Uncanny Brands Plots Strategy for Bleacher Creatures

Uncanny Brands, having acquired plush brand Bleacher Creatures nearly a year ago out of bankruptcy, has formulated njew licenses with the NBA and NHL, but has no immediate plans to follow suit with the NFL or MLB due largely to rising royalty rates and minimum guarantees, says Uncanny’s Jeremy Kelley.

Uncanny also has agreements with the leagues for waffle makers and toasters.

The company was formed earlier this year as a combination Bleacher Creatures and Pangea Brands under former Bleacher Creatures CEO Matthew Hoffman. In addition to the NHL and NBA, Bleacher Creatures also has deals with WWE and MGM (Rocky films).

Meanwhile, Uncanny has formed a third business group – Phenom Gallery – that focuses on limited edition lithographs – 300-500 units–  and so far has licenses with the NHL, NBA and NBCUniversal (Jurassic Park and Minions).

Contact:

Uncanny Brands, Jeremy Kelley, SVP Sales and Operations, 516-286-1365, jkelley@uncannybrands.com

Fortnite, Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds Readying Licensing Programs

Epic Games’ Fortnite and Bluehole Inc.’s Playerunknown’s Battleground (PUBG), currently two of the most popular mobile games, are headed into licensing. Fortnite earlier this year hired IMG, which has since developed a stylebook after meeting with licensees at Licensing Expo in May.

Bluehole, the South Korean developer behind PUBG, handles licensing internally, having last fall formed the Madison, WI-based subsidiary PUBG Corp. It added another office in Saratoga Springs, NY in March by buying virtual goods developer MadGlory. Hot Topic launched five SKUs of PUBG t-shirts last month.

Both games have gained substantial followings since launching last year in a “battle royal” format in which a large number of players or small squads engage in a fight to be the last player or team standing.

Fortnite has more than 125 million registered users. A version of the game for Nintendo Switch was downloaded two million times within the first 24 hours of being available earlier this month.

PUBG has more than 400 million registered players for its mobile version, including 87 million daily users. It also is available for PCs and Xbox One.

Contacts:

IMG,Sven Thierhoff, VP International, +49 30 300 131 704,sven_thierhoff@img.com

PUBG Corp., Tom Carmona, Business Development Dir., 518-265-2041

Bottoms Up! Star Trek and MasterChef Alcohol on Shelf

CBS Consumer Products’ Star Trek brand is venturing in whiskey for the first time, while the Endemol Shine Group’s MasterChef adds wine to its menu.

Licensee Silver Screen Bottling Co. launched online sales of Star Trek whiskey this week, starting with 45-proof, 10-year-old James T. Kirk bourbon in a 750-milliliter bottle developed by Star Trek graphic designer Mike Okuda. Star Trek has previously been licensed into wine and beer.

Meanwhile, New York-based ecommerce wine retailer Lot18 has released MasterChef Pinot Grigio, Syrah Rose and Cabernet Sauvignon which are being sold separately ($18-$20) or in a three-pack ($50).

Contacts:

CBS Consumer Products, Marie-Cécile Girard-Jones, Licensing Dir., 212-975-3044, mc.jones@cbs.com

Endemol Shine Group, Tamaya Petteway, SVP Partnerships and Integration, 310-860-9914, tamaya.petteway@endemolshine.us

Lot18, Kevin Fortuna, Founder, 855-685-6818

Silver Screen Bottling Co., Leslie Buhler, Licensing Dir., 865-583-1264

Executives

Changes at GameStop: Dawn Henry, ex-Walmart Stores, joins as VP at ThinkGeek; Kris Ventura, ex-Michaels Stores, named VP of collectibles merchandising… Ricky Strauss, formerly president of marketing at Walt Disney Studios, named president of content and marketing for Disney’s upcoming direct-to-consumer video platform, replaced by Asad Ayaz, formerly head of theatrical marketing.