Representatives of top brands and major merchandise partners will convene on Las Vegas this summer for Licensing Expo 2016, and trade association LIMA will be presenting the annual Licensing Awards amidst the show action on June 21. The nominees are in, reflecting ongoing trends in licensing — mainly the strength of character & entertainment, corporate trademarks, sports, fashion and collegiate brands.
Coming on particularly strong this year is Star Wars, riding high on the global success of The Force Awakens. Animated kids brands like Peppa Pig, My Little Pony and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also continue their strong presence on the scene this year, backed up with nominations.
2016 LIMA Licensing Awards nominees:
Best Licensed Program
Character/Toy Brand
Barbie – Mattel
Crayola – Crayola
Hello Kitty – Sanrio
My Little Pony – Hasbro
Paddington Bear – Paddington and Company Limited/The Copyrights Group Limited
Shopkins – Moose Toys/The Licensing Shop
Snoopy – Peanuts Worldwide
Digital
Candy Crush Saga – King Digital Entertainment/Striker Entertainment
Hit It Rich Slots & Elvira – Zynga
LINE Friends – LINE Friends Corp.
Skylanders – Activision Publishing
Film/Television/Entertainment – Animated
Boonie Bears – Fantawild Animation, Inc.
Frozen – Disney Consumer Products and Interactive
Masha and the Bear – Masha and the Bear
Minions – NBCUniversal Brand Development
Paw Patrol – Spin Master
Peppa Pig – Entertainment One
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Nickelodeon
Film/Television/Entertainment – Live Action
AMC’s The Walking Dead – AMC/Striker Entertainment
Jurassic World – NBCUniversal Brand Development
Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron – Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media
Star Wars: The Force Awakens – Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media
Location-Based or Experiential Initiative
Alien vs. Predator – Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Universal Studios Hollywood
AMC’s The Walking Dead – AMC and Parque de Atracciones de Madrid/Striker Entertainment
Discovery Adventures – Discovery Communications/PPW Sports and Entertainment (China) Limited/APAX Group (China)
Discovery at Sea – Discovery Communications and Princess Cruises
Il Mondo di Peppa Pig (The World of Peppa Pig) – Entertainment One/Leolandia
My Little Pony/Equestria Girls – Hasbro/Producciones Tycoon Gou
The Simpsons Land – Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Universal Studios Hollywood
Thomas Land – Mattel and Fisher-Price
Retailer
Cost Plus World Market – Downton Abbey
Fei FanTan Suo Outdoor Products Company Limited – Discovery Expedition
Grupo Éxito – Minions
Hot Topic – American Horror Story
Hot Topic – Doctor Who
Saks Fifth Avenue – Empire
Spirit Halloween – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Target – Peanuts
Toys”R”Us – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Best Licensed Products
Digital – apps, software, video
Aristocrat Technologies – AMC’s The Walking Dead slot game
Ludia Games – Jurassic World: The Game
Pocket Gems – Mean Girls Senior Year interactive mobile game
Stern Pinball – KISS pinball machine
Story Toys – The World of Eric Carle/The Very Hungry Caterpillar apps
Zynga – Wizard of Oz slots
Publishing/Social Expression/Back-to-School
Blueprint Collections – Shopkins stationery
Crayola – Crayola Color Alive – Minions
Cross – Star Wars pens and journals by CrossS
Francis Lincoln – Walter Foster – Breaking Bad Cookin’ up some Colour, Yo’
Galison-Mudpuppy – Andy Warhol for Galison-Mudpuppy product assortment
Moleskine – Moleskine Batman Limited Edition Collection
Wonder Forge – Disney Imagicademy hands-on learning products
Toys/Games/Novelties/Role-Play
The Bridge Direct – Shopkins C3 Kinstructions
Hasbro, Inc. – Star Wars Bladebuilders Lightsaber
Jazwares – Peppa Pig line
Just Play – Doc McStuffins Pet Vet Checkup Center
LEGO – Star Wars Millennium Falcon
Mattel – Elsa Fashion Doll Ice Castle
Sphero – Star Wars BB-8 app-enabled Droid
Wicked Cool Toys – Girl Scouts Cookie Oven
