The Eric Carle Musuem of Picture Book Art Awarded A Commonwealth Award for Creative Learning

The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) has announced the winners of the 2013 Commonwealth Awards. Presented every two years, the Commonwealth Awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions that arts, humanities, and sciences make to education, economic growth and vitality, and quality of life in communities across Massachusetts.   We are thrilled to announce that The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is the recipient of the 2013 Commonwealth Award for Creative Learning.

The Commonwealth Awards will be presented Tuesday, February 19, during a ceremony at the Massachusetts State House.  Congratulations to our friends at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. We are proud to work on the licensing program for a brand that contributes to the arts, humanities and sciences.

For information about the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art visit: http://www.carlemuseum.org/

Animal Planet Awarded A Tillywig Top Fun Award

The Joester Loria Group is thrilled to share that Animal Planet’s Giant T-Rex playset from Toys “R” Us was selected for a Tillywig Top Fun award. The Top Fun award is given to products that stand out in terms of exceptional design, construction and play.

The Giant T-Rex playset gives children a one-of-a-kind journey among some of the mightiest creatures ever to have roamed the Earth. Kids have a great time playing with the giant roaring T-Rex and assembling the fossil bones into a dinosaur’s skeleton. This Animal Planet playset hit store shelves on September 1, retailing at $39.99 and is recommended for children ages 3+.

Toys “R” Us first introduced a line of Animal Planet toysin 1999 and now boasts a 16-foot dedicated section of Animal Planet products featuring toys, figures and play sets exclusive to Toys R Us.

For more information about the Tillywig Awards visit: http://www.tillywig.com/index.php

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Nominated for Best Preschool Licensed Property of the Year

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is being recognized in the category of Best Preschool Licensed Property of the Year at the 2012 UK Licensing Awards.

The World Of Eric Carle’s multi-category collection of licensed products is nominated because of its success within the market and its highly regarded product line. The program is an expansion of the brand’s core values, inspiring children to learn, create and grow,and includes products in toys, games, apparel, social expressions and home décor that feature the iconic imagery of Eric Carle’s beloved children’s books. Key licensees include Brecrest, Rainbow Designs, Paul Lamond Games, Fabric Flavours, Portmeirion, Character World, UK Greetings, Hallmark and Portico Designs. Retailers across every tier of distribution from high street, department stores and book stores to mass support World of Eric Carle product.

This nomination is an honor as finalists were reviewed and voted on by an extensive panel of experienced retailers and licensees. More than 1,300 retailers, licensees, licensees and industry suppliers will attend the awards on September 11, 2012.

We are looking forward to this wonderful event!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Ranked No. 2 Picture Book by School Library Journal

The School Library Journal recently named The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ by Eric Carle No. 2 on their list of the Top 100 Picture Books. The School Library Journal (SLJ) serves librarians who work with students in schools and public libraries, reaching an audience of more than 100,000. It is the world’s largest and most authoritative reviewer of children’s and young adult content.

The School Library Journal shared some interesting facts about the iconic book including its original name, which was A Week With Willie Worm. Their post also highlighted the publisher’s original challenge of finding a printer who could cost-effectively print the book’s many die cut pages. Additionally, SLJ’s post includes some quotes from Eric Carle along with videos and pictures from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art.

We’d like to congratulate our client The World of Eric Carle on this very exciting honor! We’re thrilled to help share Eric Carle’s iconic work with the world through our brand licensing partnership.

Check out SLJ’s full list of the Top 100 Picture Books.

Annual LIMA International Licensing Excellence Awards Nominees Announced

The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association 2011 Licensing Excellence Awards nominees have been selected, including several Joester Loria Group programs.

The Joester Loria Group is a proud supporter of LIMA and is particularly proud that programs we have developed for a number of properties, including Jeep, Care Bears and Animal Planet have been recognized with LIMA licensing excellence awards over the past decade. This year, we were delighted to see the following programs nominated:
Entenmann’s, the No. 1 sweet baked goods brand, is being recognized for its growing brand licensing program that expanded into new categories in 2011. Partnering with Parragon Books, an Entenmann’s cookbook launched on QVC and has gone on to top Amazon charts as the No. 1 book in the Baking section. Additionally, Entenmann’s bakeware hit the market with 50+ skus including a collection made especially for kids. Candle-Lite increased their national distribution of Entenmann’ scented candles, while new coffee licensee, White Coffee, is growing the Entenmann’s coffee business with new flavors and expanded retail placement. Dynamic consumer marketing support generated 34 million impressions through online advertising, morning show features and social media.

Aquafina, known for being the No. 1 bottled water in the United States, is nominated for its line of hydrating lip care based on Aquafina’s brand positioning of purity and hydration. Created under license by Added Extras, the line includes 16 SKUs of lip balms available in a variety of flavors, formulated to provide superior protection and hydration. Aquafina lip balms are distributed in more than 35,000 doors across multiple retail channels including Specialty, Drug and Supermarket chains, Dollar chains and Mass and over 80 million units have been sold since launch.

Pottery Barn, known for great design for the home, introduced The Eric Carle Collection by Pottery Barn Kids in 2011. The 2012 LIMA awards recognizes the collection of unique children’s bath, bedroom and nursery products featuring classic and iconic imagery of Eric Carle’s work and translating it into playful designs that evoke the beauty of his much beloved illustrations. With over 40 skus, the collection includes personalized bath towels, embroidered quilts, shower curtains, shams and bedding sets, sold in-store, in-catalog and online. Pottery Barn Kids’ supported the products with exceptional in-store and direct to consumer marketing programs.

LIMA members, please remember to cast your vote for the 2012 International Licensing Excellence Awards and we hope that you will consider these outstanding brands.

Illustrator of The Year Nominations for Eric Carle and Victoria Kann

The Joester Loria Group would like to congratulate Eric Carle and Victoria Kann for their nominations for Illustrator of the Year by The Children’s Book Council. Eric Carle is nominated for his book, The Artist Who Painted A Blue Horse and Victoria Kann is nominated for her book, Silverlicious the 4th title in the Pinkalicious franchise.

Art is at the core of both the World of Eric Carle and Pinkalicious licensing programs. The distinctive imagery and memorable stories leap off the pages of the Pinkalicious series of books, and have inspired a full collection of licensed product, most recently expanded to scooters, ride-ons and tricycles. Eric Carle, the recipient of over 70 awards over his remarkable career, has inspired a successful global collection of licensed products based on his books with a focus on The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

The Children’s Book Choice Awards is the only national book award that is chosen by children, teachers, booksellers and librarians. Winners will be announced live during the Children’s Choice Book Awards Gala on May 7th, which kicks off the start of National Children’s Book Week.