LICENSING: Friends of Harry
Burbank, CA-based Warner Bros. last month released the list of licensees for its much-anticipated Harry Potter flick, which is scheduled to hit theaters in fall 2001.
Among the 50 companies on the list: game makers Mattel, Hasbro, and Hasbro unit Tiger Electronics; gift and novelties manufacturers Gund, PJ Kids, and Hallmark; and packaged-goods juggernaut Johnson & Johnson, which will distribute a Potter-themed line of children’s toiletries, oral care, and bandage products.
Now that product licenses have been granted, expect a bevy of Potter promo deals leading up to the release. Warner Bros. is keeping a Star Wars-like veil of secrecy around any and all details related to the movie (to be directed by Mrs. Doubtfire’s Chris Columbus), which is based on the wildly successful fantasy book series from British author J.K. Rowling.
How wildly successful? The next Harry title makes its U.S. debut this month (from New York City publisher Scholastic, Inc.) with an initial print run of 3.8 million copies – impressive for any book, unheard of in children’s publishing. The New York Times Book Review reportedly is considering a separate bestseller ranking for kids books to keep Rowling from hogging up all the space on its fiction list.
