ORANGE, Conn., Dec. 20, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PEZ Candy, Inc. today announced a licensing partnership with Funko, Inc. (Nasdaq:FNKO), a leading pop culture consumer products company, to create a new line of PEZ candy dispensers featuring Funko’s Pop! Vinyl style. The line will be sold exclusively in the US and Canada by Funko, who will license the PEZ name for the new launch. Funko joins a carefully selected group of best in class partners to join PEZ in expanding the iconic and beloved PEZ brand to new product categories. PEZ and Funko were brought together by PEZ’s Licensing Agency, Lisa Marks Associates (LMA).
Pop! PEZ will allow fans to take collecting to the next level by bringing together two of the most well-known names in collectibles. The new dispensers will reflect Funko’s whimsical art style and PEZ’s flair for fun and candy in one package. Funko will design and manufacture their classic Pop! heads and integrate them with the classic PEZ candy dispenser which is recognizable all over the world to fans of all ages. The new Pop! PEZ dispensers will be sold in a collector window box suitable for display.
“We are excited to be joining forces with Funko to put a new spin on our beloved PEZ dispensers for this partnership,” said PEZ CEO Christian Jegen.“The line of PEZ dispensers with Funko Pop! shaped heads will be an exciting addition to the collections of both of our companies which will combine our long history as the original collectible with Funko’s distinct designs. The licensing properties chosen for the partnership will vary from our regular PEZ assortments which should create a lot of excitement. We believe this partnership will be an exciting addition to our sublicensing portfolio.”
“We are thrilled to announce this significant collaboration which infuses the timeless collectible confection, PEZ, with our most popular collectible figures, Pop! Vinyl,” said Funko CEO Brian Mariotti. “This collaboration will bring two of the world’s most collected items together, in a unique and stylized package that fans of both companies are going to love. As a PEZ collector myself, I couldn’t be more excited to join Funko with PEZ.”
“This is a truly historic collaboration,” said Lisa Marks, President, LMA, Inc.“PEZ and Funko creates a whole new platform that will capture the imagination of collectors and fans of pop culture everywhere!”
Funko, Inc. and PEZ Candy, Inc. estimate that the new Pop! PEZ dispensers will arrive in mass retail during the first half of 2018. More news regarding which characters will arrive in Funko’s Pop! PEZ collection will be revealed in the coming months.
About PEZ Candy Inc.:
Based in Orange, CT, PEZ has been inspiring and innovating since 1927. PEZ Candy, Inc. is the pioneer of “interactive candy” that is both enjoyable to eat and fun to play with. PEZ was first marketed as a compressed peppermint candy in 1927 in Vienna, Austria. Today, the company sells and markets its products worldwide with locations in Orange, Connecticut and Traun, Austria. Between them, the two locations distribute approximately 70 million dispensers and 5 billion candies per year. PEZ products are available in more than 80 countries worldwide and are a hot collectible for adults and children alike. PEZ dispensers have been a staple of American pop culture for over 60 years. To learn more, visit www.pez.com.
About Funko, Inc.
Headquartered in Everett, Washington, Funko is a leading pop culture consumer products company. Funko designs, sources and distributes licensed pop culture products across multiple categories, including vinyl figures, action toys, plush, apparel, housewares and accessories for consumers who seek tangible ways to connect with their favorite pop culture brands and characters. Learn more at https://funko.com/, and follow us on Twitter (@OriginalFunko) and Instagram (@OriginalFunko).
About LMA, Inc.
LMA is a creative, full-service Licensing and Marketing Agency, focusing on strategic brand building and long-term revenue generation. LMA is unique in bringing clients innovative licensing expertise from the world’s leading entertainment companies to develop powerful, cohesive, turnkey licensing programs. Based in New York, LMA consists of a coalition of experts and industry leaders in the fields of Licensing and Merchandising, Creative Development and Design, Product Development, Retail Business Development and Multimedia Brand Extensions. For more information, please visit www.LMA-Inc.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the collaboration between PEZ and Funko, Inc., including without limitation the timing of the arrival of Pop! PEZ dispensers in mass retail. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of PEZ and Funko, Inc. to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in Funko, Inc.’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any such forward-looking statements represent the companies’ estimates as of the date of this press release. While PEZ or Funko, Inc. may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the companies’ disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause the companies’ views to change.
Investor Relations:
John Rouleau, ICR
InvestorRelations@Funko.com
203-682-8200
Media:
Julia Young, ICR
FunkoPR@icrinc.com
203-682-8200
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