Bravo Sports Corporation has expanded its licensed products division by announcing its partnership with Marvel Entertainment to bring Avengers skateboards to the mass market in time for the summer release of the Marvel’s The Avengers.
The skateboard collection features the fictional superhero team of Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Captain America, and Tho. A 21-inch skateboard was made available in January, and the 28-inch skateboard will be available in March at Toys “R” Us. The skateboards come in the themes Team, Assemble, Rescue, and Lightning.
Teen pop singer Cody Simpson and The Wish Factory, Inc. unveiled two Cody Simpson dolls at Toys “R” Us Times Square today. I headed over to Toys “R” Us this afternoon to learn more about the dolls and meet Cody Simpson.
The collection consists of two dolls, both 11.5 inches, featuring the Australian singer’s side-swept surfer-styled hair and clothes Simpson wears. One doll is dressed in a Gold Coast T-shirt and khakis, and the other doll wears a denim jacket and black pants. Both dolls include a pair of shoes, sunglasses, a microphone, a guitar pick, and lanyard. The guitar pick included varies from box to box, some with angel wings and the word “Angel,” and others with an emoticon smiley face and the numbers “143” to mean “I love you.”
Scott Bachrach, president of The Wish Factory, which designed the dolls, said the guitar picks’ designs came from the fans, who call themselves Cody’s angels, and can become collectible items used as key chains and more. Simpson told us that he was involved throughout the doll-making process to give feedback on the look of the doll and its clothes.
The dolls, completed from start to finish in 106 days, are available exclusively at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide and online for $16.99 each.
Merchandise for the 3-D animated Twentieth Century Fox comedy RIO hits Toys “R” Us shelves across the country next month. The exclusive merchandising program will feature movie-inspired products, including an exclusive toy line, video games and books. Transforming into the ultimate retail destination for RIO, Toys“R”Us customers can find a selection of exclusive RIO extras and sneak peeks of the movie before it lands in theaters April 15.
The RIO merchandising assortment will include a toy line from ToyQuest, including poseable 3.75-inch mini figures in two packs, 8-inch basic plush pals, 10-inch animated talking plush, 9-inch feature plush and beanies. THQ Inc. is releasing a RIO game for Xbox and Wii April 12. A game will also be available for PlayStation 3.
At Toys“R”Us and Toysrus.com/RIO, families will find storybooks from HarperCollins, color and activity books from Modern Publishing, and a Look-and-Find book from Publications International.
In celebration of the anticipated theatrical release of Toy Story 3, Toys “R” Us is debuting dedicated Toy Story 3 boutiques, in all of its nearly 1,300 toy stores in 34 countries around the world.
The boutiques, which are open across the U.S., are filled with an assortment of Toy Story-inspired toys, including action figures, construction sets, role play accessories, musical instruments, and electronic devices. Similar sections will open in Toys “R” Us stores around the world, coinciding with the movie’s release in each respective country.
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.
Necco Sweethearts has signed several new licensees to its licensing program. Its licensing agency, Brand Central, has secured partnerships with Spangler Candy Company (lollipops), C Life (children’s apparel), CandyRific (tins and candy dispensers), and Richard Leeds International (loungewear). The new licensees will join FAB (stationery and school supplies) and World [...]
The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) will continue its twice-monthly webinar series on May 23 in a 12:00-1:30 p.m. session called “Licensing in Brazil.” This session will look in depth at what affects Brazil’s licensing business in South America’s largest economy. The session is part of LIMA’s licensing-related webinar [...]
The International Licensing Industry Merchandiser’s Association (LIMA)’s Licensing University contains a lineup of seminars that focus on maximizing a brand during the digital age. The sessions are digital- and interactive-themed sessions that explore how the digital world impacts licensing and are part of more than 35 Licensing University programs held [...]
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 [...]
