It's A Wrap

So you want to be a licensing star? If you hope to manufacture a product featuring the likenesses of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bananas in Pajamas--or, yes, the characters from "Mummies Alive"--don't leap before you think.

"We look for a company that really understands the appropriateness of the trademark as it applies to their particular product," says Joy Tashjian, president of merchandising and sales for Burbank, California-based DIC Entertainment LP. "It's very easy to get caught up [in the excitement] of a property. People could call and say `I want to make ["Mummies Alive"] switchblades'--but that would be the most inappropriate type of product for a children's TV series. It's important to focus on making sure the products enhance the image of the property and complement the manufacturer."

Don't make the mistake of underestimating your audience, either, Tashjian warns. "Kids are funny--they know if one hair is out of place on [DIC's] Madeline [doll]," she says. "They knew if one bandage was off on other characters we've done in the past. They are really savvy."

Aside from the quality of your product, Tashjian says she also looks at a company's financial resources and track record with retailers. "They don't have to be the biggest [company]," she says of prospective licensees, "but they have to be solid."

Think you'd like to dig into opportunities for "Mummies Alive"? For information on licensing opportunities, contact the merchandising division of DIC at (818) 955-5636.

This article was originally published in the September 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: It's A Wrap.