New Partnerships Include Popeye-Inspired Artist Designed Figurines and Clothing Collections
King Features Syndicate, a unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters, along with Medialink, their local agent in Hong Kong with a presence in China, is expanding its licensing program for Popeye the Sailor Man with artist-designed collectible toys and leisurewear.
A Popeye figurine collection from Fools Paradise, a toy company based in Hong Kong, combines elements of movie and animation characters to create a line of imaginative and creative figures. The line includes iconic characters from the comic series including Popeye, Olive Oyl and Bluto. Additional artist- designed figures include a line from Luaiso Lopez, a famous toy designer from Spain, whose art is known for its use of distinctive cross marks in the eyes. Lopez’s original pieces merge Popeye and his friends’ classic looks with zombie-inspired elements. And Eric So, a multimedia artist from Hong Kong, uses a simple and clean design of Popeye with protruding ears standing in a boxing position.
Additionally, Ningbo Gukoo Ecommerce Company Limited created a leisurewear clothing collection that includes Popeye-inspired t-shirts and shorts that are perfect for lounging. The collection is available at Gukoo online and retail shops.
“China continues to be a prominent and influential market for Popeye,” said Carla Silva, vice president and general manager, global head of licensing for King Features. “And we are excited by the new opportunities that our agent, Medialink, has secured for the brand, bringing new collectibles and apparel to fans in the Asian market.”
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About PopeyeSailor. Tough guy. Hero. Legend. That’s Popeye. An underdog with bulging forearms, a mean uppercut and a love of canned spinach. Unassuming, unsophisticated and undeterred by a challenge, from the minute he walked into the comic strip, The Thimble Theatre, and muttered his famous “Ja think I’m a cowboy?” line, Popeye the Sailor Man captured the hearts of millions of fans around the globe. As the star of his own comic strips and animated content on the big screen and small, Popeye became quickly ingrained in American culture, and today remains one of the most recognizable pop culture icons in the world. Popeye celebrated his 90th anniversary in 2019.
About King Features
King Features is a premier producer and distributor of the world’s most iconic intellectual properties and a leader in classic character licensing and franchise development. With one of the longest-running consumer products programs in the industry, King Features’ portfolio includes world renowned pop culture brands such as Popeye®, Betty Boop™, Cuphead, Flash Gordon™, The Phantom™, Hägar the Horrible, Moomin, Prince Valiant® and Mandrake the Magician. King Features will produce The Cuphead Show! with Netflix Animation, set to debut in 2020. As content syndication specialists, the company distributes beloved comics such as Blondie, Beetle Bailey®, Mutts™ and dozens of others as well as columns, editorial cartoons and puzzles across multiple platforms and content providers around the globe. King Features is part of Hearst Newspapers, which publishes 24 dailies and 52 weeklies, including the Houston Chronicle, San Francisco Chronicle and Times Union (Albany, New York), and operates local digital marketing services and directories.
About Medialink Group Limited
Medialink Group Limited (2230.hk) is a leading distributor of third-party owned media content headquartered in Hong Kong with a presence in China, Japan and South East Asia. The Group has been engaging in the business of media content distribution for over 19 years, and also operates the brand licensing business. Under the media content distribution business, the Group cooperates closely with media content licensors through entering into content distribution arrangements and distributes media content relating to animation series, variety shows, drama series and animated and live-action feature films. Under the brand licensing business, the Group is involved in licensing of various rights in relation to brands owned by brand licensors including ‘merchandising rights’ for the use in toys, apparels and footwear, health and beauty products, food and beverage; ‘location-based entertainment rights’ for events, theme parks, shopping malls, cafes and restaurants; and ‘promotion rights’ in the Asia Pacific region.