Janet from Another Planet sent me a note this past weekend,
saying:
I thought you were going to tell us more about what you saw at this year's
Licensing Show in Las Vegas. What happened to that article?
Photo by Jim Hill
Nothing, actually. It just took me a while to wade through the hundreds of
photos that I took at the Mandalay Bay
Convention Center earlier this
month. You gotta understand that the Licensing Expo kind of redefines sensory
overload. As soon as you make your way onto the show floor …
Photo by Jim Hill
… you're suddenly surrounded by hundreds of booths. Some
big …
Photo by Jim Hill
… some small.
Photo by Jim Hill
Some — like the Nickelodeon booth — have a design motif
that flows from the ceiling …
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… all the way through to the floor.
Photo by Jim Hill
In other cases, it's the witty little touches that make
individual booths fun to visit.
Photo by Jim Hill
Take — for example — this donut-shaped settee in the
Simpsons booth.
Photo by Jim Hill
But let's face it: You don't go to the Licensing Expo in Las
Vegas because you're looking for decorating ideas
(Though — that said — it would really be cool to try & build your living
room around a full-sized version of Ecto One).
Photo by Jim Hill
No, you go to the Licensing Expo because you want to learn about what movies
will be coming out later this year …
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… in 2015 …
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… as well as 2016.
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Photo by Jim Hill
Photo by Jim Hill
The other thing that's fun about walking the show floor at the Licensing Expo
…
Photo by Jim Hill
… is learning about which of your childhood favorites …
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… is about to make a comeback.
Photo by Jim Hill
Judging by the number of people who were lining up to get their pictures taken
with the Power Rangers …
Photo by Jim Hill
… Lionsgate's live-action motion picture reboot of this 1990's kids TV
classic should be very popular.
But then there's just the weirder / stranger side of the Licensing Expo. Now
don't misunderstand. As much as it pleases me to see King Features trumpeting
its 100th anniversary …
Photo by Jim Hill
… or to see that there's someone out there who's actually
trying to license imagery from Ub Iwerk's ComiColor Cartoons …
Photo by Jim Hill
… then there are those things that I just don't understand. Like Precious
Moments figurines themed around Star Trek …
Photo by Jim Hill
… or the very idea that someone would be trying to license
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.
Photo by Jim Hill
Now I know that I mentioned in my earlier 2014 Licensing Expo article that there was
this company trying to get people interested in this intellectual property that
basically reimagined the Disney Princesses as zombies …
Photo by Jim Hill
… but what genuinely surprised me were all of the other high profile zombie /
undead characters I encountered while I wandered the show floor. There were the
Simpsons …
Photo by Jim Hill
… the Justice League …
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… even Snoopy & Mighty Mouse.
Photo by Jim Hill
Which makes me really hope that this undead character trend is something that dies out soon.
And speaking of hope … I was hoping that I'd actually be able to gain entry
into Disney Consumer Products' multi-room display in the basement of the Mandalay
Bay Convention Center
…
Photo by Jim Hill
… unfortunately, cameras weren't allowed into this area. Neither were members
of the press. So sadly I have no "Star Wars Episode VII" news to
share with you.
Photo by Jim Hill
But that said, I do have a picture of a pug dog drinking a beer …
Photo by Jim Hill
… and a gremlin chilling out on a couch as he waits for the
Total Divas to arrive.
Photo by Jim Hill
To be honest, my favorite moment of this year's Licensing Expo was coming
around a corner and discovering that the booth for the newest feline star —
Grumpy Cat — was right next door to the booth for the first feline star —
Felix the Cat.
Photo by Jim Hill
Even Felix the Cat seemed to find this a pretty funny juxtaposition.
Photo by Jim Hill
Anyway, that's a quick snapshot of the 2014 Licensing Expo.
And remember — if we're actually going to nip this
every-character-is-now-undead trend in the bud …
Photo by Jim Hill
… just say "No" to zombies.
Your thoughts?