The world is changing, but the show must go on.
Licensing International revealed the nominees for the 2020 International Licensing Awards, which honor excellence in the licensing industry. This year’s ballot includes 175 nominees in 23 categories representing some of the top brands, properties, personalities, and companies in the business.
Winners will be revealed and honored alongside this year’s Rising Stars and Hall of Fame inductees during the award ceremony and gala celebration at Licensing Expo, which has been rescheduled to take place Aug. 11-13 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.
“This elite group of nominees is truly representative of the global licensing community, showcasing the creativity and innovation that is part of our industry’s DNA,” says Maura Regan, president, Licensing International. “During these difficult times, we want to make sure that we don’t forget about the importance of celebrating the companies and people behind these successes.”
To craft the ballot, a panel of judges comprised of 152 executives from around the world evaluated more than 600 entries from companies in 22 countries.
Select categories and nominees include:
Best Licensed Product: Toys/Games/Novelties 0-8
- Bonkers Toys | Ryan’s World Cap’n Ryan’s Mega Mystery Treasure Chest
- Bright Stars | Sesame Street Baby Toy Collection
- Giochi Preziosi | Frozen 2 Whisper & Glow
- Kid Trax | PAW Patrol Rubble’s Digger
- Mattel | Jurassic World Destroy ‘N Devour Indominus Rex
- Mattel | Toy Story 4 Range
- Sakar | PAW Patrol 3-D Scooters
- Spinmaster| DreamWorks Dragons Hatching Toothless
- WowWee | Pinkfong Baby Shark Song Puppets w/Tempo Control
Best Licensed Product: Toys/Games/Novelties 8 and up
- Bandai | Warhammer 40,000 Primaris Intercessor Action Figure
- Funko Games | Harry Potter Funkoverse Board Game
- Hasbro | NERF Fortnite Blaster Range
- Jazwares | Fortnite Battle Bus Drone
- Lagoon Group | Professor Rubik Games & Puzzles Range
- LEGO Group | Stranger Things The Upside Down LEGO Set
- Mattel | Ziggy Stardust “Barbie as Bowie” Doll
- Orientavida | E.T. eco-ethical Denim Plush
Best Licensed Product: Apps/Software/Video Games
- Epic Games | Fortnite cross-console POSA
- PBS Kids | Dr. Seuss App
- Salesforce | Salesforce Einstein
- Samsung Galaxy (Brazil) | Hello Kitty Smartphone Themes
- Steel Wool Games | Five Nights at Freddy’s VR: Help Wanted
- Story Toys/Touch Press | LEGO DUPLO World App
- Walmart/Buzzfeed | Tasty Online Grocery Pickup
- Weyo Pty Ltd | The Wiggles App
Best Licensed Product: Publishing/Back-to-School
- Carlton Books | Rubik’s Puzzle Book
- Clarkson Potter | MasterChef Junior Bakes! Cookbook
- Crane Stationery | Downton Abbey Stationery Collection
- IDW Publishing | Rick & Morty vs Dungeon & Dragons Graphic Novel
- Party City | Pantone’s 2019 Color of the Year Partygoods & Tableware
- Penguin Random House | Tasty Dessert & Tasty Everyday Cookbooks
- Quirk Books | William Shakespeare ‘Get Thee Back to the Future” Mash-Up
- Random House Children’s Books | Dr Seuss’s Horse Museum
- UHU | Smiley UHU Limited Edition Glue Stick
Best Brand – Digital/Apps/Video Game
- Brown & Friends | LINE Friends
- emoji | emoji company GmbH
- Five Nights at Freddy’s | Scottgames
- Fortnite | Epic Games
Best Brand: Entertainment/Character (Animated)
- 44 Cats | Rainbow SpA
- Batman | Warner Bros. Consumer Products
- Bing | Acamar Films
- Boonie Bears | Fantawild Animation Inc.
