Welcome to The Licensing Blog, the official blog of The Licensing Book magazine. This is the best place on the web for you to keep up with the latest licensing news and see what we’re working on. We’ll post news updates, story ideas, and anything we can think of. We work in licensing every day, so there’s no reason you should have to wait a month to interact with us — bookmark us today!
Thanks for reading, and we hope to hear from you.
Bryan Joiner Editor in Chief
bjoiner@licensingbook.com
Walt Disney Co. and Starz Entertainment have signed a deal to extend their exclusive relationship for replaying Disney movies on TV through 2015, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Under the deal, Starz will have exclusive rights to rebroadcast theatrical releases under the Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures banners on its Starz, Encore and MoviePlex stations. DreamWorks Studios and Miramax aren’t covered under the arrangement; Disney signed a separate deal for DreamWorks’ films to be broadcast on Showtime, according to the LA Times.
Wouldn’t it be great if you could play golf at work, on the train, or in your own home? As it turns out, you can.
Jump Games has introduced the official Putt-Putt golf to Apple’s iTunes App Store with the release of Putt-Putt Golf 3D for the iPhone and iPod touch. The licensing deal was brokered by ACA The Licensing Group.
Putt-Putt Golf 3D features 90 holes scattered across five courses, as well as five characters based on the original Putt-Putt mascot, Buster. Putt-Putt Golf 3D variations of the mascot include Howdy Partner, Tee Hee Hee, and others, each with its own personality and abilities.
The game offers several modes of play. There’s Quick Play for the novice player, Pass & Play to challenge your friends, Time Trial for that quick game on the go, and Championship for those ready to push themselves and test their skills. Players also have the chance to win virtual medals and trophies. Additional features include the ability to show off high scores and kick up a challenge by posting scores on Facebook and Twitter.
IMC Licensing has baked up a new partnership. The company announced today that it has entered into a representation agreement with Roman Meal, a producer of whole grain products including breads, buns and cereals in the United States, to develop a portfolio of new brand-building licensed food products for the company.
Roman Meal has long been known as “The Original Whole Grain Bread,” as it was one of the first whole grain bread brands available nationally. Roman Meal bread is baked locally and distributed by partner bakeries across most of the U.S.
IMC Licensing plans to extend the Roman Meal brand across a wide range of new categories including whole grain bagels, muffins, pizza crusts; baking mixes; whole grain salty snacks and crackers; breakfast cereals, pastas, and frozen breakfast foods featuring whole grain goodness.
Mighty Fine has announced the launch of its new consumer site, WeLoveFine.com.
WeLoveFine.com is buyer friendly, giving consumers the option to shop by collection, whether you are a fan of Hello Kitty, Fifi Lapin, Marvel, Peanuts, or other properties. There is also a do-it-yourself feature, where shoppers can customize their own tees. All subscribers receive 15 percent off and can create a personal profile for all future orders. With every purchase, customers will also receive a free Mighty Fine tote.
Browse the site now. I see large portions of my paycheck ending up here very soon.
Get your motor running. NASCAR has started its engines on a new licensing project, hoping to simplify the process of getting NASCAR-branded goods to shelves.
According to NASCAR.COM, the unit will be a one-stop shop for licensees with revenue based on sales and not revenue-sharing. Participation by teams is voluntary, but JR Motorsports, Hendrick Motorsports, Joe Gibbs Racing, Roush Fenway Racing, and Dale Earnhardt Inc. are in. The teams will allow NASCAR properties to license their images in certain categories, with apparel being the first to which everyone has agreed.
The new model replaces an older one where the teams, acting as independent contractors, needed to approve every request individually, leading to a cumbersome process for licensees looking to put out a full NASCAR product line.
CandyRific, LLC has introduced new holiday-themed M&M’S products featuring Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue, available for holiday 2010.
The 3-in-1 Christmas Candy Gift Set comes with a working M&M’S watch, Etch-A-Sketch, and Sticker Stamper, plus three fun-size packs of M&M’s candies.
