100,000,000 Reasons Why SqwishLand™ Is The Most Exciting Licensing Opportunity At Retail, On The Web And On Mobile Platforms

TEMPE, Ariz., June 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 1, 2013 yet another container containing 2 million soft'n squishy™ collectibles was loaded onto a ship bound for the United States, marking the 100,000,000+ milestone for the product which sparked the collectible craze – SqwishLand. As the least expensive web- and mobile-enriched toy ever, these popular low-priced toys have led to the coining of the toy industry phrase "cent-sational toys," offering a recession-proof alternative to higher-cost toys with a high-quality online MMOG and mobile interactive experiences to delight today's tech savvy kids. 

The huge sales of SqwishLand products have led to 1,000,000 active users on Sqwishland.com just since August 2010, making it one of the fastest-growing MMOG's ever. Now, Sqwishland is expanding its presence via licensing, making unique online codes available for licensed products to give licensees access to this popular and growing digital franchise. SqwishLand is available to the licensing community next month at the International Licensing Expo in Las Vegas (Booth # U172).

The humble origins of SqwishLand's small rubber "pencil topper" collectibles craze began with the ubiquitous red vending machines, expanding to over 600,000 machines across the country, and has since transitioned into retail across specialty stores, as well as drug and grocery accounts. With the inclusion of a unique online code for free game play on Sqwishland.com inside every toy capsule, SqwishLand quickly drew kids to the web and onto mobile devices.

Sqwishland decided to combine this vending phenomenon with the power of online gaming and social networking.  So the company developed www.sqwishland.com, a virtual world for kids themed around the hugely popular characters portrayed in the toys. SqwishLand.com was an instant hit, due largely to the secret codes included inside every capsule that direct kids to the website while providing a bounty of online loot when each code is entered.

As of June 2013, over 100+ million codes have been issued and are now making their way to kids through retail stores and vending systems in the U.S., as well as Australia and the Philippines.

By licensing a broad variety of products across retail channels and product categories we could not only enhance the collectability and popularity of the Sqwishland characters, but also deliver unique games, prizes, and online experiences via codes included with every product. The more licensed products and codes that are distributed, the more popular the online game becomes, which will drive more demand for licensed products – and so on. This circular force combining marketing, digital media, and a fun collectible craze is the next generation in licensing and branding.

"Delivering added-value is a cornerstone strategy for SqwishLand," said Scott Jochim, owner of the Sqwishland brand. "Our codes and the value they bring to kids are tremendously powerful -- then pair it with books, plush toys, video games, apparel, footwear, or even accessories featuring cool designs of their favorite SqwishLand characters -- and maybe even a limited edition SqwishLander as well – and it becomes an extremely valuable proposition for kids.

Creating value opportunities for licensees is what a strong licensed property is all about. Not only can SqwishLand provide the basic elements in terms of a popular brand and a great creative design program, but it goes several steps beyond that by delivering codes, custom designed online games, branded virtual goods, and more. This is one of the few robust licenses which delivers over and above more traditional licensors – even providing licensees with detailed analysis of the consumers who are buying and using their products-- data only possible through the tracking analysis of SqwishLand's unique code redemption system.

SqwishLand is now available at retailers such as Michaels, AC Moore, Justice, Hallmark, Hastings, Walgreens, CVS, and more, plus thousands of specialty retailers in the U.S, with recent expansion across Australia, and the Philippines, and will soon be introduced in the UK. 

"Gamification" of the retail experience is also a focus of the company. SqwishLand's mobile strategy centers around SqwishConnect™, a mobile app that lets kids connect with their SqwishLand account, locate products in stores, and even check-in when they get there to earn points and badges which transfer to their online account. This, along with the porting of many of the games to mobile platforms, provides an additional level of engagement with the brand.

ABOUT SQWISHLAND
SqwishLand is owned by Sqwish World, LLC based in Tempe, AZ. The company distributes over 500 different collectible soft 'n squishy collectibles and other toys based on its hugely popular online game SqwishLand.com. The company develops SqwishLand in three ecosystems, off line (physical goods) online (virtual world, online gaming, Facebook and YouTube) and mobile (iTunes Apps and Android). It is the first truly integrated toy and entertainment line for 6- to 13-year-old kids.

SOURCE SqwishLand