Tag Archives: disney

JAKKS Pacific brings on board former Disney executive Lori MacPherson

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JAKKS Pacific, the designer, manufacturer and marketer of toys and consumer goods whose popular brands include Creepy Crawlers, Eyeclops, Fly Wheel and Kitten Catfe, has appointed Lori MacPherson to its Board of Directors.

MacPherson served as Executive Vice President, Global Product Management for The Walt Disney Studios from 2010-2014, following her positions as Executive Vice President and General Manager of the global Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment division, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment North America, and a variety of senior Marketing and Product Management positions with The Walt Disney Company since 1991.

“I am thrilled that Lori MacPherson has joined our board of directors”, says Stephen Berman, CEO of JAKKS Pacific. “[She] brings to us over two decades of experience in entertainment and consumer products, which dovetails perfectly with our hands-on, customer-focused company. We expect to benefit from her insights into broad segments of the customer base for our wide array of products.”

Lori MacPherson commented, “I am very excited to join the Board of JAKKS Pacific, and look forward to working with my other board members and management in continuing to spearhead JAKKS’ growth by reaching out to all segments of the consumer market for JAKKS toys and games.”

With an HQ in Santa Monica, California, JAKKS Pacific’s products are sold throughout the world, and include Perfectly Cute, ReDo Skateboard Co, WeeeDo, Xtreme Power, Disguise, Maui, Moose Mountain, Kids Only!, a wide range of entertainment-inspired products featuring premier licensed properties, and C’est Moi, a New Generation of Clean Beauty. The company also has a philanthropic division, JAKKS Cares, which has so far donated more than $50 million in toys, school supplies and financial endowments to millions of underprivileged children around the world.

Disney brings Marvel and Star Wars into its adaptive roleplay and wheelchair cover sets

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Disney has added a new line up of adaptive roleplay kids’ costumes and wheelchair cover set to a range it launched last year, bolstering its inclusive play lines with the addition of costumes inspired by Marvel Studio’s Black Panther, Star Wars: The Mandalorian and a The Mandalorian Wheelchair cover set.

The new line-up joins the previously launched adaptive costumes inspired by Disney Princess and Pixar characters that were created in collaboration with Disguise in 2020.

These adaptive features allow fans who use wheelchairs and have other accessibility needs to transform into some of their favorite characters across the Disney portfolio. Also available now on shopDisney.com, is a robust Halloween 2021 lineup including costumes for adults, kids and pets.

“I’m thrilled that through the expansion of our Adaptive Roleplay collection, we can further connect our iconic franchises with fans and families worldwide through thoughtful design that allows everyone to take part in their favorite stories and worlds – from Marvel Studios’ Black Panther to Star Wars: The Mandalorian,” said Stephanie Young, president of Consumer Products, Games and Publishing.

“With today’s announcement, we’re better able to meet the needs of more of our Guests, and we’re excited to see this inspired collection continue to grow.”

The costumes are designed with stretch fabric that opens in the back for front entry only to allow for more accessible dressing. The adaptive line is open in the rear and has longer length inseams for wheelchair-friendly wear. The costumes also have flap openings on the front center with self-stick fabric closure to accommodate tube access.

Meanwhile, the wheelchair cover sets fit most standard wheelchairs with 24-inch wheels and come with supportive plastic piping pieces for added stability and long self-stick fabric strips to help keep the pieces in place. It is advised that the wheelchair is operated by a helper when the cover set is attached.

The 2021 Halloween assortment includes costumes inspired by all-new releases like Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and Marvel Studios’ Wanda Vision, as well as Halloween classics like Hocus Pocus, Haunted Mansion, and Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Additionally, the lineup features all new clothing, accessories, and decor featuring Disney’s notorious Villains characters, Marvel’s elite heroes, and more.

Dino Ranch renewed for second season at Disney as its US preschool licensing slate readies for growth

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The popular preschool series, Dino Ranch has been renewed for a second season at Disney, with a scheduled broadcast date on Disney Junior and Disney+ in the US and Latin America for the beginning of 2022.

