Pepsi Apparel Launching at Steve & Barry’s Nationwide
A collection of Pepsi-branded tops for men, women and juniors incorporating heritage icons and slogans will roll out at Steve & Barry’s this fall.

“We are very excited to add Pepsi to our expansive portfolio of licensed products,” said Steve & Barry’s chief partnership officer Howard Schacter. “Pepsi is a globally recognized super-brand that will widely appeal to our costumers nationwide.”

There are over 270 Steve & Barry’s stores in 38 states, with plans to open an additional 70 locations this year.

The Joester Loria Group represented Pepsi-Cola North America in the licensing arrangement. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Kohl’s to Hang Ten
In an exclusive deal with American Brand Holdings, Kohl’s will re-launch the Hang Ten brand of youth active wear and accessories in 240 of its stores and online at Kohls.com in spring 2009.

The apparel line will sport the Hang Ten footprint logo and range in sizes from kids to young adults. Accessories will include sunglasses, handbags and jewelry. Quiksilver will design the Hang Ten collection and its packaging. Kohl’s and Quiksilver have already collaborated on the Tony Hawk line available at the retailer.

Hang Ten was created by Duke Boyd in 1962 as a surfer/beach wear line and was popular in the 90s but hasn’t been sold in the United States since 2003.

Nickelodeon Launches Merchandising Program for iCarly
Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products has announced the roll out of the first consumer products based on the live-action tween series iCarly.

The iCarly merchandising program will kick off this June with the an album entitled “iPlaylist.” The album will contain exclusive tracks from multi-platinum artists including: Natasha Bedingfield, Avril Lavigne, Good Charlotte, Sean Kingston, and three tracks from iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove.  

In July, an iCarly line of products will be available exclusively in The Limited Too/Justice stores. The line will consist of apparel, stationery and electronics.

iCarly will be hitting the DVD shelves in September with the launch of iCarly Season 1, Volume 1.  

In addition, Imation will release an entire line of iCarly-themed products under the  Npower label, available exclusively at Toys “R” Us this fall.  

Coca-Cola Names Agent in Europe
Coca-Cola has named The Licensing Company as their exclusive agents for European territories. TLC will focus on Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Fanta.

TLC will implement a comprehensive Pan European brand extension campaign and will create environmental solutions utilizing PET and glass bottles and aluminum cans to recycle and create environmentally sound Coca Cola products.

The appointment coincides with Coca Cola’s plan to dismantle its internal brand extension department in London.

Pucca Hits North America
Building on its international success, Pucca is now coming to North America with a strong line-up of partnerships. The first wave of licensees signed by Access Licensing Group includes: Mighty Fine (juniors apparel), United Colors of Benetton (tweens apparel), Fifth Sun (juniors apparel), Global Design Concepts (bags), Berkshire (headwear, hosiery), Weisner (footwear), NTD (tweens, teens and juniors apparel in Canada) and Fab Starpoint (stationery). Additional partnerships in gift, toys, personal care and home décor will be announced over the next few weeks.

The retail launch of Pucca apparel and accessories lines will start in fall 2008.

Victoria’s Secret to Roll Out Collegiate Collection
Victoria’s Secret Pink has partnered with The Collegiate Licensing Company to launch an exclusive assortment of collegiate co-branded merchandise. Thirty-three universities will be featured such as Texas A&M, Harvard and UCLA, and on July 1 the assortment will be available through multiple channels including select Victoria’s Secret stores, online, in the catalog, as well as through the new Victoria’s Secret Pink magalog. The collection includes nine different items, including fleece pants, hoodies, panties, tees, and totes and will be available in approximately 375 stores.

Model Behati Prinsloo is the new face of the VS Pink Collegiate Collection.

Fluffy Gardens Blooms in Korea
Fluffy Gardens, the pre-school property managed by global media company Target Entertainment, has signed new TV and licensing deals in Korea.

Target Entertainment has recruited Asiana to build a licensing program for the property in Korea and work with broadcast partner EBS.

