Licensing Hotline: June 2002

Colorful Cross-Merchanding

Susan Sargent, a home products designer known for richly colored textiles, has written her first book, New Country Color: The Art of Living. It will serve as a cornerstone of a licensing effort that includes furniture (from Lexington), bedding (Springs/ Wamsutta), wallcoverings (York), fabric (Robert Allen), decorative art glass and sculptures (Evans Designs) and painted dinnerware (Present Tense). Art Impressions is Sargent's licensing agency.

The book, which Watson-Guptill published last month with a first printing of 25,000 and a planned reprint of 10,000, is cowritten with Jake Chapline and features 210 photographs by Eric Roth. "It's about a philosophy of how to use color, and it's a single person's point of view," said Sargent. Her products have been marketed through Susan Sargent Designs since 1995 to upscale shops, including her own store in Manchester, Vt., and more than 25 catalogues ranging from Orvis to Neiman Marcus.

Thomas on Track

Retail sales of licensed merchandise based on Gullane Entertainment's Thomas & Friends have increased 130% over the last three years, reaching $350 million last year, according to Gullane's v-p licensing, Christina Miller. Sales of Thomas books have doubled year-on-year over the same period, Miller said. This growth has come without significant television exposure; Thomas went off the air five years ago, after nine years on PBS, and has had only limited cable exposure since then. Gullane continues to produce original programming for home video.

For the last 18 months, Barnes & Noble superstores have featured a Thomas playtable that allows kids to play with Learning Curve's Thomas-branded wooden railway system in the store. "It's a magnet for children," said Miller, who noted that Barnes & Nobles and some other bookstores also carry Thomas licensed merchandise such as tin toys, board games and puzzles. Master publishing licensee Random House has released more than 65 of a planned 100 titles halfway through its five-year deal with Gullane; Publications International (sound books), Scholastic (book clubs) and LeapFrog (interactive storybooks) are also on board.

In Brief

Warner Bros. Consumer Products has authorized Dalmatian Press to publish color/activity, board and novelty books based on its Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network properties, including Looney Tunes, Scooby-Doo and The Powerpuff Girls. The rights were formerly held by Golden Books.... Simon & Schuster's Little Simon division will introduce two board books starring The Pixie Pops, created by artists Angela Belknap and Katie Plitt and represented for licensing by Lally Inc. S&S is the property's first licensee.... American Greetings and licensing agency The Joester-Loria Group have granted Modern Publishing the rights for six coloring and activity titles based on the relaunched Care Bears. The books will be released in July.... Playhouse Publishing acquired two brand licenses, Little Tikes for preschool board books and Campbell's for illustrated, interactive titles.... Sunbow Entertainment has optioned James Proimos's children's title The Many Adventures of Johnny Mutton (Harcourt, 2001) for development as an animated television series.... Borders and ABC Television partnered for an in-store sweepstakes last month to support the miniseries Dinotopia, based on James Gurney's children's books; grand prize was a trip to Dino-Land USA at Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Fla. Dinotopia, represented for licensing by The Beanstalk Group, will air as a weekly primetime series starting in January 2003.... McGraw-Hill Children's Publishing has released 24 Smithsonian nature board books, in four collections, co-published with Studio Mouse.