A broad licensing programme is already underway with a master toy line from Jazwares preparing to launch this year, while Boat Rocker is currently working with its master publishing partner, Scholastic, to design and produce a wide range of Dino Ranch readers, sticker story books, novelty, activity books, and audio books with products slated to land this autumn.

Further licensees have been secured in the US for apparel, bedding and bath, watches, Halloween costumes, and costume characters for live events.

Season two of Dino Ranch follows a successful first season, which saw the series premiere on CBC in Canada, and was the number one US cable series among Kids aged two to five at launch on Disney Junior. Season one has also just launched on SVOD service Disney+ and is coming to Disney Junior Latin America in August, and SRC Canada in September.

“Dino Ranch has received an incredible response from kids and parents around the world and we couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity to produce a second season,” said Michel Pratte, president, Boat Rocker Media, and general manager, Boat Rocker Studios.

“The show is a shining example of franchise IP for Boat Rocker and we are looking forward to continuing to build brand affinity and engagement love for ‘Dino Ranch’ with our partners.”

Jon Rutherford, president, Boat Rocker Studios, Kids & Family and Rights, said: “We’re very excited to continue our strong partnership with Disney for Dino Ranch. Disney’s incredible support, along with the show’s ability to resonate with audiences through its unique blend of dinosaurs, family and engaging storytelling has helped us achieve immediate success. With Season two, we plan on deepening engagement with our fans by unveiling new characters and locations, and many new thrilling adventures with the Cassidy family.”

Internationall, the show has seen strong sales, including with Disney+ in the UK and Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. It’s also landed with Super RTL/TOGGO Plus in Germany, Gulli plus TiJi and Gulli Africa in France, Cartoonito in Italy, Hop in Israel, and SVT in Sweden. NRK in Norway, DR in Denmark, YLE in Finland, TVP in Poland, and HRT in Croatia have also picked up the series.

Dino Ranch is created by Matt Fernandes (of Industrial Brothers) and produced by Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios, in association with CBC Kids and Radio-Canada. Boat Rocker Studios manages global franchise development, including content distribution and consumer products. Animation services for season two of Dino Ranch will be provided by Boat Rocker’s Jam Filled Entertainment.

British bicycle brand United Wheels lands EMEA-wide partnership with Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm

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The British bicycle brand, United Wheels UK Limited has detailed a new multi-territory licensing partnership with Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm movie properties as the company eyes further growth across the European markets and beyond.

Its latest agreement will see the property rights extended across the UK, Ireland, France, Iberia, Italy, Germany, Benelux, and Africa, building on a partnership that United Wheels’ affiliate, Huffy Corporation, has had with Disney since 1996.

From this month, United Wheels will begin marketing Huffy-designed Disney, Marvel, and Lucasfilm licensed wheeled products for order. These lines will be ready for shipment from early 2022.

The extension of the partnership to include EMEA distribution follows the firm’s establishment of its new EU office last year. United Wheels believes it is now well placed to help ‘drive continued growth of the Disney licenses’ across the regions.

“Our company has had such a long relationship with Disney,” said Jon Tilley, general manager of United Wheels UK Limited. “It was only natural for us to reach out to Disney when we decided to make a concerted effort in Europe, to find mutually beneficial ways to work together.

“It’s been great working with the Disney EMEA teams to bring this project to life, and we are excited to be presenting this to retailers through our Huffy brand of products in the coming months. Our position as a leading global player in the bicycle and wheeled goods categories gives us confidence that with an excellent supply chain and great innovation, we can bring strong growth over the next three years. We couldn’t be more excited about this new endeavour with Disney.”

The United Wheels team will start product presentations in July with a two-week virtual trade open event in which potential retailer partners can meet the team and preview some of the new Disney products that will be available for sale in January 2022.

The collection will cover all properties and wheel sizes, ranging from balance bikes to 16” wheel sizes.

Disney confirms it’s in ‘consultation with group of UK Stores’ over closures

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Disney has confirmed that it is holding consultations with an initial group of stores in the UK about their closure in its first official acknowledgement of speculation that all but its flagship London store was to shut up shop in the UK.

