Fall 2013

Departments 8 Editor’s Point

10 LIMA Update According to a LIMA annual survey, sales of licensed products climbed for the second consecutive year last year.

12 LIMA UK Think movie licensing is dead? Think again.

14 Property Profile: Doctor Who As the British science fiction series celebrates its 50th anniversary, BBC America boosts the collection of consumer products for its popculture cult following.

37 Hot Shots: The Trash Pack Paul Solomon, Co-CEO, Moose Toys 38 Marketing Memo Ted Mininni looks at how to create a unique visual language in order to package unique brands.

“I’m a trend setter.”

40 Brand Management With approximately 600 new gTLDs being introduced, Ben Anderson and Luge Pravda discuss how to manage brand risk in a new environment.

© 2013 Jonny Hawkins

Volume 30, NumbeR 4

Features 9

Toy Brands in the 21st Century

Steve Reece touches on how they still rule, but are no longer invincible.

16

Property Profile

The Licensing Book chats with John Spotts, EVP business development and licensing for FAM Brands, about the activewear category.

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Brand Licensing Europe

Our annual look at London’s licensing show, featuring coverage of international brand and property owners and what they’re planning to introduce on the world stage. This special Licensing Book section includes 15 pages devoted to some of the biggest licensors, agencies, and brands across the globe, as well as rising stars. We explore who’s partnering with who on what; meanwhile, those looking for potential licensing opportunities may find just the partnership they’re looking for.

6 • The Licensing Book

43 Celebrity Licensing Darrell Miller explores the proliferation of winning partnerships between retailers and multi-hyphenate celebrities.

46 Licensing 101 You’ve secured the license. Now what?

48 Of Counsel James Kipling discusses the effect of counterfeit goods in the licensing industry.

50 Directory THE LICENSING BOOK, Fall 2013 “THE LICENSING BOOK” (ISSN-0741-0107) is published quarterly, by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.®, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, New York, 10001. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10001 and additional mailing offices. © 2013 Adventure Publishing Group, Inc®. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording on any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. Subscription rates: $48 per year. THE LICENSING BOOK, THE LICENSING BOOK INTERNATIONAL, WORLDWIDE LICENSING, and the “WLE” design are trademarks and service marks of Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® registered in the United States Patent & Trademark Office Postmaster: Send address changes to THE LICENSING BOOK, c/o Adventure Publishing Group, PO Box 47703 Plymouth, MN 55447.

Fall 2013

EDITOR’S POINT

LICENSINGBOOK

®

THE

www.licensingbook.com

ADVENTURE PUBLISHING GROUP INC.® Vol. 30, No. 3, Fall 2013 MARISSA DIBARTOLO SENIOR EDITOR I recently attended Fall Toy Preview, the Toy Industry Association’s by-appointment-only annual trade show in Dallas. The show was jam-packed with licensed toys, featuring characters from children’s properties, such as Disney’s Sofia the First, and more adult-oriented brands, such as Sons of Anarchy. With showrooms full of branded products, at times it felt like I was at a licensing expo rather than a toy show. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle earbuds, from Sakar; Duck Dynasty Duck Commander blasters, from Interactive Toy Concepts; Grumpy Cat plush, from The Bridge Direct; and Hello Kitty 18-inch dolls, from Blip Toys, were all on display at the show.

It’s certainly no secret that character licensing is one of the top ways to get a product to sell at retail—no matter where you are in the world. Kids are eager to show off their favorite characters in any way they can, whether it’s on a backpack, T-shirt, or a pair of jazzed-up headphones.

This issue focuses on Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), where hundreds of licensors will show off their great characters and brands to licensees. Although character licensing is important, it’s certainly not where the licensing industry ends. There will be many other interesting properties on display at BLE this year, including the first licensed Twitter property, @IQuoteForHer, and some evergreen art

8 • The Licensing Book

brands, such as Thomas Kinkade. Our coverage of the show includes some of the top new properties from multiple categories, including art, Internet memes, TV, and character licensing, starting on page 18.

Though licensed toys seem to be on top of the toy industry this year, the reverse is becoming more common as well, with original toy brands making their way into the licensing space. Brands such as Mattel’s Monster High, Moose Toys’ The Trash Pack, Activision’s Skylanders, and Hasbro’s Transformers are all great examples of toy brands becoming licensed properties. Check out our Property Profile on The Trash Pack on page 37, as well as “Toy Brands in the 21st Century,” on page 9, where Steve Reece discusses the prosperity of original toy properties.

In addition to well-known fictional characters, celebrities can greatly expand brand awareness. However, getting celebrities to endorse your product or collaborating with a celebrity on a new brand may not be as easy as you think. Darrell Miller explains the ins and outs of celebrity partnerships on page 43.

Branding a product with a face, image, or logo that people know and love is a great way to get recognized—and it’s what licensing is all about. However, there’s always room at the table for new properties, characters, and brands, which we are sure to see at BLE. ••••

President/Co-Publisher Laurie Schacht laurieschacht@aol.com

Co-Publisher Jonathan Samet jsamet@adventurepub.com

Editorial Director Jackie Breyer jbreyer@adventurepub.com

Senior Editor Marissa DiBartolo mdibartolo@adventurepub.com

Associate Editors Ali Mierzejewski amierzejewski@adventurepub.com Phil Guie pguie@adventurepub.com Assistant Editor Christine Duhaime cduhaime@adventurepub.com

Editorial Assistant Kara Faulk kfaulk@adventurepub.com

Production Director Anthony K. Guardiola aguardiola@adventurepub.com

Controller/Office Manager Robert Forde rforde@adventurepub.com ADVENTURE PUBLISHING GROUP, INC.® 307 SEVENTH AVE., ROOM 1601 NEW YORK, NY 10001 TELEPHONE: (212) 575-4510; FAX: (212) 575-4521

Toy Brands in the 21st Century They Still Rule, But They’re Not Invincible

by Steve Reece, brand marketing and product development consultant he world has changed in many ways over the past decade, but the prevalence of established brands in the toy aisle has been a constant for more than a century.

Retailers have become even more risk-averse during the recent economic turbulence, and have increasingly relied on brands—known quantities that are trusted by both consumers and retailers alike. On an overall basis, branded products sell better than unbranded products, even those that have significant benefits or whizzing novelty features.

One reason for the ongoing success of brands present in the toy aisle is the long-acknowledged, rosy glow of nostalgia. Parents feel more comfortable introducing their kids to brands that they played with themselves as children, even if their rose-tinted glasses of 20 or 30 years hide the reality of a contradictory play pattern or of a product’s limitations.

But the major change since the 20th century is that today’s consumers have a zero tolerance policy toward products or brands that fail to meet their expectations.

Kids will quickly discard anything that delivers a substandard experience, and parents will reassess their positive associations with a brand if its modern-day iteration should disappoint.

The other evident change facing brands today is the mode of communication and content distribution channels and platforms, which have become more diverse than ever before. TV advertising and programming still have a significant impact on the toy market, as do ubiquitous blockbuster films. However, there are strong alternatives to these traditional content-delivery portals, and this has swung the balance of power back in favor of toy brand owners versus TV and movies, which used to be the only viable option for many brands.

The impact of online portals such as YouTube and

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Fall 2013

the App Store as alternatives to traditional, oldschool media for toy brand owners is evident. For example, one of the most groundbreaking, new brand launches of the past few years is Mattel’s Monster High. In one of the riskiest initiatives pursued by a major toy player, Mattel successfully established a new global toy super-brand in a category where it already had Barbie, the No. 1 perennial brand, by utilizing clever segmentation, positioning, and above all, content distribution. Monster High has racked up social media coverage to such a degree that it has trailblazed a new toy brand launch paradigm.

The reality is that many of the fundamentals of toy brand management and brand launches remain the same—great concept, great play pattern, strong points of differentiation, strength and breadth of characters, and mass-market content delivery. But we must also remain aware of what has changed: zero tolerance in consumer attitudes and direct-to-consumer content distribution.

Mattel’s Monster High 13 Wishes Doll Assortment The new paradigms have, of course, only just begun. What is yet to come will likely continue to break the mold and inspire in equal measures.

•••• Steve Reece is a brand marketing and product development consultant in the UK and European toy and game markets, as well as the author of The Practical Guide to Doing Toy Business in Europe. He previously worked for Hasbro’s European head office in brand marketing and market research.

You can contact him via steve.reece@vicientertainment.co.uk, or visit his blog, www.stevenreece.com.

The Licensing Book • 9

LIMA Update

As Licensing Grows, More Opportunities Abound

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by Martin Brochstein, senior vice president of industry relations and information, Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA)

n a crowded marketplace in which retailers and consumers are confronted with an endless array of product choices, the value of a brand has never been higher. Whether it’s a familiar or beloved character, a popular sport or collegiate logo, a fashion designer’s pattern, or another recognizable piece of intellectual property, licensing can be a shortcut to breaking through the clutter.

Sales of licensed products climbed for the second consecutive year last year, continuing the upward trajectory re-established in 2011 when revenues rebounded an impressive 5 percent, according to the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association’s (LIMA) 2013 Licensing Industry Survey. Conducted by researchers at the Yale School of Management, LIMA’s latest annual survey shows that trademark owners (such as entertainment studios, sports leagues, fashion houses, and corporate brand owners) generated $5.454 billion in royalties last year—2.5 percent more than in 2011—for an estimated retail value of $112.1 billion.

This year’s report shows growth in nearly every licensing category, with entertainment, trademark/brands, fashion, and sports merchandise being the key revenue drivers. These four broad-based categories together repreSkylanders Swap Force Wash Buckler, from Activision

10 • The Licensing Book

sented 94 percent of all licensed revenues last year.

Sales activity for the major categories identified in the survey provides a clear picture of an industry on the rise and in sync with a strengthening North American economy. That growth is generated by the ability of licensors, manufacturers, and service providers to find new ways to strategically leverage the equity of brands, characters, and other intellectual property. (LIMA members can download the complete report free of charge via the LIMA website at www.licensing.org.)

For example, the entertainment sector was by far the largest revenue generator last year, accounting for $2.55 billion in royalty revenues and an estimated $49.3 billion in retail sales, up 2.8 percent from 2011. A large portion of those sales were driven by highly-publicized major motion pictures and a range of long-running kids’ TV series that are traditional industry staples. But there are other sources of entertainment that are playing an ever-expanding role as well.

Digital entertainment is also the source of an increasing number of licensing efforts—everything from web-based video franchises, such as Annoying Orange or Smosh, to mobile gaming hits, such as Angry Birds. One of the biggest hits of the year was Skylanders—a hybrid of physical toys and video gaming, from Activision.

Fall 2013

These kinds of digital franchises are sure to become even more key to the licensing business as consumers spend more and more of their time in the digital realm.

The second-largest segment was corporate brands, where total licensing royalty revenues reached an estimated $928 million, translating into an estimated $21.6 billion in retail, or 19.3 percent of overall licensed retail business. More and more corporate brand owners have moved into licensing as a way to extend their equity into new merchandise point, but from the licensor’s standpoint and from categories and distribution channels. the manufacturer’s standpoint, because properties The hot growth segments in sports licensing are are coming and going so quickly.” tailgate-related products, wo-men’s Reality TV shows continue to be apparel, and fashion accessories. fodder for strong licensing proWhile sales to hardcore and casual grams. A great current example is fans continue to be the foundation Duck Dynasty, A&E’s TV hit that has of sports licensing, all the major been a strong seller for Walmart as and minor sports leagues (and well as a wide range of specialty those in the collegiate market) are store merchants. always looking for new avenues to Well-executed celebrity-based tap into, and companies continue to programs also keep driving busiemphasize the lifestyle appeal of ness in a host of categories—and not the sporting culture. always in obvious ways. Look at the What will spur licensing growth success that CVS Caremark has had Angry Birds Space Game: going forward? Within the enterwith actress Salma Hayek’s Nuance Planet Block Version, from Mattel tainment sector, it’s likely that the line of health and beauty products. growth in properties from the digital realm will As always, when the right property is combined continue. The search is still on for the next Angry with the right product at the right time, licensing Birds from the app world, or a broad success story can be a shortcut to success for an intellectual propemanating from a hit viral video or YouTube chan- erty owner or manufacturer of any size.

•••• nel, such as Grumpy Cat or Smosh. It should be noted that this can be tricky; in many cases, the popularity of titles and characters comes and goes Martin Brochstein joined the Licensing Industry Merso quickly that it’s difficult to get merchandise to chandiser’s Association (LIMA) in 2008. Brochstein was a market fast enough to leverage the opportunity. business journalist for more than 20 years, covering the con“There are so many properties out there nowa- sumer products and retail industries. He spent five years as days, and we want to have what the customer is senior editor of Television Digest and was the founding looking for in the stores,” said Andy Prince, Wal- editor of Consumer Multimedia Report. He was also edimart’s senior category director for toys, during tor of Consumer Electronics Monthly and Electronics Licensing Expo 2013. “But it requires you to work Merchandising, and spent time with Discount Store very quickly, not only from the retailer’s stand- News, Chain Store Age, and Home Furnishings Daily.

“The search is still on for the next Angry Birds from the app world, or a broad success story emanating from a hit viral video or YouTube channel.”

Fall 2013

The Licensing Book • 11

LIMA UK

Reports of the Death of Movie Licensing Are Greatly Exaggerated

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by Kelvyn Gardner, managing director of Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) UK

he decision by Universal Studios to lure Chris Meledandri away from Fox is looking smarter by the minute. Animation, especially computer animation, has proven to be a rich source of box office and licensing revenue for Disney, DreamWorks, Fox, and now Universal, thanks to its Despicable Me franchise. But outside of Disney, licensing has been very much a junior partner. That’s not because other studios’ animated movies have lacked anything.

Rather, licensees have been increasingly reluctant to buy in.

As frustrating as that may be for studios’ consumer products divisions, it is entirely understandable. I’ve been involved in buying movie licenses for many years, and the perceived opportunity-to-risk balance has tilted substantially toward risk in the past decade or so. In the now-distant 1990s, it seemed that every summer there was only one “blockbuster,” which studios almost took turns producing. One year it was Universal with Jurassic Park, the next year Fox’s Independence Day, etc. But the market has changed, and the home entertainment market, in the form of DVDs, has been central to that change.

The holiday gifting season is vital to the DVD market, meaning the major studios try to set release dates between mid-October and mid-November. That, in turn, squeezes the window between theatrical and DVD release to around 14 weeks, and means that movies have to be released for the most part in June, July, and August. Forgive my rose-tinted memory, but it seems to me that in 1993, Universal had weeks of unchallenged summer box-office domination with Jurassic Park. But nowadays, each blockbuster movie

12 • The Licensing Book

gets two to three weeks, at most, before another bigbudget competitor arrives to try to nudge it aside.

This isn’t promising soil in which to plant a licensing program. Even where licensees are inclined to buy in, chances are that retail would be unwilling to dedicate listings and space to licenses that appear to have a short shelf life, and thus a slim chance to garner consumer enthusiasm sufficient to move merchandise.

That is a shame because movie licensing can be such an exciting part of a licensee’s portfolio, but this does seem to be a logical response to increased risk.

The sudden heat around Despicable Me 2, however, proves that movies can still fire up the consumer to want merchandise today. Admittedly, the film is a sequel, so it already has the advantage of franchise on its side. Critics, though, have praised it as a distinct improvement on the original—and personally, I still think that the Lehman Brothers joke is the funniest gag in a movie so far this year. If Meledandri and his team can keep up this level of quality, maybe licensees and retailers will have to take another look at the movie model. They will certainly have endless opportunities in the next couple of years, with the likes of Transformers, Star Wars, Superman, Batman, and even the Jurassic Park franchises coming back to theatres. •••• Kelvyn Gardner has been in the international licensing business for almost 30 years. Since 2006, he has served as the managing director of the UK division of LIMA. Gardner contributes to the judging of the UK Licensing Awards and is a trustee of the industry's charitable company, The Light Fund.

