg’s brands in appar-el, accessories, and lifestyle products will also be in specialty and national retailers this fall.
Entenmann’s-branded flavored coffees enter the single cup (K-Cup) category later this year, and will offer two new non-flavored coffee blends:Entenmann’s Breakfast Blend Coffee and Entenmann’s Dark Roast Coffee. The Entenmann’s bakeware collection is expanding to include on-trend itemssuch as cake pop pans and seasonal themed pans as well as new additions to its kids’ bakeware products. Publishing partner Parragon is in developmentfor the new Entenmann’s Bake Shop recipe book. It is scheduled to release this holiday.
Mountain Dew continues its Green Label Exclusives program, which pairs top designers and brands to produce one-of-a-kind lifestyle product col-laborations inspired by the Dew brand. New collaborations are expected in 2013.
As the global licensing agent for The World of Eric Carle, TJLG recently appointed local agents inKorea, Russia, and Benelux to further extend the program’s reach. In the U.S., new infant developmenttoys will be available at Babies “R” Us and Target, and new categories, including giftware, HBA, crafts,juvenile products and infant/toddler apparel, are expanding in all key markets. A special campaign for the45th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar will be announced at Licensing Show, supported withpromotional partnerships and retail events throughout 2014.
For The Hive, which airs on Disney Jr. in the UK and U.S., TJLG will execute a retail-driven programwith merchandising categories to include toys, plush, games, publishing, apparel, room décor, confec-tionery, and more. Key product is expected to be in the marketplace in 2014, with a number of limitedexclusives for this holiday.
Discovery Communications’ Animal Planet pet products has introduced new categories including wet grooming, new pet toys, pet beds and premi-um pet treats. Animal Planet lifestyle products continue to expand at retail, anchored by its 12-year partnership and direct-to-retail program with Toys“R” Us. New product launching this year includes pet food, pet pads, pet wipes, pet stain and odor cleaners, feedings and storage, pet gates, and inter-active toys as well as lifestyle housewares products.
Planet Sock Monkey’s Long Sock Silver
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Jewel Branding & LicensingJewel Branding & Licensing (JBL) has added new brands and artists to its client roster this year,
including The New York Botanical Garden, which launched a line of rugs with Mohawk in March.Also on board is a soon-to-be announced bed and bath licensee. JBL is also working with the TracyPorter brand, which recently launched bedding with PEM America, tabletop with CertifiedInternational, and wall art with Met Colors. Other newly signed artists include Clare Jordan, RobbinRawlings, Bee Sturgis, and Lauren Taylor. Established client Shell Rummel signed a new deal with Pictura for stationery and gift products
and launched a quilted bedding collection with Ivy Hill Home. Artist Robin Pickens signed with Pictura, Legacy Greetings, and Magnetworks for new greeting
cards and gift products launching later this year. Aunty Acid signed deals with Leanin Tree, Ronnie Sellers, Gibbs Smith, and Tree Free Greetings for cards, gifts, calendars, and books. Artist Heather Rosas has also signed with Canvas Press (growth charts), Calego (backpacks and luggage), and CR Gibson (new ranges of stitched
Christmas products). Lezlee Elliott has signed with Canvas Kudos, Leanin Tree, and Design Design. A complete home collection for Clairebella will belaunching with Victoria Classics. The products include bed, bath, and kitchen textiles.
Dentsu EntertainmentLBX (a.k.a. Little Battlers eXperience) is a battle-action animated TV series from Japan featuring miniature customizablerobots. After enjoying success in Asia, Dentsu Entertainment USA will bring the property to the global market. In North
America, Bandai America, the master toy licensee, will develop an all-new line of toys for mass, including articulated actionfigures, building sets, and model kits. The line is scheduled for release in 2014, to coincide with the TV broadcast launch.Dentsu Entertainment USA is seeking non-toy long-lead partners for categories such as back-to-school and publishing.
The Joy Tashjian Marketing GroupThe Joy Tashjian Marketing Group (JTMG) was appointed the exclusive licensing agency for the burgeoning T-
Shirt phenomena Ohiya: the art of making friends. Comprised of cute, cuddly, and sometimes crass characters,Ohiya began as a series of sketches and ideas by Ohio-based illustrator Tharp. Tharp and his team then teamed upwith Ripple Junction in 2011 to spread the brand’s message. JTMG will work to launch Ohiya into new productcategories including fashion and costumes, interactive games, publishing, toys, plush, stickers and art supplies, cal-endars, and electronics. JTMG has already finalized the placement of Ohiya in Hot Topic with four SKUs of T-shirts, stickers, and buttons now available in stores and online.
