TLB favorite robin zingone has teamed with SkinIt Inc. for a new line of customizable skins for cell phones, MP3 players, laptops, PDA devices, cameras, gaming devices, and wall skins called the Glam Collection. Good news on a snowy Friday.

With that, we’re heading back to the ranch. Be safe out there, even if you’re in a warmer part of the world. And send us a postcard.

The DeLorean is back.

It’s not just for retro car enthusiasts either. Everyone can get in on the act, with new licensing deals with Nike, Sun Star, Gateway Global, The Hundreds, and Mattel’s Hot Wheels brand.

The company has actually serviced and manufactured its DMC-12 line for years, but recent consumer research showing extremely high recognition rates for the brand pushed them into licensing.

I wonder why it’s so popular…

I’m stumped. My head’s in flux; I hit it on my steering wheel this morning (Don’t worry, I’m going to see the Doc later). Don’t tell my boss, but I’m going to watch some YouTube clips and see if lightning strikes.

We love the movie Grease. And we love shopping. Now, we can have the best of both worlds.

From licensee Styles Checks, the latest edition to the checkbook product line based on the Paramount film Grease has been expanded.  Fans can now go back to the summer nights of Rydell High with the latest addition to the Grease personal check and accessory collection.  The expanded line includes wallet-sized checks, address labels, leather checkbook covers, and contact cards.

Next time you go shopping, do it in style with the Pink Ladies.

Pinkalicious will find its way into Burger King Kids Meals as of March 1 as the result of a partnership between Burger King, Pinkalicious and Harper Collins. There will be four Pinkalicious figures to collect, and Burger King will distribute Adventures Newsletters in-restaurant featuring Pinkalicious which include a limited edition poster.

Burger King will support the Pinkalicious promotion with a national television advertising campaign to run on major kids networks. Beginning fall 2010, they will have many more pinkatastic consumer products to choose from, including dolls, toys, dress up clothes, games, puzzles, apparel and more.

Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) Mr. Clean brand was introduced at the Housewares Show 10 years ago as the first household cleaning brand to be licensed. Butler Home Products launched the brand on a variety of cleaning tools, and Magla Products introduced the brand on a line of disposable and re-useable gloves. Licensing agency Nancy Bailey & Associates, continues to manage the licensing program for P&G.

Butler’s Mr. Clean products are the only cleaning tools in the market with patented ergonomic, soft bent handle grips and high/low cross action bristles on all of its brushes.

At this year’s Housewares Show, Butler will be expanding its Magic Eraser line with two new patent pending items. They will also be launching a patent pending cotton mop and expanding the range of Microfiber cleaning tools.

Magla is introducing a new re-usable Mr. Clean Fashion Cuff glove with an extra long printed fabric cuff.  The glove will be available in three assorted colors is cotton flock lined with a textured palm and fingertips for a secure grip while handling wet objects.

“Butler and Magla have been a tremendous asset to the Mr. Clean franchise over the past 10 years. Their success is indicative of their dedication to delivering innovative product that makes consumers’ cleaning lives easier. I look forward to many more years of partnership,” says Gayle Jones, Commercial Innovation and Trademark Licensing, P&G.

With another snowstorm creeping in to NY and NJ as we speak, who couldn’t use a taste of the Bahamas right now? We’re thinking sand, palm trees, hammock, and fruity beverage with a tiny umbrella in it.

Lifestyle brand Tommy Bahama has announced a new licensing agreement with Randa Accessories to manufacture, market, distribute, and sell men’s belts, wallets, gifts, personal travel accessories, and small leather goods in the U.S., Canada, and the UK.

Since 2006, Randa has had the rights to manufacture, market, and distribute Tommy Bahama luggage in the U.S. and Canada. These latest agreements extend the brand into categories that fit into the Tommy Bahama lifestyle.

The new Tommy Bahama accessories collection will be available at Tommy Bahama’s retail locations across the U.S., online, and at high-end department and specialty stores this spring. (Speaking of spring, hopefully it’s planning on showing up very soon, because we’ve had just about enough of this snow!)

The January/February issue of The Licensing Book is now online! In this issue, you’ll find:

• A feature on Nickelodeon at 30

• The hottest toys at Toy Fair

• The biggest news from around the industry

• A look at YMI Jeanswear

• Other features including People on the Move, Of Counsel with James Kipling, and a how-to-choose-a-property guide from brand development advisor David Niggli

We hope you like it. Check it out!

Scholastic Media has announced that its I SPY Spooky Mansion iPhone app cracked into the Top 5 in the “Paid Kids Games” category on the App Store. With 3,000 apps in this category, I SPY Spooky Mansion jumped up nine spots in one week, experiencing the highest number of downloads yet in a single day, besting its previous record set on Christmas day.  I SPY Spooky Mansion is also ranked in the Top 10 among “Paid Puzzle Games.” In the “Paid Educational Games” category, Scholastic Media’s Clifford’s BE BIG With Words App is currently among the Top 10.
I SPY Spooky Mansion and Clifford’s BE BIG With Words lead Scholastic Media’s suite of apps based on its children’s book properties including Clifford the Big Red Dog, I SPY, The 39 Clues, and  WordGirl. An additional I SPY app called I SPY Riddle Race is currently among the Top 50 among “Paid Kids Games” and “Paid Puzzle Games.”

For more information on the apps, go here.  If you would like more information about Scholastic, visit the media room.

What are your favorite iPhone Apps? What do you think about young kids using the iPhone for gaming, educational or otherwise? Leave us some comments and let us know what you think!

Found a great paper on the Tubes today about digital reproductions of artwork by museums, and what copyright protections they hold. The question is: Does making a digital copy of a work of art entitle a museum to certain copyright protections and licensing rights, or do they remain with the artist (or artist’s estate, or original propertyholder)? What is the letter of the law, and what is the spirit of the law?

These are questions that Kenneth D. Crews and Melissa A. Brown of Columbia University ask in “Control of Museum Art Images: The Reach and Limits of Copyright and Licensing,” available here. It’s well worth the 20 minutes or so it’ll take to read. Tell us what you think in the comments.

If you’re like most people, you can sing and speak every word in the Paramount film Grease. You remember watching it when you were 10, 15, 20, 25…and you still watch it when it shows up on TV. Now, 505 Games will bring this timeless film to new generations in a format that speaks to them…video games.
505 Games has selected two developers to work on the Grease video game. Based on Paramount Pictures’ classic film, UK developer Zoë Mode will develop the Wii version and Big Head Games will develop the DS version.
“For this project we knew we had to employ developers of a certain calibre in order to really bring the Grease magic to the world of video games,” says Ian Howe, Managing Director, 505 Games.
Zoë Mode is best known for its work on the  Singstar series as well as Eye Toy: Play and Disney Sing It. Formed in 2007 out of Kuju Brighton, the company now boasts a London arm as well as a newly announced studio in San Francisco.
Since its formation in 2008, Big Head Games has steadily built a strong reputation for producing quality handheld titles.

Check out one of our favorite Grease moments here: