With a few exceptions, every major publicly-traded toyco reported a drop in sales of licensed toys/games. TLL breaks down how the year went for Mattel, Hasbro, Jakks Pacific, Lego, and Funko. The bankruptcy and subsequent liquidation of Toys"R"Us (TRU) stores (which immediately impacted the U.S., U.K., and Australia in 2017) remained a drag on 2018 performance thanks to store … [Read more...] about Show Me the Money: Toycos Report Depressed Sales FY2018
Disney
L.O.L. Surprise! Sweeps Toy & License of the Year Awards
This year, L.O.L. Surprise! by MGA Entertainment received the distinguished “Toy of the Year” and "License of the Year" awards at the 19th Annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards. MGAE took home two more awards in the Doll and Playset (tied) categories for a total of four honors. Lego tied for the most number of awards with four of its own: Collectible, Construction Toy, Playset … [Read more...] about L.O.L. Surprise! Sweeps Toy & License of the Year Awards
What’s the [Toy] Story? Same as Last Year, Just Better!
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Straight from the floor of New York Toy Fair, TLL brings you the latest and greatest in toy trends. They just happen to be the same as last year's—only more nuanced, thoughtful, and developed. The good news this year: No one's freaking out about the ability of America's largest toy retailer to actually pay its vendors. More … [Read more...] about What’s the [Toy] Story? Same as Last Year, Just Better!
State of the Union: Reviewing Video Games in 2018
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com The U.S. video gaming industry broke records in 2018 to hit an estimated $43.4 billion in sales, according to the NPD Group, marking a rise of 18% year-over-year. Hardware revenue, including peripherals, hit $7.5 billion for a markup of 15% year-over-year. Software revenue was up 18% to reach $35.8 billion. Accessory and … [Read more...] about State of the Union: Reviewing Video Games in 2018
Marvel, DC Grow Market Share in Weak Comics Year
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com Disney’s Marvel is expected to outshine Warner Bros.’ DC Comics in retail sales both in the comic book and licensed merchandise sectors this year as the comics market continues to battle flattish growth. Marvel Comics and DC Entertainment nabbed a combined 68.3% share of all comic book and graphic novel sales in 2018, up from … [Read more...] about Marvel, DC Grow Market Share in Weak Comics Year
Streaming & New Media Updates
Contact the editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com NBCUniversal is launching a new in-house streaming service in early 2020. Similar to Hulu's service, there will be a mix of ad-supported and free tiers—and the ad-supported tier will be available free to all 52 million subscribers of Comcast and European broadcaster Sky. However, unlike Disney's new service launching this year … [Read more...] about Streaming & New Media Updates
Who’s News—January 2019
Are you hiring—or being promoted, changing jobs, retiring, launching a new company, or otherwise changing your employment? Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com to announce the news in our next issue of Who's News. 1/14/2019 Margie Cohn, currently President of DreamWorks Animation Television, takes on the additional role of President of DreamWorks Animation. Cohn … [Read more...] about Who’s News—January 2019
M&A & Legal: Fashion, Trade & Counterfeit
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. VF Corp. names the new independent, publicly traded company that has been spun off from its jeanswear organization as Kontoor Brands. The separation will be completed in the first half of 2019 and the entity will comprise the Wrangler, Lee, and Rock & Republic brands as well as the VF Outlet business. Marquee Brands … [Read more...] about M&A & Legal: Fashion, Trade & Counterfeit
Upcoming 2019 Flicks With Licensing Potential Dominated by Comics & Sequels
By: Karina Masolova, with additional research by Susan Adams. Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Of the upcoming films that TLL has identified as having licensing potential, 27% are based on comics while 28% are original works. And 56% are sequels or reboots. See the full list of 189 films being released through 2025. Just over one-third of films on the list … [Read more...] about Upcoming 2019 Flicks With Licensing Potential Dominated by Comics & Sequels
One-Quarter of Top 2018 Holiday Toys are Licensed
Contact the Editor at karina@plainlanguagemedia.com. Roughly 29% of the top 2018 holiday toys are licensed, according to lists created by Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Kmart. In 2017, retail sales of licensed toys/games sank -4.4% to $7.7 billion in the U.S./Canada, according to TLL’s Annual Licensing Business Survey. This was largely due to the impact of the Toys 'R' Us … [Read more...] about One-Quarter of Top 2018 Holiday Toys are Licensed