Target plans to be the destination of choice for shoppers looking for Wicked merchandise this holiday season. Packed with over 150 Wicked-inspired products – nearly 70% Target-exclusives – it will offer a wide range of selections across fashion, toys, beauty, home, electronics, entertainment, food and beverage and collectibles.
Wicked merchandise will begin rolling out October 6, followed by the launch of themed Wicked shop-in-shops in most Target locations on November 3.
And on November 15, right before the film’s official November 22 release, Target’s Jersey City store will be transformed into the ‘Land of Oz’ with a whole host of special events and giveaways. Then on November 22 and 23, four other Target stores in Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Seattle go all out in Wicked pink and green as well.
Wicked Product Parade at Target
Leading the Wicked parade of products will be Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) Halloween costumes for kids and adults, an exclusive line of clothing and fashion accessories designed by the film’s costume designer Paul Tazewell, Opi nail polish collection in Elphaba green and Glinda pink, a Mattel Elphaba Singing Doll and Bitty Boomers Elphaba Glinda Sneakers.
A wide range of items $5 and under will take center stage in Target’s “Bullseye’s Playground” at the front of the store. Plus Target stores with Ulta Beauty outposts will also offer makeup from Grande’s r.e.m. beauty line, plus It Brushes For Ulta and a licensed Beekman 1802 skincare line.
Harkening back to Target’s Stanley Quencher Tumbler craze earlier this year, Elphaba-green and Glinda-pink limited edition tumblers will make their debut on October 13 with other products rolling out through November, including Fisher-Price Little People Collector packs, Funko Pop! collectibles, soundtracks from the movie, a Bluetooth Wicked karaoke machine and Bluetooth Wicked microphone.
Erivo Sings For Target
But perhaps the biggest ‘get’ for Target in its Wicked lineup is having Cynthia Erivo its exclusive retail partner in a national marketing campaign, including TV spots and social media content. The campaign, dropping October 20, will feature Erivo singing her “Defying Gravity” song along with other special features.
As Jeff Goldblum playing Wicked’s Wizard said, “The best way to bring folks together is to give them a real good enemy,” Target is counting on Erivo as Elphaba to work her magic to bring guests to its door.
Wicked’s Licensing Franchise
Movie franchise licenses, like Wicked, represent big business for both the movie studios and their licensing partners.
While Disney is the granddaddy of all movie licensors, rated the number one top global brand licensing company by License Global bringing in some $62 million last year, NBCUniversal is a few steps behind, ranked as the number six biggest licensing generator. Yet it still generated a handsome $11.5 billion in licensing revenues in 2023.
Universal is betting big on Wicked to advance it on the License Global list next year. NBCUniversal has lined up over 70 Wicked licensing partners already with expectations of more to come.
And with a Wicked Part Two in the works for release November 21, 2025, it’s building a movie franchise to hopefully elevate it to licensing blockbuster status, on the order of Star Wars, Harry Potter and Batman.
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