The Licensing Letter

Entertainment/Character

L.O.L. Surprise! Sweeps Toy & License of the Year Awards

This year, L.O.L. Surprise! by MGA Entertainment received the distinguished “Toy of the Year” and "License of the Year" awards at the 19th Annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. MGAE took home two more awards in the Doll and Playset (tied) categories for a total of four honors. Lego tied for the most number of awards with four of its own: Collectible, Construction Toy, Playset … [Read more...] about L.O.L. Surprise! Sweeps Toy & License of the Year Awards

What’s the [Toy] Story? Same as Last Year, Just Better!

Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Straight from the floor of New York Toy Fair, TLL brings you the latest and greatest in toy trends. They just happen to be the same as last year's—only more nuanced, thoughtful, and developed. The good news this year: No one's freaking out about the ability of America's largest toy retailer to actually pay its vendors. More … [Read more...] about What’s the [Toy] Story? Same as Last Year, Just Better!

Upcoming 2019 Flicks With Licensing Potential Dominated by Comics & Sequels

By: Karina Masolova, with additional research by Susan Adams. Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Of the upcoming films that TLL has identified as having licensing potential, 27% are based on comics while 28% are original works. And 56% are sequels or reboots. See the full list of 189 films being released through 2025. Just over one-third of films on the list … [Read more...] about Upcoming 2019 Flicks With Licensing Potential Dominated by Comics & Sequels

One-Quarter of Top 2018 Holiday Toys are Licensed

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Roughly 29% of the top 2018 holiday toys are licensed, according to lists created by Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Kmart. In 2017, retail sales of licensed toys/games sank -4.4% to $7.7 billion in the U.S./Canada, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. This was largely due to the impact of the Toys 'R' Us … [Read more...] about One-Quarter of Top 2018 Holiday Toys are Licensed

A New Kind of Constellation, Stage Shows & Sporting Events

Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. As part of its 10th year anniversary celebrations, Toho's Godzilla gets a constellation courtesy of NASA and scientists with NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. While the most well-known 88 constellations, such as Orion and Cassiopeia, are devised by International Astronomical Union (IAU), the staff of NASA’s Goddard … [Read more...] about A New Kind of Constellation, Stage Shows & Sporting Events

NYCC 2018: A Bigger, Badder Nostalgia Rush

By Karina Masolova. Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Now in its 13th year, New York Comic Con (NYCC) emerged bigger than ever before as an estimated 250,000 attendees occupied the Jacob Javits Center and off-site locations like the Hammerstein Ballroom and Madison Square Garden (for large panels) as well as 10 blocks north at Pier 94 (hosting Anime Fest … [Read more...] about NYCC 2018: A Bigger, Badder Nostalgia Rush

Experiential & Content Initiatives: From Theme Parks to Boxing Matches

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. CBS Films enters into an exclusive national partnership with Six Flags Entertainment for a unique Halloween theme park experience that brings horror flick Hell Fest to life in CA, NJ, and IL. New themes areas include The Mausoleum, an increasingly narrow hall that forces guests to feel the touch of death; The Mask Room, a … [Read more...] about Experiential & Content Initiatives: From Theme Parks to Boxing Matches

Content Kings: Cloudco, Streaming & Services

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. American Greetings Entertainment (AGE) rebrands as Cloudco Entertainment following a recent spinoff by the former division of American Greetings into its own stand-alone company. Cloudco now owns kids brands including Care Bears, Holly Hobbie, Madballs, Buddy Thunderstruck, and Tinpo. Long-time owners the Weiss family retains … [Read more...] about Content Kings: Cloudco, Streaming & Services

Roundup: M&A & Legal

Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Spanish soccer league LaLiga and Relevent, a multinational media, sports and entertainment group, craft a 15 year-long, equal joint venture to promote soccer in the U.S. and Canada. LaLiga will bring the first regular season clubs match to the U.S., dubbed LaLiga North America. LaLiga North America is LaLiga's exclusive … [Read more...] about Roundup: M&A & Legal