Other broadcast partners include: France 5, ABC Australia, Norway’s NRK, SVT in Sweden, M-Net’s kids channel KTV, Cineplex in Thailand, RTV Slovenia and Discovery Kids Latin America.
Licensing partners include CPL (Compania Panamericana de Licencias) that will manage all Latin American territories, excluding Argentina and Brazil, which will be handled by PRO Entertainment.

Fluffy Gardens is a 40 x 7’ 2D cell animation series aimed at pre-schoolers and specifically children old enough for their first bedtime story. The series was created, written and directed by Jason Tammemagi from Dublin-based Monster Animation & Design. Target Entertainment handles the TV, global licensing and home video rights.

Fisher-Price Partners with Buster Brown on Children’s Footwear
Fisher-Price Consumer Products inked a new licensing partnership with Buster Brown & Co. to produce a new, Fisher-Price-branded  kids’ footwear collection featuring Fit Zone® technology.

The new collection features shoes for pre-walk and toddler boys and girls, including athletic shoes, sandals/beachwear, casuals, boots and slippers in a variety of styles and colors. The first line of shoes will be available to consumers for spring 2009.

The line will feature Fit Zone® technology, which allows parents to gauge their child’s shoe size without a fitting. By holding the child’s foot against the shoe bottom and judging the toe placement in one of Fit Zone’s three-color bands (too small, just right or too big), parents can gauge their child’s shoe size while in the store.

Burger King Welcomes Pokemon Characters
Whopper lovers will soon have another reason to head to Burger King this summer. The fast-food chain has just inked a deal with Pokemon to be the exclusive provider of Pokemon game cards and accessories. Beginning July 7, favorite characters such as Pikachu and Darkrai will be among the slate of 12 character cards and accessories available with the purchase of a kids’ meal.

New Products from Wiley Publishing
Wiley Publishing is rolling out a host of new topics under its ”For Dummies” line. Twelve new "For Dummies" arts and crafts sets offer consumers an introductory experience to a variety of arts and crafts techniques from watercolors to clay to fashion design. Also available will be a volume for consumer electronics that provides instructions on jobs such as hanging flat-panel TVs. Other titles include “GPS Personal Navigation Device For Dummies” and “Internet Phones For Dummies.”

In its CliffNotes DVD series, Wiley is offering a package containing full-length classic films and the complete CliffsNotes study guide. Added titles include A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Crucible, Grapes of Wrath, and A Farewell to Arms.

Wiley is also rolling out a six-piece Frommer's Luggage collection. Frommer's Luggage is lightweight and engineered to withstand rough handling and all weather conditions.

Speed Racer Adds New U.S. Licensors
Speed Racer Enterprises has appointed four agencies to represent both Speed Racer: The Next Generation and the classic Speed Racer series for licensing and merchandising across the world. G Squared Promotion will represent the brand in Canada; Empire International Merchandising Corporation will cover all of Asia excluding Japan; EXIM Licensing Group will represent South, Central and Latin America; and BKN will handle Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the Middle East.  

A dozen new licensees have signed on to produce Speed Racer merchandise lines: Duncan Yo-Yo and Inter-Axions for toys; Baby Boom/Betesh Group for domestics and room décor; as well as H.E.R. Accessories and Infinity Headwear for accessories. New apparel licensees include JEM Sportswear, Kids with Character, Level One Concepts, MTC and Steve & Barry’s. Playground Maniacs will create trading cards, stickers, collection albums, tattoos and lenticular cards.

Twentieth Century Fox, WaMu Partner on Rewards Card
Twentieth Century Fox and Washington Mutual have agreed to market the Fox Entertainment Rewards card program that gives consumers access to a wide range of rewards, including entertainment-specific goods and special experiential rewards utilizing Twentieth Century Fox Productions. The card program is expected to launch this fall.

“There are a number of really unique entertainment-related rewards that we know consumers will like,” said Dave Tomlinson, senior vice president and director of card services marketing. “We’re excited to be partnering with Twentieth Century Fox, and look forward to unveiling the full rewards program to entertainment fans nationwide when the card becomes available later this year.”
 
“Raggs” Readies Live Events, New TV Episodes, Interactive Web Site
“Raggs,” which premiered on U.S. public television stations nationwide in February 2008, has announced a multi-year licensing partnership with toy company Zizzle. Beginning in July, Raggs plush toys, CDs, DVDs and custom T-shirts will be available at online retailer Ty's Toy Box, and the brand will be a prominently featured on their homepage. The first products are planned for launch in fall 2009.

