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The LIMA International Licensing Excellence Awards include 15 awards in seven major categories, honoring licenses from the worlds of Art, Character, Corporate, Sports, Retail, Promotions and Film, Television & Entertainment, as well as the Overall Best License of the Year. Winners from the Best Film, Television & Entertainment category included Hasbro, Inc., which was honored as Hard Goods Licensee for their Star Wars Lightsaber Battle Game. Kids Headquarters took top honors as the Soft Goods Licensee for their line of Dora the Explorer apparel. And the Best Film, Television & Entertainment Brand License of the Year went to Nickelodeon’s Dora the Explorer for the second year in a row. Disney’s Cinderella won the Best Character Brand License of the Year, while CSS Industries was named Hard Goods Licensee of the Year in that category for its Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head pumpkin push-ins. Jerry Leigh Apparel won as the Soft Goods Licensee of the Year for its line of It’s Happy Bunny apparel. The Best Corporate Brand License went to Crayola, owned by Binney & Smith, Inc. and represented by Nancy Bailey & Associates. The Corporate Hard Goods Licensee Award was presented to Fisher-Price for the Power Wheels Cadillac Escalade; and Mighty Fine won for Corporate Brand Soft Goods Licensee for its line of Ford t-shirts. Other highlights included a win for World Poker Tour by World Poker Tour Enterprises, represented by Brandgenuity, as Best Sports Brand License of the Year. The Best Art Brand License of the Year went to Andy Warhol by The Andy Warhol Foundation, represented by The Beanstalk Group, LLC. Hot Topic took the Retailer of the Year award for the property Napoleon Dynamite. Finally, Best Promotion of the Year went to Healthy Habits for Life by Sesame Workshop & Sunkist. In addition to the awards presentation, Mr. Shintaro Tsuji, Chief Executive Officer and President, Sanrio Co. Ltd., was honored as the newest and first international inductee into The Murray Altchuler Licensing Industry Hall of Fame for his lifetime of achievements. Mr. Tsuji was recognized for his 30-year career in the licensing industry in which he grew Hello Kitty into a global licensing phenomenon. For the third consecutive year, LIMA is working with Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation as its charity of choice. The Foundation works to improve the treatment, quality of life, and long-term outlook for children with brain and spinal cord tumors. LIMA donated a portion of the Award Gala ticket sales to the Foundation, as well as all proceeds raised from a special tribute book honoring Mr. Tsuji and the evening’s nominees. 2005 Award Winners:
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