2016 LIMA Licensing Awards Nominees Revealed

NEW YORK: The nominees for this year’s LIMA (International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association) Licensing Awards have been unveiled, with a number of nominations going to various children’s brands.

In the licensed programs section, the nominees for best animated film/television/entertainment are Boonie Bears (Fantawild Animation), Frozen (Disney Consumer Products and Interactive), Masha and the Bear (Masha and the Bear Ltd.), Minions (NBCUniversal Brand Development), Paw Patrol (Spin Master), Peppa Pig (Entertainment One) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon). Up for best character/toy brand are Barbie (Mattel), Crayola (Crayola, LLC), Hello Kitty (Sanrio), My Little Pony (Hasbro), Paddington Bear (Paddington and Company/The Copyrights Group), Shopkins (Moose Toys/The Licensing Shop) and Snoopy (Peanuts Worldwide).

The licensed programs section also includes nominees for best live-action film/television/entertainment, with AMC’s The Walking Dead (AMC/Striker Entertainment), Jurassic World (NBCUniversal Brand Development), Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron (Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media); best location-based or experiential initiative, with Alien vs. Predator (Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Universal Studios Hollywood), AMC’s The Walking Dead (AMC and Parque de Atracciones de Madrid/Striker Entertainment), Discovery Adventures (Discovery Communications/PPW Sports and Entertainment/APAX Group), Discovery at Sea (Discovery Communications and Princess Cruises), Il Mondo di Peppa Pig (The World of Peppa Pig) (Entertainment One/Leolandia), My Little Pony/Equestria Girls (Hasbro/Producciones Tycoon Gou), The Simpsons Land (Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Universal Studios Hollywood) and Thomas Land (Mattel and Fisher-Price); best retailer, with Cost Plus World Market (Downton Abbey), Fei FanTan Suo Outdoor Products Company (Discovery Expedition), Grupo Éxito (Minions), Hot Topic (American Horror Story), Hot Topic (Doctor Who), Saks Fifth Avenue (Empire), Spirit Halloween (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Target (Peanuts) and Toys”R”Us (Star Wars: The Force Awakens); and best digital, with Candy Crush Saga (King Digital Entertainment/Striker Entertainment), Hit It Rich Slots & Elvira (Zynga), LINE Friends (LINE Friends Corp.) and Skylanders (Activision Publishing). The other categories in the licensed programs section are art/design, celebrity/fashion, corporate brand, food & beverage/restaurant, licensed promotion and sports.

In the licensed products section, nominations for best digital (apps, software, video) went to Aristocrat Technologies (AMC’s The Walking Dead slot game), Ludia Games (Jurassic World: The Game), Pocket Gems (Mean Girls Senior Year interactive mobile game), Stern Pinball (KISS pinball machine), Story Toys (The World of Eric Carle/The Very Hungry Caterpillar apps) and Zynga (Wizard of Oz slots). Up for best publishing/social expression/back-to-school are Blueprint Collections (Shopkins stationery), Crayola, LLC (Crayola Color Alive – Minions), Cross (Star Wars pens and journals by Cross), Francis Lincoln (Walter Foster – Breaking Bad Cookin’ up some Colour, Yo’), Galison-Mudpuppy (Andy Warhol for Galison-Mudpuppy product assortment), Moleskine (Moleskine Batman Limited Edition Collection) and Wonder Forge (Disney Imagicademy hands-on learning products). The best toys/games/novelties/role-play nominees are The Bridge Direct (Shopkins C3 Kinstructions), Hasbro (Star Wars Bladebuilders Lightsaber), Jazwares (Peppa Pig line), Just Play (Doc McStuffins Pet Vet Checkup Center), LEGO (Star Wars Millennium Falcon), Mattel (Elsa Fashion Doll Ice Castle), Sphero (Star Wars BB-8 app-enabled Droid) and Wicked Cool Toys (Girl Scouts Cookie Oven). The other licensed products categories are apparel/footwear/accessories, appliances/automotive/electronics/hardware/housewares/paint, food/beverage, health & beauty aids and home décor (domestics, furniture, giftware, textiles).