ONE OF the most eagerly awaited films of the year, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits cinemas from December 14th. For the team at Warner Bros. Consumer Products, it’s an exciting time.
They have been selling in and talking to licensees and retail for a while now, and general manager Paul Bufton says he is looking forward to seeing the first results. The first movie will be backed by a heavyweight line-up of top notch toy licensees, including The Bridge Direct and Vivid Imaginations, LEGO, Rubie’s, Ravensburger, Kosmos, HarperCollins, Eaglemoss and Games Workshop.
Products will include mini collectable figures, basic action figures, adventure packs, beast packs, play-sets and collector figures (Vivid); 2D and 3D puzzles (Ravensburger); dress-up based on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings (Rubie’s); and mini figures and construction sets (LEGO). LEGO’s The Lord of the Rings line has already launched to something of a rapturous reception. Indeed, The Lord of the Rings had been the most consumer requested property to LEGO HQ and, once the deal was announced, there were 25 million hits on the press release. The Hobbit line, meanwhile, will have a full launch in Q1 2013. “What LEGO has done is just phenomenal,” comments Bufton.
“It’s a fantastic scene setter as well for what they are planning to do with The Hobbit. “It’s a terrific interpretation of Middle Earth, and they have succeeded in bringing it back into the mainstream. “We’ve been going out to all our major retail partners and talking about The Hobbit, beginning to set the scene for Vivid, Rubie’s and LEGO. The benefit is that the UK is the home of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit; it’s the heartland and by and large you are talking to people who are more into it and read it at school. “It’s more about how we can tailor what we’ve got, and the brilliant partners we’ve got, and do something different with each of the accounts.”
“The Hobbit has become a huge licence for Vivid and we owe WBCP a debt of gratitude for entrusting the worldwide master toy licence to us in conjunction with The Bridge. Our previous success with The Lord of the Rings clearly helped our case to be master toy licensee and we are now more convinced than ever that The Hobbit movie trilogy will deliver a highly successful and long-term toy franchise – which is just what the boys toy market needs at present. “The novel approach of splitting worldwide master toy rights with The Bridge, to ensure that two companies maximised the opportunity in their respective home and international markets, has proven to be a huge success and one that WBCP was very keen to support and endorse.” Neil Bandtock, MD, Vivid UK
LEGO is already enjoying success with its The Lord of the Rings line (left), while Vivid has a comprehensive range for The Hobbit...
OCTOBER 2012
“WBCP licences form a significant part of our product portfolio for 2012. Their established track record of delivering high profile and evergreen movie franchises is reflected in our continually evolving ranges, including Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and the new DC Super Heroes line, which has been a huge seller for us this year. Our partnership with WBCP continues to go from strength to strength and we look forward to continued success with them into 2013 and beyond.” Drew Brazer, VP & GM, LEGO UK & Ireland