With an exceptional speaker and panellist line-up, a last chance voting station, and a list of influential companies attending, next week’s Licensing Essentials Course and Spring Fling Networking event promises to be the best yet. LIMA UK, part of the trade organisation for the $180+ billion worldwide industry … more

Introduced in 1974, Hello Kitty has become a global icon over the past four decades. Now the time has come for her to shine even more, with a unique collaboration between Sanrio and Swarovski. Swarovski’s first ever Hello Kitty collection will be launched in a selection of the company’s 1,900 stores … more

Summer holidays are just around the corner! Not only the children can hardly wait to go on holidays, also their parents are planning to pack their bags. Soon the holiday fever spreads in Germany. Many follow the motto: “Go south!” Why travel wide and far when you have all you need in your backyard?… more

It seems as if we have just been hunting Easter Eggs, but Christmas already lurks around the corner. And soon we ask the traditional question: What do we give our beloved ones for Christmas? Maybe a Pirate’s Ring? Or a T-shirt with “fighting turtles” print? BRANDORA provides you with a selection of new … more

VIZ Media, the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in the North America, continues to expand its bestselling NARUTO brand internationally with the announcement of several new agents and licensees that will develop a variety of NARUTO products and lifestyle accessories for the burgeoning … more

Hidden City Entertainment, Inc., the rights holder of Bella Sara, introduces Bella Sara Chibis. The newest craze in kids’ collectibles, these soft, squishy figures will fit in the palm of your hand. Continue enjoying the beauty of Bella Sara™ with these new, adorable horses and magical friends … more

NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Walgreens are teaming to introduce an exclusive line of “The Biggest Loser” branded meal alternative bars and shakes. The delicious, protein-rich products will be offered in all of the more than 7,600 Walgreens stores nationwide beginning in May. Made … more

VIZ Media, the largest distributor and licensor of anime and manga in the North America, will celebrate its 25th Anniversary on July 7th, 2011. Over its 25 year history, VIZ Media has led the transformation of manga and anime from a niche category sold only at specialty retailers into a mass media … more

Plus Licens Russia today announced a 148% revenue growth for the fiscal year which ended April 30, 2011. Says Paul Tush, Managing Director at Plus Licens Russia: – These figures reflect our commitment to the characters and brands in our strong property portfolio from a large number of the world’s most … more

The very successful horse based book brand aimed at girls aged 5 -12 with TV coverage on Horse & Country and Pop Girl Channel looks forward to the launch of the Series 2 DVD in July from European DVD Partner, Universal Pictures . Universal has secured distribution rights throughout the UK, Germany, … more

It hasn’t taken long for the hugely popular videogames franchise Worms™ to connect with merchandise licensees and retailers. Worms&trade,, which celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2010, is a bestselling, award-winning and hilarious turn-based strategy videogame with so many … more

Nickelodeon Consumer Products Germany and electronic toy supplier VTech are set to release new Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants software for the ground-breaking Storio – the world’s first animated e-book reader for children. The Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants software for … more

Colin Lisle and his team at Lisle International LLP are delighted to announce that Clive Crouch is joining the team as a partner in the business. The former Chief Operations Director of GMTV will bring with him a wealth of broadcast and other media experience. Crouch will also continue his consultancy work with … more

Studio100 Media has concluded an agreement with Switzerland’s largest cable network operator, upc cablecom, to license the rights for distributing the PayTV kids branded channel, ‘Junior TV’ on all digital platforms of upc cablecom in Switzerland. The agreement brokered at MIPTV 2011 with Pascal Amrein, … more

The Giochi Preziosi Group founded by Enrico Preziosi in 1978, is one of the five largest players in the international toy industry, and proud licensor of two prestigious Intellectual Properties; Gormiti and Puppy in my Pocket: Adventures in Pocketville; and is about to launch a new property for 2012. The Group’s … more

Successful transition from web to print proves appetite for trans-media brands The new Moshi Monsters Magazine has proved a monster hit pulling in sales of over 80,000 for issue # 1 alone – dwarfing that of competitor titles. The launch issue, which was released on February 17th 2011, sold out leading to an … more

Leading entertainment producer and rights management company Coolabi has secured Golden Bear as master toy partner for its much-loved hit property Poppy Cat. A brand new toy line for the UK and Eire covering plush, plastics and arts & crafts will launch in Autumn 2012. Golden Bear is one of the UK’s biggest names … more

KIDDINX Berlin has signed a new co-production agreement with ZDF Enterprises/ZDF tivi for the 4th season of the animation series BIBI BLOCKSBERG. The popular series about a little schoolgirl witch keeps conquering the international market and was recently sold to Walt Disney TV… more

Harry Potter fans in New York City can rejoice, as they will soon have the chance to step inside the famous wizard’s magical world with Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which opens at Discovery Times Square on April 5, 2011. The previously unscheduled stop in New York City will serve as the tour’s final … more

One in five U.S. kids (aged 6-12) has adopted a Moshi Monster and as the global phenomenon continues to gain momentum in the American market, Mind Candy - the parent company - announces the appointment of licensing veteran Eric Karp to head up its newly formed Americas Licensing Division, based in … more