Including Sanrio revealing raft of plans to mark Hello Kitty’s 45th anniversary.
The Source rounds up more news from the licensing industry across the globe from the week.
Sanrio has revealed a worldwide programme of events and partnerships to celebrate 45 years of Hello Kitty. A host of fashion collaborations with some of the world’s best known brands will launch throughout the year; a series of Hello Kitty exhibitions will be curated throughout Japan; long standing Sanrio partners including Chupa Chups will launch exclusive licensed products and experiences in multiple categories; money can’t buy competition prizes will be up for grabs; plus an immersive experience will appear in Paris, London and Milan.
Rock band Mötley Crüe has partnered with Global Merchandising Services and Epic Rights to launch retail, licensing and ecommerce programmes. The announcement comes ahead of the eagerly awaited Netflix film based on the band’s The Dirt, which launches on March 22. Categories covered will include apparel, accessories, footwear, electronics, figures and collectables, drinkware, fan merch, stationery, gaming and spirits among others.
Warner Bros. Consumer Products EMEA has partnered with United Colors of Benetton to launch a new limited edition Looney Tunes mini collection exclusively at Selfridges. The spring/summer capsule mini collection includes t-shirts, polo shirts, sweaters, jeans, scarves and bags with a special collection dedicated to Bugs Bunny. All items are influenced by Benetton’s visual legacy: classic garments, sketches, colour charts and campaign images from the brand’s extensive and iconic 50-year archive.
Collectables company Fanattik has signed a European-wide multi-year gift licence with Studiocanal – represented by CLC – for Rambo. The deal covers Rambo First Blood, Rambo First Blood Part II and Rambo III. Products will launch in Q2 2019.
Magic Box Toys has revealed initial details of its SuperZings licensing programme in partnership with Lisle Licensing. Two new board games will hit shelves this summer from John Adams, while this month sees the arrival of a new SuperZings magazine from DJ Murphy.
My Icon Story is to introduce a curated collection of specially designed artworks for Spirit of Concorde, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the aviation titan. The range consists of five limited edition premium poster prints inspired by Concorde’s history, featuring contemporary outline icon designs of the supersonic jet. The deal was brokered by Start Licensing.
CPLG has signed a number of direct to retail agreements with Forbidden Planet. The retailer will launch collections for Archie Comics – home to some of the world’s most popular comics including the Riverdale collection – plus Lionsgate’s upcoming instalment of the classic Hellboy franchise and Square Enix’s episodic adventure video game, Life is Strange.
The Tetris Company has revealed the expansion of its global merchandise licensing agent network, with new partners in the US, Israel, France and Mexico. Brand Fresh Management (US), LDI (Israel), SAGOO (France) and Tycoon (Mexico) are all on board as the brand gears up for its 35th anniversary celebrations.
The Gormiti brand has been enjoying success in Italy since its launch in late 2018. From October to December 2018, Gormiti became the number one brand choice in the Action Figures & Accessories category. It was the property that best performed in terms of turnover during Christmas and the best new property in the category. The licensing programme – which is handled by Planeta Junior in the territory – also has 90% of categories currently secured.
One Animation’s Oddbods is serving up a raft of international QSR deals. The brand is working with 2,500 restaurants across two countries, with 2,100 US POPEYES branches and 400 Indonesian KFC restaurants. Oddbods-themed jigsaw puzzles, playing cards and toys will be available to collect.
House of Turnowsky has signed an international licensing partnership with US textiles giant, Jay Franco and Sons. The deal was brokered by Brand Squared Licensing and will allow Jay Franco to produce a new range of infant décor and nursery bedding featuring Turnowsky’s original designs across territories including the US, Canada and Europe.
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