Licensing

Rhino Releases Batman Beyond And Dr. Seuss Soundtracks. Kid Rhino's Batman Beyond soundtrack on CD and cassette was released on August 31, 1999 in the US. Batman Beyond is a popular series that is set fifty years in the future, taking place after Warners' previous Batman series, The Adventures Of Batman And Robin. The album includes twenty tracks. Also, the inlay and CD booklet include comments about the soundtrack music by Bruce Timm, the series' producer, and artwork from the series' opening sequence. The CD will retail for US$13.98, and the cassette will retail for US$9.98. Rhino, with Turner Classic Movies, is also releasing How The Grinch Stole Christmas And Horton Hears A Who together on one CD or cassette on October 5 in the US. Originally broadcast in 1966, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, directed by Chuck Jones, has become one of the most popular holiday programs of all time, and its songs are some of the most memorable. Grinch features Boris Karloff as narrator and in the title role as the miserly creature who is transformed by the true meaning of Christmas. The new CD includes Dr. Seuss' lyrics to "Trim Up The Tree," "Welcome Christmas," and "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," as well as all the dialogue from the show. Jones and Seuss followed the success of Grinch in 1969 with Horton Hears A Who. Horton tells the tale of an elephant who can hear beings too small to see. All the dialogue from the program is included on the CD, along with a new interview with Jones detailing the inside story of both shows. The CD will retail for US$11.98, and the cassette will retail for US$7.98.

Superman Battles Copyright. AnotherUniverse.com, a website devoted to comic books and science fiction, has reported that the widow and daughter of Jerry Siegel, co-creator with Joe Schuster of Superman, have filed papers with the U.S. Copyright Office which have the effect of returning 50% of the rights to the character of Superman to them. (The 50% that DC retains derives from the rights they obtained from Superman artist, Joe Schuster. Schuster has no immediate heirs who are entitled to file suit, so DC will apparently retain those rights until the Superman copyright expires.) The papers, filed on April 3, 1997, led to a reversion in April of this year. This came about because, according to AnotherUniverse.com, "In recognition of the weak bargaining positions authors have early in their careers, the Copyright Act provides for a termination of any grant of transfer of copyright. For grants of transfer of copyright made prior to January 1, 1978, termination may be effected at any time during a five year period which begins at the end of the 56 years from the date the copyright was originally secured. In the case of Superman, that period began in 1994 (1938 + 56 years). Also according to the statute, parties have to give a 2-year notice of the termination, which is why the papers were filed in 1997 with the Copyright Office." Neither DC nor the Siegel family have commented. Under current copyright law, the copyright to Superman will expire in 2033 at which time the character will enter the public domain. However, the copyright law has been changed in the past, and it's very possible it will be changed again.

McFarlane Toys' Yellow Submarine action figures. Courtesy of McFarlane Toys.

McFarlane Releases Yellow Submarine Action Figures. McFarlane Toys is releasing four dual-packed assortments of action figures based on characters in Yellow Submarine featuring The Beatles, John, Paul, George and Ringo. Each card comes with two figures and accessories. John comes with Jeremy, the Nowhere Man; Paul comes with Glove, one of the Blue Meanies instruments of evil; George comes with the Yellow Submarine; and Ringo comes with a Blue Meanie. The figures will be released in late September or early October, and retail for between US$8 and $11. A box set collecting all or some of the figures will also be offered, but details have not yet been finalized.

Kid Rhino Releases What To Do, Blue? And Goodnight Blue. Kid Rhino has released What To Do, Blue?, an audio tape and booklet set. On the tape, the cast of Nickelodeon's Blue's Clues, Steve, Blue and friends, are joined by Blue's Clues co-creator Angela Santomero who reads, What To Do, Blue? In the story Blue searches for something to do, while visiting her friends. The booklet allows listeners to read along with Santomero. What To Do, Blue? retails in the US for $7.98. Kid Rhino and Nickelodeon will also release Blue's Clues: Goodnight Blue on November 2, 1999. The album, the third audio release based on Blue's Clues, features newly recorded original music and stories. Starring Steve Burns, the popular live-action host and producer for Blue's Clues, Blue's Clues: Goodnight Blue takes listeners on a nighttime adventure that gently leads preschoolers to sleep and to have sweet, peaceful dreams. Like all Blue's Clues products, Goodnight Blue is designed for preschoolers to play along. The suggested retail price is US$13.98/CD and US$9.98/cassette.

US Post Office Issues Yellow Submarine Postage Stamp. The United States Post Office has issued a Yellow Submarine stamp with The Beatles which was illustrated by Robin Shepherd and Caleb Lawrence of Jacksonville, Florida-based The Robin Shepherd Group. The stamp was officially dedicated on September 17, 1999 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the package of fifteen stamps will be available soon at post offices across the country. The "Celebrate the Century" stamp series features fifteen stamps for each decade of the twentieth century. The final stamps were determined by vote. Each decade-specific ballot offered a total of 30 choices in five categories: People & Events, Arts & Entertainment, Sports, Science & Technology, and Lifestyle. The top two vote-getters in each category, along with the next five highest vote-getters overall, became the stamps for a total of fifteen stamps per decade. The 1960s packet features the following topics (listed in order of most votes received from the public): Man Walks on the Moon, Super Bowl I, Peace Symbol, "I Have a Dream," Green Bay Packers, The Beatles, Ford Mustang, The Vietnam War, Barbie Doll, Roger Maris, 61 in '61, The Integrated Circuit, Lasers, Woodstock, Star Trek, and The Peace Corps. For more information on stamps visit www.usps.com.