Fall 2013

Property Profile

BBC’S

TURNS N

BBC’s science-fiction series, Doctor Who, celebrates its 50th anniversary with new consumer products for its loyal fans.

ovember 23 marks the 50th anniversary of the iconic international brand and TV series Doctor Who. The series will celebrate the occasion on November 23 with a 75-minute blockbuster special episode titled “The Day of the Doctor,” starring Matt Smith (Eleventh Doctor), David Tennant (the Tenth Doctor), and Jenna Coleman (companion Clara), with Billie Piper (former companion Rose Tyler) and John Hurt (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Alien, Harry Potter).

This is the first time Tennant and Piper have appeared in the series since their farewells in 2010.

The special will be a celebration for longtime fans and an opportunity for those new to the series to jump onboard. Later this year, Matt Smith’s Eleventh Doctor will regenerate into the Twelfth Doctor, to be played by multi-award winner Peter Capaldi (The Thick of It, The Musketeers), in this December’s Christmas special.

From award-winning lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat (Sherlock, The Adventures of Tintin), the world’s longest-running sci-fi series has earned critical acclaim as BBC America’s highest-rated series. Doctor Who has grown from a cult phenomenon to a mainstream hit in the U.S. and Canada.

Peter Capaldi, the Twelfth Doctor

14 • The Licensing Book

Soumya Sriraman, executive vice president of home entertainment and licensing, BBC Worldwide North America, says, “I witnessed firsthand the incredible Doctor Who fans at San Diego Comic Con this past July, and the excitement building for the 50th anniversary. Everywhere I turned I saw someone elaborately dressed as the Doctor, the TARDIS, companions, Daleks, or Weeping Angels. Fans camped out overnight to get into Hall H for our Doctor Who panel hosted by Craig Ferguson and featuring the cast and producers. The brand truly is bigger than ever before and continues to grow, thanks to the passion and creativity of our fanbase.”

In August 2012, Doctor Who became the first British TV series to grace the cover of Entertainment Weekly. It was also featured on TV Guide Magazine’s Fan Favorite cover in December and once again on Entertainment Weekly this past March. Doctor Who episodes chart in the top 10 on the iTunes Store and the series recently earned a Peabody Award and People’s Choice Award nomination. Doctor Who continues to be one of the most celebrated series in social media, with the Doctor Who Tumblr ranking as one of the platform’s fastest-growing brands. In addition, the series is part of the nation’s zeitgeist with frequent references on multiple series, including The Big Bang Theory, Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal

Fall 2013

Minds, and Community, which features a long-running spoof of The Doctor called Inspector Spacetime.

With more than 100 licensees last year and more additions this year, the brand extends over several categories, including home furnishings, comic books, board games, on- and offline video games, home textiles, cal-

endars, seasonal décor, construction toys, science toys, a powered ride-in Dalek, collector sculptures, and wide ranges of new clothing designs for both adults and children. Products are sold in specialty stores nationwide with high exposure and placement in retailers such as Hot Topic, ThinkGeek, and Barnes & Noble.

••••

THE WAND CO.

Everybody needs a Sonic Screwdriver; the Doctor’s wonderful gadget that can unlock doors and control objects at a distance is the pocket-sized answer to all manner of tricky situations. Painstakingly 3-D scanned from the original screen-used prop, kindly loaned by David Tennant himself, this Tenth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver, from The Wand Co., is a faithful clone for fans ages 14 and up, and is CNC-machined from aluminium. Crammed full of technology, it is a fully functioning, gesture-based universal remote control that looks, feels, and works just like the real prop.

ROBE FACTORY

The Tardis slippers, from Robe Factory, may not be bigger on the inside, but they are made from durable super-soft fleece with printed Tardis artwork and a memory foam sole, making them the perfect footwear to keep your feet comfortable when you are traveling through space and time or simply going to bed. The slippers come in adult sizes from small to extra large.

ELOPE INC.

Hate the cold? Those winter blues can be exterminated with this terrifyingly warm Dalek beanie, from Elope Inc., that features the likeness of the Doctor’s enemy. The beanie is unisize for fans ages 13 and up.

PLAYSKOOL

Dalek

Fall 2013

Now collectors can take home the Eleventh Doctor as played by “Mash” Smith, from Playskool. Hop in the Tardis with Mr. Potato Head as he pays homage to the last known survivor of Galli-Fry, the Doctor in his quirky eleventh incarnation. The attention to detail, scale, and specific design elements will make these a must-have for both Mr. Potato Head and Doctor fans of all ages. The set comes complete with eight removable parts and pieces.

Mr. Potato Head also becomes the ultimate “Extermi-tater” when he dons the indestructible shell of the dreaded Dalek—the Doctor’s “starch” nemesis. These Potato Heads are designed for fans ages 12 and up.

The Eleventh Doctor

The Licensing Book • 15

Property Profile

Marika l Bally Total Fitness l Tehama

The Licensing Book chats with John Spotts, EVP business development and licensing for FAM Brands.

by Christine Duhaime

How hot is the activewear category? t is one of the biggest trends in the market, if not the biggest, with all indications that we are only at the start of a long-term trend. Over the past five years, the activewear category has become “the look” to wear, and the really hot segment of activewear is yoga-inspired activewear. Our brands cover it all. Consumers are buying the product not just for engaging in fitness—more importantly, it is now a huge lifestyle trend, with more than 80 percent of consumers wearing the products every day, from grocery shopping to the local coffee shop or casually out to dinner and to spectator sports.

The product is comfortable, versatile, and easy to buy and care for, yet it expresses a lifestyle that is healthy, active, young, and appeals to all ages and demographics. The overall activewear category is huge, but most people don’t realize that the yoga segment alone is worth $14.2 billion in the U.S., and growing at an estimated 30 percent annually.

I

Bally Total Fitness apparel

How do FAM’s brands stand out in this category?

While brands such as lululemon have created a high profile for the category, Marika (owned by FAM) is one of the original category innovators, founded in San Diego in 1982 at the birth of the aerobics industry.

16 • The Licensing Book

The brand has accounted for nearly $3 billion in retail sales over the course of its history, and by unit volume, we estimate that Marika is the biggest in the category.

This year alone, the brand will achieve approximately $300 million in retail, with products carried in approximately 15,000 stores in North America.

In addition to Marika, FAM owns the Bally Total Fitness trademarks in apparel and related categories, and has manufactured the Bally Total Fitness activewear line for more than 10 years. This line of products is also one of our key brands in the category, and the leading activewear brand in many retailers.

Bally Total Fitness launched the modern fitness center 40 years ago and is a household name.

Finally, FAM has recently acquired the high-end Zobha brand, which rounds out the portfolio and gives the company a good, better, and best strategy to pursue, making us the major wholesale company in the category.

Who are the leading competitors in activewear? lululemon, of course, but the major players also include Athleta, Lucy, Prana, and Zella, which is Nordstrom’s in-house brand. Zobha, which we now own, is another key, well-respected brand in the category. Many others are trying to enter the category, but the authentic brands are fairly well-established.

What is the consumer looking for in active apparel?

A key consumer demand trend is shapewear, meaning built-in features that contour and sculpt the body, to improve both look and performance so that the

Fall 2013

wearer is confident and ready to participate in classes and group activities. FAM owns many patents in this area, with many more pending. We are also experts in construction and know how to use seaming, colorblocking, and shirring in the most flattering of ways.

This creates a competitive advantage for us and barriers to entry for competition. We also think consumers are not only looking for authentic products that can be used for fitness, but also for products that are fashionable and express their lifestyle. Varied silhouettes and on-trend color and detailing are important, too. A variety of tops, bottoms, weights, and layering pieces are critical in order to satisfy women with a variety of preferences and goals.

While our products look great, our brands also rank high on authenticity, with Marika dating back to 1982 and Bally Total Fitness being the leading fitness center for many years. With many brands placed at the better and best price spectrum, we also increasingly see a demand for quality and value, which is one of the factors leading to growth for our Marika and Bally Total Fitness brands.

What licensing opportunities does FAM offer?

We have already signed a hosiery license for Marika with Wiesner, and we have recently signed a terms sheet for Marika footwear. The interest level has been very high. Categories available for license include apparel extensions, such as footwear, sunglasses, and apparel accessories; as well as bags and backpacks; soft coolers; and hydration. As we have seen in other categories, we think the next evolution is to create an entire lifestyle, with all products the consumer wears and uses being related in look, lifestyle, and sensibility. In other words, we need to create the outfit and the lifestyle—and it is already happening.

What’s next for FAM Brands?

Beyond growing our brands and licensing-related categories to round out the lifestyle, we see opportunities to expand internationally and already have significant interest. It is an exciting time in a hot category. ••••

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Marika yoga-inspired activewear

FAM LLC, a privately-held business based in Los Angeles, was founded in 1985 by Frank Zarabi and has become one of the leading activewear companies in the U.S., as well as the largest North American wholesaler of yoga-inspired active wear and shapewear. The company’s annual revenues exceed $250 million from among a balanced portfolio, which includes the leading Marika and Balance Collection brands, as well as the high-end yoga brand Zobha, which was recently acquired from Kellwood. In addition, last year FAM acquired many of the trademarks of Bally Total Fitness, after having served as the activewear licensee for the company for more than eight years. With a compound annual growth rate of 30 percent for the past six years, FAM is looking at a bright future as the activewear categories and yoga segment continue to explode as key lifestyle trends.

FAM also acquired the Tehama brand several years ago, which has been one of the premier golf and lifestyle brands for 25 years. FAM is embarking on a licensing strategy for the brand in men’s and women’s golf apparel, lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories, and gear.

The Licensing Book • 17

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Sony Pictures Enter tainment Expands @IQuoteForHer Enter tainment Is First Brands Hasbro Extends Major Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) generates awareness and extends branding potential of inLicensed Global Brands dividual films, film franchises, or TV series through the development of co-branded promoHasbro continues to inno- and retail promotions. A selection of film properties Twitter IPit tions, licensed merchandise, for which

vate and extend the reach licensees, and/or retail partners includes The Mortal Instruments: seeks promotional partners, @IQuoteForHer, the of its global brands in- a Chance of Meatballs 2 (3-D), Robocop, The Amazing Spider-Man City of Bones; Cloudy With first-ever licensed Transformers, 2,cluding 22 Jump Street, Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary, and Goosebumps, for Twitter release next year. Adproperty, has Nerf, My Little Pony, Litditional film properties releasing in 2015 include The Smurfs 3, Hotel signed Transylvania 2 (3-D), its first big litlest Pet Monopoly, Bond 24, Shop, and Inferno. censing deal with Play-Doh, Tonka, Magic City of Bones, Clary, a seemingly ordinary teenager, discovers she In The Mortal Instruments: Copywrite Stationery, Gathering, andof Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of young half-angel warriors locked isThe the descendant of a line which will be producHasbro willtopresinFurby. an ancient battle protect the world from demons. After the disappearance ing aof her mother, ent branded play stateClary must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters who introduce her to a dangerous alments New bringing ternate Yorkthem calledtoDownworld, Transformers filled with demons, warlocks, vampires, werewolves, 4 logo life across all categories and other deadly creatures. The target audience for the brand is tween and teen girls and adults including fashion, publishing, digital home, and licensing (North American proages 18 to 34.

Opportunities for this brandgaming, include worldwide electronics.

The integration of pop culture will deliver sense Smith Entertainment). motions

by Screen Gems; international promotions by aMister of The artistic wonder and lifestyle experiences with sneak peeks CGI-animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 picks up where Sony Pictures Aniof new andcomedy lifestyleleft segments. mation’sentertainment mouth-watering off. Inventor Flint Lockwood thought he saved the world when he destroyed his most wide range that infamous includes invention—a machine that turned water into food, causing cheeseburger rain and spaghetti tornadoes. But Flint learns that his invention survived and is now creating food-animals called foodimals. Flint and his friends embark on a dangerously delicious mission to battle hungry tacodiles, shrimpanzees, hippotatomuses, cheespiders, and other foodimals to save the world again.

Opportunities for worldwide promotions and licensing are available, targeting all families.

In a live-action re-envisioning of the classic Robocop movie, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars worldwide, and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy is a loving husband, father, and good cop, doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit. After he is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp utilizes its remarkable science of robotics to save Alex’s life. He returns to the streets of his beloved city with amazing new abilities, but with issues a regular man has never had to face before. Worldwide promotions opportunities are available, targeting audiences ages 13 and up.

In The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Peter Parker is busy taking out the bad guys as Spider-Man, spending time with Gwen, and preparing for high school graduation. Things will change for Peter when a new villain, Electro, emerges; an old friend, Harry Osborn, returns; and Peter uncovers new clues about his past. Worldwide promotions opportunities are available, targeting audiences ages 13 and up.

The third installment in The Smurfs portfolio, The Smurfs 3, a live-action, CGI-animated family film, will release in the summer of 2015. Worldwide promotions and North American licensing opportunities are available (International Licensing by IMPS).

Smurfette

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Fall 2013

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Hasbro Extends Major Global Brands

Hasbro continues to innovate and 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. Hasbro will present branded Transformers 4 logo play statements, bringing them to life across all categories, including fashion, publishing, digital gaming, home, and electronics.

The integration of pop culture will deliver a sense of artistic wonder and lifestyle experiences with sneak peeks of new entertainment and lifestyle segments.

Keith Williams Presents Relatable Ferald Character

Keith Williams’ Ferald has an “every kid” persona that is easy to relate to. He likes to draw, play, read books, dance, nap, build things, and go on adventures. Ferald experiences common emotions and situations that kids go through.

Ferald, targeted to kids ages 2 to 8, has a non-exclusive license with Zazzle Inc. for pillows, mugs, tote bags, and more.

Keith Williams is interested in products in all categories, especially children’s apparel and plush toys, with manufacturers of all sizes.

The artist and creator of Ferald is looking for an exclusive licensing agency for representation and licensing in the U.S. with worldwide connections.

@IQuoteForHer Becomes First Licensed Twitter Proper ty

@IQuoteForHer, the first licensed Twitter property, has signed its first big licensing deal with Copywrite Stationery, which will produce a wide range of products including notebooks, post-its, cosmetic cases, mugs, and bags. @IQuoteForHer has built up a following of more than 81,000 followers, including celebrity fans, thanks to cheeky and insightful messages such as “Life’s so much better when you’re tanned,” “Shoes speak louder than words,” and “The best women are a little crazy.” The brand offers more than 600 quotes, offering huge potential across sectors such as apparel, accessories, greetings, stationery, and publishing.

Aardman Unveils Shaun the Sheep Plans

Aardman Animations will unveil plans for global brand Shaun the Sheep and established brands Wallace & Gromit, Timmy Time, and Morph.

Even before the feature-length animated film hits the big screen, Shaun the Sheep has been approved for 20 new TV adventures set for release early next year.

Aardman is also looking for new partnerships for CITV’s Canimals, the series aimed at kids ages 6 to 10, featuring the adventures of several canshaped CGI-animated animals and the mischief they get into.

Vivid is on board as master toy licensee for the brand with a toy range launching across major retailers.

Shaun the Sheep

20 • The Licensing Book

Fall 2013

Mind Candy Debuts Moshi Monsters Film

Mind Candy has signed Universal Pictures International Entertainment as its global distribution partner for the first Moshi Monsters movie. Slated for theatrical release in the UK and Ireland in December, distribution includes home entertainment, digital, and TV. The movie will be followed by a DVD release next spring.

This global relationship with Universal Pictures will open up the Moshi Monsters brand, bring further depth to the characters, and expand the rich world to new fans and markets. Mind Candy will unveil the Moshi Monsters: The Movie trailer at Brand Licensing Europe.

Mind Candy’s new intellectual property, Moshi Karts, will launch an app early next year. Moshi Karts is a free-toplay action racer for mobile and tablet devices. There are multiple tracks and karts featuring Moshi Monsters characters. With Katsuma as the lead and a range of additional vehicles, the game is full of opportunities for merchandising next year.

Mind Candy has also launched a dedicated Poppet Boutique space in Hamleys, stocking items including Poppet toys, arts and crafts, jewelry, toiletries, and apparel.

With new packaging to differentiate Poppet, her character outside of Moshi Monsters will feature a blue headband, which appears on all of her new merchandise. To help support her brand, the Talking Poppet app for iOS and Android devices will launch at the end of this year. The app is sure to capture the imagination of girls worldwide and bring Poppet to life in new ways as they interact directly with her.

