festival in the United States in the spring. Web Marketing World is held in the United States
in the fall.
Books, Comic Books, and Greeting Cards
Book festivals are held all over the world, and you can make contacts there. Comic-Con, the
largest comic book expo in the world, takes place each July in San Diego, California. Many
development executives attend in search of their next project. If you have an original char-
acter, contact individual greeting card companies about using your character on cards.
Toy Companies and Licensing Companies
Toy companies are unlikely to buy your idea; licensing companies might. The American
International Toy Fair held in New York, the British International Toy and Hobby Fair held
in London, and the Nuremberg Toy Fair take place in the winter. Licensing International
takes place in New York in the late spring, and the Brand Licensing Show sets up in London
in the fall. L.A. Office Roadshow, for marketing and promotional tie-ins, is held in the United
States in the fall.
Licensees and retailers have become much more cautious recently. For economic
reasons there is tremendous pressure for instant success. Toy companies may prefer to
market something retro that has less risk. And in this global marketplace multicultural prop-
erties have increased in visibility. In the United States toy store sales profits have dropped
because of price-cutting by the large discount stores. Shelf space has shrunk because some
retailers went out of business and others consolidated into large chains. Some toy compa-
nies are developing their own private labels, or they’re trying to get exclusive deals. Toy com-
panies have been burned on licensing deals for animated feature films, as many of the
products have not moved nearly as well as the toy companies and retailers had anticipated.
Also, animated films take two to three years to produce, and what was popular when the
film was first developed may not be popular when the film is released. So with all these risks
in mind, the licensees may want to see in advance what support the producing studio will
provide in the way of movie sequels, TV series, direct-to-video releases, books, games, and
websites. Animation also competes for licensing deals with sports, fashion, music, video
games, and adult TV. However, occasionally a toy company will pick up international rights
to a really hot, new animation property prior to a U.S. network deal.
If a toy company is the one to initiate a TV show for one of its toys, the company may
start development eighteen to twenty months ahead of release of its toy product. And the
toy will probably be on the market before the TV show launches.
What Can You Do?
What can you do to promote your characters and your original concept to build marquee
value? First of all, copyright your idea and your characters. And register your trademarks.
Registering a copyright in the United States costs about $30; trademarks can be registered
304 Animation Writing and Development