Leib Ostrow of Music for Little People, AWN editor in chief Sarah Baisley and Disney attendees.

Equally approachable, and a hard act to follow in his own right, is Larry Harmon, creator of television’s original Bozo the Clown. It’s unusual to find someone who hasn’t heard of Bozo, in one form or another. Launched as a children’s record in 1946 on Capitol Records, Bozo was initially just a voice performance before Harmon purchased the rights to the character in the 1950s and re-imagined Bozo for television and a variety of media. Harmon started his own animation studio to produce Bozo cartoons, and created 16 additional characters for the show. During the last 47 years, according to Harmon, more than 175 million people have watched Bozo on television, and the 156 produced Bozo cartoons have played, and in some cases continue to play, in countries around the world.

As an interesting aside, film comedian Stan Laurel and Mrs. Oliver Hardy chose to sell the rights to the Laurel & Hardy characters during the early 1960s. They chose Harmon as the purchaser of the rights. Harmon explains that it is a full-time job, and a constant challenge, to keep classic properties alive and prosperous. In finding strategic alliances and promotional partners, classic properties are “not hit-and-run licensees, but long-distance runners.” The key: simplicity. Audiences must relate to characters in a very basic manner, whether through humor or fantasy. Consumers must have a good feeling about the characters.

Harmon advises to “use your brain to build the brand.” Find the niche for one’s creation, and go after licensing categories that suit your property. For Laurel & Hardy, that may mean appearing in a Kellogg’s cereal commercial. For Bozo the Clown, that may mean recording a new album featuring all genres of music, including rap. At the jovial age of 80, Harmon is qualified to observe, “Human nature is most comfortable with the familiar - what people can trust.”

Another older brand, or “seasoned franchise,” was discussed by the day’s fourth speaker, Tyler Barnes, vp of sales and marketing for the Harlem Globetrotters. As an 18-year veteran in the field of sports entertainment, Barnes has also served with the Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros and ESPN Television. The Harlem Globetrotters had their start during the 1920s. Having become such an attraction, the franchise even had its own animated television show during the early 1970s, produced by Hanna-Barbera.

Christy Glaubke of Children Now reports on educational and diversity issues to promote a more positive media environment for children.

Barnes says that the Harlem Globetrotters teams are comprised of players who are not only phenomenal athletes, but also men of genuinely good nature and integrity who are strong role models for youth. The franchise appeals to audiences of 8-12 year-olds and their parents (25-49). The dormancy of attendance, between one generation and the next, helps the Harlem Globetrotters to have some longevity as a brand, so that it is not merely “cool” or trendy. Clearly, after playing 20,000 games in more than 100 countries, the showmanship of the Harlem Globetrotters has some long-term staying power.

The last speaker for the day was Christy Glaubke of the advocacy group Children Now. Among its other activities, the organization is dedicated to improving the quality of entertainment, and supporting a positive media environment, for children. As a principal associate of the Children and the Media program, Glaubke researches and reports on issues to promote more diverse, educational and age-appropriate programming for children. Glaubke served as the project director on two recent studies: “Fair Play? Violence, Gender and Race in Videogames,” describing the lack of racial and gender diversity in top-selling videogames; and “Fall Colors 2003-04,” discussing how broadcast networks have made minimal progress in presenting a more diverse primetime picture.