How does Blue Marble create out-of-this-world licensed toys? In conversation with CEO Jared Wolfson

Jared, you’ve been at Blue Marble for nearly two years. How’s it been?
It’s been a wonderful journey. Blue Marble is a special company for so many reasons. Great teams, evergreen brands, best-in-class product and a culture that drives innovation, collaboration and partnership. We’ve invested a tremendous amount in people, tools and systems over the past few years and are poised for winning strategic growth.

Great answer. Thank you! What drew you to the company?
I was drawn to the product, the brands, the people, the strong multi-channel distribution and the wonderful foundation that had been established at Blue Marble… A solid platform to build the base of internally grown IP, further professionalize the operation and bring in new licenses.

Of which, Blue Marble’s partnership with National Geographic came to my attention at New York Toy Fair. As a brand, for what does it have a reputation?
National Geographic is the gold standard in Science, Education, Exploration and Nature; a top-trusted global brand with multi-generational appeal. National Geographic has a strong reach across its multiple pillars of content – social followers, streaming and linear households, print and digital readership and email subscribers… More than that, though, it’s also a giveback leader, devoting a meaningful percentage of revenues to fund vital scientific research. We’re grateful and proud to represent the National Geographic brand and our partners at Disney.

And the range of the brand is extraordinary… How do you decide what’s going to make a great product for them?
While learning is at the core of almost every National Geographic product we create and produce, we spend a great deal of time and energy thinking about the play experience our products provide. In addition to a ‘fun first’ focus, we make sure our lines deliver the quality, value and overall brand experience that our customers expect and deserve.

What’s the process there? Where do the ideas come from?
Most of our products are conceived and developed internally. We do also work with inventors, though; they’re great at bringing innovation and new ideas to the table. Our process includes a robust product concepting process, paired with business case evaluation, channel distribution strategies and promotional marketing and advertising campaign planning.

Tell me about some of your other licensing partners… NASA and Barbie come to mind!
Barbie is another globally recognizable iconic brand with multi-generational appeal. As a predominately girls’ brand, Barbie fits very nicely into our product portfolio. We’re launching a great line of STEAM and Science-based Activities – starting this summer with a Walmart early launch endcap, then moving to full distribution in the fall. We have big plans for our Barbie program and are investing heavily in the growing line.

What unites them all? What do you look for in a licensing partner?
First and foremost, we look for evergreen IP – brands that have established relatability with an audience, that align with toy play and can naturally extend into hands-on play experiences. The best partnerships stem from the license holder driving brand exposure and affinity through content pillars, while we support brand expansion through consumer products and ritualized role-play experiences. While our partners look to us as experts in developing premium products that achieve strong performance both online and at brick-and-mortar retail, we rely on their expertise in content creation, franchise strategy and brand support.

Fantastic. What’s next for Blue Marble, Jared?
We’ll continue to grow our lines of STEM, STEAM and Science-based Crafts and Activities with our current brand partners, including National Geographic, NASA and Barbie. Additionally, we’re launching a great line of early learning products with National Geographic Kids, bringing consumers into the brand at a younger age – starting at 12 months and aging up through 5 plus – before they move right into our National Geographic product line for ages 6-12 plus. We’re also expanding our in-house developed Blue Marble portfolio with products in Seasonal, Outdoor, Craft, Activities, Games, Role Play, Digital Interactive toys and more. The future is bright!

A great note to end on! Thank you, Jared.