By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
As Licensing Works! approaches its 20th anniversary, agency owner Leslie Levine is focused squarely on the future, and for good reason. The agency’s portfolio includes several compelling properties, some new, and some that have been with Licensing Works! for many years. “We’re pretty excited going to Expo this year,” Levine says. “Licensing Works! is just months away from our 20th anniversary, which hits in 2027, and at the Expo this year we will be showcasing a mix of iconic long-term clients as well as new rising stars that we’ll be featuring for the first time.”
Among the most closely watched brands right now is The Wingfeather Saga, which is flying high going into Season 4. The animated fantasy series from Angel and Shining Isle Productions has quietly built one of the more devoted fan bases in family entertainment, and Levine describes the initial pitch from Angel and Shining Isle as nearly impossible to pass up.
“This fantasy entertainment property was scoped as a serialized, multi-season series right out of the gate, virtually unheard of in this business,” she said. “We were immediately sold on the characters, story and beautiful animation.” That creative commitment, she argues, changes the calculus for potential licensing partners entirely. Building a franchise around a property that already knows where it’s going is a different proposition than betting on a single season pickup.
The source material obviously matters too. The series is adapted from Andrew Peterson’s bestselling book series, which has sold over 2 million copies and carries with it a loyal readership. That built-in audience skews toward the 8-to-12 demographic, and the series has demonstrated unusually strong co-viewing data, with families watching together in significant numbers, one metric that resonates with both retailers and manufacturers when evaluating licensing potential. Not surprisingly, Licensing Works! is planning a big push for the brand at this year’s Licensing Expo.
From Crowdfunding Record to ‘Guild Membership’ Growth
The Wingfeather Saga holds a notable distinction in the animation world: It remains the largest crowdfunded animated family series in history.
When Shining Isle launched its campaign for Season 1 back in May 2021, it raised $1 million in the first 48 hours, and hit its $5 million goal within 30 days. Across multiple campaigns, the series has raised more than $8.2 million from over 10,000 crowd investors.
“The Wingfeather Saga has an incredible fan base,” explains Brock Starnes, Executive Producer and President at Shining Isle Productions. “Since the first book was released in 2008, kids and families have gravitated to the story, characters, and world created by author Andrew Peterson.
“When we launched the crowdfunding campaign for Season 1 in 2021 we were blown away by the support of the fans, and it’s been incredible to see the growth of the series each season!”
That grassroots energy has translated directly into Angel’s Guild membership model, in which members pay a monthly fee, vote on which projects the company distributes, and receive streaming access, theatrical tickets, and merchandise discounts in return.
Angel now boasts more than 2 million Guild members, each of them a potential consumer for licensed products. For Levine, that ready-made, self-identified audience is a significant part of the Wingfeather pitch.
“Most successful licensing partners to date are those who can merchandise alongside the books and DVD and even drop ship product to their consumers,” she said, pointing to the Guild members who are actively seeking Wingfeather products through Angel’s e-commerce platform: “Angel and Shining Isle know how to build amazing relationships with the fans and then give them exactly what they want. It is amazing to work with such intuitive partners.”
Starnes says the strategy is baked into the company’s DNA.
“Before the animated series, Andrew (author) did a great job of cultivating a community around the series,” he says. “Now with new seasons releasing annually, it’s been incredible to see the audience expand and experience the series in new ways, including through products, fan events, and premieres. “
Building the Category Architecture
Levine says another key synergy between Licensing Works! and their client is that both understand it takes time, patience, and a discerning eye for the right partner to create a brand that’s successful in the long run.
“It is a young brand,” she said. “We’re fortunate to have such wonderful creative and distribution partners in the licensor and the production company, who recognize that a franchise takes time to build, but the series has garnered enough awareness at this point to secure a master toy partner, supported with figures, plush, puzzles and costumes, so those are priorities. The series features extensive world-building, including relatable characters, maps, creatures and lore, perfect for extending into games of all kinds, as well as trading cards and collectibles.”
Securing a master toy partner is one priority for Licensing Works! At Expo, but Levine says Angel’s proprietary research into the fan base indicates that apparel is another high-demand category.
