Interest in both self-care and hobbies/pastimes spiked during the pandemic, and tarot cards—which reside in both worlds—were no exception. Some suppliers have reported sales that tripled during the peak lockdown days and, more significantly, have doubled in the five-year period since 2018. While licensing drives a very small portion of the market, the number of […]
Archive | Character/Entertainment
Fresh Produce Tie-Ins Bear Fruit
Marriages of licensed characters and fresh produce have come up regularly over the years, but the sector has been as active this year as any time in recent memory. The deals have taken a variety of forms, from branded packaging to promotional initiatives, and have involved a number of different types of partners, from restaurants […]
Casting Children’s Characters In Podcasts
The market for podcasts featuring children’s favorite characters in original audio storytelling continues to grow. Just this year, IP owners in the children’s entertainment space—including some of the biggest names—have launched new productions: Disney jumped into the original children’s podcast market for the first time with Forces of Nature, a 12-episode Frozen podcast released during […]
Oodles of Noodle Shop Tie-ins
Asian food and culture, from anime to K-Pop, continues to gain strength internationally, and it follows that players in this sector are active in licensing, collaborations, and promotional deals. A case in point: Ramen restaurants, which have slowly been raising their profile as participants in tie-ins with licensed entertainment properties. A few examples of ramen […]
Toddler IP Spurs TikTok Trends
By Karen Raugust on August 31, 2023 in Character/Entertainment, Demographic groups, Digital, Licensing
Until recently, owners of preschool properties have been a bit leery of having a presence on TikTok, even if their IP appeals to a nostalgic young adult audience as well as their core market of young children. And that continues to be the stance of many licensors even today. But now that the platform accounts […]
A Full Court Press on Entertainment-and-Sports Team-Ups
Collaborations that pair properties from the world of entertainment and sports have been on the rise in the past year, as animated IP, musicians, and preschool characters team with athletes, clubs, and leagues in innovative ways. This is not a new phenomenon; however, a higher-than-average amount of energy has been devoted to this type of […]
Strikes Raise Concerns for Consumer Products
On July 14, the leading U.S. actors’ union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) went on strike, joining the Writers Guild of America (WGA), whose work stoppage began on May 2. Both are in contract disputes with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the organization that negotiates […]
What to Wear to The Barbie Movie
The licensing program for The Barbie Movie, set for a July 21, 2023, release, has more than 100 merchandise licensees on board, alongside a bounty of promotional partnerships, and it comes with high expectations for success. It is reminiscent of movie licensing programs of yore, which routinely had long licensee lists, although those would have […]
The Value and Variety of VTubers
By Karen Raugust on June 22, 2023 in Celebrity, Character/Entertainment, Content, Digital, International, Licensing
Consumer interest in VTubers (“virtual YouTubers”)—which got their start in Japan in the mid-2010s—has expanded significantly since the start of the pandemic, both in these digital influencers’ country of origin and abroad. VTubers are anonymous creators who use motion-capture and other technologies to create an animated avatar, usually anime-like in style, that does everything a […]
Cakes, Cookies, and Competitions
In the unscripted TV world, competition shows and how-to shows about baking have been two vibrant sectors for some time now. Both genres intersect in a growing list of competitive baking shows, from The Great British Bake-Off (The Great British Baking Show in the U.S.) to Nailed It!. And companies involved in licensing have been […]