Brand Licensing 2006 Tapped for Two Industry Awards
Brand Licensing 2006, organized by Advanstar Communications UK Limited, has been nominated for Trade Show of the Year by the AEO Excellence Awards, and for Most Effective Marketing Campaign in the inaugural Exhibition News Awards. The AEO Excellence Awards represent the biggest annual gathering of the exhibition industry and will take place June 14. The Exhibition News Awards launch May 10 at the Hackney Empire in London.

Dimensional Branding Group Signs on Three Clients
Dimensional Branding Group will represent ALEX for a variety of lifestyle products for kids in specialty, mid-tier, department store, and high-end markets in the following categories: bed and bath, paper and party goods, furniture, room and wall decor, apparel, dinnerware, travel gear, food and beverage, and interactive. ALEX will make its official launch into licensing at next month’s Licensing Show. In other news, Dimensional Branding Group will also represent arcade game Skee-Ball with plans to take the brand out of the arcade and into the home with new product categories, and Pet Peeves with strategic brand extensions on tap.

The Weather Channel Storms into Entertainment Category
The Weather Channel makes its entry into the entertainment category, signing on Madacy Entertainment for multi-episode DVD collections of “Storm Stories” and “Epic Conditions” due holiday 2007. Midas Records will also issue CDs of the music heard on The Weather Channel during “local on the 8s.” The first retail offering this fall will be two CDs, featuring smooth jazz and instrumental classic rock.

HIT Entertainment Builds Interactive Venue for Bob the Builder
Bob the Builder will star in his first fully interactive live show at the Science Museum in the UK from May 26 through Sept. 7. The science-based show, aimed at 3- to 5-year-olds, is the first preschool show held at the museum. The 45-minute episodes will feature Bob, Wendy, and Spud in Sunflower Valley teaching children about structures, water flow, patterns, and numbers, as well as reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Campaign to Accelerate Naruto Publishing Frequency
VIZ Media LLC will launch Naruto Nation, a campaign to accelerate the frequency of publication for the Naruto manga series. From September through December, the company will offer three volumes per month, a first for any U.S. manga publisher. The new schedule will carry the series up to Volume 27, after which there is a significant break in the story arc: two and a half years pass and Naruto is now older and wiser. To support the campaign, VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump magazine will continue to serialize the series, provide in-depth background information about the developments in the accelerated manga, and begin to feature the new adventures of the older Naruto beginning in the January 2008 issue.

Kaleidoscope Has New Pet Project
Kaleidoscope LLC inked an exclusive deal with Annemarie Lucas, the star of Discovery Channel’s “Animal Precinct” to develop and represent the licensing program for her pet product brand, Smooch & Smitten. Kaleidoscope will seek licensees in pet categories including apparel, accessories, furnishings, toys, and auto accessories.
 
Safety Messages Come Alive in Stage Show
The Danger Rangers Safety Rules! Live Show kicked off its second season at Dutch Wonderland Family Amusement Park in Lancaster, Pa. The 20-minute show, co-produced by Educational Adventures and RWS & Associates Entertainment Inc., is inspired by a show of the same name that features characters that help teach kids important safety messages. The show is then followed by a special meet-and-greet with the characters.

Pet Peeves Going to the Dogs
Pet Peeves LLC and Multipet International will partner on a line of plush dog toys with quirky sayings that address certain Pet Peeves from a dog’s point of view, but appeals to pet owners for purchase. The brand also closed deals over the past few months with American Greetings for e-cards and Goffa International for plush toys, and also created an interactive Web site at www.mypetpeeves.com.

C.R. Gibson Adds Two Brands to Portfolio
C.R. Gibson signed licensing agreements with Royal Doulton and British artist Nel Whatmore. The Royal Doulton will include paper tableware, as well as wedding, kitchen, and stationery collections, while the Whatmore designs will be based on "Reasons to Be...,” a painting that mixes modern floral and abstract patterns. The collection will include stationery, paper tableware, photo albums, and social books and journals. Both collections, which will include approximately 30 products each, are scheduled for January 2008.

Shanghai Scores adidas NBA Basketball Shop
The first adidas NBA Basketball Shop in Shanghai opened at the Grand Gateway in the Xuhui District. This marks the second shop to open in China; the first opened in Nanjing. The store will offer NBA apparel and footwear and a complete set of interactive activities with customers able to try on the NBA’s latest apparel and footwear, and also learn how to mix and match the apparel from an on-site stylist. EA Sports will also have a gaming area inside the shop where fans passionate about NBA video games can win adidas NBA products by playing NBA Live 07 by EA Sports. The duo will open 10 adidas NBA Basketball Shops in China by year-end.

Game Show Inspires Video Game Release
Endemol and Destination Software Inc. will come to market with video games based on the Endemol franchise “Deal or No Deal.” The first titles will release on June 12 for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. Future release for Nintendo’s interactive Wii system is also planned. The deal between DSI and Endemol was facilitated by DSI’s licensing agent, 360ep Inc.

VooDoo Entertainment to Rep Graphic Design Studio
VooDoo Entertainment launched a worldwide licensing program for boutique graphic design studio Lehner & Whyte. The initial categories will be stationery, scrapbooks, greeting cards, gift wrap and gift tags, dinnerware, nursery items (including bedding), and an infant’s apparel line. Products are due in spring 2008 at department and specialty stores as well as card and gift stores. In other news, the company was named licensing agent for the BIWIS for the U.S. and Canada. The global property originated from www.biwis.com and plans include BIWIS The Movie in 3-D, already in development.
 
Execs on the Move
Stuart Snyder was named executive vice president and COO of animation, Young Adults & Kids Media, at Turner Broadcasting Systems Inc.

Carlin West was promoted to executive vice president of acquisitions and development, and Rosalind Nowicki was promoted to executive vice president of marketing and licensing at 4Kids Entertainment.

Taffy Entertainment named Marc Grossmann director of public relations.

Eric Stevens joined sports and entertainment presenters AEG as president, AEG Events & Media.

Wasserman Media Group named Tom Fox to its executive management team.