The Power of Peanuts: Why Peanuts Is Worth $1.1 Billion (And What That Teaches About Evergreen IP)

Sony’s $450M acquisition of Peanuts shocked a lot of people — but for those who understand licensing, the $1.1B valuation makes perfect sense.

In this episode of Born to License, David Born breaks down why Peanuts is worth over a billion dollars, what that valuation really means inside the licensing industry, and how evergreen IP is built, protected, and monetized at scale.

Using real-world examples — from Snoopy T-shirts to small businesses like Plum Deluxe — this episode pulls back the curtain on licensing approvals, brand protection, and why the systems behind billion-dollar IP exist for a reason.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Sony’s Peanuts acquisition validates the power of evergreen IP
• What a $1.1B valuation actually means operationally in licensing
• How Peanuts generates $3.2B in retail sales across 1,200+ licenses
• Why licensing approvals take time — and why that’s a good thing
• How small brands can successfully license billion-dollar IP
• Why Peanuts continues to resonate with Gen Z without blockbuster films

This episode is essential listening for anyone curious about brand equity, licensing strategy, IP protection, or how iconic brands like Peanuts stay culturally relevant for over 75 years.

🎧 Next episode: David shares his movie predictions for 2026 — and which theatrical releases will (and won’t) drive licensed product sales.

🎙 Born to License – Hosted by David Born

🔹 Sign up for Learn to License 

🔹 Learn More about Born to License

🔹 Learn More about Born Licensing

🔹 Follow David on LinkedIn

🔹 Follow David on Instagram

🔹 Check out thedavidborn.com

🔹 Join the Licensing Conversation: #BornToLicense #LicensingIndustry #BrandPartnerships #LearntoLicense

👉 Have a question about licensing? Send it in for our upcoming Q&A episode!

📩 Contact: hello@borntolicense.com

🎧 Subscribe & Follow for new episodes on licensing and the business of IP!

Transcript

A few weeks ago, I posted on LinkedIn about Sony's acquisition of Peanuts, how they paid $450 million for a 41% stake, valuing the entire franchise at $1.1 billion. The response was incredible. Hundreds of engagements, almost 10,000 impressions. People had strong opinions, and what struck me most was that the majority of those commenting agreed that protecting IP is important. They understood why brand protection matters. They got it. But what I realized was that while people understand the concept of IP protection, most people don't really understand what that looks like operationally. What does a $1.1 billion valuation actually mean for how licensing works day to day? So, to everyone who's engaged with the post, thank you. You've directly shaped today's episode. This is exactly how I decide what topics matter to you. 

 Today, I'm breaking down what a $1.1 billion valuation actually means from a licensing industry perspective, because understanding this number helps you understand why licensing processes exist the way they do, why approvals take time, and why entire teams are working behind the scenes to protect billion dollar brands. Hello, I'm David Born and this is Born to License. Now, before I break down what this valuation actually means, I need to be transparent about something. I'm personally a huge Peanuts fan. Anyone who follows me on Instagram has probably noticed I wear a lot of Snoopy T shirts. In fact, I'm wearing one right now. I recently completed a Snoopy puzzle. It's been sitting in my office for months. I swear I'll get around to framing it and putting it up. But more importantly, Peanuts has been a part of my entire licensing career. 

 My very first licensing job was at Haven Licensing in Australia. Haven was a licensing agent representing Peanuts in Australia. And one of my first projects was working on a Hungry Jack's Kids meal promotion featuring Snoopy and the Peanuts gang. For those outside of Australia, Hungry Jack's is the Burger King equivalent Down under. That was almost 20 years ago, and I remember being fascinated by how long it took to get those Kids Mills toys approved. It gave me early insight into what it actually takes to protect a major brand at scale. Fast forward today through Born to License, I'm still working with Peanuts, but now from the other side, we work on the licensee side, helping companies secure licenses and navigate the approval process. 

 We've secured Peanuts licenses for several of our clients, including Plum Deluxe, who I'll talk about in a moment and we have another client launching a really fun Peanuts range within the next month, so stay tuned for that announcement too. So when I talk about a $1.1 billion valuation. I'm not just analyzing it from the outside. I've seen it from both sides. The agent side representing the IP and the licensee side, helping brands access it. In that LinkedIn post I mentioned earlier, I used analogy that seemed to resonate with a lot of people. Here's what I said. Licensing isn't like borrowing a library book. It's like borrowing the Mona Lisa. And the Louvre is closely watching everything you do with it. And that's exactly what a $1.1 billion valuation represents. 

