King Features Syndicate, a unit of Hearst, expands its global licensing reach this year and is actively looking for new IP to further drive its growth.
Building off recent success for Popeye’s 90th anniversary celebration and international gaming hit Cuphead, King Features announced representation renewals for two classic franchises—Garfield and Archie Comics— and the addition of several new international agents to help fuel deals of its entire IP portfolio worldwide.
Nearly 80 years after the Riverdale gang’s historic debut, Archie Comics remains a top comic property and the leading mass market comic book publisher. With this renewal, King Features will handle all merchandise rights, excluding publishing and entertainment, for Archie Comics across the U.S. and Canada. Recent collaborations for Archie and the gang include apparel for adults and children from Threadless, stationery and calendars from Walter Foster Publishing, a Betty & Veronica apparel collection at Torrid, puzzles by Outset Media, Zynga slot machines, and more.
King Features and Paws, Inc., will continue their partnership for Garfield, under which King Features will focus on creating more product deals and collaborations with a focus on giftware and novelties, apparel, beauty, accessories, and more.
King Features has also appointed two new international licensing agents to help maximize impact in key territories. Black White Orange in India and Caravanserai & Partners SL in Spain and Portugal will look to bring classic characters including Betty, Boop, Popeye, Phantom, Flash Gordon, and more to new fans around the world fun.
Renewals with 10 current international agents include:
- Asiana, South Korea
- AMV Licensias Y Promociones, Peru and Bolivia
- Copyright Licensing Agency, Middle East
- CLM (Character Licensing & Marketing), South Africa
- Doce SA, Chile
- Gamma Medya, Turkey
- LDI, Israel
- Merchantwise, Australia and New Zealand
- Segal, Canada
- Tycoon Enterprises, Mexico and Central America
“Leading the charge with Popeye, Betty Boop and Cuphead, we are continuing to expand our iconic brands in new categories around the world and are looking forward to growing our IP with both new and classic properties in the future,” said Carla Silva, vice-president and general manager, global head of licensing for King Features. “As we look to the future, we are excited to welcome new partners on board to celebrate Betty Boop’s 90th anniversary in 2020 and to share a new property representation that will be announced soon.”