Springs partners with Universal

Fort Mill, S.C. — Textile manufacturer Springs Inds. has formed a strategic agreement with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group to create home fashions for several Universal brands, including upcoming movie releases "Curious George" and "King Kong." Other brands include literary properties "Where the Wild Things Are," Maurice Sendak's best-selling children's book; "The Little Engine That Could," first published in 1930; as well as "The Fast and the Furious" and "Sitting Ducks."

The deal includes both youth and infant products, and concept boards and art style will be shown to retailers in November with most product launching in 2005.

"Universal Studios has an extensive portfolio of America's most recognized entertainment and publishing properties, and we are pleased to be able to use our expertise in the juvenile home category to bring those brands to market," said Nancie Siegel, marketing director for juvenile and specialty brands at Springs.

This comes on the heels of an announcement last month that Springs landed several important Mattel licenses, including Barbie and Hot Wheels.

"We have a really good feeling about these properties," Siegel said. "We're really committed to long-term success and investing in proven brands."

Curious George will be developed for infant and toddler bedding, room décor and fabrics, and introduced first for mid-tier. The brand includes three art styles: Classic, Animated and Movie. The Classic style will be produced first, with products debuting at next year's Juvenile Products Manufacturers' Assn. show in May in Orlando.

The new Curious George movie, in which Will Ferrell lends his voice to The Man With the Yellow Hat, will debut in 2006, and mass market-targeted merchandise from Springs will coincide with that release.

Where the Wild Things Are will be developed for toddler and juvenile, and although Siegel said it is open for all channels, she sees it appealing more to specialty stores. The Little Engine That Could will be translated into juvenile only and will likely be geared toward the mass market.

The new King Kong movie, directed and written by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson and starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody and Andy Serkis, will be out in theaters in late 2005, and Springs plans licensed collections in juvenile bedding and bath as well as fabric and crafts to launch in conjunction.

A home collection based on "The Fast and the Furious" and targeted toward tween boys will be developed, joining other licensed goods in the areas of automotive accessories, clothing and fashion accessories, sports equipment, collectible toys and artwork. Sitting Ducks, based on the animated characters by pop artist Michael Bedard, is already being developed for a bath collection.

"Springs Industries has the expertise and the resources to bring creative design and strategic marketing to our licenses across multiple product categories," said Cynthia Modders, senior vice president of licensing and retail development for Universal Studios Consumer Products Group.

Tom McCaffrey, director of Springs Inds.' Juvenile and Specialty Brands, said the partnership benefits retailers by offering one source for products in multiple home categories. "This is an ideal approach for retailers since there are so many licensing efforts associated with entertainment property launches," he said.