BLE Puts Simpson's $8B Merchandise Top of the Charts

Research just published by Brand Licensing Europe has revealed that after 20 years and 450 episodes, "The Simpsons" is the most successfully licensed television show of all time.

Officially the longest-running primetime comedy in TV history, The Simpsons has more than 400 official licensees and worldwide retail sales topping $8 billion. The BLE survey asked global licensing professionals to rate a range of film and television shows and characters in terms of licensing success, including the ability to generate a successful revenue stream through the sale of licensed merchandise from clothing to toys, games, books and films. The Simpsons took 31 percent of the vote, followed by Sesame Street at 26 percent and Looney Tunes at 10 percent.

Harry Potter was voted the most powerful licensed film character of all time, with 20.8 percent of the vote, narrowly edging out Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker at 20.6 percent and Superman at 20.1 percent.

The power of the more recently launched property Twilight was evident; vampire Edward Cullen took more than 32 percent of the vote as the most profitable film character of 2010, followed by Buzz Lightyear at 27 percent and Harry Potter at 18 percent.

The survey also asked which TV show would be most likely to offer the best licensing opportunities should it be revived again. The Muppet Show came out on top with nearly 35 percent of respondents putting it ahead of Star Trek at 24 percent and Friends at 7 percent.

The survey also helps answer the question, who is the ultimate super hero—with 33 percent, Spider-Man netted the title of most valuable super hero of all time, ahead of Superman at 31 percent with the caped crusader Batman at 29 percent.

And finally, Lost, despite finishing in 2010 after six seasons, is not lost forever. The drama was voted the TV program with the most potential for further licensing growth, taking nearly 30 percent of the vote, ahead of New Jersey-based mob drama The Sopranos at 16 percent and Baywatch at 12 percent.

The survey boasts feedback from a diverse global panel of heavyweight licensing brands across many different sectors, from newspapers to film, digital and technology brands through to sportswear, retail and FMCG, gaming, automotive, toys and fashion, plus an interesting sample of global media organizations.

"The licensing power of film and television is phenomenal, so it's not surprising to see The Simpsons top the survey given the bold and clever nature of their licensing program," says Jessica Blue, event director of Brand Licensing Europe 2010. "Brand Licensing Europe attracts more than 230 exhibitors and 5,000 attendees annually, making it the No. 1 place for brands to explore opportunities and develop new avenues for extension and commercial revenue."

Toy Story 3: The Highest Grossing Animated Film Ever

By Kate Youde

His catchphrase is to go "to infinity, and beyond" and, if his box office receipts are anything to go by, Buzz Lightyear is on course to set sky-high standards of success for any big-screen animated character to follow.

Toy Story 3, in which Lightyear stars, is set to become the first animation to take $1 Billion at box offices globally after becoming the highest grossing animation ever, this weekend.

Its characters, including spaceranger Buzz, cowboy Woody and resourceful Barbie, helped Disney/Pixar gross $920m in global ticket sales since it opened in June. The previous record holder was DreamWorks Animation's Shrek 2, which raked in $919.8m.

Toy Story 3's success makes it the fourth highest grossing Disney movie ever, behind Johnny Depp blockbusters Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($1.07bn), Alice in Wonderland ($1.02bn) and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ($961m).


Cinemagoers' love affair with animation shows no sign of waning. Shrek Forever After is currently pulling in viewers across the country, while Lionsgate's 3D wolf animation Alpha and Omega hits the big screen in October. Universal's Despicable Me, which knocked the latest Twilight installment off the top of the box office on its release in the United States last month, is also due out in the UK in October.

Charles Gant, film editor at Heat magazine and a box office analyst, said studios had invested in their own animation divisions over recent years after seeing the success of DreamWorks Animation in rivaling Disney. "3D has been fantastic for animation and also the family market just keeps getting bigger," he added. "It's very rare a big studio loses money on a family film."


Toy Story 3 is the latest in a line of hits for Pixar, which also created Up, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. The film has been credited with reducing grown men to tears with its themes of growing up, separation and loss.

Helen Nabarro, head of animation direction at the National Film and Television School, said the success of the Toy Story franchise and feature-length animations such as Oscar winner Up was down to sophisticated scripts and strong stories. "It can be a recognizable human world but with this extra fantasy that you believe," she explained.

Ms Nabarro, who was an executive producer on the BBC's Robbie the Reindeer films, said animation was "very much mainstream" now. It may have been viewed as "kids' stuff" in the past but now targeted adults.

Aardman's Wallace & Gromit did animation a "massive service" in showing that the genre could work for both adults and children, she added.

Hollywood's top actors are increasingly keen to voice animated characters. Steve Carell features as Gru in Despicable Me, while Brad Pitt will voice hero Metro Man opposite Will Ferrell's villain in DreamWorks Animation's Megamind this December.