Tracy Porter-branded bedding
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Licensing Show 2013Lisa Marks AssociatesGrosset & Dunlap, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group, is partnering with Sassy to pub-
lish a series of books specifically designed to foster a baby’s development. Grosset & Dunlap will inte-grate Sassy’s research-based design expertise into a collection that encourages and enhances all stagesof a baby’s growth. Developed in collaboration with Sassy’s team of early childhood developmentexperts, the Sassy: Inspiring the Senses series will feature interactive components, patterns, colors, tex-tures, words, and designs introduced at age-appropriate stages to stimulate baby’s physical, intellectu-al, emotional, and social skills. Grosset & Dunlap will launch the series with four books this fall. Thepartnership between Penguin Young Readers Group and Sassy was brokered by Sassy’s licensingagency, Lisa Marks Associates (LMA). Global humor brand and greeting card publisher Avanti Press, Inc., has appointed LMA to develop
its Avanti brand licensing program. Positioned in more than 15,000 stores in North America, and thou-sands more worldwide, the 30-plus year greeting card brand focuses on contemporary humor throughdistinctive, compelling visual stories that find their inspiration in everyday life. A comprehensive lineof consumer products is planned, with initial collections targeting categories, such as apparel andaccessories, gifts and stationery, domestics and home décor, media and publishing, office supplies, petproducts, party goods, and more.
Dimensional Branding GroupDimensional Branding Group (DBG) will be showcasing the app game Temple Run, which is approaching nearly 400 million global downloads,
according to DBG. DBG is looking for both domestic and internationallicensing partners through its sub agents, which include Lisle International(Europe), Wild Pumpkin (Australia), and Empire Multimedia (Pan Chinaregion), to expand the current merchandising program. DBG is also highlighting global online game publisher Miniclip and its
titles including Gravity, Fragger, and 8 Ball Pool, which are top mobileapps as well. Skee-Ball, a long-time DBG client, now ranks as the No. 1-branded app
game of all time on the iOS platform, according to DBG. The latest Skee-Ball2 app launched in January. The traditional toy and game platform is availablefor both indoor and outdoor licensing options. DBG is also seeking partners for Urban Dictionary, a slang dictionary
website with words and definitions added by visitors to the site. The site cur-rently houses more than seven million user-submitted words.
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ASPCAThe American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has entered an agree-
ment with Commonwealth Toy & Novelty Co. to develop a line of plush toys and accessories. Theline will aim to replicate the experience of adopting a shelter pet, bringing the ASPCA’s mission toa new generation of animal advocates. The line is tentatively set to launch by the end of 2013.
Other current ASPCA licensees include Firestar Diamond, Inc., American GreetingsCorporation, Eyewear Inventions, European Home Design, Inc., and Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s,PBTeen and West Elm brands.
EvolutionEvolution launched last year at Licensing Show and this year will debut its representation roster of properties.
Evolution is developing new licensing programs for Rubicon Group Holdings (RGH) Entertainment’s portfolio ofexisting and future IPs throughout the global marketplace. Monster In My Pocket, a popular brand of collectible mon-sters for boys, will be supported by a soon-to-be-named master toy partner, digital apps and games, and an animated tel-evision series to debut in fall 2014. Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, a new 3-D CGI-animated theatrical feature film
slated for release in holiday 2014, will be supported with licensed products in apparel, toys, publishing, and seasonal.Licensed products for Marcenivo, a property based on the artwork from artist Fabio Napoleoni, will include col-lectibles, social expression, paper goods, and high-end fashion apparel and accessories for specialty and department
stores, set for release in 2014.Summertime Entertainment’s Legends of Oz, Dorothy’s Return, based on the original book series written by Roger
Stanton Baum, the great grandson of Oz franchise creator L. Frank Baum, is a new 3-D CGI-animated film that picks up where Wizard of Oz leftoff. It is slated for theatrical release in 2014. A movie soundtrack from Sony Music and the DVD/Blu-ray release from Twentieth Century Fox HomeEntertainment will follow. Evolution is managing the licensing and retail program for the transmedia brand that encompasses licensed merchandise,packaged goods, console and handheld video games, virtual worlds, social games, casual games, iPhone/iPad apps, and other mobile experiences forlaunch concurrent with the theatrical release of the film.
As the global merchandise licensing agent for Miramax’s portfolio of properties, which includes films such as Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill Vol. I & II, andmore, Evolution announced international sub-agents. New agencies include Merchantwise Pty Ltd. (Australia and New Zealand), Asiana Licensing(Korea), Blue Sky International (Japan), Empire Multimedia Corporation (Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia,Thailand, and Vietnam), Sagoo (France), Celebrities Entertainment GmbH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), BN Licensing B.V. (the Netherlands),Rizon (the UK), Ink TM A/S (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden), and Brandvida (Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Peru). Products will beginrolling out in Q4 2013.
