Today I'm on my way to the Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, and I started to think about all those licensed characters that are fighting for our attention, especially our children's attention. They are everywhere. On clothing, shoes, toys, toothbrushes, kid's meals; the list goes on and on! I have certainly been part of this overabundance of character over my career at Fisher Price. Is it all worth it? After all, companies pay a good price for the rights to rent and emblazon the characters on their product, and the consumer in turn, pays a little more if they want that character on their product. Why do we want them? Attachment to a character or brand is driven by our natural way of embracing. T
"Doom and gloom"; analysts love writing about the demise of the Toy Industry. They like to proclaim their expertise knows that the digital device has taken over the plastic toy as the most important plaything for children. Yet, "According to the NPD Group's Retail Tracking Service, which represents approximately 80% of the U.S. toy retail market, the U.S. toy market grew to $19.48 billion in 2015. However, when factoring up to 100% for total market figure, NPD estimates the U.S. market size for the total toy industry to be in the $25 billion range in 2015. a 7% increase in domestic sales from 2014." (source NPD Group) Not so bad for a dying industry! But there is something to the statement t
