AKC Also Named Finalist in Best Corporate Brand Category
The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) licensee, JAKKS Pets™, a division of JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ: JAKK), was named “Best Corporate Brand Licensee” by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) for its AKC product portfolio created in 2007. The Award was given last week at the annual LIMA Gala and Awards Ceremony held during the International Licensing Show in New York City. The AKC and 4Kids Entertainment/4Sight Licensing Solutions were also nominated for “Best Corporate Brand Program.”
The award was accepted by Jennifer Richmond, SVP, Licensing and Media and Tony Lawlor, SVP on behalf of JAKKS Pets, both of whom thanked AKC President/CEO Dennis Sprung “for the opportunity to reinvigorate the pet category.”
“We are proud of our brand’s honor and salute JAKKS Pets for their hard work and dedication,” said Sprung. “We also thank 4Kids Entertainment for developing the relationship between the AKC and JAKKS Pets and managing this process which resulted in award-winning quality products that really connect with dog owners around the world.”
“The relationship between the AKC and JAKKS Pets is a natural alliance,” said Alyssa Tucker, SVP Marketing & Licensing Sales, 4Kids Entertainment/4Sight Licensing Solutions. “The AKC’s nearly 125-year history, combined with JAKKS Pets’ creative vision, resulted in an exceptional corporate brand licensee and product line.”
Of the more than 30 AKC licensee products, JAKKS Pets is the AKC’s largest, with a range of products for dogs and their owners available at more than 5,000 retailers in 24 countries. Products from JAKKS Pets include a variety of dog toys, outerwear, and the popular “AKC Classic Series,” “AKC Outdoor Series,” “AKC Green Planet Series,” “AKC Puppy Series,” and “AKC Junior Series.” This Fall, JAKKS is expected to launch an AKC Championship Line of pet products and an AKC/Marley & Me™ pet product line based on the upcoming motion picture from Twentieth Century Fox.
The LIMA International Excellence Awards were presented in seven categories that recognized the world’s most successful licensing programs from the past year. This year’s winners were selected from more than 180 nominations.