Surge in Disney+ subscribers amid global lockdown boosts demand for Hasbro’s ‘Baby Yoda’

The surge in subscribers to Disney+ amid global coronavirus lockdown measures has already provided a boost to Hasbro’s licensed toy sales, particularly, the global toymaker has stated, to the popularity of the ‘Baby Yoda’ character from the Disney original TV series, The Mandalorian.

Demand for the character – officially called The Child – was already high when Disney+ first launched to US audiences in November last year, but, according to Hasbro’s CEO Brian Goldner in conversation with Yahoo Finance, the recent spike in Disney+ subscribers looking for entertainment while in self isolation, has drive the demand further.

“We clearly have seen that streaming has become more of a force in making connections with consumers and driving merchandising,” Goldner said earlier this week. “That’s always been a question: Could streamed content drive merchandising? And clearly Baby Yoda has done that. We saw that in the fourth quarter with some of our product directly related to The Mandalorian.

“Our pre-sales around Baby Yoda have been incredibly robust and we’re very excited to ship Baby Yoda late spring.”

Available for pre-order for the past few months, Hasbro newest Star Wars The Mandalorian toy range – including the Baby Yoda product line – will be landing on shelves this spring.

On top of this, Goldner has revealed that it’s not just Star Wars merchandise that has received a boost recently, but so too has Frozen, other Disney Princess lines, and Marvel toys.

“We’re seeing that overall Star Wars sales are performing well year-to-date, because the movie [‘Rise of Skywalker’] was incredibly popular, and then the home entertainment window has come more quickly, as has ‘Frozen 2.’ Disney has advanced those windows and made those home entertainment windows available to consumers more quickly on Disney+. We clearly see Disney+ as a major advantage to Disney and also to licensees of Disney like Hasbro,” said a representative from Disney.

Flossy and Jim lands on photo-editing app Meitu as activity in China beings to pick up

Flossy and Jim is making new headwinds in China having landed a new partnership with the global mobile app, Meitu. The deals arrives as life in China slowly begins to return to normal following a two-month period of lockdown across the region.

With partner in the region now back in the office and activity picking back up in the country, Edutainment Licensing has confirmed the new partnership that now brings Flossy and Jim to the popular photo editing app.

Available on Google Play and in the App store, and endorsed by celebrities and key influencers, the Meitu app was selected as one of iTunes top 10 apps of the year.

It has become one of the most popular photo editing apps of all time giving users access to an incredible suite of professional filters, frames, effects, stickers and other tools to turn their smartphone photos into works of art.

Launched in 2008, Meitu is a global innovator in mobile technology with its apps being used by more than 450 million monthly active users worldwide, generating more than 6 billion photos and videos each month.

Minions: The Rise of Gru movie release date put on hold as France enters lockdown

Illumination and Universal’s Minions: The Rise of Gru has been moved from its global release slot of late June and early July owing to the deepening COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown in many countries across the globe.

The move was spurred by the current lockdown in France that incorporates Illumination’s Mac Guff studio in Paris.

Illumination founder and CEO, Chris Meledandri, said: “In response to the severity of the situation in France, we are temporarily closing our Illumination Mac Guff studio in Paris. With this decision we are abiding by the French Government’s guidelines and doing everything possible to slow the spread of the virus as we care for our artists and their families.

“This means we will be unable to finish Minions: The Rise of Gru in time for our planned global releases in late June and early July. While we all grapple with the enormity of this crisis, we must put the safety and proetection of our employees above all.

“We look forward to finding a new release date for the return of Gru and the Minions.”

In 2017, the Despicable Me franchise became the top grossing animated series worldwide. Efforts will be put in locking in a new release date for the film once global restrictions have been lifted.

Genius Brands delves into IP portfolio to deliver public messaging on hygiene amid COVID-19 pandemic

In an effort to provide information to parents and children in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Genius Brands International has produced a series of Public Service Announcements starring Warren Buffett and Jennifer Garner, to inform children about safe hygiene.

