Winter light displays in Japan, of which there are many, are festive events meant as destinations to bring people together in the dark winter months and to put forth an aura of hope and magic. The practice began in a big way in the 1990s. The peak time period each year occurs during the Christmas […]
Tag Archives | Harry Potter
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 […]
Enchanting Activity Kits
By Karen Raugust on October 26, 2023 in Design and content themes, Educational products, Licensing, Toys/Games
The worlds of magic and licensing are increasingly intersecting within the toy industry, as manufacturers of magic-themed activity kits—often with an educational slant—are matching this perennially popular category with a variety of properties, mostly connected to magic or science: Abacus Brands, a maker of educational virtual-reality activity kits, recently added the Penn & Teller license, […]
Just the Ticket
Rail stations, train lines, and railway museums are logical venues for certain experiential initiatives. Not surprisingly, a large percentage—although not all—of these ventures involve licensed entertainment properties that feature trains as characters, themes, or critical elements of their fictional universe. Four examples from 2021 and 2022 illustrate: Warner Bros. France paired with railroad company SNCF […]
Counting Down the Days to Christmas
Advent calendars are getting more sophisticated each year, featuring increasingly elaborate packaging, daily surprises of higher value, and a growing range of themes and categories, from jerky, healing crystals, and nail polish to cat food, instant noodles, and wine. Licensors across property types have gotten into the game, typically either through in-house-produced examples or with […]
It’s Anyone’s Game
TV competition shows are a growing area of interest for brand extension, particularly for properties from the worlds of board games, interactive gaming, and character/entertainment. Some of the IPs, gaming-based and otherwise, that are lending their names to current and upcoming reality competition shows include: Harry Potter. A four-part quiz show, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Tournament […]
An Extra Scary Halloween
Halloween, coming up this Saturday, is naturally forcing consumers, marketers, and retailers to adapt their approach for the COVID era. How will that impact sales of Halloween-related products? The National Retail Federation predicts overall spending for the holiday will fall 8%, from $8.8 billion in 2019 to $8 billion this year, although those who do […]
Lending a Helping Hand
Many companies active in the global licensing and consumer products business are doing what they can to support medical professionals and consumers during the COVID-19 crisis. In addition to being the right thing to do, their efforts help keep some of their workers employed, utilize existing capacity and already-purchased materials, and give them a positive […]
Hooked on Knitting and Crochet
The knitting and crocheting space represents one of the niche opportunities whose rise can be attributed to the Maker and Urban Craft movements over the past 15 years. Interest in knitting and crocheting has grown among all age groups, particularly millennials and Gen Zs. As a result, a number of properties—from pop culture icons to […]
Drink Up
Themed pop-up bars and clubs represent an up-and-coming form of experiential initiative. Recent examples include both enterprises that are officially licensed or otherwise tied to a licensed entertainment property and those that are unofficially inspired by licensed IP: The Plaza Hotel in New York oversaw a rebranding of The Rose Club, its noted jazz venue, […]