Evolution also continues to seek opportunities for animated TV series Taffy Saltwater, Monstroids, and Pocoyo; Japanese character lifestyle brandKapibarasan; tween lifestyle brand Tamagotchi L.i.f.e; and collectible accessory brand Floppets.
Legends of Oz
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Licensing Show 2013My1story
With new unique character traits and interests, My1story’s book series incorporates key elements of original classic children’s tales with new per-spectives, such as “Did Humpty really meet his doom with a great fall?” My1story books, illustrated by co-founder Jaime Rodriguez, seek to dispel arecent trend that shows one in five parents has swapped classics in favor of modern books, according to the company. My1story is focusing on themesbased on friendship (Humpty), adventure (Jack’s Beanstalks), creativity (Lil’ Riding Hood & Wolfie), family (3 Lil’ Pigs & Harry), and imagination(Goldie & the Teddy Bears). The brand strategy entails evolving the characters with newly created animated content and storybooks. An additional fivenew titles are currently in the making, extending characters into new settings and learning experiences.
In addition, www.myfirstory.com will provide kids with continuous opportunities for play through stories, animation shorts, games, and activities in asafe online environment.
Out of the Blue EnterprisesDaniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, the animated preschool series and only spin-off of Mister Roger’s Neighborhood
from The Fred Rogers Company (FRC), is working with Out of the Blue Enterprises (OOTB), co-creator of theshow and licensing agent for the property, to bring Daniel Tiger and friends to neighborhoods all across the U.S.
Daniel Tiger toys from Jakks Pacific, for ages 2–4, will roll out exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide inJuly through holiday. Highlights in the toy line include Daniel Tiger Feature Plush (pictured), seven-inch mini plushassortment, two-pack sets of 2.75-inch collectible figures, a collectible figures gift pack featuring all five featuredcharacters, a Neighborhood Trolley with Daniel Tiger figure, an all-in-one playset with Daniel Tiger and PrinceWednesday figures, Daniel’s Imagination Bungalow playset with Daniel Tiger Figure, and a 3-in-1 ImaginationTreehouse playset with Daniel Tiger, Katerina Kittycat, and O the Owl figures.
Simon & Schuster children’s publishing imprint Simon Spotlight will create a range of Daniel Tiger books, includ-ing picture, story, novelty, activity, and coloring books and non-interactive ebooks; personalized T-shirts; and moreavailable through toysrus.com and partner Ty’s Toy Box. University Games is also signed on for puzzles and games.Additional licensing categories are being considered, including home, health and beauty, assorted soft goods, and more.
Lima SkyLima Sky, creator of the Doodle Jump app game, has teamed up with Delivery Agent
to launch a digital commerce program for Doodle Jump merchandise. The program willextend the Doodle Jump brand by offering fans an online merchandise shopping experi-ence powered by Delivery Agent optimized for web, mobile, and tablet.
The Delivery Agent platform will support the licensing and merchandising expan-sion strategy of the top iOS app with the launch of Doodle Jump’s first direct-to-consumer digital merchandise store. Doodle Jump fans will have accessto hundreds of products including apparel, toys, home, and novelty goods, featuring official Doodle Jump assets from 11 popular game themes. In addi-tion, Delivery Agent will work with Doodle Jump’s top licensees to build out the product offerings.
Neighborhood Friends Daniel Tigerfrom Jakks Pacific
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Outfit7Outfit7’s Talking Friends franchise now extends beyond its apps, with a web series, YouTube singles, and a robust
licensing program with nearly 30 licensees across all main merchandising categories. The company continues to seeklicensing partners at the regional and global level that can complement the interactive Talking Friends brand. TheTalking Friends Superstar plush toys, for example, seamlessly talks and interacts with multiple Talking Friends apps,as well as to each other, thanks to an advanced sound recognition system.
Extending the brand engagement beyond the app world, Talking Angela and Talking Tom’s chart-topping duet“You Get Me” has more than 90 million YouTube views and a Talking Friends web short series in 2012 garneredmore than 100 million views in just a few months.
Current global licenses include Beltltex, Van Der Evre N.V., Dragon-I Toys, Smith & Brooks Limited, TVMEurope GMBH, and GB EYE Ltd.
Pukeko PicturesAmerican Greetings Properties (AGP) has signed on as the worldwide mer-
chandise licensor for Pukeko Pictures’ The WotWots, a new CGI-animated andlive action preschool series that follows the adventures of two siblings from outerspace SpottyWot and DottyWot, pictured right.
Sub-agents for the property include EXIM Licensing Group (Latin America),Stella Projects (Australia and New Zealand), Max Licensing (Turkey), Lizenwerft(Germany), and Segal Licensing (Canada).
