Play is serious business at the Licensing Expo that brought together more than 12,000 retailers and 5,000 brands to Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on May 21-23. So, it only makes sense that immersive, interactive and just plain delightful play was key to many of the exhibits at the show, setting the stage for the IPs and sparking creative brand licensing opportunities. Here’s what brought out EM’s inner child.
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Photo Ops
“All Blippies are real Blippies,” said the rep at the stand of Moonbug Entertainment, where attendees could get their photos taken with many of the brand’s beloved characters.
Warner Bros. Discovery opted for meeting their clients off the floor, with their show floor presence condensed to a photo op celebrating “Superman: Legacy” coming out in 2025. Attendees could grab a pair of iconic glasses and a red cape and get their superhero moment in this small but impactful activation.
And of course, Nintendo set up a perfect photoshoot with the Super Mario backdrop for a gravity-defying leap.
Moonbug Entertainment
Warner Bros.
Nintendo
Immersive Vignettes
To showcase the brand’s properties and also create exciting meeting spaces, Squishmallows and Mattel, among other top brands, divided their booth spaces into vignettes centered around the characters and IPs. From custom furniture and brand-colored rugs and to themed display cases and even tulips in a vase, thoughtful and authentic touches immersed attendees in the worlds of these franchises, providing the perfect setting for conversations and product demos.
Squishmallows
Beauty Stations
Hasbro invited attendees to try out its new My Little Pony x Beauty Creations Cosmetics collaboration at an interactive beauty station. Designed to bridge generations, a touch of shimmer and color with the “Mane Event” highlight set and embrace retro charm with the “Made in the ’80s” lip oils certainly appealed to grown-ups ready to share their childhood moments with their children. Hey, the ponyverse is for everyone.
Hasbro
Vending and Claw Machines
At a show full of merch, a consistent crowd formed around the “Funcade” at the Cronus Global booth dispensing Funko pop-culture collectables and a claw machine stuffed with branded toys. The interactive arcade game setup tapped into attendees’ nostalgic love of games and prizes, creating a fun, high-energy activation that drew people in with its bright lights, sounds and the thrill of the challenge.
Cronus Global
Animated Surfaces
Breeze Creative invited attendees to experience branded IP by digging in the animated sandbox as part of a multi-player augmented reality game where they reshaped the landscape with little red shovels and, sometimes, their fingers, in a very tactile and satisfying experience. The surrounding digital ball wall and a dynamic “flood” tapped into their sense of curiosity and invited them to play on a large scale.
Breeze Creative
And Even the Registration Desk…
The creativity behind the best-selling manga Naruto Shippuden spilled over into the bowl of ramen that welcomed attendees to the booth of its producer Viz Media. It’s not often that a registration desk doubles as a photo op, but where else if not at the Licensing Expo to make a bold, delicious statement?
Viz Media
