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 […]
Tag Archives | Disney
Say It With (Plush) Flowers
By Karen Raugust on February 13, 2025 in Character/Entertainment, Gifts/Novelties, Holiday, Licensing
Plush bouquets are an increasingly popular gift for Valentine’s Day—as well as for Mother’s Day and other gift-giving occasions—and character/entertainment licensing plays a role in the sector. The product consists of plush figures assembled in a plush wrapper, like a bouquet. Some of the plush items are specially designed to combine character likenesses with flower […]
Stop & Shop These Licensed Collections
Licensed foods have become an everyday sight in supermarket aisles around the world. A number of deals announced in the past 12 months show the growing importance of supermarkets as partners for exclusive licensed collaborations in non-foods categories as well, especially home goods, gift/stationery, and décor: Aldi paired with Disney last month to introduce a […]
Wearing Your Fandom at Your Wedding
By Karen Raugust on September 26, 2024 in Character/Entertainment, Demographic groups, Fashion, Licensing
Earlier this year, a deal between wedding gown maker Lulu Felice and manga artist Ai Yazawa produced a collection of wedding dresses and other wedding-appropriate formal wear tied to two of the artist’s properties, Nana and Neighborhood Story. Some of the pieces—each line features nine dresses and two tuxes—replicate gowns worn by the lead characters […]
Masterpieces on the Clothes Rack
For fast-fashion retailers, offering continuous collaborations with licensed properties, from character and entertainment IP to luxury fashion labels, has long been fundamental to their business model. Working with licensed IP is a critical tool for enabling a never-ending stream of in-and-out products that keeps their young customers coming back regularly to hunt for inexpensive treasures […]
A Recipe for Success
Licensed cookbooks historically have been connected to a limited number of closely related properties, such as food brands, restaurants, and chefs, with other property types popping up very occasionally. Over the last few years, however, cookbooks have become a standard format to be considered as part of licensed publishing programs tied to entertainment and pop-culture […]
Asian Retailers Expand Reach
Retail chains from Japan and China that specialize in affordable, stylish merchandise, especially home goods, gifts, and stationery, are expanding quickly on a global scale. Known for their Asian design sensibility—which has become popular worldwide—they turn products over quickly to encourage return visits and give fans new surprises each time. They are often open to […]
A Matter of Pride
By Karen Raugust on June 17, 2024 in Branding/marketing, Diversity/Inclusion, Licensing, Politics/social movements
The significant consumer backlash suffered by companies such as Target, Bud Light, Disney, Starbucks, the L.A. Dodgers, and others for their Pride promotions in 2023 has led some key companies to reduce their public support of Pride Month in 2024, or avoid acknowledging the moment altogether. For example: Target is cutting back on its Pride […]
Developing Future Generations of Foodies
Licensing is playing an ever-greater role in the children’s cooking activity kit segment, with a number of new licensed products coming on the market recently. They range from toy playsets to science kits to cooking kits for use in making real food. Some are available at retail and others through a subscription model. Here is […]
Fresh Produce Tie-Ins Bear Fruit
Marriages of licensed characters and fresh produce have come up regularly over the years, but the sector has been as active this year as any time in recent memory. The deals have taken a variety of forms, from branded packaging to promotional initiatives, and have involved a number of different types of partners, from restaurants […]