The Source takes a look at some of the big licensing stories of the year.
2015 has been another bumper year in the UK licensing industry – from Force Friday to emerging new brands, from The Licensing Awards to The Light Fund challenges and another strong Brand Licensing Europe.
We round up some of the stories from the year, beginning with January and February.
January
eOne picks up the pan-European licensing rights to Steven Spielberg’s hotly tipped adaptation of The BFG.
Scooby-Doo LEGO characters are on the way, following a deal between the toy company and Warner Bros. Consumer Products.
Key licensees are revealed for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. These include Hasbro, LEGO, Mattel, Jakks Pacific and Rubies.
Vickie O’Malley’s Rockpool Licensing joins forces with LMI to develop new licensing initiatives for LMI’s portfolio.
DHX Media confirms that its In The Night Garden brand finished fifth in an NPD report on the top preschool licences in value for 2014. The brand showed 92.8% growth on the report, higher than any other preschool licence in the top 15.
DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon 2 wins a Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film.
February
The Retailer, Product and Property categories for The Licensing Awards 2015 open for entries.
The Licensing Company becomes the new European agent for 20th Century Fox Consumer Products.
Rocket Licensing signs up to handle the CP programme for The Smurfs.
Cartoon Network partners with Dr Martens for a limited edition range of boots inspired by Adventure Time.
Sega hires Jason Rice as director of brand licensing. Jason was previous licensing director at Cartoon Network.
Peppa Pig makes the move from the TV screen to the cinema screen, with a 15-minute special called The Golden Boots to air from February 14 in 300 cinemas.
The new-look characters in Thunderbirds Are Go are unveiled – all have been given a CGI makeover for the eagerly anticipated new series.
