JLG’s Top Five Stories of 2019

It was an exciting year of brand extensions and new client announcements for JLG and here are our most read stories of the year. 

1. Flamin’ Hot News - Cheetos Taps Forever 21 for Global Fashion Program - Frito-Lay appointed JLG as the brand licensing agency for Cheetos earlier in 2019 and in June, the much-loved cheesy treat and billion-dollar Frito-Lay snack brand partnered with leading global fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 for a summer program available at select Forever 21 stores worldwide, that was also featured on Forever21.com.

2. Pepsi And Forever 21 Collaborate On An Exclusive Summer Collection - In April, JLG expanded Pepsi’s lifestyle program by partnering the brand with leading global fast-fashion retailer Forever 21 for a special collection of men’s and women’s fashion tops and bottoms, sporty athleisure pieces, swimwear and fun accessories, all featuring iconic Pepsi logos from the 80’s and 90’s paired with bold graphics and bright tie-dye treatments. The new line was available at more than 700 Forever 21 stores worldwide and online at Forever21.com for a limited time.

3. Corona Celebrates Cinco de Mayo With New Marketing Campaign - In May, The Joester Loria Group’s client Corona celebrated Cinco de Mayo with its biggest ever celebration in the form of a fully-integrated 360-degree marketing campaign. The “Lime Drop” campaign included national TV and digital advertising, social media, PR, events and retail programming.

4. Rainbow and The Joester Loria Group Partner for 44 Cats - The Joester Loria Group was tapped by Rainbow as the brand licensing agency for the company’s successful 44 Cats television series in the United States. 44 Cats debuted in the USA on June 10th and airs Monday through Friday on Nickelodeon.

5. The World of Eric Carle Brand Continues To Grow Around The World - This year marked the 50th anniversary of Eric Carle’s classic book The Very Hungry Caterpillar and The Joester Loria Group, the global brand licensing agency for The World of Eric Carle, continued to drive the brand’s growth around the world, particularly in Asia. To further expand the brand in the region, JLG appointed GZ Art-land as the new local brand licensing agent for The World of Eric Carle in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. 

Cheetos x Funko POP! Debuts at New Funko Store in Hollywood

Chester Cheetah, the official mascot of Frito-Lay’s Cheetos, is the latest brand icon to get a Funko Pop! vinyl figure. The limited edition Chester Cheetah x Funko POP! launched exclusively at Funko’s new Hollywood store in Los Angeles. The 40,000-square-foot location features experiential sets that bring fandom to life, with photo opps and lighting that helps visitors get the perfect selfie with their favorite characters. To celebrate the iconic Cheetos spokescheetah, Funko created a life-sized Chester Cheetah along with a larger-than-life bag of Cheetos snacks at the store. 

Funko hosted a star-studded grand opening party that was attended by celebrities including Zoe Saldana, Superstore actress Lauren Ash, Us actress Shahadi Wright Joseph, Good Boys actor Keith L. Williams, The Office actress Kate Flannery and model Tess Holliday.

In addition to the limited edition figure available exclusively at Funko’s Hollywood store, more Chester Cheetah collectible vinyl figures will be available globally at specialty retailers as well as Target. As the brand licensing agency for Cheetos, JLG also has brokered more exciting and unexpected collaborations for Cheetos and Funko in 2020. 

Funko’s new store opening was covered by Forbes, License Global and People. 

Cheetos® snacks are the much-loved cheesy treats that are fun for everyone! You just can’t eat a Cheetos® snack without licking the signature “cheetle” off your fingertips. And wherever the Cheetos® brand and Chester Cheetah® go, cheesy smiles are sure to follow.

The Joester Loria Group Expands World of Eric Carle Licensing Program with New Toddler and Seasonal Partners

The Joester Loria Group, exclusive global brand licensing agent for The World of Eric Carle, has brokered three new deals to expand on the current program with new toddler and seasonal licensees.

New partners include:

• Hallmark will introduce a range of 3D figural holiday ornaments that will retail for $4.99 to $19.99, launching for the Holiday 2020 season. 

• CreateOn will produce 3D Magnetic building sets featuring classic Eric Carle stories including The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? sold under the Magna-Tiles® brand. Each set was designed and vetted by early educators and includes an activity sheet. Lesson plans will be added to the CreateOn website to help teachers and parents teach STEAM skills using these new sets.Launching at Target in Spring 2020, the initial Magna-Tiles® Structures collection will include eight single title sets and one combo set retailing from $39.99 to $99.99. Limited quantities are now available at www.createon.com.

• Peerless Plastics will develop a range of classroom rest mats and pillowcases, flexible classroom seating, storage crates, art smocks, and play parachutes for the early childhood education market, co-branded under the "Kinder" brand launching for the Back to School season in 2020.The collection utilizes the much loved The Very Hungry Caterpillar along with other iconic characters from Carle’s beloved books to create collections that capture the playful theme of the brand helping children create, play, learn, daydream and rest throughout the day.

The World of Eric Carle is the award-winning publishing franchise that features Carle’s timeless stories and iconic characters. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, one of the top selling children’s books of all time, has been translated into 60 languages and has sold over 52 million copies since its publication in 1969.