By now we are all familiar with the ability to add a personal touch to cakes by way of pictures and photographic images on an edible transfer. The latest craze in the States takes this one step further by adding them to pizza!

Designed by Pizza Fest Edible Images, they are a major innovation in the pizza category. It is the first-ever opportunity for pizzerias to apply a completely edible colourful design as a single topping that melts directly into the cheese on the pizza, creating a unique and custom pizza. The result is a pizza that looks as good as it tastes, with the designs becoming the focus.

With football season bearing down on the U.S., one company is giving quick serves the chance to plaster the logo of a customer’s favorite team on their favorite game accompaniment—pizza.

Lucks Food Decorating Company, creators of the Edible Image that is popular on cakes, is taking its newer Pizza Prints product across the country as a new food branding opportunity.

Andy Sachs, national account manager with Tacoma, Washington–based Lucks, says pizza was “the next natural progression” for the Edible Image after the cake....

Second grade teacher Mary Johnston won a pizza party for her efforts in raising money for Pennsbury School District’s United Way Drive last fall.

Johnston and her students enjoyed pizza with an edible version of the Pennsbury Falcon proudly displayed on the center of each pizza. The pizzas were presented by Jim Sachs and Adam Dienstman of MySchoolPizzaParty.

The Pennsbury High School Falcon mascot is the only edible decal in the country offered by some of our local pizzerias.

As one of the Pennsbury School District’s corporate sponsors, MySchoolPizzaParty is donating a portion of their proceeds from the sales of the Falcon edible pizza back to the district.

Sausage. Pepperoni. Extra cheese. And a Kansas Jayhawks logo? Yep, the people at Pizza Prints have taken toppings to a whole new level. Now you can root on your alma mater during March Madness with more than a giant foam finger and faded sweatshirt.

If you’ve ever wanted to celebrate a birthday or a big game with an inspiring pie instead of a cake, now you can.

New on the sports scene is Pizza Prints, which is exactly what it sounds like — an edible pizza decoration — which has been licensed for home and commercial use (yes, that means delivery) by the NBA, World Wrestling Entertainment (a licensing deal unveiled today) and more than 80 colleges and universities.

Suppose you could get a Los Angeles Lakers logo emblazoned across a pepperoni pizza that's delivered right to your door.

Or suppose you could get a Boston Celtics logo on the toast that pops out of your toaster.

You can stop supposing.

The National Basketball Association has figured out what fans are hungry for besides, for many, a Lakers-Celtics championship series: edible team logos. The league recently signed licensing deals with companies that offer these outside-the-box food items — and more. NBA logos also are showing up on everything from headphones to gardening gloves to outdoor grills.

With sports licensing hit by the recession, major pro leagues and licensees are rolling out creative deals to attract new fans, particularly more women and teens. Retail sales of licensed sports merchandise fell 17% last year in the U.S. and Canada, estimates Ira Mayer, publisher of The Licensing Letter.

NBA executives say global merchandise sales will reach $3 billion this year, up slightly.

"It's still tough times out there," says Mayer. "This is not going to make up for the overall loss in the apparel business."

Boosting revenue means expanding the fan base and creating buzz. "As key licensing categories have matured, it's an ongoing goal of the NBA to expand the brand into places that may attract new customers," says Sal LaRocca, head of global merchandising. That includes food, he adds, because "A lot of people watching NBA games on TV tend to eat."

Among the NBA's edible items:

•Pizza. The logos, to be available next season for all 30 teams, are made of sugar, starch and food coloring. They'll add about $5 to the pizza price.

The logos won't be sold directly to consumers but to some 1,200 independent pizza parlors nationwide. The paper-thin logos come in 12-pack resealable pouches. The image is placed atop the pizza after it has been fully baked and sliced. The logo then melts into the cheese.

"Most Americans don't make it to an NBA game," explains Rick Ellison, the licensee who makes Pizza Fest Edible Image toppings. "This is how they create the experience for themselves."

•Toaster logos. Also available next month: NBA Pro Toast Toasters. These $34.99 toasters are specially made to "burn" golden brown team logos onto bread as it toasts. "It's a fun way to get kids to eat healthier," says Deborah Williams, president of Her Game 2, the licensee.

Coming next year, she says: team logo panini sandwich presses.

Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends Sunday featured Pizza Prints™ on their national morning show. New York Suprema Pizza presented host Alisyn with a pizza that had an image of her face on it!