You just can’t keep Dr. Seuss out of the news lately. After getting political conservatives into a fluster last month after cancelling certain Dr. Seuss books for images now considered racially offensive, the children’s book brand has seen sales increases and this week announced three new deals. The first slate of deals, announced April 6, celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the Dr. Seuss classic The Lorax, with a lineup of sustainable brand partnerships to further enhance the book’s strong message of environmental activism. “The Lorax has always been a beloved Dr. Seuss story and introduces children to why we need to protect our planet through a beautiful story,” said Susan Brandt, President of Dr. Seuss Enterprises. “We are proud to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the book in 2021 and… . . . read more
Deal With Cotton On and Douglas Makes Miffy a Happy Bunny
The popular children’s brand Miffy, from the line of books by Dick Bruna, is launching new lines of baby apparel and plush toys in collaboration with Cotton On and Douglas. The Australian fashion brand Cotton On will be producing four new lines of baby clothing from newborn up to 24 months, and priced competitively at between $14.99 and $19.99. The well known US plush toy producer Douglas will be offering up a variety of sizes and styles of Miffy plush toys that bring the iconic designs by Dick Bruna to life. From the classic colors Miffy is renowned for, to new twists on her fashionable outfit, to a meaningful mantra, Douglas says there is a plush bunny for little trend setters everywhere. Both collections are available for the Easter holidays,… . . . read more
Mattel to Air Barbie Fashion Battle Reality Show
If you’ve got an eye for fashion and a talent for really, really tiny stitching, you too could be a star on Mattel’s new reality TV offering, Barbie Fashion Battle. Mattel has announced it is partnering with Mission Control Media to develop Barbie Fashion Battle, a design-focused reality competition series that tasks aspiring designers with creating miniature high-fashion collections for Barbie. The project is part of a much wider initiative by Mattel, which has focused heavily over the past two years on developing TV series and films that depict Barbie and other traditional toy and game brands. There are currently more than two dozen projects in development Mattel Television, including three that involve the Barbie brand. In the show, Barbie Fashion Battle‘s 12 adult contestants will be divided into two teams, each… . . . read more
Wham-O Appoints Global Licensing Agency
There are few companies that have historically done a better job of branding their inventions than Wham-O, and now Anjar Co. and Becker Associates has been given the weighty responsibility of licensing and commercializing brands like Hula Hoop, Hacky Sack, Boogie Board, and Frisbee, among many others. It’s a mark of Wham-O’s success in creating successful new products that those types of products are generally known to the public by the company’s brand names. You don’t go out to play ‘flying disc’, for example; you go out to play Frisbee, and the same can be said of Slip’n’Slide, Hacky Sack, Boogie Board, and Hula Hoop. Wham-O says it has appointed Anjar Co. & Becker Associates as the exclusive global licensing agency for all of its brand, which include Frisbee, Slip ’N Slide, Hula Hoop, Hacky… . . . read more
Aardman Secures Two Licensing Deals for Robin Robin
The animation studio Aardman, which got its start with the celebrated Wallace and Gromit series, has secured two new licensing deals for its new animated musical special Robin Robin. Aardman this week announced it has reached an agreement with Macmillan Children’s Books for publishing and Aurora World for plush. Robin Robin is a 30-minute festive holiday special, created by directors Dan Ojari and Mikey Please. Robin Robin is the endearing story of a robin who is adopted by a family of burglar mice when her egg fortuitously rolls into a rubbish dump. As she grows up her differences become more apparent. She sets off on the heist to end all heists to prove to her family that she can be a really good mouse, but ends up discovering who she really is…. . . . read more
The Point.1888 Inks Toy Partner for Moonbug Entertainment
The licensing agency The Point.1888 has announced the signing of an agreement making Character Options the Master Toy Partner for Moonbug Entertainment’s Morphle brand in EMEA and Australia. The deal comes just a few months after The Point.1888 announced multiple major licensee partnerships for two of Moonbug Entertainment Ltd.’s other world-famous brands, Cocomelon and Blippi. With more than 300 episodes created and broadcast via YouTube and Netflix globally, as well as other platforms, the program My Magic Pet Morphle has amassed a following of over 18 million subscribers. Morphle is an energetic little red creature who can morph into anything: a sweet puppy, a giant truck, a cool dinosaur or anything that Mila’s playful mind can imagine. Mila’s dad runs the only magic pet store in the city—a fantastical place… . . . read more
Gift Retailer Moonpig Goes Big With LEGO
The British gift company Moonpig says it’s expanding its offering through a major deal with LEGO to make branded gifts available to its customers. The agreement marks the largest ever branding launch on the AI-powered e-commerce site, the company says. The new range of more than 50 different products with 13 different themes is already available through the Moonpig.com ecommerce site, and ranges from Duplo toddler sets to various licensed lines like Harry Potter, Marvel and Star Wars, to the architectural sets aimed at adults. Moonpig says it plans to increase its LEGO offerings later this year. Moonpig is a large and growing gift company whose claim to fame is its sophisticated, AI-powered ecommerce technology that helps its users choose the ‘perfect gift’. “The key to our success is the… . . . read more
Sonic The Hedgehog Celebrates 30 Years
Time flies when you’re having fun, and especially if you’re super speedster Sonic the Hedgehog, but it’s still been 30 years since the iconic game character saw its first game released in 1991. That makes this a year of celebration and licensing opportunities for Sonic, as Sega is planning with a film sequel, a new series, and a variety of product deals. Depending on the timing of cinema openings, Sega is planning the release of a sequel for the popular Sonic: The Movie, and while that’s happening the company is also scheduling the release of a new animated series called Sonic Prime, which will zoom onto Netflix in 2022. Aimed at an audiences aged 6-11 years old, but open to all fans of the famous character, the series consists of… . . . read more
Hasbro’s Finn Arnesen Joins Games Workshop
The Games Workshop Group is diving even deeper into the entertainment business, announcing the appointment of former Hasbro Studios SVP Finn Arnesen as the company’s first Head of Entertainment Development. Games Workshop is best known for its Warhammer gaming franchise, and the company also has its own library of novels and short stories based on the game. Arnesen’s first task in his new role will be to mine that content to develop both animated and live action talent for film and TV series. Arnesen will report to Game Workshop’s Executive Vice President of Global Licensing, Jon Gillard. Arnesen is a respected veteran of the content world, having worked with Turner Broadcasting and Hasbro Studios. “In its almost 40-year history, Warhammer has been a leader in the field of tabletop and video… . . . read more
LEGO Caps Breakout Year With 13% Growth
By Gary Symons TLL Editor in Chief The LEGO Group has been on a tear throughout fiscal 2020, launching new and innovative products, signing key licensing deals, and continuing its run as one of the world’s top kids’ entertainment companies. That success has also translated into growing revenue, as the European tosco reported a 13% increase in revenue to $7 billion, at a time when some other toy companies have struggled. Both Hasbro and Jakks Pacific reported decreases in revenue this year, which were blamed largely on supply chain issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, top rival Mattel also reported an extremely strong year for revenue, and the toy industry as a whole saw increased revenues of from January through December 2020. LEGO says its consumer sales grew by… . . . read more