The M&M’S Ornament Dispenser Christmas Gift Set features Red sitting atop a wrapped present. By pulling his arm, candies dispense out of the bottom of the gift. The set also includes an M&M’S Ornament in red or green, and a fun-size pack of M&M’S.
The light-up, miniature M&M’S Christmas Tree comes with a toy train conducted by Red, which circles the tree base when the button is pressed, and two fun-size packs of M&M’S.
The M&M’s Christmas Triple Dispenser holds and easily dispenses lots of M&M’S for the holidays. Red, Yellow, and Blue are each positioned on top of a chamber, dressed in Santa hats. The set comes with three fun-size packs of M&M’S.
The M&M’S Military Jeep features Blue behind the wheel, Red in the passenger seat, and Yellow holding on for dear life under the hood. M&M’S candies fit under the hood and dispense out of the bumper when you pull Red’s arm. The Jeep makes car sounds and has working lights, and comes with a 5.30 oz. bag of M&M’S.
Licensing Show is started to crest on the horizon — it will take place from June 8-10 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Vegas. That means a few things: meetings, sunshine, old friends, and… The Licensing Book’s biggest issue of the year.
So we’re going to start calling for submissions now, even if we have a whole ‘nuther issue between now and then. Please send new deal/product announcements with hi-res (300 dpi) images to bjoiner@gmail.com by May 3rd. Embargoed material may be sent; our issue will be released at the show, and no information therein will be released beforehand in print or online.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Haven’t we all, at some point, wished we could be like Madonna? Wished for her poise, her looks, her fame, her style? (I don’t mean just women, either–my older brother dressed up as Madonna for Halloween one year when he was 10. I’ve got pictures to prove it).
A new licensing deal has given Madonna fans the opportunity to emulate her fashion style, which may be as close as we’ll all ever come to knowing what it’s like to be the Material Girl.
MG Icon, the newly formed joint venture between Madonna and Iconix Brand Group, Inc., announced its first direct-to-retail license agreement with Macy’s, Inc. for the Material Girl collection. Material Girl is a newly created, fast-fashion junior collection that will launch exclusively in approximately 200 Macy’s stores and online in August 2010 for the back-to-school season.
As part of the direct-to-retail agreement, Macy’s will have the opportunity to launch additional brands with MG Icon in the future.
The Material Girl collection was inspired and designed in collaboration with Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, along with Iconix Brand Group’s in-house fashion department. In addition to the back-to-school apparel collection, Material Girl will also launch in multiple categories including footwear, handbags, and jewelry.
The strategy for growth will include additional categories in the lifestyle and beauty sectors including fragrance beginning 2011, as well as a rollout into additional Macy’s stores.
What celebrity did you want to be like when you were younger? Which celebrity’s style do you admire now? Leave us some comments and let us know!
And for your entertainment, we present the music video for Material Girl:
Hilary Duff has signed a world rights deal with Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers to publish her first-ever young adult fiction series, it was announced today. The first novel in the multiple-book series, entitled Elixir, publishes in hardcover in October 2010. Also part of the deal are world rights for a nonfiction title to be published in spring 2012 concerning the challenges faced by children of divorce.
Duff released a statement within the announcement of the deal, but it should be noted that multiple efforts by my younger brother to reach Duff have been unsuccessful for years. At least now we know what she was up to.
Sometimes as dutiful licensed product hawks, we must familiarize ourselves with the hit properties du jour. We do this on YouTube. Today, we present the Tron trailer, because by some happy accident of fortune it is our job (!!!) to do so:
Walt Disney Co. and Starz Entertainment have signed a deal to extend their exclusive relationship for replaying Disney movies on TV through 2015, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Under the deal, Starz will have exclusive rights to rebroadcast theatrical releases under the Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel Entertainment, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Hollywood Pictures banners on its Starz, Encore and MoviePlex stations. DreamWorks Studios and Miramax aren’t covered under the arrangement; Disney signed a separate deal for DreamWorks’ films to be broadcast on Showtime, according to the LA Times.
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