PlayMonster, LEGO, and Crayola among 2021 Licensing International Excellence Awards winners
PlayMonster, LEGO, Crayola, and Hasbro have all been named among the winners of the 2021 Licensing International Excellence Awards at a ceremony held via a virtual gathering during this week’s Licensing Expo Virtual.
Big name toy companies featured among the 22 award winners from seven different countries, including China, Finland, France, Japan, Singapore, the UK, and the US at the event that brought together nearly 1,000 industry executives.
The winners were whittled down from a total of 152 nominees – itself a shortlist of finalists from more than 650 entries from around the world. An elite judging panel narrowed the entries down to the final ballot, which was then voted on by members of the licensing industry.
PlayMonster secured its win in the Toys, Games, Novelties for ages 0 to 8 category, receiving its accolade for its popular Peppa Pig Grow and Play Peppa Pots, while LEGO secured its Toys, Games, Novelties for ages 8 upwards category win for its Andy Warhol LEGO Art Edition.
Hasbro took home the Entertainment, Character Brand: Animated category win for Peppa Pig, and Crayola was voted Best Licensed Collaboration in its tie up with Adidas and Donovan Mitchell.
The Licensing International Excellence Awards honour innovation and creativity in licensing, as well as how licensees develop and bring to market products, and how retailers creatively spotlight licenses on their shelves. A special award this year – Pandemic Pivot – went to Peanuts Worldwide to honour its work in developing and making available for free in-home educational materials and lesson plans.
“In our 36th year of honoring the best of the global licensing industry, it’s inspiring to see the quality of the work produced by people and companies even as they were adapting to new ways of creating and collaborating amid the effects of the pandemic,” said Maura Regan, president, Licensing International.
“The achievements that we honor today are testament to the power of brands, and the power of licensing as a business to create products and programs with lasting appeal.”
Here are the 2021 Licensing International Excellence Awards winners:
Best Licensed Products
⦁ Apparel / Footwear / Accessories – Dr. Martens for Jean-Michel Basquiat Boots
⦁ Appliance / Automotive / Housewares / Electronics – Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co. for Pokémon Travel
⦁ Toys / Games / Novelties for Ages 0 – 8 – PlayMonster for Peppa Pig Grow & Play Peppa Pots
⦁ Apps / Sofware / Video Games – Top Golf for Angry Birds Interactive Golf Game
⦁ Food / Beverage – Kinnerton Confectionery for Harry Potter Chocolate Range
⦁ Health and Beauty Aids – Mad Beauty for Friends Bath & Body Essentials
⦁ Home Decor – Secret Lab for Batman Gaming Chairs
⦁ Publishing / Back to School – Chronicle Books for LEGO Note Brick
⦁ Toys/ Games/ Novelties for ages 8 upwards – LEGO for Andy Warhol LEGO Art Edition
Best Licensed Brands
⦁ ART / DESIGN / CELEBRITY / FASHION BRAND – The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle Studio
⦁ DIGITAL / APP / VIDEO GAME BRAND – Super Mario by Nintendo
⦁ CORPORATE BRAND – Goodyear by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and IMG
⦁ ENTERTAINMENT / CHARACTER BRAND: ANIMATED – Peppa Pig by Hasbro & Hasbro China
⦁ ENTERTAINMENT / CHARACTER BRAND: LIVE-ACTION – Harry Potter by Warner Bros. France
⦁ FOOD / BEVERAGE / RESTAURANT BRAND – Coca-Cola, Hi-C & Sprite by The Coca-Cola Company
⦁ SPORTS / COLLEGIATE BRAND – NFLPA by NFL Players Association
OTHER AWARDS
⦁ BEST LICENSED PROMOTION – Direct Line & Born Licensing for “We’re On It” with Transformers, TMNT & Robocop
⦁ BEST LICENSED COLLABORATION – Crayola x Adidas x Donovan Mitchell
⦁ BEST RETAILER FOR A CHARACTER / ENTERTAINMENT INITIATIVE – BoxLunch for Marvel Eat the Universe
⦁ BEST RETAILER FOR A CORPORATE / LIFESTYLE/ SPORTS INITIATIVE – H&M for Coca-Cola
⦁ BEST LICENSING AGENCY – IMG
⦁ THE PANDEMIC PIVOT AWARD – Peanuts At-Home-Offerings by Peanuts Worldwide