Everyone knows someone that collects bobbleheads. It could be your mother, best friend, or even the crazy cat lady at work—the one who also boasts an ever-changing array of holiday sweaters. Chances are, their collections include sports stars, cartoon figures and maybe even a politician or two. Come next year, they can add a touch of Hip Hop cool to their collection with Biggie and Tupac.
Barrett LaRoda, chairman of the LaRoda Group Ltd., has finalized a deal on behalf of Funko that will license celebrities as Hip Hop-branded figures. Funko manufactures bobbleheads, vinyl action figures, and plush toys. LaRoda negotiated the licensing for Biggie and Tupac, making them the first two figures that will hit the market worldwide in early 2011. LaRoda has targeted several other Hip Hop artists for the Funko Hip Hop product line. Funko President Brian Mariotti says, “Traditional bobbleheads have always been caricatured and haven’t resembled the artist, whereas Funko has created a line that not only resembles the artist, but captures their swagger.”
When walking down the card aisle at a drugstore, picking the right card
seems to have little to do with the actual occasion. Sure, birthdays, engagements, anniversaries and retirement all call for certain celebratory notes, but really, the personality of the sender—sarcastic, sweet or inspirational—always shines through. American Greetings Corporation is adding another “category” to the list: the prankster. The company—known for both Web and print properties—is adding the first ever whoopee cushion card to its list of offerings. Titled “It’s A Gas!” each card in the collection is an actual whoopee cushion that can be signed and sent in
Photo Credit: rbes.net
an accompanying envelope.
Most likely everyone knows someone who would get a kick out of this card…but maybe go the more traditional route for grandma and grandpa’s 50th wedding anniversary.
Kim Kardashian has a pretty diverse résumé, if you want to call it that. From a sex tape to a reality TV show and several product endorsements, the girl gets around. Her latest venture includes a prepaid credit card—for kids. According to the New York Post, The Kardashian Prepaid MasterCard launches tonight at Pacha in New York and is backed by Mobile Resource.
Why should kids as young as 13 get plastic? Well, the idea behind the card is so that parents can monitor their kid’s spending amounts and habits—you can’t charge drugs. Plus, having a card at a young age with parental supervision could help kids learn responsible spending habits. Whether this is a good idea is yet to be determined.
We at The Licensing Book are in a very good mood today! Why, you ask?
1. Our biggest issue of the year is all done, and will be ready in time for you amazing people to get your hands on it at Licensing Show in Vegas next week!
2. The entire Licensing Book team is going to see Conan O’Brien tonight at Radio City Music Hall.
3. I finally remembered to charge my iPod.
4. A second trailer for the super-amazing Scott Pilgrim v.s. the World has debuted, reconfirming the belief of the TLB staff that this movie is going to be freakin’ awesome! (The film will be in theaters August 13). Watch the new trailer here:
Illinois-based Bradford Exchange Ltd. has acquired the right to manufacture and market Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Toy Villages to accompany Bradford’s scale train Sets and accessories. In a deal announced at the beginning of this year, Bradford had previously secured the rights to produce Ringling Bros. Train Sets and Accessories. Bradford’s licensed Ringling Bros. products including the Villages are to be sold through Bradford’s Direct Response Channels (print media, brochures), as well as Internet Sales via the Bradford Exchange website and its affiliate website. The deal was facilitated by CopCorp Licensing.
CopCorp also announced that that Paper Products Design has expanded its licensing arrangement with artist Will Bullas to include beverage napkins, boxed matches and boxed cork coaster sets.
So after one false alarm and one delay, New York City is being hit by its first major snowstorm of the “decade” (depending on when you think it ends!). But the news never stops! Send your Toy Fair and new product/deal announcements to bjoiner at licensingbook dot com OR take part in our newest way to get your message out: Tweet Yourself. Email your 140-characters or less announcement to tweetyourself at licensingbook dot com and we’ll blast it out to our list of followers. You are supposed to be working from home, remember?
Let’s be serious: You watched the Super Bowl last night. Or the parts between the commercials, at least. And now there’s a new NFL champion: the New Orleans Saints. Congratulations to them and their fans. They’ve certainly earned it.
Now the NFL’s licensees are going to earn it as well. As of this writing, the New Orleans Saints’ official online store is too overloaded to handle requests, which will probably push fans to sites like Fathead.com, where they’re pick up life-sized adhesive replicas of MVP quarterback Drew Brees (pictured) or stars Reggie Bush or Jonathan Vilma.
