ALIEN, Disney Gargoyles and Taco Bell lead Ravensburger’s latest gaming portfolio

ALIEN, Disney Gargoyles, and a fully-licensed Taco Bell party game are among a line-up of new launches to be hitting the scene courtesy of Ravensburger for 2021, following what the US outfit of the global enterprise has billed as an ‘incredible last year.’

With a games division that continues to grow its breadth of titles and licensed partnerships, Ravensburger is continuing to explore new terrains in board gaming through impactful and engaging IP licensed titles.

Florian Baldenhofer, executive vice president, Ravensburger North America, told ToyNews: “Ravensburger had an incredible year last year. We’re so proud of our team; our games division continues to grow and find IPs that we can creatively translate to board games.

“We’re excited about the games in our 2021 lineup, which includes a number of fan-favorite IPs like Gargoyles and ALIEN, along with pop culture icons like Taco Bell and Pusheen. Our customers look to Ravensburger for immersive games and our team excels at finding the right balance between capturing and creating engaging gameplay.”

Leading the pack of a planned release of more than 275 products this year from Ravensburger, BRIO, Wonder Forge and ThinkFun is the officially licensed ALIEN: Fate of Nostromo, a board game adaptation of the cult classic sci-fi franchise.

With executive officer Kane dead, and the Alien stalking the halls of the Nostromo, players must work together in a cooperative strategy game to craft items, fulfill objectives, and compete one of five final missions, all while moving to avoid the ever-present Alien.

The title is swiftly followed by Disney Gargoyles: Awakening, based on the ‘90s Disney cartoon and another co-op game in which players take on the role of one of the heroes of the show to defeat Xanatos or Demona in one of four scenarios. Battle is done on a 3D cityscape board showing Manhattan as it was depicted in the cartoon.

Meanwhile, Taco Bell Party Pack Card Game sees players gather menu items to feed and satisfy their Crew’s specific cravings, while Marvel Eye Found It! Card Game is the latest in the Eye Found It series that has now sold over three million copies worldwide.

Ravensburger’s initial 2021 gaming line-up is completed by Mickey and Friends Magical Treats in which players help the gang sort out their lunch by matching colours, food, characters, or the number of stars on each card.

Elsewhere, Brio will also witness new lines enter the market with the BRIO Battery-Operated Steaming Train, the BRIO Mickey Mouse Deluxe Set, and the BRIO SMart Tech Sound Deluxe Set.

Ravensburger’s initial product roll-out for the year is completed with the GraviTrax PROP, a new line extension to the popular GraviTrax series.

LEGO details next Adidas collab drop in LEGO Dots and LEGO Ninjago apparel collection

The LEGO Group has detailed the next drop in its continued collaborative project with Adidas; a new apparel collection featuring sleek colours and designs inspired by LEGO Dots and LEGO Ninjago.

The new collection will be available to Adidas Creative Club members from March 1st this year, with broad distribution following from March 4th.

The collaboration between the two brands is a multi-year partnership that aims to’ infuse more fun into the lives of kids and adults through playful products across apparel, hardware and bricks.’ It kicked off with the AZX800 sneaker in September 2020, and since then, fans have been able to celebrate their creativity and passion for the two brands in new ways.

Most recently the two launched a line-up of children’s clothes and shoes wrapped in the original four LEGO colours – red, yellow, blue, and green. Added to the assortment is the latest to take inspiration from LEGO Dots and LEGO Ninjago.

The adidas x LEGO DOTS collection focuses on the creative potential of children. The collection enables kids to express their personality, create their own style and show the world who they are, using colourful and fun patterns. The playful designs will spark imagination and convey a message to children that it’s their world and that they make the rules.

The Adidas X LEGO Ninjago collection includes pieces that celebrate the 10th anniversary of this LEGO play theme as well as the timeless world of classic NINJAGO. With this range, kids can leap into action and master their journey the ninja way. It features vibrant designs that represent the elemental NINJAGO powers, while enabling kids to express themselves and master ninja skills: being a good friend, confident, inclusive and true to oneself.

Mattel and Nickelodeon partner for Monster High TV series and TV movie musical

Mattel and Nickelodeon have drawn up plans to produce a new animated series and live-action television movie musical based on the popular toy franchise, Monster High – a brand centered on the children of some of pop culture’s most notorious monsters.

The new series will follow the story of Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, and Frankie Stein as they navigate high school in the hallowed halls of Monster High. The series will be available globally across Nickelodeon platforms with a scheduled premiere date of 2022.

Similarly, the movie musical event, which marks the first time Monster High will be brought to life in live action, will be available on Nickelodeon platforms globally next year.

