Licensors of classic comic strips and cartoons are partnering with contemporary artists to offer fresh graphics and a publicity hook. Three examples from the past year include:
- DC Thomson Consumer Products creating two new style guides for The Beano and Dennis the Menace, one with British designer Wayne Hemingway and the other with artist Jon Burgerman. The first licensee for the new imagery was Hype Associates, to produce greeting cards and related products sold through specialty stores in the U.K.
- King Features and its Japanese agent Copyrights pairing Popeye with graphic designer Shinzi Katoh. The program began in Japan with products such as smartphone cases, before expanding globally in fall 2014. (The artist has also participated in collaborations with other properties, including Hello Kitty and Moncchichi, a classic plush monkey from Japan, as well as Mickey Mouse and other Disney icons.)
- Disney adding Damien Hirst to a long line of fine artists who have created unique interpretations of Mickey Mouse; Hirst painted an image that was auctioned off for charity. Other artists who have been involved in similar ventures with Disney over time include Claes Oldenburg, Roy Lichtenstein, and Andy Warhol.
These examples are reflective of a trend across the greater licensing business, in which licensors in all sectors—from fashion and entertainment to corporate and sports—are matching their properties with the styles of noted artists in the hopes of creating leading-edge and often licensable looks. As the Disney example illustrates, some partnerships are primarily promotional, but others are meant to be revenue-generating as well.
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