Jun 19, 2008

Hasbro Elevates Global Brands to New Heights

Posted by : tootoo
fashions and apparel The Entertainment and Licensing division of Hasbro, Inc. (NYSE:HAS) will arrive at Licensing 2008 International with new,ground-breaking licensing programs supporting global powerhousebrands such as G.I. JOE, TRANSFORMERS, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, LITTLESTPET SHOP and NERF across a variety of licensing categories with afocus on entertainment, fashion and sports as well as the firstdigital offerings coming out of Hasbro ’ s strategic licensing agreement with Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS). In addition, Hasbro will showcase innovative licensingprograms built around its deep portfolio of coveted brandsincluding MY LITTLE PONY, TONKA, PLAYSKOOL and MONOPOLY at theannual show on June 10-12 at the Javits Convention Center in NewYork City. “ Hasbro is pioneering the trend to extend classic and modern toy andboard game properties to the entertainment sector, ” said Lisa Licht, general manager, Entertainment and Licensing,Hasbro. “ We are striking global, multi-year deals that allow our brands tolive in worlds where consumers kick back, play and relax withmovies, television, video games as well as sports. We ’ re also continuing to see an incredible demand for expressivefashion that helps define who you are, particularly in the area ofgraphic tees. Licensees and retailers alike have recognized thatHasbro ’ s unrivaled portfolio of properties provides the ultimate one-stopshopping solution to consumers ’ insatiable appetite for pop culture infused apparel. ” TRANSFORMERS: EVEN MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE IN 2009 TRANSFORMERS has become a global phenomenon inspiring comic books,video games, animated series, films and a convention dedicated toTRANSFORMERS collectors. Fans of all ages are fascinated by thealien robots from CYBERTRON that live on earth as “ Robots in Disguise ” and have the ability to change from robot mode to vehicle mode. Excitement is already building for the next movie – TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN -- from DreamWorks Picturesand Paramount Pictures, due to hit theaters on June 26, 2009. Witha cast of more than 250 licensees in 70 countries supporting thefirst blockbuster film release in 2007, Hasbro continues to expandthe lineup of TRANSFORMERS licensed products that will come tomarket around the globe in conjunction with next year ’ s movie release. Shifting gears to TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED, Hasbro is set to deliver awide variety of licensed products supporting this brand in 2008starting with an animated television programming series calledTRANSFORMERS ANIMATED being jointly developed by Cartoon Networkand Hasbro and co-produced by Cartoon Network Studios. ParamountHome Entertainment is also on board to release two TRANSFORMERSANIMATED home DVDs this summer. Rounding out the TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED adventure is a just-releasedseries of four titles from HarperCollins and pending publishingdeals with Titan Publishing Group in the UK and Hemma in France.IDW will also release four digest-sized comic books targeting theyounger audience and American Greetings will develop both stickersand greeting cards to ship this fall. In addition, Hasbro has signed and extended more than 30 U.S. andinternational deals for TRANSFORMERS ANIMATED apparel and footwear.Licensees including AME, Kids Headquarters and Fruit of the Loomwill deliver a wide array of apparel to market in the U.S. just intime for back-to-school while licensees like Adventure Diffusion,Blues Clothing and Cooneen Textiles will bring to market highlystylized fashions throughout France, Italy, Ireland and the Nordicregion. Plans call for European print and publishing licensees to release arange of stationery, posters, books, party goods and gifts andgreeting cards across multiple countries, including France and theUK. Hasbro also has agreements in principle pending contract orsigned licenses with companies including Alpa, Pyramid Posters (UK)and Gemma International (UK). Under pending deals, Editions Hemmawould create a publishing program for France, and Durabo wouldbring out gifts and stationery for the Benelux countries. Hasbro has agreements in principle under pending contracts forTRANSFORMERS domestic and houseware products to be sold acrossEurope as well as in Greece and Israel, as well as other keymarkets. G.I. JOE: JOIN THE HEROES OF TOMORROW...TODAY Hasbro is enlisting licensees around the globe to rally behind oneof the greatest boys properties of all time – G.I. JOE. With the live-action G.I. JOE movie from ParamountPictures, in association with Hasbro, due out August 7, 2009,several major licensing deals have already been signed and manymore are underway to bring fans a wide selection of “ everything G.I. JOE. ” Leading the publishing charge is IDW which will create anaction-packed comic