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, […]
Tag Archives | National Geographic
Lessons from the NFT Trenches
Even though the NFT market is down in general in terms of value, NFTs can still be an effective means of generating fan loyalty—if they are a good fit with the property and its consumer base, and if they provide those consumers with something they value at a fair price. Achieving the right balance is […]
Ready for Lift-Off
As is the case for many hobbies, participation in stargazing, a particularly calming pastime for many, has spiked during the pandemic, and the rising interest in the stars has resulted in record sales of telescopes, according to retailers and suppliers. This is good news for both the licensors recently signing deals in the space and […]
Learning Through Travel
Before the COVID-19 pandemic put the travel industry on ice, the practice of pairing licenses with vacation travel services, cruise lines, and other travel-related businesses had been on a long upward trajectory. One sector within that broader trend, illustrated by a recently announced deal between Thrillest and Academic Travel Abroad, consists of packages that put […]
Data Protection
With today’s ever-present worries about credit card fraud and identity theft comes a relatively new product category: Protective RFID-blocking wallets, bags, and contactless protector cards. These items are positioned as creating a barrier against RFID skimming, which is when criminals steal information from the increasing number of credit cards, drivers’ licenses, passports, and so on […]
The Sound of Music
Symphony performances, accompanied by filmed entertainment, represent one area of experiential licensing that has been hitting a high note for the past few years, especially but not exclusively among entertainment properties: Most recently, National Geographic partnered with Jason Michael Paul Entertainment for “National Geographic: Symphony for Our World,” which features a live performance of a […]
Women’s History
From the intersection of girl power, STEM, and the #MeToo movement comes an emerging publishing trend: biographies of strong women from the sciences and arts, both current and historical, written for children. While these types of books are not new in and of themselves, they are definitely top of mind now: Mudpuppy, a sibling company […]
An Education In A Box
Amazon’s launch of its STEM Toy Club earlier this year is the latest in a long list of educational subscription box services to come on the market over the past few years. Many of the leading names in this space, such as Kiwi Crate, Green Kids Crafts, and Little Passports, rarely, if ever, feature licensed […]