Rumours have been circulating that Disney has been planning to close all but one of its 34 stores in the UK, leaving its London Oxford Street store open to the public as its flagship bricks and mortar destination.

As tracked by the Snopes.com online resource, shutdowns of the Disney’s country-wide fleet of shops appear to be happening on a store-by-store basis. One of the latest to face closure is the company’s Highcross, Leicester unit.

The Disney pop-up in Highcross has, according to the Leicester Mercury, seen significant amount of success since it was welcomed back to the retail space in 2017. However, officials at Disney have since confirmed that it is now one of a number of stores part of a consultation period, with the possibility of closure.

A statement from a Disney Store spokesperson, said: “We are currently in consultation with an initial group of Stores in the UK, including our Leicester Store.”

Benzinga has been following the developments of the Disney Store in the US, reporting that in March this year, the retail operation of the global corporation detailed its efforts to pivot from brick and mortar stores to e-commerce, beginning with the closure of at least 60 of its North American stores.

“While consumer behaviour has shifted toward online shopping, the global pandemic has changed what consumers expect from a retailer,” said Stephanie Young, president of consumer products, games, and publishing.

“Over the past few years, we have been focusing on meeting consumers where they are already spending their time, such as the expansion of Disney Store shops-in-shops around the world.

“We now plan to create a more flexible, interconnected e-commerce experience that gives consumers easy access to unique, high quality products across all of our franchises.”

The strategy appears to be implemented in other European countries, including in Ireland where a single Disney Stores is expected to remain in Dublin, and in France where stores will remain operational at Disneyland Paris and on the Champs-Elysees.

WarnerMedia merges with Discovery in latest move to join the streaming giant race

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The scene has been set for the creation of yet another streaming giant vying for consumer attention, through the planned merger of AT&T’s Warner Media with Discovery.

The landmark deal will see the two companies become the second largest media group by revenue after Disney, with $41bn in sales annually as it brings together movie giant Warner Bros, HBO and other networks along with Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC and more.

“This agreement unites two entertainment leaders with complementary content strengths and positions the new company to be one of the leading global direct-to-consumer streaming platforms,” AT&T chief executive, John Stankey said in a statement.

“It will support the fantastic growth and international launch of HBO Max with Discovery’s global footprint and create efficiencies which can be re-invested in producing more great content to give consumers what they want.”

The joint company – still in the process of decided a new moniker, with suggestions including Warner Discovery, Warner Bros Discovery and Warner Discovery Media – will be lead by Discovery’s president and chief executive, David Zaslav, who has said that the combined company would spend around $20 billion a year on content. 

Zaslav has suggested that the company could see its annual sales hit $52bn by 2023.

The merger will sit among some of the most significant deals of the past five years, alongside Disney’s purchase of Rupert Murdoch’s Fox empire, and AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner. It is part of a plan to increase AT&T’s content pool as the streaming race intensifies further.

Netflix is leading the race to date with over 200 million subscribers, while Disney+ boasts its 104 million. Both HBO and Discovery entered the race recently with the launch of HBO Max and Discovery+. HBO Max, together with the HBO cable network has around 44 million customers, while Discovery has 15 million global streaming subscribers.

For WarnerMedia, the deal will mark the third restructuring in as many years.

Boat Rocker lassos a raft of new Dino Ranch partners across the US and Canada

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Boat Rocker Studios has secured a raft of new licensing partners for its hit preschool series, Dino Ranch, across a number of key categories for the US and Canadian markets. Multiple new deals see the property move into apparel, home decor, timepieces, and costume characters.

Young Dino Ranch fans can look forward to dressing themselves in Dino Ranch branded apparel, thanks to a new partnership with The Bentex Group and its affiliates Dreamwave and HIS International. The firm will be producing Dino Ranch daywear, swimwear and outerwear.

Meanwhile, Komar Kids LLC, a global leader in the design, sourcing, manufacturing and distribution of apparel with over a century of expertise, will be producing a range of sleepwear for kids to ride off to bed in.

