Summer is here, and so are announcements of summer-specific licensed and collaborative products for use at the beach or pool (or in the back yard). These represent an evergreen category, with new offerings across an increasingly varied range of properties coming to light each year. But the IPs that make the most sense are those that conjure up a lifestyle that is all about sun, sand, swimming pools, and lazy summer fun, as exemplified by these deals announced in the last couple of weeks:
- Tommy Bahama announced a partnership with ISLE for Tommy Bahama-branded hybrid stand-up paddleboards in two models (one offered in two different colorways and the other a multi-person model). The boards are accompanied by a limited-edition waterproof bag collection so users can bring food and drink along on the ride. This line is the latest in an extensive range of products compatible with the brand’s island lifestyle, from pool tables with R&R Outdoors to the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa with Lowe.
- Artist Sara Fitz, known for her watercolors of objects inspired by summers on Nantucket, which appear on a range of home decor, apparel, and stationery, paired with LowTides Ocean Products for a limited-edition artist series of four adult and two children’s sustainable beach chairs. The products highlight patterns incorporating typical New England images, including lobsters, crossed oars, whales, and hermit crabs. Some of Fitz’s other recent partners for collaborations have included L.L. Bean, One King’s Lane, Sea Bags, and Chappy Wrap.
- The Bob Marley estate announced it had licensed Slowtide for a collection of beach towels and blankets, and some apparel items, including a pancho, all featuring imagery tied to the late singer’s reggae career and Jamaican island lifestyle. Designs include photos of the singer, the lion logo of the Marley brand, and patterns in red, green, black, and yellow. The collection follows the release of One Love, a biopic about the singer.
While these pairings represent very logical marriages of property and product, almost any type of property can be found in the beach and pool category. In a typical example, Mattel licensed Funboy this summer for five Hot Wheels inflatables. The designs of the four pool floats (for kids 8 and up) are reminiscent of checkerboard flags and flame detailing, and the floats are shaped like racetracks, innertubes, surfboards, and a shark on wheels (the “sharkruiser”), the last complete with a water squirter. There is also an inflatable set of bowling pins and balls for kids 5 and up. Funboy is also Mattel’s licensee for Barbie pool inflatables, which got a lot of attention during last summer’s celebrations around The Barbie Movie. Pool floats like these have always been a perennial licensed category for any kids’ character/entertainment property.
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