The first season is currently available in more than 90 countries, includingAustralia and New Zealand, the U.S., Canada, the UK, China, and much of theAsia Pacific region. And season two airs on The Hub (U.S.), Treehouse(Canada), Channel 5 Milkshake (UK), HBO Family (Latin America),ABC4Kids (Australia), and TVNZ (New Zealand). Grand Entertainment Ltd.has also created co-produced entertainment content specifically for the Chinese market, currently broadcasting on CCTV channels and most onlineand mobile platforms.
In the home entertainment space, The WotWots are available on DVD in multiple territories and available for digital download in Australia, the UK,and Canada, with the U.S. launch expected soon.
An interactive app for iOS, Pocket SpottyWot, follows the award-winning The WotWots e-book Lanky Landing Legs. Publishing partner Ice Water Press has launched books in the Australian and New Zealand markets and holds global e-publishing rights for season
one. AGP is looking to extend the brand’s publishing presence in Europe, North and Latin America, and Asia.ABC Commercial is Pukeko Pictures’ global partner for live events, with local agents Showtime in Australia, Sphere Entertainment in Canada,
Rainbow in the UK, and Milestone in the U.S.
Talking Angela
SpottyWot and DottyWot
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Licensing Show 2013Reeder Brand Management
David Reeder, previous head of GreenLight, announced the formation of Reeder Brand Management (RBM), aboutique licensing and brand representation agency.
The first clients signed to RBM include legendary filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock and actress Bo Derek. Reeder iscurrently seeking opportunities that “present the totality of these well-known personalities and create meaningfulmarketing and product partnerships,” says Reeder.
RBM is also actively looking to engage with additional personality brands and is in discussion with a number of consumerbrands for representation.
Elvis Presley Enterprises Elvis Presley Enterprises announced that licensee Royal Bobbles has unveiled a new Elvis Presley Aloha
from Hawaii bobble head figurine featuring his signature American Eagle jumpsuit, just in time for the 40thanniversary of this historic event. The hand-painted, limited-edition model is crafted in high-quality resinand is currently available at gift shops and online retailers nationwide. Its full-color collector package isdesigned in the U.S. and includes biographical information and entertaining Elvis facts.
Mimoco, creator of the Mimobot brand of designer USB flash drives, also announced its first music-inspired collaboration with Elvis Presley Enterprises. The Elvis x Mimobot release features two design vari-ants—Elvis Aloha from Hawaii Mimobot and Army Elvis Mimobot—both available with up to 128GB ofdata storage and in USB 3.0 speeds. The line comes preloaded with bonus Elvis Presley content, includingarchival Elvis interviews, photographs, and more. Also included is the MimoDesk personalization suite,which includes Elvis x Mimobot-themed wallpapers, icons, and avatars. MimoByte sound software is powered with an offering of iconic sounds andcharacter dialog that play each time the Elvis x Mimobot is inserted in or ejected from a computer. The Elvis x Mimobot series is now available onlineat Mimoco.com and at select specialty outposts worldwide.
Robin ZingoneRobin Zingone signed a licensing agreement with Pioneer Balloon Company for latex and foil balloons worldwide. The
robinzingone brand, will debut on holiday, occasion, and contemporary collections featuring the brand’s signature look offresh, modern, and classic design.
The company also inked a deal with CSS Industries and its consumer product subsidiaries CR Gibson, Paper Magic Group,and Berwick Offray for a wide range of products for both specialty and mass market. Under the agreement, The robinzingone brandwill launch on social expression and stationery, baby/toddler/kids including albums, calendars, journals, fashion and room accessories, kitchen binders,recipe cards and list pads, tech accessories, paper goods, gift wrap, wall décor, and greeting cards. For Zingone’s tween brand Cocomimilulu, a line of prod-ucts is planned for social expression, back to school, activity kits, craft, stickers, scrapbooks, wall décor, and locker accessories.
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The Wildflower GroupThe Wildflower Group has secured multiple new licensees for HarperCollins Children’s
Books’ Goodnight Moon. Mighty Fine has signed on for infant and toddler apparel, PreciousMoments for gift items, and Cloud9 Fabrics for fabrics. Mighty Fine’s range of designs willbe based on the book’s recognizable look and classic characters, icons, phrases, and scenes. Theline will include tops, bottoms, dresses, onesies, rompers, and fleece clothing. Precious Moments’line of infant gift products will be made of resin, glass, porcelain, ceramic, dolomite, vinyl, and paper.Products include clocks, bookends, water globes, photo frames, banks, figurines, covered boxes, photos albums,growth charts, and nightlights. They will be available in card, gift, specialty, and department stores in spring 2014. Cloud9 Fabrics’ line of Goodnight Moonfabric will be available in independent fabric stores by December. Fabrics will be 100 percent certified organic cotton.The Wildflower Group is currently in discussions with potential Goodnight Moon licensing partners in categories such as accessories, bedding, and
health and beauty aids. Goodnight Moon has sold more than 23 million copies since its publication in 1947, and has been translated into 12 languages.
