FEATURE
LICENSING SPOTLIGHT
Fully licensed Licensed products are always popular, and with the movie business back in full swing, this trend looks set to continue. TnP talks to licensed toy suppliers to find out what retailers can expect from them in the next few months
Llyr Lewis Senior Director, Licensing, EMEA & APAC Spin Master Tell us about your company and its licensed products. In addition to our own IP, we are the entrusted licensee for leading franchises including Warner Bros. Consumer Products’ (DC Universe Wizarding World), FELD Entertainment Inc. (Monster Jam, Supercross), and Riot Games (League of Legends). Our focus is to reimagine where imagination can take us for each one of these properties and ultimately deliver innovative toys and magical experiences for kids and their families globally. Some exciting products to look out for this holiday season in Spin Master’s licensed portfolio include a heroic 83cm tall Batman Transforming Playset, which will be a hit with any Batman fan. Or if you are a huge Harry Potter fan like me, you’ll be looking forward to experiencing the magic of the Wizarding World with the Magical Minis Hogwarts Castle.
What do you see as the big licences for 2022? The DC Universe is heading into a big year in 2022, with no less than four major movie releases within the portfolio: The Batman, Black Adam, The Flash & Aquaman 2. And if that wasn’t enough, the third instalment of the Fantastic Beasts series - Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - is also set to release in March to enchant audiences, and further drive awareness of and demand for WB’s Wizarding World.
How important is licensing to you as a company, and what can we look forward to in the next year? Licensing is very important to us, and while we have a reputation for developing our own independent IP, we are also known to be a trusted steward of legacy brands. We are constantly seeking and evaluating new opportunities, whether it be established franchises or smaller ‘toyetic’ properties that have the potential to break out. Over the next year, we are excited to be partnering with Universal Brand Development on Gabby’s Dollhouse: a DreamWorks Animation preschool series anchored by an evergreen dollhouse play pattern. Gabby’s Dollhouse toys have already seen exceptionally strong results out of the gate this Autumn in the US, with Gabby fans eager to play, engage and interact with their favourite characters from the show.
1
Feature LicensingNM.indd 1
Scott Eden Design Director Wilton Bradley Tell us about your company and its licensed products. We have signed up to licensing deals in the past to support our existing product ranges, such as our Great British Sewing Bee sewing machines and accessories, and X-Factor Mi-Mic Karaoke microphones, as an option within our successful Mi Mic Ranges. We made the decision to invest in officially licensed products for all of our ride-on vehicles - this ensures the best quality and design and gives us exclusivity in the market. We also have the licence for certain product categories with Volkswagen, ranging from lunch boxes to beach towels and sleeping bags. New for 2022 will be a wash bag in the two best-selling colours.
How important is licensing to you as a company, and what can we look forward to in the next year? Our newest licensed range is in partnership with The Great British Bake Off’s Nadiya Hussain. Together, we’ve developed a new product range called Bake me a Story, which contains a range of baking and cooking sets with smaller tools perfect for smaller hands. Part of the Nadiya baking range was based around the idea of family interactions between parents and children, with the whole family coming together to get creative in the kitchen. We saw there was a gap in children’s baking and at a very similar time we started talking to Nadiya, so coincidentally it tied together really well. She’s been very inspiring to work with and very like-minded.
What do you look for when searching out new licence partners? We see licensing slightly differently than much of the toy trade. We choose to work with like-minded, likehearted people and businesses to develop a product together, rather than focusing on the newest movie or YouTube stars.
53 toysnplaythings.media
01/11/2021 19:36