LIMA Award Winners Announced
The Licensing Excellence Awards from the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) were announced last night at LIMA’s annual Awards Ceremony, held during Licensing Show in Las Vegas. The winners were culled from a record 360 total entries, which were pared down to 118 nominees and then voted on by LIMA members. The winners are:
ART OR DESIGN
- Best Art or Design Program of the Year
- Dena (Dena Designs, Inc.)
- Best Art or Design Licensee of the Year
- Junk Food Clothing (for Jean-Michel Basquiat Apparel Collection)
CELEBRITY
- Best Property of the Year
- Cake Boss – Buddy Valastro (Discovery Communications)
- Best Celebrity Licensee of the Year
- Thomas Pink Limited (for The Beatles Shirt Collection)
CHARACTER OR TOY BRAND
- Best Property of the Year
- Monster High (Mattel)
- Best Character or Toy Brand Licensee of the Year – Hard Goods
- LEGO (LEGO Star Wars)
- Best Character or Toy Brand Licensee of the Year – Soft Goods
- Junk Food Clothing (for DC Comics Apparel Collection)
CORPORATE BRAND
- Best Property of the Year
- Girls Scouts of the USA (Girls Scouts of the USA/The Wildflower Group, LLC)
- Best Corporate Brand Licensee of the Year
- Bassett Furniture (HGTV Home Design Studio Only at Bassett)
DIGITAL/NEW MEDIA
- Best Property of the Year
- Angry Birds Star Wars (Rovio Entertainment Ltd. & Lucasfilm Ltd.)
- Best Licensee of the Year
- Jazwares (Minecraft Toy Line)
FILM, TELEVISION, OR ENTERTAINMENT
- Best Film, Television, or Entertainment Program of the Year
- Duck Dynasty (A+E Networks/Brandgenuity)
- Best Film, Television, or Entertainment Licensee of the Year – Hard Goods
- Playmates Toys, Inc. (for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Toy Line)
- Best Film, Television, or Entertainment Licensee of the Year – Soft Goods
- Accessory Innovations (for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3D Special FX Backpack)
SPORTS OR SPORTS-THEMED ENTERTAINMENT
- Best Sports Property of the Year
- WWE (WWE)
- Best Sports Licensee of the Year
- Junk Food Clothing Co. (for Vintage NFL Collection)
LICENSED PROMOTION
- Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues – Durango (Paramount Pictures)
LOCATION-BASED OR EXPERIENTIAL
- The Walking Dead: Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studio (AMC/Striker Entertainment)
RETAILER
- Best Retailer of the Year:
- Hot Topic (for Doctor Who)
OVERALL BEST LICENSED PROGRAM OF THE YEAR
- Duck Dynasty (A+E Networks/Brandgenuity)
For a complete list of the 2014 Awards nominees, visit the LIMA website, www.licensing.org.
DreamWorksTV Launches on YouTube
DreamWorksTV launched as a channel on YouTube, combining DreamWorks Animation with AwesomenessTV, which DreamWorks acquired a year ago.
DreamWorksTV will showcase original live-action and animated short-form content. Series highlights include family-friendly versions of reality TV (Prank My Parents, Record Setter Kids), original animated web series (Jimmy Blue Shorts, Gorillaville, and Report Card) as well as vlog posts from DreamWorks’ stable of fan favorite characters. Richie Rich, an original scripted series based on the iconic comic book character, will also make its debut this summer.
Additional content includes RetroToons, which are highlights from the Classic Media library. DreamWorksTV can be found at: www.youtube.com/dreamworkstv.
The YouTube channel will be overseen by AwesomenessTV founder Brian Robbins with a team assembled for DreamWorksTV.
Beanstalk in Partnership with Click!
Beanstalk announced that it has signed a strategic alliance with Asian brand licensing agency, Click! Licensing. Headquartered in the Philippines, with offices in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, and Taiwan, Click! will work with Beanstalk to develop local properties, while also further extending existing Beanstalk clients in the region. The collaboration adds to Beanstalk’s growing geographic presence, and is part of a strategic initiative to expand the agency’s reach in both China and South East Asia.