Accessories: Gaming Gear

Most summer movies that are family friendly arrive in theaters with licensed merchandise in tow, and that’s the case again this year. The first movie based on “The Simpson’s” will arrive in theaters in July and 20th Century Fox Licensing and Merchandising has teamed with Solutions 2 Go for a line of video game accessories.

The line includes carrying cases for the Nintendo DS portable console with images of Lisa and Homer, controllers for the Sony PlayStation 2 colored pink (for Lisa) and black (for Homer and Bart) and even USB charge cables for the Sony PlayStation 3 with the heads of Homer and Lisa on the plugs.

Another July release that will arrive with a slew of merchandise is “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” The lineup includes a “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” video game and new Harry Potter cell phone ring tones.

Other movies that are being launched with a video game and accessories this summer include Sony Pictures’ animated comedy “Surf’s Up,” with UbiSoft providing the video game, and “Transformers,” a film based on the line of Hasbro toys that will include a game from Activision.