Licensing Blog

Welcome to our Licensing Blog, which takes a light hearted look at our mysterious world.

Greetings from Mexico!(Posted: 05-09-2008)

Where do I start? Mexico is a great place to go once you get there. It took me 4 flights to eventually arrive 20 hours late, and my luggage arrived another 15 hours after that. Thanks United Airlines! The $100 travel voucher I’m bound to get sent in response to my complaint will really make all the difference.

During the day it’s fantastic – hot sunshine, plenty of historical things to see, very cheap taxis – although beware the VW Beetles with no front passenger seat, no rear seat belts and thus nothing between you and the windscreen whilst the maniac driver is hurtling from side to side through 5 lanes of traffic trying to practise his English on you – and very cheap food. The interior of the main post office has to be seen to be believed, and they really do have policemen on horseback wearing sombreros (OK, it was part of a parade).

One of the strangest sights I saw was a raised platform just off the famous Paseo de la Reforma with about 200 Mexicans dancing completely naked as part of some protest. Sad to say, as I was in a taxi I didn’t get a chance to take a picture to show you all.

At this time of year it’s the stormy season, so come 6pm it clouds over and, most evenings, an almighty thunder and lightening storm descends on the city bringing torrential rain and flooding all the underpasses, thus bringing much of the traffic to a halt. The rain was so bad one evening that I had to wait for it to stop before my walk to the restaurant!

The Monumento del Angel                                 Cri-Cri's home at the show

Oh those restaurants! My hotel was close to the famous Monumento del Angel and, also being close to the American Embassy, subsequently one of the safest areas in the city. Restaurants stretched for 150 yards either side of me – Argentinian steaks, cheap; Mexican fajitas, cheap; Italian pasta, cheap; beer, cheap; women, don’t know!

Although while on the subject, why do nearly all the Mexican business women wear trousers? I’m sure there were some lovely legs hidden away, and the sight of a well-turned ankle in a high heel is a boost for any man.

On the first morning of the show I felt like Wallace and Gromit in “The Wrong Trousers” as I struggled to get into the 5 year old suit trousers I had packed by mistake – one of the buttons didn’t make it back. The second Expo Licensing Latinoamerica was beautifully presented once again, with lots of local and international properties on show. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing Cri-Cri “El Grillo Cantor” (the singing cricket) become an international star in years to come. Also, the people working the costumed characters could certainly teach a thing or two to the staff at other shows – I have never seen such sustained enthusiasm from Woody Woodpecker and Snoopy (mind you, the previous year Snoopy “the builder” did a striptease at the Exim 25^th anniversary reception that almost beggared belief).

A thankfully uneventful trip back was capped off by finding that all the bottles of tequila in my cases had made it back in one piece, unlike last year.

Next time: the National Incentive Show – will I see any licensing, and what will the sausages be like at the bed-and-breakfast hotel I’ve booked?