Bela Lugosi

“I Am Dracula...”

Can you give us some history of Bela Lugosi, his rise to fame and worldwide recognition?

Bela Lugosi’s body of work is impressive. His stage appearances in Budapest alone total well over 200 productions and he appeared in 48 stage productions in the United States. His filmography consists of 113 screen performances, including 23 films in Hungary and Germany. But it was his portrayal of the vampire from Bram Stoker’s gothic masterpiece that made him a cultural icon. Bela Lugosi was born in 1882 in Lugos, Hungary (now Lugoj, Romania), an area which, during his childhood, was part of the region known as…. Transylvania. At the age of twelve, he left home to pursue his dream of being an actor. He rose in the ranks on stages across Hungary and eventually became a member of the National Theater, playing a wide range of roles from Shakespeare’s characters to Jesus Christ in The Passion. During WWI, Bela fought in the Hungarian Army on the Russian front and was wounded three times. He returned to his career on the stage, and in 1917 began acting in Hungarian silent films. Lugosi was instrumental in the formation of the National Trade Union of Actors, and during the political turmoil of 1919 he was among many in Hungary’s artist community who were forced to flee the country under threat of death. Bela continued acting in films in Germany before coming to the United States in 1920. In 1927 he was cast as the lead role in the Broadway stage production of Dracula. It was there, on the stage, that Bela Lugosi created his unique interpretation of the character: the make-up, the mode of dress, the mannerisms. Along with his hypnotizing gaze and distinct accent, this became the characterization which made him a star. He brought his portrayal to the screen in the 1931 Universal film, which is credited as the catalyst for horror as a popular film genre. Lugosi’s portrayal of Count Dracula set the standard for all future interpretations of the character. He personified evil while romanticizing the vampire—Bela Lugosi is Dracula. (BelaLugosi.com)

How long has his name been a brand, and how long has there been a licensing program around him?

Our licensing program has an interesting history. In 1963, my dad, Bela G. Lugosi, discovered that Universal Studios had embarked on a program to license his father’s image on merchandise. He filed suit against the studio in what has become the landmark case, Lugosi v. Universal Pictures. His suit maintained that the characterization of Dracula created by Bela Lugosi was not the property of Universal Studios, but rather the property of Bela Lugosi and his heirs. There was no precedent in this area, and consequently the case was in the courts for 16 years. The favorable result finally came in 1984 with the enactment of the California Celebrity Rights Act by the California Legislature, making the right to exploit the name and likeness of a celebrity a property right which survives his or her death. Soon after the enactment of the California law, Bela G. Lugosi began a licensing program which enabled the Lugosi family to both protect Bela Lugosi’s name and likeness and extend his legacy through quality, approved merchandise. Bela Lugosi is more than a celebrity likeness, he is a brand embodying all things horror. Although we have been licensing Bela Lugosi’s name and likeness for commercial use for many years, we began exhibiting as a brand at the Licensing

Total Brand Licensing spoke to Lynne Lugosi Sparks, CEO of LUGOSI LLC and granddaughter of Bela Lugosi – about the icon who is Dracula and the Bela Lugosi brand

Expo in 2016. LUGOSI LLC retains exclusive management of the rights of publicity of Bela Lugosi and owns the trademarks and copyrights associated with his name, likeness, voice and signature.

Can you give examples of some of the licens-

ing deals you have signed? Bela Lugosi as Dracula is a pop culture icon and his popularity spans a wide range of interests and groups. We have licensing deals in place for a diverse range of products including: apparel, posters, statues, action figures, bobbleheads, puzzles, comics, a graphic novel, skateboards, guitars, masks, costumes, fine art, entertainment projects, wine, beer, coffee, and even a themed hotel room. We are fortunate to work with great people and great companies. I am pleased to highlight our long-time partnership with Trick or Treat Studios with whom we collaborated to produce a replica of Bela Lugosi’s screen-worn Count Dracula cape. This beautiful piece was created using a pattern provided by the Lugosi family crafted from the original cape in meticulous detail, using fabrics that closely resemble the original. This is the garment that most symbolizes Bela Lugosi as Dracula, and we are excited for fans to be able to own a replica of this historic piece. Another one of our special licenses is with ESP Guitars for a limited series of Bela Lugosi guitars featuring original artwork and specialty guitar cases. Bela Lugosi has had a substantial impact in the world of music and he has a large fan base in the genre. We are proud to feature a replica of Kirk Hammett’s custom designed White Zombie guitar as part of our licensed series with ESP.

