The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association’s (LIMA) Licensing University will open its doors at Licensing International Expo with a slate of more than 35 events and seminars. The program is offered over a five-day period, including all three days of the trade show. Presented by industry-leading experts, the interactive Licensing University sessions are specifically designed to deliver to players from all areas of the business—from newcomers to seasoned veterans—valuable, actionable insight on a broad range of important, bottom line-boosting opportunities. The program takes place from Sunday, June 10, through Thursday, June 14, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

LIMA’s Licensing University begins Sunday, June 10, with the third annual State of Retail Presentation and Store Safari, a half-day program that includes a luncheon presentation and retail field trip with retail expert Carol Spieckerman, president of newmarketbuilders. The session, which takes participants to a handpicked trio of Las Vegas-area stores to experience notable U.S. retailing trends, jumpstarts a full schedule of programs and panels that covers major industry categories, including corporate branding, legal, art, celebrity, sports, and digital licensing.

With nearly three dozen information-packed presentations, a sampling of the upcoming Licensing University program includes:

Keynote Address by Kathy Ireland: “Brand Building Through Licensing—My Journey From the Beach to the Boardroom and Beyond”
Super-model-turned-business-mogul Kathy Ireland delivers the Licensing International Expo 2012 keynote address on Tuesday, June 12. Ireland will discuss the principles on which her billion-dollar company was built, business lessons learned along the way, thoughts on the current state of the licensing business, and where it is headed.

Licensing for Beginners: The Building Blocks of Licensing Success
This session explores the building blocks needed to ready brands for licensing, including finding the best partners and properties, negotiating smart agreements, producing seamless brand extensions, and capitalizing on retail opportunities. Adina Avery-Grossman of Brandgenuity moderates the panel, which includes Teri Niadna, director, international consumer products, National Football League; Derrick Baca, VP of licensing and business development at Hybrid Apparel; Liz Kalodner, EVP and general manager at CBS Consumer Products; and Lloyd Mintz, president/founder of Nine Oaks Group.

Taking a Brand from Digital to Retail
From Angry Birds and Moshi Monsters to Talking Friends and Stardoll, popular entertainment properties don’t just come from movies, TV, and books anymore.  This session offers insight into the challenges involved in taking a brand from the digital domain to retail. Moderated by LIMA’s Marty Brochstein, the panel explores how to successfully translate properties from the computer and smartphone screen into physical product at retail. Panelists include Nicholas Bloom of The Beanstalk Group, global licensing agent for Talking Friends; Darran Garnham, chief business development officer/chief licensing officer for Mind Candy (Moshi Monsters); Mattias Miksche, co-founder and CEO of Stardoll Media; and Marc Mostman of Most Management LLC, U.S. licensing agent for Angry Birds.

Trends: Using Them to Successfully Compete in Art Licensing
This session discusses the importance of finding and tapping into trends when creating art and storyboards for products in categories such as home décor, paper, gift, stationery, and more. It also examines the difference between a trend and a fad, and when does a trend become an “evergreen.” Suzanne Cruise, president/owner of Suzanne Cruise Creative Services, leads the exploration with artists and licensing veterans Joan Beiriger and Gail Flores.

Licensing in Asia
This panel of experts and industry players will give participants a closer look at the many facets of the licensing business in Asia. The session will be moderated by Roger Berman, president of Japanese agency Zenworks, who will be joined by Yizan He, managing director, LMCA Brand Licensing & Consulting Co., Ltd. in China; Neal Rudge, partner of the Asian agency Pacific Licensing Studio; and Sid Shah, president of The Wild East Group, which specializes in licensing in India.

Getting Your Fair Share: How To Prevent Royalty Underpayments
Panelists discuss how companies can prevent underpayments and recoup payments owed. Moderator Joshua Kaufman of Venable LLP will be joined by Stuart Burns, partner in forensic accounting at HW Fisher & Co; Judy Ann Bird, director of Invotex Group; and CPA Anthony Curtis Elliott.

