Boats and yachts, especially of the luxury variety, comprise a business that does not often come to mind as a potential licensing category. But marine manufacturers are regularly involved in licensing partnerships and collaborations. A handful of initiatives that have occurred in recent months illustrate: Frauscher Shipyard paired with Porsche for the 850 Fantom Air, […]
Adding Artistic Flair to the Denim Category
Denim has been experiencing one of its cyclical upswings in popularity in the fashion world of late, and the category has been exhibiting both more creativity in design and increased collaboration activity than in the past. At the same time, artists are partnering for fashion collaborations of all kinds with ever-increasing frequency. So it makes […]
Scrolling Through Webtoon Opportunities
By Karen Raugust on February 8, 2024 in Character/Entertainment, Content, International, Licensing, Publishing
Webtoons, or webcomics, are digital comics designed to be read on a smart phone, with consumers scrolling vertically to progress through the panels. The market got its start in the early 2000s and has exploded in the last few years, both in the medium’s country of origin, South Korea, and in other countries such as […]
Accessorizing with Music
Last month, Fendi announced a deal with Devialet for a portable speaker. This is the latest in a series of speaker pairings between luxury fashion designers and electronics companies that has been ongoing since the mid-2010s and has intensified since 2021. While the configurations vary, the majority, especially recently, are portable and designed as fashion-forward […]
Big-Name Content Creators Eye Toy Industry
The phenomenon of influencers expanding their brands into the toy industry in a big way goes back to the mid-2010s. There has been a burst of activity lately, with a range of personalities, including some very big names, jumping into the space: In January 2024, Moose Toys announced a new relationship with MrBeast (a.k.a. Jimmy […]
Painting the Town Red, and Beyond
Traditional licensing deals and especially limited collaborations continue to proliferate in the paint industry, as the major name-brand paint manufacturers and newer boutique and direct-to-consumer companies alike pair with designers and corporate brands to create new and different color palettes. Paint is a relatively inexpensive way to make a fun change and/or create a cosy […]
Boba Tie-Ins Bubble Up
By Karen Raugust on January 25, 2024 in Character/Entertainment, Food/Beverage, International, Licensing, Promotion, Retail
Bubble tea, or boba—a creamy, tea-based drink containing tapioca pearls—was invented in Taiwan and has been spreading around the world, including into the U.S., where boba drink outlets are becoming ubiquitous at malls and elsewhere. The U.S. bubble tea market was forecast to reach $464.29 million in 2023, up 6.9% from $434.11 million in 2022, […]
Hitting the Bullseye
Darts is an activity that has attracted growing interest over the past few years, both in participation and viewership. Increased demand for products such as signature and branded darts, dartboards, jerseys, and flights (the plastic or nylon stabilizers on the darts) has followed, with rights mostly granted to specialist licensees. The game of darts was […]
Educational Properties with a Human Touch
By Karen Raugust on January 18, 2024 in Celebrity, Character/Entertainment, Educational products, Licensing
Several educational brands based on individual people or personas have recently signed licensing deals for products that help children learn at home or in school. Some of the properties are based on real people, some are characters created and performed by real people, and some are wholly fictional, educator-created brands. But all have positionings that […]
Fashion-Forward Safety Shoes
Fashion labels and designers are forging licensing and collaboration deals in the occupational footwear sector with increasing frequency. This is a category that has built a track record of very successful long-term licensing agreements with closely related brands, but it still offers plenty of space for fashion and lifestyle properties and other types of IP. […]