book series. IDW also has the rights to graphicnovels. Under other pending deals, licensees will bring a number ofG.I. JOE goods to market including graphic t-shirts, boys apparel,footwear, video games, electronics, children ’ s books, paper goods, room d é cor, social expressions, bikes, skateboards, and camping andfishing gear. NERF: BRING YOUR “ A GAME ” OR STAY HOME As NERF approaches its 40 th anniversary next year, the brand continues to deliveraction-packed fun from innovative footballs to tactical dartblasters for generations of energetic kids. This year ’ s licensing program will put NERF center field with the goal ofbuilding a winning global lifestyle sports property in 2008 andbeyond. Fueled by the new look-and-feel of the brand which blendsaction, sports and edge, licensees have stepped up to the line tocreate incredibly fresh and hip products that scream “ It ’ s NERF or Nothin ’ . ” Leading the momentum of the NERF licensing program will be theapparel line, particularly in the area of graphic t-shirts. FortuneFashions will roll out cool and stylish tees for tween boys thissummer with plans to broaden the assortment to include an array ofother items such as hoodies and track pants in a multitude ofcolors and styles. Elan-Polo has also just released NERF-brandedsports sandals bundled with a NERF ball – true inspiration to get kids up and moving. For those who seek the ultimate immersive NERF experience,Electronic Arts (EA) is developing the first interactive NERF “ N-STRIKE ” video game bundle for the Wii ? . Based on the NERF N-STRIKE toy line, players will blast their waythrough action-packed battles in single or multiplayer modes. TheNERF SWITCH SHOT EX-3 add-on accessory, the first ever 2-in-1 toyand game peripheral, will be included in the bundle and allowplayers to convert a real Dart Blaster into a Wii Blastercontroller, further immersing fans into the ultimate virtual NERFexperience. Performance Designed Products is also on deck to amp up the digitalshowdown with an expanded line of NERF-molded video gameaccessories. Sold under the Pelican brand name, the NERF SportsPack (tennis racket, golf club and baseball bat), NERF WirelessController, NERF skins and NERF DS Case are already hugely popularamong gamers. Under pending contract, Promotional Partners Worldwide will boostadrenaline levels in sports fans allowing armchair quarterbacks tofire off their own winning touchdown pass and hoopsters to sink athree-pointer at the buzzer with NERF-branded footballs andbasketballs emblazoned with logos of their favorite college teams. Ripping a page from the NERF playbook, the Entertainment andLicensing team will continue to ink deals that will deliverinnovative “ permission to play ” lifestyle products to consumers. Currently, there are pendingagreements to create products in the categories of sports,publishing, electronics, seasonal, room d é cor, novelty and accessories. LITTLEST PET SHOP: IT KEEPS GETTING BIGGER AND BIGGER The lifestyle-focused licensing program behind LITTLEST PET SHOP,the fastest growing brand among girls according to dollar sales, iscontinuing to grow “ paw over tail ” with more than 160 deals signed across all categories worldwide.To say that girls just can ’ t get enough of LITTLEST PET SHOP would be an understatement.Hasbro has expanded its roster of licensees across all categoriesand girls can expect to be wowed with the lineup of new productsdue to hit retail shelves this year. As an extension to the LITTLEST PET SHOP toy line, digital licenseeEA will bring the magic of the property to life this fall with aseries of video games for the Wii and Nintendo DS ? as well as the PC. Based on the platform, the interactiveexperience will allow girls to engage with 20-30 of the mostpopular pets in the collection by exploring three unique worlds,playing mini games, earning accessories and enjoying playsets fromthe 2008 toy line. The LITTLEST PET SHOP apparel and accessories segment will soar in2008 anchored by the largest graphic t-shirt line for girls inHasbro ’ s history. With the help of Fortune Fashions and others, Hasbro ’ s goal is to continue to fill girls ’ dresser drawers with cool and sassy tees until they overflow. Forgirls who also like to keep LITTLEST PET SHOP “ under cover ” Leeward International, Cooneen Textiles (UK), Handcraft, BerkshireAccessories and TMI Australasia (Australia) are on board to deliversleepwear, underwear and socks. In addition, girls can decoratetheir rooms with an exciting line of LITTLEST PET SHOP bedding fromFranco in France and Zap in the UK. This year will also feature a large selection of bags for alloccasions from FAB/Starpoint in the U.S. and other licensees incountries like France and Benelux. Adding to the dazzle of steppingout in high LITTLEST PET SHOP style, Flik Flak Group will unveilthe first LITTLEST PET SHOP Swatch watch collection in the U.S.,while Fantabijoux (France) and Little Concepts (UK, Holland,Germany, Austria and Switzerland) will roll out