The series of announcements will feature brands from the company’s catalogue of properties, including Llama Llama,Warren Buffett’sSecret Millionaires Club, and Rainbow Rangers.

The seven PSAs focus on teaching children how to practice hand-washing and social distancing to help keep family, friends, and their community safe all presented in a manner that children can easily understand.

Warren Buffett, who co-created and stars in Warren Buffett’s Secret Millionaires Club, and Jennfer Garner, who stars in Netflix’s Llama Llama, have lent their voices and donated their time to participate in the production of the PSAs. The PSAs will be distributed to Genius Brands’ media partners around the world, as well as on Genius Brands’ network of channels.

“I am proud to participate in these PSAs with Genius Brands to deliver the overarching message to children everywhere that the best investment they can make, is an investment in themselves and today that means safe hygiene,” said Buffett.

“Given where we are today, we recognise we had an opportunity and obligation to utilise our well recognised brands we have to deliver an extremely important message to parents and children, particularly those in vulnerable situations,” added Andy Heyward, chairman and CEO, Genius Brands.

“I am extremely grateful to Warren and Jennifer, for their generosity in working with us to develop this PSA campaign, as well as the many talents behind the scenes donating their time and effort to bring these to the marketplace in record time.”

White Paper – Kids Industries explores: Children and COVID-19

The following research and White Paper has been conducted and written by Kids Industries, a research, strategy, and creative agency for the children’s and family market in the UK. Kids Industries researcher, Aleksandra Szczerba offers up her insight into the developing COVID-19 situation, and how children are managing in these uncertain times.

Children and COVID-19: how are they dealing with it?

 

As more and more countries take increasingly serious measures to combat the spread of the coronavirus, more and more people are pointing out how this is likely to be one of the most important events that Gens X, Y, Z and Alpha will ever have to deal with.

People are having to isolate inside their homes and shop shelves are hauntingly empty. Events are being cancelled, schools are being closed down, and across the world planes are being grounded as countries are closing their land and sea borders. The coronavirus is now very much a global crisis that affects all of us – including children.

At Kids Industries, children are at the core of the work that we do. It therefore comes as no surprise that we wanted to know more about how the virus is affecting children’s lives, what they know about it, and how they are dealing with it. As such, at short notice we approached our junior board and interviewed a number of children this weekend to find out their views firsthand.

In addition, we scoured the internet for information on how young people across the globe were responding to this crisis. We have combined our findings with our expertise in children’s development to give you an overview of how young people are dealing with the situation at hand, and what you can do to support them, both as individuals and brands.

First of all: what does children’s development tell us about children’s fears and worries?

Before the age of six, children struggle with separating fantasy and reality, and their limited cognitive abilities mean they struggle to tell themselves that something is not real – monsters under the bed may still exist. However, as children reach the age of six and seven, begin “big school”, experience the world beyond their family household, and become better readers and more attentive viewers, they become exposed to the big bad world around them and the many unpleasant things within it.

Consequently, concrete threats they might see in the media, like burglars, earthquakes and even pedophiles, become huge concerns for them. The world is big and scary, and children aged six to 10 are only progressively learning to deal with these fears. Exposure to scary news coverage can cause them a lot of anxiety and the stories can stay with them for a long time.

As children enter their tween years (and later their teens), their abstract reasoning gradually develops, and so does their ability to comprehend issues like climate change, political issues and military conflict. These now become sources of children’s anxiety. This progression makes sense, considering older children are less self-centred and have the ability to think about consequences on a larger scale. Although they understand a greater number of threats, their emotional control is better than that of younger children, and although they may worry, they think about issues more realistically and rationally. This was reflected in the research we carried out.

Children today are informed and level headed about the situation

The children we spoke to all knew the key factual information about the virus. Even our seven year old could tell us that it is a disease that spreads quickly. Children correctly identified symptoms which are akin to the flu, and some knew about the virus’ origins and the lack of a vaccine or a cure. When asked about what steps should be taken, all children regardless of age could tell us what the main preventative measures were, including washing your hands for 20 seconds and self-isolating when feeling unwell.