“Monster High’s strong message of inclusivity is more relevant than ever,” said Fred Soulie, general manager, Mattel Television. “Nickelodeon shares our passion for the brand and its purpose having worked on the franchise when it first launched more than a decade ago. They are the ideal partners to bring these beloved characters and their stories to life through episodic television and the live-action television movie.”

Ramsey Naito, president of Nickelodeon Animation, added: “These classic monsters have always captured kids’ imaginations and we are so excited and proud to welcome Monster High to our brand for a new generation of kids.

“We have terrific partners on board at Mattel to create original content in different formats, and, with the expertise of the Nick creative team helmed by Claudia Spinelli on the animation development side, and Zack Olin and Shauna Phelan on the live-action side, we can’t wait to showcase the comedy and adventure of these characters as they defy expectations and take on the world.”

Adam Bonnet, executive producer, Mattel Television, said: “We could not be more excited to work with Ramsey, Claudia, Zack, Shauna, our writers and the entire Nickelodeon animation and live-action teams to introduce Monster High to a new audience.

“This property has always resonated deeply with fans and our reimagination of the franchise will focus on addressing important themes of identity and empowerment for kids today.”

The Monster High series and movie musical event join other Mattel Television content in production, including series and specials based on Barbie, Masters of the Universe, Thomas & Friends, Polly Pocket and Fireman Sam, to name a few.

The forthcoming Monster High series and movie underscore a key element of Nickelodeon’s content strategy, to build and expand the worlds of enormously popular franchises such as Star Trek, SpongeBob SquarePantsHenry Danger, Big Nate and Real Pigeons Fight Crime among others, to give audiences more of what they love.

Production on the Monster High animated TV series is overseen for Nickelodeon by Claudia Spinelli, senior vice president, Animation Development. Shea Fontana (Polly Pocket, DC Super Hero Girls) is serving as the showrunner. Jenny Jaffe (Big Hero 6: The Series, Rugrats) and the writing team of Greg Erb and Jason Oremland (Princess and the Frog, Playmobil: The Movie) have been tapped to write the Monster High live-action television movie.

Monster High was first introduced in 2010 with a global fan base embracing its message of inclusivity. Beginning in 2022, Mattel will be refueling the franchise and introducing Monster High to a whole new generation of kids.

Opinion | Toon-age day stream: How Disney+ is about to change toy licensing for good

It almost seemed by design that Disney’s subscription based streaming platform, Disney+ launched just as the Coronavirus pandemic began to tighten its grip on the UK and force the world’s population inside and away from the entertainment venues of yesteryear. And in just a short space of time, its impact on the wider world around has begun to be recognised.

Kids Brands Insights’ Steve Reece takes a closer look at the Disney+ platform and the moves already being made that will overhaul the nature of toy licensing, indefinitely.

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Netflix has vastly changed the world of what was once simply called ‘television’. The content proliferation process which has been ongoing for the last decade or more is accelerating, as lockdowns around the world have vastly increased viewing. In response Netflix is producing more and more entertainment content. But aside from the occasional freak occurrence like The Queens Gambit which saw Chess set sales soar, we haven’t seen that great an impact on toy merchandising.

Disney+ of course changes all of that, because whereas Netflix is full of content for adults with adult themes and is not focused purely on a family entertainment audience, Disney+ is all about family entertainment.

“Even coming out of lockdown, viewing is likely to remain high versus historical levels because human behaviour is habitual.”

Those who questioned whether this type of video on demand could drive merchandise sales soon got their question answered by the success of The Mandalorian. Logically though, if tens of millions of people subscribe to a service, then each piece of content must be averaging millions of views. When you compare that with cable/satellite TV which back in the old days were just about enough to drive some degree of licensed product sales, then it becomes clear that Disney+ heralds a bright new era for licensed toys.

The other effect that has been underestimated is the degree of immersion/obsession which an entertainment franchise creates. There are brands which lots of people like, and there are brands which some people become deeply obsessed with. The depth of content on offer via VOD platforms, the drip feed of the next instalment/series and the binge-watching habits of locked down people lead to a deeper immersion and bond with content brands, which in turn should drive toy sales.

Even coming out of lockdown, viewing is likely to remain high versus historical levels because human behaviour is habitual and the habits of binge-watching huge amounts of content has become deeply ingrained.

The other effect of VOD platforms is to smooth out the long tail after the content first releases. For sure, major headline content releases will drive big initial viewing, but many people don’t buy in, either because they are still too busy watching other series or because they don’t believe the hype yet. This long tail offers a longer-term payback than the traditional blockbuster movie with two sales spikes around cinematic release, and secondary release to DVD or previously to less content abundant VOD platforms.

