The Licensing Letter

Barb Grimm

Mattel Turns to Crowdsourcing for American Girl Rollout

By Glenn S. Demby, Esq. Mattel's two newest American Girl period dolls, Maryellen Larkin (from the 1950s) and Julie Albright (1970s), hit shelves on August 27. After successfully collaborating on a 70th anniversary YouTube documentary for Thomas the Tank Engine, Mattel has once more turned to crowdsourcing studio Tongal for help with the American Girl launch. The goal is to … [Read more...] about Mattel Turns to Crowdsourcing for American Girl Rollout

Patrick Kane & the Need for “Morals Clauses” in Celebrity Licenses

By Glenn Demby In June, EA Sports tabbed Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane for the cover of its upcoming (Sept. 15) ES Sports NHL 16 game. It seemed the perfect choice. Kane, a 3-time Stanley Cup winner, is handsome, charismatic and, somewhat rare for a hockey star, American. But Kane is now under police investigation for alleged rape in his hometown of Hamburg, NY. So, EA has … [Read more...] about Patrick Kane & the Need for “Morals Clauses” in Celebrity Licenses

Global Fashion Sales Grow 2.4% in 2014

By Glenn Demby Global sales of licensed fashion goods grew 2.4% in 2014, according to TLL's 2015 Licensing Business DataBook. Only two segments grew more: entertainment/character (4.8%) and sports (3.4%). At $37.9 billion, fashion accounted for 23.8% of all worldwide licensed sales, most of any segment (followed by corporate trademark at 21.7%). TLL Survey respondents cited … [Read more...] about Global Fashion Sales Grow 2.4% in 2014

Iconix’s Cole Resigns from the Company He Founded

By Glenn Demby Neil Cole is stepping down as chairman, president and CEO of Iconix Brand Group Inc., the company he founded 10 years ago. He will remain on as a special adviser through September 30. Meanwhile, board member Peter Cuneo will succeed Cole as chairman and CEO on an interim basis. The announcement of Cole's departure added to what has already been a hectic … [Read more...] about Iconix’s Cole Resigns from the Company He Founded

American Eagle Eyes Global Licensing

By Glenn Demby American Eagle Outfitters holds only 1.16% of the U.S. apparel market, according to Forbes, and its share is growing none too fast. Faced with a saturated and mature market at home, Eagle is looking to grow by signing licensing agreements abroad. Eagle, which currently has 111 licensed stores in 17 countries and earns 12% of its total revenues abroad (as compared … [Read more...] about American Eagle Eyes Global Licensing

What’s Hot & What’s Not in 2015 Licensed Entertainment Property Sales

By Glenn Demby 'Tis the season for corporate earnings reports. Highlights from major entertainment licensors Disney, DreamWorks and Time Warner: Hot: Disney's consumer products division which grew 6% to $954 million Not Hot: Spider-Man which was actually down for the quarter Hot: The Avengers, Frozen and Star Wars which drove growth in Disney consumer products Not … [Read more...] about What’s Hot & What’s Not in 2015 Licensed Entertainment Property Sales

Digital Deals

By Glenn Demby You Gotta Have Hart: Hannah Hart is the latest YouTube star to cash in on her digital celebrity by inking a multi-year deal with women's multichannel network Kin Community for brand integrations, media opportunities and new programming production. Play Puck!: MLB Advanced Media will pay the NHL $600 million over 6 years for the right to broadcast and stream … [Read more...] about Digital Deals

By the Numbers: Slowdown in Back-to-School Spending

By Glenn Demby The general slowdown in retail is expected to affect back-to-school spending on both licensed and unlicensed goods, according to a new NRF survey: $24.9 billion: Expected amount of total back-to school spending $630.36: Average amount family with kids in grades K-12 is expected to spend for apparel, electronics and other school needs (down from $669.28 in … [Read more...] about By the Numbers: Slowdown in Back-to-School Spending