Allstar Looks To Capitalize On A Blazing Hot And Undead Consumer Product Category

POINTE-CLAIRE, QC, Canada -- It's been described as Alice in Wonderland meets The Walking Dead, but not too, too scary. Once Upon A Zombie is a kid-friendly horror brand inspired by the book of the same name. The novel features famous fairytale heroines for young readers whose literary predilections lean toward the darker side.

Always on the outlook for the latest children's pop-culture trends, Allstar Vending is now offering a line of stickers, tattoos and capsuled toys based on the up-and-coming property. Allstar acquired a license in May appointing it the official distributor of Once Upon A Zombie products for the vending channel in North America and the UK.

Once Upon A Zombie Book One: The Color of Fear was written by Billy Phillips and Jenny Nissenson. Phillips has ghostwritten 13 bestselling nonfiction books, some selling more than a million copies. However, this is his debut novel. Nissenson has written for Nickelodeon. Both writers, who are also producers and entertainers, live in California.

In their story, a secret curse has been cast upon the fantasy world of six princesses, turning them into supernatural zombies. The zombie princesses are Belle, Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. Other featured evergreen characters include Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. Their kingdoms -- Wonderland, Neverland and the Enchanted Forest -- are decaying into wastelands, and it's up to Caitlin Rose Fletcher to find a way to prevent the zombification of the entire universe.

Consumer product companies around the world are capitalizing on the blazing hot category of zombies. And the popular children's zombie thriller is expected to turn into a merchandising sensation, from dolls and flat merchandise to apparel and apps. Although the property has only been on the market for a year, Allstar chief executive Myrna Dorfman expects Once Upon A Zombie to be one of her company's best-selling licensed products. Allstar's first toy adaptation is a string dolls series for 2" capsules; the recommended vend price is 75¢ to $1. Stickers and tattoos are suitable for 50¢ vends. There are six characters in each vending format.

Dorfman founded her company in 1989 as Allstar Distributing, which sold trading card vending machines. Allstar added sticker venders to its equipment line, which created an opportunity to develop and sell machine content. The company quickly established itself as a leading flat merchandise supplier, and later got involved in capsuled merchandise for bulk vending. It's had several blockbuster vending licenses in recent years, including Despicable Me, and the franchise's Minions extension, along with Trash Pack, Cut The Rope, Angry Birds and Duck Dynasty, among others. Allstar reportedly shipped millions of Minions units. Its first vendable, released in the second quarter, was a dangler, which sold out. Its second product was a mini capsule -- sporting blue and yellow Minion colors -- loaded with three stickers. It's now selling Minion bracelets and 3D danglers.

Allstar Vending is headquartered in Pointe Claire, QC, an island suburb of Montreal. It also has a U.S. office, which is located in in Champlain, NY.

DORFMAN MEETS ROMERO:The zombie apocalypse concept, a staple of modern popular art, is coming to bulk vending. Allstar's new capsule content is a collectable set of six Once Upon A Zombie string dolls.