Fall 2013

ITVS GE’s Brands Grow

ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) highlights Cut the Rope, Matt Hatter Chronicles, the 80th anniversary celebrations for Babar, and Thunderbirds— both the Classic brand and the 2015 reinvention of the show.

ZeptoLab’s Cut the Rope brand has expanded with multiple versions and levels of the game, animated short films, newspaper competitions, in-app advertising, and consumer promotions involving major broadcasters, newspapers, and stores. ITVS GE manages the European licensing campaign for the brand and has signed more than 45 licensees in the region. The brand has expanded in the European retail market through a new toy range from Vivid Imaginations. A fast-growing number of European sub-agents appointed by ITVS GE support the ongoing retail and licensing program.

Platinum Films has appointed the Simba Dickie Group as master toy licensee for the iTV and CiTV show Matt Hatter Chronicles across EMEA, Russia, and India. ITVS GE represents licensing and merchandising rights for the property in the UK and Eire, and has welcomed Smith and Brooks for boys’ apparel in the UK. A new third series of Matt Hatter Chronicles will air on CiTV next year. The show currently airs in more than 80 countries worldwide and is gaining ratings in territories such as the UK, Portugal, South Africa, and Australasia. The series has been supported by smart digital content from producer Platinum Films, such as games, apps, online competitions, social media campaigns, and a website.

This year, Babar celebrates his 80th birthday in the UK. ITVS GE will coordinate celebrations and re-launch a licensing program reflecting Babar’s vintage heritage. As well as licensing activity, plans include retail partnerships that will focus on the 80th anniversary celebration, a birthday party, and book signings.

ITVS celebrates the 50th anniversary of the iconic Classic Thunderbirds brand and the arrival of Thunderbirds Are Go!, a new children’s TV series co-produced by ITV Studios and Pukeko Pictures, set to air in 2015. ITVS GE has appointed Vivid as the master toy partner in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand for Thunderbirds Are Go! UK licensees for Classic Thunderbirds already cover apparel, gifts and novelties, trading cards and collectible figures, dress-up, pinball machines, stationery, and publishing.

The Licensing Book • 21

Brand Licensing Europe

41 Enter tainment Showcases Pac-Man

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

In Iberia, BRB Internacional is the licensing agent for Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures.

The brand has signed Panini España for stickers, trading cards, and albums; Random House Mondadori for activity and first reader books; Indeca Business for video console and tablet accessories; and Cel Aragon for Tshirts, pajamas, sweaters, sweatshirts, various hats, gloves, scarves, swimsuits, slips, panties, and socks.

Tycoon Enterprises is the licensing agent for the brand in Mexico and has signed Photo Pack for backpacks, tote bags, lunch boxes, computer bags, and accessories for mobile devices; Lucky Clover for stationery products including pens, pencils, folders, erasers, crayons, cases, rulers, sharpeners, scissors, diaries, banks, and accessories; and IFCO for caps, wallets, and bags.

In Latin America, Televix Entertainment and Compania Panamericana de Licensias (CPL) are the licensing agents for the brand. They have signed Dreamkyds for backpacks and other bags of various shapes and sizes, T-shirts, sweatshirts, pajamas, underwear, swimwear, socks, pens, pencils, folders, erasers, rulers, scissors, notepads, agendas, umbrellas, key chains, caps and beanies, frisbees, drinking bottles, inflatable balls, and footwear.

The licensing agent in Australia, Gaffney Global Licensing, has signed two new licenses for Australia and New Zealand.

Banter Toys and Collectibles will distribute the Commonwealth Toy & Novelty line from the U.S., including beanies, magnets, décor, key chains, outdoor toys, balls, and home goods. Caprice Australia will design and distribute T-shirts, fleece, tops, jackets, shorts, pants, sleepwear, underwear, socks, swimwear, footwear, bags, and backpacks.

Namco Bandai Games, Arad Productions, and 41 Entertainment have commissioned a second season for the Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures series. The TV series will expand with 13 new episodes slated for delivery in the spring.

22 • The Licensing Book

Rastamouse Looks for New Par tners

The Rastamouse Co. is interested in licensing apparel, music-related toys and activities, games, and apps for Rastamouse, based on the books by Michael De Souza and Genevieve Webster.

Rastamouse is a stop-motion preschool animation series featuring the Easy Crew: Rastamouse, Scratchy, and Zoomer. Together they make up a crime-fighting, mysterysolving reggae band. After premiering in the UK in 2011, a new series will soon enter production.

Ink Brings Subway Sur fers, Masha and the Bear

Ink introduces the Subway Surfers app, a 3-D game that puts the player in the role of a graffiti artist as they dodge oncoming trains and security guards, while collecting coins and useful objects. With 200 million downloads, the animated game is developed by Danish digital company SYBO Games and distributed by Kiloo. Ink has appointed a global network of sub-agents to further popularize the brand.

The Russian animation Masha and the Bear has agreements in place with major broadcasters worldwide to screen the cartoon that chronicles the adventures of Masha and a bear as they become reluctant playmates. Ink plans to take the brand into the consumer products field with partners including Kinder, Egmont, Orkla, and Ferrero.

Fall 2013

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Aer tex Gets Trendy

Aertex was established in 1888 as the world’s first performance fabric, designed to keep wearers warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Aertex clothing has been worn for decades by some of the world’s finest, including the Desert Rats in WWII, The 1970 England Football Team, Pelé (New York Cosmos), George Best (San Jose Earthquakes), and DJ Example. It has also been included in physical eduation kits for British school kids.

On a smaller scale, Aertex can be found in some trendy independent apparel retailers, but the Aertex 125th anniversary has sparked renewed global interest in the brand.

Aertex’s strategy is to grow through stand-alone licensing and ingredient licensing across multiple categories.

Fatina Dreams Expects Bright Future

Fatina Dreams will launch in China and Southeast Asia next year. Promotional Partners Group Ltd. for China and Media Link for Southeast Asia and Taiwan have signed on to the brand to develop this opportunity. Two deals have already been signed for China: Airland Bedding for bedding and Pexland for apparel. A major entertainment initiative will also be announced for China early next year.

Fatina, the ragdoll who dreams herself alive to save the planet, was created by artist Prudence Mak. She turned her Fatina illustrations into stylish, design-led fashion accessories, promotions, and events, including the Fatina Café in Hong Kong.

Along with our current roster of European licensees, Fatina is looking for international agency partners and licensees for homewares, publishing, crafting, and other categories.

24 • The Licensing Book

Global Pursuit Expands New Brands

Global Pursuit Co. Ltd. was named the exclusive licensing agent for Cuipo in the U.S. and key territories throughout Asia. International lifestyle brand Cuipo combines green education, brand activation, and product licensing to raise awareness about the rainforest and deforestation. For every Cuipo product purchased, one square meter of rainforest is saved and donated to One Meter at a Time, a non-profit organization. Cuipo’s sub-brands include Cuipo Roots, a boutique apparel and accessories line appealing to fashion forward, eco-conscious consumers; and Cuipo Kids, a premium children’s apparel and accessories line, which encompasses a variety of educational characters in a rainforest setting.

Global Pursuit will expand Pretty Ugly LLC’s Uglydoll brand in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China.

Global Pursuit will enhance the brand experience in categories including apparel, accessories, stationery, publishing, toys, and more.

Global Pursuit plans to grow the Harajuku Lovers and Harajuku Mini brands in greater China. Created by Grammy-winning and multi-platinum performer, songwriter, and fashion designer Gwen Stefani, the brands are inspired by her love of pop art and long-standing admiration for the whimsical, creative street style found in the Harajuku district of Japan.

Global Pursuit has finalized a representation deal with Live Nation Merchandise to expand licensing efforts in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. Live Nation has a roster of more than 150 music artists, including AC/DC, Coldplay, and Madonna.

Children’s property The WotWots has appointed Global Pursuit as licensing agent across much of Southeast Asia, including South Korea, India, and Singapore. The WotWots preschool series follows the adventures of two siblings from outer space who have come to explore the diversity of life on Earth.

Global Pursuit is working with Twelve31 Studios to introduce the new Ohiya brand across most of Asia. The company is utilizing Tharp, the brand creator and artist, to develop retail programs in conjunction with licensees in apparel, accessories, stationery, and other categories.

Fall 2013

Kirsty & Paul Join Forces

Kirsty Guthrie and Paul Comben collaborate on the licensing of new intellectual properties. Available licenses will include Rachel Ellen Designs, Rubik’s Cube, @IQuoteForHer, and Deep Silver.

Rachel Ellen’s hand-painted characters have become recognizable within the kids’ greetings and stationery industry. Rachel Ellen products are sold in the UK in independent gift shops, garden centers, and department stores, and High Street multiples, including John Lewis, Waitrose, The National Trust, Dobbies, and Paperchase.

Rubik’s Cube has inspired licensed products including furniture, money boxes, mugs, and clothing. @IQuoteForHer is the first licensed Twitter intellectual property.

Capitalizing on the trend for text-based T-shirts, stationery, gifts, wall art, and greetings, messages from the Twitter property were licensed by Copywrite Stationery.

Deep Silver’s franchises Dead Island, Risen, and Saints Row enjoy ongoing sequel releases for console games. Each has millions of fans worldwide and is suitable for licensing in categories including adult apparel, graphic novels, and collectible figurines.

Kinkade Expands Por tfolio

The Thomas Kinkade Co. publishes and distributes Thomas Kinkade Art and related collectibles through a global network of indeStudio in the Garden pendently owned galleries; direct response TV, such as shopNBC, and on cruise ships; and at ThomasKinkade.com. With more than 40 licensees, Thomas Kinkade licensed products can be found at mass, club, department, specialty, gift, book, stationery, grocery, drug, and toy retailers. Thomas Kinkade’s images depict gardens, cottages, estates, cityscapes, en plein airs, holiday scenery, and commemorative American landmarks. Thomas Kinkade Studio artists paint in the true Thomas Kinkade style, with great attention to detail and an appreciation of the way a picture can tell a great story.

The Thomas Kinkade Co. is interested in expanding its licensing portfolio of home décor, gift, collectible, and accessory products in the European markets.

Ar t ask agency Gets Ar tsy in Various Genres

Art ask agency has signed licensees for Wild about Words by Dominique Vari, including TeNeues Germany for high-end stationery, TMS for high-end greeting cards in Europe and Australia, and Clairefontaine for paper-based products in France.

The Muy Pop brand, for kids ages 10 to 18, has signed Relaunch NL for apparel, bags, plush, and more in Europe; and Dis2/Busquests in Spain and Editions Oberthur in France for stationery and back-to school items.

Hook Up’s designs can be applied in two ways—lifestyle photos that transmit the feel of the brand or cut-outs that go into the smallest detail. Spains Euromoda will produce home textiles. Back2Back is aimed at kids ages 12 and up, and reflects on consumer products that have had a marked effect on society and culture.

Art ask agency has partnered with Converse, Montblanc, Zara, Scribe, Clairefontaine, Forever 21, and more for the Frida Kahlo brand. Art ask agency welcomes interest from various categories with a new style guide, introduced by the Frida Kahlo Corp. Licensees for Canada’s iStyleoriginals include Lannoo Graphics for back-to-school products, SkyBrands for home textile and apparel, Global Industries for home textile and table top, CellXpressions for phone and tablet accessories, D’Arpeje for silicon items, Cotton Division and MFA for apparel, and Les Bagagistes for travel equipment.

Fantasy artist Anne Stokes’ licensees include Groupe Hamelin for back-to-school items in France, Zippo GmbH for lighters, Pyramid International for wall art and calendars, Ravensburger for jigsaw puzzles, Disruptive Media for PlayStation themes, Diabloskinz for mobile phone accessories, Ladelle and Herding for home textiles, Grindstore for apparel and gifts, Bicycle for poker and tarot card decks, and Nemesis Now for sculptures.

Fall 2013

The Licensing Book • 25

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

The Sharpe Co. Knows Pets Rock

Takkoda has appointed The Sharpe Co. to manage the licensing rights to its Pets Rock property in North America.

Having already built a merchandise program in the UK and Europe, and with the products selling in more than 20 countries, a North American development strategy was the next step for the growth of the property.

The Sharpe Co. launched Takkoda Pets Rock in June, and has since signed top-tier licensees for key categories, including apparel, social expressions and paper products, stationery, trend merchandise, gift, and home décor.

Opportunities remain in health and beauty, bags and accessories, promotions, domestics, tech accessories, novelty toys, and plush.

Per formance Promotes Pokémon Co.

Performance Brands’ partners, licensees, and franchisees in Europe and the Middle East range across categories, including apparel, footwear, luggage, eyewear, watches, jewelry, accessories, personal care, and food and drink. Brands include fashion, sports, food and beverage, and lifestyle brands.

The Pokémon Co. International has appointed Performance Brands as its licensing promotions agency in Europe. Pokémon adds to a portfolio of digital licensors, which includes Nintendo and Ubisoft, in particular Assassin’s Creed. Performance intends to work with FMCG companies and promotions partners as part of this brand extension program.

Performance has also worked with automotive industry brands, such as Aston Martin, Ford, Mini, and BMW. The company has signed McLaren as licensor, and is in discussions with potential licensees with the intention to bring licensed product to market next year.

Zolan Co. Launches Mandrioli Brand

Zolan Co. launches the Mandrioli Brand, a new contemporary art design property from Bologna, Italy.

The Mandrioli Brand features rich, vibrant colors created in new patterns and designs with a modern flair. Enzo Mandrioli is famous for his oil paintings and watercolors, which have sold in galleries for more than 20 years. As a lifestyle property, licensing opportunities exist for fashion, food, housewares, stationery, gifts and collectibles, and back-toschool products. The brand is already licensed for prints and giclées to Fine Art America in New York.

Allsor ts Showcases Classic Car toons

Allsorts Licensing celebrates its 13th year at Brand Licensing Europe by showing its classic cartoon brands, including Betty Boop, Felix The Cat, Flash Gordon, and Popeye. The latter two have recently been featured in UK advertising for Volkswagen and Tesco.

Allsorts will show a new book-based brand, Where’s the Meerkat?, based on the best-selling series from Michael O’Mara. There is a full online style guide for the brand. The first licensee, Brown Trout, will release a full calendar range for next year.

Following the successful licensing of Yoga Cats and Dogs, Allsorts will offer the first 13 images of Yoga Babies by photographer Dan Borris.

Yoga Babies

26 • The Licensing Book

Fall 2013

Bright Group Showcases Expanding Por folio

Art licensing agency Bright Group International will showcase an expanding portfolio of properties.

Wanda and the Alien, written and illustrated by Sue Hendra, is set for a TV adaptation that will appear next year on Channel 5’s Milkshake block. The agency has also taken brands into the publishing sector.

Bright Group has made an agreement with Bloomsbury for a range of 24 animal-inspired children’s books featuring the ZSL London Zoo’s branding.

Bright will showcase a number of other brands that combine beautiful character-led content with commercial potential. These include the No. 1 publishing hit Shhh! Don’t Wake the Royal Baby!, as well as work from stars of children’s literature, such as Lee Wildish, Yasmeen Ismail, Nicky O’Byrne, and Benji Davies.

DreamWorks’ Proper ties Enter tain Families

DreamWorks Animation will present brands such as How to Train Your Dragon, Where’s Wally?, Postman Pat, and Noddy.

Notable franchise components from the How to Train Your Dragon brand include TV series DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk and the follow-up DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk, along with the upcoming theatrical releases How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and How to Train Your Dragon 3 (2016). DreamWorks Animation will offer consumer products across all hardline and softline categories, and will be fully represented at retail next year. Numerous toys, apps, games, publishing initiatives, and more will be inspired by core elements of the franchise. Location-based entertainment will also be an important component for the Dragons franchise, with opportunities for character integration as part of the DreamWorks Experience worldwide.

The CGI-animated 3-D Postman Pat: the Movie will be released by Icon/Lionsgate in the UK on May 23, and via leading distributors worldwide, including Svensk Filmindustri in Scandinavia and by eOne in Benelux. The longest-running animated TV series in the UK, the BBC broadcast commitment runs through 2018. New episodes from the top-rated TV series Postman Pat: Special Delivery Service will premiere on CBeebies through this year and will roll out internationally next year. Universal will add to its successful Postman Pat DVD catalogue in the UK, with new releases in the spring and summer. The Postman Pat: the Movie DVD will hit shelves next fall. Master toy partner Character Options re-introduced and extended the Postman Pat toy range, featuring new packaging that will roll out across more than 40 licensees next year. The Postman Pat Village at Longleat continues to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, and the new Postman Pat LIVE! show began touring the UK in August and will run through next June at more than 80 venues.

Where’s Wally? has sold more than 60 million books in more than 30 countries and 38 languages worldwide. The Where’s Wally? brand will also release the third Wally app slated for a holiday release this year. The Where’s Wally? franchise has more than 120 licensees worldwide and new product launches across Europe, North America, and Asia.

Postman Pat Recent fashion collaborations for Where’s Wally? include Japanese fashion label Commes des Garçons, Brazilian sandal company Havaianas, American eyewear company Warby Parker, and French fashion label Vilebrequin. Travel partnerships include Virgin Atlantic, the lighting of the EDF Energy London Eye and the Empire State Building in red and white, and Austrian retro camera brand Lomography. Wally has also been appointed the ambassador for New York City and can be found worldwide.

The Noddy publishing franchise has sold more than 250 million books worldwide. The latest TV series, Noddy in Toyland, can be seen in more than 100 countries. For more than 60 years, Noddy has been one of the UK’s most beloved characters, and in France, where he is known as Oui-Oui, he is consistently ranked as one of the country’s top five preschool properties.

DreamWorks acquired Noddy last year. A new CGI-animated TV series is currently in development with French production company Gaumont Animation and showrunner Leslie Valdes, co-developer, head writer, and producer of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Fall 2013

The Licensing Book • 27

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Rainbow Celebrates 10th Anniversar y of Winx Club

Rainbow Brands has expanded some of its major brands. Winx Club, a brand targeted toward kids ages 4 to 10, marks its 10th anniversary next year. Winx Club includes an animated series as well as feature-length movies, and boasts more than 500 licensees. New content includes a sixth series that will launch globally, featuring 26 episodes and a mixture 2-D and 3-D animation, and a third movie is also currently in production.

Rainbow has a program of events, promotions, and strategic partnerships designed to engage all target markets. In the interactive field, fans worldwide will be able to attend Alfea College thanks to the multiplayer game, Winx Fairy School, launching next Christmas.

Meanwhile, the first e-commerce site dedicated to Winx Club, featuring exclusive products and dedicated activities, will pop up this fall for European and Russian audiences.

Mia and Me, a co-production with Lucky Punch GmbH, combines live-action and CGI animation. It chronicles the adventures of 12-year-old Mia, who juggles life in the real world with another one in the magical kingdom of Centopia. The first series was picked up by more than 70 broadcasters in more than 80 territories, and is set to be followed by a second season in 2015, as well as a feature film. A full range of licensed merchandise will launch next year, including a toy line from global toy partner Mattel. Other partners include Ravensburger, Egmont, Unilever, Nestle, and Panini.

MGL Licensing Launches Multiple New Brands

MGL Licensing expands Valentina’s licensing program with Tenues and New Edition, which will roll out social and back-to-school stationery across Europe. Both lines are due for release by the middle of next year. Other partners will produce bedding, apparel, stationery, and giftware.

MGL will also launch the Penguin-partnered preschool property Marsh Mellow in Europe. The company will showcase the new style guide that will support Penguin’s launch of sticker and activity books next year, and will look to license Marsh Mellow across all key categories worldwide.

MGL will showcase Reilly’s new offshoot brand Tantan, MGL’s first character-based property. With international partners already on board, this property is currently open for a variety of product categories.

Reilly has been commissioned by Lamborghini to create companywide branding for its 50th anniversary. Inspired by Italian 20th century artistic and social movement futurism, Reilly utilizes the themes associated with contemporary concepts of the future, including speed, technology, youth, power, and objects such as the car, the airplane, and the industrial city. Reilly’s design will feature throughout Lamborghini’s official Tantan website, and will appear on an exclusive range of products including car covers and seat covers.

MGL will debut its newest property, Izak, a fashion illustrator working for brands including Chanel and Celine. Alongside his illustration commissions Izak has gained a strong licensing presence across Asia and North America. MGL will represent all licensing rights for Izak across the European markets. MGL will build on the success Otter House has had as the UK licensee for cards, calendars, and stationery.

Extreme Zombies recently re-launched and refreshed. Extreme Zombies offers an alternative to the typical ghoulish and scary zombies by bringing them into the 21st century as trendy, sporty monsters of the night. With edgy graphics, three full style guides, and a growing number of international partners, such as C&A and Tesco CE, Extreme Zombies is ideal for boys ages 8 and up. Deals have recently been signed for the brand in Russia and Mexico.

28 • The Licensing Book

Fall 2013

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

JELC Features Gem Fairies

Gem Fairies, Gemma’s girls’ property, are fairies learning to be princesses and solving problems in their fairy realm. JELC, the global licensing agent for Gem Fairies, has secured licensees from Thailand, the Philippines, Mexico, South Africa, and Russia in categories such as stationery, apparel, party paperware, toys, publishing, arts, crafts, and greeting cards. The Gem Fairies brand has new artwork, a new style guide, and a revamped website.

Sugar craft artist Lindy Smith’s mix of patterns and color palettes has become the basis for a comprehensive style guide and a planned program of licensed products such as picnicware, food gifting and confectionery, stationery, greeting cards, and soft furnishings.

Lisa Johnson’s Lillipippins brand is ideal for greetings and stationery, publishing, new media, housewares and décor, giftware, nursery products, apparel, confectionery, food, and health and beauty products. Simson Cards in Australia, Portfolio in the UK, and Perleberg in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland have launched ranges of greeting cards.

My Cat Pip has established a strong retail presence in the UK and worldwide since 2009. After the success of a range of children’s books from Hodder, My Cat Pip is further expanding the licensing program. The wide licensing base includes gifts, magazines, iPad skins, calendars, planners, stationery, aprons, mini tote bags, and giftware.

Silentnight has appointed JELC to roll out a licensing program across the sleep category. Products under the Silentnight name include hot drinks, herbal sleep remedies, bath and body lotions, nightwear, and sleep toys.

John Hinchcliffe and Wendy Barber’s textiles and ceramics have a target market of discerning homeowners with the main outlets for Hinchcliffe and Barber-branded products expected to be high-end retail, major stores, and online outlets.

JELC partner company, Brand Extensions Russia JJP, is expanding into the Russian market with Pepsi, NBA, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Forever Friends, Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club, Gem Fairies, Turizmo, My Cat Pip, Lillipippins, and The Little Prince.

Santoro Gets Gorjuss

Santoro has signed Enesco Ltd. as a UK licensee for Gorjuss collectible resin figurines, ceramic photo frames, decorative ceramic plates and tiles, snow globes, and 3-D, shaped money banks. The range will launch at Spring Fair International in Birmingham early next year, and in the U.S. next summer. Santoro has appointed Boston International as its new distributor for stationery and acGorjuss cessories, with the first launch planned for later this month.

Santoro’s Gorjuss papercraft collection, by Docrafts, is available via Notions Marketing. A range of kids’ tops is available from Santoro’s Gorjuss pop-up boutique at Harrods. The Gorjuss collection for girls ages 4 to 10 features artwork and includes contrasting trims, lace, and striped bow embellishments.

Docrafts’ Gorjuss papercraft collection is available in Australia via its distributor Print Blocks Pty Ltd. The collection includes rubber stamps, paper packs, and decoupage in reuseable packaging, brads, buttons, ribbons, and other embellishments.

Later this year, new Gorjuss licensee Cranston will launch premium quilting fabrics. Sales of licensee Libesa’s Gorjuss backto-school notebooks are up 68 percent from last year. It is the second collection launched in the Chilean market.

Santoro has appointed Alta Karta—MIKEDIS SA as a new distributor for Santoro’s Gorjuss gifts and stationery in Greece.

Alta Karta supplies 900 gift outlets nationwide and launched the Gorjuss range at the School & Office 2013 trade show in Athens.

Santoro has signed Proburo (SQ Brands Management Ltd. and CJSC Byuro Treyding) for the Mirabelle collection in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Proburo will develop Mirabelle back-to-school bags and stationery for launch next year. Santoro welcomes Noguera y Vintro as a distributor for Mirabelle fashion bags, stationery, and gifts in Spain. The collection will be available in Spain this year.

Santoro has signed Mantiburi Gmbh for Mirabelle print-ondemand wallpapers, wall decals, window decorations, and prints in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, UK, and France. A range of Mirabelle designs will be available later this year.

Gem Fairies

30 • The Licensing Book

Fall 2013

Hari’s World Combines Fun and Safety

A Hari’s World book series is now available, including Oops Hari, Hari at Home, Hari on the Beach, and Hari at the Park. The publishing program will feature 10 books in total. A plush and an educational range featuring the SafetySack is distributed throughout the UK. Hari’s World has launched a national awareness campaign to 35,000 schools throughout the UK, supported through social media. The range is distributed across Singapore and Malaysia, in both English and local language versions, with further publishing licenses and distribution agreements lined up for neighboring regions.

The brand was presented to the licensing community in Turkey.

The message conveyed by the stories opens up opportunities for licensees to use the brand for child safety products. The brand’s educational slant means that products can be sold into the educational market.

Vivitar Introduces Android Camelio Tablet

The Camelio Tablet, from Vivitar, a Sakar company, includes a unique add-on kit that allows the 7-inch Android tablet to be shared with the whole family. The Camelio tablet can be customized to kids’ ages and favorite licensed properties. The kit also allows kids to adjust the theme as their tastes change from preschool to elementary to teenage years. The tablet has full access to Google Play and includes parental controls. Initial personality kit options will range from multiple franchise properties popular with girls of different ages to top superhero and sports brands for boys.

Imira Introduces Bat Pat

Imira Entertainment will show Lucky Fred and Kumis, along with the quirky characters of the new animated adventure series Bat Pat, The Creepy Sitcom, a coproduction with Atlantyca Entertainment, Inspidea, and with the participation of Rai. Bat Pat is a spooky animated adventure comedy where Bat Pat and the SilBat Pat ver siblings defend their town of Fogville from creepy characters. Currently, the co-production partners are in final negotiations with key broadcasters and the series is set to air next year. The intellectual property encompasses TV, publishing, licensing, online, and mobile spaces. Bat Pat’s book adventures have been translated into 16 languages.

Lucky Fred is a broadcast-based property aimed at kids ages 6 to 12 that has already attracted a line-up of international partners.

The second season is in production and will be broadcast next year, with new partners GD Entertainment Fund, Telegael, and GSW Animation joining first season co-producers Rai and TV3.

Imira has signed with Exim Licensing Group to represent all Lucky Fred-licensed products and merchandising across Latin America. The deal covers key Latin American territories including Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile. Exim represents apparel, accessories, stationery, paper products, toys, games, party goods, health and personal care, and food and beverage, with other licensed products to roll out over the coming months. The series is also complemented by the Lucky Fred cross-platform app.

Imira represents Kumis in Europe and aims to expand the consumer products range, following its appointments of The Licensing Factory and Planeta Junior as licensing and marketing agents in Italy and France and French-speaking Europe, respectively. The Kumis brand has been adapted for products including figurines, plush, bags, pencil cases, and homewares, and is popular with females ages 8 to 35 years, with a product line for kids ages 8 to 12. Kumis products are distributed in more than 30 countries worldwide.

Fall 2013

The Licensing Book • 31

Brand Licensing Europe

Planeta Junior Expands Globally

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Planeta Junior will present the Sendokai Champions licensing and merchandising program in Italy, France, Greece, Russia, Turkey, and Central and Eastern European countries. The property is based on the animation series for kids ages 6 to 9 that focuses on the adventures of four friends who have to overcome their shortcomings and learn the art of Sendokai in order to become warriors, win Vicky the Viking the Great Multiverse Tournament, and save the Earth. The first part of the series is currently broadcast in Spain and more than 50 Latin American countries. It will also air in the U.S., Eastern Europe, Portugal, Asia Pacific, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

The new 3-D, CGI-animated Vicky the Viking series is part of Planeta Junior’s global project to update TV classics that were successful in Europe. The company, which owns the rights for the brand in Spain, Italy, and Greece, is using the same brand development concept that it applied to Maya the Bee. Planeta Junior has the worldwide licensing rights for Egyxos, an action and adventure series for kids ages 8 to 12, which chronicles the adventures of an ancient civilization lost in space and time, with characters with superpowers that fight for domination over their kingdom.

Planeta Junior will expand its range of kids’ series with licensing programs for the four kids’ series by Rainbow, which it now represents in Spain and France: Mia and Me, Winx Club, Pop Pixie, and Huntik.

Planeta Junior also has new business development plans for Zou in Spain, Italy, and Central and Eastern Europe, and Kikoriki in Spain, Portugal, and France.

Planeta Junior will also expand its existing properties in different regions: Sony Classics and Shadow Hunters in Spain, Greece, and Central and Eastern Europe; Sesame Street in Spain and Italy; 3-D Maya the Bee in Spain, Italy, and Greece; The Secret Ranch in Italy, Greece, and Central and Eastern Europe; Hello Kitty, Charmy Kitty, and Ben 10 in Greece; Poppy Cat in France and Central and Eastern Europe; Mr. Men & Little Miss in Greece and Central and Eastern Europe; and Arlist in Italy.

32 • The Licensing Book

Bulldog Brings a Sizzling Lineup

Bulldog Licensing will showcase Plants vs. Zombies, the fundead action mobile game property that has been downloaded more than 140 million times worldwide. Bulldog has already signed deals for the brand with Character Options for plush and toys, Penguin for a publishing range, Titan for a new Plants vs. Zombies magazine, Magic Box for sticker books, Character World for homewares, A4T for digital peripherals, and GB Eye for posters.

Game show Bullseye ran over the entire ITV Network from 1981 to 1995, before popular demand led to it reappear in 2006 on Challenge. Bulldog is looking to target categories such as apparel, board games, gifting, and online and computer gaming.

British fashion doll Sindy celebrates its 50th anniversary this year with the release of two style guides and re-launched Sindy websites. The program includes the Art Group for greetings, Poeticgem for apparel, Helen Rochfort for handbags, Diablo Skinz for mobile device skins and Robert Tonner for high-end collectible dolls.

Shoot has become one of the most widely read soccer publications in the UK and can be accessed via iPad and Android tablets. The licensing program covers men’s gifts, online games, accessories, and an apparel range from Poeticgem.

Bulldog will also showcase brands from DreamWorks Animation. DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk’s licensing program includes master toy licensee Spin Master, Aykroyds/TDP for nightwear and underwear, Winning Moves for Top Trumps games, Grossman for wheeled and outdoor toys, and RMS for craft stationery. Bulldog will also present opportunities across the range of brands from DreamWorks Animation, including Turbo, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and Shrek.

Fall 2013

d-rights Goes Mobile

Ar testar Represents Junk Food Clothing

When d-rights Inc.’s animated TV series B-Daman Crossfire airs in North America and Europe this fall, Sunrights Inc. and Hasbro Inc. will offer web and mobile services linked to the toys that will launch simultaneously. The service will be available through Hasbro and Sunrights’ joint website, bdamanbattles.com, as well as through a free B-Daman mobile app, available in the App Store and Google Play.

Customers can use the app to scan the special Aztec Code on the BDaman figure toys or enter the numeric code included on the collector cards at bdamanbattles.com. The codes unlock various items that can be used in the online and mobile game. Hasbro and Sunrights plan to develop other character goods in addition to these coded toys.

Artestar has been appointed as the exclusive licensing agent for Junk Food Clothing. This will extend the apparel brand into categories beyond its original vintage designs.

