Disney Tops Licensed Merch Sales

[Sotiris]

The kitty is gaining on the mouse.

[Disney's Divinity]

I believe I've said it before, but I'm still surprised Disney hasn't tried to buy Hello Kitty yet.

I'm glad Frozen is still doing well as a franchise. I thought by now the merchandise would be going down and they might slowly have to be incorporated into the DP franchise with the others. I'm honestly a little worried about the sequel and how it will affect Frozen as a property if it's a dud. If it's well-liked, of course that'll mean more dolls, clothes, tickets, Blu-rays, and soundtracks sold.

[DisneyEra]

The kitty is gaining on the mouse.

Is this still happening

[unprincess]

Im old enough to remember when Hello Kitty first started here in the States(around mid/late 70's). It was very hard to find the stuff which was mostly imported products from Japan(instead of made specifically for the US market like it is now.) And you could only find them at high end department stores. It wasnt really until the early 90s the brand started to expand to discount and toy stores. Now she's everywhere. Im still a sucker for products with the little white cat(my Iphone case has her on it) as well as that other childhood feline fave Garfield(even though its totally lame to like Garfield now, lol)

p.s. no I haven't watched any of those live action Garfield movies. Probably never will, yuck.

[Sotiris]

The numbers for 2016 are out, courtesy of The Licensing Letter.

Estimated Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on Entertainment/Character Properties, U.S./Canada, 2016

01. Mickey Mouse & Friends (Disney) $1,555 billion
02. Star Wars (Disney/Lucasfilm) $1,367 billion
03. Disney Princess (Disney) $1,053 billion
04. Frozen (Disney) $945 million
05. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon) $927 million
06. Hello Kitty (Sanrio) $888 million
07. Winnie the Pooh (Disney) $840 million
08. WWE (WWE) $672 million
09. Despicable Me/Minions (Universal) $535 million
10. Batman (Warner) $530 million
11. Avengers (Disney/Marvel) $517 million
12. Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop) $504 million
13. Peanuts (DHX Media) $468 million
14. Spider-Man (Disney/Marvel) $463 million
15. Paw Patrol (Nickelodeon) $375 million
16. Thomas & Friends (Mattel) $366 million
17. Superman (Warner) $359 million
18. Minecraft (Mojang/Microsoft) $334 million
19. Angry Birds (Rovio) $315 million
20. Transformers (Hasbro) $273 million


Estimated Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on Entertainment/Character Properties, Global, 2016

01. Mickey Mouse & Friends (Disney) $3,983 billion
02. Hello Kitty (Sanrio) $3,418 billion
03. Star Wars (Disney/Lucasfilm) $3,049 billion
04. Winnie the Pooh (Disney) $2,791 million
05. Disney Princess (Disney) $2,724 billion
06. Frozen (Disney) $1,598 billion
07. Spider-Man (Disney/Marvel) $1,551 billion
08. Peanuts (DHX Media) $1,468 billion
09. Despicable Me/Minions (Universal) $1,322 billion
10. Angry Birds (Rovio) $1,277 billion
11. Avengers (Disney/Marvel) $1,242 billion
12. Peppa Pig (eOne) $1,189 billion
13. Batman (Warner) $1,100 billion
14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon) $1,093 billion
15. Thomas & Friends (Mattel) $985 million
16. WWE (WWE) $922 million
17. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon) $907 million
18. Superman (Warner) $812 million
19. Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop) $775 million
20. Dora & Friends (Nickelodeon) $714 million

[PatrickvD]

Do does this mean the Cars franchise is finally dead?

[JeanGreyForever]

Aren't they planning Cars 4 already? I hope that the low box office for Cars 3 and Cars not even placing in the top 20 of licensed franchises is enough for them to scrap any potential sequel plans.

[Disney's Divinity]

Do does this mean the Cars franchise is finally dead?

Please let it be. Hopefully Lasseter's possible ouster will also put the knife in it. I'm sure they were only making them because of his personal fondness for the property.

[Sotiris]

The numbers for 2017 are out, courtesy of The Licensing Letter.