- BT21 | LINE Friends
- Peppa Pig | eOne/Hasbro
- PJ Masks | eOne/Hasbro
- Pop! | Funko, LLC
- Warhammer | Games Workshop
Best Brand: Entertainment/Character (Live Action)
- JoJo Siwa | ViacomCBS
- MasterChef | Endemol Shine Group
- Mr Bean | Endemol Shine Group
- Peaky Blinders | Endemol Shine Group
- Ryan’s World/Mystery Playdate | pocket.watch
- Sesame Street | Sesame Workshop
Best Licensed Product: Apparel/Footwear/Accessories
- Água de Coco | Coca-Cola Beach Wear
- Black Milk Clothing | Harry Potter Collection
- Coco de Mer | V&A Luxury Lingerie & Nightwear
- People Tree | V&A (Mary Quant) Line
- Peter Alexander | Harry Potter Sleepwear
- Puma | Sesame Street Range
- Sahinler | emoji Capsule Collection
- Vans | David Bowie Line
- Vans | Shark Week Line
Best Licensed Product: Appliances/Automotive/Housewares
- Bullit Mobile Ltd | Caterpillar “Cat” Smartphone
- Cuisinart | Tasty Kitchen Electrics
- ezpz | Sesame Street All-in-one-Placemat
- Haier Cosmoplat | YIHE Fairyland (Summer Palace) Kitchen & Bathroom Fixtures
- Personalized Plates Queensland | emoji License Plates
- Pro-Ject Audio Systems | The Beatles Turntable
- Stern Pinball Inc | The Beatles Pinball
Best Brand: Art/Design/Celebrity/Fashion
- Andy Warhol | The Andy Warhol Foundation
- David Bowie | Epic Rights & Perryscope
- Drew Barrymore Flower Home | Drew Barrymore/CAA-GBG
- Morris & Co | Morris & Co./Style Library
- Ninja (Tyler Blevins) | Loaded, Brand Central
- Smiley | The Smiley Company
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar/World of Eric Carle | Eric Carle Studio LLC/The Joester Loria Group
- V&A | Victoria and Albert Museum
Best Licensed Promotion
- Crayola & Kraft Mac N Cheese | Crayola/Kraft
- JoyPixels 2Degrees “Fighting For Fair” | JoyPixels/Born Licensing
- McDonald’s “Discovery Space with Snoopy” | McDonald’s & Peanuts Worldwide/NASA
- Peppa Pig TMall Super Brand Day | eOne/Hasbro and TMall
- Rubik’s & SmileyWorld Happymeal | McDonald’s/Rubik’s/SmileyWorld
- Squarespace & Sesame Street “A Cautionary Tale” | Sesame Workshop/Squarespace
- The World of tokidoki at Changi Airport | Changi Airport/Tokidoki LLC/Pacific Licensing Studio
Best Licensed Collaboration
- Coca-Cola x Diesel | The Coca-Cola Company/Diesel
- Crayola x Levi’s & Haddad Apparel Group | Crayola/Levi’s
- Kikkoman & Primitive Skateboarding | Kikkoman/Primitive Skateboarding
- Peaky Blinders x Kent & Curwen | Endemol Shine Group/Kent&Curwen
- Peppa Pig x Hunter | eOne/Hasbro/Hunter
- SpongeBob SquarePants x Nike | ViacomCBS/Nike
- Stranger things x Nike | Netflix/Nike
Best Experiential or Location-Based Initiative
- Evil Dead 2 Official Escape Room | Hourglass Escapes LLC
- Jurassic World Live! | Feld Entertainment
- MasterChef, the TV Experience | The First Group
- Peaky Blinders The Live Escape Game | Escape Live
- Room on the Broom “A Magical Journey” | Merlin Entertainments
- SpongeBob SquarePants “The Bikini Bottom Experience” | ViacomCBS
- Taco Bell “The Bell – A Taco Bell Hotel” | United Entertainment Group
- The Beatles Pop-Up Shop | The Thread Shop at Sony Music
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar at the Royal Horticultural Society | Royal Horticultural Society
Best Retailer: Entertainment/Character
- Box Lunch | Friends 25thAnniversary
- Cotton On | The Simpsons & Family Guy, Father’s Day #DadBods
- Galeries Lafayette | Batman
- H&M | Stranger Things
- Myer | Harry Potter
- Peter Alexander | Dr. Seuss
- Spencer’s | Rick & Morty
Best Agency/Manufacturer’s Rep
- Haven Global
- La Panaderia
- Pacific Licensing
- Redibra
- Retail Monster
- Seltzer Licensing Group
- The Joester Loria Group
- The Point.1888
- Wildbrain CPLG
Beginning next week, members of Licensing International will be called upon to submit their votes online. Each member company is allowed to submit one ballot.
For the full list of categories and nominees, visit licensingawards.org.
