Entertainment properties from the key Asian territories of Japan, China, and Korea have been strengthening their focus on international territories of late, both in other Asian countries and beyond.
The classic Japanese preschool property Anpanman, a book-based TV series that is estimated to drive $1 billion or so in retail sales of licensed goods each year, has expanded outside of its home country for the first time in its 42-year history with the opening of a flagship store in Taiwan this fall. Bandai Namco Taiwan will oversee the shop, at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store, in partnership with publisher Froebel-Kan, animation company TMS, and Nippon TV. Anpanman has been on the air since 2000 in Taiwan.
From China, UP Studios and creator Trevor Lai signed Bloomsbury U.K. as the global book-publishing licensee for Piggy in Love, an animated emoji. The character has been downloaded more than 50 million times and has been featured on a Chinese dating website, in books, and on a range of apparel in that country.
The Korean TV property Robocar Poli is the focus of a new line of arts and crafts distributed by Russian stationery manufacturer Gulliver in Korea and in France, China, and Russia, three markets of recent expansion for the preschool license. IP owner Roi Visual has authorized books and candy in France, toys and health and beauty items in China, and shop-in-shops at Hamleys in Russia; the property also has a strong presence in Taiwan.
Some of the top-selling entertainment licenses in the West, historically, have hailed from Asia, including Hello Kitty and Pokémon, to name just two. That said, many Eastern properties have difficulty crossing into non-Asian territories. This holds true even for properties such as Doraemon, Rilakkuma, and Pretty Cure (all from Japan), which can generate hundreds of millions or even over a billion dollars annually just from their domestic market and neighboring Asian countries.
As properties from all over the world, from Brazil to Russia, are looking to expand globally—and having some success—it will be interesting to see if more licenses from China, Japan, Korea, and other Asian territories are able to make the jump.
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