As for the commercials, Snickers’ ‘Celebrity Sack,’ starring Betty White and Abe Vigoda, topped USA Today’s annual ad meter. Here it is:
Oh yes… the “Give Me Back That Filet-O-Fish” Fish is coming to stores. Frankie the Fish, from Gemmy Industries, is now at Kmart, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid,, Bed Bath & Beyond, BJ’s Warehouse Clubs, Menards, and at online retailers.
9 Story Entertainment appointed CafePress.com as the official e-commerce partner for Almost Naked Animals. The agreement was brokered by The Licensing Shop, Inc. This is one of several announcements planned in the coming weeks as 9 Story unveils plans to develop a robust digital platform for the TV series Almost [...]
The Griffin family and their friends from Quahog are coming to gaming consoles this fall in a new Family Guy video game from Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Activision Publishing Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard Inc. Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse will offer gamers an [...]
The Joester Loria Group has brokered a deal to align Mountain Dew’s Green Label Exclusives with lifestyle brand Diamond Supply Co. and hip-hop artist Mac Miller to develop a limited-edition snapback cap. The cap will be sold exclusively on the Karmaloop e-commerce site, beginning May 28 via a Mountain Dew-branded [...]
Target Corp. has partnered with Marvel Entertainment, LLC to bring merchandise from Marvel’s The Avengers to its shoppers. Through this deal, Target will offer an assortment of Marvel’s The Avengers-themed toys, clothing, and bedding, as well as a selection of Marvel Super Hero movies in stores and online at Target.com/Avengers. [...]
Hasbro, Inc. and Aéropostale, Inc., a mall-based specialty retailer of casual and active apparel for young women and men, have partnered for the creation of an exclusive T-shirt collection featuring the Battleship and G.I. Joe brands. The new Hasbro-Aéropostale line includes both Battleship and G.I. Joe men’s graphic T-shirts and [...]
Sandow Media announced its recent acquisition of the worldwide rights to the iconic Fred Segal brand. The acquisition includes the rights to all intellectual property, the development of a new e-commerce platform for fredsegal.com, new retail stores worldwide, and the development of Fred Segal-branded apparel and products. Leveraging its global [...]
Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products has named entertainment marketing executive Nabil Kazi to the position of vice president, and global promotions and digital marketing expert Morgan Chess to the position of vice president of digital strategy and commerce. In his new position, Kazi will define and set the global licensed [...]
In support of Marvel’s The Avengers, Walmart customers will have access to the Super Hero Augmented Reality (AR) game featuring their favorite Avengers. This app, available at the iTunes App Store and Android Market, gives players instant access to Hawkeye. As they wander the aisles of Walmart, players can “unlock” [...]
Shane&Shawn have partnered with KangaROOS to create a line of footwear for men, women, and children. The design duo plans to pay homage to the original line, while incorporating recent trends, such as fur lining and innovative pockets built into every shoe. ROOS will launch its men’s line in August, [...]
The Jim Henson Company will launch a campaign to honor the 30th anniversary of television series Fraggle Rock. The campaign, Dance Your Cares Away, will feature new products that celebrate Fraggle Rock. Thirty brands, designers, and artists will join campaign by offering products to commemorate the year. DRx Romanelli signed [...]
Everyone knows someone that collects bobbleheads. It could be your mother, best friend, or even the crazy cat lady at work—the one who also boasts an ever-changing array of holiday sweaters. Chances are, their collections include sports stars, cartoon figures and maybe even a politician or two. Come next year, they can add a touch of Hip Hop cool to their collection with Biggie and Tupac.
So after one false alarm and one delay, New York City is being hit by its first major snowstorm of the “decade” (depending on when you think it ends!). But the news never stops! Send your Toy Fair and new product/deal announcements to bjoiner at licensingbook dot com OR take part in our newest way to get your message out: Tweet Yourself. Email your 140-characters or less announcement to tweetyourself at licensingbook dot com and we’ll blast it out to our list of followers. You are supposed to be working from home, remember?
Let’s be serious: You watched the Super Bowl last night. Or the parts between the commercials, at least. And now there’s a new NFL champion: the New Orleans Saints. Congratulations to them and their fans. They’ve certainly earned it.