Tag Archives: hasbro

Hasbro’s VP consumer products Marianne James on becoming a pre-school powerhouse

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When Hasbro first made clear its plans to take over the Entertainment One entity at the end of 2019, the writing was pretty much on the wall that 2020 was going to be an atypical year for the world of children’s entertainment, licensing, and toys.

No one quite knew exactly how different things would turn out, and yet the licensing and toy industries have persisted and here we stand, on the edge of the first virtual Festival of Licensing in place of our usual Brand Licensing Europe, where Hasbro is about to unveil a whole new slate of content for Peppa Pig, new toy lines for PJ Masks, and its latest plans for Ricky Zoom.

Alongside all of which, we hasten to add, the global powerhouse of children’s entertainment and now one of the world’s biggest players in the pre-school space, will also be rolling out the latest franchising, licensing, and merchandising plans for that staple portfolio of brands such as NERF, Power Rangers, Transformers, Monopoly, My Little Pony… the list goes on.

It should come as little shock that Hasbro is now not only looking to put its stake in the ground in the global pre-school market with Peppa Pig and PJ Masks leading the charge, but developing way beyond the current flagship IP to turn the pre-school space into its own veritable playground.

Here, Licensing.biz catches up with Marianne James, VP of consumer products at Hasbro to discuss the integration of the Entertainment One property over the course of the year, how 2020 has forced the global entertainment house to evolve to the next level, and just what else Hasbro has cooking now that it spans the entertainment spectrum.

Well, Marianne, it’s been one eventful year, and one that all kicked off with the acquisition of eOne. How has Hasbro’s licensing division adapted to and moved with the changes of the past year?

The biggest major change we made from an organizational perspective is that we’re now one fully integrated Licensing team following the acquisition of eOne last year. At the beginning of the year, we devised a new organisational structure to support our expanded portfolio across EMEA.

It has been a real benefit, allowing us to leverage the vast talent pool from the eOne team while combining it with the Hasbro team. Together it is a true powerhouse that has strengths in so many different areas and a portfolio that is second to none.

In terms of adapting to the vast changes that have occurred externally in the past year, we were quick to pivot and pause our licensing activations during lockdown and create a suite of digital assets for families to enjoy at home. Going forward we recognise the need to be flexible and offer a diverse category mix that can evolve with the changing needs of the world. Our retail approach will focus more closely on e-commerce and the value channel in reflection of what we’re seeing in the marketplace and we’re ready to embrace those opportunities with our product and promotional offering.

2020 has seen Hasbro take on the position of powerhouse in the pre-school space, and you’ve already given us a taste of what’s to come for Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and Ricky Zoom. How much has the acquisition informed Hasbro’s approach to the licensing space this year and going forward? Can you talk us through plans here?

The acquisition of eOne dramatically enhances our storytelling capabilities and franchise strategies through TV, film, digital and other mediums. The new content creates greater opportunity to deliver amazing stories for all screens and audiences. Anytime you acquire a stable of IP as notable as eOne’s, your approach to the business must reflect that; such is the case here. With a strong foothold in the preschool space, we are now particularly excited to dive deeper in that area and explore themes and play patterns complementary to our existing brands.

You mentioned Ricky Zoom, PJ Masks and, of course, Peppa Pig, as the standouts and I can only say that we have more pre-school brands in development now and these will be given the opportunity to leverage the success of those brands.

What is the vision for Hasbro now it spans all entertainment markets, from pre-school to adult? That must be a very exciting dominion for you to be looking after, too…

It is quite exciting. Right now, we are working towards a smooth and compelling integration of our combined portfolio into the retail market. With a repertoire of brands that span every age, demographic and category, organization and careful planning become paramount.

We are always striving to find new ways to work with our retail partners to maximize the breadth and depth of our portfolio. Our goal is to bring a high level of expertise, of knowledge, to every demographic and play pattern. In today’s market there is no substitute for expertise, it is crucial that we stay on top of all areas in order to be the best partner for retail that we can be.

We know that our brand portfolio is our strength. It will set us up for success in 2021 as we work to activate in every imaginable retail channel from the traditional and beyond. Our goal is to lead the market in a 360 approach from CP, digital, experiential, content and brand marketing.

