Are Toy Licenses a Good Deal?

In the article Toy Licenses: How Important Are They? the author, Lutz Muller, presents arguments for and against seeking licenses for toys. Last year the toy market in the U.S. declined by 1%, but the licensed toy market grew 3%. According to the article, Amazon's best-selling toys in late April included 22 licensed toys in the top 100 toys. Of these, 13 were associated with Disney's Frozen. On the downside, the author argues that a licensee gives up some control over their own business, and has to give up 10% to 15% of sales. Although I can't imagine Mattel is too unhappy about being able to sell a Disney Frozen Sparkle Princess Elsa Doll for $48.89.