 When you License Peanuts, you're not just getting permission to use Snoopy on a T shirt. You're being granted access to a billion dollar asset that took 75 years to build. Let me put this into perspective. Peanuts generated $3.2 billion in retail sales in 2024. That's according to WildBrain, the company that just sold their state to Sony. But here's what most people miss. That $3.2 billion in retail sales is across over 1200 licensees worldwide. Peanuts doesn't manufacture products. They don't own stores. They License their IP to companies who do. And those companies collectively generated 3.2 billion at retail. So peanuts don't receive $3.2 billion. They receive a royalty from those sales. It's still a lot of money. And that's why the $1.1 billion valuation makes perfect sense. 

 A brand like Peanuts, with its amazing heritage, generational awareness, and global love, can print money when the licensing is managed, right? That's the licensing business model. And that's why a $1.1 billion valuation makes perfect sense for a brand like Peanuts. Now let me give you a real world example of what accessing that billion dollar IP looks like for a small business. Last month, one of our Born to License clients, Plum Deluxe, a small Portland tea company, launched their first ever licensed product, a Peanuts holiday tea collection. This wasn't Nestle, this wasn't Starbucks. This was an artisan tea company with no prior licensing experience navigating the Peanuts approval process for the first time. Of course, they were doing that with my team, who are amazing. But it was their first licensing experience. 

 The collection included collectible Snoopy themed tins, exclusive tea blends with names like Joe Cool Breakfast Blend and Snoopy Rooftop Reflections, a Woodstock shaped tea infuser, and a Snoopy measuring spoon. Within weeks, sold out. They were absolutely thrilled with the performance. Launching a Peanuts range was a way to surprise and delight existing Plum Deluxe customers while tapping into the enormous Peanuts fan base, allowing new customers to discover what Plum Deluxe is all about and bringing in people who might have never tried their teas otherwise. But here's what made it work. Plum Deluxe didn't just slap Snoopy on a generic tea box. They developed products that honored the Peanuts brand. They worked through the approval process. They they respected the infrastructure. And because Peanuts Worldwide maintains quality control across all 1200 licensees, consumers trusted Plum Deluxe's product. 

 That trust is what a billion dollar brand buys you. So let's talk a bit about licensing approvals and why it takes time, because this is where the $1.1 billion valuation becomes operational. Peanuts has, as I've said, over 1200 licensees worldwide. Now, this is my personal estimate based on my experience, but let's say each licensee develops an average of 10 to 15 licensed products per year. That's conservative. That's a pretty conservative figure, but let's go with that. That means we're looking at 1200-1800 product concepts being submitted annually. Each one needs approval and there are three key stages. Concept stage, pre production and final production. Typically, a licensor like peanuts asks for 10 working days to review and provide comments at each stage. 

 They need this time because their workload is so heavy and it takes time to review to make sure they're happy to proceed to the next stage. If there are changes, and there often are, the licensee may need to resubmit once changes have been made and then the 10 working days starts again. That's why licensing can take longer than a lot of people would hope. Here's a few things that the Brand Assurance team are looking for. Are the characters presented correctly? Do the colors match brand standards? Is the logo placement appropriate? And they want to make sure there's been no unauthorized flipping or distortion of characters. Those who have been listening to the podcast for a while will remember that last year I had Jenna Chalkley Born to License as head of product development on to talk all things product development. 

 Here's some additional insight on this from her. 

 Staying true to what they are I think it's important to make sure that the characters are only ever being represented and how their personalities are in their worlds within their worlds. You've got to have a keen eye for detail, so these types of things are required now. 

 That's exactly it. When Plum Deluxe submitted their Snoopy tea tin designs, they weren't just asking Peanuts Worldwide for approval. They're asking for 1,199 other licensees to uphold the same quality standard. Because here's the truth? If a small percentage of those 1200 licensees produced low quality products, the Peanuts brand would collapse, consumer trust would evaporate and suddenly Plum Deluxe's premium tea tins don't sell because Snoopy's brand equity has been diluted. The approval process isn't protecting Peanuts from licensees, it's protecting licensees investments by maintaining brand equity. This is why you just call a helpline and say, hey, I want to put Snoopy on my T shirt and I want to start selling it this afternoon. That's not how it works. There are processes, strategies and brand guardians in place. 