Away from the eOne brands, Hasbro has a portfolio of massive IP like Transformers, Power Rangers, My Little Pony, Hasbro Gaming, NERF… can you talk through some of the biggest developments for these brands? How will Hasbro continue to push the envelope of innovation in the licensing space through the development of this IP roster?

There is a great deal going on! We always like to mark milestone anniversaries, and next year we have the 35th anniversary of Transformers. We also have the 85th anniversary of Monopoly commencing later this year. Both events give cause for timely celebration and will be leveraged with exciting collaborations, consumer promotions and retail activations.

Owing to our growing understanding of the changes in consumer behaviour, Nerf is also a property that we believe will enjoy a rapid expansion across multiple categories next year. Its growth will continue to cement our position as a leader in the active lifestyle and sports category. The Nerf franchise will benefit from significant above the line investment in 2021 with soon to be revealed experiential marketing initiatives set to bring the brand to life like never before.

The way we approach our CP program is guided by what we call the ‘Brand Blueprint’. This refers to our strategic framework for bringing our brands to life in exciting new ways to create immersive, 360-degree experiences for our audiences. Right now, we’re focused on deeper consumer engagement, innovative brand and product experiences and increasingly expansive opportunities for our portfolio.

It’s really all about leveraging these great story driven properties like Power Rangers, My Little Pony and Transformers by giving fans new and exciting experiences both at retail and online.

What are some of the key emerging trends within the licensing/consumer product space, and how is Hasbro aligning itself with them and maintaining its position of strength in the field?

Following lockdown, the importance of digital content and e-commerce platforms really came to the fore and that’s a key strategic focus for us. In a very short space of time, access to entertainment and retail via digital platforms really accelerated at an unprecedented rate and given the uncertainty surrounding the next year that’s something we need to be mindful of in every aspect of the business.

We are always monitoring and evaluating all the information we can gather regarding widespread changes in consumer behaviour. There is real value in being able to not only react but anticipate consumer behaviour.

There are fundamental changes that occur that will have reverberations for the industry, so we strive to keep on top of it. Currently, growth is evident in Food, Health &Wellness, Personal Care, Puzzles &; Games, Home Goods, and Classic Play. As always, we will work to service the growing demand and find good fits within our brand portfolio.

 

Hasbro and ADK Emotions to host first digital Beyblade Burst Championship

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The global entertainment company Hasbro has teamed up with ADK Emotions NY to launch the first fully-digital Beyblade Burst Championship, the 2020 Beymaster Invitational.

Together, both Hasbro and ADK Emotions will select top fans of the Beyblade franchise, including influential Bladers and digital influencers from the US and select global markets to go head-to-head in the livestream event. Viewers and fans can tune into watch the tournament on Saturday, October 17th on Hasbro’s official Facebook page.

The finals will take place the following week, Saturday, October 24, 2020, where the Beymaster Invitational Champ will be crowned.

A globe-spanning franchise that originated in Japan in 1999, Beyblade is now in its thrid generation, with four animated series to date in Beyblade Burst, Beyblade Burst Evolution, Beyblade Burst Turbo, and Beyblade Burst Rise. The brand continues to deliver its fans a battling experience with more than 40 million Beyblade tops sold in generation three in over 20 countries.

The livestream event will see 12 contenders from around the world compete in a four-round head-to-head championship, with eliminations taking place every round. Fans can participate at home by casting their vote in the Beyblade Burst app to bring back a Fan Favorite participant to advance to the Semi-finals. The last Blader standing will take home the title of 2020 Beymaster Invitational Champion and a $10,000.

Bladers can practice their skills in preparation for the tournaments with Hasbro’s dynamic Beyblade Burst product line, featuring the new Beyblade Burst Hypersphere technology and Beystadiums, which are specifically designed with a vertical wall and allow fans to battle on the brink and drop into victory.

To further hone their skills, fans can download the Beyblade Burst app (available in the App Store and Google Play for supported iOS and Android devices) and join the more than 990 million online battles that have taken place around the world while testing out different top combinations in head-to-head battle or in multi-player tournament mode.

