Weekly E-news, Issue #68, July 20, 2004

Sponsored by:
Cartoon Network Goes to Bat for Baseball Major League Baseball Properties and the Major League Baseball Players Association teamed up with Cartoon Network to promote interest in baseball and baseball card collecting through several commercial spots that will air extensively on Cartoon Network throughout the remainder of the 2004 season and the entire 2005 regular season. Cartoon Network recently launched a new series of 30-second spots featuring Josh Beckett (Florida Marlins), Nomar Garciaparra (Boston Red Sox), Derek Jeter (New York Yankees), Andruw Jones (Atlanta Braves), and Jim Thome (Philadelphia Phillies) talking about various topics related to baseball and cartoons. Cartoon Network also had a significant presence at 2004 All-Star Week in Houston, where the network shot its Fridays Major League Baseball Fieldtrip due to premiere July 30. Caribbean Joe Is One to Watch Apparel Holdings Group’s affiliate, AHG Licensing, Inc., signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Genender International Inc. for Caribbean Joe men’s and women’s timepieces. The line will include island-inspired details, including bamboo textured dials and woven leather straps paired with grosgrain ribbon bands and multifunctional chronograph movements. The line hits department and specialty stores in spring 2005. Seralegui Inspires New Furniture Line Pulaski Furniture Corp. will create a furniture collection aimed at the Hispanic community inspired by Spanish TV talk show host Christina Seralegui. The line, Casa Christina, debuts at the High Point International Furniture Market in October and will be in-store in August 2005. The collection of approximately 110 pieces of dining, bedroom, accent, entertainment, and youth furnishings and clocks will be inspired by Seralegui’s lifestyle and Miami home. Each piece will include a bilingual tag with background information on the design. Street Fighter Gets Maximum Exposure Capcom Entertainment will celebrate the 15th anniversary of arcade fighting game Street Fighter at the International Comic Book Convention this week. The company will showcase footage from the upcoming Street Fighter Anniversary Collection for PS2 and Xbox, as well as display exclusive licensed merchandise. Street Fighter has sold more than 27 million units worldwide. A Visit Fit for the Queen Bob the Builder and Barney gave Queen Elizabeth a royal welcome as she toured HIT Entertainment’s offices in London last week. The visit was part of a Royal theme day to celebrate British enterprise. HIT Entertainment has won two export achievement awards, the highest honor the UK Government can bestow on a British business. Precious Moments Set to Music Traditional Records Inc. will debut the first in a series of music releases for Precious Moments July 27. The two titles, Loving, Caring, and Sharing and Precious Lullabies, also will be available in the CBA channel for the first time. The licensing deal was brokered by United Media. Atari Ships New Dragon Ball Z Title Atari began shipping Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors for Nintendo Game Boy Advance. Now for the first time in a Dragon Ball Z video game, fans can take their battles skyward by launching explosive aerial assaults on opponents, just like in the animated series. The release, rated “T” for Teen, retails for $29.99. Fisher-Price Inks Deal with PurpleEyes S.A. Fisher-Price obtained exclusive rights to develop and manufacture children’s products owned by PurpleEyes S.A. The first of these products is due in 2005. The agreement grants Fisher-Price exclusive rights to PurpleEyes’ patents in the U.S., France, and several other countries in which PurpleEyes has filed for patent protection. The PurpleEyes patents cover an optical reader technology system that recognizes and reads images and text which, when interpreted by a data processing system, will provide an appropriate response that is directly related to the image or text being scanned. The patented invention can be applied to books and 3-D products to provide descriptions, educational instruction, sounds, music, or other forms of identification for words, pictures, or objects. Creative Brands Group Signs on Arvid Artist Thomas Arvid entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Creative Brands Group, Inc. The brand development and licensing agency will represent Arvid for future publishing and licensing opportunities. For the last decade, Arvid has created realistic, larger-than-life oil paintings of wine and the pleasure it brings to people’s lives. Carnival Cruise Lines Signs First Video Deal Activision Value Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision, Inc., released the Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon video game for the PC. The new Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon Game reinforces the Carnival brand through a computer environment where players assume the role of the CEO of Carnival. The game is the first to be licensed by Carnival Cruise Lines and retails for $19.99. Marathon Projects brokered the deal. Thinking About Expanding Your Licensing Business? THINK LINK. Presented by License! magazine, Link (Licensing International Networking Conference) is an executive-level conference that brings together the leaders of today's licensing industry. Top licensors, licensees, retailers, agents, marketers, and the media will come together in one of the most exciting global markets in the country. Conference sessions will cover a full spectrum of licensing topics including: Promotions and Co-Branding, Marketing to Demographics, The State of Retail, Financial & Legal Licensing Issues, and a special concentration on international markets. For information on becoming a Link sponsor, contact Steven Ekstract at (212) 951-6684 or [email protected] . For general information, contact Diane Waltersdorf at (203) 701-0142 or [email protected] or visit www.linkconference.com . September Opportunity In September, License!’s automotive feature transports you to the lap of luxury. In addition, September focuses on back-to-school/SHOPA, celebrity chefs, and entertainment/broadcasting trends in advance of MIPCOM—a perfect editorial environment for character, brand, and entertainment properties. Contact your account managers, Ben Zachariah at (212) 951-6705 or Pauline Ng at (212) 951-6698, for more information. For more licensing news and features, visit www.licensemag.com For more information on DIC Entertainment’s latest licensing efforts, visit www.dicentertainment.com

Sponsored by:

Cartoon Network Goes to Bat for Baseball

Major League Baseball Properties and the Major League Baseball Players Association teamed up with Cartoon Network to promote interest in baseball and baseball card collecting through several commercial spots that will air extensively on Cartoon Network throughout the remainder of the 2004 season and the entire 2005 regular season. Cartoon Network recently launched a new series of 30-second spots featuring Josh Beckett (Florida Marlins), Nomar Garciaparra (Boston Red Sox), Derek Jeter (New York Yankees), Andruw Jones (Atlanta Braves), and Jim Thome (Philadelphia Phillies) talking about various topics related to baseball and cartoons. Cartoon Network also had a significant presence at 2004 All-Star Week in Houston, where the network shot its Fridays Major League Baseball Fieldtrip due to premiere July 30.