The older children thought a bit more deeply about some recommendations and behaviours, weighing pros and cons and critiquing bad ideas. The recommended “elbow greeting” instead of a handshake was identified as something that was probably just popular online and not the real world, they considered how closing schools might do more harm than good, and one of the girls was critical of people stockpiling:

“People should not panic buy, it just means that if we do go into lockdown or whatever, some people will have loads of stuff and some will have none” – Tween girl

Also in the context of what measures should be taken, one of the girls mentioned the government’s response and expressed a degree of distrust:

“They said it’s fine, but I mean….I don’t really think any of them knows what climate change is or anything like that, so…” – Tween girl

Children weren’t just able to recall information and guidance – they also approached it critically.

We also asked children if they were scared of the virus – and we found that across the board they weren’t scared of it in relation to themselves, recognising that it is unlikely to affect young, healthy people. Instead, they showed concern for others, expressing that they were worried about how it would affect the sick and elderly, both in the general population and their own family members.

“To me personally, kind of, but not particularly. I think…actually as a whole, the effect of it on other people around you, yes it’s fairly scary. The scariness of it isn’t necessarily in relation to, like, me personally, it’s the effect on other people.” – Teenage boy

Overall, children’s responses showed that they are aware of key facts about the coronavirus. They all considered how the virus affects other people and many of them carefully thought about potential measures. This goes to show that even children at the younger end of our age range engaged with the subject in a grounded, knowledgeable way, and understood the severity of the illness in relation to at-risk groups. The degree to which children evaluated the effects on society as a whole varied slightly with age, but no child possessed information that was wrong or expressed any irrational anxiety about the situation.

Media and politicians are addressing children directly – because children want information

As children of all ages are clearly showing an interest in and understanding of the subject of the coronavirus, it’s not surprising that in some countries politicians are trying to communicate with children directly and listening to their concerns.

On Friday the 13th of March, Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen held a short press conference in which she answered questions about the coronavirus sent in by children. On Monday, Norway’s prime minister Erna Solberg followed suit, also holding a special press conference in collaboration with children’s media outlets, with adult press banned from attending. Both leaders faced questions from children aged six to 13 which covered issues such as school closures, activities children can and cannot take part in, holidays, concerns about senior family members, vaccine development, and how to best take care of your own health and helping your friends and loved ones.

Children want to know what is going on, they want to know what they can and should do, and they care about the people around them.

Similarly, also in Norway, the children’s newspaper Aftenposten Junior has been focusing their content on providing accurate and easy to understand news about the coronavirus. The newspaper, being an offshoot of the biggest newspaper in the country, is currently available free of charge, as the publishers understand the importance of providing children with factual content about the virus, stressing the importance of accurate information in the era of “fake news”.

That’s not to say the Scandinavians are alone in wanting to keep children informed; CBBC’s Newsround webpage includes multiple stories about the virus, including an FAQ page, an article about social distancing, and even instructions on how to disinfect your phone or play Pokemon Go in isolation!

Teenagers cope with everything through humour and social media

When we look at how older children have been coping with the coronavirus pandemic, the biggest thing for them is humour on social media. Teenagers use memes to process both personal and social problems, including some serious issues. Although to an outsider the use of humorous memes may seem poorly-timed or in poor taste, they are an important way to place a challenge into a social context and to foster discussion and a sense of community.

Instagram is full of memes about mental health, sexuality and gender identity, climate change, politics, and more. Hashtags such as #anxietymemes or #lgbtmemes bring up hundreds of thousands of results – the vast majority posted by teenagers. However, in 2020 another platform is being used by Generation Z to talk about world events and cope with sociopolitical issues: TikTok.

This isn’t the first time that teens have taken to TikTok in response to a major world event. In the past they have used the platform to share their opinions on Brexit, urge people to register to vote, air their frustrations with world leaders’ responses to climate change, and more.

