Target Corporation announced Thursday that its collection of merchandise inspired by Disney·Pixar’s Cars 2, arriving in theaters June 24, will feature products such as the Racing Rivals Buddy Pack; Change Ups Racing Track set; Topper Deckington, a double-decker bus vehicle; Cars 2 Guess Who game; and a bedding pattern. The Target collection also features Lego Ultimate Build Francesco and the Fisher Price Wheelies Racing Rivalry Track.
“Target’s collaboration with Disney offers our guests a wide selection of playful products inspired by the Cars 2 star characters, Lightning McQueen and Mater,” says Casey Carl, senior vice president of merchandising at Target. “From play sets and electronic devices to bedding and apparel, Target is the destination that Disney·Pixar movie fans are racing to for merchandise at an exceptional value.”
A dedicated boutique of Cars 2 merchandise can also be found online at Target.com/Cars2, which has an expanded assortment of products inspired by the film and an interactive experience featuring the movie’s exciting characters. The site also houses the exclusive, custom animated TV spot created by Disney·Pixar for Target, featuring favorite characters from the film. In the spot, two cars race toward their nearest Target store when a surprise competitor comes up from behind and leaves them in the dust. The 30-second spot began airing June 4.
Ludorum plc has partnered with soft goods licensees to develop lifestyle products featuring the preschool TV series, Chuggington. Merchandise, including apparel, footwear, accessories and room décor, will be available nationwide in 2012.
Licensees that have signed on to bring Chuggington to the market include Freeze for T-shirts; ABG Accessories for weather accessories, headwear and belts; Accessory Innovations for footwear, backpacks, lunch packs and luggage; Komar Kids for pajamas; High Point Design for socks; and Jay Franco for room décor.
This announcement comes on the heels of Ludorum’s recent news that the second season of the series will debut on Disney Junior on February 14.
I’m going to see a performance of RENT this Sunday at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ, performed by Phoenix Productions, central Jersey’s community theatre company. Granted it’s not the Broadway show, but I’m a total RENT-head, and when you have an addiction like mine, you take it where you can get it. Besides, I saw it on Broadway about 15 times (we know where my paycheck goes) before it so sadly closed, so I’m ready for a different atmosphere. I also saw it performed last year by a group of Rutgers college kids at a tiny theatre in New Brunswick, and it was amazing. The passion, precision, coordination, and creativity of those 20-something-aged college kids left me in awe, and frankly, quite a bit jealous. I can barely type and talk at the same time, let alone sing, dance, and act simultaneously.
I love to see my favorite live show, RENT, performed by different people, with different skills sets, in different venues. I love seeing how the same story, with the same lyrics, the same plot and ideals, can be turned into something new and exciting each time with different performers and directors, with different interpretations. And, like any RENT-head, I love my licensed RENT-stuff. I’ve got the T-shirt, sweatshirt, keychain, coffee-table book, and all my playbills. But I’m noticing a shift in licensing when it comes to Broadway; one I’d like to find out more about.
At some point, back in the day, it used to be that Broadway shows spawned licensed products. Fans would see the shows, love them, and want to own merchandise to express that love (exhibit A: my RENT T-shirt). If you walk through the theatre district in NYC, you’ll find loads of gift shops specifically themed around this concept.
Now, however, it seems that instead of great Broadway shows leading to licensed products, other forms of media and entertainment are more and more leading to Broadway shows. What am I talking about? Shrek the musical. Disney on Broadway. Monty Python on Broadway. The Wizard of Oz. Jersey Boys. Grease. Movin’ Out. I even heard a commercial on the radio yesterday advertising that Green Day’s got an award-winning Broadway show.
When did hit properties start leading to Broadway shows instead of the other way around? When and why did the theatre crowd start accepting less “serious” art, such as Monty Python, as appropriate for theatre? How does bringing entertainment such as Green Day and Shrek to Broadway make theatre more appealing and more accessible to the masses, to the “regular folks” who might not have a taste for The Merchant of Venice or Waiting for Godot? When did Broadway become a children’s entertainment venue as well as an adult one? How does this shift increase licensing sales? What’s the legal process for turning an established property, movie, band, or celebrity biography into a licensed Broadway show? How much money does Broadway take in annually from licensed products? Why do we RENT-heads pay to see the same show again and again, and pay so much for those T-shirts, when you know darn well that if I saw a regular old shirt in a store for that price, I would laugh out loud and keep walking?
