Toys in the Attic

This year’s American International Toy Fair seemed more like a nostalgia tour than a new-product showcase: Care Bears paraded on Broadway. Strawberry Shortcake launched a comeback. Malibu Barbie returned.

And then there were the anniversary parties: Hasbro, Inc. threw a 50th birthday bash for Mr. Potato Head and offered a glimpse of the 20th anniversary edition of Trivial Pursuit, while Mattel, Inc. revved up the engines for the golden anniversary of Matchbox.

Meanwhile, Hollywood executives who came to New York City in February for the toy industry’s annual trade show found safety in numbers — not by bringing a phalanx of assistants but by bearing a lengthy list of movie sequels seeking tie-in partners (see story, below).

The 99-year-old Toy Fair may never before have seen such a swing toward conservatism. But with the economy in a rut and society still craving “comfort food” post-Sept. 11, the shift is understandable — if not wholly justified.

“There’s been a resurgence to classic brands that are safe and trusted,” says Lisa Appleby, vp-business development at Sesame Workshop, New York City. “Nesting” parents especially are more interested in sharing toys from their own childhood vaults with their children.

“There’s a safety in something tried and true,” concurs Kathi Sharpe-Ross, senior vp-marketing for media-property owner DIC Entertainment. “Sept. 11 caused people to dig deeper for something meaningful, and it has brought about that retro feeling in properties.”

Thus evergreens and once-greens were the name of the game. Here are a few of the classic properties looking to prove how much promotional life they still have in them.

Sesame Street

As the PBS TV series takes on weightier issues (and gives more air time to older characters such as Ernie), marketing will take a partnering tack. Among the plans is a 2002 effort from long-time toy licensee Fisher-Price, East Aurora, NY, which will insert coupon booklets for other licensed product into two million toy packages.

On the horizon is a Valentine’s Day 2003 promotion that will put coupons from various licensees into Sesame Street and Dragon Tales card packs from American Greetings Corp., Cleveland.

Speaking of Dragon Tales, the PBS series (produced in conjunction with Columbia TriStar) is currently playing in 1,300-plus Applebee’s restaurants, where orders from the children’s menu deliver a cup and activity book through the end of April.

Clifford the Big Red Dog

A now-two-year-old animated series on PBS basically has turned New York City-based Scholastic, Inc.’s Clifford the Big Red Dog into a new property. And promotions, like the standing gig the pup has with General Mills’ Kix cereal, have played a big part in the success.

New plans include a multi-year deal with Brach’s Confections, Chicago, for character-shaped Clifford Fruit Snacks. Artisan Home Entertainment, which distributes the property’s videos, will pitch in with a mail-in offer on packaging.

Meanwhile, millions of Austin, MN-based Hormel Foods’ Kids Kitchen Microwave Meals will include stickers and a mail-in offer for a Clifford book. And Scholastic helps its own cause with a sweepstakes dangling a fully decorated bedroom.

Matchbox

El Segundo, CA-based Mattel is celebrating Matchbox’s golden anniversary with a line of collector cars representing the 50 states. This month, Oak Brook, IL-based McDonald’s Corp. gives away six of the cars in Happy Meals that otherwise will only receive limited retail distribution (5,000 units) this fall. A mobile tour of brand history and games dubbed Matchbox Across America visits 18 cities through August to visit Toys “R” Us and Kmart outlets. Source Marketing, Westport, CT, handles.

Mattel’s other evergreen car brand, Hot Wheels, adds some virtual play with Planet Hot Wheels Energy Cars, packaging for which contains codes providing kids access to planethotwheels.com to race their cars and win prizes. All registrants are entered into a sweeps offering a meet-and-greet with Supercross motor-bike champion Jeremy McGrath.

Barbie

Mattel’s Barbie this fall stars in the direct-to-video Barbie as Rapunzel, the second CGI film leveraging the brand’s icon status (following last December’s CBS-aired Barbie in the Nutcracker).

The ageless plastic beauty has also expanded her partnership with Auburn Hills, MI-based Volkswagen of America by adding a VW Microbus to her collection (which already boasts a Beetle).

Meanwhile, circa-1971 Malibu Barbie heads back to the beach next month. A sweeps at barbiecollectibles.com will award free dolls.

Breakfast with Mickey

Battle Creek, MI-based Kellogg Co. held a Toy Fair breakfast (naturally) to unveil the new cereals — Hunny Bs, Mickey’s Magix, and Buzz Blasts — spawned from its licensing deal with Walt Disney Co., Burbank, CA. “This is just the beginning,” says Kellogg ceo Carlos Gutierrez, calling the alliance “a magnificent opportunity that will be supported by many marketing and promotional elements.”

Strawberry Shortcake

The 1980s fad gets a comeback courtesy of Burbank, CA-based DIC Entertainment, which will release at least four direct-to-video titles in spring 2002 through a partnership with property owner American Greetings.

DIC knows from retro revivals, having orchestrated the comeback of Madeline several years ago. That property gets a push this year through a two-year tie-in with Langer Juice Co., City of Industry, CA, that will feature on-pack offers for videos and CDs.

