Collaborations pairing fashion brands and entertainment/character properties tend to involve design labels that are fresh and cutting-edge and/or appeal to younger consumers. Think streetwear brands, emerging global design stars, or fast-fashion retailers. Recently, however, some very well established designers are increasingly participating in this strategy, creating collections tied to TV shows, video games, comic strips, […]
Archive | Character/Entertainment
A Horrifying Licensing Opportunity
Halloween costumes have long been a key licensing category, especially for entertainment/character properties. Halloween makeup kits have also been on the rise of late, sold by not only Halloween costume companies but increasingly by theatrical makeup marketers and suppliers of replica armor, swords, and other realistic costume supplies. Products range from packages for casual trick-or-treaters […]
Immersed in Art
By Karen Raugust on October 7, 2019 in Art, Character/Entertainment, Experiential licensing, Licensing
Art exhibits can generate awareness and fan engagement for entertainment/character properties with enough content and history to support this sort of experiential initiative. A few examples from this year and last illustrate some of the elements that are common to such ventures, as well as the unique twists that are possible depending on the nature […]
The Experience Economy
By Karen Raugust on September 16, 2019 in Character/Entertainment, Experiential licensing, Licensing
As entertainment licensors create experiential extensions of their properties, such as theme park attractions, stage plays, and exhibitions, it is standard practice to create merchandise dedicated to the special event, to be sold at the venue as well as in the licensor’s and sometimes the licensee’s proprietary online and retail channels. For the biggest licensors, […]
Turning the Channel
News came to light this summer that three key players in kids’ animation are leaving the original production business, although they will remain active as distributors or licensing specialists: Amazon is moving away from investing in original children’s programming in favor of shows for family and young adult audiences. It will continue to acquire licensed […]
From Russia with Licensing
Russia has become the source of a rising number of children’s properties with eyes on the international market. Factors behind the increase include a boost in government support for the domestic animation industry since the 2000s, the growing sophistication of the licensing business in Russia, and the development of YouTube and other streaming channels as […]
In-World Meets High-Tech
In-world products, which take a fictional item from a film, TV show, or videogame and make it real, represent the ultimate way to differentiate entertainment/character-licensed goods from their competitors. In-world merchandise can assume a variety of forms, from Barco Uniforms’ Grey’s Anatomy scrubs, to Schwinn’s Stranger Things bikes, to Cubicall’s Bill & Ted phone booths, […]
Real Characters
Celebrities have been making appearances, in cartoon form, across key storytelling and communications platforms. The initiatives are mostly for children, but there is sometimes appeal for adults as well, depending on the project. They involve a variety of media configurations: Animated TV shows and films. In June, Ellen DeGeneres’ Ellen Digital Ventures and Warner Bros. […]
Creators as Brands
A handful of celebrity- and estate-licensing programs exhibiting this year at Licensing Expo, held last week in Las Vegas, were centered not on actors or musicians, but on creators of entertainment properties. For example: Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment was founded by the late comic book creator to manage and license newly created IP not owned […]
Moonlighting Beyond Late Night
The hosts of several of the leading late-night talk shows in the U.S. have been moonlighting in other areas of the content business. They are becoming involved in side projects, sometimes spin-offs of their main gig and sometimes ventures entirely unrelated to their primary series. These initiatives occasionally lend themselves to licensed products. For example: […]