BIG JOB FOR MOVIE CHARACTERS CAN HARRY, SULLEY SAVE TOY INDUSTRY?

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

You don't have to be a retail wizard to see it's going to be a monster of a year for toys.

Led by ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' and ``Monsters, Inc.'' merchandise, toy industry watchers are predicting that kids' gizmos could be a key component to the stunted retail sector's recovery. With consumer confidence slow to rebound after Sept. 11, the licensed products may have hit stores at just the right time to fuel the holiday rush.

``People aren't motivated yet. They're looking for something to bring back the fun, and these products might be the ones that do it,'' said Diane Cardinale, public information manager for the trade group Toy Industry Association. ``I've seen good reviews for 'Monsters, Inc.' so far, and the success of the toys is always tied to the success of the movie. It looks like those two will be popular movies, so we anticipate the toys to do well also.''

Though 'Potter' merchandise has been on the market for quite sometime, tying in with J.K. Rowling's enormously popular book series, it has been particularly hot in recent weeks. According to Jim Silver, publisher of several toy-interest magazines, Harry's trip to Hollywood is the prime driver of sales.

`` `Harry Potter' sales were actually mediocre in the first part of the year, but they really kicked in three weeks ago,'' Silver said. ``Once the trailer got into theaters, TV started getting interested and magazines started putting Harry on the cover, that's when it really got going.''

Though he predicts new game consoles from Nintendo and Microsoft will be the season's top sellers, Silver figures Harry's alma mater is looking to be a hot seller.

``If there's one particular item that's going to be huge, it's the Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle,'' he said. ``The combination of the Lego brand and the Harry Potter name is very attractive for kids.''

As was the case with its Pixar predecessors in the ``Toy Story'' series, ``Monsters, Inc.'' lends itself well to licensed products - especially the fuzzy hero James P. ``Sulley'' Sullivan, who has led sales thus far according to Silver's reports.

``All along, we've believed that the ``Monsters, Inc.'' film lends itself better to toys,'' said John Reilly, spokesman for giant toy retailer KayBee Toys. ``For the past couple of seasons, licensed products haven't been doing as well, but enough people are aware of the movie and what the characters stand for. The items are very cute and there's significant play value in them.''

For Calabasas-based video game developer THQ, this spells good news. Its Disney/Pixar's Monsters, Inc. for both Game Boy Advance and Game Boy Color  began shipping last week, and the company is optimistic that the titles will be strong sellers.

``All our titles with them are always very popular with kids, whether it's through the movie or how the games look,'' said Kevin Hooper, THQ's product manager for the title. ``Kids like to be able to play something with easily recognizable characters.''

And though sources were reluctant to put a hard number on sales so far, all predicted very good things indeed for Harry and Sulley - the leaders of the toy rally.

``We don't disclose numbers, but I'm sure the studios and toymakers are expecting very healthy business from this,'' TIA's Cardinale said. ``This is the biggest time of year for the toy industry, where 53 percent of our business is crammed into the last six weeks.''

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(color) One-eyed Mike, furry Sulley and toddler Boo are already on the shelves in the toy department at Target in Woodland Hills. Industry experts say the licensed toys from ``Monsters, Inc.'' and ``Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'' will be hot items that may boost stores' so-far lagging sales.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer