The Licensing Letter has released its annual list of the top entertainment/character licenses for 2015 (based on estimated retail sales in the U.S./Canada), and there are lots of geek properties among the top ranks.  Star Wars is #2, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the highest-ranked property based on a comic, was #6. 

Three properties (Mickey and Friends, Star Wars, and Disney Princess) generated over $1 billion in sales in the U.S./Canada. 

The top superhero properties fell out of the top ten, but in response to an ICv2 question, a Licensing Letter spokesperson told us that the next three properties were all superheroes, with another coming in at #16.  Batman is the top superhero property, followed in order by Spider-Man, Avengers, and Superman.

Here are the top ten entertainment/character licenses for 2015:

  1. Mickey and Friends (Disney)
  2. Star Wars (Disney)
  3. Hello Kitty (Sanrio)
  4. Frozen (Disney)
  5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon)
  6. Winnie the Pooh (Disney)
  7. WWE (WWE)
  8. Despicable Me/Minions (Universal)
  9. Sesame Street (Sesame Workshop)

And the top superhero properties, with their positon on the chart, are:

  • #11.  Batman (DC Comics)
  • #12.  Spider-Man (Marvel)
  • #13.  Avengers (Marvel)
  • #16.  Superman (DC Comics)