Designers in Japan, for instance, have licensed the character for $700 dresses and $400 bags; limited-edition plush toys run $299.
Although he was not the original Bozo, Mr. Harmon portrayed the clown in countless appearances and, as an entrepreneur, licensed the character to others, particularly dozens of television stations around the country.
Volkswagen helped pioneer the early-release model, in 2011, when, along with the ad agency Deutsch, the company got Lucasfilm to license the character Darth Vader — shrunken down to kid size — for a commercial titled "The Force," which highlighted the features of the Passat sedan.
"Hello Kitty's many easily-accessible products make it easy to incorporate her into our daily lives and experience the 'cute culture' that her brand represents in different ways," says Michelle Nguyen, who licenses the character for her Chubby Bunny Accessories.
However, shortly thereafter Namco explicitly stated they would not license the character for such means, and discussions ceased.
Eidos licensed the character for third party advertisements, including television ads for Visa, Lucozade drinks, G4 TV, Brigitte magazine, and SEAT cars.
In recent years the estate has licensed the characters for mystery collections with Christmas themes ("Holmes for the Holidays") and supernatural overtones ("Ghosts in Baker Street").
That's because Marvel got only a lump sum from Twentieth Century Fox when it licensed the characters in the early 1990s.
Interestingly, the characters are from both DC and Marvel, so I'm guessing Nvidia just decided to pick a few recognizable names but not actually license the characters, because… why would they?
The network is also planning to license the characters for a line of staple foods including fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, and dairy products.
