Not surprisingly, the emojis and emoticons that are so ubiquitous in social media, texting, and email are making their way into the physical world as a theme for a variety of consumer products.
In the toy industry, Jakks introduced Emoji Bears, a line of plush bears that allow children to express their emotions by placing an interchangeable block or icon in their bear’s stomach. Similarly, Little Kids offers Moji-Mi, a line of collectible figures with an emoji-like look that express their feelings to each other when the owner tickles their hair.
Properties that began as texting icons are launching licensing programs, particularly in Asia. LINE, a Japanese messaging app, has extended its LINE Friends brand, based on its proprietary emojis, into a variety of categories, with products sold across the region. It introduced its merchandise effort to the U.S. market with a pop-up shop in New York’s Times Square in December 2014. In addition, Tuzki, from TurnOut Ventures, is an emoticon-rooted property that has gained popularity in China and other Asian regions and signed Tact Communications as its licensing agent in Japan last summer.
Smiley Licensing, owner of the classic smiley face—a precursor to today’s emojis—has long had a global licensing program. Last month it signed a deal with Netherlands-based manufacturer Hellema for cookies featuring the smiley icon and various phrases. Other recent agreements range from lighters to home goods to fashion, with the European market particularly strong.
Speaking of fashion, a number of designers and celebrities have featured emojis as design elements in apparel collections. Examples range from t-shirts offered by Beyoncé as part of her range of tour merchandise to an exclusive collaboration between blogger Danielle Bernstein (WeWoreWhat) and The Vintage Twin, a label that reworks vintage looks.
Emojis are starting to appear in entertainment as well. Saban Brands teamed with Jakks to develop an animated series called Emojiville, which is expected to launch online before migrating to television. And Disney-Pixar’s next film, Inside Out, set for a June 19, 2015 release, stars characters that are personifications of emotions. Tomy is the master toy licensee.
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