Unicorns have always been a theme in merchandise and entertainment, especially for kids, but they are certainly experiencing a moment in the spotlight for all ages these days.
The magical creatures appear in association with all kinds of products and promotions: Starbucks’ offered Unicorn Frappuccino, while Kellogg’s is releasing Froot Loops-like Unicorn Cereal; cosmetics company Too Faced sells a Unicorn Survival Kit as competitor Glamour Dolls markets a Lisa Frank-licensed, unicorn-themed bronzer; and unicorn crafts and toys are available from Fashion Angels, Melissa & Doug, Alex Toys, and almost everyone else. These examples only touch the surface; the trend has been getting stronger over the past few years and seems to be peaking now.
Meanwhile, a number of entertainment and toy licensors are taking advantage of the popularity by adding unicorns to their content and/or merchandise collections or, more commonly, actively promoting unicorn themes or characters that already existed on- and off-screen:
- The My Little Pony brand incorporates unicorns as one of the types of ponies living in the world of Equestria. Hasbro’s licensees are putting these characters, which include Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and many others, front and center at trade shows and in retail displays.
- The World of Tokidoki includes the Unicornos, horses transformed into unicorns by way of a magic waterfall. They take the spotlight as collectibles and on Tokidoki fashion and other licensed products, both as character graphics and in Unicorno-themed and multi-character patterns.
- Pusheen the Cat is available as a Pusheenicorn with a rainbow mane. This version of the character debuted as a web comic and is highlighted both in plush from master licensee Gund as well as other products such as onesies, blankets, patches, keychains, and more.
- The Hanazuki: Full of Treasures brand includes characters such as Sleepy Unicorn and Twisted Unicorn (a villain), which are native to Kiyoshi’s Moon and whose color reflects an emotion. They are featured in toys from licensor Hasbro as well as on graphic t’s, in IDW comic books, and on other merchandise.
- Shopkins are segmented into teams, based on themes such as food types or colors. The current Season 9 introduces the Shimmery Unicorns Tribe Team, including six Shopkins: Rainbow Scent, Starry Unicorn Heels, Bling Unicorn Ring, Rainbow Glow, Eunice Unicorn Dress, and Cupicorn.
- Ty’s Beanie Boos brand encompasses a number of unicorn characters, including Pixie, Fantasia, Blitz, and Harmonie, among others. They are highlighted in Ty’s core plush array, as well as on licensed products such as craft kits, sticker albums, and slippers.
Unicorn themes will always be present in children’s entertainment and products. But given the seeming near-saturation of the market in 2018, it stands to reason that the trend will start to wane from its current ubiquity in the near future.
One theme that seems to be waiting in the wings: narwhals. These whales, with their unicorn-like horns, are starting to be seen in licensing and pop culture; a number of plush marketers at Toy Fair were showing generic narwhals. The School of Dragons educational video game, created by Knowledge Adventure’s JumpStart division under license from NBCUniversal and based on DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon franchise, features a narwhal character. The game has been sub-licensed to Random House for a book series. Similarly, Ben Clanton’s Narwhal and Jelly book series from Penguin Random House’s Tundra Books imprint features a narwhal and a jellyfish as the main characters. Merrymakers offers licensed plush toys.
A reminder that Raugust Communications’ March e-newsletter comes out tomorrow, Tuesday, March 20, 2018. The Licensing Topic of the Month touches on technology in consumer products and the need to move beyond gimmicks to add real value, while the Datapoint research spotlight highlights magazine brand licensing. If you have not subscribed to this free monthly publication, you can do so here.
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