Artestar will leverage the popularity of the Junk Food Designs collection to generate new business in diverse product categories, including footwear, outerwear, home décor, housewares, bedding, sporting goods, back-to-school, and stationery. This collection adds to the line, which also includes licensed brands such as NFL, Disney, Marvel, DC Comics, and Coca-Cola.

Junk Food’s designs can be seen in retail outlets from Urban Outfitters and The Gap to Bloomingdale’s. Artestar’s brand extensions will make new product categories available to Junk Food fans, while also bringing its art to new audiences.

AGP Introduces New Proper ties

Creative Licensing Adds New Films

American Greetings Properties (AGP) will debut many new initiatives in the U.S. and abroad. The Care Bears, set high above Earth in the enchanted land of Care-a-Lot; Strawberry Shortcake, which recently introduced Huckleberry Pie; and Holly Hobbie, a brand with more than 40 years of heritage, serve as the cornerstone brands for AGP. New properties include Boofle, a pup made out of grandpa’s sweater; Packages from Planet X, a comedy-filled mystery targeted at boys ages 7 to 11; and The WotWots, a preschool property that focuses on brother and sister aliens as they explore their new surroundings on Earth.

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Creative Licensing Corp.

(CLC) continues to license new films as well as a large library of classic movies, including Rambo, Basic Instinct, The Deer Hunter, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Escape From New York, and Evil Dead 2. The company is excited to add the 2009 film, Terminator Salvation, to its more than 50 licenses for the first two films in the franchise, Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. CLC also represents the Studiocanal library, which includes the classic adventure movie Highlander and the TV series The Avengers. It also features the action film Drive starring Ryan Gosling.

The Licensing Book • 33

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

BRB Internacional Represents Invizimals

Invizimals

BRB Internacional presents the Invizimals brand, based on the video game from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE). The series premiere of two TV specials will coincide with the launch of two new Invizimals video games under SCEE. Invizimals: The Alliance will be available on PlayStation Vita, and Invizimals: The Lost Kingdom will premiere on the PlayStation 3 platform. The Invizimals TV series is the first to incorporate augmented reality techniques to amplify content from the use of a second screen.

BRB Internacional will also present the first episodes of the new animated series Filly Funtasia, based on the brand Filly, from Dracco. The animated cartoon sitcom features the Filly characters in a new world full of magic and fantasy. Produced by Screen21/Black Dragon, the 3-D, high-definition series will have 26 episodes ready for broadcast early next year.

The brand is supported by partners such as master toy licensee Simba Dickie Group. BRB Internacional distributes the series throughout the world—except in Germany—and manages the rights to the brand in Spain and Portugal. Dracco manages the TV series in Germany and the Filly license worldwide except the Iberian Peninsula.

Zodiak Kids Expands Tickety Toc Brand

Zodiak Kids’ preschool series, Tickety Toc, airs globally on Nickelodeon, following the everyday adventures of twins Tommy and Tallulah, who travel through the special Tickety Toc clock. Tickety Toc explores teamwork, social responsibility, and problem solving.

Nickelodeon recently ordered a second series and three half-hour specials.

Komar was recently appointed by Zodiak Kids as the U.S. sleepwear partner for Tickety Toc. Komar will create pajamas, nightgowns, sleep pants, blanket sleepers, and robes for boys and girls set to hit stores in the spring. In Canada, apparel by NTD and sleepwear from Paris Geneve has launched in Walmart stores.

Canada’s TCG has signed for Tickety Toc wooden toys, including a Pufferty puppy train, the Tickety Toc clock, and main characters, set for release in North America next fall.

Tickety Toc U.S. master toy partner Just Play has released its Tickety Toc toy line exclusively in Toys “R” Us stores and online. Scholastic has released a Tickety Toc book, Wonderforge launched its Tickety Toc Game, and Mega Brands released puzzles. Other new U.S. partners include Buy Seasons for online party goods, Bakery Crafts for cake decorations, and InCharacter Costumes for Halloween costumes.

Cupcake Digital and Zodiak Kids will release the first story app for the series, Tickety Toc Bubbletime, available in the U.S. and Canada on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and the Barnes & Noble Nook Store.

The first Tickety Toc DVD, from Anchor Bay Entertainment, has launched in Canada bilingually. Chime Time Adventures was also released nationwide in the U.S., featuring promotional partnerships with Cold Stone Creamery, Minute Rice, and Uncle Matt’s Organic.

Zodiak Kids seeks North American partners for the second phase of its consumer products campaign, with an eye toward secondary publishing, novelty toys, outdoor toys, and ELA. Zodiak Kids’ Lolirock, produced by Marathon Media, targets kids ages 6 to 12 and will debut next year on France 3 before airing on Disney Channel (France). Lolirock follows the adventures of Iris, who auditions for a girl band called Lolirock and enters a world full of music, mystery, and magic. Five animated music videos will launch on YouTube prior to the TV series’ debut. Local bands will be assembled in different countries to sing and promote the music featured in the show.

Zodiak Kids CP Paris will manage all licensing rights of the series, and a range of licensed products is planned in categories including toys and publishing. The first products will follow the launch of the series, with a larger range of products to follow by next winter, when the second season of Lolirock airs. Negotiations are underway with a number of key global broadcasters.

34 • The Licensing Book

Fall 2013

Fremantle Knows Family Enter tainment

FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment collaborates with top producers to build brands across its four key genres: preschool, kids’ comedy, action/adventure, and tween/teen fare, and extends them into new experiences through carefully planned licensing programs with individually tailored strategies and partnerships across all consumer touch points.

Tree Fu Tom launched on CBeebies last year. Following Flair’s toy launch this February, it will start next year with 30 UK licensees, new episodes on CBeebies, and an expansive European consumer products roll out program.

Strange Hill High is a new series using new production techniques that reinvents the school drama, combining everyday classroom fun with fantastical and mysterious goings-on.

Aimed at kids ages 6 to 12, it has nine UK licensees on board and goes into next year with a new series and the retail rollout of Vivid Imaginations’ first toy range.

Kate & Mim-Mim is a new CGI-animated preschool series produced and developed by Nerd Corps Entertainment.

Aimed at kids ages 2 to 5, Kate & Mim-Mim follows the adventures of a little girl, Kate, and her toy bunny, Mim-Mim, as they travel to an imaginary world where Mim-Mim comes alive as a larger-than-life playmate. Kate & Mim-Mim is set to launch on CBeebies in the UK next year.

Wizards vs. Aliens is an action-adventure drama created by Doctor Who writers Russell T. Davies and Phil Ford. It gained CBBC’s second-highest ratings last year. Magic and science collide again next year in the second series.

King Features Licensing Expands Global Brands

With expanding programs for Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Betty Boop, King Features Licensing will also present Archie Comics’ Betty & Veronica.

King Features Licensing will represent Betty & Veronica in all licensing, merchandising, and promotional efforts. Betty & Veronica will be supported in apparel, accessories, electronic accessories, stationery, and gifts. Betty & Veronica has signed a global advertising campaign for MAC cosmetics, followed by a deal with high-end fashion footwear company Charlotte Olympia.

King Features will showcase its Popeye brand in a variety of categories and retail tiers, building on high-end fashion collaborations with Dolce & Gabbana, Philipp Plein, and Iceberg.

Popeye also had a global roll-out of a non-wagering mobile slots game, from Ludia. Target categories for Olive Oyl include apparel, accessories, health and beauty, cosmetics, hair care, yoga fitness apparel, and footwear. Both Popeye and Olive are featured in the Line mobile app.

King Features Licensing will also celebrate Hagar the Horrible’s 40th anniversary with the ongoing classic strip reprint series from Titan Books, and the resurgence of Flash Gordon, which has apparel in both Topshop and Topman.

Following a global campaign for Lancôme Hypnose Star mascara, Joyrich has launched a Betty Boop collection in the U.S. and Asia. King is developing styles suited for younger fans so they can “Grow Up Betty.”

V&A Introduces New Licensees

V&A Licensing introduces two new Japanese licensees. Mark’s, a Japanese design stationery company, together with Terence Conran, has produced a range of stationery, including washi tape, notebooks, gift tags, and document folders covered with art-influenced, playful designs. Graphis, a Japanese art apparel pioneer, produces innovative garments using furnishing fabrics, wallpapers, and dress silks for playful, contemporary T-shirt designs inspired by the V&A’s collections. stationery, from Terence Conran

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The Licensing Book • 35

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Rocket Licensing Celebrates The Very Hungr y Caterpillar

Rocket Licensing is set to celebrate The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s 45th anniversary next year, will introduce the stars of the new CBeebies series Q Pootle 5, and will showcase Mrs. Brown’s Boys. Rocket will also promote Annoying Orange, Hornby, the A-Z guides, and the MGM brands Rocky, Vikings, and Robocop.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is the centerpiece property of The World of Eric Carle brand, which brings together the works of author and illustrator Eric Carle. Rocket has brought in new licensees in the UK, including Wild and Wolf, Ravensburger, Universal Cycles, Dreamtex, Dennicci, and William Lamb, and has increased retail presence with new ranges this year from existing and new partners. With the upcoming 45th anniversary of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the range of new products and activity at retail is set to increase with promotions, new product launches, and special in-store and online celebrations planned.

The Q Pootle 5 books have inspired a new CBeebies series and a licensing campaign. The first signings include Immediate Media for magazines; Jumbo for games and puzzles; and Rainbow Productions for character costumes. New partners are imminent, led by toys and games, DVDs, apps, e-books, apparel, and publishing.

The first retail launches are expected next spring and fall.

The Mrs. Brown’s Boys licensing program has already launched ringtones, apps, and sound cards focusing on Mrs. Brown’s catchphrases. Nightwear, underwear, Tshirts, socks, hats, gloves, scarves, wall calendars, slippers, dress-up, cardboard cutouts, facemasks, gifts, and novelties are also on their way or at retail. A major promotion with one of the UK’s leading retailers will begin at the end of this year, and a new movie from Universal is set for release next summer.

The licensing program for the Hornby superbrands—Airfix, Corgi, Hornby, and Scalextric—has built on the success of the official Scalextric and Airfix game apps.

Cakes, apparel, dress-up, T-shirts, coin-operated rides, and melamine homeware have been targeted to kids ages 4 to 12, while apparel, jigsaws, hip flasks, playing cards, mugs, and wash bags have found a market among adult males.

More products inspired by the kitchen-based Annoying Orange brand are set to launch. Fans can already enjoy novelty toys, apparel, nightwear and underwear, joke books, sticker and activity annuals, plush, and DVDs. Having broken into apparel and wall art categories, A-Z guides brand now targets adult gifting, greeting cards and wrap, underwear, stationery, homeware, bags and accessories, games and puzzles, and travel accessories.

The Rocket MGM portfolio will emphasize classics such as Rocky, and new hits,such as Vikings and the forthcoming reboot of Robocop next year.

36 • The Licensing Book

Lawless’ Suzy Zoo Turns 45

Suzy’s Zoo, created by award-winning artist Suzy Spafford in 1968, is celebrating its 45th anniversary. The line started as a line of note cards and has since grown to feature more than 200 named characters on a wide range of social expression products. More than 250 million Suzy’s Zoo greeting cards, 1 billion diapers, 7 million books, and more items have been sold worldwide. Suzy’s Zoo is interested in licensing for many of the major categories, including apparel, plush, accessories, publishing, and greeting cards worldwide.

Lawless Entertainment and Suzy’s Zoo have appointed Dina Asia Pacific Company Ltd. to represent Suzy’s Zoo products throughout China. Dina Asia Pacific Company Ltd. will represent the Classic Suzy’s Zoo and Little Suzy’s Zoo character sets for publishing, licensing, and merchandising and will soon release storybook titles for children. The initial colorful and entertaining books target kids learning Chinese and will offer other educational benefits.

For more BLE Showcase, turn to page 53.

Fall 2013

Hot Shots

An Interview with...

Paul Solomon, Co-CEO, Moose Toys The Licensing Book: What is it about The Trash Pack brand that appeals so strongly to consumers?

Solomon: While the brand’s gross factor and bright colors certainly appeal to fans, we’ve found that they love the collectibility element, since there are more than 900 characters to collect, many of which are rare, ultra rare, and limited edition (one recently sold for more than $2,000 on eBay). There’s also the element of pretend play that stimulates their imaginations. We give kids the foundation for playing out their own trash-tastic adventures with their Trashies.

Along with Trashies, there are many Trash Pack play sets and trading cards. How will you continue to expand the brand next year?

In addition to expanding our core Trash Pack line this year with the launch of series four—and series five in November—and several new play sets, we introduced a new Trash Pack brand, Trash Wheels, this fall.

Trash Wheels adds an element of vehicle play to the brand, and the first series featured more than 80 vehicles for kids to collect. Next year we will bring new series to the core and Trash Wheels lines, as well as new licensees to the brand’s licensing program.

What do you look for when choosing a licensing partner?

We look for licensees that have track records for thinking outside of the box. For example, one of our first licensing partners, Accessory Innovations, created a very cool Trash Pack backpack that was structured to look like a metal trash can. It was a hit

Fall 2013

with our fans, who have come to expect this kind of attention to detail and creativity from the brand and its licensed products.

There was a Trash Pack web series announced in March. What made Moose Toys decide to go in this new direction with the brand?

We find that developing webisodes for our brands is another point of engagement that our fans appreciate. It furthers the brand’s story and gives fans a deeper look into the lives of the Trashies.

What’s the secret to maintaining the longevity of a brand like The Trash Pack over so many iterations?

Since we first launched The Trash The Trash Pack UFT Ultimate Fighting Pack in 2011, fans young and old have Trashies Single Pack, from Moose Toys expressed how much they appreciate the detail and thought that goes into creating each Trashie. From names such as Boiled Brains and Scarred Caviar to the intricate designs and color palettes for each character, our design team is devoted to making The Trash Pack as disgusting, yet appealing, as possible. This attention to detail crosses over into the brand’s play sets, vehicles, and licensed goods. Kids and collectors alike take note and expect the next series or play set to be even better. The quality and depth of the brand gives our licensing partners a lot of content to work with, which helps keep The Trash Pack Card Game, products fresh and exciting, and keeps confrom Top Trumps sumers coming back for more.

••••

The Licensing Book • 37

Marketing Memo

O f POP CULTURE

& SUPERHUMANS Creating a Unique Visual Language to Package Unique Brands

by Ted Mininni, president, Design Force Inc. rands need cultural relevance to survive and thrive. Relevant brands merge with specific con sumers’ lifestyles, but the strongest brands inspire and create their own cultures. They’re edgy in some way and they transcend boundaries. They are understood and embraced globally as long as they remain unique, authentic, and true to their values.

Think: Nike, Apple, lululemon, Harley-Davidson, and Monster Energy. Enviable, isn’t it?

If we look at the reason why powerful brands have cultural context, it boils down to storytelling. Since time immemorial, humans have responded to storytelling.

Stories connect people to brands in an emotional manner. They are compelling. Universal truths are embedded within the mythologies of every cultural group on Earth. When they are leveraged as part of core brands, they resonate globally, transcending cultural differences. These powerful stories attract consumers who become fans and then form a community around the brand, feeding the fundamental human need to belong. These brands become an indispensable part of their adherents’ lifestyles.

This gives us insights into the reasons why people become avid fans of superheroes and action figures. They have backstories and ongoing sagas. Their stories are riveting, and in many ways, they are more human than superhuman, as these characters grapple with their own foibles and challenges. Superheroes speak to their fans at a deep level because they embody universal truths. For one thing,

B

Grimm Packaging

38 • The Licensing Book

their stories focus on the ongoing battle between good and evil and the tenacity it takes to prevail. And they celebrate the sweetness of eventually triumphing through sheer willpower and effort.

When fans identify with specific superheroes or action figure brands, they form a powerful emotional connection with them. Furthermore, they communicate their personal identities through the adoption of these brands. Even in fast-changing pop culture, classic superheroes are evergreen and cool as long as their storylines evolve. Extending these brands with licensed consumer products is part of a sound marketing strategy to keep them ever-present to their fans. It also poses a great challenge: How to make the licensed property stand out from a host of competitors that are clamoring for attention, including the superstars of Hollywood and the music industry, athletes, and a pantheon of new and classic superheroes.