The Valen GroupThe Valen Group represents several brands available for licensing. IHOP represents all things breakfast with a
successful frozen breakfast product line and a line of syrups currently in grocery chains. Other product categoriesbeing explored for licensing are coffee, kitchenware, small electric appliances, candy, and more. Fazoli’s is America’s largest Italian quick-casual restaurant chain, featuring a premium menu of freshly prepared
Italian pasta entrees, pizzas, and signature garlic breadsticks. Fazoli’s recently launched into retail grocery in refrig-erated entrees and is seeking additional partners in categories including bread, appetizers, seasoning, and more. Known as the Gourmet Burger Authority for more than 40 years, Red Robin offers unique and delicious burgers
and entrees. Red Robin is seeking partners for burgers, appetizers, sauces, seasoning, sandwich spreads, beverages,indoor burger grills, small kitchen electrics, and more. Rust-Oleum, a leading brand in rust and corrosion prevention, has had successful partnerships in a variety of prod-
uct categories including locks, tape, patio furniture, hardware, fasteners, paint accessories, and even skater apparel. The brand is seeking partners in cate-gories where rust and corrosion inhibition are important including lawn and garden, as well as partners in apparel and accessories for its vintage graphics.
Trunk ArchiveTrunk Archive will be showcasing its extensive library of iconic photography, available for the first time for consumer products at Licensing Show. On
display will be highlights of work by legendary photographers Herb Ritts, Bruce Weber, Patrick Demarchelier, Jerry Schatzberg, and Miles Aldridge, aswell as collections by newly signed artists Lord Snowdon, Ellen Von Unwerth, and Japanese sensation Mika Ninagawa. Unique surf photography by ChrisBurkard and Jeff Divine, aerial images by Alex Maclean, and previously unseen works from the historic archives of British Vogue will also be exhibited.
Consumer StrategiesConsumer Strategies, Inc., has signed celebrity chef, restaurateur, and TV personality Susan Feniger to its client roster and will be seeking mer-
chandise partners in categories such as food, culinary, cooking accessories, travel, and home goods. Feniger is best known as the other half of Too HotTamales, one of the first cooking shows that aired on Food Network with almost 400 episodes. She also founded the Border Grill, which has locationsin Santa Monica, Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, and downtown Los Angeles, and the Border Grill Truck with chef Mary Sue Milliken.Her first solo venture Street is the first Los Angeles restaurant based on street food from all over the world.
Feniger joins Consumer Strategies’ extensive list of health and fitness and food brands that includes Contessa Premium Foods, The Biggest Loser,Kathy Smith, and more.
Big Tent EntertainmentBig Tent Entertainment’s viral sensation Domo continues to grow in the fash-
ion world through new deals with licensees such as Good Works Makes ADifference (jewelry) and Yellow Rat Bastard (clothing). The brand has alsosigned a sponsorship with this summer’s Vans Warped Tour, which will bring theinternet meme to 40 cities across the country. The Domo brand is also celebrating the success of its Domo x DC line in coordination with Funko (fig-urines) and License2Play (plush).
Other clients that continue to seek partnerships for the upcoming year include PixFusion, Miffy and Friends, and Discovery Communications’ DiscoveryKids and TLC brands as well as Big Tent’s latest partner, the 24-hour preschool network Sprout. This marks Sprout’s first Licensing Show appearance.
MHS LicensingMHS Licensing will debut artist Marcie St. Clair at Licensing Show. St. Clair lives by the mantra,
“A smile is worth gold!” reflected in her artwork through bright colors, encouraging messages, and anunexpected visual perspective. Her fresh designs reinforce her belief that a happy soul is more impor-tant than anything. St. Clair transforms the pieces that are brought to her home décor consignment storeinto objects‘d art by refinishing, repurposing, and applying color with her unique sense of design. Herbackground is in graphic design, art direction, and art education. MHS Licensing is seeking licensingopportunities for her artwork in multiple categories, including cards, stationery, home textiles, gift,apparel, and wall décor.
Another new artist, Stacey Yacula’s art is inspired by her childhood in the cold winters, long nights,and hot chocolaty days of northern Canada. Her images capture the innocence of youth with simplestrokes and endearing characters. Everyday designs available for licensing including nature inspiredillustrations, adorable children, and animal friends as well as holiday-themed artwork. MHS is seeking partners in product categories ranging from sta-tionery and gifts to wall coverings and home textiles.
