Steve & Barry's Teams with Hoops Star
Steve & Barry's teamed up with NBA star Stephon Marbury on The StarburyCollection, an exclusive line of apparel and sneakers at affordable prices. Thecollection features nearly 50 casual and comfortable items for men and boys,including jackets, jeans, hoodies, T-shirts, athletic tops and shorts,lifestyle and performance sneakers, work boots, hats, and other accessories,with nearly every individual item priced at $10 or less. The exception is theStarbury One, a high-performance basketball sneaker (suggested retail, $14.98)that Marbury will wear on NBA courts this coming season.
Investors Buy Field & Stream Licenses Company
A group of investors led by Barry Sternlicht, Michael Tewey, and Larry Martinpurchased the Field & Stream Licenses Company and its trademark assets. Thecompany will be based in Westport, CT, and run by Tewey and Martin on aday-to-day basis. Sternlicht will serve as the company's chairman. Founded 134years ago by Gordon & Ferguson Co., Field & Stream Licenses Companycurrently owns more than 115 U.S. and international trademark registrationscovering more than 600 products, along with "Intent to Use" registrations foran additional 250 products. It also owns the Field & Stream trademark forproducts in 43 countries including China and the European Union. The company isnot associated with Field & Stream magazine, which is owned by Time WarnerCorp. The investment group intends to leverage the Field & Stream brandinto new high-quality, affordably priced outdoor products–including apparel,home products, sporting equipment, and food–and other services.
Rite Aid Expands
Rite Aid Corp. agreed to buy the Brooks and Eckerd pharmacy chains fromCanada's Jean Coutu Group Inc. for $2.62 billion. With the addition of 1,521Eckerd and 337 Brooks stores–to be renamed as Rite Aids–the deal gives Rite Aidmore than 5,100 stores, behind CVS' 6,171 and Walgreen's 5,401 locations.
Upscale Maker Is Soft on The Flintstones
Warner Bros. Consumer Products awarded Lucien Pellat-Finet worldwide rights todevelop men's and women's cashmere sweaters and scarves inspired by the lookand feel of The Flintstones. Characters such as Bam Bam, Pebbles, and Dino willbe featured on the luxury streetwear (suggested retails, $1,699 and $2,630) inmore than 200 major retail outlets worldwide and in the four LucienPellat-Finet boutiques in Paris, New York, Tokyo, and Kobe in fall/winter '06.
Sesame Characters Gain Exposure in Parks
Sesame Street characters will have a greater presence at four BuschEntertainment Corporation parks in the U.S. as part of a long-term agreementsigned with Sesame Workshop. Sesame Street-themed attractions will be createdin SeaWorld California in San Diego; SeaWorld Texas in San Antonio; BuschGardens Africa in Tampa, FL; and Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg, VA.Sesame-themed attractions for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens will begin in the nextseveral months with a completion date of 2008. In addition, the Sesame Streetcharacters will make periodic appearances at SeaWorld Florida in Orlandobeginning in 2007. Sesame Workshop also will extend BEC's license to featureSesame Street characters in Sesame Place, the company's Langhorne, PA, park.
In other Sesame news, Sesame Workshop greenlit production of 26 new episodes ofPlay With Me Sesame. The interactive series is also one of the shows includedin Sesame program blocks debuting in Poland, Hungary, and Croatia. Play With MeSesame is broadcast in more than 50 countries and encourages children to get upand play games along with their favorite Muppets from Sesame Street.
Ragdoll Inks Apparel, Headwear Deal
Ragdoll Ltd. partnered with Earth Tones Trading Company LLC for a line ofTeletubbies apparel and headwear. T-shirts, and cotton, fleece, and knit topsin addition to flexfit caps, baseball caps, trucker hats, and beanies will beon shelves at department and specialty stores in spring 2007.
Big Plans in the Works for Jay Jay the Jet Plane
In addition to being renewed by PBS KIDS through June 2009, Jay Jay the JetPlane will star in its first feature-length film, Jay Jay's Race Around theWorld. Preproduction is set to begin in October at UTV Toons Studios in Indiaand at PorchLight Animation in Los Angeles.
