Toy Firms Seek Early Digitoy Adopters As Retailers Prep for Show 'n' Tell

Brandweek, Feb 21, 2000 by T.L. Stanley, Becky Ebenkamp, Terry Lefton, Karen Benezra

Entertainment continues to be fertile ground for toy makers, reaching beyond all-family fare such as Disney's sequel 102 Dalmatians, set for Thanksgiving release, and DreamWorks' summer releasing Chicken Run, to such teen-targeted movies as Warner Bros.' Battlefield Earth, and Fox's X-Men and Titan A.E. The latter three films, all boy-skewing, have action figure-based lines, with added lights, bells and whistles. And averting a potential Godzilla-like debacle, filmmakers agreed to let the visage of Jim Carrey as the Grinch be shown prior to the holiday movie's release. The toys, in their rough form, feature a grimacing green fur-covered Grinch in action figures that talk, light up and change expression.

Sony meanwhile, will connect with Bandai for Heavy Gear, a syndicated TV series dubbed "Rollerball meets the NFL" with a fair share of WWF-style humor and antics thrown in. The all-CGI entry bows in January 2001, eyeing boys 6-and-up, the so-called "Power Rangers grads," per Bandai's evp/COO Brian Goldner.

Though Barbie has gotten more than one makeover, this one is supposed to reverse a two-year sales slide, though some industry mavens wonder if her time has come and gone, and her "contemporization" comes too little too late. The new (improved?) Barbie has softer makeup and a softer midsection. (Yes, there's an indent, but is that really a belly button?) She can bend and twist, looks younger, and her clothing is hipper. Gone is the solid Pepto Bismol pink of yesteryear; the palette has broadened to include lots of blue, yellow and orange, and licensed products are more fashion forward, trying to appeal to girls as old as 12.

Extreme sports, long a kid mainstay, is skewing younger, with fingerboards, mini-wakeboards and trick bikes now aimed at the 5-9 set, such as Playmates' Tech Deck Pee Wees. Mattel, trying to go more lifestyle under its Wheels banner, jumps into the fray for the first time with motorized Xtreme Skateboarders; champ Tony Hawk appears on the packaging and in TV spots, airing in March. The toy maker also hits the mountains, sea and urban jungle with extreme action hero Max Steel. The property goes head-to-head with Hasbro's Action Man in the 12-inch category getting a Kids WB show late this month and assorted tie-ins (see related story, page 5). And lest it seem that girls are being left out of the craze, one of Mattel's Divas is a skateboarder, perhaps prompted by the extreme sports-loving Tori, the best-selling Generation Girl doll from a line that launched last year and will expand in 2000.

Odds 'n Ends: Lego is seeking a niche in the premium business, and is testing a program with Shell Stations in Southern California and the District of Columbia area, wherein consumers can buy a small playset with a gasoline purchase. If successful, the program could roll nationwide late this year

Looking to boost membership and reposition along a broader range of industries, the Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association has hired its first outside agency Evenson Design Group, Culver City Calif., will craft print ads to showcase what members are hoping is the "new" LIMA, whose new members include Microsoft, The New York Times and Tommy Hilfiger. Print will be unveiled in April in a broader range of trade mags. Warner Bros. Consumer Products' Michael Peikoff, who chairs LIMA's marketing committee, said the industry group is aiming at doubling or tripling its membership within three to five years.