Karina Masolova, additional reporting by Glenn Demby and Marcy Magiera Forty-four entertainment/character properties make our list of brands that generate over $100 million in retail sales of licensed merchandise in the U.S. and Canada—accounting for a total of $41 billion in sales worldwide in 2015. See the full list here. Three brands cleared $1 billion in the U.S./Canada … [Read more...] about 44 Entertainment/Character Brands Make the $100 Million List
Toys and Games
Top Retailers Tag Holiday Toy Favorites
The holiday shopping season is firmly upon us, with more retailers revealing their top picks for this year's holiday season. By the 7th of September—54 days before Halloween, 78 days before Thanksgiving and 108 days before Christmas and Hanukkah (which this year begins on Christmas Eve)—the two largest toy retailers in the U.S., Walmart and Toys 'R' Us, had announced the toys … [Read more...] about Top Retailers Tag Holiday Toy Favorites
Kid’s Tech Goes Back to the Future
By Karina Masolova The future of kid's tech products sees an overhaul in traditional play patterns even as less modern concerns are being addressed. TLL recently attended the Kids' & Family Tech Expo in NYC hosted by Child's Play Communications. From this intimate subset of kid's tech manufacturers emerges a picture of how the industry is addressing the biggest concerns in … [Read more...] about Kid’s Tech Goes Back to the Future
Rogue Film’s Miniature Launch
By Karina Masolova In a move reminiscent of last year's Force Friday unboxing events, Disney revealed the new toy line for upcoming film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story via a series of fan-made videos on Star War's YouTube channel. Unlike last year however, the toys—from Hasbro, LEGO, Funko, Jakks Pacific, Mattel and Disney Store—are brought to life in scripted stop-animation … [Read more...] about Rogue Film’s Miniature Launch
Star Wars Blasts Toy Industry Growth to Century High
By Marcy Magiera Toys based on movie, TV and other entertainment content licenses will push U.S. toy sales to growth of 7.0% in 2016, the market's fastest growth this century, predicts The NPD Group. U.S. toy sales grew a stellar 7.5% in the first half of this year, outpacing first-half growth in 2015, when full-year growth ended up at 6.7%, according to NPD. The biggest … [Read more...] about Star Wars Blasts Toy Industry Growth to Century High
Summer or Not, Mattel and Hasbro Still Feeling Frozen
By Marcy Magiera The extent to which the world's largest toy companies are reliant on entertainment/character licenses is crystal clear in a side-by-side Q2 comparison of giants Mattel and Hasbro. (We added Jakks Pacific to the chart for fun and to further illustrate the point). Two years after the property stormed retail, both companies are still feeling the Frozen effect: … [Read more...] about Summer or Not, Mattel and Hasbro Still Feeling Frozen
Apparel Fuels 3.1% Growth in U.S./Canada Fashion Licensing—Global Growth Is Even Higher
Growing competition; continued decline in the brick and mortar backyard; currency devaluation in Europe and Asia; a fourth quarter retail fiasco. 2015 was a tough year for the fashion industry. Yet, for all of the challenges, fashion licensing prospered in not only in the U.S./Canada but worldwide, according to The Licensing Letter’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. Global … [Read more...] about Apparel Fuels 3.1% Growth in U.S./Canada Fashion Licensing—Global Growth Is Even Higher
Topps Hits a Hot Market Home Run
By Glenn Demby A Topps official described it as “the perfect storm.” 285-pound Mets pitcher Bartolo Colon is a beloved player with a cult following who also happens to play in New York. And he picked the perfect time to strike his blow—a Saturday evening game on national TV airing just a few minutes after the Kentucky Derby. But while luck played a part, Topps’s spectacular … [Read more...] about Topps Hits a Hot Market Home Run
Turtles Toys Twice as Big as 2014
Licensed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures from Playmates were the top toy of 2014, according to The NPD Group, when the last franchise feature film was in theaters. In an effort to build on that success, the toy lines for this year's TMNT: Out of the Shadows are expected to be twice as big, sources recently told TLL. Nickelodeon last week announced lines from Playmates … [Read more...] about Turtles Toys Twice as Big as 2014
Store Check: Target at Culver City, CA
By Marcy Magiera A week before Disney’s Zootopia scampered into theaters accompanied by predictions of a $67 million opening weekend, limited merchandise was on the shelf at Target stores. A local Target in Culver City, Calif., gave the new IP a toy aisle endcap, sparsely filled with small action figures, playsets and plush. It was unclear whether the selection was already … [Read more...] about Store Check: Target at Culver City, CA