When working with a superhuman brand, it is essential to identify its most compelling cues from the fans’ perspective to begin to develop a unique visual language. There is a tendency among some trend-conscious brand owners and design consultants to take their cues from pop culture. This inclination should be resisted, since a hot property is already ingrained within the culture. The focus must be on the actual property; on what makes it unique and authentic to develop the visual cues that should be leveraged when designing a licensing program. Think of these as the drivers of the property’s personality. Then think of the property’s fans as a cult: What is more charismatic than

Fall 2013

the cult of personality? Create trends when licensing a strong property; don’t follow them.

The visual language that is developed must encompass all design elements: a unique aesthetic, color, imagery, and font selections that speak to only that property. These cues are both overt and subliminal. If a new film has been released or new storylines emerge via multiple traditional and digital platforms—that is, via transmedia marketing—specific visual elements must be added to support the licensing program. This should not be done at the expense of the classic visual elements in which the property’s fans are emotionally invested, but rather in conjunction with them.

Visual language is supported by limited brand communication for licensed consumer products based on superheroes or other entertainment brands. Since the use of specific visual design elements call verbal associations with the property to mind, it isn’t necessary or desirable to integrate much verbiage except for words specific to the property’s identity. Doing so only distracts.

A library of visual design assets is developed and compiled within a style guide to give licensees concrete direction when developing consumer products. Illustrating examples of products and packaging by integrating visual design elements gives licensees solid guidelines and support. It also ensures brand consistency at retail for licensors, leading to instantaneous consumer recognition among fans of the property, solid sales, and increased brand equity.

“A picture is worth 1,000 words”

Nothing illustrates this discussion better than an example. Grimm is an unusual property in the way that it merges fairy tale elements within the context of modern life. Developing a licensing program style guide for such a property presented unique challenges. The TV program has an unlikely hero, homicide detective Nick Burkhardt, who slowly comes to realize that he is a descendant of an elite group, the Grimms, who have a mission: They must save humanity from the kinds of supernatural villains that populate The Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales.

It was important to capture the essence and the fantasy aspects of Grimm to develop the proper aesthetic for the licensing program. First, we at Design Force

Fall 2013

developed a diverse group of composed designs featuring key characters, the most popular Wesen, and important locations from the show, to create an ownable visual aesthetic that would resonate with fans. We then dissected the composed designs to establish a broad variety of design assets for NBCUniversal Television’s licensing partners to leverage as they developed their consumer products.

Weaponry, blood splatters, gritty textures and parchment paper, background imagery, and carefully selected fonts all work synergistically to create a unique visual language that hints at the story line. A few relevant, verbal cues are added to augment the visual language. This isn’t a fairy tale for children, but for adults.

Yet the visual cues speak to adults, recalling a childhood in which dark villains lurked and heroes eventually prevailed. Culturally speaking, this is deeply seated in our collective consciousness and is very relevant. Is it any wonder that Grimm has created a strong cult-like following?

In order to inspire Grimm licensee partners, a wide range of consumer product concepts were conceived and illustrated. Then, a packaging program was developed to establish a cohesive brand presence across a wide variety of consumer product categories. With a visual language that is as distinctive and as unique as the property, Grimm-licensed consumer products will stand alone at retail.

When it comes to licensing program design, each property requires a one-of-a-kind visual language for creating products and packaging for consumers—one that goes to its core and essence, leverages the brand’s most powerful cues, creates the proper aesthetic and helps support licensees with a comprehensive licensing program style guide, and turns the property into an even greater cultural phenomenon for its community of fans.

••••

Grimm Boxers

Ted Mininni is president of Design Force Inc., a package and licensing program design consultancy to the consumer product and entertainment industries. He can be reached at (856) 810-2277. Ted blogs about package and licensing program design at www.designforceinc.com.

The Licensing Book • 39

Brand Management

Arriving Soon: Ben Anderson, head of New gTLD Products, NetNames

Approximately 600 New gTLDs Managing your brand risk in this new environment

by Ben Anderson and Luge Pravda, NetNames Ltd. irst things first: a little later this year there are going to be hundreds of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs) flooding the Internet. The dozen or so existing domain name suffixes we’ve all become familiar with, such as .com, .edu, and .gov, will be joined by hundreds of others in the coming months, as successful new gTLD applications come online. We will begin to see these hundreds of new suffixes approved from among the 1,900 or so applied for—with 600 or so of these suffixes considered “open” such as .hotel, .london, .nyc, and even .ninja (and many more “closed” such as .bmw or .jpmorgan)—rolled out and put into use in e-commerce and e-marketing.

This rewinding of the Internet clock amounts to an explosion of opportunity for companies, particularly for those that weren’t fortunate enough to shore up their brand in the original round of gTLD acquisition about 18 years ago. So, hypothetically, if Coca-Cola had failed to acquire cocacola.com and cocacola.net back in the mid-90’s, they would have had a chance to fix the situation during the most recent round of applications, by land-grabbing .cocacola, .coke, etc. in the newly opened-up arena.

While that round is now closed, and we’re back to the left-of-dot choices for non-applicants, there will soon be hundreds of new possibilities to sift

F

Luge Pravda, senior vice president, NetNames USA

40 • The Licensing Book

through and determine whether they might add relevance to a brand’s online presence.

WITH GREAT OPPORTUNITY COMES GREAT RISK

As if the Internet didn’t already pose enough loopholes and permutations to stymie any risk manager worth his mortal salt, suddenly there will be hundreds of thousands of possible domain name permutations and search terms for any brand, and even more loopholes for cyber criminals to slink through. Today, brands are constantly fighting with spammers, counterfeiters, and phishers who will all go to great lengths to use legitimate brand names and assets for cybercrime. Domain names are valuable, so it would seem that 600 or so new opportunities for a brand to be abused would be a cybercriminal’s playground.

Fortunately, there will be mechanisms in place to help brands to protect themselves in this brave new world. One such mechanism is Internet Corp. for Assigned Names and Numbers’ (ICANN) launch of the Trademark Clearinghouse (TMCH).

This virtual organization—an evolving database of submitted and validated trademarks—is the first direct integration of a brand’s trademarks and domain registrations. The TMCH will act as a traffic light for new gTLD registrations. If someone

Fall 2013

tries to register a domain under a new TLD that exactly matches a trademark lodged in the TMCH, the trademark owner will be given a warning of the potential infringement, and will be required to digitally sign a warranty, by checking a box or typing in one’s name, acknowledging the potential infringement. Likewise, the trademark holder will be notified if that registration takes place. Cybersquatters and hapless registrants alike will find it more difficult to argue that no bad faith has taken place.

A cybersquatter will no longer be able to use ignorance as a defense. There’s a bit more to it than that, though. The TMCH is not an automatic opt-in for brands. Trademark holders will have to pay an annual fee per mark. Having your mark in the TMCH will enable you to participate in sunrise launches using that early term to register domains.

However, the notification period of direct match registration is only in effect for the first 60 days of operation after a TLD has launched, and it doesn’t stop people from registering domains if they are breaching a trademark—it only warns them if they are in breach.

A point that should be emphasized is that there isn’t any specific protection offered by the TMCH— it’s more of an early warning system and an aid to vigilance that should be integrated into a broader plan to protect one’s trademark.

Though this may seem like a weak slap on the wrist for a serious infringement, it’s actually good news for brand holders in many instances. If a brand wants to register its own .london, .hotel, or .ninja, submitting their trademark enables them to use the sunrise period of the respective new gTLD to secure their name before any cybersquatter has the chance to do any damage. If they choose not to use the sunrise period and another user cybersquats a name, they can use the new Uniform Rapid Suspension (URS) process to recover the name quickly and at a lower cost than the current UDRP system—somewhere between $300 to $500 per filing.

While the TMCH should not be thought of as the

Fall 2013

primary defense mechanism, there’s really no good reason for a brand not to use the TMCH. For companies with a small number of trademarks, it’s a relatively inexpensive measure, and should form the first part of their online brand protection strategy.

Big brands should only register marks in the TMCH that they wish to actively register under new gTLDs.

HOW TO MANAGE gTLD EXPANSION RISK

Any company’s statement of objectives will include the provision of products or services to its customers in a trustworthy and consistent way. Furthermore, it must be a company’s objective to preserve and protect the integrity of its brand and platform, especially online. Risk is the effect of uncertainty on these objectives.

Risk management involves identifying and assessing these uncertainties, and then prioritizing them. Which risks are more threatening, and therefore in a more critical position to demand resources to be allocated toward their mitigation? In the current gTLD expansion, how can the risks discussed above—buying too many gTLDs, or buying too few—be minimized and monitored? Risk management strives not only to maximize the realization of opportunities, but also to figure out how to coordinate and economically move resources toward control and monitoring to minimize the impact of possible unfortunate events.

Back when there were only a handful of available gTLDs, the prevailing wisdom was to buy all the suf-

The Licensing Book • 41

fixes available in order to protect the brand. But now, with hundreds of thousands of possible domain name permutations, it’s no longer the most viable— or even financially possible—move to buy up all possible gTLDs. Between the question of search and the mandate of brand protection, this raises many questions. Where should companies start?

BEYOND THE TRADEMARK CLEARINGHOUSE

There’s a sane and rational approach—a thought process for prioritizing a brand holder’s choice of domain names—and with it, risks. The TMCH provides an early warning system to protect companies as they forge through the process of shoring up their domain names. Beyond the TMCH, however, companies need to think strategically about how their current trademarks and brand names map to the new gTLD landscape in a meaningful and sensible fashion, rather than adopting a gold rush registration strategy to grab all open TLDs. The methodology involves looking at the brand owner’s specific business interests, determining what is most relevant, and separating it from what is least relevant.

Prioritization is key—developing a way of ranking the relevance of this mapping process. The idea is to apply a set of rules and conditions that allow brand and trademark owners to go through all the variables and sift through the suffixes, identifying which ones might mean some“It must be a company’s objective thing to the brand, which are less meaningful, and which to preserve and protect the integrity of its brand online. Risk should be outright discarded, and, to the extent that it’s not is the effect of uncertainty on explained by common sense, these objectives.” why. In looking at this, we’re considering such metrics as product or industry, lines of business, geographies, brand names, and the existing portfolio of online assets. This will help inform what potential infringements to challenge and not to challenge.

The questions around gTLD acquisition of “What is too many?” and “What is too few?” may be

42 • The Licensing Book

answered through a logical and rigorous analysis of needs and risk. Once a company has made its choices and invested in a portfolio of strategic domain names, and Internet security and online brand protection are folded into the company’s strategic expenditures, this expansion of gTLDs will probably call for a greater level of vigilance—and therefore greater allocation to risk management—than currently exists. Searching for fraudsters, discovering their methods, and shutting them down is a job that will, along with the brand marketing opportunity posed by approximately 600 or so unique new gTLDs, exponentially increase the challenge of protecting that brand.

The new frontier of gTLDs and domain names will require a creative approach, but also a rigorously logical and sane one. In the final analysis, it’s all about outwitting and getting ahead of the competition. A multi-tiered and strategic approach to both the opportunity and risk management can help your company make the right decisions at a crucial time.

•••• Ben Anderson is head of New gTLD Products at NetNames, overseeing the new gTLD operations. An industry recognized expert on domain practice and operations, he is seated on various domain and compliance bodies for both ICANN and INTA. He is an active member of many of the large TLD operators and is often called upon to provide advice. Anderson has a wealth of experience at the sharp-end of setting up and managing domain Registries and Registrars. He is based in London and Copenhagen and can be reached at Ben.Anderson@NetNames.com.

Luge Pravda, senior vice president at NetNames USA, is a globally recognized expert in TLDs and online brand protection. Since joining the company in 2000, he has been involved in several large TLD launches, including .info, .biz, .eu, .asia and .xxx. Prior to joining NetNames, he spent five years in retail operations. Pravda holds a BSc(Econ) degree in Economics & Mathematics from the London School of Economics. He can be reached at Luge.Pravda@NetNames.com.

Fall 2013

Celebrity Licensing

The Proliferation of Winning Partnerships Between Retailers and Multi-Hyphenate Celebrities

by Darrell Miller, managing partner, Fox Rothschild LLP he retail market has experienced the economic equivalent of a rollercoaster ride in recent years. On the upside, the Internet and mobile devices have made it possible for brands to market, sell, and distribute goods in an unprecedented number of ways. At the same time, new distribution platforms such as Amazon and eBay have undermined traditional business models and the brick-and-mortar retailers that brands previously depended on to sell their goods. Now, brands must look for strategies to cut through the digital clutter, differentiate their products, and grab the attention of consumers. As such, a growing number of brands are turning to the power of celebrity partnerships to drive sales and brand awareness.

Examples of strategic branding partnerships between celebrities and retail companies are increasingly easy to find. Kohl’s, the department store chain, collaborated with Jennifer Lopez to sell a successful line of branded apparel, accessories, and items for the home. Kathy Ireland, the former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, has partnered with retail companies such as Lamps Plus to sell a line of home furnishings bearing her name. Her brand, Kathy Ireland Worldwide, was estimated by Forbes to sell $2 billion in goods annually. To take an example from my own legal practice, I’ve worked with the rapper and actor Chris “Ludacris”

T

Fall 2013

Bridges on the successful launch of several branded ventures such as his “Soul” by Ludacris headphones and the development of the high-end cognac brand, Conjure.

With so much money being generated, it is easy to see why both brands and celebrities are eager to use strategic partnerships to grow their bottom lines. While the profits can be staggering and the ability to reach consumers can be unparalleled, celebrity endorsement deals often involve complex negotiations that draw on issues that may be unfamiliar to many retail brands. This is especially true for retailers and brands that increasingly negotiate directly with celebrities and their representatives without the assistance of ad agencies or other traditional middlemen. It is critical that retailers and brands educate themselves about how these deals are structured and, in particular, the unique considerations that come into play when working with celebrity partners.

“An artist may say, ‘I travel with three bodyguards and my agent, and we all need to be on the same floor of the hotel, next to the elevator.’ Just don’t forget about the makeup artist, wardrobe specialist, and hair stylist, who are coming, too.”

Understand the Rules of Actor Unions

When contemplating celebrity partnerships, many retailers do not consider one of the most important dimensions of such engagements:

The Licensing Book • 43

Ludacris with Conjure cognac

working with professional actor unions. Professional unions such as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAGAFTRA) set the parameters for negotiations regarding retail partnerships and licensing deals. Union rules can specify everything from wardrobe allowances, to how grievances and disputes will be arbitrated, to the scale of pay at which the artist must be compensated (more on this later).

Given the wide-ranging nature of the issues covered by union rules, it is imperative that brands engage advisors who are experienced in working with professional talent and can help them to navigate these rules.

Know the Celebrity’s Target Audience

Partnering with celebrities can provide brands with instant recognition and cachet. Think of the rapper 50 Cent’s partnership with Glacéau, makers of vitaminwater, to produce a proprietary line of grape-flavored beverage, Formula 50. Glacéau benefited from 50 Cent’s immense popularity and, after seeing its stock surge, was purchased for $4.1 billion by Coca-Cola. The benefits can be enormous, but what is sometimes lost on retail brands is the need to understand the celebrity’s fan base

44 • The Licensing Book

and demographic reach before engaging in a celebrity partnership.

While brands may want to benefit from the popularity of a famous partner, it is essential to remember that the celebrity’s actions—related to the brand or not—can have irreparable consequences for the public perception of the product. To protect against this type of scenario, retail brands are increasingly insisting on the inclusion of a morals clause in their contracts with the celebrities (this type of provision curtails, restrains, or proscribes the behavior of a party to the contract).

Accept the Economics

Although retailers and brands have an increasingly sophisticated understanding of celebrity partnerships, they frequently still get “sticker shock” when they see the typical price range for engaging A-level talent. Key financial considerations for retailers and brands include: • As noted above, professional unions set the minimum wage or scale at which performers must be compensated. Union rules apply to commercials and endorsement appearances, as well as movies, TV shows, and radio ads. For retailers and brands that are accustomed to working with non-professional actors to promote their products and appear in advertisements, working with professional unions is worth the investment if they are prepared.

