Funko and McDonald’s Debuted New Collectible At New York Comic Con

 New York Comic Con 2020, which was a virtual event, was a celebration of pop culture with an exciting lineup of live streamed panels featuring creators, writers and actors, as well as celebrity appearances and exclusive merchandise releases.

 Funko tapped into the event with an exclusive Comic Con McDonaldLand Captain Crook POP! on October 8th. Fans signed up in advance for an opportunity to shop NYCC exclusives and the new McDonald’s collectible sold out within minutes on Funko’s lottery page.  Following its Comic Con debut, a limited quantity of the McDonaldLand Captain Crook POP! were made available on McDonald’s Golden Arches Unlimited merch site, where it also sold out immediately. 

 Captain Crook joins the Funko POP! McDonald’s collection that was released in August and featured iconic McDonald characters Ronald McDonald, Grimace, the Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, and Officer Big Mac. The collection was available at participating Funko retailers and Golden Arches Unlimited.

JLG & Brilliant PR Nominated For A 2020 TAGIE Award

Every year, People of Play, an international toy and game organization, hosts a series of events celebrating innovation in the toy and game industry. Since 2008, one of their main events has been the Toy & Game International Excellence Awards (TAGIEs), an annual gala that honors the best innovators, designers, marketers, retailers and suppliers in the toy and game industries, across eight categories.

The finalists for the 2020 TAGIE Awards were recently announced and JLG is excited to be included as a nominee in the Innovative PR and Marketing Team of the Year category for our campaign to promote our client The World of Eric Carle’s collaboration with Magna-Tiles. JLG partnered with toy start-up CreateOn, to introduce Magna-Tiles first ever licensed product line, featuring imagery and stories inspired by Eric Carle’s iconic artwork and characters. The brand extension launched with a 500-store test at Target and to help ensure a successful debut, JLG partnered with Brilliant PR for a three-month-long PR and influencer marketing campaign, resulting in 140 million media impressions, 139 influencer posts and expanded distribution at Target for the Fall 2020 season. 

Voting for the 2020 TAGIE Awards is now underway here: https://lnkd.in/gwSQMV7. Winners will be announced during a virtual awards ceremony on Friday, November 20th.

The World of Eric Carle Partners with FILA Kids China for Children’s Apparel and Accessories Collaboration

FILA Kids China and the World of Eric Carle have teamed up for a children’s apparel and accessories collaboration that launched on September 17th in more than 500 Fila Kids' specialty stores and online in China, Hong Kong, and Macau. The brand licensing campaign for The World of Eric Carle is managed worldwide by The Joester Loria Group and in China though local agent, Guangzhou Art-land Holding Company Limited.

The multi-category collection includes boys’ and girls’ jackets, vests, sweatshirts, dresses and pants, along with accessories including sneakers, backpacks, and caps, for ages 2-15. The 30-piece assortment utilizes the beloved The Very Hungry Caterpillar along with other iconic characters from Carle’s popular books, capturing the playful theme of the brand and emphasizing iconic collage art and all-over prints.

The launch will be supported with a 360-degree marketing campaign that kicks off September 29th and will include outreach to Fila Kids members, in-store events, window displays, wall decorations, point-of-sale signage, as well as live streaming events on the FILA Kids website and social channels. The social media marketing also will include a unique online mini game created exclusively for the campaign.

The World of Eric Carle is the award-winning publishing franchise that features timeless stories and iconic characters. With 169 million books sold, the brand has been a staple in schools, libraries, and homes around the world for over three generations. The global consumer products program has experienced exceptional growth in more than 45,000 doors in better retail channels in 15+ countries. 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 54 million copies since its publication in 1969.