Toyetic
Toyetic is a term referring to the suitability of a
History
The concept of toyetic works is stated to have come from Bernard Loomis in 1969, while working at Mattel. With the introduction of the Hot Wheels line of toy cars, Loomis proposed that they also developed a 30-minute show Hot Wheels as a means to promote the toys. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in reviewing the show, determined that the program needed to be treated as advertising, which affected the records of the network, forcing the show to be taken off the air within two years. Loomis later moved on to the Kenner division of General Mills; during this time, he had read about the upcoming Star Wars films, and positioned the company to produce toys based on the film. The move was considered highly successful, with over $100 million in annual toy sales following the release of the film.[3]
In the early 1980s, the FCC revised its rules on children's programming, specifically allowing for the use of "character marketing" where shows could employ fictional characters based on toys and other real-world objects without counting towards advertising. Loomis saw the same potential in the
Examples
Notable examples of toyetic properties include:
- Batman films without Schumacher.[6]
- merchandising empire, including toys, action figures, and video games to non-toy merchandise, such as beer steins, spoons, and replicas of the lightsaberhilts.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Based on the 1984 comic series by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird of the same name, the television shows and movies were considered "extremely toyetic", as the toys were "visually appealing—tough yet huggable—and there are enough characters to drive collecting over time", according to Playmates Toys senior vice president Karl Aaronian.[10]
- Transformers: The success of the 2007 film based on the franchise is stated by Lauren A. E. Schuker of The Wall Street Journal to have created a drive in the motion picture industry to seek rights for toy-driven films from other existing properties.[11]
See also
- Intellectual property
- Merchandise
References
- ^ "Toyetic". Dictionary.com. Random House. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
- ^ McCombs, Phil (1977-12-24). "To an extent, the American toy business is recession proof". Public Opinion. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
- ^ Salmans, Sandra (February 14, 1985). "NEW YORKERS & CO.; A GROWN-UP'S WINNING TOUCH IN TOYS (USUALLY)". The New York Times. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ISBN 0520939492.
- ^ Nussbaum, Emily (February 13, 2012). "It's Good Enough for Me". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
- ^ a b Greenberg, James (2005-05-08). "Rescuing Batman". Los Angeles Times. p. E-10. Archived from the original on 2008-12-02. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
- ^ Brooks, Xan (14 November 2000). "Second Coming". The Guardian UK. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
- ^ The DVD commentary and the documentary Shadows of the Bat: Batman Unbound (on disc 2 of the Batman & Robin: Special Edition DVD set)
- ISBN 0-517-54677-9.
- New York Times. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
- ^ Schuker, Lauren A. E. (9 November 2009). "The Cry Goes Out in Hollywood: 'Get Me Mr. Potato Head's Agent!'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
Citations
- Fleming, Dan (1996), Powerplay: Toys as Popular Culture, Manchester University Press, ISBN 978-0-7190-4717-6