Buzz Report: Licensing Show 2007

By Karyn M. Peterson and Cliff Annicelli -- Playthings, 6/22/2007 3:06:00 PM

NEW YORK, June 22, 2007—More from the floor! Our final installment of 2007 Licensing Show buzz wraps up three days of deal making, property pushing and life-sized plush characters.

London-based Santoro was entertaining a multitude of interested buyers and potential licensees for its brands at the show, which include Tutti Cuti and its sub-brand Puppy Love for tween girls; Tutti Cuti Mini, for girls up to age 8; and Jeli Deli (and its sub-brands Cheeky Monkey and Piranha) for boys. All lines offer Santoro-produced children’s bags, stationery, toiletries and other accessories styled around a singular character and, in some countries, even party goods. Santoro was also happy at the response to its new brands debuting at this year’s show, Sunshine Girl and Shark, for girls and boys, respectively. 

“We’re having a wonderful show,” Meera Santoro told Playthings. “Very busy.” The company plans to appoint a U.S. agent in the coming weeks, and, in September, an exclusive selection of Tutti Cuti merchandise, including cosmetics and bath products, will be available at Claire’s stores here. 

Joester Loria’s Baby Genius brand is expanding on the success of its popular DVD series with a line of musical toys and plush featuring the characters, all linked to the property’s motto that “music makes a difference,” vice president Joanne Loria told Playthings. “One of the things we really tried to do was establish the characters.” Over 50 SKUs will be hitting mass retailers this fall. The fan base for the brand has been increasing ever since Comcast added the series to its On Demand programming lineup; according to Loria, it’s the most downloaded kids’ series. 

Also gaining in popularity is Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Conner, who was on hand at the booth of New York-based United Media to autograph copies of the bestselling second book in the series, Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy. “We’re about to announce a master toy licensee,” Joshua Kislevitz, senior vice president of domestic licensing, told Playthings. 

“What we’re going for are natural fits—dolls with hair play, dress-up, make and play activities, playsets, puzzles ... anything that flushes out the plain world and makes it fancy.” A 2008 launch is planned for multiple categories of Fancy Nancy products, including games, collectibles and retailer exclusives. It’s a unique, publishing-backed property with a lot of appeal, Kislevitz added. “She’s got the attitude. She’s sassy, but she’s not off-putting or obnoxious.”

Another beloved character, Raggedy Ann, will also be seeing ongoing support through 2008 with the revamped Raggedy Ann & Me line. Russ-Berrie has signed on for plush, and a prototype soft rag doll was on display at the show. Additional products are also on the horizon, Kislevitz said. 

AG Properties, Cleveland, juggled both the 25^th anniversary of Care Bears as well as the imminent debut of several new properties, including the new Sushi Pack series about crime-fighting sushi; Maryoku Yummy, a show in which a magical being guards kids’ wishes until they come true; Tinpo, 30-second interstitials about a group of problem-solving vinyl figures; and Twisted Whiskers, a series of 11-minute shorts. Jeffery Conrad, senior vice president, creative studios, told Playthings that AGP has been having success with licensing its brands by building interest in the characters, even though television series for most of them have not yet been developed. “We’re not trying to launch all our properties through entertainment,” he noted.

For Care Bears, a host of new product surrounds the anniversary, the debut of a new full-length movie, Oopsy Does It, in August, and the launch of a new Saturday morning television series. A limited-edition white anniversary bear and DVD set is debuting for the holidays, and a new line of plush bears from Jakks Pacific will hit retail this fall. FAO Schwarz exclusive Care Bears-themed Madame Alexander dolls will also be available, along with juniors and infant apparel. And in 2008, plastic figures and playsets will be available for the first time ever. “This is an evergreen property,” Conrad said, adding, “There is such an emotional connection, those ‘I remember’ moments” with the brand’s original fans back in the ’80s. 

Strawberry Shortcake will also get her due this year with new products and toys. “That’s a property we’re supporting in a big way,” Conrad said. They’re the pillars of our division.”

For Sushi Pack, a Random House publishing agreement and a Fox DVD deal for 2008 are both in the works. The show is expected to be a hit with both boys and girls, Conrad said. Maryoku Yummy will also get publishing in 2008, “and we just finalized a deal for 52 11-minute episodes in the fall,” Conrad said. Tinpo will get its debut on CBS in the fall as a series of 10 interstitials in which the characters solve problems in creative ways. Twisted Whiskers, which began as a line of cards in 2001, will also debut as a series of 52 shorts next fall. 

The new Domo character—a hit in Japan ever since its 1998 debut as a TV station’s mascot—launches here soon as shorts on Nickelodeon, and interest in him helped drive a lot of traffic at New York’s Big Tent Entertainment booth, Richard Maryyanek, chief marketing officer and partner, told Playthings. “We’ve got a lot of action this show. It just keeps getting better for us,” he said. Interest in the company’s new line of tween products tied to the classic Miffy & Friends brand as well as new publishing for The Wiggles also kept things jumping, Maryyanek said, adding, “We have a more diverse portfolio now.”

