I assume you’ve heard of the blockbuster smash Finding Nemo.  How about Toy Story, or Monsters Inc., or The Incredibles.  All of these movies have helped fuel a new computer animation craze, and they all made big bucks at the box office.  There is something else that they have in common—merchandise.

           

In today’s market, major blockbusters can expect to make millions of dollars from movie-goers within the first week of their release.  They can also expect to make millions more at bookstores, T-shirt shops, and other venues that sell various knickknacks.  The popular characters in the movies are printed on an assortment of products, and fans usually don’t hesitate to go out and buy them.

           

The combination of media and merchandise is nothing new.  It has been going on since for over eighty years.  Because there are literally billions of dollars to be made, manufacturers and marketers are on a constant lookout for an outlet to exploit popular movie and television characters.  What’s the easiest place to do it?  The toy store.

           

In 1996, the “Tickle me Elmo,” doll became a “must have” during the Christmas season of that year.  The success of “Tickle me Elmo” was partly because it was based on a popular character from Sesame Street.   Unfortunately, it’s hard to predict what kind of toy will cause the next big frenzy.  

           

When it released Elmo as a new product, the toy industry was following an old tradition—create toys around the latest movie or television show.  This strategy has often resulted in big bucks, and it was first tested during the Roaring Twenties.

 

In 1928, a short cartoon was released with the title Steamboat Willie.  Not many people remember anything about “Steamboat Willie,” but most would recognize the main character—Mickey Mouse.  In fact, over the next five years, the nation went Mickey Mouse crazy.

           

It wasn’t long before the toy industry wanted to cash in on the success of this lovable mouse.  In 1930, the original Mickey Mouse doll was introduced, and it was a huge seller.  This was the first time that a toy based on a widely popular character was introduced to a large market.  It worked.  Children couldn’t wait to bring Mickey into their homes.  In a few short years, toys that resembled other Disney characters began to hit the shelves.

           

Taking a lesson from the Mickey Mouse doll, the toy industry started frequently combining new toys with popular movies or television shows.  In 1977, for example, the first Star Wars movie was released to an enthusiastic market.  Riding on the success of the movie, new toys were made to the likeness of the characters in Star Wars.  The same happened when E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial made its debut in 1982. 

           

Today, you can find toys for almost every popular child’s television show (i.e. Blues Clues, Sponge Bob Squarepants, Barney, Dorah the Explorer, and so on)  More recent movies with huge toy spin-offs have been Spiderman, Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter.  Even though these movies were released several years ago, they still make money at the toy store.