Case Study · Consumer Products · Creative Depth · 2009–2019
What the Revenue Number
Doesn't Show.
The licensing engine generated £1M in DTC revenue. Behind that number is a decade of creative work that most studios commission externally — designed, built, and quality-assured in-house, across every product category from board games to footwear to published art books.
5
Nike Dunk collaborations
— one per production
6
Interactive games developed across the slate
10+
Little Brown publishing titles across four films
4
Major QSR partnerships including McDonald's, Burger King, Carl's Jr
Revenue is an outcome. It tells you the programme worked commercially. What it doesn't tell you is why — which is where the creative depth sits. A licensing programme that reaches £1M in three years starting from zero isn't built on deal-making alone. It's built on the quality of the products, and the quality of the products is built on the creative infrastructure behind them.
Often studios at LAIKA's scale commission that creative infrastructure externally. The product designs go to specialist agencies. The packaging goes to a studio. The game design goes to the licensee. At LAIKA, the internal creative team was capable of doing all of it — and in many cases did, from the design of individual game pieces to the layout of published art books.
01
Coraline Monopoly — Game Design from the Inside
The Coraline Monopoly game is well documented as a product — it was published by USAopoly in 2019 to mark Coraline's 10th anniversary and became a collector's item. What is less visible is how much of the game's design originated inside LAIKA rather than with the publisher.
The six custom pewter game pieces — the Key, the Dowsing Rod, the Button, the Bat Dog, the Hair Pin, and the Looking Stone — were designed as 3D assets using LAIKA's in-house 3D printers before being sent to manufacture. Each piece required translating a meaningful object from Coraline's world into a form that worked at game-piece scale and retained the visual identity of the film. The game board's dual-world structure — Real World and Other World replacing the standard Monopoly geography — was developed internally, mapping the film's narrative logic onto Monopoly's mechanics. The chance and community chest cards were renamed Real World and Other World cards. Circus Tents replaced houses. Pink Palaces replaced hotels. The box design and all its visual language was produced in-house.
Image — CORAline monopoly
Six custom pewter tokens — Key, Dowsing Rod, Button, Bat Dog, Hair Pin, Looking Stone — each translated from Coraline's world into game-piece scale using LAIKA's in-house 3D printer department. ©LAIKA LLC / USAopoly
External Verification — USAopoly / PRNewswire
"To mark the 10th anniversary of the film's premiere, USAopoly will release a Coraline-themed Monopoly game, a 1000-piece puzzle and playing cards this spring. 'We have had the pleasure to work with some outstanding companies over the years to convert movies, television series and characters into new tabletop experiences for fans to enjoy, and we are thrilled to be adding the beloved and critically-acclaimed Coraline to our catalog,' added Maggie Matthews, Senior Vice President of Licensing at USAopoly."
02
Nike — Five Productions, Five Collaborations
The Nike partnership with LAIKA began with Coraline in 2009 and continued through every subsequent production — ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, and Missing Link. Five films, five limited-edition Nike collaborations, each shoe designed to reflect the specific visual world of its film. The Coraline Dunk features a hand-sewn visible seam on the upper and a glow-in-the-dark sole. The ParaNorman Foamposite One features green smoke over a black upper with a glow-in-the-dark sole — "weird kicks for weird kids." The Boxtrolls Roshe Run features distressed leather, a cobblestone-printed midsole, iridescent sewer-green heel panels, and steampunk lace locks. Each became a collector's item.
The Kubo XV was the most significant. For Kubo and the Two Strings, Nike, LAIKA, and Focus Features worked with legendary Nike designer and Vice President for Design Tinker Hatfield to rework the Air Jordan XV — historically one of the least popular Air Jordans — into something new. Hatfield removed the original tongue, replaced it with a zip-up upper, and designed the shoe in mismatched colourways — one blue, one red — to reflect the film's good-versus-evil storyline. Over 300 pairs were produced and released exclusively through a series of competitions, live events, and the film's official website game. The collaboration was unveiled through a Complex-exclusive interview with Hatfield and covered by Nike SNKRS, Collider, AWN, and specialist sneaker publications worldwide.
Image — The laika dunks
Five Nike limited-edition collaborations across five consecutive productions. Each shoe was designed to reflect the specific visual world of its film. The Kubo XV, designed with Tinker Hatfield, became the most culturally significant of the series. ©LAIKA LLC / Nike
External Verification — Complex / Tinker Hatfield
"For the release of Kubo and the Two Strings, Nike, Laika, and Focus Features have connected to rework the Air Jordan XV... The Kubo XV follows in the footsteps of specially designed sneakers for each of the three previous LAIKA movies: Coraline, The Boxtrolls, and ParaNorman. Mr. Hatfield designed shoes inspired by the films; the latter proved to be a particularly popular shoe, and each new issue has become a collector's item."