• The (not so) hidden cost of travel: Contracts with celebrities and other professional talent will include a range of provisions regarding how the artist will travel (first-class or five star hotel), what type of accommodations they expect, what type of food they will eat, and who will travel with them. A common feature of many contracts are provisions for the travel expenses of the posse or “glam squad”

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with whom the artist expects to travel. An artist may say, “I travel with three bodyguards and my agent, and we all need to be on the same floor of the hotel, next to the elevator.” Just don’t forget about the makeup artist, wardrobe specialist, and hair stylist, who are coming, too. Companies may attempt to cut corners, but then they risk compromising the relationship between the brand and the celebrity partner.

• Residuals and broadcast rights: Residuals are fees that are paid to professional performers for subsequent showings of a filmed work in which they appear (i.e., the payment actors receive for TV reruns or commercials). Brands may be responsible to pay residuals and must factor this cost into their financial assessment of a deal when working with union performers.

In short, working with professional talent and celebrities is expensive, but often worth it, if a retailer ’s economic logic is to successfully increase sales through the use of well-executed celebrity partnerships. One strategy brands can use to mitigate the cost of these deals is to engage the services of talent agencies or advertising firms that are in the business of working with celebrity talent. Brands should also work with legal and other industry professionals who are experienced in negotiating and managing such deals. The “sticker shock” experienced by brands can also be a result of underestimating the economic value of celebrity.

In my own legal practice, I have advised Fortune 100 companies in the structuring of celebrity partnership deals. My experiences show that these deals can be very lucrative for both celebrities and retail brands. Brands, however, must educate themselves about how these deals are structured and the special considerations that

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come into play when working with professional talent. These partnerships will continue to grow as both brands and artists find new ways to arrange mutually beneficial partnerships to leverage the power of celebrity and to generate signif•••• icant streams of income.

Ludacris wearing Soul headphones

Darrell D. Miller is the chair of the national entertainment law department at Fox Rothschild LLP and the managing partner of Fox Rothschild’s Los Angeles offices. Miller has more than 20 years of entertainment law experience and focuses his practice on transactional law with an emphasis on the creation of multiple streams of revenue for clients with high brand equity through the cross-promotion of film, TV, music, theater, multimedia, and licensing opportunites. He is a frequent speaker and moderator on topics related to the business of entertainment.

The Licensing Book • 45

Licensing 101

You’ve Secured the License.

Now What?

by Jim Sachs, partner at Harris-Sachs LLC Licensing

re you part of a start-up company with a new license? Or, are you part of a company with years of experience with your first license? In this article, I will discuss companies new to licensing and what they have to do to be successful. My experience in licensing goes back 30 years. I was on the manufacturing side of licensing, first developing the product lines, and then the acid test: actually selling the product into retail. In those days, there was a plethora of retailers and more than enough shelf space available for almost everyone’s products.

So, I was able to take multiple licenses, knowing that the “80/20 Rule” applied—80 percent of the sales return of all the licenses I took resulted from just 20 percent of the total licenses. No such luxury exists today.

A

“

Both licensor and the retailer alike understand that a well-managed licensing program ... creates a buzz in the marketplace that generates millions of impressions while enhancing the overall strength of the brand.”

46 • The Licensing Book

Getting Started

From the acquisition of a license, everything has to be ready to go before the sales process starts.

Start-up inventory must be in stock. All sales materials, including sell sheets and price lists with terms and conditions, must be ready to go. Choosing and scheduling appropriate trade shows to introduce the company and licensed line are very important.

Deciding how to structure a sales

initiative will be the key to ultimate success. Some start-ups will be completely dependent on the vision and energy of the owner(s) to initiate the sales effort.

Cold-calling retailers and trying to reach buyers will take a lot of persistence and time. The key to reaching the market is through contacts. These can include friends, manufacturer representitives, and/or your new partner: the licensor.

Friends are a given; however, manufacturer reps are independently owned companies that represent a number of consumer product lines to large and varied retailers in multiple product categories.

Developing the rep force is a work in progress. Managing them correctly will quickly separate the weak reps from the strong reps. In the final analysis, the reps have the connections to the buyers and are responsible for getting in front of them to present the new licensed line. Even after being out of manufacturing for many years, I still maintain close contact with my reps. In certain cases, if our clients are in need, I will refer the reps to them. The reps are usually very interested in picking up the line because there is a license involved. Selling a licensed product line is attractive to them because reps know that a competitor is not going to come in with the same license and sell against them.

Teamwork

Enlisting the licensor to help with the sales process is very helpful. It’s important to understand that some licensors are more predisposed to helping than others. In some cases, the licensors main-

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tain a retail division and will go to retailers and make presentations on behalf of all the licensees.

They generally do this in an effort to develop a storewide licensing program that involves many departments in many different product categories.

Some licensors will actually assist reps and licensees in making independent presentations to buyers.

Whenever possible, take advantage of this help for major retail accounts. In addition, social networking in conjunction with the licensor is beneficial.

Calling fellow licensees and developing cross-promotional business with them is also an effective way of getting a retail introduction. Even a large, well-established manufacturer with the same license might be able to introduce the new company to retail buyers. Exploiting the power of the license cannot be underestimated. Both licensor and the retailer alike understand that a well-managed licensing program, with multiple licensees, collectively creates a buzz in the marketplace that generates millions of impressions while enhancing the overall strength of the brand.

Understanding the License

If not a start-up company new to licensing, are you part of a company with core product experience but new to the licensing world? One would think that established companies with existing relationships and sales would simply be able to segue the licensed product into existing channels of distribution. But the reality is that these companies sometimes only succeed in exchanging generic shelf space for licensed product. There are no incremental sales increases and when the license finally runs its course, the licensee needs to find another license or try to backfill the space with its previous generic product line. To effectively address this situation, manufacturers should apply a license to a completely new segment of their existing core business.

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The products must be unique and utilize the license as a “driver.” There is simply no sense in taking a license and “label slapping” it. The sales group must thoroughly understand the license, how it relates to the product, and its advantages. They need to be able to communicate to the buyer why this new licensed line will drive traffic into the stores and increase retail sales. After all, this is really the bottom line for any Get Organized buyer. Having the licensor clinic Have everything ready the sales people and even having to go before the sales them sit in on major retail presenprocess starts. tations are effective strategies.

From a marketing standpoint, Work Together understanding that there is Enlist the licensor to strength in numbers is also imporhelp with the sales tant. This means that any new process. license should be connected to a strong ongoing, license-focused program involving as many Know Your Stuff licensees as possible. Far in Understand your advance of launching, all colleclicense and use the tive marketing and promotional opportunity to maxiprograms, whether generated mize your return on independently or in collaboration investment. with the licensor, should be worked out and in place.

In conclusion, owning a license is an attentiongetter. Don’t squander the opportunity by not being prepared, whether you are new to the game or you are an established player.

••••

At a Glance

Jim Sachs has 30 years of licensing business experience and has served as vice president of sales, marketing, and licensing at Chein Industries. He spent the past 10 years in partnership with Steve Harris at Harris-Sachs LLC Licensing.

The Licensing Book • 47

Of Counsel

Death by Counterfeit The Effect of Counterfeit Goods in the Licensing Industry Licensing 101, Part 70

by James Kipling, Of Counsel This article is the 70th in a series devoted to the documentation of the licensing relationship and elements of a typical license agreement.

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he subjects of the two preceding articles in this series (part 68 and 69) were steps someone might take under U.S. Copyright and Trademark Laws to combat problems caused by grey market goods, and particularly in view of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in the John Wiley and Sons case. As the reader will recall, “grey market goods” is the term applied to products that legitimately bear intellectual property (IP), whether under license or by virtue, having been produced by the IP owner, but which are improperly introduced into commerce of the U.S. In this article, we will examine the issue of counterfeit goods.

Scope of the Threat

On a macro level, counterfeits are an enormous problem. By some estimates, counterfeits cost companies in the U.S. substantially more than $200 billion. On an individual brand level, if unchecked, the flow of counterfeit goods can be the death of a brand.

Whether through loss of profits, loss of brand equity, loss of the ability to license the brand, or all of the above, the end result can be the same. An example of a previously endangered product and brand, since rescued by strong action by the owner, was the once all-too-common fake Rolex watch.

While trademarks in the U.S. generally enjoy fed-

48 • The Licensing Book

eral protections against infringement, defined under Title 15 of the U.S. Code (the “Lanham Act”), there are additional factors that also must be present before a mark is considered to be subject to remedies against counterfeiting.

U.S. Code Title 18 defines counterfeiting as “… a spurious mark which is identical to, or substantially indistinguishable from, a mark registered on the Principal Register in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.” Unlike “infringement” of trademark, in order to be subject to counterfeiting, the mark must currently be in use by its owner. This is because the counterfeiter must not only copy the trademark, but must simulate the product that bears or is sold under the owner’s mark for the purpose of deception. From a visual perspective, for example, some counterfeit Rolex watches have been virtually indistinguishable from a genuine Rolex.

Counter Attack

If a trademark owner finds its registered brand and product under attack by counterfeiters, what options does it have to combat the threat? Remedies available to the legitimate IP owner can come through civil action initiated by the victim IP owner in Federal Court under the Lanham Act, or criminal action initiated through law enforcement under Title 18 of the U.S. Code, “Crimes and Civil Procedure.”

Criminal Action

Should the victim of counterfeiters wish to avoid

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launching its own enforcement action through the Courts, it may be able to get the attention of law enforcement. In addition to seizure and destruction of counterfeit products, there are currently other substantial criminal penalties for trafficking in counterfeit goods, with up to 10 years in prison for individuals and fines up to $2 million (or 20 years and $5 million for repeat offenders). Penalties applicable to non-persons (corporations and other organizations) can be $5 million to $15 million. Stiff penalties to be sure, but indictments of counterfeiters are not always at the top of federal prosecutors’ todo lists. As a result, the victim of the crime may have to take matters into his or her own hands.

Civil Action

When evaluating whether litigation against counterfeiters should be undertaken, one should consider the remedies that may be available. The victim might be able to have an injunction issued against the counterfeiter, and may be able to do this without notifying the violator in advance, through an ex parte proceeding. This can result in federal marshals seizing large quantities of the counterfeit products that otherwise might be spirited away by the counterfeiter who learns that an action is impending.

If the Court finds that the counterfeiter of a mark was acting willfully, it can impose statutory damages of up to $1 million per counterfeit mark per type of goods sold. Additionally, if the counterfeit products also constitute infringement of the IP owner’s copyrights, application of statutory damages under the Copyright Act can result in the plaintiff recovering its legal fees and up to $150,000 per infringement.

Utilizing U.S. Customs

Taking advantage of U.S. Customs’ ability to stop counterfeit goods before they enter the U.S. market is another avenue of recourse. The first step in this process is to record registered trademarks or copyrights with Customs. This can now be filed online at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website (www.cbp.gov). After completion of the application

Fall 2013

process, any goods that are imported into the U.S. and bear the trademark or copyright can be denied entry and subject to detention. The cost associated with this recordation process is fairly inexpensive.

With appropriate communication to Customs, this can be an effective means to limit the number of counterfeit goods entering the U.S. market.

Recently enacted legislation provides additional protection against counterfeit goods. Under the Stop Counterfeiting in Manufactured Goods Act, counterfeit labels in and of themselves are now considered counterfeit goods. Previously, counterfeit labels not attached to goods could not be seized, and thus counterfeiters would merely ship them separately through Customs. Now, this new legislation closes that loophole and also requires that seized counterfeit goods and the equipment used to create the goods must be destroyed.

Unified Front

As many brand owners have shown, there is something to be said for creating a unified front both in the U.S. and abroad. In the U.S., many brand owners, such as those who combat counterfeit “purse parties,” have found that working together is more cost-effective and more successful when trying to convince federal prosecutors to take action under the criminal provisions of the law.

The battle against counterfeit goods is not new and is not likely to end in the near future. The good news, however, is that the tools to fight this battle are increasing and IP owners are becoming more savvy fighters.

••••

James Kipling has represented licensors and licensees for more than 20 years, negotiating entertainment, sports, artwork, brand, invention, and technology agreements. He is Of Counsel with Dinsmore & Shohl LLP in Cincinnati, Ohio, and can be reached at (513) 977-8536, jim.kipling@dinsmore.com. Copyright: ©2013 James M. Kipling. All rights reserved.

The Licensing Book • 49

Directory of Properties, Products and Services

THE LICENSING BOOK, Fall 2013 “THE LICENSING BOOK” (ISSN-0741-0107) is published quarterly by Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.®, 307 Seventh Ave., Room 1601, New York, New York, 10001. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY 10001 and additional mailing offices. © 2013 Adventure Publishing Group, Inc ®.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. Subscription rates: $48 per year. THE LICENSING BOOK, THE LICENSING BOOK INTERNATIONAL, WORLDWIDE LICENSING and the “WLE” design, are trademarks and service marks of Adventure Publishing Group, Inc.® registered in the United States Patent & Trademark Office Postmaster: Send address changes to THE LICENSING BOOK, c/o Adventure Publishing Group, PO Box 47703 Plymouth, MN 55447.

Adventure Publishing Group..................................................................................................................................................51 BBC ...................................................................................................................................................................................1, 2 Dissero Brands .....................................................................................................................................................................19 Entertainment One Family .....................................................................................................................................................23 Fam Brands........................................................................................................................................................................4, 5 Gateway Licensing................................................................................................................................................................50 GM Licensing .......................................................................................................................................................................50 Harris-Sachs ........................................................................................................................................................................50 Laser Pegs............................................................................................................................................................................13 Rubies Costume Company .....................................................................................................................................................29 Sakar ....................................................................................................................................................................................7 Sony Pictures Consumer Products ...........................................................................................................................................52

50 • The Licensing Book

Fall 2013

The Voice Reaching Both Trade and Consumers

CONTACT: JONATHAN SAMET OR LAURIE SCHACHT ADVENTURE PUBLISHING GROUP 307 7TH AVENUE, SUITE 1601 NEW YORK, NY 10001 TEL: 212-575-4510 FAX: 212-575-4521 WWW.ADVENTUREPUB.COM

Hit Enter tainment’s Thomas & Friends Continues Full Steam Ahead

Hit Entertainment has debuted the latest Thomas & Friends direct-toDVD feature-length movie, King of the Railway, in the UK, the U.S., Australia, Germany, and more. To go along with the film, partners such as Mega Brands, Ravensburger, Random House, and Egmont will create more than 75 Thomas & Friends tie-in King of the Railway products across books, games, engines, play sets, and apparel. Fisher-Price will also produce movieinspired toys available across three different train systems, including the Thomas Wooden Railway.

A King of the Railway-inspired app and microsite with new games and characters will bring the movie experience to digital and social media. Hit has also hosted the Blue Carpet Premiere celebration in the UK, the U.S., Canada, and Australia to celebrate. Also in digital media, Thomas & Friends and Fisher-Price have launched Parent Station, a parent’s guide to the brand. Live events, such as the annual Day Out with Thomas railway events and the new Winston’s Whistle Stop Tour, are also integral to the brand.

Now in its second series, Mike the Knight, co-produced by Hit Entertainment and Nelvana Enterprises, has been sold to 27 broadcasters in 27 languages in 112 territories worldwide.

It airs on broadcast platforms including CBeebies in the UK, Nick Jr. in the U.S., Treehouse in Canada, Disney Jr. in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong, and TVNZ in New Zealand. The brand also launched Mike the Knight toys globally with Fisher-Price and Character Options, and books with global publishing partner Simon & Schuster.

The 25-year-old preschool brand Fireman Sam continues to air in more than 130 territories and 60 languages. Master toy licensee Character Options will launch a Fireman Sam toy line, including play sets, vehicles, and figurines, internationally. Additionally, its second app, Fireman Sam Fire & Rescue, was introduced this year. A CGI-animated series will launch next year with new characters, locations, and vehicles.

Fall 2013

Beanstalk Expands Por tfolio

Beanstalk has expanded its client roster in the corporate, food, and digital categories with six new clients and the launch of a new digital division Tinderbox.