Marcie St. Clair artwork
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Licensing Show 2013
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Peanuts WorldwideIconix Brand Group, in a joint venture with Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, has formed Peanuts Worldwide, the new
home of the global Peanuts property. Peanuts Worldwide will showcase a number of existing global licensees and upcomingventures at this year’s Licensing Show. The Peanuts Comic Strip is what the company is calling bite-sized media, whichis perfect for today’s social media-immersed culture. Peanuts is active on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.Peanuts has also signed on as the first licensee of the social network Path. Path is a similar concept to Facebook but con-nections are limited so it remains close friends and family. Peanuts has signed an extended deal with CafePress.com for a Peanuts-specific shop on the website, which is expected to launch at the end of the year. Peanuts is currently featured at apparel retailer Uniqlo with productlines that reach both genders and all age demographics.
Peanuts Worldwide in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studio will bring Peanuts to the big screen in 3-D in Q4 2015. ThePeanuts are expected to be positioned as the next big franchise for Fox, according to Peanuts Worldwide. A full licensing and promotional program isexpected for the film.
Zodiak KidsZodiak Kids has lined up an array of integrated media experiences across its digital platforms for its preschool
property Tickety Toc, in order to provide momentum for the launch of its consumer products this fall. Major partnerssigned for the U.S. and Canada include master toy partner Just Play, Anchor Bay (DVD), Scholastic (publishing),MEGA Brands (puzzles), Franco (bath/bedding), and Cupcake Digital for mobile apps. In Canada, Studio Licensinghas also appointed NTD (apparel), Calego (luggage/bags), and Paris Geneve (sleepwear). In the U.S., EstablishedBrands have signed Bentex (apparel), Berkshire (accessories), and Fast Forward (bags) with further deals to beannounced shortly. Product is set to launch with aggressive retail marketing support this fall. Toys and DVDs will hit shelves in the U.S., while in Canadainitial rollout items includes toy, apparel and DVDs. Tickety Toc currently airs on Nick Jr. in the U.S. It also airs nearly 50 times per week on Disney Jr.& Family in Canada. The Tickety Toc licensing program is managed by Established Brands in the U.S. and Studio Licensing in Canada.
Schwartz & CompanyBill Schwartz, creator and producer of animated specials including Snow White and the Magic Mirror and The Secret of the Hunchback, has signed
The Brand Liaison to represent North American rights to the newly launched Happy Toon World brand. The brand consists of junior versions of theworld’s top 40 iconic characters, including Little Snow White, Little Cinderella, and Little Frankenstein, as well as holiday characters, including LittleSanta, Little Nutcracker, and Little Cupid, across six distinct collections: Little Super Hero, Tiny Princess, Little Boy, Little Holiday, Little AnimalCollection, and Little Transporter. To represent Happy Toon World internationally, Schwartz has signed Icon Promotions (Russia) and EmpireMultimedia (India, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines). All Happy Toon World characters are available for infantto tween licenses, including publishing, apparel, toys, paper goods, lifestyle products, and more.
Happy Toon World is a wholly owned subsidiary of Schwartz & Company. The company also represents Puff the Magic Dragon, StrawberryShortcake, Julie Andrew’s The Singing Princess, and other content for license to U.S. broadcasters, video, and digital platforms.
Tickety Toc
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Licensing Show 2013Condé Nast Licensing
For the first time, Condé Nast Licensing will have a booth at the Licensing Show, whereit will highlight several existing partnerships and pursue new relationships for its brands.
Condé Nast brokered a deal with Macy’s for a Teen Vogue for mstylelab junior’sapparel collection featuring maxi dresses, jumpsuits, printed leggings, short dresses,chambray shirts, bandeaus, shorts, bralettes, jackets, and tanks in trend-forward silhou-ettes, bold prints, and bright colors. The line launched in March across 150 Macy’s loca-tions worldwide and on macys.com. Each month the line is refreshed with 15 new pieces.
SELF magazine and CAP Barbell, Inc., have partnered on the magazine’s new line of branded fitness products, which launched in spring. Productsinclude hand weights, fitness hoops, weighted balls, yoga mats, weighted vests, and jump ropes. Products retailing for $19.99 or more include an offerfor a free SELF subscription. Each piece of equipment include a QR code linking consumers to online tips for proper use, as well as exercise routinesdesigned by SELF. The deal was brokered by FremantleMedia International.
Target Corporation and WIRED have created WIRED Editors’ Picks for Target, a custom-curated assortment of consumer electronics and gadgets.The collection includes existing Target products as well as four products available for the first time at Target. It is available now at Target stores and atTarget.com/wired. The deal was brokered by Condé Nast.