Now coronavirus is the “it” trend on the short video platform, as teens make stockpiling videos and come up with quarantine ideas. All of this is set to trending coronavirus-themed songs (because of course these exist!) One of the main trending songs stems from a viral Vietnamese PSA about the virus. A Vietnamese dancer created a dance routine based on WHO’s recommendations on how to wash one’s hands to the song, and this hand wash dance challenge (#ghencovychallenge) has been picked up by teens across the world, and now media outlets in Asia and the west.

Brands are also getting involved – Dettol India released a special filter and started their own TikTok challenge. Even though the user engagement here is not as organic or spontaneous as in the case of other trends, the associated tag #handwashchallenge is racking up billions of views anyway.

The Vietnamese hand wash challenge tag has accumulated 15.8M views on the app, whereas the trending user-created “It’s Corona Time” song has been used in over 800,000 videos.

Although much of the Gen Z humour regarding the coronavirus can be considered quite nihilistic or absurd, it’s in line with how teens have dealt with all other issues in recent history. Absurdist moments of levity set against the backdrop of hopeless situations is a formula that has come to define this generation of internet users, and its prevalence shows just how engaged with the news cycle and concerned about global issues teenagers are.

The social nature of these platforms, the speed at which content spreads to millions of users, and the mass engagement in “challenges” and trends, all allow teenagers to feel a sense of togetherness and understanding as they deal with global crises. Even though the situation might feel hopeless – at least they know they’re not dealing with it alone.

To conclude, it cannot be denied that children and young people understand the situation unfolding around them. Unsurprisingly older children’s reasoning about the coronavirus and its effects is more sophisticated, but even young children are concerned for others.

They’re not panicking – instead they are seeking out information on how to help, taking an interest in how politicians are responding to the crisis, and in the case of teenagers – looking towards social media and humour for support. The coronavirus pandemic will definitely leave a lasting impact on children as they are forced to adjust to a reality in which they cannot go to school and where their friendships are moved to the digital space. Many of them are faced with an emotionally challenging situation where they think about and worry about the disease’s consequences on their close ones and the world around them. So far they appear to be dealing with it all well, but time will tell how all of this unfolds over a longer period of time.

So what can you do under these circumstances as a children’s brand or content creator? If you do choose to talk about the coronavirus, remember to share information that is up to date and factual, in a way that is easy to understand. Acknowledge the severity of the situation, but don’t induce panic. Don’t be scared to inject a small dose of humour to uplift spirits. Also think about how your platform or product can help children during this time, as they will be seeking things to occupy and distract them. Could you perhaps make some of your content free of charge, or offer extended free trials? If you happen to have a digital game, is there a way in which you can facilitate gameplay and add joy to it?  Museums are offering virtual tours, theatres are posting videos of their plays, whereas musicians are holding mini concerts on live video – so what can your brand do to make this period easier and more pleasant for children?

Kids Industries is the leading Insight, Strategy and Creative agency for brands that wish to connect with families. KI uses digital technologies to undertake qualitative research online to get actionable insights. Established in 2002 and are proud to include Universal, Disney, Royal Caribbean, BBC and Kellogg amongst their client list.

WWE finds way to celebrate WrestleMania 36 with I Wasn’t There t-shirt range

WWE has found a way to handle the Coronavirus pandemic and the restriction on spectators attending sporting events with a novel new approach to its merchandising roll-out.

Capitalising on the matter that WrestleMania 36 will push ahead this year without the roar of the on-looking crowds, WWE Shop has launched a range of t-shirts that WWE fans can all relate to.

The ‘I Wasn’t There’ t-shirt features that exact messaging on the front, with the tagline ‘Too Big for One Night’ at the bottom. The shirt also dates this year’s WrestleMania event.

WrestleMania 36 will take place on Saturday, April 4th and Sunday, April 5th on pay-per-view and the WWE Network, from the WWE Performance Centre and other multiple locations, but with no crowds.

