Chinese film company DMG Entertainment has struck a deal with brand-development firm Authentic Brands Group LLC, for the rights to Mini Marilyn, a cartoon version of the iconic American actress.
The two companies plan to develop the character for film, merchandise and in forthcoming retail and entertainment projects, revealed DMG chief exec & co-founder Dan Mintz.
The companies are betting that Mini Marilyn, a cutesy cartoon version of her blonde bombshell image, will strike a chord with the Chinese audiences the way that characters like Hello Kitty and Mickey Mouse have.
While Marilyn Monroe isn’t a household name in China, Mintz reasoned that most Chinese consumers know ‘Meng Lu’, which happens to be Monroe’s Chinese name, and are familiar with the image of her holding down her white dress in the film The Seven Year Itch.
China has been a sought after country to invest in animation infrastructure for long even as DreamWorks Animation is spending close to $350 million to build a studio in Shanghai to capitalise on the success of its Kung Fu Panda franchise in the Chinese film market. Walt Disney, which a decade ago opened a theme park in the Chinese city of Hong Kong, is also set to open a $5 billion Disneyland in Shanghai in the first half of 2016.