Licensing Examples

Need more proof that licensing has the power to grow your business and boost ROI? Look no further than these iconic examples.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s Happy Meals were first introduced in June 1979. Five months later, it introduced the first licensed Happy Meal, a tie-in with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Since then, McDonald’s has been leveraging the power of licensing regularly across more than 40,000 restaurants worldwide, servicing about 69 million customers a day. Some of its most popular Happy Meals have included Super Mario Bros., Transformers, Star Wars, The Muppets, Snoopy and Batman Returns. Licensing allows McDonald’s to offer its customers something new and exciting, while tapping into existing fanbases and capitalising on pop culture trends.

LEGO

LEGO has been around since 1932 and started making its famous bricks in 1949, but it took more than 50 years to introduce its first licensed product with the launch of LEGO Star Wars in 1999. Next came LEGO Harry Potter, followed by Ghostbusters, Friends, Marvel, Stranger Things, Minecraft and many more. Licensing has been an important part of LEGO’s growth strategy and has reportedly accounted for about 38% of its product offerings since 2010. Licensing has contributed to greater product engagement and increased brand awareness for LEGO.

Funko

Funko started selling pop culture action figures and figurines in 1998. Its first licensed product was the Austin Powers Wacky Wobbler, which sold 80,000 units. Funko has since secured thousands of licenses from established brands such as Disney, Warner Bros. Universal Studios, Paramount, Mattel and Hasbro. There are more than 13,500 unique Funko Pop SKUs worldwide and, according to Forbes, licensing has helped Funko become a $1 billion pop culture powerhouse. More recently it moved into licensed collectible backpacks and accessories with its Loungefly brand, which generated more than $140m in 2021.