Disney Builds Relations For New Toy Creations - several business and industry briefs - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Brandweek,  July 2, 2001  by David Finnigan

Tags: Disney Corp., industry

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Disney Consumer Products last week met with toy inventors in a unique gathering that displayed how Hollywood studios now are making themselves more friendly not just to licensees but also to the brains behind shelf-clearing toys.

"The lion's share of the power SKUs have come from the inventor community; why don't we go to them and tell them what we're interested in?" said Len Mazzocco, vp-product development global toys, and part of a cluster of people recruited from Mattel by ex-Mattel brasser Tim Kilpin, now Disney svp-global toys.

The all-day June 25 meeting with about 50 U.S. and European guests at Disney's Burbank hq focused on many characters' long-range toy lives plus such upcoming product-friendly films as this fall's Monsters, Inc. and next summer's Lilo & Stitch. Along with encouraging inventors to ponder fresh ways to create for evergreens like Mickey Pooh, Belle, etc., another message was the Disney unit's openness to new ways of doing business.

"The intent was really to get the inventing community to think of Disney as a first choice for inventing and technology," said Mazzocco, adding that Disney would be the world's fourth or fifth largest toymaker if its $1 billion-plus in annual toy sales from all licensed product were combined.

AOL lime Warner's Rhino Music and Chronicle Books have created a CD/book gift Cosmic Grooves about astrology.

"I had this concept for a long time to come up with songs that sort of epitomize a sign, a great impulse item," said Andrea Kinloch, Rhino vp-product management/partnership marketing and a Capricorn.

Distribution begins Aug. 28 of the dozen Zodiac sign-specific Cosmic Grooves CD, each with a Chronicle Books astrology title. Selected Rhino-owned songs coincide with each sign's supposed characteristics; Cancer music is for spiritual and romantic people, with tunes including "Dream Weaver" and "This Magic Moment"

This first Chronicle/Rhino venture targets gift shops plus Borders and Barnes & Noble, part of Chronicle's 8,000-plus bookstore accounts. In-store signage and display and possible promos on astrology Web sites, will be accompanied by American Greetings' Beat Greets/ Egreetings.com, which is creating sign-specific online greeting cards.

Anthony Fanara, who worked for Disney toy licensing, Thinkway Toys and for the past two years at Equity Marketing's toy unit, has joined Warner Bros. Consumer Products, Burbank, Calif., as director of U.S. toy sales.

COPYRIGHT 2001 BPI Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group