Alex Brands Signs Deal with Nickelodeon
Alex Brands announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with Nickelodeon for a broad array of products based on popular characters, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora and Friends, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The multi-year agreement covers multiple brands from Alex Brands including Alex Toys and Shrinky Dinks and product categories such as craft kits and bath toys. Alex Brands is a family of brands including Alex Toys, Poof, Slinky, Scientific Explorer, Ideal, Zoob, Backyard Safari, Zillionz, Citiblocs, and Shrinky Dinks.
The line will be on display at Toy Fair, which opens on Saturday. Items will be on shelf in late summer.
New ‘Hare Jordan’ Product Line to Be Released
Jordan Brand, in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP), announced the return of the Hare Jordan campaign. As part of the 30th anniversary of the Air Jordan franchise, Jordan Brand and WBCP will introduce Hare Jordan products this spring.
The original Hare Jordan collection debuted in 1992 following Jordan’s first championship season. The popularity of the campaign continued to grow over the years, culminating in a major motion picture starring Jordan, Bugs, and their friends.
In the coming year, Jordan Brand will release an array of footwear and apparel in new and original silhouettes globally.
Campbell Soup, TGI Fridays in Deal
Campbell Soup Company has partnered with TGI Fridays to launch a line of fresh, refrigerated sides, soups, and sauces. The line consists of 15 products featuring new twists on old favorites such as Loaded Smashed Potatoes with Bacon, Bacon Mac & Cheese, Roasted Tomato Bisque with Bacon & Parmesan, Cheesy Chipotle Chili Sauce, and Korean BBQ sauce.
The Fridays products are available now in more than 550 stores nationwide including various Albertson’s divisions, Harris Teeter, Hy-Vee, Shaw’s, and Roundy’s, with plans in place to extend availability during the coming year.
Beanstalk is Fridays’ exclusive licensing agency.
New Deals for Eric Carle
Whole Foods Market and The World of Eric Carle have teamed up to create a series of 365 Everyday Value cereal boxes featuring games for children and Carle’s signature artwork.
Starting this month, Carle’s distinctive art and iconic characters will be featured on the packaging of nine varieties of 365 Everyday Value children’s cereals, including three new products: Little Cubbies, Rainbow Morning O’s, and Organic Honey & Nut Morning O’s. Like all of Whole Foods Market’s products, these cereals contain zero artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners, and hydrogenated fats. Other 365 Everyday Value cereals featuring his designs include Organic Crunchy Cinnamon Squares, Organic Peanut Butter & Cocoa Balls, Organic Peanut Butter Balls, and Organic Frosted Flakes.
In a separate announcement, The World of Eric Carle and Native Organics have entered into a licensing agreement for a line of natural, non-toxic cleaning products, to include eight baby and children’s products designed for kid-safe use. Each product in the line will feature The Very Hungry Caterpillar and iconic artwork from Carle’s popular books. The product line includes fruit and vegetable wash, crib cleaner, multi-surface cleaner, plush toy cleaner, hard plastic toy and dish cleaner, foaming hand wash, sanitizing household cleaning wipes, and children’s laundry detergent. The World of Eric Carle will be the first license for Native Organics.
The Joester Loria Group, worldwide licensing agent for The World of Eric Carle, brokered these deals.
Crayola, General Mills Expand on Skylanders Deals
Beginning February 14, General Mills will bring the fan-favorite Skylanders Skystones game to select Big G cereal boxes, marking Activision’s first entry into the cereal category. Available at participating retailers across North America, fans will find Skylanders Skystones packs inside boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese’s Puffs, Trix, Lucky Charms, and more while supplies last. There are four sets of Skylanders Skystones to collect, which will unlock exclusive content in the free Skylanders Collection Vault app.
From partner Crayola comes a special Crayola edition of the Skylanders Trap Team Starter Pack, which will be available on store shelves in early April. The limited-edition packaging will feature black and white line art of Skylanders characters for kids to color using Crayola’s Magic Crayons included in the starter pack. Fans can then watch the characters come alive on their smartphones or tablets using Crayola’s new Color Alive! 4D Experience augmented reality technology. This limited Starter Pack will be exclusively available at Toys “R” Us for the suggested retail price of $74.99 on Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Nintendo’s Wii system, Nintendo’s Wii U system, PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, and select iPad, Kindle Fire, and Android tablets.
Fans also can enjoy their Skylanders characters in a new way with Crayola’s Color Alive! Skylanders coloring book, available now for a limited time on store shelves nationwide. Children can activate the special Crayola 4-D experience through the Color Alive! app by aiming their mobile phone or tablet camera at the coloring page to bring their unique Skylanders drawings to life.
Henson, Card.com in Deal
The Jim Henson Company announced a licensing agreement with card.com to create a line of card.com prepaid MasterCard cards featuring The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Fraggle Rock, and Farscape to the U.S. market.
Totally Toys Signed for Squaredy Cats
Brandberry has signed Totally Toys as the master toy licensee for Squaredy Cats. The new line will make its debut at Toy Fair. Totally Toys plans to extend the Squaredy Cats brand beyond plush and into small collectible dolls and interactive toys. These toys are aimed to celebrate a little girl’s milestones and achievements in addition to overcoming their fears and obstacles.
Beyond toys, Squaredy Cats plans to expand into new categories including virtual goods, activity, stationery, stickers, and beyond.
Vandor to Introduce SpongeBob Products
Vandor LLC has signed a deal with Nickelodeon to create products featuring SpongeBob SquarePants. New product categories include packable shopper totes, 14 oz. Tritan water bottles, insulated totes, heat reactive ceramic travel mugs, ceramic goblets, and 24 oz. acrylic travel cups.