In the character and entertainment world, crossover events pairing two different universes have long been regular occurrences in sectors such as comic books, superhero movies, and tween and adult sitcoms and dramas. This technique has historically been rare in the preschool and younger elementary-grade landscape, but that has changed in a big way in the […]
Tag Archives | Paw Patrol
An Experience Steeped in Tradition
Afternoon teas got their start in the mid-19th century and have become a classic British custom, popular both with visitors, as a unique experience to remember from their trip, and with some local U.K. residents, as an occasional indulgence. The practice is also established in other countries, especially in Asia. Licensed versions of these experiences […]
Branding for Babies
The 2025 ABC Kids Expo was held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center May 21 to 23, overlapping with Licensing Expo 2025 in an adjacent exhibition space. The event is focused on baby toys, apparel, books, gifts, strollers, furniture, feeding systems, and other gear, with exhibitors ranging from the biggest players in the space to small […]
Benefits of Bamboo
In a deal announced just this week, Hasbro licensed British company Bamboo Bamboo to create limited-edition children’s bamboo dinnerware featuring Peppa Pig, sold online. Bamboo dinnerware has been available for a long time, and is billed as eco-friendly as well as safe, durable, lightweight, and easy to clean. With the increased attention on sustainability over […]
On-Screen Representation
Children’s entertainment properties, particularly television series, are increasingly including characters with visible disabilities—that is, they use wheelchairs, leg braces, or crutches—as part of the main friend group portrayed on screen. They are shown living their everyday lives and participating fully in the group’s activities, modeling inclusion and normalizing disabilities for young viewers. Some examples: MixMups […]
Characters Help Kids Relax for the Vax
Demand for most of the COVID-specific licensed products that came on the market early in the pandemic—masks, hand sanitizer, distancing signage, and the like—has declined, even as the crisis continues to drag on. And there have been few new COVID-driven licensing deals forged of late. That said, new developments in the ever-changing COVID landscape offer […]
Talking Turkey
The U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving is one of the few celebration days throughout the year with relatively little licensing activity tied to it. It is a holiday centered on gratitude, food, and family, and not on extensive gift giving, costumes, decorating, or other more commercial endeavors. That said, there are a few opportunities tied to […]
The Numbers Are In
The toy industry is having a good year in 2021, as measured by the major public toy companies’ quarterly results to date. Some observers had thought industry growth would slow in 2021 after a significant bump in dollar sales in 2020, fueled by the need to keep families occupied during the COVID lockdowns. In addition, […]
Listen Up
Children’s podcasts have been popping up for a while now, including a few based on licensed IP. Almost a third of parents (32%) say they are very or somewhat likely to purchase a subscription to a paid podcast service for their child, according to a survey conducted by Morning Consult in November. Half of children […]
Pet Projects
The pet category has long been an active one for licensing deals and collaborations in the U.S., and new agreements are still being announced regularly, despite the crowded landscape. Recently, there has been a burst of activity outside the U.S., with new partnerships coming to light in the last several months across the globe: In […]