For the Sharpe Co., Manhattan Beach, Calif., a number of licensees have signed on for Lela Lee’s Angry Little Girls, including Wish for apparel and Running Press for mini books. Meanwhile, an animated series for the Oxygen Network is currently in development, according to Sharpe’s marketing communications director Ruth Adams. A licensee for small collectibles is also being sought. “That really is going to be a great place to go,” Adams told Playthings. 

The company’s Rubik’s brand has also been “fantastic for us,” Adams said. “Because of the Rubik’s Revolution from Techno Source … and the speed-cubing events, [interest] has increased substantially, and we’re really reaping the benefits of it.”

Another big property at this year’s show was PBS’ Franny's Feet, which has signed Hasbro's Playskool division as its worldwide master toy licensee, as well as Penguin, Simon & Schuster, Disguise and Cadaco. For Sharpe’s Naughty Naughty Pets, licensees include Fiesta and American Greetings. The series is quite popular on Japanese TV, Adams noted. And for Mr. Bean, new licensees include Penguin and Funko (for bobble heads), ahead of an upcoming film.

Sharpe is also hoping to sign interest in its preschool properties Bruno and the Banana Bunch, which currently plays on Noggin, and Finley the Fire Engine, which will air on the BBC but is still seeking U.S. distribution, preferably with PBS, Adams said. Humprey’s Corner, an infant property that’s nearly as popular as Winnie the Pooh in the U.K., is also still seeking licensees in the states. “It’s hard to get traction because there’s no animation to back it up,” but that may change soon, Adams said. Cards, gifts, plush and infant apparel are all popular categories.

For New York-based Sesame Workshop, all eyes were on the fairy-in-training Abby Cadabby, the first new female character to be introduced on the long-running series in 13 years and the costumed host of picture-taking sessions at select times during the show this year. “Adding a character is not something we do lightly,” Ann Kearns, vice president of toys and global consumer products, told Playthings. “We needed a strong female character and the producers also wanted to model strong female relationships.” Abby’s focus will be literacy, and a curriculum has been created for her that will be explored on the show, Kearns noted. 

A number of big deals have already been signed for Abby, including plush toys from both Fisher-Price and Gund, books (Bendon Publishing, Dalmation, Random House, Reader's Digest); CDs from Soundprints and DVDs from Sony Wonder, with nearly a dozen video releases are being planned for Abby in 2008. Meanwhile, the handful of SKUs that are available in mass retailers like Toys “R” Us are already “selling very well,” even though Abby has so far only appeared in a couple of episodes of the show, Kearns said. “We get a lot of calls from parents for products.” Abby will join the cast every day once the show’s 38^th season launches in August.

Mattel’s outbound licensing features new and pending products based on four of its key properties: Hot Wheels, Barbie, Polly Pocket and Fisher-Price. Standouts included a new look for Barbie as she appears on merchandise in a style that’s more “illustrated” and younger looking than her face has appeared in the past, and a stronger push into infant/juvenile categories for Fisher-Price.

Among the new products featuring the toymaker’s glamour gal are regulation golf clubs for girls ages 3 to 5 and 5 to 8 from SportsSource that feature light and sound elements expected to reach sporting good stores in time for holiday ’07; an expanded assortment of Emerson electronics, particularly a new iPod speaker and digital photo frames; retro T-shirts from Mighty Fine; and additional “luxe” jewelry from Layna and Alan Friedman Diamonds. Fisher-Price merchandise focuses on themes like “rainforest” for apparel, baby gear and textiles that ratchet up the cuteness of their animal and other self-created characters without hammering home an overwhelming F-P brand message. 

Within Mattel, a “playing green” campaign that’s worked to improve the toymaker’s environmental awareness internally has resulted in a new line of fashion accessories made from leftover/castoff bits of Barbie clothing fabric. The “Barbie B cause” line features entirely one-of-a-kind pieces that will be sold through apparel boutiques starting in 2008. Some of the products “could possibly” show up in a few toy stores, Richard Dickinson, Mattel Brands’ senior vice president of marketing, media and entertainment, worldwide, told Playthings.

Reel FX Home Entertainment, Dallas, made headlines earlier this month with its plans for a NASCAR-licensed animated series, NASCAR Jr., in 2009. At this week’s show, we got further details of their plan. “The show will focus on kids as drivers instead of talking cars,” Dennis DeShazer, the series co-creator, told Playthings. The characters’ specialized cars will help them carry out missions that will teach things like resilience, adaptability and problem solving. “They won’t win every race,” he promised. Merchandise will also debut in 2009 in “all the typical preschool categories,” DeShazer said. Additionally, the company talked up its plans for wider recognition in the secular world of its current Christian market property, Boz, The Green Bear Next Door. The home entertainment brand will add a holiday-themed DVD this year and new lines of consumer products, including self-produced toys and games.

As for NASCAR itself, the racing league’s licensing program continues to expand into categories designed to reach its growing legions of female and child fans. The company’s toy licensees, which include Fisher-Price, Fundex and now Wham-O, “allow us to satisfy the demand from our fans—research shows they have kids who watch, too,” said P.R. manager Scott Warfield. With those audience segments in mind, Warfield told Playthings, “There’s nothing [in the way of products categories] we’re not looking at. I think the possibilities are endless in the youth category.”