What makes LUGOSI LLC unique?

As CEO of LUGOSI LLC, I manage the rights to my grandfather’s name and likeness through our legacy projects and merchandising program. Our company’s mission is to promote and extend the legacy of Bela Lugosi and we have the unique opportunity to curate a list of licensees that we feel further this mission. We make it a priority to work closely with each licensee to ensure our officially licensed products capture the spirit of Bela Lugosi and pay tribute to his memory.

What are your aims for the next year, with the brand?

As the exclusive licensors of Bela Lugosi, LUGOSI LLC would like to increase awareness of the Bela Lugosi brand and expand our licensing program internationally. Bela Lugosi has fans all over the world!

Obviously Bela Lugosi is a name that carries huge weight with certain audiences – are you also planning on targeting a younger audience too?

We are always supportive of events and products that introduce new fans to Bela Lugosi, the original Dracula. Across the world annual tributes during Halloween are paid to Lugosi’s famous portrayal with screenings of Dracula and his other horror and science fiction films, and he is referenced in all forms of media year-round. It is quite amazing when one considers that this has been the case every year since he appeared on the silver screen 90 years ago and first uttered the words, “I am Dracula. I bid you, welcome.” Widely considered the face of classic horror, Bela Lugosi will continue to be recognized by future generations. We look forward to entering into partnerships that will enable us to offer products to the younger generation, including products featuring a more whimsical Bela Lugosi as Dracula character geared to our very youngest fans.

What areas of licensing and brand extension are you looking to branch into?

We are very interested in pursuing licensing deals for games and digital merchandise. We would also like to expand our list of licenses for seasonal Halloween products. In our efforts to pay tribute to Bela Lugosi, the man, we envision a Bela Lugosi signature lifestyle line which will embody the Golden Age of Hollywood—menswear, shoes, hats, cigars, fragrances, furniture and home décor. In addition, following the success of our limited edition Malbec, we are looking for partnerships for new releases of Bela Lugosi wines. There are so many possibilities! We are very excited for the future of the Bela Lugosi brand and LUGOSI LLC.

It is hard to think of the global pandemic in terms of winners and losers, as life has changed in so many ways. However, the necessary restrictions enacted to halt the spread of Covid 19, have led some brands to thrive while others struggled.

Online retail boom

It’s no secret that eyewatering growth has occurred in some areas over the last year. With high streets all but closed during lockdown, more people turned to online retailers than ever before. November 2020 saw monthly online retail sales in the UK jump above £3.2bn, having not been above £2.3bn for any month since January 2016. One of the biggest winners of this rush online was global colossus Amazon, who reported that UK sales rose by 51% in 2020, with the company making £19.4bn. Meanwhile, with uncertainty everywhere, it’s understandable that consumers were looking for bargains. eBay was one of the biggest beneficiaries of this trend, with sales of used goods in the UK rising 30% during the first lockdown alone (between March and June).

As seen on screen fashion and food

Online fashion retailers benefited from people not being able to go and use any physical changing rooms. Very.co.uk reported its annu-

Winners and Losers of Lockdown

By Matt French

al revenues surpassed £2bn for the first time, while ASOS posted pre-tax profits of £142.1 million for the year to 31 August, up an impressive 329% from a year earlier. While essential supermarkets remained open throughout the pandemic, many people chose to avoid in-person shopping all together and bought their groceries online Instead. This led the big supermarket brands to post big profits and move to capitalise on their online sales. Tesco had to create some 20,000 new permanent roles to support the exceptional growth of its online business. ALDI and Morrisons similarly had to hire thousands of new staff to cope with online demand, and even Iceland – who had a relatively minor online customer base pre-lockdown – saw demand rise by 300% and so took on an extra 3,000 staff.

