As the days count down to Halloween, a deal between Chipotle and Spirit Halloween for novelty costumes has added to the options consumers have had at their disposal to dress up as their favorite fast-food dishes come October, whether for trick-or-treating or holiday parties. In fact, quick-service restaurant chains offering costumes depicting fan-favorite foods has […]
Archive | Holiday
Christmas Characters Are Comin’ to Town
Seasonal merchandise programs tied to perennially favorite Christmas films, TV shows, and books have been strengthening in recent years, with more products available as each holiday season rolls around. This year, the collections seem to be particularly prominent, fueled by a couple of anniversaries, customers’ still-growing taste for pairings of licensed properties and seasonal themes, […]
Happy Galentine’s Day
Today is Galentine’s Day, a celebration invented by Amy Poehler’s fictional Leslie Knope in season two of the TV series Parks and Recreation, which some marketers and consumers have started observing in real life. It takes place each year on the day before Valentine’s Day and is all about celebrating female friendship. Some of the […]
Asian Designers Shine in New Year Collabs
Each year, more marketers—of various sizes, working across categories and geographic regions—have been celebrating the Lunar New Year with collaborations involving designers, artists, influencers, and other creatives based or born in China or other Asian countries. This year is no exception. Among the many examples for the 2023 Year of the Rabbit, which began yesterday, […]
Hopping Into Lunar New Year
By Karen Raugust on January 19, 2023 in Character/Entertainment, Fashion, Holiday, International, Licensing
The Lunar New Year is always an opportunity for brands to forge collaborations with characters related to the appropriate sign of the Chinese zodiac, from 2022’s Year of the Tiger to 2021’s Year of the Ox and beyond. This year, starting on January 22, is the Year of the Rabbit, considered the luckiest of the […]
Raising a Glass to the Season
The 2022 holiday season has given rise to a handful of collaborations pairing the flavors of eggnog and spirits. For example: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, a frequent collaborator with outside brands, teamed with Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey for a non-alcoholic Boozy Eggnog ice cream flavor. The limited edition is available in Jeni’s scoop shops nationwide, […]
A Higher Profile for Hanukkah at Retail
As Hanukkah began last evening (December 18, 2022), it seems like a logical time to look at the increased focus on Hanukkah products at retail this year, with expanded merchandise arrays at retailers from Target to Michaels. The trend includes a number of collaborations—although these remain relatively rare overall—often involving designers: Judaica Standard Time, a […]
Horrific Hops
Limited-edition Halloween-themed craft beer collaborations have been on the rise over the past few years, with 2022 as active as ever in terms of the number of examples. Entertainment properties of the horror genre, candy brands used for trick-or-treating, and musical acts whose stage presence, lyrics, and/or graphics are Halloween-appropriate, are well represented: Entertainment. This […]
Heart Beat
Since today is Valentine’s Day, it seems like a good time to note the importance of the holiday as a launch date for new licensed and collaborative products, as well as an occasion for holiday-specific limited editions, collaborations, and promotions involving licensed IP. This is especially true for initiatives involving products that traditionally serve as […]
Tigers Burning Bright
Last year around this time, as the start of the Lunar New Year ushered in the Year of the Ox, we considered how some cartoon characters represent a good fit with the signs of the Chinese Zodiac. As such, they are ripe for fashion collaborations when their turn comes around every 12 years. We noted […]