Kicking off in late summer, the multi-platform fall ‘08/winter ‘09 campaign will include: an 80-city Raggs Live! Dance Party tour, with 25 cities set for fall ’08 and more to be announced for 2009; the launch of a new Web site; and the premiere of 26 episodes on public television (and each season thereafter for five years.

The Muppets Visit Military Families Across the Country
Officially kicking off on July 8, The Sesame Street Experience will travel throughout the country making stops at 43 military bases. The live show is designed to help families cope with the challenges of deployments, homecomings and when a parent returns changed. The 60-minute experience will feature a live Muppet performance, giveaways, outreach materials and a chance for a photo op with the stars of the show, Elmo, Rosita, Grover, Cookie Monster and Zoe. Talk, Listen, Connect is a bilingual, multimedia outreach program designed to support military families with children between the ages of 2 and 5. For more information on Talk, Listen, Connect and the tour, visit http://www.sesamestreet.org/tlc.

Camp Rock Available at Target and Disney Stores Nationwide
Disney Consumer Products is launching a new line of tween merchandise inspired by "Camp Rock,” the Disney Channel original movie set to launch on June 20.

Beginning June 15, Target stores nationwide will carry the largest selection of "Camp Rock” products including electronics, apparel, accessories, footwear, home décor, books, fashion dolls and stationery.

Future plans for "Camp Rock" merchandise include an expanded line of electronics, apparel, accessories, home décor and stationery. The majority of the products will be ready just in time for the back-to-school season and will continue to grow through spring 2009 when the merchandising program will extend into other retail channels.

"Camp Rock,” featuring the Jonas Brothers, premieres on Disney Channel and will air over successive evenings on ABC-TV, on cable channel ABC Family and online at Disney.com.

Underground Toys Readies Star Wars Product Line
Underground Toys is launching a selection of products and giftware in anticipation of the Aug. 15 release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars.  The line-up includes mugs, keychains, plush and more.

Products begins shipping from July 26 to UK mass and specialty stores such as Clinton Cards, Borders, Halfords and Next.

Nick Takes Avatar to Big Screen
Nickelodeon, Viacom and Paramount Pictures are taking the hit Nick animation Avatar to the big screen with a CGI movie. Called The Last Airbender, the feature is directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who’s past hits include The Sixth Sense.

Set for release in July 2010, The Last Airbender develops the epic tale of the nations of Air, Earth, Water and Fire. It aims to extend the franchise from the television fan base to a wider audience, opening opportunities for developing licensed consumer products.

Leigh Anne Brodsky, president Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Products, said: “The movie offers a golden opportunity to play in theaters and bringing us an audience of all ages.”

Granada Finalizes Team Structure
Granada Ventures, part of ITV,  has finalized its licensing team structure following the appointment of Gustavo Antonioni as commercial brands director.

Melanie Beer has been appointed director of merchandise and licensing, and will head up the licensing team. Julie Quirke has been appointed head of international licensing and will report into Beer.

Giles Ridge has been named as head of brand and product development and Claire Murphy has been appointed director of commercial sports services.

Meanwhile, Lee Bartlett has been appointed managing director of ITV global content, replacing Dawn Airie.

Nick, Viacom Beef Up Licensing Team
Nickelodeon and Viacom Consumer Goods, part of MTV Networks, has restructured its management team. Indra Suharjono, formerly SVP, Asia, has been promoted to SVP and managing director for licensing operations in Asia and the Middle East, plus oversight of NVCP’s international publishing business.

Jean Philippe Randisi, formerly SVP and managing director, Europe, has been promoted to SVP and managing director for Europe, Canada and Latin America.

Manuel Torres, previously SVP, Latin America, will oversee global toy, interactive and the consumer electronics business as SVP.

Sherice Torres, SVP of hard goods, moves to NVCP’s global music and home entertainment business as SVP of global entertainment, and  Hal Snik, SVP of soft goods, takes on all of NVCP’s US licensing businesses.