The show was moved from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa after all of the WrestleMania 36 Week was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic.

A tweet from the official WWE Shop declared: WrestleMania 36 will be an historic event in WWE history, and you won’t be there. Declare to the world that you did your part and stayed home with a new I Wasn’t There t-shirt.”

Spin Master updates financial outlook for 2020 following coronavirus pandemic

The global entertainment company, Spin Master – the home of brands including the popular PAW Patrol and Bakugan franchise – is to withdraw its 2020 outlook in connection to projected product sales, stating that the potential impact of the developing COVID-19 situation on the firm is as yet unquantifiable.

The firm previously provided a 2020 outlook on March 4th this year, but, as the global coronavirus pandemic continues to deepen, will issue no further guidance in the near term due to the uncertainty surrounding it.

It is anticipated that the spread of COVID-19 and global measures to contain it, will have an impact on the company, however it is challenging to quantify the potential magnitude of such impact at this time. Spin Master is regularly assessing the situation and remains in contact with its customers and suppliers to assess any impacts and risks. It will provide a further update when it reports Q1 2020 results on May 6, 2020.

The 2020 outlook provided by Spin Master on March 4, 2020 reflected the information available to the Company at that time. This information included factory capacity in ChinaVietnam and India, labour return rates, tooling availability, raw material and component availability, the ability to shift production between various geographies and products and customer acceptance of modified delivery dates.

Since that time, production levels have increased significantly and are approaching normal levels. However, due to the current market disruptions and heightened uncertainty caused by the spread of COVID-19 in global customer markets, the company is withdrawing such guidance.

“Since early March we have seen a substantial improvement in our Asian supply chain, particularly in China, as expected. However, the disruption we are now seeing in key customer markets resulting from the impact of COVID-19 is significant and we are withdrawing our fiscal 2020 guidance statement as a result thereof,” said Mark Segal, Spin Master’s executive vice president and chief financial officer.

“Our balance sheet remains strong, with cash on hand and committed credit lines available, which provides us with significant financial flexibility. Spin Master is known for its resiliency and entrepreneurial spirit. We believe in our ability to withstand any issues and continue to succeed.”

Has Nintendo cracked the next big gaming IP amid the Coronavirus pandemic?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons has become the fastest-selling single title on Nintendo’s Switch to date, selling more copies in its first week of sale than the combined launch sales of all previous Animal Crossing games in the franchise.

Reports are already coming in that the title is ‘3.5 times bigger than the last game in the series, 2013’s Animal Crossing: New Leaf on Nintendo 3DS.’ The title was previously the biggest launch for Nintendo’s franchise.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a non-linear life simulation game played in real-time. Each player assumes the role of a customisable character who moves to a deserted island. The open world game then allows players to explore the island as it develops into a community of animals.

Not only is the game one solution to maintaining communication and world-exploration social distancing, but also carries the potential to be one of Nintendo’s next big franchises. Video games analysts already expect New Horizons to be shipping over 12 million games in the next few months, and that is not accounting for digital downloads.

Benji Sales, an independent video game analyst, wrote on Twitter:

“Animal Crossing New Leaf was the previous best-selling Animal Crossing game, hitting over 12 million sold lifetime. Whatever your optimistic sales expectations for Animal Crossing New Horizons launch sales were, I can already tell you it’s too low. Holy hell, HUGE opening incoming.”

Digital download numbers – which Nintendo does not share externally – are tipped to be vast, particularly considering the concerns around the COVID-19 virus that has seen the UK Government recommend self isolation measures across the country.

Sesame Workshop launches Caring for Each Other platform as US states enter lockdown and schools close for ‘the foreseeable’

Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organisation behind Sesame Street is offering a wealth of free resources to help children and families throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

The initiative – called Caring for Each Other – marks the beginning of a commitment to support families for the duration of the crisis, with Sesame Street content, learning activities, and virtual play dates all launching soon.