Identifying & Evaluating Opportunities of Licensed Properties for Your Brand or Company
This panel is designed to help participants learn how to identify strong properties, determine where they are in their lifecycle, and where will they be when it’s time to launch new products. Moderated by Alan I. Fine, president, KaleidOScope, panelists include Moss J. Kardener, OnStrategy Consultants; Andre Lake Mayer, vice president, licensing, Bandai America Inc.; Joshua Romm, vice president, IMG Licensing; and Peter Van Raalte, Partner Infinity Licensing, LLC.

To see the complete schedule of Licensing University sessions taking place leading up to and during Licensing Expo, and to register, click here.

The Licensing Book has been receiving news left and right since Licensing Show started this week. Keep up with announcements through our Twitter feed, @LicensingBook. Here’s a roundup of news that has come out of the show.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products Partners with Heather Belle Co. to Create Pretty Little Liars-Inspired Jewelry and Accessories
Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) has announced a partnership with Los Angeles–based designer Heather Belle Co., to introduce a robust line of jewelry and accessories inspired by Warner Horizon Television’s edgy, fashion-forward drama Pretty Little Liars, which airs Tuesdays 8/7 on ABC Family and has its second-season premiere June 14. The exclusive, highly anticipated chic and savvy line will resonate with fans of the series and will launch this summer.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Nestle Water Continue Campaign with Looney Tunes-Branded Bottles
Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) announced Tuesday that it will renew its ongoing global partnership with Nestlé Water, which is conducting a successful ongoing campaign featuring Looney Tunes-branded water bottles. The campaign focuses on encouraging kids to be physically active. It has resulted in the sale of more than 870 million water bottles since the partnership began in 2001. The extended partnership also will allow for expansion into additional global regions, including Middle East, Africa, and Asia, and will now encompass the countries of France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary, Poland, Switzerland, Argentina, and Mexico. WBCP’s partnership with Nestlé Waters includes the Nestlé Pure Life, Nestlé Véra, and Nestlé Aquarel brands.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Nexcare Band Together to Provide Products with Character Appeal
Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP) and Nexcare Bandages from 3M announced Monday a new licensing agreement to bring some of the most popular Warner Bros. characters to first aid aisles across the mass market, supermarket, and drug store retailers nationwide. As part of the themed collection of Nexcare Bandages, Warner Bros. characters such as Scooby-Doo, Batman and Looney Tunes will be featured on Nexcare Comfort Pals and Nexcare Tattoo Waterproof Bandages.

Hit Entertainment Launches New Barney Apparel and Accessories
Hit Entertainment has partnered with several new licensees for a complete line of retro apparel and accessories targeted to nostalgic Barney fans. The new products celebrate the big purple T-rex that generations of kids have grown up with in the U.S. and around the world. Products for adults and kids alike include T-shirts from At Full Speed and Bio World; Barney-inspired Pillow Pets from Ontel Products Corporation and CJ Products, LLC; headwear and accessories from Concept One; and video based entertainment by Yoostar where fans can insert themselves directly into video content via gaming consoles.

Discovery Communications and Delsey to Debut Discovery Expedition Branded Luggage Line
Discovery Communications announced Tuesday that Discovery Expedition, the official lifestyle brand of Discovery Channel, is expanding with the production of a line of functional luggage, travel bags, and accessories from leading luggage manufacturer, Delsey. The initial products launching as part of the Discovery Expedition luggage line will debut at retail in December. The three-year agreement was brokered on behalf of Discovery Communications by its North American licensing agent, The Joester Loria Group (JLG). Delsey plans to develop more than 20 SKUs under the Discovery Expedition brand including backpacks, messenger bags, duffel bags, trolley cases, ski, and surf bags. The licensing agreement with Delsey comes on the heels of several other recent deals for the Discovery Expedition line including an expanded relationship with MerchSource, as well as new partners Herff Jones Inc. and Brands Unlimited.

Spin Master and NASCAR Team Up to Deliver New Toy Line
NASCAR Team Properties and Spin Master Ltd. have joined forces to connect with, and help build, a new generation of fans for the sport. In a strategic effort to build its merchandising program and to further its reach with the youth demographic, NASCAR has chosen Spin Master to inject excitement, innovation, and fun into its toys and merchandise. As the primary toy licensee, Spin Master’s line of products will begin hitting store shelves in 2012. The multiyear agreement provides Spin Master with exclusive licensing rights for NASCAR branded toy categories including replica vehicles, play sets, action figures, and remote control items. These Spin Master NASCAR items will be sold at mass market retailers, online e-commerce sites, and specialty retailers nationwide.