Building on the success of its DIY wedding invitations and stationery program at Michaels, Brides and Gartner Studios are developing a social expressionsprogram. The line will include greeting cards, roll wrap, gift bags, and accessories, and is scheduled to launch in Q1/Q2 2014 at major retailers nationwide.
Additional partnerships include: the Bon Appétit Collection on HSN, featuring cookware and small appliances, and The New Yorker at Barnes &Noble, featuring Nook covers. Categories in development include food, fitness apparel, social expression, and stationery and gift.
FremantleMedia InternationalFremantleMedia International continues to manage some of the fastest growing and evergreen brands in the world. FremantleMedia is responsible
for brands in the kids’ space such as Tree Fu Tom, Strange Hill High, Ella the Elephant, Kate & Mim Mim, Wizards vs. Aliens, and Grojband; lifestylebrands such as Grand Designs, Loteria and Condé Nast brands SELF and Epicurious; and entertainment brands such as Idols, Got Talent, The X Factoras well as The Price is Right, Family Feud, and Let’s Make A Deal.
SEGA LicensingStarting at this year’s Licensing Show, SEGA will lay the foundation for a massive multi-tiered campaign to relaunch the
Sonic brand with new games, merchandise, and more soon-to-be-announced surprises. SEGA Licensing is looking for partners acrossall categories with a concentration on toys, apparel, bed and bath, food and beverage, and amusement. The campaign will also set itssights on Latin America for expansion, as Sonic increases its footprint around the globe. For this year, fans can engage with Sonicthrough new video game titles and merchandise slated to close out the year. SEGA recently announced an exclusive partnership withNintendo for the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise in the U.S. and Europe. The new agreement will make Nintendo consoles the No. 1destination for Sonic gaming over the next three titles. This year also marks the 25th anniversary for the SEGA Genesis gaming console.
WIRED Editors’ Picks for Target display
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ICONIX/PEANUTS WORLDWIDECAROLANN DUNN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOROF HARD GOODS, PEANUTS WORLDWIDE
Iconix Brand Group appointed CarolannDunn to the newly created role of executivedirector of hard goods for Peanuts World-wide and Iconix Entertainment. She will drivenew business and account management in thetoys and games, HBA, gift, home décor,stationery, food, and sporting goods cate-gories. Reporting to her will be director ofhard goods, Lexi Mitz. They will alsobuild existing and new relationships with partners for the planned 2015Peanuts movie from 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios.
Dunn joins Peanuts Worldwide and Iconix after serving as principalat the licensing agency, Creative Properties. Prior to Creative Proper-ties, she was vice-president, consumer products licensing for MajorLeague Baseball Properties.
THE JOESTER LORIA GROUPALMEDIA, DEMAIO, AND AHRENS PROMOTIONS
The Joester Loria Group has announced the following pro-motions. Michael Almedia has been promoted to director ofsales. In his new role, hewill oversee sales effortsin key product categoriessuch as apparel, electron-ics, interactive, juvenile, sporting goods, and tabletop as well asnon-traditional product categories.
Jackie Demaio has been promoted to senior brand man-ager. In her expanded role, she will manage brand programsdealing directly with clients and licensing partners as well asoverall program initiatives.
Trish Ahrens has been promoted to brand manager. Shewill continue her program management responsibilities acrossall beverage brands and full brand management responsibili-ties on select accounts.
WICKED COOL TOYSJEREMY PADAWER, PARTNER & CO-PRESIDENT
Wicked Cool Toys announced the hiring of Jeremy Padawerto join Michael Rinzler as part-ner and co-president. Padawerhas been in the toy industryfor more than 15 years, andhas extensive experience inmarketing, sales, licensing,product development, kid’stelevised content, and more.Padawer was most recentlyexecutive vice-president ofmarketing and new business development for Jakks Pacific.Padawer opened Wicked Cool Toys’ L.A. office in May.
Wicked Cool Toys currently has licensing deals with WWE,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and The Wiggles.
BABYFIRSTMATT GENTILE, SENIOR VICE-PRESIDENTOF ADVERTISING SALES AND SPONSORSHIPS
Television network BabyFirst appointed Matt Gentile to the newly-cre-ated position of senior vice-president of advertising sales and sponsorships.
Gentile previously served as vice-presidentadvertising sales for Comcast/NBCU where herepresented a number of its major networkbrands including Sprout, E!, and Style.
Since its launch in 2006, BabyFirst says ithas steadily grown to become the largest tele-vision vehicle targeting babies, toddlers, andtheir moms in the U.S. BabyFirst is completing its transition from a sub-scription-based service to a basic cable network. The network exceeds 35million homes via its cable and satellite partnerships with Comcast, Time-Warner, Charter Communications, DIRECTV, and Dish Network. Thechannel says it is projected to exceed 50 million homes by year-end.
