Food for Fans

While entertainment/character-based products for adults represent a relatively small part of the world of licensed food and beverages, several recent initiatives show that this type of pairing is alive and well in today’s licensing environment:

• In honor of the 50th anniversary of The Godfather, ViacomCBS Consumer Products partnered with Corleone Fine Italian Foods. Products under the deal include an in-world item, Genco Pura Olive Oil, along with balsamic vinegar, Italian vodka, and several varieties of pasta sauces. The property has spurred other food ranges in the past.

• King Features teamed with Jade City Foods for Popeye & Friends novelty coffees, hot cocoas, and hot sauces inspired by the characters Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, Bluto, and Eugene the Magical Jeep. Popeye is one of the long-standing veterans of licensed foods, thanks to a decades-long deal with Allen’s for canned spinach.

• Kevin Smith and Jay Mewes, along with agent Segal Licensing, licensed Mooby’s, the fictional restaurant where Smith’s and Mewes’ characters Jay and Silent Bob hung out in the Smith-directed films Dogma, Clerks, and Chasing Amy, to Food Askew, also for a line of hot sauces and coffees. The Mooby’s name also comes to life in the form of pop-up restaurants created with licensed restaurant experience specialist Derek Berry.

• Warner Bros. paired with Entergage to create Scooby Doo EATS, a line of sustainable and healthier-for-you frozen foods available in Canada. Products include lasagna, grass-fed beef hot dogs, and Angus beef burgers. Entergage was also the company behind Garfield EATS, a Canadian bricks-and-mortar restaurant that closed during the pandemic. Scooby Doo has inspired a number of snacks over the years, from Kellogg’s graham cracker sticks to Kraft macaroni and cheese, mostly meant to appeal to kids; the Entergage line includes the sorts of entrées that would be appetizing to both adults and their families.

Deals such as these will always represent a small slice of the vast landscape of licensed foods, especially compared to character-based products for kids or especially branded foods connected to restaurants, other food brands, or chefs. Still, these products can make sense, especially when food plays a prominent role in the fictional world of the property. They can be eye-catching on shelf and motivate purchases from loyal fans of the properties that inspire them.