Caribbean Joe Is One to Watch

Apparel Holdings Group’s affiliate, AHG Licensing, Inc., signed an exclusive licensing agreement with Genender International Inc. for Caribbean Joe men’s and women’s timepieces. The line will include island-inspired details, including bamboo textured dials and woven leather straps paired with grosgrain ribbon bands and multifunctional chronograph movements. The line hits department and specialty stores in spring 2005.

Seralegui Inspires New Furniture Line

Pulaski Furniture Corp. will create a furniture collection aimed at the Hispanic community inspired by Spanish TV talk show host Christina Seralegui. The line, Casa Christina, debuts at the High Point International Furniture Market in October and will be in-store in August 2005. The collection of approximately 110 pieces of dining, bedroom, accent, entertainment, and youth furnishings and clocks will be inspired by Seralegui’s lifestyle and Miami home. Each piece will include a bilingual tag with background information on the design.

Street Fighter Gets Maximum Exposure

Capcom Entertainment will celebrate the 15th anniversary of arcade fighting game Street Fighter at the International Comic Book Convention this week. The company will showcase footage from the upcoming Street Fighter Anniversary Collection for PS2 and Xbox, as well as display exclusive licensed merchandise. Street Fighter has sold more than 27 million units worldwide.

A Visit Fit for the Queen

Bob the Builder and Barney gave Queen Elizabeth a royal welcome as she toured HIT Entertainment’s offices in London last week. The visit was part of a Royal theme day to celebrate British enterprise. HIT Entertainment has won two export achievement awards, the highest honor the UK Government can bestow on a British business.

Precious Moments Set to Music

Traditional Records Inc. will debut the first in a series of music releases for Precious Moments July 27. The two titles, Loving, Caring, and Sharing and Precious Lullabies, also will be available in the CBA channel for the first time. The licensing deal was brokered by United Media.

Atari Ships New Dragon Ball Z Title

Atari began shipping Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors for Nintendo Game Boy Advance. Now for the first time in a Dragon Ball Z video game, fans can take their battles skyward by launching explosive aerial assaults on opponents, just like in the animated series. The release, rated “T” for Teen, retails for $29.99.

Fisher-Price Inks Deal with PurpleEyes S.A.

Fisher-Price obtained exclusive rights to develop and manufacture children’s products owned by PurpleEyes S.A. The first of these products is due in 2005. The agreement grants Fisher-Price exclusive rights to PurpleEyes’ patents in the U.S., France, and several other countries in which PurpleEyes has filed for patent protection. The PurpleEyes patents cover an optical reader technology system that recognizes and reads images and text which, when interpreted by a data processing system, will provide an appropriate response that is directly related to the image or text being scanned. The patented invention can be applied to books and 3-D products to provide descriptions, educational instruction, sounds, music, or other forms of identification for words, pictures, or objects.

Creative Brands Group Signs on Arvid

Artist Thomas Arvid entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Creative Brands Group, Inc. The brand development and licensing agency will represent Arvid for future publishing and licensing opportunities. For the last decade, Arvid has created realistic, larger-than-life oil paintings of wine and the pleasure it brings to people’s lives.

Carnival Cruise Lines Signs First Video Deal

Activision Value Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision, Inc., released the Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon video game for the PC. The new Carnival Cruise Lines Tycoon Game reinforces the Carnival brand through a computer environment where players assume the role of the CEO of Carnival. The game is the first to be licensed by Carnival Cruise Lines and retails for $19.99. Marathon Projects brokered the deal.

Thinking About Expanding Your Licensing Business?

THINK LINK.

Presented by

License!

magazine, Link (Licensing International Networking Conference) is an executive-level conference that brings together the leaders of today's licensing industry. Top licensors, licensees, retailers, agents, marketers, and the media will come together in one of the most exciting global markets in the country. Conference sessions will cover a full spectrum of licensing topics including: Promotions and Co-Branding, Marketing to Demographics, The State of Retail, Financial & Legal Licensing Issues, and a special concentration on international markets. For information on becoming a Link sponsor, contact

Steven Ekstract

at (212) 951-6684 or

[email protected]

. For general information, contact

Diane Waltersdorf

at (203) 701-0142 or

[email protected]

or visit

www.linkconference.com

September Opportunity

In September, License!’s automotive feature transports you to the lap of luxury. In addition, September focuses on back-to-school/SHOPA, celebrity chefs, and entertainment/broadcasting trends in advance of MIPCOM—a perfect editorial environment for character, brand, and entertainment properties. Contact your account managers,

Ben Zachariah

at (212) 951-6705 or

Pauline Ng

at (212) 951-6698, for more information.

For more licensing news and features, visit

www.licensemag.com

For more information on DIC Entertainment’s latest licensing efforts, visit