For the first time, people shopping for licensed sports products as holiday gifts have Cubs championship merchandise from which to to choose. There are more than 625 Cubs championship items listed on MLBshop.com, including “necessities” like a dog leash from Gamewear (MSRP $19.99); and a Cubs World Series Champion spatula from Sportula, which at $24.99 somehow commands a $5 premium over any other MLB team. Wine By Design’s Chicago Cubs Championship Brut is a bit harder to find online, but generally available for around $25 a bottle. It was used during the team's long-awaited championship locker-room celebration. Presumably, Cubs fans will not have to wait another 108 years to uncork it. Wine By Design CEO Diane Karle said the Cubs championship vino is outselling any previous championship bottle by at least five times. Naturally, an encore of Cubs Championship Red is scheduled for a Spring Training release. Across Lids' 1,300-plus retail locations, fans can find six different varieties of Cubs championship caps. Lids VP/Marketing John DeWaal said the Cowboys' resurgence has made them the second-biggest team story in licensed sales this fall, but they are well behind the Cubs.
FLYING OFF THE SHELVES: Jerseys are always a popular gift, and they are again the top-selling item on Fanatics.com. The licensed sports site reports that its top-selling players since Thanksgiving are Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott, Warriors G Stephen Curry, Patriots QB Tom Brady and Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. Among the newest licensed sports products aimed at kids are Brxlz -- Forever Collectibles' version of Lego -- with logos on the construction toys licensed from MLB, the NFL and major colleges and universities. Brxlz come in the form of team logo kits, along with baseball caps and football helmets, ranging from $5-55. Stadium kits are next. “Construction toys are at least a $10 billion (worldwide) market, so we’re looking at this as the white whale of hard-goods licensing,” said Forever Collectibles Founder & CEO Michael Lewis. NFL Senior VP/Licensing & Consumer Products Chris Halpin cited Outerstuff's NFL kids Tutu Dresses ($39.95); and the $59.99 Pride Light from Lite-Imation as two new products worthy of consideration by those in search of unique licensed goodies for holiday gifts. The Pride Light projector uses LEDs to shoot team logos on a house or wall as far away as 50 feet, “a great new way for fans to show their pride to the whole neighborhood," Halpin said. NBA officials lauded the LED light-up versions of Forever Collectibles' team-logoed “ugly” sweaters, which were a runaway hit during the '14 holiday season, along with New Era’s new NBA caps. NHL Exec VP/Marketing Brian Jennings noted that apparel with the logos of the expansion Golden Knights, along with togs for the upcoming Centennial Classic and Winter Classic, are all checking well.
