Good Grief Charlie Brown: Peanuts To Sell For $175 Million

You’ve been sold, Charlie Brown.

E.W. Scripps Co. is going to sell the licensing rights for Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang to Iconix Brand Group Inc.  This is the same company that owns such brands as Joe Boxer and London Fog.

The family of Charles Schulz, the Peanuts creator, will also own part of the franchise, giving family members a bit more control (and money) from the comic strip.

Many family members say the new deal is what Schulz would have wanted.  He worked for years to re-obtain the rights to his work, while many others “sold out” in order to appear in print.

Scripps plans to sell its entire licensing unit, which consists of such popular favorite as Dilbert and Raggedy Ann and Andy, to Iconix for $175 million. Most of the money generated by United Media Licensing, however, comes from the Peanuts franchise.

Related articles by Zemanta

• ‘Peanuts’ rights sold to Iconix, Schulz family (bendbulletin.com)
• Snoopy, Charlie Brown et al get a new owner (msnbc.msn.com)
• Peanuts licensing rights sold; family gets deal (sfgate.com)
• Good grief: Peanuts gang rights sold for $175 million (money.cnn.com)