Nickelodeon Signs Jakks Pacific as Master Toy Licensee for Winx Club
Nickelodeon and Jakks Pacific, Inc. announced from the Licensing Show on Tuesday a multiterritory master toy license agreement for Jakks Pacific to manufacture, distribute, and market a line of toys and other products based on the animated action and fantasy series Winx Club. The Jakks Pacific Winx Club product line is scheduled to launch in fall 2012 to coincide with the premiere of the brand new CGI episodes of Winx Club on Nickelodeon and will span multiple categories, including dolls and playsets, role play, dress-up, and Halloween costumes.

Saban Brands Announces Power Rangers Episodes Available on Netflix
Beginning Wednesday, more than 700 episodes of the Power Rangers series became available via Netflix’s instant streaming service. Every classic episode from the 17-year run of the world’s most successful kids action series will now be available for fans to view any time—from the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to the futuristic Power Rangers RPM.

Cabbage Patch Kids to Get Television Special
Owner of the Cabbage Patch Kids Property, Original Appalachian Artworks, Inc. (OAA), recently granted CWA Carlin West Agency, together with film and television producer Galen Walker, the rights to create an animated television special based on the Cabbage Patch Kids.

CKX to Launch Campaign for ALI Brand
CKX, Inc., the global entertainment content company whose interests include Muhammad Ali Enterprises, LLC (“MAE”), will introduce a newly focused campaign for the ALI brand. Centered on Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday in 2012, MAE’s new ALI70 campaign, subtitled “2012: The World Celebrates The GreatestTM,” for the first time recognizes Muhammad Ali’s core values as central to the brand’s positioning and relevance.

Blue Ink Syndicate Expands Its Splash! Animals Licensing Program
Blue Ink Syndicate, Inc. announced Tuesday that it has entered into licensing arrangements for its Splash! Animals brand with MasterPieces Puzzle Co., Inc. for puzzles and American Mills, Inc. for decorative pillows. An integrated licensing and merchandising program for the Splash! Animals brand is underway. The company has existing licensing programs with Art.com, Inc. for a variety of art reproductions, including posters, art prints, giclee prints, photographic prints, wall murals, and prints on canvas. Additionally, Trau-Loevner has launched a line of apparel.

The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association presented Toy Story 3 with the Best Licensed Program of the Year Award last night at the Licensing Show in Las Vegas. The third installment of The Walt Disney Company’s animated comedy-adventure film series, Toy Story 3 was also honored in the entertainment award category. Additionally, Hello Kitty swept the Best Character or Toy Brand category, winning three awards.

In all, LIMA presented 15 International Licensing Excellence Awards recognizing the best and most successful licensed properties and products in seven categories: Art/Design, Character/Toy, Corporate, Film/Television/Celebrity/Entertainment, Sports, Promotion, and Retailer. Nominations were solicited worldwide from across the licensing industry, and winners were chosen by a vote of the LIMA membership.

This year’s International Licensing Excellence Award winners included many recognizable brands such as Lego, Victoria and Albert Museum, Animal Planet, NASCAR, and Hello Kitty, as well as Boots, the first retailer outside the U.S. to be honored. In fact, more than a quarter of the entries were from non-U.S. companies, emphasizing the global reach of licensing.

“It is extremely gratifying to see the breadth and quality of the programs created by the licensing community from around the globe,” says Charles Riotto, president of LIMA. “The more than 220 entries represent the best of the best, and the association is proud to honor the winners for their ingenuity and for demonstrating licensing industry expertise.”

