Mattel Celebrates Barbie’s 125th Career with Global Campaign
Mattel is celebrating Barbie’s 125th career this year by kicking off a global campaign to further inspire girls by partnering with The White House Project and Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation, as well as announcing Barbie’s “10 Women to Watch in 2010” list. Additionally, for the first time, consumers can help select Barbie’s 125th career by voting at www.Barbie.com/Vote and choosing from among architect, computer engineer, environmentalist, news anchor, or surgeon. The winning 125th career will be unveiled on February 12 at New York Toy Fair.
With more than 120 careers on her resume-spanning from registered nurse to rock star, veterinarian to aerobics instructor, pilot to police officer-Barbie continues to take on aspirational and culturally relevant roles. In 2010, Barbie takes on several new careers, including snowboarder, ballroom dancer, pizza chef, and race car driver.
Throughout the year, Barbie will inspire girls by closely working with signature partners, including The White House Project, Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation, and a group of 10 highly accomplished, noteworthy women Barbie has named “The 10 Women to Watch in 2010.”
The White House Project: Working to advance women in leadership with the project mission “add women, change everything,” The White House Project and Barbie have partnered since Barbie first ran for Oval Office in 1992. This year, The White House Project, a non-profit/nonpartisan organization, and Barbie are partnering to ignite a national movement to encourage girls to dream and achieve through mentoring programs.
Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Foundation: As the lead sponsor of Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, a global event which activates millions of kids to visit workplaces on April 22, Barbie and the Foundation are engaging girls through mentoring, experiential content, and workplace events. By helping bring millions of girls to the workplace, Barbie and the Foundation are allowing girls to envision the future and encouraging them to share their dreams with other girls.
10 Women to Watch in 2010: In 2010, Barbie honors 10 women who serve as role models for women’s leadership. Barbie’s 10 Women to Watch in 2010 salutes women who continue to innovate and forge paths to be followed by others. The following nine women have been named as Women to Watch: Gretchen Bleiler, Olympic snowboarder; Tavi Gevinson, fashion blogger; Cindi Lieve, editor-in-chief, Glamour magazine; Brittany Lincicome, LPGA golfer; Danica Patrick, professional race car driver; J.K. Rowling, author and businesswoman; Rachel Roy, fashion designer; Susan L. Taylor, editor-in-chief emeritus of Essence magazine, and founder, National CARES Mentoring Movement; and Marie C. Wilson, founder and president, The White House Project.
The 10th woman will be announced in February timed to the unveiling of Barbie’s 125th career to spotlight a woman in that industry.
RJM Licensing Signs N.J. Housewife for Kid’s Clothing Line
RJM Licensing, Inc., announced that it has just signed a deal to represent Caroline Manzo, star of the hit TV show The Real Housewives of New Jersey and her children’s line called 4MyMom. RJM Licensing will be looking for licensees to fill such categories as infant/toddler apparel and accessories, bedding, home décor, toys and games, stationery, and gifts and collectibles for the 4MyMom program.
For the Caroline Manzo brand, RJM Licensing will be looking for licensees to fill categories such as kitchen textiles and cooking products, cookbooks and mom gift books, greeting cards (with Caroline’s signature phrases), and novelty gifts.
TV personality Caroline Manzo is currently on The Real Housewives of New Jersey on the Bravo network. Caroline lives in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, with her husband Albert, who owns a successful catering company and their three children. In addition to starring on Real Housewives, Caroline owns the real estate firm Opus Properties.
TIA to Host Pavilion at Craft & Hobby Show
The Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) and the Toy Industry Association (TIA) announced that the TIA will host a pavilion for toys and youth products during CHA’s Summer Convention and Trade Show held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention and Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois from July 27-29, 2010. This collaborative effort provides increased opportunity for both organizations to better serve their buyer and seller communities and offers CHA Summer Show attendees a broader array of products.
The pavilion will feature manufacturers and distributors from TIA’s premiere trade events American International Toy Fair and Fall Toy Preview. The CHA/TIA collaboration also signifies the launch of a new cross-industry promotional program, which could expand to include enhanced retailer education and legislative outreach. Both industries already share a united voice on several important issues, including consumer product safety legislation. For more information on either organization visit www.craftandhobby.org or www.toyassociation.org.
