Genius Brands, Hot Topic Ink National Retail Deal for Stan Lee Brand

Genius Brands International has announced its first direct-to-retail program with Hot Topic to create a line of apparel for the Stan Lee brand as part of this year’s Stan Lee Centennial celebration campaign. 

Genius Brands, through a joint venture with POW! Entertainment, owns and manages the global rights to Stan Lee’s name, physical likeness, voice, signature and IP, called Stan Lee Universe, which includes the Stan Lee Celebrity brand, as well as new content yet to be created. This year’s Stan Lee Centennial campaign, celebrating Stan’s 100th birthday, is the first phase of a broader Stan Lee Universe program.  

“Stan Lee is a legend and one of the most prolific creators of a generation,” says Ed Labay, executive vice president, merchandise and marketing, Hot Topic Inc. “We are excited to partner with Genius Brands to celebrate Stan’s life and his invaluable cultural contribution through the creation of a direct-to-retail program that features high-quality merchandise for fans to enjoy.” 

Under the new deal, Hot Topic will create an exclusive line of officially licensed Stan Lee-branded print-on-demand apparel, available at Hottopic.com in time for the holidays. In addition to Hot Topic, Genius Brands is working with licensing partners, including Funko, Bioworld, Changes, Iron Studios, JADA, Mego, Mighty Mojo, Moor Art, Royal Bobbles, Sideshow and more, to create a curated product capsule, including apparel and collectibles, for the Stan Lee Centennial Collection. Additional product categories will follow in early 2023.  

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“We are launching the Stan Lee Centennial campaign to carry on his legacy for his millions of fans worldwide,” says Kerry Phelan, chief brand officer, Genius Brands International. “We take our role of managing the Stan Lee brand very seriously and are being extremely selective with our partners. We couldn’t be more thrilled to bring Hot Topic on board to drive this first direct-to-retail program for the brand.” 

Recently, Genius Brands signed a 20-year deal to license the name and likeness of Stan Lee to Marvel Studios for future feature films and television productions, as well as to create and sell merchandise in Disney theme parks and experiences worldwide.