The Beyblade franchise was inspired by traditional Japanese battling tops called Bei-Goma and was originally created in 1999 by TOMY Company, Ltd. as a modern battling top system. ADK Emotions NY Inc., the fast-growing New York-based entertainment arm of Japanese contents and rights management company ADK Emotions Inc., handles the distribution of broadcast, non-toy merchandising and promotional rights for the brand outside of Asia.

K-Swiss forges alliance with Magic: The Gathering for re-imagined Gstaad ’86

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The American heritage tennis brand, K-Swiss, has forged a new alliance with the collectable and digital collectable card game, Magic: The Gathering. Inspired by the iconic strategy card game, the Magic: The Gathering x K-Swiss collaboration now introduces a complete re-imagination of the Gstaad ’86.

The new partnership sees K-Swiss tap into Magic: The Gathering’s more than 25 years of card character heritage and brings to life one of the most beloved characters, Jace Beleren. The Planeswalker is one of the most powerful beings in the multiverse – with a well-known costume design that sets the tone for the updated K-Swiss Gstaad ’86.

The sneakers are crafted with premium leather overlays and underlays that are accented by glow-in-the-dark elements. The leather collar lining, printed designs, rubber outsole and extra laces are all inspired by Jace’s power and costume. Metal lace clip-ons modeled after Jace’s character design and a debossed Magic: The Gathering logo at the tongue and a sublimated sockliner of Jace’s artwork complete the magical reinvention of this classic K-Swiss style.

The new sneakers are packaged with a special-edition box and tissue paper.

The Magic: The Gathering x K-Swiss Gstaad ’86 are available now. The special-edition launch is limited to just 300 pairs and will be available exclusively Hasbro Pulse retailing at $100.

Studio 100 names Joachim Knödler its new head of licensing as company veteran Gerd Russwurm announces retirement

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Studio 100 has named the former WildBrain CPLG Central Europe managing director, Joachim Knödler its new head of licensing, taking over the role from Gerd Russwurm who is retiring at the end of the year after more than 24 years with the company.

In his new role, Knödler will be responsible for the international licensing of the Studio 100 Group and will report to Martin Krieger, CEO of Studio 100 Media. He was most recently the managing director at Wildbrain CPLG Central Europe. Under his leadership, the business in Central Europe was restructured and during his 17 years there, he gained extensive experience in brand licensing, entertainment and the launch of private label brands including the implementation of DTR licensing.

Knödler developed fundamental licensing strategies with all major Hollywood Studios for a successful introduction of the company’s portfolio in GSA and Europe. Another focus of Knödler’s work is the development of Master Toy lines.

Previous positions at Hasbro and Simon Marketing / The Marketing Store have given him extensive experience in the toy sector. In various roles, he was responsible for the relaunch of the Star Wars Toy Line together with the launch of E1 and the roll-out of the Pokémon Master Toy Line and the Nerf Toy Line in the German-speaking territories.

He also supervised the development of the Happy Meal Toys for McDonald’s Germany and was accountable for the first McDonald’s Monopoly, which was rewarded with significant sales growth. In addition, Knödler was responsible for initiating the success of Sesame Street and Minions in the German-speaking world.

Joachim Knödler said: “I very much look forward to bringing my experience and expertise to such a fantastic licensor as the Studio 100 Group. In my new role, it is important for me to drive a coherent licensing strategy that fits the target group and that includes the right choice of licensing partners.

“My goal is to have a wide range of consumer products on the market. I know that I’m following and stepping into really big footsteps when I take over from Gerd – and that’s precisely why I’m extremely grateful for the trust that is placed in me and look forward to this new challenge.”

Martin Krieger, CEO at Studio 100 Media, added: “Joachim’s reputation and achievements speak for themselves. I am confident that as head of our licensing team together with the entire Studio 100 Group, he will help us grow and continue to meet and exceed the needs of our partners worldwide.

“Moreover, I look forward to working with him, and to the many new products and collaborations, it will bring under his management. At this point I would like to take the opportunity to express my sincere thanks to Gerd: It was not easy to find a successor. Gerd’s dedication and commitment, his experience in the industry and his personality have shaped our company and the brands: In December, an era will come to an end.”

