If you’ve done any holiday shopping this year, you certainly have noted the prominent and often vast displays of adult coloring books in stores of all types. Nearly every publisher seems to offer at least one adult coloring book, with more to come. Less than a month ago (November 19), we noted the rise of […]
Chinese Children Cherish Licensed Publishing
By Karen Raugust on December 10, 2015 in Character/Entertainment, International, Licensing, Publishing
Three of the seven best-selling children’s book series in China at the moment are based on licensed properties, and they may not necessarily be the ones you would expect. Two are tied to global brands. China Children’s Publishing offers books based on the mobile game Plants vs. Zombies, licensed by Electronic Arts’ PopCap Games division, […]
Heading to the Office
Direct-to-retail licensing agreements and exclusive distribution deals in the office supply channel have popped up sporadically for many years, with properties from TV financial expert Jean Schatzky to interior designer Christopher Lowell among those entering the market. But the incidence of such deals is slowly on the rise. This year, Martha Stewart renewed and expanded […]
Gaining a Foothold
After many years of anticipation, soccer finally seems to be reaching a tipping point at U.S. retail. As a result, a number of leading global football clubs have retained U.S. licensing agents within the past year to assist them in expanding their presence in North America. Most are working with one of three agents that […]
More Fashion Options for Your Pet
The pet products category has seen a recent bump in activity tied to celebrity-driven fashion and lifestyle brands. Notable names entering or announcing their entrance into the market over the past six months include: Ellen DeGeneres, who licensed Posh Paws for a line of pet accessories under her ED lifestyle brand, which also has deals […]
A Penny Saved Is a Penny Earned
IP owners have been testing various forms of financial services as potential avenues for licensing. Branded credit and, more recently, debit cards have become a must-consider category, of course, with properties from chef Jason Santos to Star Trek and Garfield to Pan Am—among many others—having deals in place. But other areas of exploration have started […]
True Colors
The anticipated melding of adult coloring books and licensing is starting to happen in a big way. In last week’s Nielsen Bookscan bestseller list, three of the top five and 12 of the top 25 titles were adult coloring books. Game of Thrones and Outlander—both published by Bantam that week—ranked as number 3 and number […]
Where There’s Smoke
Snoop Dogg’s newly revealed line of marijuana flowers, concentrates, and cannabis-infused chocolate bars and gummies, marketed under the Leafs By Snoop brand and manufactured by Beyond Broadway, is the latest in a string of musician-branded, pot-related products introduced or announced in the last year or so. Others include: The Bob Marley estate’s Marley Natural brand […]
Cosplay: The Next Celebrity-Licensing Frontier?
Last month, celebrity cosplayer Yaya Han announced that she had partnered with Wyla Fabrics’ new Cosplay Fabrics division to create a line of 77 textile SKUs designed specifically for cosplay. The line, which will be distributed exclusively through Jo-Ann Fabrics starting next spring, includes stretch knits, Spandex, metallic and textured fabrics, and other goods tailored […]
They’re Driving Us To Drink
The craft beer industry continues its upward trajectory, with sales expected to increase 22% in 2015 alone, according to just-released research from Mintel. This follows significant growth from 2009 to 2014, when the craft sector’s share of total beer volume rose 83% (to 8.5%). Beer sales overall declined 2% over the same period. The explosion […]