A number of recent and ongoing home-goods product lines have been built around actors who made their names as secondary characters, or as members of an ensemble cast, on a TV show. Most of the series are no longer on the air.
In many cases, these personalities have little obvious connection to home furnishings and décor, at least in the eyes of consumers who do not follow their lives closely through social or celebrity media. This fact, along with the sheer quantity of such deals, reflects how important celebrity names are in this category.
Some examples:
- Bronson Pinchot (Balki from Perfect Strangers) is launching Bronson Pinchot Home in the fourth quarter of this year. The first licensee is Certified International for dinnerware; fabric, garden décor, stationery, and bed and bath are among the other categories planned.
- Christopher Knight (Peter from The Brady Bunch) premiered the Christopher Knight Collection this summer with United Weavers as the first partner, for rugs. The actor has sold his e-commerce-only Christopher Knight Home brand for four years. The new collection focuses on bricks-and-mortar distribution and will include other home goods, such as bedding.
- Eva Longoria (Gabrielle from Desperate Housewives) has an exclusive Eva Longoria Home collection with JCPenney, which first appeared on store shelves in 2015 and focuses primarily on bedding, along with some coordinating items, such as curtains.
- Sofia Vergara (Gloria from Modern Family) offers the Sofia Vergara Collection of furniture with Rooms to Go. Vergara also has had apparel and other product lines on the market, appealing to both Hispanic and general-market consumers.
- Tiffani Thiessen (Kelly from Saved by the Bell) introduced her Petit Nest infant home décor line, including cribs, dressers, and the like, back in 2010. Her business partner is Lonni Paul, known from the reality show HGTV Design Star.
It should be noted that many of these actors have gained fame beyond their signature characters, whether by playing notable roles in films or additional TV series, appearing on talk shows or reality shows, or having a strong presence on social media and/or in celebrity publications.
Some have more home décor cachet than others, as well, established through appearances on home décor programs, having their own homes featured in magazines, or previous home-goods deals.
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