Panini Group
Encyclopedia
Panini Group is a company headquartered in Modena
, Italy
, named after the Panini brothers who founded it in 1961. The company produces books, comics, magazines, stickers, trading cards and other items through its collectibles and publishing subsidiaries. Panini distributes its own products, and products of third party providers. Panini maintains a Licensing Division to buy and resell licenses and provide Agency
for individuals and newspapers seeking to purchase rights and comic licenses, respectively. Through Panini Digital the company uses voice-activated software to capture soccer statistics, which is then sold to agents, teams, media outlets and video game manufactures. New Media operates Panini's on-line applications, and generates income through content and data sales.
company was unable to sell. The brothers bought the collection, and sold them in packets of two for ten lire each. They sold three million packets. Having had success with the figurines Giuseppe founded Panini in 1961 to manufacture and sell his own figurines. Benito joined Panini the same year. Panini sold 15 million packets of figurines in 1961. 29 million units were sold the following year, and brothers Franco and Umberto Panini joined the company in 1963.
It became famous in the 1960s for its football (soccer)
collections, which soon became objects of wide interest and are now considered a juvenile cultural phenomenon of the following decades. Rare stickers (figurine) can reach very high prices on the collectors' market. Some popular games were invented which used stickers as playing cards. The slogan "Stick with Panini" could once be heard in a jingle following the television advertisements that Panini aired during children's programming.
In 1970 Panini began publishing “L’Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio Italiano” (The Illustrated Guide to Italian Football (soccer)), after purchasing the rights from publishing house Carcano. Panini also published its first Football World Cup sticker album for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico
, in addition to using multilingual captions and selling stickers outside of Italy for the first time. Another first for Panini, in the early 1970s, was introducing self-adhesive stickers; as opposed to using glue.
In 1986 Panini created a museum of figurines which they donated to the city of Modena in 1992, before selling the company to Marvel.
May 24 2006, Panini partnered with The Coca-Cola
Company and Tokenzone to produce the first ever Virtual Sticker Album for the FIFA World Cup
. The album was viewable in at least 10 different languages, such as Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
In January 2009, Panini acquired an exclusive license to produce NBA trading cards and stickers effective with the 2009-10 NBA season.
On March 13, 2009, Panini acquired the Texas-based trading card manufacturer Donruss Playoff LP
. With it, Panini inherited Donruss
' NFL and NFLPA licenses.
March 26 2010, Panini acquired a license from the NHL and NHL Players Association
. The 2010-11 hockey season will be the first in five years more than one company (Upper Deck) has produced hockey cards.
The classic stickers today are complemented by collectible card game Adrenalyn XL
.
In 2010, Panini acquired a license to create an official sticker collection for the Olympic
and Paralympic
Games in London 2012.
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, named after the Panini brothers who founded it in 1961. The company produces books, comics, magazines, stickers, trading cards and other items through its collectibles and publishing subsidiaries. Panini distributes its own products, and products of third party providers. Panini maintains a Licensing Division to buy and resell licenses and provide Agency
Agency (law)
The law of agency is an area of commercial law dealing with a contractual or quasi-contractual, or non-contractual set of relationships when a person, called the agent, is authorized to act on behalf of another to create a legal relationship with a third party...
for individuals and newspapers seeking to purchase rights and comic licenses, respectively. Through Panini Digital the company uses voice-activated software to capture soccer statistics, which is then sold to agents, teams, media outlets and video game manufactures. New Media operates Panini's on-line applications, and generates income through content and data sales.
History
Benito and Giuseppe Panini were operating a newspaper distribution office in Modena, Italy during 1960, when they found a collection of figurines (stickers attached with glue) that a MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
company was unable to sell. The brothers bought the collection, and sold them in packets of two for ten lire each. They sold three million packets. Having had success with the figurines Giuseppe founded Panini in 1961 to manufacture and sell his own figurines. Benito joined Panini the same year. Panini sold 15 million packets of figurines in 1961. 29 million units were sold the following year, and brothers Franco and Umberto Panini joined the company in 1963.
It became famous in the 1960s for its football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
collections, which soon became objects of wide interest and are now considered a juvenile cultural phenomenon of the following decades. Rare stickers (figurine) can reach very high prices on the collectors' market. Some popular games were invented which used stickers as playing cards. The slogan "Stick with Panini" could once be heard in a jingle following the television advertisements that Panini aired during children's programming.
In 1970 Panini began publishing “L’Almanacco Illustrato del Calcio Italiano” (The Illustrated Guide to Italian Football (soccer)), after purchasing the rights from publishing house Carcano. Panini also published its first Football World Cup sticker album for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, in addition to using multilingual captions and selling stickers outside of Italy for the first time. Another first for Panini, in the early 1970s, was introducing self-adhesive stickers; as opposed to using glue.
In 1986 Panini created a museum of figurines which they donated to the city of Modena in 1992, before selling the company to Marvel.
May 24 2006, Panini partnered with The Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
Company and Tokenzone to produce the first ever Virtual Sticker Album for the FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
. The album was viewable in at least 10 different languages, such as Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.
In January 2009, Panini acquired an exclusive license to produce NBA trading cards and stickers effective with the 2009-10 NBA season.
On March 13, 2009, Panini acquired the Texas-based trading card manufacturer Donruss Playoff LP
Donruss
Donruss, currently known as Panini America and owned by Panini Group, manufactures sports cards. The company started in the 1950s, producing confectionery, evolved into Donruss and started producing trading cards. During the 1960s and 1970s Donruss produced entertainment-themed trading cards...
. With it, Panini inherited Donruss
Donruss
Donruss, currently known as Panini America and owned by Panini Group, manufactures sports cards. The company started in the 1950s, producing confectionery, evolved into Donruss and started producing trading cards. During the 1960s and 1970s Donruss produced entertainment-themed trading cards...
' NFL and NFLPA licenses.
March 26 2010, Panini acquired a license from the NHL and NHL Players Association
NHL Players Association
The National Hockey League Players' Association or NHLPA is the labor union for the group of professional hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the thirty member clubs in the National Hockey League located in the United States and Canada...
. The 2010-11 hockey season will be the first in five years more than one company (Upper Deck) has produced hockey cards.
The classic stickers today are complemented by collectible card game Adrenalyn XL
Adrenalyn XL
Adrenalyn XL are a football trading card game produced by Panini . In 2010 they featured 22 of the 32 FIFA World Cup 2010 teams. The England layers show only the player's heads and say England Superstar on them. There are 18 England Cards and they have 3 Champions Cards. There are 350 Cards...
.
In 2010, Panini acquired a license to create an official sticker collection for the Olympic
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
and Paralympic
2012 Summer Paralympics
The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012. The Games will be held in London, United Kingdom after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games.Even though 2012 will be London's...
Games in London 2012.