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World’s leading construction toy brand secures rights to develop toy lines
based on three Disney properties for 2010
NEW YORK, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- American International Toy Fair -- The LEGO
Group and Disney Consumer Products today announced a multi-year licensing
agreement that gives the world’s premiere construction toy brand access to an
extensive portfolio of renowned Disney and Disney Pixar properties. LEGO(R) and
LEGO DUPLO(R) products are currently in development for three franchises --
Disney Pixar’s Toy Story and Cars, and Prince of Persia -- all scheduled to
launch in 2010.
Toy Story
Children’s imaginations will go “To infinity and beyond” when, beginning in
2010, they will be able to re-create the adventures of Buzz Lightyear and Woody
with LEGO toys inspired by the Toy Story franchise. Toy Story-themed
construction sets will be available on both LEGO DUPLO and LEGO System
platforms, building the adventure and fun for children ages 2-12. LEGO System
products based on Toy Story and Toy Story 2 will launch in January 2010, to be
followed in May by construction sets based on the new animated feature, Toy
Story 3, scheduled to hit theaters in Disney Digital 3D June 2010. Toy
Story-themed LEGO DUPLO products launch in June 2010.
Cars
Lightning McQueen will rev his engine at the starting line of a DUPLO portfolio
that will have young builders creating and exploring the high-octane world of
the Cars franchise. The Cars-themed LEGO DUPLO line will feature iconic scenes
from Radiator Springs and the Piston Cup Championship raceway and will feature
favorite Cars characters like McQueen, Mater and Sally. Cars-themed LEGO DUPLO
products are scheduled to launch in June 2010.
Prince of Persia
A line of LEGO System construction toys based on Walt Disney Pictures’ and Jerry
Bruckheimer Films’ Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer, directed by Mike Newell and scheduled to release in May 2010 is
also in development. The film, based on the best-selling video game franchise of
the same name, stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina and Gemma
Arterton in an epic tale of Prince Dastan’s struggle to stop an evil ruler from
unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world. Prince of Persia-themed
LEGO products are scheduled to launch in April 2010.
“We are thrilled to team up with Disney, another of the world’s premium brands
for families with children,” said Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, CEO LEGO Group. “When
two brands who share similar values bring their franchises together -- in this
case a timeless play pattern with some of the industry’s most beloved stories
and characters -- and combine their access to families, retail strength and
marketing power, amazing things can happen. We can’t wait to launch the first
three lines and look forward to exploring all of the ways in which we bring the
wonderful world of Disney to life in LEGO form.”
“Joining forces with LEGO Group speaks to the commitment and vision both
companies share for quality product and innovative creativity that invigorates
kids play,” said Vince Klaseus, senior vice president, global toys, Disney
Consumer Products. “Our collaboration will continue to extend the vitality of
our roster of franchises by bringing our characters and their worlds to life in
a fresh and exciting way. Through these new LEGO product lines, Disney will
continue to build presence in the construction toys category and grow market
share in the boys demographic.”
The LEGO Group is a privately held, family-owned company, based in Billund,
Denmark. It was founded in 1932 and today the group is one of the world’s
leading manufacturers of play materials for children. The company is committed
to the development of children’s creative and imaginative abilities through its
products, which can be purchased in more than 130 countries. Visit www.LEGO.com
LEGO and the LEGO logo are trademarks of the LEGO Group. (C) 2009 The LEGO
Group.
Disney Consumer Products and affiliates (DCP) is the business segment of The
Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) that extends the Disney brand to merchandise
ranging from apparel, toys, home decor and books and magazines to foods and
beverages, stationery, electronics and fine art. This is accomplished through
DCP’s various lines of business which include: Disney Toys, Disney Fashion &
Home, Disney Food, Health & Beauty, Disney Infant and Disney Stationery. Other
businesses involved in Disney’s consumer products sales are Disney Publishing
Worldwide, the world’s largest publisher of children’s books and magazines, and
www.disneyshopping.com, the company’s official shopping portal. The Disney
Stores retail chain, which debuted in 1987, is owned and operated by Disney in
North America and Europe. The Disney Stores chain in Japan is operated under a
license agreement with Disney. For more information, please visit
www.disneyconsumerproducts.com.
http://sev.prnewswire.com/retail/20090215/SF7109415022009-1.html
-end of report-
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In lugnet.mediawatch, Abner Finley wrote:
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Cars
Lightning McQueen will rev his engine at the starting line of a DUPLO
portfolio that will have young builders creating and exploring the
high-octane world of the Cars franchise. The Cars-themed LEGO DUPLO line will
feature iconic scenes from Radiator Springs and the Piston Cup Championship
raceway and will feature favorite Cars characters like McQueen, Mater and
Sally. Cars-themed LEGO DUPLO products are scheduled to launch in June 2010.
