Wicked Cool Toys Signs Master Toy License, Paws Inc. for GARFIELD® BRANDORA Editorial Staff - April 2014

 

Wicked Cool Toys has announced its appointment as Master Toy Licensee for the beloved animated cat, Garfield®, after signing a deal brokered by Bulldog Licensing Inc., Garfield’s US licensing representatives on behalf of Paws, Inc.

The licensing agreement grants Wicked Cool worldwide rights to develop and market a comprehensive line of figures, plush, vehicles, play sets, role play and seasonal products based on the corpulent cat known as Garfield. Created by mastermind cartoonist, Jim Davis in 1978, Garfield is a humorous comic strip centered on the lives of a quick-witted orange cat who loves lasagna, coffee, and his remote control as well as Jon Arbuckle, his owner, and Odie, a sweet but not so brilliant dog. Garfield was introduced to the world in just 41 newspapers and is now the most widely syndicated comic strip in the world, known and loved by 96% of the people in the world.

"We are excited to partner with Wicked Cool Toys to introduce new Garfield toys to his dedicated fans,” said Davis. “We’re expecting some witty and wacky playthings to arise from this deal, and personally, I couldn’t be more excited.”

Wicked Cool Co-President Michael Rinzler said, "Garfield is a power-house brand, with more than 200 million people still reading the Garfield comic strip syndicated in 80 countries each day. These strips are translated in 42 languages, with 25 million people worldwide viewing “The Garfield Show” each week! We have some hilarious ideas of new Garfield product and are setting out to make a line that we believe the fans will love."

Bulldog’s US Managing Director Laurie Windrow added, “We are delighted to have brought Wicked Cool on board for Garfield – they will do an excellent job in using what is one of the hottest brands on the market to its full effect.”

The website, www.garfield.com receives 1.4 million visitors; 12 million page views each month. The brand has a strong following via social media with 15 million fans on Facebook. Garfield licensing is conducted in 111 countries; 24 agents; 400 licensees; 5,000 products. There are over 200 million Garfield books sold worldwide. This beloved cat is a hit at the box office, with “Garfield: The Movie,” and “Garfield: A Tail Of Two Kitties,” netting over $340 million. All of this in just over 35 years in the licensing/entertainment business!

Wicked Cool expects the Garfield product to hit the marketplace during Holiday 2014.