LICENSING EXPO 2015
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ctivision Licensing & Partnerships will have numerous tent pole video game franchises heading into Licensing Expo. Skylanders is in the third consecutive year of its partnership with McDonald’s for Happy Meals, which appear in more than 40 countries worldwide. Fathead will introduce life-size wall decals featuring Skylanders fan favorites, such as Eruptor, Spyro, Kaos, and Stealth Elf. NKOK will have two fully functional R/C cars featuring working headlights at retail. In support of the new game, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Activision will launch the largest licensing program for the franchise to date. New and returning partners include Mega Brands for collectible construction sets, BioWorld for apparel and accessories, Fathead for wall decals, and Surreal for bar ware, beach towels, and throws. Additionally, Power A and KontrolFreek will provide gamers with themed accessories and gifts, as well as controller accessories, respectively. BradyGames will release a comprehensive strategy guidebook with intricate details for Call of Duty: Black Ops III players.
78 • THE TOY BOOK
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et to hit theaters in May of next year, the first full-length Angry Birds movie is currently in production from Rovio Entertainment. Sony Pictures Entertainment is managing film distribution and marketing and a raft of top-tier licensees have already signed on for the movie’s licensing program for the UK, including Aykroyds/TDP, Fashion UK, VMC Accessories, Spearmark, Character World, and Roy Lowe & Sons and Grosvenor, with additional partners to be announced at a later date At just 5 years old, the game has more than 2.8 billion downloads, making it the most downloaded game of all time. The brand continues to engage its fans through physical, digital, physical-digi products, and unique partnerships. In addition, Rovio recently released new games including Jolly Jam and Angry Birds Stella Pop.
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idz Bop is on the road again for its Make Some Noise tour, featuring The Kidz Bop Kids performing kid-friendly versions of today’s biggest hits. This new, high-energy, interactive show kicked off in March, and will hit more than 50 cities throughout the year. Kidz Bop 28 released in March, and Kidz Bop continues to roll out its content across LeapFrog, VTech, and Nabi platforms, as well as produce musical toothbrushes with Church & Dwight Co. Inc. Next year, Kidz Bop will celebrate its 15th anniversary with several new marketing and promotional partnerships.
MAY/JUNE 2015