BBC Worldwide Lands Global Deal for 3rd & Bird
BBC Worldwide has won global distribution and merchandise rights for the new animated pre-school series “3rd & Bird.” Produced by Little Airplane Productions, creators of The Wonder Pets, 52 episodes of “3rd & Bird” will launch on CBeebies this autumn. Centered around a community of birds that live, learn and play in the branches of a tree, “3rd & Bird” has been created in photo-puppetry animation – a style of animation created by Little Airplane. Director of children’s, BBC Worldwide Gill Pritchard said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Little Airplane on this project. Our expertise of the pre-school market gives us confidence that “3rd and Bird” will resonate across the world.”

Dri Touches Hearts with The Softest Spot
Dri Licensing has signed up new greetings and gift market property The Softest Spot. Aimed at women, The Softest Spot is illustrated by Brain Paterson and features two white puppies with black and blue soft watercolor spots. Gemma International has published a collection of greeting cards.

Rainbow Designs, signed as master gift licensee, is currently developing a collection of plush toys, keychains, charms and mugs for launch in early 2009.

Dri licensing director Alicia Davenport said, “The Softest Spot epitomizes the simplicity of emotional communication and occasions. It is a charming property and we are excited to be representing it worldwide.”

Jetix Europe and Walt Disney Get Together on EMEA Distribution
Jetix Europe has signed an agreement with an affiliate of its majority shareholder, The Walt Disney Company, for the distribution of its channels and digital content across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). 

The move, effective July 1, 2008, means that the distribution of Jetix channels in the region will be serviced by Disney-ABC International Television's newly integrated TV distribution business.

Disney-ABC International Television already services program sales for Jetix content to free-to-air broadcasters globally, including Disney Channel, Disney Cinemagic, Playhouse Disney, Toon Disney, as well as the successful sports services ESPN Classic and NASN. 

The deal covers all platforms including cable and satellite as well as digital services such as IPTV and PPV.   

PPC Enterprises Signs DVD Deal for “The Pinky & Perky Show”
PPC Enterprises, the commercial division of the Picture Production Company Group, has licensed the UK and Ireland DVD rights for the new CGI series of “The Pinky & Perky Show” to ITV DVD, a division of ITV’s Granada Ventures.

“The Pinky & Perky Show” DVD will be released in October following the launch of the series on BBC’s CBBC this autumn. The DVD will feature the first six episodes from the 52 x 13 minute series as well as a raft of special features.

PPC Enterprises holds worldwide rights to Pinky & Perky. A master toy license deal for the brand has been signed with Martin Yaffe under its Born to Play brand, and is looking to extend the brand into publishing, apparel, collectibles and home wares.

Hit and Aardman Get Closer
The UK’s Hit Entertainment and Aardman Animations have signed two new deals as Hit takes on the consumer products roll-out of Aardman’s new preschool show “Timmy Time” in North America and the management of Aardman’s themed-attractions business worldwide for Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time. 

Timmy Time is Aardman Animations’ first animated television series for preschoolers, and is slated to begin airing on Playhouse Disney in the US and Disney Channels around the world starting in early 2009. Hit will look to launch Timmy consumer products in all key categories, including home entertainment, toys, games, publishing, apparel, accessories and more.

Peter Byrne, Hit’s executive vice president, worldwide consumer products, said: “The much-anticipated Timmy Time perfectly complements our existing range of children’s properties and adds significant value to our North American portfolio. We are also excited about taking these much-loved brands into the themed-attractions business by leveraging our expertise with operators around the world.”

Executive Moves
CPLG Adds to Sports Licensing Dept.

Copyright Promotions Licensing Group has appointed Tom Roe as commercial manager, working across the company’s sports properties. Roe has previously worked with Granada Ventures and IMG.

Chorion is expanding its London-based licensing division with the appointment of Bettina Köckler as vice president, licensing sales, UK and EMEA, reporting to Eric Karp, EVP global licensing and merchandising. She was previously chairman of MerchandisingMedia in Germany where her responsibilities included all licensing business for ProSiebenSAT1 Group and all licensing business for third-party properties handled by MerchandisingMedia, Art Merchandising & Media and Buchangentur. She has also worked for Sony Pictured Consumer Products.