The Entertainment & Licensing (E&L) division of Hasbro, Inc. has announced a slate of licensing programs to support its brands, including Transformers, Nerf, Littlest Pet Shop, My Little Pony, Monopoly, and Playskool.
Hasbro, in association with DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, will debut Transformers 3 on July 1, 2011. The company’s licensees for the Transformers brand include comic books from IDW (U.S.), digital games from Activision (worldwide), and more.
Hasbro is also teaming up with Universal Pictures to bring Stretch Armstrong and Battleship to the big screen in summer 2012. Universal will also produce films based on Hasbro’s Monopoly, Candy Land, and Ouija. Theater release dates have not been announced.
Hasbro recently reached an agreement with The Sports Licensed Division of the adidas Group for a NERF-inspired apparel and footwear line (deal is still subject to the companies negotiating and has yet to be signed into a binding license agreement). Additionally, Electronic Arts has signed on for NERF digital gaming (worldwide), SDI Technologies has inked a deal for NERF electronics (U.S.), and Performance Design Products will create NERF digital gaming hardware accessories (worldwide).
The company’s Littlest Pet Shop licensing highlights include a variety of book and calendar formats from Scholastic (U.S.), Hachette (Europe), and Trends International (U.S.); digital games from Electronic Arts, Inc. (worldwide); back-to-school items from Accessory Innovation (U.S.) and Ruz (Mexico); as well as footwear, health care products, and confectionary items from other licensees.
My Little Pony will expand its franchise with books from Bendon (U.S.), Five Mile Press (Australia), and Egmont (Nordic), among others.
Hasbro has signed key licensees for its games, including Monopoly. Electronic Arts will produce digital games based on the brand in the U.S., and USAopoly (U.S.) and Winning Moves (Europe) have signed on for affinity games. Other product categories include apparel, T-shirts, and seasonal items.
Additional Hasbro Games licensing highlights include digital games from Electronic Arts, Inc. (worldwide), as well as confectionary items, T-shirts, an official Scrabble dictionary, and seasonal items from various licensees.
Mr. Potato Head will return to the big screen in July’s release of Toy Story 3. Following that, music fans can find a limited-edition Mr. Potato Head Elvis Presley figure at specialty retail stores, in celebration of Elvis’ 75th birthday. Mr. Potato Head will also host EA’s Hasbro Family Game Night 3 video game, which will premiere this fall.
Other Playskool licensees include books from Leap Year Publishing (U.S.) and Simon & Schuster (U.S.), Halloween costumes from Disguise (U.S.), and an indoor play environment from Moose Mountain Toymakers (U.S.).
Hasbro recently announced its new children’s and family television network, The Hub, a joint venture with Discovery Communications, will launch its first wave of television programming October 10, 2010 (10-10-10). Hasbro says that at launch The Hub will reach approximately 60 million U.S. households.