Gerd Russwurm will remain at Knödler’s side over the next few months and will pass the baton on at the end of the year.  After more than 24 years with the company and countless successes in the industry, including thousands of licensed products for Maya the Bee, Vik the Viking, Mia and me, the World Cup and Mickey Mouse with nine working for Disney Russwurm will then retire.

Hasbro Consumer Products adds eOne brands to WildBrain CPLG’s Benelux remit

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Hasbro has detailed an expansion to its licensing representation partnership with WildBrain CPLG Benelux to include the globally renowned portfolio of Entertainment One brands, including the likes of Peppa Pig and PJ Masks, following the recent integration of the business.

Under the partnership, WildBrain CPLG will now represent the licensing and merchandising rights for pre-school hits including Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and Ricky Zoom across the Benelux region.

“We are maximizing our local partnership with WildBrain CPLG Benelux and adding Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and Ricky Zoom,” said Marianne James, vice president of Hasbro Consumer Products in EMEA.

“With WildBrain CPLG’s local retail relationships, we see this region as a strong growth market to deepen our consumer connections across Merchandising, Publishing, Promotions and short-term Location Based Entertainment.”

Brenda Draaisma, managing director at WildBrain CPLG Benelux, added: “The expansion of Hasbro’s brand portfolio with the addition of eOne’s beloved global preschool brands including Peppa Pig, PJ Masks and Ricky Zoom, has added significant firepower to Hasbro’s already impressive offering.

“We look forward to working across these new brands and we’re confident with their focus on family-oriented storytelling, the properties will drive new growth for licensees and retailers in the Benelux market.”

Hasbro joins Festival of Licensing with new Peppa Pig content, PJ Masks toy plans and more

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Hasbro will be joining the Festival of Licensing virtual event – the four-week digital event that will run throughout October and replace Brand Licensing Europe this year – to present the latest opportunities across its portfolio of brands including Nerf, My Little Pony, Play-Doh, Monopoly, Transformers, and Power Rangers.

Also being showcased under Hasbro this year will be the 2020 acquisition of Entertainment One and its popular pre-school numbers Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and Ricky Zoom.

The licensor will look to highlight its continued efforts to innovate and expand the ways it brings brands to life through music, publishing, promotions, digital and location-based entertainment alongside an array of consumer products spanning key categories, including toys and games, fashion and lifestyle, homewares, health and beauty, FMCG and gifts, and increasingly, personalised products.

Milestone anniversaries, including the 35th anniversary of Transformers in 2021 and the 85th anniversary of Monopoly commencing Q4 2020, give cause for timely celebration and will be leveraged with exciting collaborations, consumer promotions and retail activations.

Meanwhile, it’s game on for Nerf  as the property is on target for rapid expansion across multiple categories. Hasbro continues to cement its position as an active lifestyle and sports brand with cross-generational appeal and huge consumer relevance as health and wellbeing trends prevail.

Next up, the world of Equestria is expanding to introduce a new generation of ponies to a new generation of fans. With more humor, heart, and music than ever before, Hasbro hopes that audiences will be swept away by the new cast of ponies and the incredible adventure that awaits them. Fall in love with My Little Pony all over again when the all-new, computer-animated theatrical feature hits theaters everywhere in September 2021.

It’s still ‘Go Go Power Rangers’ in 2021 as Season 28 of the enduring hit show debuts. Power Rangers: Dino Fury journeys back to the core roots of the brand with the action being led by the original five rangers. The popularity of the show, beloved by so many kids for so many years, is driven by Hasbro’s commitment to new content but also the vast back catalogue which is streamed on Netflix and therefore continually accessed by a huge worldwide audience.

A new global brand theme for Peppa Pig entitled Peppa’s Adventures is kicking off in 2021, as a celebration of all the places that Peppa, her family and friends have visited since the show began. With trips to the USA lined up in the future, combined with a library of existing content, Peppa’s Adventures is a way for fans to explore and discover the world around them.

