For The Toy Book‘s 2024 Licensing & Entertainment Issue, we caught up with six executives to talk toys, trends, and strategy ahead of this year’s recently wrapped Licensing Expo at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Now, we’re sharing extended editions of each Q&A here at ToyBook.com as part of our ongoing State of the Industry series.
In this installment, Anita Castellar, founder of FanGirl Consulting & Brand Management, discusses the intersection of licensing and entertainment.
The Toy Book: How has the business changed over the past year, and what trends and opportunities do you see ahead?
Anita Castellar: In the past year, I have noticed an increase in the number of new, diverse brands being introduced into the marketplace, which is great! The challenge that persists is finding licensees who are willing to take the license and retailers who are willing to give precious shelf space to a new brand. Brands that feature diverse population and storytelling are often seen as “risky” or “niche” and so they are often passed over. I’m hopeful that this trend will continue to shift within the industry, and we will see more examples of innovative stories come to life at retail. Economic factors being what they are, it might take a while to see significant growth in this area since toy manufacturers and retailers will continue to manage risk while trying to still launch new products and brands in an uncertain economy.
TB: Music continues to be a growing focus in licensing that’s crossing over into toys and collectibles. What can you share about bringing ODB into the mix?
AC: It was not easy extending ODB’s legacy into collectibles, but we have found our groove.
In 2020, we released our first ODB ReAction figure with Super7. Since then, licensing collectible figures for musicians has really taken off, but when we started licensing ODB in 2019, there were very few musicians licensed in the action figures and collectibles categories and even fewer hip-hop artists. The biggest challenge was finding a licensee who could not only appreciate ODB’s unique personality but who could also properly interpret this larger-than-life icon into a collectible figure that maintained the authenticity the fans would love.
We found the perfect match in Super7. Brian Flynn had been leading the way in collectible figures for punk and metal musicians for years, so I reached out to him for ODB licensing. In the past four years, Super7 has released over 30,000 figures and counting!
TB: When you hear “Brands at Play,” what do you think are some of the biggest opportunities for traditional consumer products brands to make the jump into toys and collectibles?
AC: When we play, we experience several things — a sense of nostalgia, social connection with others, or even a sharpening of the mind or physical skills. Imagine a VR game where State Farm Insurance had their spokesperson, Jake from State Farm, help teach proper driving techniques to new drivers using real Google Maps? That could be hysterical as well as practical. Move over Crazy Taxi and Gran Turismo!
TB: What is your biggest focus this year?
AC: I’m focused on licensing opportunities in toys and collectibles for our manga publishing brand, Saturday AM; connecting with Licensors on behalf of Boss Fight Studio and Resurrection Games; and expanding ODB’s licensing program to international territories.
A version of this feature was originally published in The Toy Book’s 2024 Licensing & Entertainment Issue. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!