The other key factor here is scale. At the time of writing, Disney+ reportedly has more than 95m subscribers around the world. Disney forecast more than 200m within the next year or two, but the potential could be much higher, so the effect of this platform is only going to increase.

Every so often something comes along with marks a fundamental shift in the toy business, Disney+ heralds a new age of toy licensing, it’s that big a thing.

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Steve Reece is the founder of the toy expert consultancy, Kids Brand Insight, leaders in supplying services to the toys and kids entertainment industries.

The Pokémon Company celebrates ‘significant increase in sales’ of TCG and Jazwares toy line

The Pokémon Company is celebrating a ‘significant increase in sales’ of its Pokémon Trading Card Game and extensive toy range from Jazwares across the European markets, despite all of the challenges that retail has faced at the hands of the Coronavirus.

According to figures recorded by the NPD Group Toys retail tracking service, sales figures increased in the UK, France, Germany, and Benelux during 2020 for the Pokémon TCG and toys from Jazwares. Year-on-year sales for Pokémon continue to outperform the market trend—a regular achievement for the brand in recent years.

Pokémon was the number one NPD toy property in France up to week 49 in 2020, finishing the year in third place overall with a total growth of seven per cent.

Remaining the number one Strategic Trading Card property in Europe, according to NPD, Pokémon sales continued to rise in key territories with YOY growth of 15 per cent in the United Kingdom, six per cent in France, and 28 per cent in Benelux.

According to TPCi’s own EPOS tracking service, which began in Germany four years ago, 2020 registered the best like-for-like retailer sales since tracking began, and Q4 was up a staggering 319 per cent against the same period in 2018.

Meanwhile, Jazwares launched an extended range of new products for 2020 which proved popular among kids and fans, and resulted in a 36 per cent uplift in sales across Europe. Its Advent calendar sold out well before the start of December, and the Pokémon Carry Case Playset sold out in the UK.

Also new for 2020 was the launch of  Pokémon TCG Battle Academy, the first board game adaptation of the TCG, combining strategic Pokémon TCG gameplay within a classic family game experience.

Battle Academy won the Best Game category in the 2021 US Toy of the Year Awards.

Mathieu Galante, licensing director EMEA for The Pokémon Company International, said: “In what has been an extremely challenging year for retail, we are delighted that Pokémon has performed so strongly and helped to provide a welcome diversion and entertainment.

“Appetite continues to grow for our innovative range of best-in-class products, reflecting Pokémon’s widespread appeal and innovation which keeps it fresh, relevant and in-demand. 2021 is our 25th anniversary, and we have a whole host of exciting celebratory plans in place for this landmark year.”

Simon Benton, VP Pokémon TCG Sales Europe, added: “Pokémon TCG sales were beyond expectations in 2020, with four significant markets enjoying their best-ever years. Our hugely popular Pokémon TCG: Sword & Shield Series expansions maintained a high profile throughout the year. The launch of the Battle Academy board game brought an added new dimension to Pokémon’s TCG appeal.

“2021 is off to a fast start despite European retail lockdowns, with January EPOS sales figures higher than any we’ve seen before. The recently launched and highly anticipated Shining Fates expansion, featuring 100 all-important Shiny cards, is set to be another big hit; we’ve already had to instigate reprints to keep up with the huge demand at preorder.

“It’s a great start to what’s set to be an exciting year of special promotions and activity to celebrate Pokémon’s 25th anniversary.”

Pokémon was first launched in Japan in 1996 as a role-playing game for Nintendo’s Game Boy system and reached the United States and Europe in 1998-99. It has since grown into one of the most popular entertainment properties in the world, encompassing video games, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, mobile games and apps, animation and movies, Play! Pokémon competitive events, and licensed products.

It is one of the most successful video game franchises of all time with more than 368 million video games sold worldwide. In addition, more than 22 billion TCG cards have been shipped to 77 countries in 13 languages, while the mobile game sensation Pokémon GO has received more than one billion downloads globally since launch in 2016.

More than 1,000 episodes of the animated TV series span 23 seasons, licensed for broadcast in 176 countries and regions in more than 30 languages.

MGA Entertainment signs global music deal with Sony Music’s Magic Star label

MGA Entertainment has become the latest toy company to align itself with the music industry, having signed an exclusive music partnership with Sony Music UK’s children’s label, Magic Star in support of its global toy brand, LOL Surprise.

Under the new deal, Magic Star will work with Sony Music Entertainment’s record labels in more than 40 markets around the world, including Columbia Records’ Jam Jr to release new music from LOL Surprise and expand the brand to enable fans to engage in a new way.

