Garfield and Friends © Film Roman.

Animated characters tie the world together much like a common language. It is almost a given that children, no matter where they live, understand and enjoy Disney characters, whether seen in cartoons or on the myriad pieces of licensed merchandise that are widely available. For adults, Homer Simpson, Mickey Mouse and even Beavis and Butt-Head bring out similar smiles.

I remember during my first visit to Europe, seeing a Snoopy poster in a shop in Rome. It showed Snoopy as "Joe Falchetto," dancing with his paws raised high. I immediately felt a strong sense of familiarity as I gazed at Joe Cool's image, even though I did not speak Italian. In that instant, the world became a smaller place. I was reminded once again that animated characters have become a lingua franca. As such, we do not need words to enjoy a character on a T-shirt, poster or hat.

This year, almost $95 billion will be generated in worldwide revenues from the sale of licensed products. A hefty chunk of these dollars will come from the merchandising of animated characters.

Screen Savers and Pacifiers
When The Simpsons went on the air, the show only had 12 licensees. Now, there are more than 1,110 Simpsons items licensed worldwide. The products include sleepwear, PC screen savers, electric calendars, video games, bubble baths, boxer shorts, cake pans, cookie cutters, golf balls, pacifiers, welcome mats and trading cards. Some of the items can be worn, some displayed, some used and some consumed. By the one hundredth episode of the television show, over $3 billion worth of Simpsons merchandise had been sold worldwide.

Similarly, MTV is making millions on international sales of licensed products from Beavis and Butt-Head to the show's international audience of teenagers and twentysomethings.

Last year, in the theatrical film arena, merchandising and licensing fees added $5 to $6 billion to film revenues worldwide. Some of 1995's most successful tie-ins were from animated films as The Lion King, Aladdin and Pocahontas ; thus, not only did these films do well at the box office, but they also have created streams of licensing revenue as well.