Discovery and Hasbro Create The Hub
The Discovery Communications-Hasbro joint venture now has a name: The Hub. The children’s network, set to launch in fall 2010 now known as The Hub, will reach approximately 60 million homes on what is currently known as the Discovery Kids network.
“A hub is a place where great things come together-and that is precisely what The Hub network will be when it launches,” said Margaret Loesch, president and CEO of the venture in a statement. “The Hub will be a fun and transformative destination that brings kids and their families together by presenting clever stories and engaging characters.”
Content on The Hub will feature rich storytelling with active, multi-dimensional characters and unexpected heroes. The Hub will incorporate Hasbro properties, including Transformers and My Little Pony, along with Discovery Kids franchises such as Adventure Camp and Flight 29 Down as a part of a diverse and robust lineup of original and acquired programming. The Hub’s online home, www.hubworld.com, will become an entertainment destination offering kids access to video clips, interactive games, and community features that extend the experience of the network’s content.
Popular Mechanics Teams up with Old Navy
Popular Mechanics will now be accessible to kids. The magazine has partnered with Old Navy to develop a line of limited-edition T-shirts for infants, toddlers, and kids. Featuring four designs inspired by vintage, transportation-themed Popular Mechanics cover art, the collection will be available in Old Navy stores nationwide and at oldnavy.com in mid-January. T-shirts will be priced between $10.50-$12.50 each.
Popular Mechanics and Old Navy are also inviting kids up to the age of 12 to share their own vision of the future of transportation with the Kids Can Do Great Things Design Contest. Throughout its 100-plus year history, Popular Mechanics has captured the excitement and promise of new transportation technology in its cover images. The Kids Can Do Great Things Design Contest invites kids to create an original design for a Popular Mechanics cover with this same theme. Entry forms will be available in stores nationwide starting February 5. The winner will receive a $500 shopping spree at Old Navy and have his or her design featured in an upcoming issue of Popular Mechanics. The magazine will also donate $500 on the winner’s behalf towards First Robotics, a non-profit organization that furthers science education.
Toei Partners with Uniqlo
Toei Animation signed a deal with Uniqlo, the Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer, and specialty store retailer, to create a line of T-shirts featuring the Toei brands.
The brands expected to be featured include Dragon Ball, One Piece, Galaxy Express 999, Dr. Slump, and Saint Seiya. The line will be developed by Uniqlo to be featured in France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the U.S., China, Singapore, and Korea. The launch is planned for this spring.
Salter Resigns from Hilco
Hilco Consumer Capital (HCC), the private equity firm with an exclusive focus on investing globally in consumer product brands and related assets, announced that Jamie Salter, CEO, will be resigning from the company to pursue other interests and that Eric Kaup, currently its general counsel, has been named as the interim CEO. Kaup will also continue to serve as general counsel and executive vice-president of Hilco Trading, LLC, HCC’s parent company.
Salter, who is returning to the entrepreneurial and private equity world, helped co-found HCC with Hilco Trading in December 2006. The company invests in consumer products brands and builds additional incremental value through innovative brand licensing, product development, marketing, and merchandising strategies. Investments include Polaroid, Sharper Image, Bombay Co., Ellen Tracy, Linens ‘N’ Things, Tommy Armour Golf, and Halston. HCC also is the exclusive licensing advisor to The House of Marley.
Hidden City Games Appoints Bennett
Hidden City Games, Inc., publisher and worldwide licensor of Bella Sara, announced the appointment of licensing veteran Sharon M. Bennett as licensing consultant for North America. Specializing in global licensing, brand extensions, and business development, Bennett will be responsible for Bella Sara’s primary retail development, licensee relations, and sales.
Previously serving as senior vice-president of global licensing and strategic partnerships at Discovery Communications, Bennett was responsible for worldwide licensing operations for Discovery’s cable networks and signature brands, including Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, TLC, Discovery Kids, and more.
Bennett also served at Saban Consumer Products, Disney Consumer Products, and most recently, she launched a boutique brand licensing consultancy, Bennett Branding.