Quick Thinking

You can’t build a strong property without a kids meal tie-in.

At least that’s what it seemed like in June at the annual Licensing Show in New York City, where properties unveiled a score of QSR tie-ins designed to increase awareness for entertainment properties and boost sales of kids meals.

Here’s a rundown of some of the notable quick-service deals, along with other marketing activity announced at the show.

• Jim Henson Co., Los Angeles, signed a deal with Dairy Queen to run a September program in support of Kermit’s Swamp Years, a home video that will premiere on the STARZ! Channel on Aug. 18. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment handles distribution. “These characters have been under-exploited, which affords us the opportunity to go out and do different things,” says Michael Polis, Henson’s vp-worldwide marketing.

• Sesame Workshop, New York City, will lend its flagship Sesame Street property to Wal-Mart, which will add card games to kids meals at 2,000-odd Radio Grill in-store restaurants from Sept. 15 to Oct. 30. Sesame Street video releases from Sony Wonder will get plugged on 250,000 meal inserts and signage.

  Elsewhere, the Workshop will team with Applebee’s International for an August-to-November campaign that will distribute four million Sagwa activity books and cups through 1,300 outlets. The offer includes a coupon for Sagwa titles from Warner Home Video.

  “We’re getting much more aggressive year-round,” says Tamra Seldin, Sesame Workshop’s vp-marketing and global consumer products.

• Scholastic Entertainment, New York City, will join Irving, TX-based CEC Entertainment’s Chuck E. Cheese’s Pizza for a Clifford the Big Red Dog cup giveaway in first-quarter 2003. Scholastic will drop coupons for the chain into CD-ROM packaging.

  Also at Scholastic, Fazoli’s Italian Restaurants, Lexington, KY, is preparing an August-through-October premium giveaway built around Schoolhouse Rock. Strottman International, Irvine, CA, will handle.

  With the franchise’s 40th anniversary coming up in 2003, Scholastic is planning “a lot of themed activity,” says Leslye Schaefer, Scholastic’s senior vp-marketing and consumer products.

• El Segundo, CA-based Mattel’s Barbie will lend her likeness to premiums for a McDonald’s Happy Meal effort starting Aug. 23. During the first 10 days of the three-week program, a $2 coupon for licensed Barbie shoes at Payless will be included with the toys.

“This year, we’re not only trying to increase awareness for Barbie, but to really drive sales to our partners,” says Lisa McKnight, director of marketing for Barbie Consumer Products.

Elsewhere, the toy maker will devote $20 million in marketing support to relaunch hit 1980s animated series He-Man and Masters of the Universe. A 90-minute movie followed by 26 new episodes through 2003 kicks off on Cartoon Network this fall.

Naturally, a QSR tie-in is in the works for next spring, as well as a watch-and-win game and online promotions. “There will be a great deal of activity beyond just an animated TV series,” says Jeffrey Orridge, Mattel’s vp-worldwide licensing for boys/entertainment.

Home Snacking

Deals for grocery store placement were also plentiful:

• Dallas-based HIT Entertainment’s Bob the Builder gets a boost for the Aug. 6 video release of Celebrate with Bob from General Mills, which kicks off an eight-week self-liquidating offer on Yoplait Yumsters Sept. 23. Videogame partner THQ will add a trailer for the video on its complementary software title, and will shrink-wrap a different game onto HIT’s holiday release, Bob the Builder’s White Christmas.

  “We always blanket our licensees and ask them if they want to participate in cross-promotions to make the most of the relationships,” says Sue Bristol Beddingfield, HIT’s senior vp-marketing.

• Minneapolis-based General Mills next summer will launch a fruit snack SKU featuring characters from Sesame Workshop’s Dragon Tales. Characters from the series will also grace six collectable Welch’s jelly tumblers from Welch Food, Inc., Concord, MA.

• Characters from Classic Media’s Casper the Friendly Ghost franchise will be featured on nine million packages of General Mills’ Pillsbury frozen cookie dough distributed through 3,000-plus grocery and mass retailers in September and October. Branded coolers and free trick-or-treat bags will support.

Hot Rod Fever

A trio of Hollywood studios came touting new racing-related endeavors that seek to leverage popularity for the sport to energize classic brands.

Universal Studios Consumer Products, Universal City, CA, introduced the Fast and the Furious Racing Series, a program run in conjunction with Atlanta-based NOPI (Number One Auto Parts, Inc.) that taps the unexpected popularity of the studio’s 2001 movie of the same name.

The series of street racing events launched last spring and runs through October. Universal is bringing branded merchandise and props from the film to all races. Microsoft Xbox is a sponsor. “This is totally new, exciting territory for us,” says Debbie Jackman, publicity director for Universal Studios Consumer Products Group.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Consumer Products is bringing Looney Tunes back to the NASCAR circuit in a deal that puts characters on cars running in the Winston Cup and NASCAR Busch series.

And Warner Bros., Burbank, CA, is expanding its year-old Taz Atti-Tour, an extreme sports series hosted with the Aggressive Skating Association and starring the Tasmanian Devil, to reach 19 markets. The tour rolls into Wal-Mart parking lots and teen-laden hot spots through September, and will build momentum for a live-action/CGI Looney Tunes movie slated for November 2003.

“These athletes are like gods to kids, and the tour will lead into our [movie],” says Jordan Sollitto, executive vp-worldwide marketing for Warner Bros. Consumer Products.

What About Bob?

Elsewhere, HIT Entertainment’s Bob the Builder earned four Excellence Awards including License of the Year honors from the International Licensing and Merchandisers Association.

The pre-school favorite also won three awards in the entertainment/character category. “It’s the first time in my memory that one property has swept a category,” says Charles Riotto, executive director of New York City-based LIMA.

New York City-based Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob Square Pants earned Promotion of the Year honors for an exclusive, six-month retail partnership with Target Corp. last year.

Just for the record: Burger King used SpongeBob in a kids meal offer last summer; Applebee’s just finished giving away Bob the Builder toys.