External Verification — Collider
"In partnership with LAIKA, Tinker Hatfield, Vice President for Design and Special Projects and NIKE have created a limited-edition NIKE shoe to celebrate each of LAIKA's animated features. All four shoes will be on display at The LAIKA Experience."
Video — Tinker Talks · Kubo and the Two Strings and the Kubo XV
Five Nike limited-edition collaborations across five consecutive productions. Each shoe was designed to reflect the specific visual world of its film. The Kubo XV, designed with Tinker Hatfield, became the most culturally significant of the series. ©LAIKA LLC / Nike
5
Five consecutive Nike limited-edition collaborations across five LAIKA productions — a sustained creative partnership with one of the world's most culturally significant footwear brands, each designed to reflect the specific visual world of its film.
03
Publishing — Little Brown and the Art Books
The publishing programme across LAIKA's productions covered two distinct categories: the Little Brown tie-in books produced for each film, and the Chronicle Art Books designed in-house at the directors' request.
Little Brown Tie-In Programme
Little Brown — Hachette's children's imprint — produced a full publishing programme across The Boxtrolls, Kubo and the Two Strings, ParaNorman, and Missing Link. The Boxtrolls programme alone included five titles spanning multiple formats: a level reader (Meet the Boxtrolls), a storybook (The Stinkiest Cheese in Cheesbridge), an activity book, a movie storybook hardcover, and a novel. Each title required coordinating with the publisher on story adaptation, character consistency, and visual asset provision — ensuring the books reflected the films accurately rather than diverging from the studio's aesthetic standards.
Chronicle Art Books
The Art of Missing Link and The Art of Kubo and the Two Strings were both designed and laid out by LAIKA's in-house creative team. In both cases, the film directors wanted the books to reflect the same visual standard as the films — which required the institutional knowledge and the access to production assets that lived inside the studio. Working alongside the publisher, the internal team took design responsibility for both volumes. The contribution is acknowledged in the credits of all four LAIKA Chronicle Art Books.
04
Interactive Games — Six Titles Across the Slate
Six interactive digital products were developed across LAIKA's productions, each extending the film's visual world into a new medium without departing from the aesthetic standard set by the production.
iOS · Android
Kubo: A Samurai Quest
Full mobile puzzle RPG published in partnership with Focus Features and Fifth Journey. The game's origami aesthetic extended Kubo's visual world directly into gameplay.
Mobile · Web
Kubo: Street Showdown
Released for Promotion of the movie release, with the origami aesthetic fully realised in 3D gameplay environments.
Mobile
ParaNorman: 2 Bit Bub
Mobile action puzzler set within ParaNorman's world — production quality well above typical promotional game standards.
Interactive
The Boxtrolls: Build Your Own Boxtroll
Interactive branded experience allowing users to customise their own Boxtroll character, extending the film's modular design logic into audience participation.
Mobile
The Boxtrolls: Slide and Sneak
Side-scrolling platform game art directed to match the film's specific visual aesthetic and steampunk character design.
Mobile · Web
Kubo: The Moonbeast Brawl
Released in conjunction with the Nike Kubo XV competition — top scorers won a pair of the limited-edition shoes. Tied interactive entertainment directly to consumer product distribution.
Video — Kubo: A Samurai Quest · Official Mobile Game Trailer
Official trailer for Kubo: A Samurai Quest — iOS and Android, developed in partnership with Focus Features and Fifth Journey. Published on the LAIKA Studios YouTube channel, August 2016. The game's origami aesthetic extends the film's visual world directly into gameplay across both mobile and tablet. ©LAIKA LLC / Focus Features / Fifth Journey
05
Food, Beverage and QSR Partnerships
The consumer products programme extended well beyond collectibles and apparel. Major quick-service restaurant partnerships were secured across multiple productions — McDonald's and Carl's Jr for The Boxtrolls, Burger King for Kubo and the Two Strings — alongside food and beverage collaborations with Sun Maid, Kernels popcorn, Aussie Apples, Great Day, and Langer's. Each partnership required coordinating licensed character artwork, promotional packaging design, and brand consistency across a category with very different production and approval timelines to collectibles.
The Salt & Straw collaboration for Coraline's SDCC return was a different kind of partnership — two custom ice cream flavours (Coraline Flavor and Pink Palace Flavor) produced exclusively for San Diego Comic-Con, with branded packaging designed in-house. Salt & Straw is one of Portland's most recognised food brands, with a dedicated following that treats limited seasonal flavours as cultural events. A Coraline collaboration was a genuine creative fit rather than a standard licensing deal, and the product sold out at the event.
Image — coraline ice cream
Coraline Flavor and Pink Palace Flavor — two custom Salt & Straw ice cream products produced exclusively for San Diego Comic-Con. Branded packaging designed in-house. ©LAIKA LLC / Salt & Straw
05
The Long Game — Partners Who Stayed Across the Slate
The partnerships in the earlier chapters of this case study are largely production-specific — a Nike shoe designed for a particular film, a Monopoly game timed to Coraline's anniversary, a Salt & Straw flavour produced for a single SDCC. Each is a discrete collaboration with a defined moment. This chapter is about something different: the partners who committed to LAIKA as a studio across the full slate, building product lines that grew and deepened over multiple films and years.
