Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Lest TLL neglects to honor those corporate trademarks/brands with influence in the toys and games space, here are some of the top highlights amongst those branded offerings we spotted on the floor at New York Toy Fair: The Smithsonian expands its a widening line of STEM toys aimed at older kids from Sakar. The line includes … [Read more...] about Going Corporate: 2019 Toys/Games Built on a TM
Trade Shows
Living Coral: 2019 NSS, NY Now & Surtex Edition
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com CORAL, as in: Conscientious, Organized, Retro, and Animated Living. From the floor of the 2019 National Stationery Show (NSS), Retail Renaissance NY Now, and Surtex, TLL brings you the latest in home, stationery, and surface design trends. This year, all three shows were held simultaneously in New York City's Jacob Javits … [Read more...] about Living Coral: 2019 NSS, NY Now & Surtex Edition
NYCC 2018: A Bigger, Badder Nostalgia Rush
By Karina Masolova. Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Now in its 13th year, New York Comic Con (NYCC) emerged bigger than ever before as an estimated 250,000 attendees occupied the Jacob Javits Center and off-site locations like the Hammerstein Ballroom and Madison Square Garden (for large panels) as well as 10 blocks north at Pier 94 (hosting Anime Fest … [Read more...] about NYCC 2018: A Bigger, Badder Nostalgia Rush
Expo Wrap-up: Fighting FOMO With Innovation
We are back from another year of Licensing Expo at Las Vegas! Thanks to our regular TLL subscribers as well as our new members for stopping by our booth. We are currently processing all new newsletter subscriptions, so please keep an eye on your inbox for updates! Please note that the 10% Show Discount is still available through the end of June—contact Jen at … [Read more...] about Expo Wrap-up: Fighting FOMO With Innovation
NYTF18: Blind Bags, Glitter & Poop
This last week saw the latest iteration of New York Toy Fair and offered a clear formula for success in toy aisles this coming year—if a toy or game includes one or more of the following fads, it might sell: (1) low-price collectible with blind packaging, (2) "cute" sparkles and magic, or (3) "gross" material like poop, slime, and dirt. Retail sales of licensed toys and games … [Read more...] about NYTF18: Blind Bags, Glitter & Poop
The Rise of Video Games
The creeping influence of video game brands on the floor of the New York Toy Fair hints at the emergence of a new powerhouse player in licensing. What's more, the branded toys and games emerging from this space have broad appeal to both children and adults. Retail sales of licensed merchandise based on video game/interactive/online-based properties amounted to $61 million in … [Read more...] about The Rise of Video Games
Spotlight: Kids’ Tech Toys
We had the chance to attend the Kids’ & Family Tech Expo in New York, where attendees showed off the latest in tech innovations to hit the toy shelves. The name of the game is STREAM, and to be more specific, programming and engineering. But while many toys were meant for a younger set, the price point was relatively high—targeting the pure-play offerings topping … [Read more...] about Spotlight: Kids’ Tech Toys
Spotlight: K-Food in America
By Karina Masolova, karina@plainlanguagemedia.com While Korean food (K-food) is just a small part of the speciality foods industry, it's the touchpoint for many questions about branding, such as: What does it take to market an entire industry? A country? American retail sales of specialty foods reached $99 billion in 2016, and make up 15% of all retail food sales, according … [Read more...] about Spotlight: K-Food in America
What’s So Special About Food?
By Karina Masolova The Summer Fancy Food Show at New York City's Jacob Javits welcomed 2,600 exhibitors from around the world last month. While Turkey was the partner country this year, the floor welcomed exhibitors ranging from classic importers like Italy, France, and Greece to Asian countries like Japan, Korea, and India to smaller countries like Costa Rica and Latvia … [Read more...] about What’s So Special About Food?
A Budding Business
The 4th Annual Cannabis World Congress & Business Exposition in NY took place last week, and the buzz is substantially dimmer. Compared to last year, the crowd was more sophisticated, knowledgeable, and connected. But as the cannabis industry becomes more settled, it's also becoming clear that (consumer products) licensing is not going to be a significant player anytime … [Read more...] about A Budding Business