Dino Ranch will be brought to life at live events and festivals with Oasis Productions Inc. who will provide costume characters for the US, reaching audiences to engage kids’ curiosity and sense of play; while Spirit Halloween, the largest Halloween retailer in the US – with over 1,400 locations across North America – is gearing up for a range of kids’ and pet dress up costumes and accessories for Halloween 2022.

Elsewhere, fans can recreate the ranch look at home thanks to Franco Mfg, creators of home décor, who will be launching a range of products, including bedding, bedding accessories, bath and beach for the US and Canada.

Alongside publishing partner Scholastic these categories will roll out from Spring 2022 following global master toy launch by Jazwares this summer.

Kate Schlomann, EVP brand management and content marketing, Boat Rocker Studios, said: “There has been a phenomenal response to Dino Ranch on Disney Junior where it has been the number one preschool U.S. cable show since its launch.  It’s not just viewers that love the show, we have received an incredible reaction from both the broadcasting and licensing community and are delighted to team up with such a prestigious herd of licensees to provide our Rancheroos with a roar-some range of high-quality products across these key categories.”

Dino Ranch launched in the UK on Disney+ on April 23rd and in Australia on April 2nd. The series is due to roll out internationally in other territories later this year.

Dino Ranch is created by Matt Fernandes (of Industrial Brothers) and produced by Industrial Brothers and Boat Rocker Studios, in association with CBC Kids and Radio-Canada. Boat Rocker Studios manage the global franchise development including content distribution and consumer products.

Flowhaven bolsters is US sales team with a suit of licensing expert new hires

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The licensing relationship management platform, Flowhaven, has strengthened its US sales team with a raft of new leadership hires, including the appointment of Adam Christensen as the US sales director, and Chris Davlin and Rebecca Dennis as US sales managers.

The new additions to the growing Flowhaven team will report directly to Jessica Trinca, the firm’s US general manager.

This suite of new hires is just the latest in a series of developments to sustain the company’s accelerated growth. Flowhaven had a record-breaking first quarter in 2021 with a number of customer acquisitions across new verticals including universities, record labels and more.

In the last year, Flowhaven raised $16M in funding led by Sapphire Sport, and more than doubled its team in Helsinki, Finland, Los Angeles and London. The company also has plans to open offices this year in New York, Berlin and Tokyo to support customers locally.

“Hiring the best and brightest leaders has always been core to our company’s success, and Adam, Chris, and Rebecca are the perfect example,” said Kalle Torma, Flowhaven.

“Not only do they have proven expertise leading teams at companies like Electronic Arts, Disney, and Lucasfilm; they also embody Flowhaven’s values of collaboration, community and trust. Their contributions will be key for us as we continue to innovate and expand globally.”

Christensen brings more than 15 years of sales and operations experience to Flowhaven. As US sales director, he will be responsible for the company’s national sales strategy and execution. Most recently, he served as Director of Alliances and Partner Sales at Claravine, where he led the company’s strategic channel efforts. Previously, he was senior licensing business development manager at Electronic Arts managing the company’s strategic brand licensing initiatives.

There, Christensen closed seven-figure partnerships with household brands such as Walmart, Toys-R-Us, Barnes & Noble, GameStop, Target, Liverpool and many more. Previous roles included Disney Interactive, among others.

As US sales manager, Dennis will be responsible for scaling revenue operations across the Western United States. Prior to joining Flowhaven, she held several positions at Global Licensing Group, a division of Informa, with a focus on Licensing Global Magazine.

She also worked on the company’s Licensing Expo and Brand Licensing Europe events. Prior to joining Flowhaven, Rebecca spent nearly a decade in sales and revenue operations positions within the fashion industry.

Chris Davlin joins Flowhaven as US sales manager and will oversee the brand’s continued growth across the Eastern United States, with a focus on New York City where Flowhaven plans to open offices by end of year. Her responsibilities will include synergizing the company’s sales efforts with centralized marketing support to deliver curated content to experts in the licensing space.

