This week, Wendy's announced that it will no longer offer licensed toys as part of its kids' meals. In so doing, Wendy's became the third fast-food chain since 2011 to discard the proven business model of using licensed toys in kids' meals to generate buzz and restaurant traffic. What's going on? Licensing Toys for Kids' Meals In 1973, the now defunct Burger Chef became the … [Read more...] about Are Licensed Toys in Fast-Foods Kids’ Meals an Endangered Species?
Entertainment/Character
Hulk Car Races Across Retailers’ Holiday Toy Lists
On the evening of Labor Day, 105 days before Christmas, Toys ‘R’ Us unveiled its Holiday Hot Toy List for 2015, and was quickly followed by Target and Kmart. It wasn’t, however, the earliest “hot holiday toys” proclamation. That distinction went to Walmart, which dropped its list just before the end of August. When helping shoppers build their holiday lists, apparently, you can … [Read more...] about Hulk Car Races Across Retailers’ Holiday Toy Lists
‘Days’ Marks 50 Years with Photobook
By Marcy Magiera There was a time, pre-selfie, when Americans commemorated the days of their lives with the family photo album. Daytime TV families the Bradys, the Hortons and the DiMeras of fictional Midwestern town Salem are about to again be captured the old-fashioned way in the "Days of our Lives: 50 Years" official photobook, to be published Oct. 27 by Sourcebooks for the … [Read more...] about ‘Days’ Marks 50 Years with Photobook
Awareness High of New ‘Muppets,’ ‘Supergirl’ TV Shows
By Marcy Magiera With the fall TV season about to start, research shows that the new programs with the highest ratings and consumer intent to watch are based on properties that are already established. ABC's "The Muppets" (62% awareness), Fox's "Minority Report" (35%) CBS' "Supergirl" (34%) and NBC's "Heroes Reborn" (28%) have the top … [Read more...] about Awareness High of New ‘Muppets,’ ‘Supergirl’ TV Shows
Saban Gives Paul Frank Fashion Revamp
By Marcy Magiera Saban Brands Lifestyle Group is repositioning its Paul Frank Kids label as fashion rather than an entertainment character brand and taking in-house control of design, marketing and manufacturing. "Retailers get the cost savings by buying direct because we are doing our own sourcing and designing from our creative base in Sydney, Australia," Daniel Castle, … [Read more...] about Saban Gives Paul Frank Fashion Revamp
Who Lives in a Pineapple on Broadway?
The SpongeBob Musical will open at Broadway in Chicago’s Oriental Theatre on June 7, 2016, where it will play for a month in preparation for its run on Broadway (in New York) in the 2016-2017 season. The SpongeBob Musical will be produced by Nickelodeon with songs from John Legend, Cyndi Lauper, The Flaming Lips, T.I., Lady Antebellum, and Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of … [Read more...] about Who Lives in a Pineapple on Broadway?
Sesame Street Makes Room for HBO
In a move that means more TV exposure, HBO will be the exclusive first-run subscription TV partner for the next five seasons of iconic preschool series Sesame Street and new series from Sesame Workshop. PBS will also continue to air Sesame Street, but in a 30-minute rather than full-hour version, with new episodes available to public TV after an exclusive window on HBO … [Read more...] about Sesame Street Makes Room for HBO
Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Merchandising Campaign: Bigger & Earlier than Anything Before
The timing between movie release and merchandising is a perennial challenge in movie licensing. Historically, merchandise associated with an anticipated blockbuster appears on store shelves around six weeks before release. But several of the entertainment executives we interviewed last spring for The Licensing Letter's 2014 Annual Licensing Business Survey predicted that this … [Read more...] about Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Merchandising Campaign: Bigger & Earlier than Anything Before
Disney Opens 15 Week Merchandise Window for Star Wars
By Marcy Magiera When The Licensing Letter spoke to entertainment executives for our Annual Licensing Business Survey back in the spring, several sources predicted that movie-based licensed merchandise this fall would begin to appear in stores earlier than ever, with end-of-year movies loading merchandise into stores as soon as September. The expected leader of that trend: … [Read more...] about Disney Opens 15 Week Merchandise Window for Star Wars
Japanese Phenomenon Poised to Enter U.S. Market
By Marcy Magiera Yo-kai Watch is arguably the hottest kids' property in Japan. Now the franchise, about a young boy who uses a special watch to summon spirits who are causing pesky problems for people, is about to hit the U.S. In November, Nintendo will launch a Yo-kai Watch game for its handheld 3DS, about the same time that Viz Media's Perfect Square imprint will introduce … [Read more...] about Japanese Phenomenon Poised to Enter U.S. Market