License Global

February 14, 2019

2 Min Read

With a raft of major licensing deals and new IP, Wicked Cool Toys is gearing up for a massive 2019 chock-full of product launches.

Pokémon will be a major focal point for the company at the 2019 New York Toy Fair, taking place Feb. 16-19 in New York City.

“We expect this New York Toy Fair to be our biggest year yet,” says Gerhard Runken, vice president, marketing and brand strategy, Wicked Cool Toys. “This is our second year going into our Pokémon deal. At New Year Toy Fair this year, you’ll see an expanded line from Pokémon, which will cover figures, role-play, specialty, interactive and a large plush selection. We’re also adding a lot more innovation this year in terms of electronics and interactive features with fan-favorite characters.”

2019 will also see the release of the first-ever live-action Pokémon film, Detective Pikachu, starring Ryan Reynolds. The film, which hits theaters May 10, will be supported by a full-scale product launch, says Runken.

“We’re always launching new Pokémon products throughout the year, and the Detective Pikachu line should be hitting retail April 1,” says Runken. “In fall 2019, we will launch plush, role-play, figures and an interactive Pikachu that offers different modes of play and a way to interact with Pikachu like never before. Fans are going to see a lot of new products they’ve never seen before from both the main line and the movie line.”

According to Runken, new Pokémon animation, trading card games, video games, mobile games and toy lines will also be released.

As part of its partnership with Cabbage Patch Kids, Wicked Cool Toys plans to celebrate the resurging popularity of the brand’s 14-inch adoption dolls and plans to release new dolls with refreshed packaging, outfits and a modern look.

Wicked Cool Toys plans to significantly expand the WWE-branded product line with belts, micro-figures and a game that goes with the figures.

“We’ve been big fans of WWE for a long time, so to be able to expand our lines is something great for Wicked Cool,” adds Runken.

Wicked Cool Toys will also develop programs for a series of its proprietary IP brands.

The Swarm Squad property–a collection of hyper-realistic bugs that offer pranking and battle features popular among children–will be released in 12 styles. Lunch Pets, washable plush lunch bags that children can take to school, will be released in four styles by early fall 2019. Another new IP that Wicked Cool Toys will release this year is The Blinger, a device that will allow children to add flashy and decorative jewels of various shapes and colors to anything they want

Finally, Wicked Cool Toys will complete a launch around popular gamer Tyler “Ninja” Blevins at New York Toy Fair.

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Wicked Cool Toys

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License Global

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