All awards are based on calendar year 2010. The winners, by category, are:

Art

• Best Art/Design Program: Victoria and Albert Museum (by Victoria and Albert Museum/V&A Enterprises)
• Best Art/Design Licensee: Dom Pérignon (for Andy Warhol)

Character/Toy Brand

• Best Character/Toy Brand Program: Hello Kitty (by Sanrio, Inc.)
• Best Character/Toy Brand Licensee: Hard Goods – Smart USA (for Hello Kitty)
• Best Character/Toy Brand Licensee: Soft Goods – Loungefly (for Hello Kitty)

Corporate

• Best Corporate Brand Program: Animal Planet (by Discovery Communications/The Joester Loria Group)
• Best Corporate Brand Licensee: Shabby Chic for Simply Shabby Chic at Target

Film, Television, Celebrity, or Entertainment

• Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Program: Toy Story 3 (by The Walt Disney Company)
• Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Licensee: Hard Goods – Lego (for Harry Potter)
• Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Licensee: Soft Goods – Awake, Inc. (for Glee)

Sports and Sports-Themed Entertainment

• Best Sports Program: NASCAR Team Properties (by NASCAR and Teams)
• Best Sports Licensee: Jakks Pacific, Inc. (for Ultimate Fighting Championship)

Promotion

• Best Licensed Promotion: Dove Glee (for All by Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.)

Retailer

• Best Retailer: Boots (for Strictly Come Dancing)

Overall Best Licensed Program of the Year

• Toy Story 3 (by The Walt Disney Company)

At Licensing Show, LIMA presented 16 International Licensing Excellence Awards recognizing the best and most successful licensed properties and products in seven categories: Art, Character/Toy, Corporate, Film/Television/Celebrity/Entertainment, Sports and Sports-Themed Entertainment, Promotion, and Retailer. Nominations were solicited from across the licensing industry and winners chosen by a vote of the LIMA membership.

All awards are based on calendar year 2009. The winners, by category, are:

ART

Best Art Program: Paul Frank

Best Art Licensee: LF USA’s Kids Headquarters Investments Division (for Paul Frank Apparel)

CHARACTER/TOY BRAND

Best Character/Toy Brand Program: Barbie (Mattel, Inc.)

Best Character/Toy Brand Licensee – Hard Goods: Digital Blue (for LEGO electronics)

Best Character/Toy Brand Licensee – Soft Goods: Mighty Fine (for Peanuts T-shirts)

CORPORATE

Best Corporate Brand Program: Food Network

Best Corporate Brand Licensee – Hard Goods: Creative Designs International, a Division of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (for Black & Decker Junior role-play products)

Best Corporate Brand Licensee – Soft Goods: adidas Originals (for Vespa footwear and apparel)

FILM, TELEVISION, CELEBRITY OR ENTERTAINMENT

Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Program: The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Licensee – Hard Goods: Cardinal Industries, Inc. (for The Twilight Saga: New Moon The Movie Board Game)

Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Licensee – Soft Goods: National Entertainment Collectibles Association (for The Twilight Saga: New Moon apparel and accessories)

SPORTS AND SPORTS-THEMED ENTERTAINMENT

Best Sports and Sports-Themed Entertainment Program: ESPN

Best Sports and Sports-Themed Entertainment Licensee: Electronic Arts (for FIFA videogames)

PROMOTION

Best Licensed Promotion: Scrabble at Subway (Hasbro, Inc.)

RETAILER

Best Retailer: Nordstrom (for The Twilight Saga: New Moon)

OVERALL BEST LICENSED PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

The Twilight Saga: New Moon (Summit Entertainment, LLC)

Summit Entertainment’s modern day vampire love story, The Twilight Saga: New Moon took home five International Licensing Excellence Awards yesterday at the LIMA Opening Night Awards Ceremony at Licensing Show. Licensing agent Striker Entertainment represents Summit and The Twilight Saga franchise.

The film took home an award in each of the five categories it was nominated: Overall Best Licensed Program of the Year; Best Retailer of the Year; Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Program of the Year; and two awards in the category of Best Film, Television, Celebrity or Entertainment Program of the Year (Soft Goods for the National Entertainment Collectibles Association’s apparel and accessories, and Hard Goods for Cardinal Industries’ Twilight board game).