Estimated Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on Entertainment/Character Properties, U.S./Canada, 2017

01. Mickey Mouse & Friends (Disney) $1,291 billion
02. Star Wars (Disney/Lucasfilm) $1,176 billion
03. Paw Patrol (Nickelodeon) $1,050 billion
04. PJ Masks (eOne) $988 million
05. Disney Princess (Disney) $863 million
06. Frozen (Disney) $803 million
07. WWE (WWE) $726 million
08. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon) $649 million
09. Hello Kitty (Sanrio) $639 million
10. Avengers (Disney/Marvel) $537 million
11. Winnie the Pooh (Disney) $479 million
12. Spider-Man (Disney/Marvel) $477 million
13. Batman (Warner) $472 million
14. Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop) $469 million
15. Peanuts (DHX Media) $459 million
16. Transformers (Hasbro) $410 million
17. Power Rangers (Hasbro) $406 million
18. My Little Pony (Hasbro) $328 million
19. Superman (Warner) $323 million
20. Minecraft (Mojang/Microsoft) $321 million
21. Thomas & Friends (Mattel) $293 million
22. Peppa Pig (eOne) $246 million
23. Looney Tunes (Warner) $206 million
24. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon) $201 million
25. Angry Birds (Rovio) $189 million
26. Barbie (Mattel) $188 million
27. Pokémon (Pokémon Co.) $186 million
28. Cars (Disney/Pixar) $175 million
29. The Simpsons (Fox) $144 million
30. Star Trek (CBS) $138 million

Estimated Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on Entertainment/Character Properties, Global, 2017

01. Mickey Mouse & Friends (Disney) $3,233 billion
02. Hello Kitty (Sanrio) $2,663 billion
03. Star Wars (Disney/Lucasfilm) $2,403 billion
04. Disney Princess (Disney) $2,133 billion
05. Winnie the Pooh (Disney) $1,649 billion
06. Peanuts (DHX Media) $1,558 billion
07. Paw Patrol (Nickelodeon) $1,550 billion
08. Frozen (Disney) $1,404 billion
09. Spider-Man (Disney/Marvel) $1,402 billion
10. Peppa Pig (eOne) $1,273 billion
11. Avengers (Disney/Marvel) $1,227 billion
12. PJ Masks (eOne) $1,158 billion
13. Batman (Warner) $1,024 billion
14. WWE (WWE) $974 million
15. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon) $823 million
16. Angry Birds (Rovio) $814 million
17. Thomas & Friends (Mattel) $726 million
18. Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop) $724 million
19. Superman (Warner) $722 million
20. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon) $712 million
21. Minecraft (Mojang/Microsoft) $679 million
22. Cars (Disney/Pixar) $674 million
23. My Little Pony (Hasbro) $660 million
24. Transformers (Hasbro) $652 million
25. Looney Tunes (Warner) $624 million
26. Dora & Friends (Nickelodeon) $565 million
27. Power Rangers (Hasbro) $548 million
28. Pokémon (Pokémon Co.) $473 million
29. Garfield (Paws, Inc.) $439 million
30. Shopkins (Moose Toys) $358 million

[Disney's Divinity]

Interesting that Frozen almost matched the Disney Princess line all by itself.

I wonder if Moana merchandise sales were recorded alone or with the princess line. Too bad it didn't even appear near the bottom of the list. Too bad Cars is back. At least Thomas & Friends is above it.

[Disney Duster]

They sold a Moana line? And it was on these lists before? I didn't see it...?

[JeanGreyForever]

I don't think Moana's "franchise" would ever be lucrative enough to appear on this list, let alone the bottom. Even when the film came out, there were reports that Moana toys and merchandise were seriously underselling and a film tends to sell the most merchandise when it's first released. So if Moana wasn't selling then, it definitely won't be selling more now.

[Farerb]

Then how come Moana hasn't entered the Disney Princesses franchise yet?

[JeanGreyForever]

My guess is that they don't want to include Elsa and Anna right now, but they also want that option in case for the future. So adding Moana in right now would make it more difficult to retroactively integrate Elsa and Anna into the franchise.

I was going to say that because they made a big deal out of Moana not being a princess, they felt it would ruin the integrity of the character to make her an official DP, but then I remember Merida and Mulan.

[Sotiris]

The numbers for 2018 are out, courtesy of The Licensing Letter.

Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on Entertainment/Character Properties, U.S./Canada, 2018