jewelry lines. For girls who prefer an unplugged LITTLEST PET SHOP adventure, morethan 20 new titles will be released in 2008 by Scholastic, Reader ’ s Digest and Bendon in North America and Latin America.Additionally, Scholastic plans to release its existing U.S. bookcatalog into the Australian and New Zealand markets this year.Eleven new book titles will be released by Editions Hemma (France)and Play Bac with an additional 10 to roll out fromLadybird/Penguin (UK). Five Mile Press (Australia) is also on boardto release six new titles through 2009. Under pending agreements,the publishing program will also expand to Russia, Romania, Germanyand Poland. Other publishing highlights include sticker andactivity books from Panini (France), Redan (UK), EgmontInternational (Scandinavia, Poland), Noriel (Moldavia, Romania),and Big Balloon (Benelux). American Greetings will also developLITTLEST PET SHOP greeting cards and party goods in 2008. MY LITTLE PONY: IT ’ S ALWAYS PARTY DAY IN PONYVILLE Twenty-five years and 40 million ponies later, MY LITTLE PONYremains a sweeping sensation among little girls around the world.This year, as candles are lit, cupcakes devoured and tea sipped inhonor of the big birthday, the celebration will continue when THQlaunches MY LITTLE PONY: Pinkie Pie ’ s Party on the Nintendo DS in the fall allowing girls to engagewith the core cast of seven ponies while playing games and solvingpuzzles. New stories will unfold as the publishing program continues to growand thrive worldwide. With more than 24 million MY LITTLE PONYbooks sold since 2003, 18 new titles are planned for release in theU.S. with another 50 set for international debut this year frompublishing houses, including Redan (UK), Pedigree Books Ltd. (UK),Panini (France), and Five Mile Press (Australia) with its highlyanticipated Spring Tea Party book, as well as refreshing its entireback catalog of activity books. Distribution of the MY LITTLE PONYmagazine has also been extended across all major territories inEurope including new partners in Eastern Europe. Additionally,American Greetings will continue to bring MY LITTLE PONY to life ona wide variety of social expressions products in 2008. As a consistent top performer at key mass market retailers, MYLITTLE PONY graphic t-shirts from Fortune Fashions and apparel fromKids Headquarters continue to move off the shelves and onto thebacks of girls of all ages. That program, along with underwearlines from Fruit of the Loom, which are also top-sellers at massretailers, will expand in 2008 to feature new styles and logotreatments. Rounding out the MY LITTLE PONY fashion show will bejewelry by Little Concepts (UK). MY LITTLE PONY apparel deals are also expanding on theinternational front. BC International (UK) will launch a new lineof graphic tees for women, Silverknit (UK) will deliver adultsleepwear and underwear, Smith & Brooks (UK) is creatingapparel and footwear lines, Cooneen Textiles (UK) will roll outsleepwear, Funtastic (Australia) is expanding its range in footwearand bedding, and TMI Australasia continues to dominate theAustralian market with underwear and sleepwear. In addition, Carel(France), Madness Article (Spain), Santex (Benelux), Studiokids(Eastern Europe), and Cookie Company (Benelux) are on board todeliver apparel goods this year. TONKA: STILL GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY Just as TONKA has grown from the original two trucks to a full linefeaturing 100s of trucks, vehicles and playsets over the past 60years, Hasbro is continuing to bulldoze forward its licensingprogram supporting the brand that has been paving the way for boysto be boys for decades. The latest licensing agreements inked by Hasbro will allow tots todig into the dirt with outdoor toys from Debut Sports or gooff-road in an electric vehicle from TGA Electronic. Under pendingdeals there will also be plenty of fun indoor play items coming tomarket in the UK, Russia and Australia that will occupy hours oflittle boys ’ time. Other TONKA-branded products on deck for 2008 include bedding fromCaprice (Australia), retro tees and underwear from Design WorksClothing Co. PTY. Limited (Australia, New Zealand and SouthAfrica), and baby wear from WILDCARD PTY. LTD. (Australia and NewZealand). PLAYSKOOL: 80 YEARS OF BELIEVING IN PLAY As Hasbro celebrates the 80 th anniversary of PLAYSKOOL, its commitment to provide quality toysthat enrich children while they play remains at the heart of thebrand. Keeping in step with the PLAYSKOOL brand mantra, theEntertainment and Licensing division has put in place highlyinnovative programs that further entrench the brand with mom. In 2008, Hasbro licensees will roll out a range of newPLAYSKOOL-branded products, from books to baby care items whichwill delight preschoolers and parents alike. Little ones love a good story and the publishing program supportingthe brand is going to deliver big this year. Featuring the fun,core cast of PLAYSKOOL characters from Digger the Dog to Tubby