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 […]
Archive | Content
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 […]
Controversial Content Through A.I.
Artificial intelligence has long been used for a variety of purposes, from automating contract reviews to personalized shopping to voice assistants, and it holds promise for much more. Lately, with the advent of consumer-friendly A.I. chatbots, image-generators, and other tools, such as ChatGPT and MidJourney, A.I. is increasingly—and more controversially—being utilized to develop and produce […]
Copyright Has Its Day in Court
Most consumer products licensing programs are centered on trademarked intellectual property, but copyrighted IP is often involved as well. So it is interesting to look at a number of recent cases involving copyright infringement across a variety of creative industries. These types of situations occur regularly each year, but the frequency seems to be on […]
Are NFTs The Cat’s Meow?
By Karen Raugust on June 6, 2022 in Collectibles, Content, Design and content themes, Digital, Licensing
In the early days of social media memes and YouTube, cat videos were one of the first categories of content to go mainstream. The same phenomenon seems to be happening to a certain extent with NFTs, as the number of cat-related NFT collections is large and expanding, and several have broken through as success stories. […]
Black Characters Star On Screen and On Shelf
By Karen Raugust on February 28, 2022 in Character/Entertainment, Content, Diversity/Inclusion, Licensing
As is the case every February, many product, promotional, and content announcements and launches involving licensed properties have been timed to Black History Month in 2022. The initiatives have cut across all property types and product categories. One particularly active space this year has been children’s entertainment and media, with new projects expanding representation for […]
Classics Changing Hands
Over the last couple of days, news has come to light about the oversight of three significant entertainment franchises changing or expected to change hands. The three situations, each of which is unique in its specifics, involve merchandising as well as other rights, and the goal, at least in part, is to refresh and rejuvenate […]
Non-Fungible, But Also Non-Official
Using a blockchain—a decentralized, shared database—to track the history of a digital or real-life item creates a secure timeline of where that item has been throughout its lifespan, giving purchasers confidence about its legitimacy. As such, blockchain technology is a tool for everything from ensuring the authenticity of collectibles and luxury goods to demonstrating an […]
Preschool Pop Stars
The children’s audio sector has been expanding as parents look for engaging alternatives for their kids that do not involve a screen, and as more and more audio-centric projects have proven popular with young listeners. In addition to podcasts and dedicated audio devices and content, children’s music albums have also been on the rise, especially […]
Food Truck Feast
By Karen Raugust on October 21, 2021 in Character/Entertainment, Content, Design and content themes, Licensing, Toys/Games
Food trucks have become ubiquitous on street corners across the U.S. and in some other territories since at least the mid-2010s. As a result, they have emerged as a frequent element within children’s storytelling—including both food-centric and non-food-centric TV shows, books, games, and movies—as well as a common theme in kids’ consumer products, especially toys. […]