By A. Noelle

“Disney dominates retail shelves in many product categories. Its chief rival? Sanrio’s Hello Kitty, which is ubiquitous in everything from stationery to microwave ovens, bicycles to soap,” says TLL Publisher Ira Mayer. Here are the top licenses to look out for this holiday season!

1. Disney Princess (Disney)

This media franchise is owned by The Walt Disney Company and was created by Disney Consumer Products chairman Andy Mooney in the 1990s. The current lineup of the Disney Princess franchise includes the following princesses: Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida.

2. Star Wars & The Clone Wars (Disney/Lucasfilm)

The Emmy Award-winning 3D CGI animated television series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), was created by George Lucas and produced by Lucasfilm Animation. Here are the top 10 best Star Wars monsters for this year, according to the editorial staff at StarWars.com: Nexu (Attack of the Clones), Dianogo (A New Hope), Brain Worm (The Clone Wars), Sando Aqua Monster (The Phantom Menace), Acklay (Attack of the Clones), Space Slug (The Empire Strikes Back), Sarlacc (Return of the Jedi), Zillo Beast (The Clone Wars), Wampa (The Empire Strikes Back), and Rancor (Return of the Jedi).

3. Hello Kitty (Sanrio)

Hello Kitty was first designed by Yuko Shimizu and is produced by the Japanese company Sanrio. While she was originally made to target pre-teen girls, Hello Kitty has grown to include adult consumers—a variety of Hello Kitty products range from school supplies to fashion accessories and household items. Toys R Us has its own Hello Kitty Store with products, such as a light-up scooter and a toaster.

4. Cars (Disney/Pixar)

Cars (2008-2012, 2013), the CGI animated film series and Disney media franchise, first started out with the 2006 film of the same name, which was produced by Pixar and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The latest video game out is Disney Infinity’s Cars Play Set. Through their console, PC, or tablet, kids can explore a variety of different play sets (character worlds) with the Disney Infinity game and accompanying toy figures—much like Skylander Swap Force.

5. Pooh (Disney)

This Disney media franchise is based on A.A. Milne’s Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. The three favorite feature movies on the Disney website are the original classic Winnie the Pooh, The Tigger Movie, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

6. Mickey & Friends (Disney)

The Mickey Mouse character cast, known as The Sensational Six, include the most famous Mickey Mouse characters in Disney history: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. A new video game to be released soon for Kinect and Xbox One is called Fantasia: Music Evolved—a musical motion game inspired by the classic Disney animated film. Kids will get to experience interactive and motion-controlled gameplay through musical and magical realms.

7. WWE (WWE)

Also known as World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., WWE deals primarily in professional wrestling. Check out the highlights from Comic-Con International 2013 to see what Mattel has in store for WWE Universe—new figures and a preview of future products.

8. Angry Birds (Rovio)

The Angry Birds video game franchise was created by the Finnish computer game developer Rovio Entertainment. The current games, available for Apple iOS and other touchscreen-based smartphones, consoles, and PCs, include Angry Birds Go!, Angry Birds Star Wars II, and Angry Birds Friends.

9. Peanuts (Iconix/Peanuts Worldwide)

The comic strip by Charles M. Shulz was launched in seven American newspapers on October 2, 1950. Autumn-themed Peanuts gear is now available at the official Snoopy Store—top sellers are the Dancing Dog Hoodie, The Peanuts Gang Large Mug, and the Peanuts Holiday DVD Collection. Kohl’s Cares offers Peanuts plush, books, and other products at $5 each to benefit nationwide kids’ health and education initiatives.

10. Toy Story (Disney/Pixar)

The original Toy Story (1995), directed by John Lasseter, was produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was the first feature-length computer-animated film and the first to be produced by Pixar. Disney Infinity has also released a separate play set for Toy Story called Toy Story in Space with characters Buzz Lightyear, Jessie, and Woody.

Photo: Disney Princess Palace Pets Spa Playset by Blip Toys
Published: October 29, 2013