Sony Picture Television company Toei Animation Inc. released their annual franchise report of Dragon Ball. This comes ahead of Licensing Expo 2019. The report details the successful results of the licensing efforts made by the company over the year for new agreements.
The Dragon Ball anime is produced by Toei Animation and distributed by Funimation in Canada and the US. The anime franchise has four TV shows and twenty feature films. These include Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball GT.
Dragon Ball is celebrating its 25th anniversary in the US and Canada and Dragon Ball Z anime’s global 30th anniversary. Dragon Ball is an important part of pop culture. Multi-cultural and multi-generational fandom enjoyed by the show as of today reflects upon this.
Initiatives taken by the franchise and associated promotional marketing has intensified consumer demand and brand awareness of the merchandise from the mainstream market as well as the anime fans. These included the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the “Dragon Ball Super: Broly” feature film and the North American Dragon Ball Tour.
The North American Dragon Ball Tour was launched at San Diego Comic Con 2018 last July. It covered seven cities in seven months showcasing collectible and exclusive licensed figures and electronic games.
Toei Animation and Funimation has secured several licensing agreements. These include Accutime, Underboss, Rabbit Tanaka, Spirit Halloween, Traly, Fusion FG, Ground Up, Party City, Primitive Skate Company, Transworld Entertainment, Naked and Famous. They will seek additional partners for Dragon Super Ball at Licensing Expo 2019.