“We believe there is also a great synergy with at-home products, including art and crafts, fabric, quilt kits, and school supplies,” Levine says. “Music is a key component of the series so there is growth opportunity in this area.
There is a true adventure and survival aspect to the brand, lots of outdoor time, with opportunities in activewear, camping and adventure product categories. We also are looking for great seasonal partners.” Starnes echoes that assessment, saying the story arc of Wingfeather in Season 5 will lend itself to different licensing categories.
“As we prepare to release Season 4 this fall, we are also looking ahead to Season 5 in Fall ‘27,” Starnes explains. “We believe for Season 5, there are some specific opportunities in outdoor and adventure segments, because our main characters find themselves out in the wilderness and have to navigate their way back.
“With so much co-viewing, the series will excite families to explore the outdoors, camp, and go on adventures together.”
Numberblocks a Powerful Brand in the Preschool Space
While Wingfeather is one priority for Licensing Works! heading into Expo, the team will be in Las Vegas with a varied portfolio of valuable brands.
One of them is Numberblocks from Blocks Universe, one of the more quietly impressive brand stories in the preschool space. Licensing Works! was brought on in 2025 by global agency Blue Zoo to expand Numberblocks’ North American licensing program. The brand currently generates 2.8 million daily views on YouTube in the United States, with children watching 6.6 million hours of content per month. It streams on Netflix, Amazon Prime and most streaming channels, and is used daily in over half of U.S. classrooms for early math instruction. That puts Numberblocks in front of millions of schoolchildren across the country.
Hand2Mind, the series’ master toy partner, has seen 73% year-over-year growth and now ranks in the Circana top 10 among all preschool properties. Those numbers have attracted several licensees recently, including publishing with Cottage Door Press and Readerlink’s Printer’s Row Publishing Group for its Silver Dolphin and Dreativity imprints; digital learning products from VTech’s subsidiary LeapFrog Enterprises; musical toys and instruments from Kidz Toyz; underwear from Handcraft; and apparel and sleepwear from Sleepy Sloth.
New licensees include Mighty Mojo Toys, who are releasing ‘party in a box’ birthday kits in late 2026, and footwear coming out through late 2026 and into 2027 from Black and White Shoes.
“At the Expo, we are looking to round out our apparel and accessories program with master partners, ELA, Halloween costumes, outdoor, video games, teacher’s aids and a few proprietary publishing items not already licensed,” Levine says.
The venerable Kewpie brand has also seen incredible growth with Licensing Works!, to the point Levine is focusing more on increasing the number of retail partners rather than seeking licensing deals.
Kewpie continues to perform very well in the tween-to-young adult female demographic, with Levine keeping distribution deliberate and price points elevated in the collectibles space.
In the case of Kewpie, the brand has become a specialty collectible brand with higher price points, so Licensing Works! is keen to avoid ‘over licensing’ of the brand to avoid diluting its value. The strategy has been working as retailers have flocked to the brand.
“Most product is sold in quantities that sells through fast and clean,” Levine says. “We are bringing on more global retail partners directly or through those retailers’ preferred vendors, so we are truly expanding globally.”
Urban Outfitters renewed its Kewpie DTR program through 2027. Tillys is offering Kewpie DTR product. UNDIZ, the French lingerie and homewares brand, is the newest retailer to join the program. BioWorld International is developing a robust program to offer to their retailers throughout Europe. These join High IntenCity, NTD, Funmaker Inc., Smoko, Goodie Two Sleeves/Whatever Makes You Happy, Super Impulse, Konikson, The Forecast Agency and many more.
Conversations at Expo are focused on international DTR programs, nurturing North American existing retail relationships and product development in elevated fashion-forward apparel offerings, health and beauty, domestics and limited exclusive brand collaborations.
Monster in My Pocket Returns
Expo this year will also see the return of Monster in My Pocket, a brand close to Levine’s heart. “I worked with MEG Toys during the original introduction of Monster In My Pocket back in the early ‘90s, handling the licensing and promotions,” Levine says. “At one point, we had over 100 manufacturing and promotional licensees on board the program globally.
“Through its many iterations over the years, Monster In My Pocket remains one of my favorite brands of all time to work on for many reasons. When introduced, Joe Morrison and John Weems, both former key executives at Mattel, knew exactly how to appeal to their core target of boys.
