“Which comes first: entertainment or merchandising?”
Yesterday’s trip to the Brian Sutton-Smith Library (mentioned here) left my head swimming in the toy industry’s past. I spent hours exploring Playthings magazine, digging through every page of the 1995 through mid-1999 issues in search of info on Kenner’s Star Wars action figures. The library’s images policy prevents me from sharing raw snaps of the various pages, but I collected enough info that I can share that you should start seeing some stuff soon.
Once I finished the 1995-1999 research I spent a little time exploring other years, and it was in the May 1981 Playthings issue that I found an editorial by Frank Reysen Jr. in which toys and television were discussed. Fantastic stuff!
With the tremendous surge in licensing tie-ins, it was inevitable that consumerists and other critics would focus on the propriety of fashioning child’s TV programs around character merchandise. The recent telecast of “Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City” raised several questions along these lines: Was the half-hour special really just a commercial for Kenner? Can a character that begins life as merchandise really become worthwhile television? Should a manufacturer double as producer and sponsor? Which comes first: the sponsor’s need to sell or television’s need to entertain?
If you’re read Each Sold Separately* and Action Figures Not Included* then you know I’ve already been fascinated by Strawberry Shortcake, so it should come as no surprise that I already regret not taking more time to explore the brand while at the library. Next time!
For now, enjoy Strawberry Shortcake in Big Apple City at YouTube, and marvel over how this animated show caused so much noise back in the early eighties.
Related articles
- Kenner’s 1982 “World of Strawberry Shortcake” Catalog (battlegrip.com)
- 1982 Kenner Strawberry Shortcake Toy Commercial (battlegrip.com)