Beanstalk has added the American music brand Fender to its roster of lifestyle brands. Beanstalk will expand Fender’s licensing footprint in Europe, building on the company’s identity as pioneers of all things music, and securing licensing partners to create music-centric products that reflect consumers’ passion for music and the Fender brand.

In food and beverage, Beanstalk has acquired two new clients: the Spanish tapas bar and restaurant chain La Tasca, and the authentic American-style bakery The Hummingbird Bakery. Beanstalk is looking to extend the La Tasca brand in key food categories inspired by head chef Antony Bennett’s most popular dishes, and will look for licensing partners in non-food classifications such as cookware, publishing, and gift items. Beanstalk will work to extend The Hummingbird Bakery into food and non-food categories.

Beanstalk has launched its new digital subdivision Tinderbox, a brand licensing agency specializing in extending digital properties— from social networks to interactive gaming, and all categories of apps including games, entertainment, and lifestyle. Tinderbox will operate as a division of Beanstalk, led by a dedicated team specializing in digital properties.

La Tasca Beanstalk will expand the programs of established clients including Energizer, Eveready, and Stanley Black & Decker; and P&G brands Max Factor, Braun, Ambi Pur, Febreze, and Fairy. In automotive, Beanstalk will support the existing programs for Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo. Beanstalk’s food and drink portfolio builds on relationships with existing clients Chewits and Jack Daniel’s. In the fashion and celebrity space, Beanstalk will promote Aquascutum, Matthew Williamson, and Paris Hilton.

Other key Beanstalk clients include Chiquita, DeWalt, Doodle Jump, Flash, Harley-Davidson, Hertz, Max Factor, MovieStarPlanet, Mr. Clean, My Singing Monsters, Phat Food Co., Salma Hayek, and The Beetnuks.

The Licensing Book • 53

Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Jim Henson Co. Expands Global Reach

Key brands for the Jim Henson Co., including Chatter Zoo, Doozers, Pajanimals, Dinosaur Train, and Sid the Science Kid, will expand their global reach with new consumer product initiatives.

The company has signed a licensing agreement with Sassy Inc. to develop a line of infant toys, apparel, accessories, and room décor based on Chatter Zoo, an interactive preschool show.

For the animated preschool series Doozers, the company has a licensing agreement with Turner Broadcasting to air the series on Turner Broadcasting’s preschool channel Cartoonito in multiple territories across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Turner Enterprises also owns the product licensing rights for the same territories. Doozers has also been licensed to Discovery Kids Latin America.

Dinosaur Train has negotiated U.S. licensing deals with Rail Events to expand the touring theater show Dinosaur Train Live to additional U.S. cities and Cranston Fabrics to introduce new branded fabric collections. In Europe, licensing deals have been made with Kidztation, Koninklijke, and Redan Publishing for products including wooden toys, puzzles, playing cards, games, and magazines. Rail Events will develop various rail events around the Dinosaur Train brand. These agreements were brokered by Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, the licensing and merchandising agent for Dinosaur Train in the UK and Ireland. In Spain, licensing agent Selecta Vision has brokered agreements with Panini Espana S.A., Unice Toys S.L., Play By Play Toys and Novelties Europe, S.A., Naipes Heraclio Fournier, Saica Toys, Musicales Reig, and United Labels Iberica S.A. for a range of branded products. In Italy, licensing agent Dall’ Angelo Pictures SRL brokered an agreement with NesDoozers tle Italiana S.P.A. for Easter eggs with surprises. Existing licensees for the brand include Tomy, Puffin, Evasion Communications, Shok ID, Junior Productions, Babel, and Secret Fragrancy. European licensing deals were negotiated in collaboration with Alphanim in France, Alicom in Sweden, and Atxilipu in Portugal.

Pajanimals, a preschool series currently airing in the U.S., has new licensees including BuySeasons, Clothworks, Running Press, Bentex, Planet Sox, and California Costumes for products ranging from games and puzzles to socks and sleepwear. Existing brand licensees include Tomy International, N-Fusion Interactive, NCircle Entertainment, Lightheaded Beds LLC, and Starbound Entertainment.

Brands seeking new licensees include the Jim Henson Co.’s third party distribution and consumer products label HIP. HIP’s newest preschool brands include Elias and Driftwood Bay. HIP has acquired global distribution rights for Elias from Aminando in Norway, and has secured Driftwood Bay’s global consumer production rights to Sixteen South. Sid the Science Kid is also anticipating new brand licensees in addition to current licensees including NCircle Entertainment and Mindshape.

54 • The Licensing Book

Bulls Promotes the Moomin

Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of artist Tove Jansson. The festivities will honor and celebrate her art and life through partners and license holders. During the TOVE100 anniversary, Bulls Licensing has selected Unicef as its official charity partner, and many Moomin licensees will produce special anniversary products and donate a portion of their sales to Unicef.

As Tove Jansson was an extraordinary woman in many respects, the company would like to honor her achievements by raising money to improve educational opportunities for children.

By receiving even the most basic education, children in developing countries stand a vastly improved chance of having a better and more independent life.

A new animation is planned for release late next year, which will have a big impact on the target group in many parts of the world. Currently, there are approximately 400 licensees worldwide connected to the Moomin licensing program.

Fall 2013

Grani&Par tners Has Collectible Products

Grani&Partners has been active for more than 30 years in the designing, developing, and manufacturing of licensed collectible products, which are either distributed through newsagents or used for in-pack and special promotion initiatives.

Grani&Partners has partnered with the main Italian and international agencies that handle loyalty promoHello Kitty tions, and works directly with multinational food and beverage companies.

In addition to Hello Kitty, the Smurfs (classic and new movies), and SpongeBob Squarepants, Grani&Partners has recently seen Preferred Premium Supplier agreements reconfirmed with Sanrio, IMPS, and Nickelodeon for these licenses.

Between this fall and next spring, Grani&Partners will focus its efforts especially on Angry Birds, Doc McStuffins, Ferrari, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Violetta, and Winx Club.

Grani&Partners is the preferred partner of the world’s largest licensors for business-to-business and business-to-consumer operations, and provides corporate clients and publishers throughout the world with collectible products dedicated to the properties that are most sought after by young people and children.

Sales activities are managed synergically and in an integrated manner from the Italy office (Modena) and the Chinese office (Hong Kong) by different departments: the promo division and the export division, for sales in Italy and Europe, respectively; and the export department in Hong Kong, which promotes business throughout the rest of the world.

Grani&Partners’ Promo Division uses internal synergies with Preziosi Collection not only to provide highly personalized collectible items, but also to offer customers a promotional project that takes full advantage of co-marketing with the newsagents division, concerning licensing, communication, and sales.

Caroline Mickler Extends Popular Brands

Caroline Mickler Ltd. has implemented the UK brand licensing strategy for The Beatles on behalf of Apple Corps Ltd. since 2003. This program ranges across a large number of categories, including calendars, board games, cushions, playing cards, slippers, fashion bags, and heritage T-shirts. The latest success has been in apparel with a Tommy Hilfiger range. In addition, there has been wide distribution of product in outlets ranging from stores such as Selfridges to Primark.

The UK product extension program has developed the Yellow Submarine brand as an art- and design-based property with both mass market and high-end appeal, covering categories such as T-shirts, greeting cards, designer jewelry, and specialist prints.

The imminent launch of the official Fifty Shades Of Grey lingerie line, from British lingerie company BlueBella, was announced at Moda, the fashion trade show. Caroline Mickler is targeting sleepwear, apparel, beauty products, bedding, home furnishings, stationery, jewelry, and adult products partners for the adult romance fiction novel. Licensing potential continues to grow with the upcoming film version of the novel further raising consumer awareness.

Moomin’s licensing program has grown with the recent addition of Primark for ladies’ sleepwear. Apparel, homeware, fashion accessories, and toiletries are all part of the recent activity of the licensing campaign. A parallel effort has focused on the preschool market. It is led by a publishing program for kids with Puffin and related promotional efforts.

The UK is building a licensing business beginning with the first Tetris costumes from the MorphCostumeCo: pop-up costumes that come in a flat pack style, and pop up into shape quickly and easily.

Boo, the 5-year-old Pomeranian also known as the World’s Cutest Dog, is on his way to the UK, including Blueprint Collections as the licensee for stationery.

Boo T-shirts and sleepwear will launch at a major retailer this fall, and licensees have also signed up for homeware, giftware, novelty accessories, plush, and publishing.

Boo plush

Fall 2013

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Brand Licensing Europe

PROPERTY SHOWCASE

Kiddinx Builds Kids’ Brands

Kiddinx Media’s Sorgenfresser appeals to kids of all ages. Kids write down or draw worries, pop them into the Sorgenfresser’s mouth, and zip it closed to start feeling relief. Current licensees include Schmidt Spiele for plush and puzzles, Mantiburi for wall and window decorations, Santex Moden for textiles, Herding Heimtextil for bedding, and Ravensburger Buchverlag for publishing.

Benjamin the Elephant, for kids ages 3 to 6, has been featured on more than 500 products. Bibi Blocksberg, suitable for kids ages 4 to 8, is a girl like any other—except she can do witchcraft. Bibi has starred on TV and in two films in 2002 and 2004.

In 2008, Schmidt Spiele assumed the rights to Drei Magier, a provider of high-quality children’s games. Drei Magier is also behind a wooden toy program for kids. Kiddinx seeks to license the aforementioned brands for stationery, beauty and care, food, and party and decoration categories.

Gelini resemble gummibears and are approximately 10 centimeters tall and brightly colored. They are targeted to adults and kids ages 4 to 9. Licensees for Gelini include Ravensburger Spieleverlag for puzzles and board games, BoMaBi for crafts and arts, Wall-art.de for wall decorations, Weltbild for calendars, and DeinDesign.de for mobile device accessories.

DC Thomson’s The Beano Turns 75

DC Thomson will focus on its brands The Beano, Jackie, and The Broons. The Beano celebrates 75 years of menace, mischief, and mayhem, and continues to entertain kids and adults with investment in core brand activities—TV, publishing, merchandise, and digital activity. Activities include the recent launch of a new 52episode Dennis the Menace and Gnasher TV series on CBBC with a 25 percent audience share for kids ages 6 to 12 across all channels, and a newly launched monthly Dennis the Menace and Gnasher Megazine, tied in with a Golden Bear toy range and kids’ publishing from Penguin Books.

The Beano’s strong British heritage continues with a collaboration with Wayne Hemingway and his team at Hemingway Design incorporating the “Beano since 1938” style guide,which resulted in new apparel and accessory lines. Further collaborations with classic UK brands have led to the Limited Edition Beano Chopper, iPad case, from Wild & Wolf from Raleigh UK, and Dennis and Gnasher footwear, from Dr. Martens. The four limited-edition boots for children feature Dennis the Menace, Gnasher, and Minnie the Minx.

Other licensed products include giftware and stationery lines from Robert Harrop and Beswick (figurines), Hype Associates (greeting cards), Comic Art (comic cover and character screen prints), and Signature Gifts (personalized calendars, diaries, mugs, and notebooks). Wild & Wolf’s latest adult and children ranges, including iPad covers, mugs, journals, wash bags, joke sets, playing cards, and plasters, are listed in Tesco’s Xmas Gift Shop and independent retailers.

Traditional games and activities licensees include The Lagoon Group and Gibsons Games. Rupert’s Pet Shop’s range of Dennis and Gnasher dog toys have launched at Pets at Home and at Tesco stores. The Bananaman apparel ranges include BC International’s underwear collection and TruffleShuffle’s vintage T-shirt and sweatshirt lines. Dress-up and second skin formats include Smiffy’s dress-up for Dennis and Bananaman and Morphsuits.com for Billy Whizz, Desperate Dan, and The Beano comic covers-based design.

Jackie magazine will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year with a new stage show Jackie The Musical, rolling out with a compilation CD from Universal and an anniversary book from Carlton Publishing. There will also be ranges of 1970s-inspired apparel and accessories, in collaboration with Hemingway Design.

The Broons has launched a wide range of products in the UK using the Maw Broon’s Kitchen brand covering food, kitchen accessories, and gifting. The Maw Broon’s Kitchen brand mixes the graphic design of the homely family matriarch allied to the provenance of authentic Scottish products. DC Thomson is seeking new partners to continue and expand all licensing programs across major categories, including clothing, accessories, giftware, stationery, toys, games, publishing, home entertainment, and food.

56 • The Licensing Book

Fall 2013

Nerd Corps Expands Slugterra

Science-fiction action-comedy Slugterra remains Nerd Corps Entertainment’s priority as the TV series, airing on Disney XD, continues to expand globally since its U.S. launch last year. The underground adventure, in which characters Eli Shane and friends battle magical creatures called slugs, began airing on free TV stations, including Channel 5, Disney Channel in Turkey, Noga in Israel, and Channel 11 in Australia. A fall launch will bring Slugterra to TVNZ (New Zealand), TNT (Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan), QTV (Ukraine), Mega (Greece), K2 (Italy), MBC3 (Middle East), Okto (Singapore), and more.

Branded product licensing activity for Slugterra includes part works, trading cards, sticker books, promotions, snacks, back-toschool, apparel, stationery, and more. Global toy partner Jakks Pacific will also have an international rollout of its new toy line, adding action figures, vehicles, and plush. Blasters, darts, and collectible slugs are already available in the UK at Smyths stores and Toys “R” Us, in South Africa at Toy Zone and Toys “R” Us, and in the U.S. at Toys “R” Us. Other licensees on board for the brand include Hybrid for T-shirts; Mad Dog for sleepwear; Shout! Factory and Beyond Home Entertainment for home video; Targmex, Hakan Canta, Keskincolor for back-to-school; Shoshi Zohar for dress-up; Tai Heng and Carvajal Education for stationery; Apps Mistry for games; and Importada Y Exportadora Rosen for sporting goods. Existing licensees include CPL (Latin America and the Caribbean), Megalicense (Russia), BRights (Greece), CPLG (UK), Haven Licensing (Australia, New Zealand), Character Licensing and Marketing (South Africa), Brand is Real (Israel), Switchover Media (Italy), and MBC (Middle East).

Slugterra basic figure, from Jakks Pacific

Licensing Management International Grows Globally

Licensing Management International (LMI)’s associate company, Bradford Licensing Europe, handles the European licensing for Game of Thrones. Eaglemoss has entered into a multi-year agreement for a Game of Thrones partwork collection, initially launching in the spring. Push Merchandising has signed a pan-European deal for T-shirts and sweatshirts, available online through Push’s own sites, as well as Amazon and Ratkuten in Germany, Italy, and France.

LMI is also developing deals for the British Motor Heritage licenses with Mattel and Hornby, and launching a range of Rover bicycles from GIC in Japan. Jacques Farel has signed an MG watch contract, and Fipotex Scandinavia will launch a range of British Motor Heritage apparel featuring MG, Austin, Morris, Austin-Healey, and Rover. In India, Proline is the first apparel licensee for British Motor Heritage.

The 12 Guardians logo LMI will also showcase Tropico Diffusion, a range of gift products for MG and AustinHealey in France. Waimanly has extended its contract for London Taxi bicycles and Morris bicycles in Southeast Asia. Gift Republic has extended The Royal Mail contract to cover both Royal Mail and the British Postal Museum Archive for gift products, including ceramic and enamel mugs, tea towels, money boxes, oven gloves, and notebooks.

LMI has extended its master apparel and accessory agreement with Local Boyz for Pepsi-Cola, and Poetic Gem has signed for 7UP T-shirts and sweatshirts to be sold through mid-tier and mass market retail. Helvi 2000 sl will launch a range of Pepsi T-shirts to be sold in Sfera stores across Spain, Portugal, and Mexico. Arnold Wills will launch Pepsi giftware in the UK, including belt buckles, wallets, handkerchiefs, and cufflinks. LMI has an agreement with Webwear for the Maurer’s Celebrity Icons collection, launching in Esprit stores across the UK and Europe next spring. The first range of children’s apparel from Malu Holland’s The American Collection was launched in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Benelux this summer.

LMI will introduce a new TV series, The 12 Guardians, an adventure series aimed at kids ages 6 to 14. The first 26-episode series is set to air early in 2015. LMI is also launching Milkshake’s preschool show Igam Ogam.

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