Formed by two Nickelodeon alumni, Out of the Blue Enterprises came to Licensing Show to highlight its debut series, Super Why!, scheduled to debut on September 3 as part of the PBS Kids preschool programming block. The series follows the adventures of super-powered versions of three famous fairytale characters and one not-so-famous brother of another, as they use books to find ways to solve problems encountered in culturally appropriate updates of classic fairytales. “We always wanted to do a series about literacy and inspiring kids to jump into books,” Angel Santomero, Out of the Blue founder and executive producer, told Playthings. Merchandising for the property—deals for which have not yet been announced—will focus on products for the specialty retail market in 2008, then the mass retailers in 2009, if all goes according to plan. “It all depends on what makes sense for the brand.” Santomero said. “We’ll know better after the show starts airing.”

Entertainment Rights, Nashville, whose divisions include VeggieTales producer Big Idea and retro animated cartoon company Classic Media, has big things planned for several of its children’s properties.

Big Idea’s flagship VeggieTales property leads the list with this winter’s release of the Universal Pictures-produced feature film, The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything—A VeggieTales Movie. Among the toymakers on board for product are Manhattan Toy (finger puppets), Blue Box (bath toys), Pint Sizes Productions (plush) and Talicor (puzzles); publisher Thomas Nelson will unveil a Pirates-themed Vacation Bible School curriculum in January 2008.

The company’s Classic Media division has projects ready for three properties: George of the Jungle, Underdog and Casper. Disney’s live-action feature film Underdog hits theaters in August, backed by collectible toys from Mezco, bobble heads from Funko and video games from Blast! (distributed in the U.S. by Eidos), while classic animated episodes on the original Underdog animated series appear for the first time on DVD from Genius Products. George of the Jungle, 40 years old this year, gets a new animated series and a holiday special slated to run on Cartoon Network starting this winter. Video games will roll out alongside the series. And Classic’s Casper will star in a new direct-to-DVD, Casper’s Scare School, slated for release next month. Among the voice talent for the DVD are ’70s pop duo Captain and Tennille, who also sing several new songs!

Rogar Studios, New York, is extending its children’s TV series Sheira & Loli’s Dittydoodle Works for its second season with 14 new episodes on an ever-expanding list of PBS stations, and is adding some extra star power to help them do it. Award-winning composer Marvin Hamlisch has signed on as musical consultant for the song-based preschool series and Chaka Khan will reprise her role as the melodic Mother Nature in its upcoming episodes. Rogar, which currently imports a limited assortment of products of its own design for sale at its live events based on the property, is looking for future licensees to create “products that promote intimacy”—plush, pajamas, publishing—which it hopes to have at specialty retailers in 2008 and at mass merchants in 2009, Cory Rosenberg, CEO, told Playthings.

“It’s been the perfect storm of licensing,” Holly Rawlinson, licensing VP for Pokemon USA, New York, told Playthings, following up the success of this spring’s Diamond and Pearl video games and the corresponding animated series based on its all-new characters. “Everything is hitting … the video games, the series. And 2008 should be even bigger.” The property is currently featured at a dedicated boutique at Toys “R” Us Times Square in New York (through July 5) and, according to Rawlinson, Jakks Pacific’s latest mini plush, in particular, has been selling out, largely on the strength of sales to girls, who make up 65 percent of purchasers. That’s a surprise for a property not normally associated with female fans. Discussions about additional dedicated retail displays outside of TRU Times Square—including a possible teen-oriented boutique—were underway, Rawlinson added, but said it was too soon to announce them during the show.

MGA Entertainment has several irons in the fire, what with its Bratz movie due out in theaters in little over a month, its Shrek license and its accelerating efforts to create a wide-ranging preschool brand out of its recent acquisition of toymaker Little Tikes. For Shrek, the toy company plans new themed playthings to surround this winter’s debut of a holiday special, Shrek the Halls, featuring the green ogre and his cohorts. To drive Little Tikes’ jump into preschool products categories outside of toys, MGA will release a CGI-animated DVD, Little Tikes Land, featuring two proprietary characters (Lilly Tikes and L.T.) and their dog, which could soon show up on everything from pajamas to theme park rides. The Bratz movie, out in theaters on August 3, will be supported by a THQ video game (October), a Geffen Records movie soundtrack, and all sorts of flashy licensed accessories for real-life girls who share the characters’ passion for fashion.

NCircle Entertainment, Dallas, the less-than-year-old home entertainment distributor headed by former HIT Entertainment exec Debbie Ries, is offering two international preschool hits—Bert Smets Productions’ Hopla (Belgium) and Granada’s Pocoyo (Spain)—among its slate of current properties. DVDs will be offered through specialty retailers and rental outlets starting in September. NCircle’s corporate parent, Alliance Entertainment Corp., recently announced a DVD/digital distribution deal for several DIC Entertainment series, including Horseland and other TV series developed for KOL’s Secret Slumber Party programming block on CBS, along with DIC library series such as Sabrina The Animated Series, Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario Bros.