Tops

You have to hark back to the 1950s to remember the spinning-top craze. Battling tops, a 21st century update, could be found in several Toy Fair showrooms. Hasbro has a line called Beyblade ready to whirl, while Los Angeles-based Bandai America has Cyclonians E.G.G. Bots. The latter will be heralded with a “spin-and-win” on-pack game this fall.

Mr. Potato Head

The birthday party for Pawtucket, RI-based Hasbro’s favorite spud initiated a year’s worth of activities. Among them are 50 Years of Smiles, a sweeps offering a $25,000 grand prize to one consumer submitting a photo of their best Mr. Potato Head smile. A cause overlay donates money to Operation Smile, a nonprofit providing medical services to children in developing countries. The effort runs through Nov. 4.

Also through November, the Spud-Mobile will stop at more than 250 Wal-Mart stores (as well as other events) to host local birthday parties. Retailtainment, Inc., Bentonville, AR, handles the tour, with Fleishman-Hilliard, New York City, providing p.r.

Care Bears

Play Along, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, FL, re-launches Care Bears, an American Greetings property when it debuted in 1982. The rollout is all about nostalgia, and will feature the original product and packaging for specialty stores this spring and such updates as plush, beanie collectibles, special feature SKUs, and clip-ons for mass retailers in summer. A major TV ad effort supports.

Trivial Pursuit

Final printing of Trivial Pursuit’s anniversary edition (due in fall) had to wait until the March conclusion of a contest asking consumers to submit questions and 100-word essays on a significant event in which they participated. The winner also earns $500.

Hollywood Numerology

Although it’s more coincidence than plan, Hollywood will be hosting its own revival this year, with scores of sequels, prequels, franchise extensions, and re-releases coming to the box office.

More than a dozen sequels alone are slated for 2002, including new takes on Austin Powers, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, James Bond, Star Trek, Analyze This, Blade, and Star Wars. It’s not a record for the film industry, but it’s close.

“Films are getting more and more expensive to make, and sequels are the closest the film industry will ever get to a sure thing,” says Mitch Litvak, president of entertainment marketing agency L.A. Office, Los Angeles.

“I don’t know if I would call it a safe option [for the studios], but it is for promotional partners,” says George Leon, senior vp-global promotions at Sony’s Columbia Pictures, Culver City, CA, which will release Men in Black 2 and Stuart Little 2 in July.

“It’s a pre-sold concept, with an opportunity for returning partners to take the creative to the next level,” says Anne Globe, head of marketing for Glendale, CA-based DreamWorks consumer products group, which has already signed up some returnees for the planned 2003 release of a Shrek sequel.

“Sequels have many advantages: You know how the film and video performed and what audience was targeted,” says Devery Holmes, president of Norm Marshall & Associates, Sunland, CA.

There are numerous factors involved in a brand’s decision to make a return engagement, although most of them focus on the results of the original campaign. “If the first partnership worked, it just makes the most business sense to come back,” Leon says.

Houston-based Minute Maid’s HI-C brand would have loved to jump back on board for August release SPY Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams (December 2001 PROMO). But parent Coca-Cola Co.’s exclusive deal with Warner Bros. for the Harry Potter franchise made that impossible.

Distributor Miramax Films otherwise has a whole slate of returnees including McDonald’s Corp., American Isuzu, and PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay. “What’s wonderful this time around is that we don’t have the challenge of explaining what SPY Kids is,” says Lori Sale, Miramax’s senior vp-worldwide promotions.

Initial tie-ins can also teach studios and brands what not to do the next time: After deciding that the massive promotional campaigns surrounding 1999’s Stars Wars: Episode I produced more backlash than support, Nicasio, CA-based Lucasfilm told Pepsi-Cola to sit out the May release of Star Wars: Episode II, according to a source close to the companies.

Marketing Genius

With all those aged properties making the rounds at Toy Fair, new Nickelodeon entry The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius stood out like a sore Thumbellina.

But this kid is no Jimmy-come-lately: The up-and-comer already has garnered more than $100 million in promotional support — and the series doesn’t even premiere until fall.

New York City-based Nick (and Viacom sibling Paramount Pictures, L.A.) got the ball rolling last December with a feature-length theatrical release that grossed more than $80 million at the box office and earned an Academy Award “Best Picture” nomination in the new animation category.

To keep the hype going until the series premieres, Nick enlisted Heinz North America, Quaker Oats Co., Embassy Suites Hotels, and Burger King Corp. for an umbrella campaign called Gotta Blast.

Starting this month, Chicago-based Quaker Oats labels 100 million cereal packages with codes that grant access to an online rocket-building laboratory; five entrants will be selected randomly to compete on-air in a back-to-school special. Brand-specific promos will put character shapes into Crunch Berries, related prizes into Cracker Jack, and a Choco Blast-flavored Jimmy Neutron Chewy Granola Bar (the last exclusively in Wal-Mart stores).

In May, Pittsburgh-based Heinz’s Ore-Ida potatoes will feature Jimmy in TV advertising and on packaging. Embassy Suites Hotels, Memphis, TN, will offer activity packs to kids staying at its hotels May through August, and Burger King will run a Kids Meal effort in the fall.

This kid is definitely precocious.