“In search of this year’s money winners”
A few days ago I posted a 1998 newspaper article about Trendmasters. Since that was an Associated Press article I knew other versions of it had to be out there, and a quick search soon led me to the February 8, 1998 issue of the Herald-Journal. Same Trendmasters article, yes, but I also found another surprise: An article all about the 1998 New York Toy Fair!
According to the article, the big news of the day was plush; this was when Ty’s Beanie Babies line was still a big deal. The article also goes into licensed properties, saying:
“Toy makers like movie- and television-related paraphernalia because they take away a lot of the guesswork and provide free advertising.”
I’m in complete agreement with this, as long as the licensed product comes out when the buzz is at its height. Movie licensed product, especially for a new brand, should always reach stores in the 30 to 45 days before the movie’s release. I believe this is the sweet spot for two simple reasons:
- The studio is dumping money into marketing, which helps promote the licensed product by generating lots of excitement.
- The movie hasn’t yet had a chance to disappoint the public.
Maybe I’m a cynic, but these days I simply expect most movies to fail to meet the buzz. Studios are way better (in general) at hyping a movie than they are in producing a great film.
Related articles
- 1996 Trendmasters “Independence Day” Toy Commercial (battlegrip.com)
- “In toy industry, big things come from small packagers” (battlegrip.com)
Used to get a toy publication from a local grocery store (amazing considering its a small Canadian town) and for the life of me I cannot remember the name of it, but I always loved when Toy Fair came around, they had great coverage and usually was the only way to see some of the products.
Back in the day we didn’t get all the toy releases up in this country.
Beanie Babies — ha! I was just watching an old episode of 3rd Rock from the Sun where Dick gets obsessed with them (well, a non-trademarked parody).