New series premieres will be rolling out for Ricky Zoom throughout the year and excitement for the expansion of the brand’s consumer products programme – driven by the strength and reach of best-in-class broadcast partners across the region – will follow the phased roll-out of toys in all key markets in 2020, as secondary categories will be available from SS21.

Finally, a robust plan is in place for PJ Masks which will be boosted by Series 4, set to launch this Q4, the Disney+ roll out in multiple territories, and Series 5 global launch coming in 2021. In a first for the company, Hasbro will be launching its first toy range for the brand with a core range of exciting new products hitting retail for AW21.

Hasbro extends Disguise Inc dress-up partnership to European and global market

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The North American fancy dress specialist, Disguise Inc, has renewed its licensing agreement with Hasbro to design and market Halloween costumes for the US and an expanded deal into Europe, for an additional three years. Commencing in 2021, the deal will span the likes of Transformers, Power Rangers, My Little Pony, and Hasbro Gaming.

On top of this, the newly acquired Entertainment One has granted Disguise Inc the rights to Peppa Pig and Ricky Zoom costumes, which will be brought into the company’s 2021 range. It marks the first time Ricky Zoom has entered the dress-up and costumes market.

“We are thrilled to secure such a meaningful partnership with Hasbro with rights to their entire portfolio of brands, and also with our first-ever global expansion with Hasbro,” said Tara Hefter, EVP and GM of Disguise Inc.

“Building on the success of our line of PJ Masks costumes, we will bring fun and innovation to Peppa Pig and the first Ricky Zoom costumes to hit the market. Disguise is proud of our long standing collaboration with Hasbro.

“This also marks us as being the only Power Rangers Halloween Costume licensee since inception. We look forward to our growing relationship with Hasbro and to bring these incredible characters to life year after year.”

Joan Grasso, VP, Hasbro Consumer Products, North America, added: “Disguise excels at bringing our brands to life with their high quality costumes and innovation. We’re excited to expand our partnership to include more regions and more characters from our growing portfolio of brands.”

Disguise’s Hasbro line of Halloween costumes and accessories hits stores in autumn 2021.

Hasbro extends representation deal with WildBrain CPLG to cover CEE and Turkey

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Hasbro has extended its agreement with the sport, lifestyle, and entertainment licensing agency, WildBrain CPLG to cover both CEE and Turkey. The move is an extension of the deal it had with the firm, naming it the Hasbro sub-representative in the Nordics and Benelux regions as of January 1st this year.

Under the agreement, WildBrain CPLG will now represent Hasbro’s merchandise, publishing, promotions, and short-term location based entertainment business across Benelux, Nordic, CEE, and Turkey regions.

“We are moving our direct business to an agent model in CEE and Turkey as both regions have tremendous growth potential for our consumer products business,” said Marianne James, vice president of Hasbro Consumer Products in EMEA. “We believe that the strength of WildBrain CPLG to cover Benelux, Nordic, CEE and Turkey will allow us to scale our efforts in a meaningful way.

“WildBrain CPLG will develop our strong portfolio of brands such as Nerf, Monopoly, Play-Doh, and My Little Pony.”

Maarten Weck, executive vice president and managing director at WildBrain CPLG, added: “We are very pleased to extend our geographical footprint to represent Hasbro in CEE and Turkey, where we see tremendous opportunity for their leading family brands.

“The addition of these new markets to our remit strengthens our strategic relationship with Hasbro and gives us even more opportunity to synergise our European efforts, without losing the local touch.”

Peppa Pig joins growing raft of licensed characters in the Tonies portfolio

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Hasbro and Entertainment One have signed a new partnership with the popular children’s audio system, Tonies to bring its pre-school property Peppa Pig to the line-up of Tonies characters this October. Through the partnership, a total of nine different Peppa Pig stories totaling over an hour of content is coming to the platform this AW.

Peppa Pig is the latest in a line of big launches for the Tonies brand this year, a company that has seen vast success over the last year having engaged with parents and families in search of entertainment during the UK’s lockdown months.

The new launch engages children in the world of Peppa, George and the cast of Peppa Pig with stories including Peppa Goes on Holiday, and George and the Noisy Baby. The Tonies stories will feature a full cast of voices, music, and special effects from the popular TV series.

