Press Release – NECA Details New Laika Merchandise License

A new press release by NECA details one of their newest licenses. they have teamed up with Laika to create figures, games, dolls and more! We should get our first glimpse of these at San Diego Comic-Con 2017! Check out the full press release below.

NECA ANNOUNCES LAIKA MERCHANDISE IN TIME FOR SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON

Bespoke Reproductions of Oscar®-winning Animation Studio’s Hero Puppets

Among Highlights of Multi-Category LAIKA Merchandise Deal

San Diego, CA; July 17, 2017 – 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 LAIKA merchandise. NECA will arrive at San Diego with an exclusive for Comic-Con® Coraline Display Box for sale 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, resulting in Oscar nominations and myriad other awards for its four films. 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 runs July 14-23 in San Diego. The exhibit, located at 520 Fifth Avenue in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter, will feature props, puppets, monsters, and sets from LAIKA’s award-winning films as well as fan art, a 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, LAIKA merchandise, 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 exhibit 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) exclusive for Comic-Con Coraline Display Box will be available at the NECA booth at San Diego Comic Con (#3145) 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.”

“Having worked with LAIKA in the past, we experienced that spark that is so necessary, yet so rare,” says NECA President Joel Weinshanker. “We look forward to working with the amazingly creative folks at LAIKA to bring their amazing characters in physical form to the masses.”