Last month, Popeye Magazine, a Japanese men’s fashion periodical published by Magazine House under license from King Features, celebrated its 40th anniversary. The milestone serves as a reminder that, despite all the focus these days on short-term collaborations and limited editions, there is still a place for traditional, long-lasting licensing partnerships. Other examples include: Elizabeth […]
Archive | Licensing
At Home, Watching TV
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 […]
Long Legs for Adult Coloring
The adult coloring book trend persists, showing much more longevity than many observers had predicted. Barnes & Noble, which has been adult coloring central for the last couple of years, continues to give the category a lot of space and prominent placement. One large store currently features a large wall display and three tables right […]
Emojis, Licensing, and the Law
The abundance of emoji-related graphics and brands available for licensing and the strong presence of emoji-themed merchandise at retail this fall raise some questions for the licensing community. For example: What are my options if I want to create products featuring emoji-related designs and/or brands? Are emojis legally protectable in the first place? Do I […]
E-sports Properties Play The Licensing Game
Competitive video gaming, or e-sports, has been around in one form or another since the early 1970s and has steadily become more popular and professional ever since. Over the past two to three years, it has seen strong growth, moving into mainstream consciousness. According to researcher Newzoo, which began issuing e-sports market studies two years […]
Conference Conflict: Decision Time for Artists and Agents
Next year’s earlier dates for Licensing Expo—May 23-25, compared to mid-June in previous years—creates a conundrum for artists and art agents that exhibit at both Licensing Expo and Surtex. The two shows will overlap in 2017, with Surtex taking place from May 21-23, its traditional timeframe. In the past, a large number of artists and […]
Just Hanging Out
The hobby of hammocking (also known as ’mocking) has flourished over the past two years, especially among millennials. Teen and young adult men and women regularly hang their portable hammocks not just in their back yards, but also in parks and other open spaces, and even in some offices. Clubs have formed in metro areas […]
Pokemon? No.
A search for Pokémon merchandise during a recent visit to Mall of America, in light of the Pokémon Go phenomenon, points to the challenges of capitalizing on a quick-rising trend. Just a handful of MOA’s 520-plus stores are currently highlighting Pokémon products, despite the abundance of visitors who were playing the game while walking the […]
Stepping Out
With the 2016 Summer Olympic Games ongoing in Rio de Janeiro, it seems like a good time to take a look at the Brazilian footwear business, an active participant in licensing. Shoe companies frequently enter into short-term collaborations (and some longer-term deals) with Brazilian and global properties, both for products sold in Brazil and those […]
Characters and Causes
A handful of cause-related deals announced this summer, all involving licensed characters, are a reminder of the potential for entertainment to help change behavior in society while enhancing the visibility and reputation of the properties themselves: Disney Channel paired with Girl Scouts of the USA to feature Disney’s new Hispanic princess, Elena of Avalor, in […]