FOCUS ON: LICENSING
TV and film characters, much-loved brands, and retro properties are a mainstay of the party industry with costumes and partyware designed around the current favourites for key events and everyday celebrations. PPE catches up with some suppliers which offer licensed ranges to find out what’s new in the world of licensing.
Creative license
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ith a summer of blockbuster movies ahead, followed by the spike in dress up sales for Halloween in October, there’s lots of new and exciting licensed ranges hitting party retailers in the coming months. However classic brands also continue to do well across the board, offering a wide range to choose from. Sergio Battaner, sales and marketing director at Palmer Agencies is looking forward to one movie release in particular: “Barbie, the Movie costumes are part of Palmer Agencies’ offer for the year. The must-have costumes are part of the InSpirit Designs portfolio and we are thrilled to have such an outstanding and iconic licence.” As well as the iconic Barbie jumpsuit costume, Palmer has a range of other options. Sergio continues: “The Cowgirl and Cowboy outfits and the iconic, bright and completely neon spandex roller blade couples costumes are simply superb. The must-see movie of the year has its licensed costumes at Palmer Agencies.” On the other side of the scale at Palmer is the Scream license. Sergio tells us: “The aftermath of Scream VI, the most successful film in this iconic Halloween saga, comes with the
most complete offering in the European continent for licensed Ghost Face merchandise at Palmer Agencies. “Independents and specialists will not be disappointed with the wide range of items available, but they may be quite unhappy if they leave pre-ordering for too long and find some of the Ghost key lines are no longer available as they will be sold out.” For Smiffys, retro brands are doing well. Elliott Peckett, director, comments: “Our classic licensed product ranges continue to be top
Above: Masters of the Universe is part of Rubies’ strong licensed boys’ line-up.
sellers for us year after year, with Top Gun, Ghostbusters and Grease amongst the top spots. These well-known classics are full of nostalgia and iconic looks. For the key Halloween season, our new Beetlejuice, A Nightmare on Elm Street and IT ranges are top sellers. Again, these licences have a retro, nostalgic feel.” Key children’s ranges are also doing well. Elliott continues: “Our kids’ licences are in demand year-round, such as The Gruffalo, L.O.L. Surprise, Teletubbies, and Gigantosaurus, as children continue to bring characters to life through imaginative play at home.” Another brand which has already reached the status of evergreen, is Frozen. Julie Dommett, head of marketing at Pioneer Europe, says: “Can you believe it’s been 10 years since the launch of the very first Disney Frozen film? The Disney
Above middle: Rubies has a strong line-up for licences aimed at girls this year, including the Monster High collection. Right: Halloween meets Hawaii with Opposuits new licensed Hawaiian shirt collection. Far right: Disguise will have Little Mermaids singing their heart out with the live action film inspired dress.
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