Marvel Enterprises was the most dramatic gainer in the annual License Magazine list of the Leading Licensors in 2004, moving from #69 in 2003 to #4 last year.  The worldwide retail sales of its licensed products rose from $189 million to $4 billion.  In addition to building licensing streams around its movies, Marvel plans to develop sub-brands, including Spider-Man and Friends for pre-schoolers, and Marvel Babies for infants.  Marvel is also targeting specific international markets for 05, including Latin America, Sourth Korea, Malaysia, and India. 

 

Disney and Warner Bros. Consumer Products continued in the top two slots, with Warner Bros. movie and TV lines, many of them based on DC Comics characters, providing strong prospects for '05. 

 

Nickelodeon/Viacom Consumer Products is #3, and Sanrio (Hello Kitty) is #5 in a tie with Marvel.  Other notable companies with pop culture retail implications in the top 25 include 4Kids at #9 (Yu-Gi-Oh!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, One Piece), and Pokemon USA at #24.