By Gary Symons, TLL Editor in Chief Toy manufacturers, retailers and licensors could be excused for expecting a rough ride this year as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the globe, killing more than a million people to date, and devastating most of the world’s economies. In fact, in a March survey from The Licensing Letter, licensing executives reported they felt … [Read more...] about Special Report: Toy Sector Proves Immune to COVID-19 Pandemic
Toys and Games
Universal Branding and E-Blox Build Partnership Brick by Brick
If you’ve never seen E-Blox, they look like what you’d get if you unleashed an electrical engineer on a set of Lego blocks. The STEM endorsed kid toys were launched only four years ago, in 2016, by Art Seymour and his sons James and Joseph, who together have more than 90+ experience as entrepreneurs, inventors and designers in the educational toy and wireless … [Read more...] about Universal Branding and E-Blox Build Partnership Brick by Brick
Cuteness Overload: Barbie Partners with Hello Kitty
US toy giant Mattel has partnered with Sanrio to create a branding dynamo, combining the iconic Barbie line with the globally popular Hello Kitty brand for the first time. The two companies say they will collaborate on the development of a colourful and contemporary product line aimed at kids and adults that will span accessories, apparel, health and beauty, and footwear. The … [Read more...] about Cuteness Overload: Barbie Partners with Hello Kitty
Hasbro is All In on Streaming to Help Drive Sales
Toy and Game Giant Hasbro is following up on the success of its six part Transformers series, The War for Cybertron, with the development of a new Dungeons and Dragons program. CEO Brian Goldner says Hasbro has other projects in the works as well, including a new live action Power Rangers movie and a CGI animated My Little Pony feature film for release in theatres in September … [Read more...] about Hasbro is All In on Streaming to Help Drive Sales
Toys’R’Us Reveals the 20 Hottest Toys for Our Covid Christmas
Looking for the hottest licensing properties in the toy world? You could do worse than heeding the advice of retailing giant Toys’R’Us, which has relaunched its annual Geoffrey’s Hot Toy List for the 2020 Yuletide season. This year the Toys ‘R’ Us team has selected the top 20 hottest toys of the year from well-known toy brands including Fisher-Price, Hasbro, LEGO, Mattel, Spin … [Read more...] about Toys’R’Us Reveals the 20 Hottest Toys for Our Covid Christmas
Moxie and Hunt A Killer Forge Brand Partnership
Moxie & Company announced on Nov. 2 they will now serve as the global literary and merchandise licensing agency for the popular Hunt a Killer game franchise. Under the agreement, Moxie and Hunt A Killer will partner on a variety of branded publishing projects, stationary, apparel, party goods and tech accessories. “This collaboration will create even more opportunities … [Read more...] about Moxie and Hunt A Killer Forge Brand Partnership
Tesco Releases its Top Ten Toy List for Xmas 2020
What’s the top toy on every retailer’s Christmas list this year? According to the Britsh supermarket giant Tesco, a doll that talks about its feelings tops the Xmas Wish List for 2020, followed closely by Lego’s Super Mario Starter Course, which also placed highly last year. The Kindi Kids ‘Shiver & Shake’ Rainbow Kate is an interactive doll featuring over 40 sounds and … [Read more...] about Tesco Releases its Top Ten Toy List for Xmas 2020
Dolls Help Drive Mattel Quarterly Revenue up 10% over Last Year
US toy giant Mattel reported a sterling quarter with revenues increasing by 10 per cent over the same period last year, despite challenges posed by COVID-19, and driven by a strong IP licensing portfolio. Mattel says the company’s net sales in North America increased 13 per cent over the prior year’s quarter, primarily driven by growth in dolls, action figures building sets, … [Read more...] about Dolls Help Drive Mattel Quarterly Revenue up 10% over Last Year
Top Licensed Retail Sales Figures to Have On-hand in the New Year
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com While TLL is crunching the official stats for 2019 over the next month, here are some figures and trends we’re tracking for next year. Please note that all 2019 figures are preliminary estimates and subject to change. Licensed retail sales in Mainland China exceed $10 billion. The greatest area of licensed sales growth in 2020 … [Read more...] about Top Licensed Retail Sales Figures to Have On-hand in the New Year