POP TRENDS Q&A THE POP INSIDER: WITH MORE KIDS CONTENT AVAILABLE THAN EVER BEFORE, HOW DOES SESAME STREET STAY RELEVANT AND FRESH? GABRIELA ARENAS: We stay relevant by having compelling characters and driving further engagement to top characters — Elmo, Cookie, and Abby. Each one has their own mini segment on Sesame Street. Elmo is of course the star of our refreshed and most popular “Elmo’s World.” Cookie, a favorite with kids and adults, has a segment called “Foodie Truck,” where he and his friend Gonger explore where food comes from. And Abby has a new animated segment with her brother Rudy. Every year, we produce a new feature-length special, and 2020 is going to be a Monster year when Sesame Street’s best-selling book of all time turns into an animated special for HBO. Coming to the TV screen for the first time, The Monster at the End of This Story makes Grover the star of his very VICE PRESIDENT, LICENSING, NORTH AMERICA own story. SESAME WORKSHOP And we’re excited to be headed to the big screens. Warner Bros. announced a new live-action Sesame Street movie produced by Shawn Levy. The movie is scheduled to premiere Jan. 15, 2021. PI: DO YOU THINK THE KIDS’ ENTERTAINMENT SPACE IS OVERCROWDED? HOW DO YOU COMBAT THIS? GA: There is definitely more competition — and more platforms — than ever before. There are big studios, small studios, and toy companies becoming studios. There is more to consider, such as if you want to launch with short-form only and how much seeding time you need to expand on your licensing. A lot of content can be very visually appealing, fresh, and new, but without a strong and compelling storyline, there won’t be longevity to a property. At Sesame Workshop, we have a unique model that brings together researchers, educators, and producers to create a show that is engaging and educational. Every year, we identify which issues are affecting kids and determine how best we can meet their needs. Being an evergreen brand is a big responsibility — we have to continue offering the best-in-class content. And, of course, we are diversifying the availability of that content so that we can be wherever families are. Sesame Street is available across all platforms from HBO and PBS. We have a thriving YouTube channel, which features content pulled directly from Sesame Street, as well as entirely new content that’s been created with the YouTube audience in mind.
GABRIELA ARENAS
PI: WITH YOUR 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS, HOW ARE YOU BALANCING PRODUCT FOR YOUR PRESCHOOL FAN BASE WITH THE NOSTALGIC PRODUCTS FOR OLDER FANS? GA: It is all about the execution. When working with adult products, designers take a more sophisticated, trend-based approach to the brand. Kids products tend to feature a more classic stylization. Characters also play a big role in this. Adult fans of the brand gravitate more toward Cookie and Oscar, as well as original favorites Snuffy, the Count, and Bert and Ernie. Children tend to be obsessed with Elmo and Cookie because they are the most featured characters on the show today. ✪
THE POP INSIDER: WITH SO MANY FANDOMS OUT THERE, HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR BRAND PARTNERS? HOWARD BEIGE: Rubie’s has always been very involved with the cosplay community and has always offered a collection of high-quality costumes and accessories, especially for the cosplayer. Rubie’s has been a long time exhibitor at all of the key cosplayer events such as Comic-Con International: San Diego, New York Comic Con, and Star Wars Celebration. It is at these important cosplayer community events that we get to connect with the important cosplayers and learn which licenses, characters, and products are important to them. They guide us as to which brands to partner with. PI: HOW DOES THE GROWTH IN POPULARITY OF COSPLAY CHANGE THE WAY YOU MANAGE YOUR EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RUBIE’S COSTUME CO. LICENSING PARTNERSHIPS AND YEAR-ROUND OFFERINGS? HB: The recent growth in cosplay has motivated Rubie’s to increase our product development for the cosplay quality and price points on both new licenses and existing licenses that Rubie’s is honored to have. You will see more new cosplay products than ever coming from Rubie’s in the next six to 24 months.
HOWARD BEIGE
PI: HOW DO YOU THINK THE RISE IN COSPLAY AND FAN CONVENTIONS IS CHANGING LICENSING AS A WHOLE? HB: I believe the rise in cosplay broadens the licensing opportunities. This now expands into categories and channels not previously on the spectrum. Also, women now comprise almost half of the overall cosplay statistics, so that too somewhat changes the opportunities on how we position the various brands. Cosplay and fan conventions will continue to grow for many years to come,w and also are now including one’s family in addition to one’s friends. ✪ 34 | Issue No. 3 | THE POP INSIDER