Deliver-woo-hoo

While online retailers boomed, it made sense that delivery companies would also see increased revenues. Delivery brand DPD was one of the big winners, and the company announed it was to invest £200m to allow it to meet the demand for its next-day service. Takeaway and food delivery brands also benefited from the convenience they offered while people missed going out to eat at their favourite restaurants. Deliveroo had posted a warning that it was on the verge of bankruptcy during 2020, but that was before the surge in demand for takeaway food during the lockdowns led to its revenues rising 62% to £771.8m. Pizza giant Domino’s also created 6,000 new jobs.

Childrens’ entertainers

As parents searched online for ways to keep their children entertained at home, the toys and games sector experienced growth of 8% during 2020. The games and puzzles category

fared particularly well, with sales up 31% yearon-year. Mattel, LEGO and MGA were all big winners in the run up to Christmas 2020, as they were behind the ‘must haves’ of the year, including Barbie Dreamhouse, L.O.L Surprise! OMG Remix Doll, and the LEGO Harry Potter Advent Calendar.

High streets change forever

In stark contrast to the online boom, high streets up and down the country faced an existential crisis. Their lifeblood was cut with all but essential retailers forced to close through the lockdowns, and many brands that had been a part of daily life for UK shoppers for decades sadly disappeared from town centres. Mothercare was the first big brand casualty of the pandemic, shutting all its UK stores after almost 60 years. TM Lewin had been a high street presence even longer (since 1898), but the formal wear brand closed its 66 shops and moved business online. Dixons Carphone also shut its 531 Carphone Warehouse UK outlets to become a solely online trader. More recently, department store brand Debenhams went into administration in November and has said it will shut all its stores by March this year. However, it was the collapse of the Arcadia Group which will arguably leave the biggest dent on UK high streets. The many familiar brands that make up the group are either set to close or have been bought out and moved online. These include ASOS’ £295m purchase of the Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands, while another online fashion brand, Boohoo, will take over Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton for £25m, putting over 15,000 jobs at risk.

No leisure or tourism

Understandably, the biggest losers from lockdown also included established leisure and tourism brands. Cineworld closed all of its theatres in the UK (and US) in October, before securing a financial lifeline worth £560m to help it through the coronavirus pandemic. The UK tourism industry didn’t fare any better, with the World Travel and Tourism Council predicting that the UK could lose £22bn in spending as global travel plummets. And as British travellers also faced restrictions, we saw the decline of several longstanding travel brands, including tour specialist Shearings and round-the-world travel agent STA.

Replacement entertainment

While people couldn’t get out to theatres, restaurants or pubs, Ofcom research found that people were instead turning to streaming services for their entertainment. Home entertainment brands such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video won big, with an extra 12m people joining a streaming service they hadn’t used previously. Disney+, which only launched in the UK around the time of the first national lockdown, managed to overtake Now TV as the third most popular paidfor streaming platform.

Helping brands

As well as the brands that have profited in spite, or because of, Covid 19 restrictions, some brands stood out for pitching in with the efforts to keep the country going during these hard times. Home schooling has posed a huge challenge to families, as parents try to juggle working from home and educating their children. Brands that have stepped in to help in this regard include mobile internet providers EE, Three and Virgin Mobile, who are all providing free data to customers in need. BrewDog, the Scottish beer brand, was one of many companies that started making hand sanitiser in response to the national shortage, and they have supplied tens of thousands of units to the NHS and local charities. Other brands helped tackle the nationwide shortage of PPE for frontline workers. One of many to repurpose their production line to this end was Cadburys, with its famous Bourneville factory joining the national effort, just as it did to make equipment for the Royal Airforce during World War II. These are just a few of the many brands that have helped people during the pandemic, and this will not be forgotten by consumers, so they may end up the biggest winners in the long-term as a result of the upturn in their brand reputations.