Licensing executives are always looking to pair their properties or products with logical partners, in ways that are creative and new but also emphasize a commonality that provides a raison d’être for the collaboration. The shared characteristics might be common history, materials, interests, geography, or any number of other elements. One rationale that has popped […]
Archive | Design and content themes
Highlighting the Rogues and Scoundrels
Property owners in the realms of entertainment, sports, and celebrity licensing, on the hunt for ways to put new spins on their properties, are increasingly launching collections focused on villainous characters, both fictional and real: Disney was the pioneer in this technique, launching its Disney Villains brand many years ago and regularly offering products under […]
New Spins On Ancient Artisanal Crafts
By Karen Raugust on March 24, 2025 in Cultural, Design and content themes, DIY/Maker, International, Licensing
The popularity of Japanese culture—anime and manga, kawaii characters, videogames, baseball players, and streetwear brands, to name a few examples—has been expanding globally for years. Lately, a growing number of collaborations involving these IPs, and western IPs as well, have started to integrate nods to traditional Japanese handcrafts and arts in their designs. Most of […]
Japandi Design: Wabi-Sabi Meets Hygge
By Karen Raugust on February 24, 2025 in Design and content themes, House and home, Licensing, Lifestyle
The concept of Japandi has been trending for at least a decade, mostly in the context of interior design focused on high-end homes and luxury hotels. The minimalist movement combines the Japanese practice of wabi-sabi, which is about slow living, simplicity, and contentment, with the complementary Scandinavian philosophy known by different names in each country but […]
Hot and Steamy Spin-Offs
By Karen Raugust on January 9, 2025 in Design and content themes, House and home, Licensing, Lifestyle, Wellness
Sauna and public bath culture, historically important in places like Finland and Japan, is on the rise globally of late, including in the U.S., U.K., Australia, and China. Most researchers forecast annual growth rates for the global sauna and bath industry of between 3% and 6%, with the U.S. market pegged at the high end […]
Birdies, Bogies, and Brands
By Karen Raugust on December 19, 2024 in Design and content themes, Experiential licensing, Licensing, Sports
Golf has become an increasingly popular theme for experiential initiatives involving licensed properties, both digital and physical. Many of the initiatives are tied to character and entertainment IPs, but they extend into other realms as well: Mattel Adventure Park, the new attraction opening in 2025 as part of Epic Resort Destinations’ VAI Resort in Glendale, […]
Hidden Treasure
A design technique that is currently trending in collaborative apparel collections is to hide meaningful text and graphics in linings, pockets, and collars where they are not visible, except to the owner of the piece. A few examples from the world of sports and sportswear this past summer illustrate: Sportscraft, the long-time creator of the […]
Fortunes Look Good for Licensed Tarot Decks
By Karen Raugust on November 9, 2023 in Character/Entertainment, Design and content themes, Gifts/Novelties, Licensing, Publishing
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 […]
Enchanting Activity Kits
By Karen Raugust on October 26, 2023 in Design and content themes, Educational products, Licensing, Toys/Games
The worlds of magic and licensing are increasingly intersecting within the toy industry, as manufacturers of magic-themed activity kits—often with an educational slant—are matching this perennially popular category with a variety of properties, mostly connected to magic or science: Abacus Brands, a maker of educational virtual-reality activity kits, recently added the Penn & Teller license, […]
Made by Hand
A number of deals of late have involved limited editions of handcrafted products. The increasing tendency to include handmade products as a component of a licensing program is not a trend that has arisen suddenly. Rather, the strategy has gained strength steadily and rather stealthily over several years. Recent examples cut across a variety of […]