“Those boys, now adults, are going to fall in love all over again with this cult-classic property, delivered as kidult collectibles across a broad array of licensed products including publishing, games, apparel, footwear and accessories.”
Red Hot Designer ONCH Debuts at Expo With His MONCHSTERS Brand
This year the surreal pop culture and kidult brand MONCHSTERS will be making its debut at Licensing Expo after a wildly successful launch at DesignerCon. Levine says it’s a brand that a lot of licensees are already gravitating toward.
“The creator of this universe, ONCH, is well known for his bold, imaginative work designing statement pieces worn by cultural icons including Rihanna, Paris Hilton, Ariana Grande and many more, and his collaborations with Kewpie, Teletubbies, Sanrio, Hello Kitty, and Pokémon, to name just a few,” Levine says. “Beyond its visual identity, MONCHSTERS has already demonstrated early traction through direct-to-consumer releases and collector engagement, with products designed to translate seamlessly across categories including accessories, collectibles, and lifestyle.”
As one example of the prolific designer’s viral popularity, an Onch x Hello Kitty jewelry collaboration saw the entire collection sell out as soon as it was stocked. “This real-world proof of concept underscores its strength as a scalable licensing property,” says Levine.
Licensing Works! continues to enjoy a lot of success with some of their evergreen brands, like the Winchester Mystery House, which has just released a groundbreaking pinball machine designed by real-life ‘Pinball Wizard’ Karl DeAngelo, the world’s number one player. The machine from Barrels of Fun sold out in less than 24 hours at $11,600 apiece.
Winchester Mystery House also has games in development from Asmodee and Friendly Skeleton. “We are particularly looking for games in the digital, mobile, real money gaming, murder mystery, slots and lottery categories,” Levine reveals. “In addition, we are seeking comics, graphic novels, YA publishing and in the experiential category, escape rooms, murder dinner theater and attractions, and we’re also exploring entertainment in several non-scripted categories.”
The Edgar Rice Burroughs’ character ‘Tarzan’ is also seeing licensing success more than a century after the first novel ‘Tarzan of the Apes’ was published in 1912. Levine says she’s thrilled to see a new publishing program coming out with partner Alien Comics, with titles rolling out through IDW and Penguin Random House. There’s also a new Tarzan slot machine debuting from Aristocrat this Fall. Developed by Aristocrat’s high-performing Mojo Studio, the game showcases their signature creativity and innovation.
Licensing Works! also renewed its agency agreement with Moulin Rouge, and at this year’s Expo will be focusing on partners in gaming of all kinds, including Slots, RMG and more, Gifts & Collectibles, Publishing, Home Decor, Stationery and Party Goods and Food & Beverages.
‘Love You Forever’ to Mark 40 Years as a Top Bestseller
Finally, this year’s Expo will see a resurgence of interest in the classic children’s book ‘Love You Forever’, which remains one of the Top 10 best sellers for Children’s Classic on the world’s biggest bookstore, Amazon.
Love You Forever was written by the prolific and immensely popular Canadian writer Robert Munsch, who also wrote other bestsellers like The Paperback Princess and Murmel, Murmel, Murmel, and illustrated by Sheila McGraw.
“We were very impressed with Sheila McGraw, the book’s illustrator and owner of the Love You Forever trademark, and her vision to build this out as a lifestyle brand,” Levine says.
“The brand lends itself for nursery products, baby shower gifts or virtually any gifting where you want to convey unconditional love between a parent and a child.
“To show how far this can extend, Love You Forever has been a staple since it launched in Drake’s NOCTA Nike footwear line, a tribute to the bond he shares with his mother.”
It turns out the world’s number one rapper and fellow Canadian is a huge fan of Love You Forever. Now boasting an unlikely fan base of rappers since the NOCTA Nike shoe release in 2024, Love You Forever is a major focus for Licensing Works!
“We recently launched a line of Love You Forever fabrics and wallpaper with Springs Creative that has come out beautifully,” says Levine. “And this year at Expo we are actively looking for licensees in toys, plush, dolls, apparel, accessories, baby products, paper goods, soft goods, skincare, feeding, jewelry and more.” ■