I think that those questions, and more, might be the beginning of a very interesting Broadway licensing feature.
What’s your favorite Broadway show? Why do you pay so much for Broadway product? For the shows themselves? Please weigh in on this one! Inquiring minds want to know!
–Jennifer Ringler
In case you haven’t seen RENT (in which case you have missed out on one of the best parts of life on Earth), here’s my favorite song from the show:
Haim Saban, who launched the Power Rangers TV series in the ‘90s, has bought back the rights to the property. Disney has owned the Power Rangers since 2001, and Saban has now regained control of the brand in exchange for a reported $100 million.
In a new deal between Saban and children’s television network Nickelodeon, the network will begin airing past episodes of Power Rangers, along with 20 new episodes to be produced by Saban.
The acquisition is being made under Saban Brands, Saban’s new company aimed at acquiring entertainment and consumer brands. “I think this property has significant legs going forward if it’s in an environment where it is nurtured and supported as opposed to being part of a huge portfolio,” says Saban.
This weekend, it was announced that male fairies, called “Sparrow Men,” have been added to Disney’s magical fairy world, Pixie Hollow.
The first male character in Pixie Hollow is named Slate.
Slate is a new avatar on the Pixie Hollow online community, giving visitors the chance, for the first time, to create a male instead of a female character.
In celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, today Disney Store introduced a new line of eco-friendly products. New fashionable “Save Planet Earth” totes are available now at Disney Store locations nationwide and on DisneyStore.com, and a portion of the proceeds from its sales will benefit The Nature Conservancy‘s “Adopt a Coral Reef” program. For each tote sold Disney Store will contribute $1 through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to help save our oceans by protecting vital coral reefs.
Disney Store’s exclusive “Save Planet Earth” eco-friendly product assortment with the lovable three-eyed green alien from Disney-Pixar Toy Story will be available through Earth Day and includes:
• Fashionable totes, made from seven recycled bottles that have been cleaned, smashed, melted and reused
• Children and adult sized T-shirts made from 100% organic cotton with the messages “Save Planet Earth” and “Love”
• Green reusable aluminum bottles
• Journals made from recycled paper and organic cotton
• And a new exclusive Toy Story plush alien to commemorate this special occasion
Pook-A-Looz is the new line of plush, apparel, and accessories from Disney Consumer Products (DCP). Inspired by the urban vinyl toy culture, Pook-A-Looz were designed to capture the personalities of iconic Disney characters in an edgy, offbeat way. The new line of plush features more than 30 characters, from Buzz Lightyear and Cheshire Cat to Muppets and Jack Skellington. Pook-A-Looz are available now at Toys “R” Us, Disney Store, DisneyStore.com, Disneyland Resort, and Walt Disney World stores.
The new line is the brainchild of DCP’s in-house creative design team.
“We focused on capturing one key element, gesture, or trait of each character during the design process. We wanted the look to be very unique, quirky, and cool,” said Jose Zamora, lead designer. “When you think of the Queen of Hearts, you think of her mouth, so we brought that out in the design. With the Cheshire Cat, you think of the teeth. So we focused on that famous grin.”
Fans will be welcomed into the world of Pook-A-Looz through a series of “Pook-a-Sode” videos on the Disney Living YouTube channel, beginning this week. The Disney Living Facebook fan page and Twitter feed will also offer additional content and forums for fans to win prizes, share content, and connect.
Pook-a-Looz are manufactured and distributed by select licensees.
According to a report in today’s Sports Business Journal, MLB and Disney have teamed on a long-discussed deal for co-branded merchandise, with a launch expected at the July 13 All-Star Game.
The report says the deal will include include caps, apparel, novelties and possibly children’s footwear, and is expected to lay the groundwork for more co-branded items in the future, with a possible rollout of new products for next year’s Spring Training schedule.
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.
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:
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 [...]
Target Corporation announced Thursday that its collection of merchandise inspired by Disney·Pixar’s Cars 2, arriving in theaters June 24, will feature products such as the Racing Rivals Buddy Pack; Change Ups Racing Track set; Topper Deckington, a double-decker bus vehicle; Cars 2 Guess Who game; and a bedding pattern. The Target collection also features Lego Ultimate Build Francesco and the Fisher Price Wheelies Racing Rivalry Track.