 Now let me show you why this brand equity is so valuable and how Peanuts maintains cultural relevance without things like big theatrical releases. Let's talk about the American Red Cross blood donation campaign. In 2023, Peanuts partnered with the Red Cross and created graphic tees feature featuring Joe Cool with the message Be cool, Give blood. The result? A 40% increase in blood donation appointments in the first week. With 75% of donors being under the age of 34. They brought the campaign back in 2024 with four new designs, 250,000 blood donation appointments were made nationwide in one month. Gen Z will donate blood to get a Snoopy T shirt. That's not brand awareness. That is cultural influence. Did you hear about the CVS puffer jacket Snoopy? 

 In 2023, a CVS plush of Snoopy in a puffer jacket sold out instantly and started reselling on ebay for triple the original price. Gen Z discovered it on TikTok, turned it into memes and suddenly everyone wanted Puffer jacket Snoopy. This wasn't driven by Peanuts marketing budget. This was an organic Gen Z led discovery. And then we can't forget about Peanuts and Snoopy on social. They have millions of followers, hundreds of millions of video views. Snoopy and the Peanuts gang are having a real moment on TikTok and Instagram. And the Charles M. Schultz Museum in Santa Rosa saw a 45% attendance increase in 2024, the highest in its 23 year history, primarily driven by Gen Z visitors who discovered it on TikTok. This is Evergreen IP at work. No theatrical releases needed, no big super bowl ads. Just consistent brand equity built over 75 years. 

 So what does the Sony Pictures acquisition mean for the future of Peanuts? Okay, bit of speculation now. I think we'll absolutely see a theatrical release. Sony pictures didn't buy 80% of peanuts just to maintain the status quo. They want to drive revenue through new channels. Could it be a live action film? Maybe we'll see. But here's what I know. A theatrical release would amplify the licensing program, not replace it. We saw it with Barbie. Peanuts could do it too. Because the real value of Peanuts is the licensing infrastructure. The 1200 licensees, the $3.2 billion in retail sales, the consumer products. The consumer products programs that have been refined over decades. Sony's investment validates what we've known in licensing for years. Evergreen IP with strong consumer products programs is more valuable than tentpole driven properties that require a billion dollar movie budget every few years. 

 I want to close by talking about the people that make this work. Because Peanuts being valued at over $1.1 billion is a result of tens of thousands of people's hard work over the decades. The account managers identify best companies to lend their IP to. The retail managers keeping buyers and retail teams engaged and excited about the brand. The finance people working with licensees and royalty reports, the lawyers meticulously drafting the contracts. Let's not forget the marketing teams continuing to capitalize on marketing opportunities and the creative teams creating the style guides and artwork to keep the brands fresh and on trend. Not to mention the licensing agents who are driving the brand in their regions. And of course the licensees who are manufacturing and selling the product that keeps brands like Peanuts with a presence at retail and in people's minds. 

 And yes, of course, the product development teams. Let's not forget them reviewing those 12,000 to 18,000 my estimate product concepts every year ensuring colors are right, logos are placed correctly, characters aren't distorted. The they're the ones saying no to products that would dilute the brand. Even when it means disappointing a licensee when you're waiting on a 10 day approval, remember, someone is protecting a billion dollar asset. And more importantly, they're protecting your investment as a licensee. Because when Plum Deluxe had their amazing experience with Peanuts and their Snoopy tea tins, it's because they followed the process, they didn't cut corners and they delivered amazing License product to their customers. And because Peanuts has a robust approval process to make sure that those Snoopy tea tins were the very best they could possibly be. So here's what a $1.1 billion valuation actually means. 

 It means licensing isn't just a revenue stream. It's the revenue stream for properties like PEanuts. It means approval processes aren't bureaucracy, they're asset protection at scale. It means thousands of people across the licensing ecosystem are guarding generational equity, not slowing you down. It means small businesses like Plum Delights can compete against global brands because Evergreen IP with disciplined licensing infrastructure levels the playing field. Next week on the podcast, I'll be going through my movie predictions for 2026 which Theatrical releases will drive licensed product sales, I'll break down the upcoming slate, and I'll be predicting which properties will own retail and which ones won't live up to the hype. Don't forget to subscribe so you'll be the first to know when that episode is live. Thanks for listening. I'm David Born. This has been Born to License.