Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WiT), a global nonprofit organization and the industry’s preeminent voice for the advancement of women, has announced the election of nine members to its Board of Directors.
Dress up and join the party with “Disney Junior Live On Tour: Costume Palooza” launching September 2 in Southern California. The all-new show features the first appearance of characters from “Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends” in addition to Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Doc McStuffins, the Puppy Dog Pals, and Alice from Disney Junior’s newest hit series “Alice’s Wonderland Bakery,” live on stage. The immersive, interactive concert experience includes singing, dancing, acrobatics and 3D special effects. It will feature favorite songs from hit Disney Junior series, as well as new original music. In “Disney Junior Live On Tour: Costume Palooza,” Mickey, Minnie, and their pals are getting ready to throw a huge costume party but mysterious weather keeps interrupting the fun. Can Team Spidey help save the Costume Palooza?
Molo is extremely proud to announce a collaboration inspired by the highly anticipated new movie Jurassic World Dominion, from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, coming to theatres June 2022. Fan favorite dinosaurs are coming to life in a collection packed with Molo’s signature use of colors and prints. The world of photorealistic dinosaurs, created by Molo’s design team in collaboration with Universal, will be printed on styles such as t-shirts and sweatshirts, along with the iconic Jurassic World logo which will be embroidered on cargo pants, shorts, hoodies, and jackets. It is an adventurous range of clothing that encourages children to explore and learn by combining themes of history, nature, and co-existence – themes that go hand in hand with Jurassic World Dominion.
Japanese IP Specialist ADK Emotions NY Incorporated (ADK) continues to accelerate the growth of Beyblade in key international markets, adding an official TikTok channel to the brand’s digital ecosystem that now includes YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Moose Toys, a leading innovator in the toy industry and expert in the collectible category, has entered a multi-year global partnership with Universal Brand Development for DreamWorks Animation’s blockbuster Trolls franchise. Under the agreement, the toymaker will develop a range of collectible figures to arrive at retail in Fall 2023, to support the highly anticipated release of the newest Trolls movie to theaters on Nov. 17, 2023. In addition to creating the official Trolls collectibles for the movie, the agreement allows for cross-collaboration with originals brands from Moose.
Bravado, Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management company, has announced the centralization of both Bravado and Epic Rights licensing rosters. Bravado acquired Epic Rights in 2019 and the new structure includes the expanded purview of Epic Rights’ SVP Global Licensing, Lisa Streff, to oversee global licensing strategies across both companies. Streff will work closely with the existing Bravado and Epic Rights retail and brand management teams and will report to Jesper Poulsen, General Manager, Bravado.
The Loyal Subjects (TLS) – a collectible company known for selling millions of action figures and collectibles, will expand its global toy presence at this year’s Distoy show. Building on its success in North America and having disrupted the market with its fan-coveted, playable, poseable, high quality, detailed, and affordable product lines, the US-based company promises the lineup will continue to trail-blaze the global toy industry with its original and licensed products.
Fred Rogers Productions, the award-winning children’s educational media organization behind multiple well-loved, Emmy-winning PBS KIDS series, has tapped Scholastic as worldwide master publishing partner for Alma’s Way, the critically-acclaimed animated PBS KIDS series created by Sonia Manzano (Sesame Street). The multi-year agreement includes a range of readers and activity books in both English and Spanish, which will begin publishing in spring 2023.
The global licensing community is ready to re-convene at Licensing Expo 2022, held this May 24-26 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center for its first in-person gathering since 2019. Attendees and exhibitors are eager to meet with existing and potential new partners, as indicated by the 3,000+ meetings confirmed to date on the event’s online platform. Thousands of registered guests are leveraging the online platform as a strategic tool to preemptively book meetings in advance of the in-person event before schedules fill up, guaranteeing face-to-face time with brands of interest. Register here to access the online platform and proactively plan your agenda.