Big nationwide and worldwide milestones, such as the bicentennial of the founding of the U.S. (1976), the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in America (1992), and the Y2K celebrations marking the changeover to a new century (2000) typically spur major licensing efforts. In fact, multiple organizations often launch competing initiatives, leading to some confusion […]
Tag Archives | Marvel
Long, But Not Forever
Over the holidays, the news came out that Paramount Consumer Products and its Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are parting ways with licensee Playmates when their current agreement expires at the end of 2026, closing the latter’s 38-year run as the property’s master toy partner. The end of the relationship is significant not only for the […]
Licensing Business Heads to the Library
Property owners worldwide are increasingly putting libraries at the center of promotions, merchandise, or other initiatives. As the following examples show, each venture to date in this relatively untapped space has been unique in design, implementation, and objectives, but each involves a library, library system, or libraries in general as partner, location, and/or theme: Singapore’s […]
Educating Through Esports
Esports have been growing as an extracurricular activity in high schools since the early 2020s and, more recently, have extended into middle schools and even the older elementary grades as well. The trend is global, with one organization, the Network of Academic and Scholastic Esports Federations (NASEF), having 9,000 member clubs and more than 130 […]
Every License Has Its Day in Pet Products
Licensing has been a big business within the pet products and services industry for at least a decade, and has had a presence for many years before that. While new deals do not come up as frequently today as they did five or so years ago, IP owners and pet products marketers continue to partner […]
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 […]
Strong Characters Lift Protein and Energy Sector
Nutritional products meant to build strength and stamina and/or increase concentration, verve, and vigor in everyday tasks, have been increasingly active as a category for licensing. Properties from sugary food brands to celebrities have lent their names and/or flavor profiles to protein powders, energy drinks, protein bars, and similar offerings. Characters that embody strength, power, or heroism collectively […]
A Full Court Press on Entertainment-and-Sports Team-Ups
Collaborations that pair properties from the world of entertainment and sports have been on the rise in the past year, as animated IP, musicians, and preschool characters team with athletes, clubs, and leagues in innovative ways. This is not a new phenomenon; however, a higher-than-average amount of energy has been devoted to this type of […]
Getting Together for a Meal (Kit)
Despite continued challenges in the meal kit industry, including the difficulty of retaining customers, high (and rising) operational and marketing costs, a demand curve that tends to be seasonal rather than steady, and more, the category has remained a viable one for many licensors. These include celebrities, especially chefs, and owners of family-friendly entertainment properties, […]
Bloody Successful Promotions
By Karen Raugust on May 11, 2023 in Character/Entertainment, Experiential licensing, Licensing, Nonprofit
A Peanuts t-shirt offered in conjunction with the American Red Cross was recently in the news for successfully encouraging young-adult fans of the property to give blood. This is the latest in a fairly regular stream of promotions over the past five years or so in which character and entertainment properties are used to attract […]