Ubisoft Creates Original Star Wars Game
Ubisoft created the first original Star Wars game for the PSP and Nintendo DS.Star Wars: Lethal Alliance, which takes place between Episode III: Revenge ofthe Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope, launches worldwide in December under along-term licensing partnership with LucasArts.
CLC Adds New University to Roster
The Collegiate Licensing Company signed an agreement with the University ofMinnesota to manage its trademark licensing program. Prior to joining CLC, theUniversity's trademark licensing program, which was started in 1986, washandled internally.
Illumitoon Entertainment Supports New Series
Illumitoon Entertainment, Ltd., licensed Get Ride! AM Driver for release in theU.S. in early 2007. The series is an action-adventure drama that focuses on theexploits of a young group of warriors, known as AM Drivers, as they battle adominating empire of machines. The series was developed by ADK, and is backedby Japanese toy company Konami.
Deal Makes Sense for Both Partners
Brand Sense Partners formed a strategic relationship with The William MorrisAgency, combining its brand extension expertise with WMA's existing licensingand merchandising business. The new endeavor will call on a team of more than30 specialists at BSP who will serve WMA's clients by assisting them in thedevelopment of their brands, as well as coordinating strategies to proactivelyextend those brands across traditional media, endorsements, and consumerproducts in an integrated fashion.
New Activision Game Stars in TV Series
Activision, Inc., is teaming up with Spike TV and Best Buy on the Game HeadCall of Duty 3: Challenge, a boot-camp-style competition of survival and gamingdue on Spike TV's Game Head November 10, timed to the fall release of the Callof Duty 3 video game. Activision is hosting an online casting call at http://www.gamespot.com to find 16 recruitswith personality, perseverance, and gaming skills to compete for a grand prizepackage that includes VIP access to Spike TV's Video Game Awards; a homeentertainment system from Best Buy; and a trip for two to Normandy, France.Spike TV's Game Head is a weekly half-hour series dedicated to everything thatis happening in the world of video games.
Noddy Is Fabric of New Textile Deal
Chorion inked a two-year deal with Character World for a line of textilesfeaturing Noddy and other characters including Big-Ears and Mr. Plod. Theduvets, curtains, sleeping bags, cushions, and towels will be distributed inthe UK, Channel Islands, and Eire.
Execs on the Move
Olivier Gers was promoted to general manager, FremantleMedia LicensingWorldwide. Karla Ilarde was promoted to director of specialty sales andmarketing at Small World Toys, Inc. George Little Management, LLC, promotedGina DeLuca to SURTEX show manager.
Take the Licensing Challenge
Have a new, not-yet-aired property with licensing and merchandising potential?Enter the Licensing Challenge. Visit http://www.mipcomjunior.comfor entry details. Deadline is September 1.
Submit Licenses Granted & Available Now Online
The LICENSE Finder allows you to submit licenses granted and available nowonline, which will be published on the LICENSE Website (http://www.licensemag.com/) on a weeklybasis once approved by an editor. Go to http://www.finder.licensemag.com/to fill out the verification form and submit your licenses granted or availablenow. Highlights from each month's online submissions will be published inLICENSE magazine. Any questions, contact Alyson Grala at 212.951.6743 or viae-mail: [email protected].
Brand Licensing 2006
Brought to you by the organizers of Licensing International, Brand Licensing2006 is the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension.Taking place from October 4 to 5, 2006, at Olympia, London, it is a uniqueannual opportunity to meet Europ's leading licensors, and see more than 2,500intellectual properties available for license. You will see more than 170exhibitors (only 17 percent of which exhibited at Licensing 2006International), learn more about the opportunities that exist in Europe via theshow's seminar and workshop program, and experience licensing at visitorattractions. Visit http://www.brandlicensingexpo.comfor more information or to register.
For more information on licensing news and features, visit LICENSE magazine'sWebsite, http://www.licensemag.com/.