Magic Star will create and produce music to support LOL Surprise product lines and future marketing initiatives, bringing the characters to life and to enhance storytelling moments through the power of music. 

Next month, LOL Surprise and Magic Star will support the debut of the next single “I’m a Queen.” Supported by a music video featuring LOL Surprise animated characters and a lyric video.   

Will Speer, head of Magic Star, Sony Music UK, said: “Music plays such an important role in children’s lives from an early age. We are excited to bring this partnership and MGA Entertainment’s products to young global audiences.

“Music transcends borders and allows our fans to engage with the brand in a new and exciting way,” said Sandrine de Raspide, general manager international and licensing at MGAE. “This new partnership with Magic Star, complemented by Sony Music’s deep marketing reach around the world and LOL Surprise fans, positions the brand for chart topping success.”     

Magic Star and MGAE kicked off the partnership in September 2020 with the debut of the LOL Surprise REMIX album, featuring new and original tracks to support the brand’s REMIX toy line – the first series of LOL Surprise dolls that focused on music.

The teams released content for fans that supported the music launch, including multiple lyric videos and animated music videos. As of today, fans around the world have amassed more than 18 million streams and 100 million YouTube views of the album and music videos.   

Magic Star has built up a roster of both established and development artists and brand partnerships since its launch in October 2019.

 

Toikido signs master toy partnership for Netflix’s feature animation Back to the Outback

Toikido has been named the master toy partner for Netflix’s upcoming feature film, Back to the Outback, an animated adventure following a ragtag group of animals and their daring escape from captivity.

With the film scheduled to make its global debut this autumn, Toikido has secured the rights to manufacture a master toy range including action figures and plush across global markets.

Tired of being locked in a reptile house where humans gawk at them like they’re monsters, Back to the Outback is centered on a group of Australia’s deadliest creatures as they plot their escape back to the Outback, a place where they’ll fit in without being judged for their scales and fangs.

Leading the group is Maddie (Isla Fisher), a poisonous snake with a heart of gold, who bands together with a self-assured Thorny Devil lizard Zoe (Miranda Tapsell), a lovelorn hairy spider Frank (Guy Pearce), and a sensitive scorpion Nigel (Angus Imrie).

When their nemesis – Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin), a cute but obnoxious koala – unexpectedly joins their escape, Maddie and the gang have no choice but to take him with them. So begins a hair-raising and hilarious road trip across Australia, as they are pursued by a zookeeper Chaz (Eric Bana) and his adventure-seeking mini-me (Diesel Cash La Torraca).

Directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps, Back to the Outback also featuring the voices of Rachel House, Keith Urban, Celeste Barber, Wayne Knight, Lachlan Ross Power, and Jacki Weaver.

Lead by the toy and licensing industry expert, Darran Garnham, Toikido is a London-based entertainment company boasting a global reach and ecosystem across licensing, gaming, music, and entertainment.

JAKKS Pacific backs its Disney slate to lift toy sales following Q4 and full year 2020 declines

JAKKS Pacific is heavily backing its Disney partnership and the boost in toy sales it expects to see over the course of the year, driven in part by the “extraordinary success of Disney+” and its new model of delivering content in the midst of the pandemic.

The toy firm highlighted its expectations to see a ‘return to more normal patterns of shopping,’ as it sets its sights on improved quarterly and full year results for the year ahead.

This week, JAKKS Pacific reported a 16 per cent drop in its fourth quarter 2020 net sales to $128.3 million, down from the $152.5 million the year prior. The decline, it says, was driven primarily by lower sales of Disney’s Frozen and Frozen II products, which were strong contributors to Q4 sales in 2019.

Net sales on the toys and consumer products segment were down 19 per cent globally, but were up 13 per cent with the exclusion of its Frozen merchandise.

Somewhat surprisingly, despite the restriction imposed by lockdowns across its major markets, fourth quarter net sales of Disguise Halloween costumes increased 91 per cent.

According to JAKKS Pacific’s chairman and CEO, Stephen Berman, fourth quarter results exceeded expectations for sales, gross margin, operating income and adjusted EBITDA.

In a statement issued this week, he cited “strong sales increases in Disney Princess, Nintendo, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Disguise costumes.”

“Since JAKKS was founded over 26 years ago, we have focused on proven play patterns and working with license partners with highly recognisable brands, and we believe this focus served us well in 2020 as parents of kids spending so much more at home were looking for products they knew and brands they trust,” Berman continued.

“Our efforts during the quarter, as they were all year, were directed at managing costs, ending 2020 with clean inventory, and preserving cash. This discipline allowed us to post the highest full year gross margin rate since 2016, and the highest fourth quarter gross margin rate in ten years.”

