As we approach the all-important fourth-quarter selling season for toys, it seems like a good time to take a look at what has been happening in the industry since Toys ‘R’ Us closed the last of its U.S. stores in June of this year, after declaring bankruptcy in September 2017: Other retailers are trying to […]
Tag Archives | Target
Private Property
Retailers’ focus on in-house developed private labels has been on the upswing of late, creating more competition for manufacturers and property owners seeking shelf space for their licensed products. These recent examples illustrate the trend: Target introduced three new private labels this summer. They include Heyday for electronics, which debuted in June; Wild Fable for […]
Revitalizing Retro Toys
The trend of reviving dormant or underexploited brands whose heyday is long past—a phenomenon across many consumer products categories these days—has been hitting the toy industry this summer, with the owners of three retro brands from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, respectively, announcing comebacks. Mego is relaunching its pioneering 1970s action figure line under the […]
Designing and Building a Home Décor Program
Some of the skills architects use to design buildings are also applicable to other sculptural products, from furniture and vases to home décor, handbag clasps, and drinkware. Their sketches and other artwork also make good graphics for plates or bowls. It is no surprise, then, that architects, living and deceased, have lent their names, drawings, […]
Korean Cachet
Celebrities, designers, and other properties from Korea are increasingly influential in U.S. pop culture, and several are making their mark in consumer products as well: K-pop. Last month, Hot Topic announced it would carry a collection of t-shirts for BTS’s Wings Tour, the latest addition to its roster of K-pop merchandise. In addition to BTS, […]
Q&A About TRU
Toys ‘R’ Us announced last week that it would shut all 735 of its U.S. stores under the TRU and Babies ‘R’ Us banners, after declaring bankruptcy last fall and subsequently posting poor holiday results. This move raised a number of key questions for toy companies, retailers, analysts, and licensing executives. Question 1: What happened? […]
Shopping the Super Bowl
American football fans are gearing up for the Super Bowl this weekend. Not surprisingly, the NFL, the local organizing committee, and retailers across the Twin Cities—this year’s host site, U.S. Bank Stadium, is located in Minneapolis—are highlighting Super Bowl LII merchandise. Their activities provide a good illustration of what big-event licensing programs look like. The […]
The Consequences of Misconduct
One of the leading news stories of 2017 was the steady string of claims alleging sexual assault, harassment, and other misconduct by prominent actors, media personalities, politicians, and corporate leaders. The phenomenon has touched the business of licensing and brand extension as well, as accused celebrities have seen deals for consumer products tied to their […]
Unplug and Play
A couple of decades ago, makers of physical board, card, and tabletop games were rushing to sign deals that would bring their game play into the digital world. Those sorts of agreements are still happening, of course; Hasbro and its licensee Marmalade Game Studio introduced a new mobile game based on Clue (known as Cluedo […]
Hot Toys for the Holidays
Over the past couple of months, key retailers have released their hot holiday toy lists, predicting the playthings consumers will be buying for fourth-quarter gift-giving. Licensed products account for between 16% and 32% of the products on each of the lists released by Amazon, BJ’s, Kmart, Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart, with Amazon at […]