TOTAL LICENSING
From Fan Favorites to Franchises, in 2021 King Features is focused on fun! Total Licensing caught up with Carla Silva to talk about how the future is looking for King Features.
What’s King Features’ Licensing Outlook for 2021? Despite the global challenges of the past year, we’re approaching 2021 with a renewed focus on our deep portfolio of valuable, untapped opportunities. King Features’ core stable of world-renowned IP is full of great stories and classic characters that provide millions with entertainment and the comfort of nostalgia. We’re also growing our business through newer licensing representation deals with video-game sensation Cuphead, popular Korean media franchise Pucca, and internationally beloved children’s publishing franchise Moomin. Overall, the brand strategy for our properties is to continue developing new content, broaden their fanbases and to keep growing our brand presence in the digital space through ecommerce and social engagement. In addition, King Features has several high-profile entertainment projects in development led by the highly-anticipated The Cuphead Show! debuting on Netflix in late-2021, the just announced Hagar animated series being developed in partnership with The Jim Henson Company and an unannounced project in development with Apple. Are there any key categories and/or territories that KFS is focusing on for growth? Our licensing strategy is unique to each brand and territory. Making predictions is a tricky business at the best of times, but especially so after this past year. We are fortunate to have a very solid roster of classic brands in our portfolio and we will continue our focus on key territories, such as the US, Japan, India, UK/EU, Brazil and China. In the past few years, our agent in China, Medialink, has delivered a wide range of notable activations for KFS including a Popeye 90th Anniversary art exhibition featuring works from 50 artists around the globe, large-scale experiential events such as a fashion show and an interactive mall installation, collectible toys designed by highprofile artists, plus a Popeye musical is currently in development. Building on this momentum, we’re anticipating even more amazing things out of
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China in 2021 and beyond. But we’ve had some great partnerships around the world this year. Our Italian agent, Premium Licensing, consistently delivers on beautifully executed, high-fashion collaborations. The most recent launches were with Monnalisa, Benetton kids, Original Marines kids and Iceberg Junior. In Spain, our agent Caravanserai launched a Popeye collection with sustainable fashion brand, Brava Fabrics as well as a global kids’ program with Zara. The WOD Life in Australia released a Popeye inspired fitness collection thanks to our agent, Merchantwise. And this February, C&A in Mexico will be launching a very special Valentine’s Day collection starring Olive Oyl and Popeye that will be supported with a marketing campaign tied to the holiday. The deal is being managed by our local agent, Tycoon Enterprises. In terms of categories, publishing is always a focus for all of our brands, but this year we also are laser focused on expanding programs for: Cuphead & The Cuphead Show!: toys, apparel, loungewear, graphic novels, middle grade readers, costumes and games; Popeye and Olive Oyl: consumables, video games, collectibles and apparel collaborations and promotions; Flash Gordon/The Phantom: toys, collectibles, board games, apparel, art prints, and graphic novels In addition, we’re actively working to secure deals for our new IP in the US/ Canada: PUCCA: Apparel, collaborations, promotions, social expression, Moomin: Apparel, publishing, housewares, plush. Focus on specialty, Archie: Skateboards, apparel, personal care, PURENorway: Apparel, backpacks, outdoor/sporting goods
Since Publishing is a focus for you, what new titles are launching this year? Yes! Publishing is such an important key driver for our brands and my team, particularly Christina Nix Lynch, our Licensing Director who runs lead on the category, has done a phenomenal job in this space. Here’s a short list of what we have in the works: Cuphead: Dark Horse is releasing their second graphic novel “Cartoon Chronicles & Calamities” on July 13, 2021. Little Brown Young Readers launched their latest prose novel, “A Mountain of Trouble,” on December 8, 2020 and we will announce our children’s book partner and art book publisher for The Cuphead Show! very soon! Popeye: Hermes Press is planning to launch a new Popeye title during San Diego Comic-Con and Fantagraphics is developing reprint books. The Phantom: Egmont is our biggest publishing partner in Nordic countries and they continue to have success with The Phantom and Beetle Bailey in these territories. Regal is tapping into the growing popularity of The Phantom in India, releasing 77 titles in Malayalam and English, and is introducing Mandrake the Magician to the territory with 25 titles! Aside from drivers like publishing, how do you keep a classic brand relevant today? Keeping a classic brand fresh is largely down to opportunities for scale across product categories, promotions and great creative. There are so many more brands competing for our attention these days. In the past, the older brands stood out in a much smaller marketplace. Those that have survived are genuinely regarded as special. To be relevant a brand must be relatable. The challenge is to continually find ways to genuinely connect with newer audiences and create fresh, engaging content. It’s crucial that the market identify with the brands’ attributes and messaging so that they continue to support it over time, but it is equally vital that room is made for new talent and ideas to flourish. The key to the longevity of all classic brands arises from initial reach – without incredibly strong awareness, a brand can never become a true classic. However, through licensing, social media and constant reinvention both in