01. Mickey Mouse & Friends (Disney) $1,304 billion
02. Paw Patrol (Nickelodeon) $1,061 billion
03. Star Wars (Disney/Lucasfilm) $941 million
04. Avengers (Disney/Marvel) $833 million
05. Disney Princess (Disney) $734 million
06. WWE (WWE) $719 million
07. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon) $714 million
08. Hello Kitty (Sanrio) $601 million
09. PJ Masks (eOne) $594 million
10. Frozen (Disney) $562 million
11. Winnie the Pooh (Disney) $493 million
12. Peanuts (WildBrain) $464 million
13. Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop) $450 million
14. Batman (Warner) $425 million
15. Spider-Man (Disney/Marvel) $381 million
16. Minecraft (Mojang/Microsoft) $337 million
17. My Little Pony (Hasbro) $331 million
18. Shopkins (Moose Toys) $310 million
19. Thomas & Friends (Mattel) $290 million
20. Superman (Warner) $274 million
21. Peppa Pig (eOne) $243 million
22. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon) $207 million
23. Transformers (Hasbro) $205 million
24. Power Rangers (Hasbro) $203 million
25. Pokémon (Pokémon Co.) $201 million
26. Looney Tunes (Warner) $195 million
27. Harry Potter/Wizarding World (Warner) $175 million
28. Barbie (Mattel) $173 million
29. Star Trek (CBS) $139 million
30. The Simpsons (Fox) $122 million
31. The Incredibles (Disney/Pixar) $105 million
32. Jurassic World (Universal) $103 million

Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on Entertainment/Character Properties, Global, 2018

01. Mickey Mouse & Friends (Disney) $3,265 billion
02. Hello Kitty (Sanrio) $2,645 billion
03. Star Wars (Disney/Lucasfilm) $1,923 billion
04. Paw Patrol (Nickelodeon) $1,811 billion
05. Avengers (Disney/Marvel) $1,798 billion
06. Disney Princess (Disney) $1,686 billion
07. Winnie the Pooh (Disney) $1,675 billion
08. Peanuts (WildBrain) $1,662 billion
09. Peppa Pig (eOne) $1,270 billion
10. Spider-Man (Disney/Marvel) $1,075 billion
11. Frozen (Disney) $1,013 billion
12. WWE (WWE) $1,002 billion
13. PJ Masks (eOne) $917 million
14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon) $912 million
15. Batman (Warner) $839 million
16. SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon) $759 million
17. Minecraft (Mojang/Microsoft) $731 million
18. Thomas & Friends (Mattel) $727 million
19. Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop) $700 million
20. Shopkins (Moose Toys) $695 million
21. My Little Pony (Hasbro) $690 million
22. Superman (Warner) $634 million
23. Looney Tunes (Warner) $597 million
24. Harry Potter/Wizarding World (Warner) $505 million
25. Pokémon (Pokémon Co.) $497 million
26. Transformers (Hasbro) $423 million
27. Jurassic World (Universal) $353 million
28. Barbie (Mattel) $287 million
29. Power Rangers (Hasbro) $281 million
30. The Simpsons (Fox) $255 million
31. Star Trek (CBS) $192 million
32. The Incredibles (Disney/Pixar) $185 million

[Avaitor]

Wow, Cars didn't even make either list. Let's hope it stays away, then.

[Disney's Divinity]

^ Yes, thank goodness. Hot Wheels were better anyway.

I wonder why this is the first time HP / The Wizarding World (Warner) has been on these list before (I went back through this thread to look at the other lists that had been posted in the past)? Is 2018 when the theme park opened? I'm sure HP merch was doing pretty good business for a long time now, so I'm not sure what changed in 2018.

I've never even heard of Paw Patrol.

[blackcauldron85]

The Orlando HP area @ Universal opened in 2014, Hollywood 2016. The 2nd Fantastic Beasts film came out in 2018, though...

Paw Patrol's been around for a few years; little kids go crazy for it; my youngest stepkid loved it a few years ago.

[JeanGreyForever]

I have no idea what Paw Patrol is lol. Winnie the Pooh has "fallen" far considering it used to beat Mickey Mouse and be #1. 2018 is after The Last Jedi so interesting that Star Wars was #3 and even beat Marvel despite all the claims from haters that Star Wars merchandise doesn't sell anymore and Disney ruined the franchise. I guess they'll claim that since SW was $941 million and not a $1 billion, that shows Disney has destroyed it lol.

[Sotiris]

2018 is after The Last Jedi so interesting that Star Wars was #3 and even beat Marvel despite all the claims from haters that Star Wars merchandise doesn't sell anymore and Disney ruined the franchise. I guess they'll claim that since SW was $941 million and not a $1 billion, that shows Disney has destroyed it.

You can't track how a brand is performing by comparing it to other brands. You need to compare it to its performance from previous years. We can see that there was an increase in both domestic and global totals from 2014-2016. Then in 2017 started a decline which continued in 2018. That's not to say it was because of The Last Jedi. There are countless reasons why a franchise could note a decrease in sales.

Star Wars

2014
North America: $1,079 billion
Global: $2,374 billion

2015
North America: $1,327 billion
Global: $2,842 billion

2016
North America: $1,367 billion
Global: $3,049 billion

2017
North America: $1,176 billion
Global: $2,403 billion

2018
North America: $941 million
Global: $1,923 billion