Authenticity is at the center of licensing deals – including a new master apparel agreement with the Bentex Group and toy licensing agreement with Bonkers Toys – for CynKids honoree Pocket.watch and brands including Ryan ToysReview, EvanTubeHD, JillianTubeHD, HobbyKidsTV, and Captain Sparklez.
“The creators are intimately involved in the creation of their lines,” Stone Newman, Pocket.watch chief revenue officer, tells CynKids. “I’m a big believer that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In the ‘90s there was no bigger program in apparel than Mary Kate and Ashley. It was a massive program at Wal Mart and was positioned as a lifestyle brand. Kids would see Mary Kate and Ashley wearing the clothes, but it was very controlled. I don’t want to say it was not authentic, but it was handled and managed,” he says. “What’s different about creators today is the unmatched level of authenticity. That authenticity rolls through the products and we are being very cautious in our approach. We want our creators to love the product and believe in it.”
To help bake in authenticity, Pocket.watch keeps a running list of its creators’ likes and dislikes. Newman hints some of the upcoming Ryan’s World product will be a tasty example of how that can play out in merch. “Ryan likes pizza, and his fans know that. So not every product and garment needs to necessarily have a big old Ryan face on it. That’s what’s unique. These are affinity brands.”