Looking at the year ahead, and JAKKS Pacific remains optimistic that results will improve as the world begins to emerge from the pandemic. The firm is also heavily backing its partnership with Disney and a slate of licensed releases this year, including Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon, and Encanto.

“In addition, we believe that the extraordinary success of Disney+ has given families all over the world year-round access to Disney content, which will help keep kids connected to the characters they love and to cherish the toys we make based on those characters,” said Berman.

“We expect 2021 to see a return of more normal patterns of shopping, gift-giving, and celebrating Halloween. We believe our continued emphasis on core products, margin improvement and cash preservation will lead to improved results for 2021.”

Hornby takes fresh steps into franchise building with new licensing consultant Michele Pearce

Hornby Hobbies has taken the first steps forward in launching its Scalextric brand onto the global licensing scene with the appointment of its new licensing consultant, Michele Pearce.

In her new role, Pearce will work to represent Hornby in the start of a new in-house licensing initiative, utilising her specialist knowledge and appreciation of the brand through her work as a successful licensing expert in the toy category and experience working within licensing in the video game industry.

The company is looking towards utilising this expertise as Pearce brings a new focus to the Scalextric brand.

The programme will focus on both the retro archive and the new Scalextric branding with the aim to find the partners who can realise the brand in product that will add to the whole family’s enjoyment of the ultimate slot car racing experience. 

Lyndon Davies, Hornby CEO, said: “Scalextric is loved by many and there are some exciting opportunities for us to work with licencing partners. Michele brings a wealth of experience to the team and we are  excited by some of the early conversations.” 

Pearce added: “I have been talking to Hornby for some time about the licensing opportunities for Scalextric and how much I would enjoy developing a strategy for them and I couldn’t have been more delighted when they contacted me at the start of this year with the wave of a chequered flag to start the programme.” 

For more information about the licensing opportunities for Scalextric please contact  michele.pearce@hornby.com

Universal Music Group signs LEGO Minifigure L.L.A.M.A to its Astralwerks label

Universal Music Group and the LEGO Group have achieved a world’s first with the signing of L.L.A.M.A  – a LEGO Minifigure DJ and producer –  to the studio’s record label, Astralwerks.

L.L.A.M.A is not only the first LEGO Minifigure to have signed a deal with a record label, but is also the first artist to release a song via LEGO’s newest physical-digital play hybrid platform, LEGO Vidiyo, a new system that allows kids to direct, produce, and star in their own music videos.

L.L.A.M.A has made his debut with the new single, Shake, a release featuring the three-time Grammy winner Ne-Yo, and newcomer Carmen DeLeon – who recently released the hit single Juegas. The single Shake is now available on the LEGO Vidiyo app and at all DSPs.

The official video for Shake premiered this week and features L.L.A.M.A, Ne-Yo, and Carmen DeLeon in a clip directed by Will Kindrick, known for his work with Ice Cube, Brian Wilson, and She & Him. The new video can be seen HERE.

LEGO Vidiyo is the product of a groundbreaking new collaboration between LEGO and Universal Music Group, who, through the partnership, has offered up a library of tracks created by artists on its label for use in the app. In addition to creating and sharing their own augmented reality experiences with L.L.A.M.A, kids and fans the world over will also find L.L.A.M.A as a minifigure in the DJ Llama BEatBox.

Shake was produced by BTS hitmaker David Stewart, who co-wrote the track with Grammy Award winning artist/songwriter Ryan Tedder.

“I met Ryan at a party. He was the only one who could keep up with me on the dance floor,” recalls L.L.A.M.A. “A few days later, he turned up at my place and we just clicked. By sunset, Shake was born, and it was beautiful. It’s fun. It’s energetic. It makes you want to move.”

Ne-Yo said: “L.L.A.M.A is an artist we need right now. Bringing some uplifting, positive music to people during what has been a hard year for so many is something I am happy to be a part of.”

Carmen DeLeon added: “I was so excited when I was asked to be part of Shake alongside Ne-Yo and L.L.A.M.A. My life revolves around creativity and dreaming big and this collaboration with the LEGO Group is a fulfillment of that.

“I hope this song and the fun music video that we shot inspires kids to always follow their dreams and think outside of the box.”

L.L.A.M.A, whose name is an acronym for Love, Laughter And Music Always, is a global citizen. Originally from the Andean region of South America, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of making music that makes people happy.

On signing with Astralwerks L.L.A.M.A said: “It feels incredible to be on such a legendary label. I’m constantly inspired by all of the artists on its roster. If I can make at least one person happy then my mission here is complete. The world needs a lift, and I’m up for being a part of that.”