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Interesting. Mega Bloks has of course been
producing sets in the
Duplo scale under their own license with Disney for quite some time. I’d be
sorry to see Mega Bloks let the license go, though the situation would be
similar to LEGO gave up its Dora the Explorer license and it was taken up by
Mega Bloks.
Curious!
Dave!
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Interestingly LEGO had a Disney license a while back and used it to produce
some Baby Micky sets and some fabuland-esque sets with Mickey and friends.
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In lugnet.mediawatch, Abner Finley wrote:
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Prince of Persia
A line of LEGO System construction toys based on Walt Disney Pictures’ and
Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer, directed by Mike Newell and scheduled to release in May 2010 is
also in development. The film, based on the best-selling video game franchise
of the same name, stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina and
Gemma Arterton in an epic tale of Prince Dastan’s struggle to stop an evil
ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world. Prince of
Persia-themed LEGO products are scheduled to launch in April 2010.
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These are the sets I’m looking forward to!! Hopefully lots more tan and some
really cool decorative elements!
Paul Sinasohn
LUGNET #115
BAYLUG
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In lugnet.mediawatch, Jonathan Wilson wrote:
> Interestingly LEGO had a Disney license a while back and used it to produce
> some Baby Micky sets and some fabuland-esque sets with Mickey and friends.
They also used it to produce Winnie the Pooh sets before they found out that
Disney didn't actually have any legal grounds to license the property to them.
But they'd probably prefer to not dwell on that...
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In lugnet.mediawatch, David Laswell wrote:
> In lugnet.mediawatch, Jonathan Wilson wrote:
> > Interestingly LEGO had a Disney license a while back and used it to produce
> > some Baby Micky sets and some fabuland-esque sets with Mickey and friends.
>
> They also used it to produce Winnie the Pooh sets before they found out that
> Disney didn't actually have any legal grounds to license the property to them.
> But they'd probably prefer to not dwell on that...
For real? I mainly follow the micro-scale Mega Bloks, so the comings and goings
of the other scales don't really hit my radar.
Do you have a citation for that Pooh info? This is the first I've heard of it.
Dave!
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In lugnet.mediawatch, Dave Schuler wrote:
> For real? I mainly follow the micro-scale Mega Bloks, so the comings and
> goings of the other scales don't really hit my radar.
>
> Do you have a citation for that Pooh info? This is the first I've heard of
> it.
I'm not having any luck pulling up any direct proof of it (most of the legit
news source pages have expired, and all that's really left are Wikipedia and a
handful of blogs that only hint at the LEGO/Disney/Pooh aspect), but here's the
gist of it, as I understand it:
1. A.A. Milne created Winnie the Pooh and wrote several books based on the
character.
2. Milne designated all rights to publish the existing books to Dutton
publishers, and all rights to the character outside of the existing books
(including all merchandising rights, film/TV rights, and I believe all rights to
publish new books based on the character) to Stephen Slesinger. Slesinger's
deal involved a $1000 up-front fee and 66% of his income from use of the
character. These rights apply to the United States (and possibly Canada),
specifically. Outside of North America, Milne retained all of his rights, and
passed those on to the Pooh Properties Trust.
3. Slesinger then died in 1953, and his stake, through Slesinger Inc., fell to
his wife. She signed an agreement with Disney, where they would pay SI 2% of
_their_ proceeds (66% of which should then get passed on to the Milne estate,
under the original agreement).
4. Daphne Milne, grand-daughter of A.A. Milne, also signed an agreement with
Disney for film rights.
5. Slesinger Inc. sued Disney over payments from the licensed rights, which
Disney "responded" to by shredding 40 boxes of documents. Slesinger Inc.'s suit
was eventually dismissed.
6. Disney, who were responsible for the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act that
allowed Slesinger Inc. to keep legal control over the most lucrative
Pooh-related rights, apparently got sick of how that impacted them on their
licensed rights, and were involved in lawsuits that were aimed at getting
Slesinger's rights revoked and returned to the Milne estate. Part of that
attempt involved licensing the name of "Clare Milne", daughter of Christopher
Robin Milne (son of A.A. Milne, and the namesake of the Cristopher Robin
character), from the Pooh Properties Trust. Courts ruled in favor of Slesinger
Inc. this time, and certain licensing agreements between Disney and the Milne
estate were voided as a result.
I don't know the specifics of those agreements, but as I recall, part of it was
what allowed Disney to sub-license the property to The LEGO Company in the first
place.
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In lugnet.mediawatch, David Laswell wrote:
> Courts ruled in favor of Slesinger
> Inc. this time, and certain licensing agreements between Disney and the Milne
> estate were voided as a result.
>
> I don't know the specifics of those agreements, but as I recall, part of it was
> what allowed Disney to sub-license the property to The LEGO Company in the first
> place.
