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Welcome to the fun factory

The new Monogram International adds candy and toys to its cast of characters and meets its target audience: kids.

By PAUL SWIDER
Published August 4, 2006

PINELLAS PARK - Tucked away in a nondescript industrial complex lies a room of bright colors and cartoon theme furniture propping up giant stuffed Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls.

On the wall are pictures of Superman and SpongeBob SquarePants, Wonder Woman and Dora the Explorer. For 30 years, this office was the bastion of adults, but Monogram International is broadening its product line and opening its doors to a younger demographic.

"It's important to meet the audience," said Vesiah Lee, the new Monogram president, who is introducing students and other groups of children to the company that makes licensed products for Disney, Marvel comics, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. and more. "The old Monogram would never do that."

Lee took over as president of the company last year to give new direction since it was acquired four years ago by David Chu, a Hong Kong businessman. Also from Hong Kong, Lee is making use of her experience with Chinese industry to broaden the company's offerings, but she also wants to expand its community appeal.

Tours for children also serve a focus-group function as Lee can show kids some of the new products and ask them what they like and don't like. The company's in-house research and development team can then use that advice to design new versions of the characters from Cars or Pirates of the Caribbean or Justice League. Lee said she also plans to have costumed characters available to entertain children.

The company used to be "mugs and key chains," Lee said, but is now developing candy, toys and even amusements for adult kids, like a Lightning McQueen stapler or a Batman bobble-head. Where once the catalog contained 100 items, it now holds five or six times as many, Lee said, changing as constantly as popular culture does.

"We have to refresh our line constantly," said Lee, who has deals with Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens and KB Toys. "Before, our sales channels were mom-and-pops, souvenir stores."

Lee's art staff takes feedback from research and develops variations on an already wide variety of characters and their versions. With multiple licenses and different style guides within each, it's a juggle to get approval for new products, even though the licensor stands to profit from each new sale.

Kirk Rohlfs "herds cats" on license compliance, running prototypes back and forth to both Disney and Pixar, for instance, on Cars products. He said it can be a hassle to get a design okayed, but the licensor wants to maintain design integrity so as not to dilute the brand with cheap copies.

"For example, there are three different Batmans," he said of movie, comics and cartoon versions that vary slightly. "A kid's going to know the difference. It makes a difference to collectors too."

Trying to squeeze innovation into the short window that a movie or character is popular is a chore, Rohlfs said, but after 28 years at the company, he's enjoying the growing challenge.

He is getting feedback now from sales representatives who returned from Comic Con, the annual confab for comics aficionados.

Monogram is also branching into new products through its Candy Planet subsidiary. New Gummy Dogs and Gummy Cats share proceeds with no-kill shelters as a marketing approach to civic activism. A similar Gummy Ribbon of Hope donates some sales to the American Breast Cancer Association.

"We care about our community," said Lee Ann Literski, the director of sales. "We want to give back to the community."

The candy will soon be available at Bed Bath and Beyond, Linens and Things, and some convenience stores and supermarkets, Literski said. She is also preparing a new hip-hop product but is keeping it under wraps until it's ready for market.

Lee said change and variety keep her staff busy. The company once had two sales people; it now has 10 in-house and another 300 agents around the country.

Despite its national sales and international manufacturing presence, Monogram aims to be a figure where it is housed. "Being local," Lee said, "we should get that connection."

Paul Swider can be reached at 892-2271 or pswider@sptimes.com or by participating in itsyourtimes.com.

[Last modified August 3, 2006, 20:14:12]