Barbie vs. Skywalker

There's more to licensing than lightsabers and web-shooters.

Tick off the hottest licenses in 2002 and one's list could very easily read like a boy's letter to Santa: Star Wars, Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings. Below the mammoth hype of these blockbuster movie properties, however, are a wide range of evergreen-caliber brands from Barbie to Powerpuff Girls.

DreamWorks'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron will offer girls a bit of counter-programming to Star Wars. The story of a mustang and his adventures throughout the American frontier encourages a fairly straight forward merchandising plan for licensees such as Hasbro and Breyer, which debuted an array of horses and playsets at Toy Fair. "It's a natural item that sells year round in a generic format," says Brad Globe, head of DreamWorks SKG consumer products.

Mattel's Barbie will follow up a solid performance in Barbie in the Nutcracker with Barbie as Rapunzel. The straight-to-video release is scheduled for October while the dolls and plush dragon roll out this month.

Disney, meanwhile, has developed two sub-brands based on Disney Classic Princess. Little Princess "looks at the princesses as if they were 4 to 5 years old," says Maryellen Zarakas, vice president of Disney toys, North America. "It's companion play rather than the aspirational play of the classic line." Radio Disney Pop Dreamers, meanwhile, is an "attitude extension." Gabrielle (who loves Belle from Beauty and the Beast), Ari (an Ariel devotee) and Ella (no small fan of Cinderella's) go to school together and have a band. "We're leveraging our Radio Disney group to support (it)," Zarakas adds. Thinkway is on board with 10-inch interactive dolls, each with snap-on outfits and a guitar. John Barton, Thinkway's senior vice president of sales and marketing, says the marrying of two trends—aspiring to be a pop star and dreaming about being a princess—has clicked with buyers, who are "looking at this as a long term property."

On July 3, Powerpuff Girls makes the jump from the small screen to the big screen. "Powerpuff Girls continues to be a top performer at retail, and the film is timed to keep this strong momentum going," says Executive Vice President of Domestic Licensing for Warner Brothers Consumer Products Karen McTier. The property has had a wide audience from young girls and boys to twenty-somethings, and Cartoon Net- work will keep up exposure for the daily stripped show with new episodes in December.

Some retro brands will also resurface this year. Mattel's Malibu Barbie is back, replete with a rich California tan. This time around, however, she has sunscreen. Strawberry Shortcake will make another round thanks to Bandai. The toymaker will release products in conjunction with four direct-to-videos from DIC Entertainment beginning in 2003.