Closer Than You Think
By Staff -- Playthings, 12/1/2007
The world of faeries (and goblins, ogres, trolls and sprites) is all around us—if only we could see them! That’s the marketing premise of Paramount’s film The Spiderwick Chronicles, based on the bestselling books by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi.
Products from dozens of licensees will land at retail just ahead of the film’s February 2008 premiere, according to Michael Bartok, executive vice president and head of Paramount Licensing.
Categories include toys (iToys), trading cards (Inkworks), games and puzzles (University Games) and a multi-platform video game (Vivendi). Tie-in books (Simon & Shuster), calendars (Mead Westvaco), party goods (American Greetings, DecoPac) and more are also in the works.
“Our strategy all along was to secure partners that immediately recognized the consumer appeal of this imaginary world of creatures and were passionate about translating this world into an imaginative and compelling product line,” Bartok tells Playthings.
iToys’ biggest release will be a digital version of the film’s Seeing Stone device, which Paramount requested, according to marketing manager Jennifer Walker. Action figures, which buyers received positively at the Fall Toy Preview, will also debut.
For University Games, a card game, 3-D board game and a puzzle will be at specialty by the end of 2007, and go national next spring. More puzzles and a travel game are planned for fall 2008.
Licensees are also looking to release products later in the year tied to the DVD release and, in the long-term, are eyeing movie sequels. Though next year’s film already incorporates all five books in the original series, the first of five new books, The Nixie’s Song: Beyond the Spiderwick Chronicles, debuted this fall on the New York Times bestseller list. Thus, Walker says, “Two more movies are planned.”
Adds Bartok, “We’re all optimistic that this film has franchise potential.”
