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本周三，沃特·迪斯尼公司透露，小熊维尼目前正处于“转型”时期，因为迪斯尼公司对旗下的第二大连锁店寄予厚望，想在210亿美元的学龄前市场上抢得一块更大的蛋糕。
为了纪念小熊维尼诞辰80周年，迪斯尼目前正在筹划2006年的全年营销活动，并准备借此机会推出除动物森林、儿童玩具、服装和家居用品外的其他“小熊维尼” 系列产品。
“小熊维尼”连锁店的全球总监普雷斯顿·凯文·刘易斯说，这只又矮又胖的黄色小熊将以更鲜艳的形象出现在大家面前，迪斯尼公司将会抓住小熊维尼在“冒险经历”中的闪光点大做文章，以吸引喜爱冒险的学龄前儿童。《小熊维尼》是作家A·A·米尔恩1926创作出版的。
刘易斯说，“信任、友谊和快乐--这是维尼熊永远不会失去的东西，它要改变的只是我们对它的看法。”
迪斯尼公司目前仍被一宗长达14年的洛杉矶诉讼案困扰，米尔恩经纪公司的继承人上诉称迪斯尼欠他们数百万美元的版税。
去年，此案被法院驳回，迪斯尼公司取得暂时的胜利。但是公司警告投资者，如果最终输了官司，公司会陷入泥潭，因为要支付几百万美元的赔偿金。
据市场调查在线的分部Packaged Facts提供的12月份报告，婴儿、学步儿童、学龄前儿童的玩具销售业绩比整个玩具市场表现得出色。
报告上说，“造成整个玩具市场不景气的最主要原因是，孩子们有很多其他的娱乐方式可选择，尤其是电视节目和视频游戏，但可喜的是，婴儿、学步儿童和学龄前儿童的人数在长期内呈不断上升趋势，而且这种趋势是不可阻挡的，将一直持续下去…”
小熊维尼和他的“百亩树林”里的小伙伴们在2004年为公司创造了53亿美元的零售额，在迪斯尼家族中的“贡献”仅次于米老鼠。销售收入中也包括迪斯尼公司通过"专利使用权转让协定"得到的一部分收入。
EPM Communications的分析师马丁·布洛克斯坦说，不断扩大的学龄前市场是最具竞争力的市场之一，迪斯尼公司如果想让零售商对小熊维尼系列产品青睐有加，唯一的途径就是增强自身的竞争力。
布洛克斯坦说，“小熊维尼还是有竞争资本的，因为它是一个传统品牌。关键问题在于，营销者要重视它，并且对这个品牌投入足够的精力，只有这样，零售商们才会对小熊维尼‘情有独钟’”。
Winnie the Pooh is getting a makeover as the Walt Disney Co presses its second-largest franchise into play for a larger share of the $21 billion preschool market, the company said on Wednesday.
Disney is readying a yearlong marketing push in 2006 to commemorate and capitalize on the 80th anniversary of the publication of "Winnie-the-Pooh" and expand the brand beyond The Forest and infant toys, clothing and furniture.
The tubby yellow bear will appear in brighter colors and Disney will emphasize the active side of Pooh's adventures as described in A.A. Milne's 1926 book to appeal to activity loving preschoolers, said Preston Kevin Lewis, global director of the Winnie the Pooh franchise.
"Trust, friendship and happiness -- Pooh doesn't lose any of those things, it just changes how we talk about him," Lewis said.
Disney is still battling an appeal of a 14-year-old Los Angeles lawsuit by heirs of Milne's agent, who claim they are owed millions in royalties.
The company won a dismissal of the lawsuit last year but had warned investors that it could be on the hook for "hundreds of millions" of dollars if it eventually loses the case.
In its December report on the U.S. market for infant, toddler and preschool toys, Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, said the sector has outperformed the general toy market.
"The single greatest reason for the overall toy market's decline has been that kids now have access to many other amusements, especially video and videogames," the report said.
"The good news is that the infant/toddler/preschooler population will trend higher in the long term, unstoppable, forever and ever and ever..."
Pooh and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood generated $5.3 billion in retail sales in 2004 -- topped only by Mickey Mouse among the Disney stable. Disney gets a portion of those revenues through its licensing agreements.
Martin Brochstein, an analyst for EPM Communications, said the growing preschool market is one of the most competitive and Disney will by competitive only if it convinces retailers to feature the Pooh products prominently.
"Pooh has a wonderful thing going for it in that it is a heritage brand. It's just a matter of them as marketers making it important enough so that retailers will commit to it," Brochstein said.
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