theTurtle, Kitty Kandu and Go Go Dino, Simon & Schuster has signedon to develop a new children ’ s book series that will commence with the release of the first fivetitles this fall. For the youngest PLAYSKOOL consumer, the successfuldirect-to-retail baby care line at CVS/pharmacy stores will featurenewly added items throughout 2008. TRIVIAL PURSUIT: AMERICA PLAYS Hasbro ’ s wildly popular TRIVIAL PURSUIT board game has been bringingpeople together and driving the quest for wedges for 25 years. Asthe brand celebrates its silver anniversary, fans of the game willnow have an opportunity to really get into the action this fallwith TRIVIAL PURSUIT: America Plays, a television-based game showto be developed and distributed by Debmar-Mercury. The TRIVIAL PURSUIT: America Plays game show has been designed torely on user-generated content allowing viewers to submit TRIVIALPURSUIT video questions that will in turn be asked of contestants.If the question is selected and stumps the contestant, the user whosubmitted the question can earn cash. Ninety percent of the U.S. has been cleared for the fall launch insyndication of TRIVIAL PURSUIT: America Plays with FOX affiliatesin eight of the top 10 markets thus far including New York, LosAngeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Stations fromCox Broadcasting, CBS, Belo, Gannett, Scripps, Raycom Media andWeigel Broadcasting are also signed up for the fall broadcast. MONOPOLY: OWN THE FUN – ANYTIME, ANYPLACE It promises to be a very exciting year for one of the best-sellingboard game brands of all time – MONOPOLY. The highly anticipated release of MONOPOLY Here & Now : The World Edition is slated for August in 50 countries and 37languages, and several licensing programs supporting the brand arealready in place to ratchet up the fun for fans around the world. In a crowded graphic t-shirt market, MONOPOLY continues to resonatewith consumers of all ages. From tees placed in the mass market byFortune Fashions and in specialty stores by Junkfood Clothing tothe highly successful direct-to-retail agreement with Steve &Barry ’ s, fans keep expanding their MONOPOLY wardrobe. In the digital arena, EA has released a variety of MONOPOLY digitalgame experiences for the iPod ? and mobile handsets allowing players to own it all, anytime,anyplace. In addition, later this fall MONOPOLY comes to the Wii,PlayStation ? 2 and Xbox 360 ? consoles. The MONOPOLY games are just the tip of the iceberg withEA, which secured the digital rights to 100s of Hasbro brands.Video games are also currently under development for nextgeneration consoles, PC, mobile, handheld and online for SCRABBLE(for the U.S. and Canada), YAHTZEE, TRIVIAL PURSUIT, and OPERATION. Hasbro is also continuing to expand its reach into non-traditionalchannels through an ongoing global agreement with Scientific Gamesfor MONOPOLY as well as almost 20 other Hasbro brands to appear ona wide range of lottery platforms including instant and pull-tabtickets, on-line terminal generated games, mobile, Internet andinteractive TV. Today, MONOPOLY remains the No. 1 licensed brandavailable for worldwide lotteries. In addition, WMS Gaming has beenmanufacturing MONOPOLY slot machines for more than 10 years and itslatest games, MONOPOLY Big Event and MONOPOLY Up, Up & Away,are now staples at many of the world ’ s top casinos. Other Hasbro Game highlights include the six-year strategicpartnership with Universal Pictures to produce at least four motionpictures based on some of Hasbro ’ s best-known and beloved brands. Also under pending agreements,several international promotions will also be executed this yearincluding Nestle Greece which would integrate TRIVIAL PURSUIT intoselect products distributed to grocery stores and MONOPOLY, TRIVIALPURSUIT, TABOO and TWISTER getting TOTAL Cereal box time throughoutFrance in summer 2008. For the unplugged traveler, under a pending agreement, L.L. Beanwould produce a compact SCRABBLE game that will be sold at retailand online later this year and MONOPOLY trivia books from SterlingPublishing are ideal for passing time while on the road. Hasbro hasalso started to build a strong licensing program supporting thenewly acquired CRANIUM property. ABOUT HASBRO Hasbro (NYSE:HAS) is a worldwide leader in children's and familyleisure time entertainment products and services, including thedesign, manufacture and marketing of games and toys ranging fromtraditional to high-tech. Both internationally and in the U.S., itsPLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, TIGER, CRANIUMand WIZARDS OF THE COAST brands and products provide the highestquality and most recognizable play experiences in the world. ? 2008 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved. SCRABBLE, the distinctive game board and letter tiles, and allassociated logos are trademarks of Hasbro in the United States andCanada. Nintendo DS and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo.
 
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