That kind of sustained commitment is a different order of validation. It means a partner looked at what LAIKA was building over time and decided the IP was worth growing with — not just for one film, but as a long-term creative and commercial relationship. Each of the partners below is, in their own category, the one that discerning fans trust most. Their willingness to build ongoing lines rather than one-off collaborations signals something the revenue figures alone don't show: that the LAIKA IP had genuine cultural longevity, not just momentary commercial appeal.
Funko
Funko's Pop! vinyl figures are one of the most significant forces in modern fan collectibles — ubiquitous, immediately recognisable, and present across virtually every major entertainment IP. But Funko is also selective about which properties they develop into full ranges rather than single releases. The LAIKA Funko programme began with the earliest proof-of-concept products at SDCC and grew across productions — Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, Kubo, Missing Link — building a range that reflected the breadth of the studio's catalogue. The figures were among the first products that demonstrated fans would pay for LAIKA-branded collectibles, and they remained a consistent anchor of the product line throughout.
Loungefly
Loungefly occupies a specific and significant cultural position: premium licensed accessories — bags, backpacks, wallets — whose collaborations are treated by their fanbase as fashion collector items in their own right. Loungefly releases are photographed, catalogued, and traded with the same intensity that sneaker collectors apply to Nike drops. Getting a Loungefly collaboration requires the IP to have genuine lifestyle and aesthetic resonance — their audience is sophisticated about design quality and brand fit in a way that general merchandise buyers are not. A sustained LAIKA Loungefly line across productions meant the studio's visual world had earned a place in the fashion-adjacent collector space, not just the entertainment merchandise market.
Mondo
Mondo's limited-edition art prints are among the most respected objects in fan culture — treated as serious art rather than promotional merchandise, released in numbered editions, and traded on secondary markets at significant premiums. A Mondo collaboration is selectively awarded and impossible to buy with a licensing fee alone — the IP has to be something Mondo's curatorial team genuinely wants to engage with. Producing poster series across all five LAIKA productions, sustained over a decade, represents a rare kind of long-term creative relationship that speaks directly to the quality and cultural significance of the films themselves.
Hot Topic
Hot Topic is the primary specialist retailer for fan and pop culture merchandise in the US, with a highly curated buying operation that serves exactly the audience LAIKA's films spoke to. Being carried at Hot Topic across the LAIKA catalogue — consistently, across multiple productions — meant the products met their specific aesthetic and commercial criteria and resonated with their customer base over time. Unlike a general retailer where licensing deals are primarily commercial, placement at Hot Topic carries a cultural signal: this IP belongs in the conversation their customers are having.
"Individual partnerships prove a moment. Sustained retail and collectibles relationships across multiple films and years prove something more durable — that the IP had genuine longevity, and that the creative standard behind it was real enough to build on."
"Every product had to be an extension of the film's hand-crafted soul. Not a commercial derivative of it. That standard is what made the programme worth building — and what made it possible to attract partners like Nike, Mondo, and Salt & Straw who cared about the same thing."
What This demonstrates
Game design from concept to manufacture — including 3D-printed custom game piece design, dual-world board structure development, renamed gameplay mechanics, and in-house box design for the Coraline Monopoly
Sustained brand partnership management — five consecutive Nike limited-edition collaborations, each requiring deep creative coordination with one of the world's most design-conscious brands
Multi-format publishing programme — coordinating Little Brown tie-in titles across four productions and five formats, plus in-house art direction of Chronicle Art Books at the film directors' request
Interactive product development — six games across multiple platforms, each developed with concept and design involvement ensuring aesthetic consistency with the production
Category breadth — QSR partnerships, food and beverage collaborations, limited-edition art prints, interactive digital experiences, footwear, board games, publishing — all managed simultaneously with consistent brand integrity
Sustained multi-production retail relationships — Funko, Loungefly, Mondo, and Hot Topic each committed to LAIKA across the full studio slate, building product lines that grew over multiple films and years rather than single-production deals — the clearest external signal that the IP had genuine cultural longevity
Creative infrastructure as commercial advantage — the internal creative capability to design, review, and approve products in-house made it possible to attract and retain partners who required a higher creative standard than standard licensing deals could deliver
Press & Verification
PRNewswire — Coraline Monopoly
Amazon — Coraline Monopoly
Complex — Nike × LAIKA
Nike SNKRS — Kubo XV
Collider — LAIKA × Nike
Hot Topic — Coraline
App Store — Kubo Games
AWN — LAIKA × Nike
The Numbers
5
Nike collaborations across five productions
6
Interactive games developed
10+
Little Brown publishing titles
5
Mondo poster series — one per film