The “mini-me” trend in high-end fashion—in which the design of children’s apparel, even for toddlers, emulates the look of adult pieces—goes back more than two decades. But it has been gaining traction over the past five years, driven in part by social media shots of celebrities’ and influencers’ children and their fashion-forward style choices, as […]
Revving Up For Rugby
As fan anticipation builds globally for the next Rugby World Cup, to be held in Japan in fall 2019, several licensing, sponsorship, and representation deals involving the sport, in its various forms, have come to light in the past few months. Among them: World Rugby and IMG named Canterbury, which outfits a number of national […]
Revitalizing Retro Toys
The trend of reviving dormant or underexploited brands whose heyday is long past—a phenomenon across many consumer products categories these days—has been hitting the toy industry this summer, with the owners of three retro brands from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, respectively, announcing comebacks. Mego is relaunching its pioneering 1970s action figure line under the […]
Scent of a (Famous) Woman
Much has been written about the decline of celebrity fragrances over the past few years. But there are exceptions to the rule, and a number of high-profile personalities have recently expanded their licensed scent programs: Ariana Grande is releasing “Cloud,” the newest in her line of fragrances with Luxe Brands. She introduced her first perfume […]
Continuing Education
Alliances between owners of licensed properties and providers of educational curriculum can take many forms. They involve a diverse roster of property types and can target the whole spectrum of age groups, as these recent deals attest: Sesame Workshop licensed McGraw-Hill Education to use its Sesame Street characters in a free version of MHE’s Wonders […]
Vision Quest
In these days of collaborations, limited editions, and other in-and-out programs, it is sometimes easy to forget that long-term, traditional licensing deals are still going strong, especially in certain sectors. A case-in-point: eyewear. Collaborations and limited programs exist in this category as well, of course. But properties such as fashion, lifestyle, and luxury brands, among […]
Dealing With Celebrity Controversy
Last week, Ivanka Trump announced that she would shut down her signature lifestyle brand, stating as the reason her full-time focus, for the foreseeable future, on her political and advocacy work in Washington D.C. Many analysts noted another likely factor, however, namely that sales of her branded goods had plummeted over the past two years […]
In Tune with the Times
By Karen Raugust on July 26, 2018 in Character/Entertainment, Demographic groups, Design and content themes, Licensing
The “girl power” trend in children’s media and entertainment has been ongoing for several years, but it continues to intensify and diversify, perhaps assisted by the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. Some of the recent permutations include: Female superheroes assuming leading roles in film and TV. Some examples are original, including TV animation such as Nickelodeon’s […]
Playing Well Together
Mergers and acquisitions involving makers of toys, many of them key licensees, have been occurring at a fast pace in 2018. The first three of the following examples took place in late May, while the last two were announced in March and February, respectively: PlayMonster, marketer of Yeti in My Spaghetti and Wonder Crew, purchased […]
Mighty Mash-Ups
In the weeks leading up to San Diego Comic Con 2018, taking place this week, publishers including IDW, DC Comics, and Oni Press have announced crossovers pairing two or more licensed properties. Such mash-ups are often limited in quantity and typically extend over a short arc, with three to six issues being a common length. […]