Whoa, that's convoluted--thanks for dredging it all up for me. I confess now
that I'd had a little brain-fart; I totally forgot that LEGO put out Disney/Pooh
sets a few years back. I could only remember as far back as the Mega Bloks
Disney/Pooh sets, which were (IIRC) in their "Mega" scale, which is larger than
Duplo but not compatible with Primo. When you mentioned the licensing snafu, my
first thought was that Mega Bloks had gotten drawn into something not completely
legit, but if that's the case then maybe both LEGO and MB got hosed the same.
I know that I saw Mega Bloks Pooh sets on the shelf as recently as 2 1/2 years
ago, but I can't say how much longer they were available after that. Mega Bloks
*did* recently start making a line of "Mickey's Clubhouse" sets, so at least
that part of the Disney license is apparently still fresh.
Wild story--thanks again for the info.
Dave!
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In lugnet.mediawatch, Dave Schuler wrote:
> Whoa, that's convoluted--thanks for dredging it all up for me. I confess now
> that I'd had a little brain-fart; I totally forgot that LEGO put out
> Disney/Pooh sets a few years back. I could only remember as far back as the
> Mega Bloks Disney/Pooh sets, which were (IIRC) in their "Mega" scale, which
> is larger than Duplo but not compatible with Primo. When you mentioned the
> licensing snafu, my first thought was that Mega Bloks had gotten drawn into
> something not completely legit, but if that's the case then maybe both LEGO
> and MB got hosed the same.
It's entirely possible. Since Mickey and Pooh came out at the same time
(apparently for both lines), Disney probably bundled them together into a single
license. When the Pooh license issue came up, the entire deal might have fallen
through with TLC. And if they then did the same thing with Mega Bloks, it might
have been just a simple repeat situation.
> I know that I saw Mega Bloks Pooh sets on the shelf as recently as 2 1/2
> years ago, but I can't say how much longer they were available after that.
The LEGO sets predate the MB sets by a couple years. The Pooh sets ran from
1999-2001, according to the LUGNET Guide. The two subthemes of Disney
properties (Disney's Mickey Mouse and Disney's Baby Mickey) were all released in
2000.
> Mega Bloks *did* recently start making a line of "Mickey's Clubhouse" sets,
> so at least that part of the Disney license is apparently still fresh.
Guess so. And Disney _does_ have the legal right to license the Disney
characters however they want, even if they're prevented from doing so with
Winnie the Pooh. That's kinda sad, actually. I'd really like to see a LEGO
Muppets line come out, but since Disney bought the entire IP off of Jim Henson
Company...
> Wild story--thanks again for the info.
And that was just a quick run-down of the major points, as I was able to
determine. I ran across one bit on Wikipedia that claimed A.A. Milne was known
to grant conflicting rights to the Pooh IP, for whatever reason. And he
apparently didn't do so through carefully constructed legal documents, as the
document proving Slesinger Inc's ownership of the most lucrative bundle of
licensed rights was a signed letter to that effect.
Also, one thing that I think might have been a conflict point is that both TLC
and MB release products internationally. Since Slesinger Inc. owns the rights
to the character's likeness in North America (for any instance except the
original published works, which SI has _no_ rights to at all), and the Pooh
Properties Trust owns (as I understand) pretty much 100% of the rights outside
of North America, if either company would want to release those sets on an
international market, they'd have to acquire permission from both groups, and
figure out a way to handle the ugliness of how to split up the money.
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In lugnet.mediawatch, Paul Sinasohn wrote:
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In lugnet.mediawatch, Abner Finley wrote:
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Prince of Persia
A line of LEGO System construction toys based on Walt Disney Pictures’ and
Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Prince of Persia: Sands of Time, produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer, directed by Mike Newell and scheduled to release in May 2010 is
also in development. The film, based on the best-selling video game
franchise of the same name, stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Kingsley, Alfred
Molina and Gemma Arterton in an epic tale of Prince Dastan’s struggle to
stop an evil ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world.
Prince of Persia-themed LEGO products are scheduled to launch in April 2010.
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These are the sets I’m looking forward to!! Hopefully lots more tan and some
really cool decorative elements!
Paul Sinasohn
LUGNET #115
BAYLUG
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What would be interesting to see is if Alfred Molina gets to be a minfig for the
third time!!
(First minifig: Doctor Octopus, Spider Man 2)
(Second minfig: Satipo, Indiana Jones (Temple Escape set)
(if you don’t believe me, check IMDB!)
Scott
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Cars
Lightning McQueen will rev his engine at the starting line of a DUPLO
portfolio that will have young builders creating and exploring the
high-octane world of the Cars franchise. The Cars-themed LEGO DUPLO line will
feature iconic scenes from Radiator Springs and the Piston Cup Championship
raceway and will feature favorite Cars characters like McQueen, Mater and
Sally. Cars-themed LEGO DUPLO products are scheduled to launch in June 2010.
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Darn..I guess no minfig-scale Radiator Springs, then... aw, shoot!
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