2. ICONIX

$6.5B (PUBLIC)
YEHUDA SHMIDMAN, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, +1.212.730.0030

Key sales drivers during 2008 included Iconix's direct-to-retail licenses, including 13 partnerships: 11 domestic and two international. These DTR partners include Walmart, Kohl's, Target, Sears Holdings and Lowe's. In addition, Iconix purchased the Waverly brand in 2008, expanding its home business and adding multiple DTR deals that included one for Mudd at Kohl's. Iconix's 17 brands are distributed throughout the retail spectrum. Of special note is its Walmart partnership, in which the licensor currently has three DTR brands: OP, Starter and Danskin, which are expected to drive sales growth in 2009 and beyond.

$6B (PUBLIC)
KAREN MCTIER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF DOMESTIC LICENSING AND WORLDWIDE MARKETING, +1.818.954.3008; JORDAN SOLLITTO, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF NEW BUSINESS INITIATIVES AND INTERNATIONAL LICENSING, +1.818.954.7807

WBCP was led in its 2008 sales charge by the DC Comics superhero Batman at the forefront, thanks to the theatrical release of The Dark Knight, which set a record-breaking opening weekend at the box office. The Dark Knight licensed product spanned multiple categories such as toys, kids' apparel, costumes, bedding and accessories and men's apparel and was sold at a variety of retailers including Kmart, which opened in-store boutiques and called itself the Official Batman Headquarters. Other licensing programs featured DC characters Wonder Woman and Supergirl, along with Looney Tunes, Harry Potter and Scooby-Doo. WBCP's program with Safeway includes Looney Tunes characters with the Eating Right Kids food and beverage line. A partnership with Diane von Furstenberg for a Wonder Woman-inspired collection launched in fall 2008. In 2009, WBCP will have several major events driving licensing, merchandising and retail business around the 70th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, the March debut of Watchmen and the sixth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, this summer. This spring, master toy licensee Mattel will launch a new line of toys supporting the new animated television series "Batman: The Brave and the Bold," airing on the Cartoon Network. In addition, WBCP will debut the museum exhibit for Harry Potter, and a theme park ride, in conjunction with Universal Orlando, is under development.

4. MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT

$5.7B (PUBLIC)
SANDRINE DE RASPIDE, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, MARVEL INTERNATIONAL, +44 (0) 20 7858 2004; PAUL GITTER, PRESIDENT OF CONSUMER PRODUCTS, NORTH AMERICA, +1.212.576.4026; SIMON PHILIPS, WORLDWIDE PRESIDENT, +44 (0) 20 7858 2014

The 2008 theatrical release of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk, and Marvel's classic brands Spider-Man and Marvel Heroes delivered solid growth for Marvel Entertainment. This year, key initiatives will focus on Marvel Super Hero Squad and X-Men Origins: Wolverine theatrical releases, Wolverine and the X-Men and Iron Man: Armored Adventures animation, and Marvel comics and Marvel juniors' apparel. The company's key retail partners include Carrefour, C&A, H&M, JCPenney, Kmart, Sears, Next, Target, Tesco and Walmart. Marvel is developing its licensing programs for upcoming theatrical releases: Iron Man 2 in 2010, Thor in 2011 and Captain America in 2011. It has signed a deal with Gazillion Entertainment for massive multi-player online games for computers and consoles across the Marvel universe.

5. Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products

$5.5B (PUBLIC)
LEIGH ANNE BRODSKY, PRESIDENT, +1.212.846.7066