Music Artists Hit Toy Market

Not only is teen pop playing an increasingly bigger role in the music marketplace, but the top names in the genre are making a big splash in the toy market as well.

New toys from the likes of 'N Sync, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera led a wide mix of new music-related toys previewed at the recent American International Toy Fair held here.

But teen-pop acts aren't the only artists making additional royalties off a diverse array of music-related toys, games, and electronics. Traditional rock and vintage pop acts, running the gamut from Metallica and the Grateful Dead to Elvis Presley and Marie Osmond, are also profiting from toy-licensing deals with creative licensed products.

The toy industry had a flat year in 2000, with about $16.4 billion in manufacturers' shipments reported by the Toy Manufacturers Assn. (TMA), the sponsor of the Toy Fair. While there are no breakout figures available for music-related toys and games, both exposure for and sales of pop-music-licensed products are definitely up.

'N Sync, whose No Strings Attached was the top-selling album of 2000, took the title for sheer number of new licensed products.

"Music celebrities, especially pop stars, have created quite a craze in girls' lives," says Jamie Cygielman, Barbie VP at Mattel. Mattel, for its part, is cashing in on the craze with its 'N Sync #1 Fan Barbie, as well as with 'N Sync Uno, a collectible version of its card game Uno that includes an exclusive CD-single remixed track.

In some places, the boy band is even providing personal input into product selection and features. Play-by-Play, another toy maker, is rolling out an entire line of 'N Sync signature electronics due in early summer in time for the concert season, says president/CEO Rick Neitz. "The boys asked for a low-cost camera and binoculars for concerts," he reports, "along with some sophisticated electronics."

Also included in the line are 'N Sync versions of Play-by-Play's karaoke player, portable stereo CD boombox, "try me" professional keyboard, an AM/FM clock/CD radio, an AM/FM cassette personal stereo, and a portable CD player.

At Patch Products, "the group signed off on all the exclusive, fun, and juicy facts in our 'N Sync Backstage Pass board game," marketing VP Tim Walsh says. The summer in-store launch will be backed by radio concert ticket giveaways. There's also the 'N Sync Game of Beads, the 'N Sync Sackers game, and the 'N Sync Sticker Fanatic game.

The company also has 98 Play for Keeps, where fans must answer questions about the band and its music to earn "degrees." For Backstreet Boys Around the World, players must match song titles with lyrics and answer other queries to be the first to circle the globe and win.

Elsewhere, 'N Sync is featured along with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera on Trendmasters' new C-Watch Rocks watches, each offering up to 72 seconds of two or three of the artists' top singles, accompanied by music-video-style digitized animation on the watch's face.

"Products like this are a bonus for music and video retailers," says Theresa Maupin, senior VP of product management. The watch line hit stores for last holiday season and is available at Musicland and Blockbuster, in addition to mass merchandisers and other outlets.

TMA chairman Peter Feeley notes that the band's appeal is even crossing over into the overlooked marionette and puppet sub-category of toys. The band, whose album cover and "Bye Bye Bye" video both featured a marionette theme, had a hit for puppet maker Living Toyz.

Not Only TEEN POP

Meanwhile, some rock and older pop acts are also enjoying popularity with toy makers. Leading the way is Spawn creator Todd McFarlane with rock star collectible sculpted figures. This year he previewed a "boxed set" of Metallica, the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, Kid Rock, and the Doors' Jim Morrison. Previous figures have included Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, and Janis Joplin.

"The Metallica guys loved their figures and gave us their own ideas for dress and appearance, much like Kiss did with their makeup for our first figures," McFarlane notes. "The rock figures have been successful additions to tour merchandise collections."

Liquid Blue has found great success with its licensed line of Grateful Dead T-shirts, Head Wear caps, and Bean Bear collectibles, representative Sheri Tarpey says. "A licensed Jerry Garcia doll from Gund is one of our hottest sellers at $35," she notes.

Previewed was a new line of Grateful Dead products: a vintage T-shirt line, 19 models of Head Wear caps, a series of Bean Bear collectibles, and collectible coins named after the group's songs, such as "Bertha."

Also on display from Liquid Blue was a line of four Carlos Santana incense pack scents, with artwork designed by the guitarist. L.L. Knickerbocker featured the 10th anniversary collection of Marie Osmond's Fine Collectible Dolls, all sculpted by the singer.

From Mattel, there's a series of five Matchbox Collectibles' Elvis Presley Dioramas, each featuring a one/sixty-fourth-scale vehicle from the Presley Automotive Museum.

Elvis Presley Enterprises has more than 150 active licenses worldwide. Worldwide licensing director Carol Butler says that at last year's Licensing 2000 show, "our agents [worked] very hard to find the right partners" (Billboard, July 1, 2000). Other new Elvis merchandise includes an electronic guitar replica from Herbko International, beanbag bears from Applause, and electronic handheld games from Radica Games.

NEW TECHNOLOGY TOYS

Music-related electronics is a rapidly expanding category. "Kids have been developing their own music styles for decades," says Hasbro executive VP George Volanakis. He notes that subsidiary Tiger Electronics has come up with products like the HitClips micro-music system, which combines toys and music, two things that kids love. "Agility is the name of the game," he emphasizes. "This agility allows manufacturers to identify new trends, like the impact of pop music acts, earlier and develop products quickly."

Tiger launched HitClips last year, with 60-second microchip songs featuring Britney Spears, 'N Sync, Faith Hill, and Sugar Ray. Added this year, along with Destiny's Child, are Backstreet Boys, Dream, and Pink, as well as an FM cartridge, Groove Machine karaoke mike unit, telephone, and watch.

"Tweens and teens want to do their own thing in the 'studio,' " says Oregon Scientific's Steve Jackson, executive VP of sales and marketing.

Oregon Scientific previewed a professional Wav DJ mixing console that links to a PC and can also connect with external CD and MP3 players or any other audio input to import music samples and sound effects. With a small eight-octave, piano-style keyboard and a headset with integrated mike, it offers music composition, audio sampling, radio production, and MIDI technology. It will debut in August, backed by a $500,000 ad-and-promotion campaign.

A DIVERSE SHOW

Other music-related highlights from the trade show go across the board, ranging from new board games to distributors of classical music CDs and videos aimed at children.

Also of note at Toy Fair:

• Music stars appeared at the show again this year, with pop and country/rock sharing the spotlight. Destiny's Child, the newest contributor to Tiger's HitClips, performed for a packed house at parent Hasbro Toys showroom. Meanwhile, MCA Nashville's Reba McEntire, national spokeswoman for the First Book charity for disadvantaged kids, accepted a donation check from Lyrick Studios' Barney the Purple Dinosaur at a pre-Toy Fair FAO Schwarz event.

• Jakks Pacific is master toy licensee for Universal's Josie & the Pussycats. The feature film, based on the Archie comic book series, is due April 6 and stars Rachel Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Rosario Dawson. Marketing manager Michelle Denniston showed off the pop/rock action figures, noting that the Universal Music soundtrack is produced by Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. "Our dolls are in the movie and end up at a retail store," she says.

As part of the promotion effort behind the dolls, the company is running a sweepstakes with Seventeen magazine (with autographed dolls as the grand prize) and a tie-in with Revlon's Streetwear makeup line.