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DREAMWORKS ANIMATIONNEW BOARD MEMBERSDreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., an-
nounced at its annual meeting of stockhold-ers, on May 29, 2013, current directorsNathan Myhrvold and Richard Sherman re-tired from the company’s board of directors and Lucian Grainge, chair-man and CEO of Universal Music Group, and Jason Kilar, foundingCEO of Hulu, will be nominated for election as new directors.Myhrvold is the CEO of Intellectual Ventures and has served on the
DreamWorks Animation board of directors since the company wentpublic in October 2004. Sherman is the CEO of The David GeffenCompany and has served as a DreamWorks Animation board membersince November 2008.Kilar was the founding CEO of Hulu and a pioneer in the field of dig-
ital content. Prior to building Hulu, Kilar served in key leadership posi-tions with Amazon.com, including senior vice-president of worldwideapplication software and vice-president and general manager of Ama-zon.com’s domestic books, music, and video businesses. Grainge joined Universal Music Group in 1986 and has spent his entire
career in the music industry. He has not only pioneered new approaches tothe signing and development of some the world’s most successful recordingartists and songwriters but has also consistently championed the develop-ment of innovative business models and partnerships with a wide range oftechnology and media partners around the world. Grainge is also a memberof the board of directors of Activision Blizzard, Inc.
EVOLUTIONKALMAN J. ISTOK, VICE-PRESIDENTOF INTERNATIONAL LICENSINGThe licensing and global brand management firm, Evolution,
which was appointed global licensing and promotions agency forall merchandise stemming from Miramax’s portfolio of properties,announced that Kalman J. (KJ) Istok joins as vice-president of in-ternational licensing.Istok is charged with
evaluating, establishing,and managing the sub-agents throughout Eu-rope, including EasternEuropean markets, the Middle East, and Latin America, as wellas working with consultants, direct key licensees, creative agen-cies, and others on behalf of Evolution’s brand partners.Prior posts include Denmark’s Ink and Kidz Entertainment. In
1992, Istok founded EEMC, the first American licensing agencyfocused entirely on Eastern Europe and Russia, and served as itspresident for more than 15 years.
DHX MEDIATHOM CHAPMAN, TERRITORY MANAGERDHX Media, an independ-
ent producer, distributor, andlicensor of mainly children’sentertainment content, has ap-pointed Thom Chapman as itsnew territory manager.He will be responsible for sales to English-speaking Canada
and the Asia Pacific territories. Joining the sales team already inplace at DHX Media, he will focus on the expansion of DHXMedia’s properties across all platforms in these key territories.Prior to joining DHX he was vice-president of business devel-
opment and sales at ToonBox Entertainment.
RUBIE’S COSTUME COMPANYSTEPHEN STANLEY, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF LICENSINGAND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENTRubie’s Costume Company, Inc., hired Stephen Stanley as the com-
pany’s managing director of licensing and business development. Stanleyjoins Rubie’s with more than 20 years of experience in the licensing in-dustry, most recently as the senior vice-president of global licensing atJakks Pacific. He previously served as co-president of Disguise, Inc. In thisnewly created position, Stanley joins Rubie’s in the Melville, N.Y. facility.
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JULY3–5 Licensing Japan licensing-japan.jp Tokyo Big Sight Tokyo14–17 Home & Gift Show homeandgift.co.uk Harrogate International Centre North Yorkshire18–21 Comic-Con International comic-con.org San Diego Convention Center San Diego31—8/3 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market outdoorretailer.com Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City
AUGUST17–21 New York International Gift Fair nynow.com Jacob Javits Convention Center, Pier 94 New York City19–21 MAGIC Market Week magiconline.com Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas
SEPTEMBER26 TIME TO PLAY HOLIDAY SHOWCASE TIMETOPLAYMAG.COM METROPOLITAN PAVILION NEWYORK CITY
OCTOBER1–3 TIA Fall Toy Preview toyassociation.org Dallas Market Center Dallas5–6 MIPJunior mipjunior.com Palais des Festivals Cannes7–10 MIPCom mipcom.com Palais des Festivals Cannes10–13 New York Comic Con newyorkcomiccon.com Jacob Javits Convention Center New York City15–17 Brand Licensing Europe brandlicensing.eu Olympia London15–18 ABC Kids Expo theabcshow.com Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas
NOVEMBER5–7 AAPEX aapexshow.com Sands Expo Center Las Vegas5–8 SEMA semashow.com Las Vegas Convention Center Las Vegas18–19 Dubai International Licensing Fair licensingdubai.ae Dubai World Trade Centre Dubai20–21 Expo Licensing Latin America licensingmexico.com Centro Mexico City Mexico City
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