Toy Soldiers: Jakks Discusses UFC Licensing Deal
Fans wishing to stash Roger
Huerta (Pictures) or Mauricio "Shogun" Rua on their
shelves without the ensuing kidnapping charges got a break Tuesday
when Zuffa's Ultimate Fighting Championship announced a deal with
Jakks Pacific that calls for a series of action figures starting in
fall 2009.
The four-year pact, which will begin shortly before Jakks' deal with World Wrestling Entertainment expires in 2010, is part of a bigger initiative to increase the brand awareness of the fight promotion among consumers. According to the UFC.com Web site, JC Penney will offer a line of UFC-emblazoned apparel starting this summer; US Bank plans on a UFC-branded credit card; and THQ is set to unveil a video game in 2009.
But none of the ancillary launches may be as elaborate as plans for a toy line, which Jakks Vice President of Entertainment Brand Marketing Jeremy Padawer said could ultimately encompass "hundreds" of different figures, accessories and "role-play" items.
"We're going to put substantial money behind developing a complete line of action figures and play sets," Padawer said. "Our roll-outs tend to be as aggressive as anybody's in the industry."
The fall '09 debut is set to feature between six to 10 athletes, including Michael Bisping (Pictures), Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) and Forrest Griffin (Pictures). While Padawer did not have a scale (height) measurement set, he expects the sculpts to be along the lines of the company's 6-inch WWE offerings.
In addition to fighters and referees, Jakks plans on depicting cageside personalities like announcers Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, as well as announcer Bruce Buffer. Designers are also expected to loot the UFC's video library to feature "legends" from earlier events.
They can all be posed in the promotion's trademark Octagon, versions of which will be aimed at both younger buyers and older collectors.
"We'll be doing an older kids' version of the Octagon at a lower price point and we'll be doing super authentic, higher-price point Octagon play sets as well," Padawer explained. The cost differential will be influenced by "the use of actual mat, use of mold materials, the ability to build a ring versus something that snaps together. There are a lot of places we can go with that."
Collectors looking for figures with blackened eyes or bloody gloves may also get their wish.
"We did that in Rocky, and no one made an issue out of it," Padawer said. "What I wouldn't want to do is create bloodbath figures. But I do believe a little authenticity in terms of that will allow us to extend the line and have characters with multiple looks over the course of time."
Those efforts will inevitably be construed by watchdog groups as peddling violence to children, something Padawer is cognizant of: "For those who feel UFC is not a legitimate sport, they really don't know the brand. By nature, grappling and stand-up fighting has a violent overtone to it, [but] it's not more violent than boxing. That's been backed up by recent studies."
Replica championship belts and a line of fitness-related accessories are also possible, said Padawer. Zuffa's ownership of both the Pride and World Extreme Cagefighting brands lend them merchandising potential, though no timetable has been set for that expansion.
In May, Round 5 launched a series of vinyl figures depicting athletes that retained their own likeness rights: Matt Hughes (Pictures), Randy Couture (Pictures), Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and Tito Ortiz (Pictures). It's unknown whether these athletes -- or any others who retain control of their image -- will participate in the pending line.
"I wish everybody the best in their endeavors," commented Padawer of Round 5's efforts. "I don't know what their plans are. It could have a positive effect or a negative effect. I don't know what their strategy is."
Padawer's approach is focused on satiating the desires of the diehard fan, something he believes has paid off in other lines: The company posted $857.1 million in revenue for 2007.
Does that mean fans could one day manipulate their very own Fred Ettish (Pictures) toy?
"If there's a demand out there for it, you'd better believe it."
For comments, e-mail jrossen@sherdog.com
The four-year pact, which will begin shortly before Jakks' deal with World Wrestling Entertainment expires in 2010, is part of a bigger initiative to increase the brand awareness of the fight promotion among consumers. According to the UFC.com Web site, JC Penney will offer a line of UFC-emblazoned apparel starting this summer; US Bank plans on a UFC-branded credit card; and THQ is set to unveil a video game in 2009.
But none of the ancillary launches may be as elaborate as plans for a toy line, which Jakks Vice President of Entertainment Brand Marketing Jeremy Padawer said could ultimately encompass "hundreds" of different figures, accessories and "role-play" items.
"We're going to put substantial money behind developing a complete line of action figures and play sets," Padawer said. "Our roll-outs tend to be as aggressive as anybody's in the industry."
The fall '09 debut is set to feature between six to 10 athletes, including Michael Bisping (Pictures), Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (Pictures) and Forrest Griffin (Pictures). While Padawer did not have a scale (height) measurement set, he expects the sculpts to be along the lines of the company's 6-inch WWE offerings.
In addition to fighters and referees, Jakks plans on depicting cageside personalities like announcers Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg, as well as announcer Bruce Buffer. Designers are also expected to loot the UFC's video library to feature "legends" from earlier events.
They can all be posed in the promotion's trademark Octagon, versions of which will be aimed at both younger buyers and older collectors.
"We'll be doing an older kids' version of the Octagon at a lower price point and we'll be doing super authentic, higher-price point Octagon play sets as well," Padawer explained. The cost differential will be influenced by "the use of actual mat, use of mold materials, the ability to build a ring versus something that snaps together. There are a lot of places we can go with that."
Collectors looking for figures with blackened eyes or bloody gloves may also get their wish.
"We did that in Rocky, and no one made an issue out of it," Padawer said. "What I wouldn't want to do is create bloodbath figures. But I do believe a little authenticity in terms of that will allow us to extend the line and have characters with multiple looks over the course of time."
Those efforts will inevitably be construed by watchdog groups as peddling violence to children, something Padawer is cognizant of: "For those who feel UFC is not a legitimate sport, they really don't know the brand. By nature, grappling and stand-up fighting has a violent overtone to it, [but] it's not more violent than boxing. That's been backed up by recent studies."
Replica championship belts and a line of fitness-related accessories are also possible, said Padawer. Zuffa's ownership of both the Pride and World Extreme Cagefighting brands lend them merchandising potential, though no timetable has been set for that expansion.
In May, Round 5 launched a series of vinyl figures depicting athletes that retained their own likeness rights: Matt Hughes (Pictures), Randy Couture (Pictures), Quinton Jackson (Pictures) and Tito Ortiz (Pictures). It's unknown whether these athletes -- or any others who retain control of their image -- will participate in the pending line.
"I wish everybody the best in their endeavors," commented Padawer of Round 5's efforts. "I don't know what their plans are. It could have a positive effect or a negative effect. I don't know what their strategy is."
Padawer's approach is focused on satiating the desires of the diehard fan, something he believes has paid off in other lines: The company posted $857.1 million in revenue for 2007.
Does that mean fans could one day manipulate their very own Fred Ettish (Pictures) toy?
"If there's a demand out there for it, you'd better believe it."
For comments, e-mail jrossen@sherdog.com
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