D'oh! More toys

The Simpsons has come a long way since the intermittent, animated shorts featured on the late-1980s TV favorite, The Tracey Ullman Show. And while the series has had the usual ups and downs of long-running properties, it's clear The Simpsons has lasting power—former president Bill Clinton even admitted to being a zealous fan. Come 2007, Homer, Bart and the rest of the clan will hit the big screen in The Simpsons: The Movie from 20th Century Fox. But that's not the only thing the series will celebrate in the coming months and years.

The licensing and merchandising build up to The Movie will include several stages, beginning with the first wave of product in November alongside the next trailer for the film. The second wave in February will continue on into the last and final one in May, which will also commemorate the 400th episode of the series and lead into the film's release in July.

Elie Dekel, executive vice president, 20th Century Fox Licensing, Los Angeles, tells Playthings that each stage of the merchandising campaign will get bigger and louder as the film's debut approaches. However, specific movie-inspired merchandise will be limited once the film is eventually out. Instead, Fox's plan is to continue to develop traditional Simpsons product and keep the property evergreen.

“We are going to be measuring the program along with a long term view against the two week 'gotta-sell-it-now' mentality, which has unfortunately been the basis for many movie licensed products over the past several years,” says Dekel. “You need to look at this as more of an evergreen day-to-day brand that has the benefit of a motion picture to help drive the brand.”

Dekel says the new film will hopefully give Fox the chance to develop more merchandise for younger viewers, but their main focus will continue to be the core teen-to-young-adult audience.

Fans will be tempted with video games from Electronic Arts (the first will be out this fall), a new online store and mobile offerings.

This fall, additional action figures from McFarlane Toys, Tempe, Ariz., will be available. And Gentle Giant, Burbank, Calif., will release the third series of Simpsons Bust-Ups mini figures. Additional games from Pawtucket, R.I.-based Hasbro will also be added to the merchandise mix.

In the past, Hasbro has released The Simpsons Clue and a special edition Monopoly, as well as introducing The Simpsons Operation this past holiday season. “We've had great success with Hasbro games,” says Dekel. “Our relationship with Hasbro and plans with Hasbro continue in both dedicated branded games and co-branded games. That's an exciting evolution of our business with Hasbro.”

As big box retailers request more Simpsons product, it is still a Fox priority to develop merchandise that will continue selling specifically in the specialty market. According to Dekel, the company is being extremely careful as they move into new mass channels.

“Patience is a virtue in this approach, and we need to protect that core business, and continue to deliver product that will sell in that channel—by no means to abandon that approach,” says Dekel. “We're looking at ways of appealing to younger consumers, and part of that is re-educating the retailer on the strength and dynamics of this property. There is this huge [consumer] awareness of The Simpsons, a huge fondness of The Simpsons. We're finding retailers have almost become a little bit…perhaps in the drive to find the next big hot property, they sometimes lose sight of the ones that are more widely known, more widely seen, more widely appreciated and more evergreen. We found the opportunity to tell that message and create opportunities behind the movie.”

Looking ahead, The Simpsons turns 20 years old in 2009 and Dekel says, “The strategy goes beyond this movie. The movie is a catalyst for the next decade of The Simpsons, and the Simpsons look like they have a very bright future ahead of them.”