Launched in the UK in 2018 by Patric Faßbender and his friend and co-founder Marcus Stahl, the Toniebox is an intuitive speaker system that has gone on to revolutionise story time for children. The Toniebox is a screen-free audio toy with simple controls that boasts an interactive way for children aged three to eight to engage with their favourite stories.

Through its growing portfolio of licensed characters, it is fast becoming a favoured route of engaging children with their favourite licensed IP, too. Kids can listen to each Tonie character’s audio content simply by placing the Tonie character on top of the box.

Tonies UK GM Manon Sel, said: “We are delighted to announce this latest addition to the Tonie-Family, which is sure to excite children and fill their homes with even more audio joy this Christmas. The characters of this hit series join our ever-growing line up of both licensed and Tonie-owned figures and bolster our range of audio content.”

Over 14 million Tonies and 1.5 million Tonieboxes have been sold across Europe since the launch and 2020 started with the exciting announcement of the brands’ expansion to the USA – expected towards the end of this year.

Hasbro, Pokemon and Penguin Ventures among first exhibitors taking part in Festival of Licensing

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Hasbro, The Pokemon Company, Penguin Ventures, and the Natural History Museum are among just some of the biggest names to be taking part in the new virtual Festival of Licensing running this October and taking the place of Brand Licensing Europe this year.

Brands from across the entertainment, publishing, gaming, sport, lifestyle, and heritage licensing fields have now confirmed their attendance and taken up their exhibition slots at the digital gathering which this year will run all online from October 6th to 29th. The event is to be hosted by Global Licensing Group in partnership with Licensing International.

Acamar Films, Chupa Chups, NBA Properties, Sega Europe, Start Licensing, and Yale are among those to have already registered to exhibit.

“Many great business opportunities have stemmed from the connections we have made at Brand Licensing Europe,” said Maxine Lister, head of licensing, Natural History Museum. “This year, especially, it is important for us to continue expanding our partnerships and develop new ways for the public to connect with the natural world through our 80 million specimens.

“We are thrilled to be taking part in Festival of Licensing and look forward to new business opportunities to evolve our licensing strategy.”

Registration for the four-week long celebration of global licensing also opens today at www.festivaloflicensing.com where attendees can opt to attend any or all of the Festival’s three regionally tailored events for Europe, Asia and the Americas, as well as the Licensing Leadership Summit:

  • Week 1: 6-8 October – Europe, powered by Brand Licensing Europe
  • Week 2: 14-15 October – Asia, powered by Licensing Expo China and Licensing Expo Japan
  • Week 3: 20-22 October – North America and Latin America, powered by Licensing Expo
  • Week 4: 28-29 October – Global C-suite virtual conference – Licensing Leadership Summit

“The feedback we have received about Festival of Licensing since announcing it just four weeks ago has been incredible and we are thrilled to be able to announce such an amazing first roster of exhibitors,” said Anna Knight, vice president, Global Licensing Group, Informa Markets. “This is only the beginning – we have another seven weeks till ‘doors open’ – so there will be a lot more news, and surprises, coming down the line.”

 

Exhibitors confirmed to date Include:

 

  • Acamar Films
  • Asgard Media
  • Bioworld
  • Brainbase
  • Brandgenuity
  • CAA-GBG
  • Chupa Chups, S.A Unipersonal
  • CPLG/Wildbrain
  • Crunchyroll Europe
  • Cyber Group Studios
  • Dependable Solutions
  • Design Plus
  • Edutainment
  • Hasbro
  • Herschend Entertainment Studios
  • J Patton
  • KOCCA
  • Licensing Works
  • LoCoco Licensing
  • Natural History Museum
  • NBA Properties Inc
  • Octane5
  • Opsec
  • Penguin Ventures
  • Pokemon
  • Sega Europe
  • Start Licensing
  • Tesa Scribos
  • UCLA
  • Xilam
  • Yale
  • Zolan Licensing Agency

Brands who are interested in exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities can visit www.festivaloflicensing.com for more information.