The launch arrives as families across the US battle the coronavirus pandemic with self isolation measures, and as New York enters lockdown. Across the UK, families and parents prepare to tackle a period of school closures for the ‘foreseeable’ future.

Sesame Workshop’s initiative features resources designed to help parents provide comfort and manage anxiety, as well as help with creating routines, fostering playful learning at home, and staying physically and mentally healthy.

SesameStreet.org/caring will be regularly updated to meet the needs of families as the situation evolves.

“Around the world, young children’s lives are being turned upside down, and parents and caregivers are looking for ways to give their children – and themselves – a sense of stability in this new normal,” said Dr. Rosemarie Truglio, senior vice president for curriculum and content, Sesame Workshop.

“But there are things parents and caregivers can do to face each day with optimism. Sesame Street is here to provide the caring adults in children’s lives with the resources they need to help children, and foster their healthy development at home.”

Sesame Workshop is also creating new content on topics like hand washing, how to cough or sneeze properly, and how taking good care of yourself means taking good care of others, which will be available in the US and globally in a wide range of languages and released in the coming weeks.

“Sesame Street has long been a source of comfort for children and families during difficult times,” said Dr. Jeanette Betancourt, senior vice president for US Social Impact, Sesame Workshop. “While we don’t always know what to expect, we know that Sesame Street friends have the power to convey simple strategies and messages to help children and the caring adults in their lives find comfort.

“With Caring for Each Other, we can help families get through these uncertain times and build hope for the future.”

Additionally, over 110 free Sesame Street ebooks are available on all major ebook platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Nook, Google Play, and Kobo.

Resources will also be distributed through a wide range of partners in the US and globally, including community providers serving vulnerable families through Sesame Street in Communities and PBS stations.

The Licensing Leadership Summit postponed over Covid-19 outbreak

The Licensing Leadership Summit has been rescheduled for November 5th and 6th this year, in light of the growing concerns and actions taken amid the ongoing spread of Covid-19.

The Licensing Leadership Summit, which was originally set to take place March 16 and 17, will still be held at the same location, the Hilton Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York.

The decision to postpone the Licensing Leadership Summit, which is organised by the Global Licensing Group (GLG) at Informa Markets, follows guidance of the World Health Organization (WHO) and careful consideration from Informa Markets’ Managed Postponement Program.

As the health and safety of our attendees, speakers, staff, and the surrounding community is the utmost priority, the GLG has concluded that rescheduling Licensing Leadership Summit to a later date is a vital choice given recent COVID-19 developments in New York City and the surrounding areas.

“Attendees can be assured that we are committed to bringing the same high-quality Licensing Leadership Summit to New York this fall,” said Anna Knight, vice president of the Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets. “We believe the Summit remains a premier opportunity for the licensing industry to meet as one to work through challenges and build the future of the industry, thus, we will proceed with the event in a safe manner later in the year. At this time, our thoughts are with those that have been directly and indirectly affected by COVID-19.”

Speakers from Netflix, Buzzfeed, UTA, and more, have already confirmed their continued participation including:

  • Michelle King, Director of Inclusion, Netflix, and author of the new book, The Fix
    • Keynote: A Culture of Equality
  • Eric Karp, Senior Vice President, Brand Licensing, BuzzFeed
    • Session: How Social Media is Driving Products
  • Terése Whitehead, Senior Manager, Sponsorships and Operations, Player Services, NFLPA
    • Session: The Athlete Influencer Difference
  • Blippi, also known as Stevin John, YouTube star
    • Session: Digital Talent: The Future
  • Sid Kaufman, Licensing Agent, UTA
    • Session: Digital Talent: The Future
  • Robin Sayetta, Associate Director of Licensing and Partnerships, MoMA
    • Session: Different by Design: MoMA’s Modern Approach to Museum Licensing

The Licensing Leadership Summit website will remain updated and we will communicate any significant changes to the speakers, attendees, and partners directly.