Previously, Davlin held a number of sales roles at such companies as Hint, and ran her own licensing and business development consultancy. She also held licensing roles at prominent brands, including Lucasfilm for Disney Consumer Products, where she acted as Project Manager for Star Wars Day 2014. There, she successfully executed Maythe4th campaign, performed all preparation for Disney Consumer Products division, and doubled Star Wars Day social media presence by exceeding 2.1B impressions and 1.1M global posts.

Antstream Arcade strengthens exec team in move to be at the forefront of video game streaming

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Antstream Arcade has made a new move to ‘put itself at the forefront of video game streaming’, welcoming the games industry veteran, Mike Rouse to lead its production team and help build out its internal studio.

The move comes during a period of record user growth for the company following its establishment as the world’s first free-to-play game streaming platform.

With over 20 years’ experience in the games industry, Rouse joins Antstream from 2K’s Brighton based Hangar 13, where he was head of production and responsible for developing and co-ordinating strategy across the studio’s four global locations and 400 employees. His career has seen him work in key roles at Microsoft where he oversaw the development of Microsoft Hololens, and at Sony.

With extensive experience in pushing the boundaries of how players interact with games, Rouse will be looking to put Antsream Arcade at the forefront of video game streaming, helping the company to build upon the slate of licensing partnerships it has already secured with the likes of Disney and Bandai as it eyes growth in the market.

Rouse said: “As a lifelong fan of what we now have to call “vintage” games, working at Antstream Arcade represents the perfect combination of my passion for retro gaming and changing how players interact with games themselves. I think it is very likely that we are nearing the end of physical consoles – with physical media losing relevance to the rise of cloud-based gaming, it is all but inevitable.

“As the first company to successfully launch a free-to-play platform with thousands of games, Antstream is well placed to be at the forefront of this change.”

Steve Cottam, CEO of Antstream, said: “Between our new licensing partnerships with the likes of Disney and Bandai, and our decision to adopt a free-to-play model, we’re in a period of immense change here at Antstream. Bringing on someone with Mike’s expertise and experience in altering how people play games is a huge boost for us as video game streaming continues to drive the game industry forward as a whole.

“We look forward to working with him in taking our library of iconic video games to the biggest audience possible.”

Mike’s love of retro gaming is on full display on his Retro Gamer Boy YouTube channel, where he posts weekly unique videos delving into his own extensive retro gaming collection, and discussing the best retro games and consoles ever made.

His retro gaming goal is to collect every SEGA Megadrive game, with only a few notable holdouts like Pirates of Darkwater standing between him and the holy grail of completionism.

DKB takes on UK distribution of premium homewares specialist, Uncanny Brands

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Uncanny Brands, the premium homewares brand with established presence in the US and Canada, has appointed DKB as its exclusive UK distributor across all of its key lines, spanning kitchen accessories based on hit IP such as Star Wars, Marvel, Pokemon, and others.

The partnership marks the latest signing for DKB Toys and Distribution who has already been working with the likes of Hasbro, Alex Global Brands, and Crazy Forts, while the business recently acquired MightyMast.

Best known for pop culture small appliances, Uncanny Brands is dedicated to creating licensed products that include kitchen accessories ranging from popcorn makers to toasters and hand blenders, all designed around iconic characters from some of the biggest entertainment franchises.

With initial product lines selling out instantly, DKB is committed to bringing in new shipments to supply its core and new retailer base. With limited distribution for 2021, the company is planning 2022 volumes now ahead of time so as to be able to respond quickly to growing consumer demand for these fantastic homeware’s products. 

“I am very proud to be working with a company like Uncanny Brands. Together we will offer fans of some of the worlds’ biggest licenses the opportunity to own a gadget or appliance featuring their favourite characters,” said Chris Lohmeyer, MD of DKB Distribution & Toys.

“The enduring appeal of these licensed ranges has had a huge impact on demand across UK retail and we are preparing well in advance for 2022 in order to facilitate as many orders as possible. We are starting small in 2021 but I cannot wait to see the success of Uncanny Brands in the UK in 2022 and beyond.”