SDCC 2017: NECA ANNOUNCES LAIKA MERCHANDISE
The National Entertainment Collectibles Association (NECA), an entertainment conglomerate and global leader in licensed consumer goods, has signed a deal to produce a multi-category lineup of merchandise with Oscar®-winning animation studio LAIKA. NECA will arrive in San Diego with an exclusive action figure for sale at Comic-Con®, a Coraline in a Deluxe Display Box, and will be promoting the high end bespoke replicas of LAIKA’S hero puppets from its four Oscar®-nominated films: Coraline (2009),ParaNorman (2012), The Boxtrolls (2014) and Kubo and the Two Strings (2016). The deal was brokered by licensing agency Striker Entertainment, which represents the rights to the LAIKA library of legacy and future films.
Founded in Portland, Oregon in 2005, LAIKA’s mission has been to blend art, craft, science and technology to tell new, original, and innovative stories. The studio’s community of storytellers, artists, inventors, technicians, and craftspeople from around the world is committed to making “movies that matter.”
The deal with NECA coincides with LAIKA’s pop-up exhibit The LAIKA Experience, which is now running in San Diego through July 23rd. The exhibit, located at 520 Fifth Avenue in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter, features props, puppets, monsters, and sets from LAIKA’s award-winning films as well as fan art, photo ops with LAIKA’s costumed characters, daily drawings for a pair of Nike’s LAIKA-themed shoes designed by Tinker Hatfield, social media activations, giveaways, and more. Travis Knight, President & CEO of LAIKA and director of Kubo and the Two Strings, is scheduled for an autograph session on Friday, July 21st at 3pm. LAIKA merchandise is also available at the pop-up store at The LAIKA Experience.
Highlights of NECA’s multi-category merchandise lineup include:
● Bespoke reproduction hero puppets (Coraline, Norman, Eggs and Kubo) available for consumer orders by end of 2017. More characters will follow.
● Limited edition (only 3000) Coraline in a Deluxe Display Box exclusive action figure will be available at the NECA booth (#3145) at San Diego Comic-Con and at The LAIKA Experience pop-up shop.
Future products will include:
● Traditional articulated and/or non-articulated figures and/or dolls, sold with or without scenes/backdrops
● Resin statues
● Plush figures
● Bobble head figures
● Stylized vinyl toys
● Large scale foam figures
● Prop replicas
● Board games
“We are thrilled to have kicked off our new licensing program with this deal,” says Brad Wald, LAIKA’s CFO and SVP of Business Operations. “There’s a history in working together with NECA on top-selling Coraline replicas (one is back by popular demand and available exclusively at the pop-up store at The LAIKA Experience). NECA is a leader in the industry in providing quality fan-based products and we’re excited to offer a wide portfolio to consumers that reflects LAIKA’s dynamic characters and unique aesthetic. We’re particularly excited by the bespoke puppet reproductions, which answer an ardent fan request that dates back to our first film.”