In case you’re the last one in the world who hasn’t seen New Moon, here’s the trailer:

Tetris is my favorite game of all time. I play it in the waiting room of the doctor’s office, on the train, in restaurants waiting for my food to be served (which is probably a bit rude), on my lunch break, and any other time I have more than two idle minutes in my day. Or at least I did, until a water bottle exploded onto my Nintendo DS and I found out video games aren’t great swimmers. Anyone want to contribute to my new DS fund?

Anyway, you can imagine why this news, just in from Licensing Show, is pretty freakin’ awesome, at least to me.

Blue Planet Software, Inc., the company that manages the exclusive licensing rights to the Tetris brand, today announced that the company will be expanding the Tetris brand into merchandise licensing. The company madethe announcement from its debut appearance at Licensing Show with Licensing Works!

Created in 1984 by Russian-born mathematician Alexey Pajitnov, Tetris has become a success model for the gaming industry. Over its 25-year history, the Tetris game has been sold on almost every gaming platform and has been translated into more than 50 languages in over 50 countries. Currently, the Tetris game is available on over 30 platforms—from handheld games to computers to mobile phones to iPads—and Guinness World Records recently named Tetris one of the top 50 console games of all time.

The Tetris brand kicked off its 25th anniversary on June 6, 2009 with a media campaign that reached more than 1 billion impressions from coverage in over 60 countries. Google even changed its home page around the world and in every time zone to honor the gaming legend’s “birthday.” In addition, the game recently surpassed 100 million paid mobile downloads, making it the most popular mobile game of all time. The announcement was made with licensee EA Mobile in January of this year.

By expanding into merchandise licensing, the company hopes to broaden its demographic reach and further solidify brand awareness.

Tetris Holding, LLC is the owner of Tetris rights worldwide and The Tetris Company, LLC is its exclusive licensee. The Tetris Company, through its agent Blue Planet Software, Inc., licenses and manages the Tetris intellectual property and franchise worldwide. Today, Blue Planet Software continues to work with licensees to deliver top quality Tetris products that are relevant, fun, and challenging for its millions of players.

For the latest information about the Tetris brand and Tetris products, check out the website.

Here’s a video of the original Tetris on Nintendo Gameboy. The video is guaranteed to 1) make you feel really old, if you used to play on this version, as I did, and 2) get that awesome Tetris song stuck in your head. Enjoy!

–Jennifer Sinclair

On the eve of Licensing Show, Scholastic Media (SM) has announced new deals for Clifford the Big Red Dog that will bring the property into everything from apparel and framed prints to musical instruments and even chocolate throughout the rest of this year.

Leading with apparel, Scholastic Media has aligned with Trevco Inc. for a line of Clifford the Big Red Dog T-shirts in infant, toddler, youth, and juvenile sizes.  For the home, Starry Story will offer framed and unframed Clifford prints and lithographs. SM then turns its focus on children’s music through its deal with Kidz Toyz, which will release an electronic keyboard with other musical instruments to follow. And finally, Healthy Chocolate, a sugar-free chocolate, will introduce various branded, mostly organic chocolate products.

These agreements augment an active period for the Clifford the Big Red Dog brand, which is currently in the midst of the second year of the Clifford BE BIG campaign.  The Clifford BE BIG campaign is a fully integrated cause marketing program that invites everyone to take action and raise awareness for how Clifford’s BIG ideas (Share, Play Fair, Have Respect, Work Together, Be Responsible, Be Truthful, Be Kind, Believe in Yourself, Be a Good Friend, and Help Others) can make the world a better place.

Whew!

We just finished sending the April/May issue to the printer. It should be in your hands, faithful fans, in about two weeks, and up online sooner than that! Be sure to check it out for our Tribute to TV, Pet Licensing, and other great stories. Also check out our swanky new layout and design elements courtesy of the brilliant guidance of Toy Book Editor in Chief Jackie Breyer!

We’re now thinking about the Licensing Show issue—we’ll be in Vegas before you know it. Please send all awesome Licensing Show-related news, press releases, and artwork to Bryan Joiner at bjoiner@licensingbook.com or Jennifer Sinclair at jsinclair@licensingbook.com, or both of us, by May 3. We can’t wait to read them!

See you in Vegas, baby!

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.