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Ernest Degollado
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 16 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 674
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| Posted: 27 December 2015 at 9:55am | IP Logged | 1
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So I saw this at Walmart the other day and was thinking how we are truly in a renaissance age of merchandise. I can't remember a time in my life when there was so much stuff to spend my not so hard earned money on. Why do you think that is? Has technology made it much cheaper to produce items like this or is the success of the movies driving it. What do you attribute the overall abundance of merchandise? Just to clarify I'm talking about comic book merchandise in general, not just clothing.
Edited by Ernest Degollado on 27 December 2015 at 9:57am
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132622
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| Posted: 27 December 2015 at 1:15pm | IP Logged | 2
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What do you attribute the overall abundance of merchandise?•• The movies. Tho, as usual, sales of the actual comic books are not enjoying a renaissance!
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Michael Roberts
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 14830
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| Posted: 27 December 2015 at 3:14pm | IP Logged | 3
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While comic book merchandise has probably benefitted the most, I
think there has just been a general cultural shift in collecting and
identifying one's fandoms. If you are familiar with the Funko pop vinyl
figures, they are now putting out figures of things like Friends, Saved by
the Bell, and Golden Girls. At general retail, not just novelty shops.
If anything, I'd attribute the Internet for allowing people to form their
various tribes and providing companies with the data to monetize that.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132622
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| Posted: 27 December 2015 at 3:18pm | IP Logged | 4
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Comic book merchandise?
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Michael Roberts
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 14830
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| Posted: 27 December 2015 at 4:57pm | IP Logged | 5
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Sorry, meant superhero.
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Trevor Smith
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 21 September 2006
Location: Canada
Posts: 3529
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| Posted: 28 December 2015 at 8:10am | IP Logged | 6
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Off topic, but I saw a photo of what I assume to be
legitimate Disney merchandise, as the logo is on the
product, and it was bought in a mall store, not some
little rinky-dink market, and I was stopped dead by
it. I'm curious for forum input on if what I'm seeing
is a non-issue.The product in question is a package of
storm trooper socks. The issue is that there is both
a gigantic lightning bolt (reminiscent of the Bowie
Aladdin Sane design, but this is NOT the issue here)
on the sock, and a repeating image of a storm trooper
head graced with the lightning bolt. Is combining
"storm trooper" with a lightning bolt not just a
little bit historically touchy?
Edited by Trevor Smith on 28 December 2015 at 8:11am
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Jack Bohn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 July 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 747
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| Posted: 31 December 2015 at 6:10am | IP Logged | 7
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The simple answer would be that if they're making it, it's because it's selling, but I'm wondering if -- as with comics -- success is settling for smaller numbers than before. Does anyone have numbers to compare the US success of 21st Century Doctor Who with its niche status in the 1980s? Or the four seasons of Battlestar Galactica on Syfy with the one on ABC? I'm not even sure one could get sales numbers for products.
Then there's the "afterlife." Everyone who's read a Spider-Man comic (or, more likely, watched "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends,) would recognize that costume. Grandmas can buy it for the little ones when the next Spider-Man movie comes out.
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John Byrne
Grumpy Old Guy
Joined: 11 May 2005
Posts: 132622
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| Posted: 31 December 2015 at 10:25am | IP Logged | 8
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Grandmas can buy it for the little ones when the next Spider-Man movie comes out.•• That's powered a lot of sales of a lot of different items over the years!
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Michael Roberts
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 20 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 14830
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| Posted: 31 December 2015 at 11:34am | IP Logged | 9
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The simple answer would be that if they're making it, it's because it's
selling, but I'm wondering if -- as with comics -- success is settling for
smaller numbers than before.
------
What do you mean? Looking just at superhero t-shirts, they have
dedicated racks for men, women, boys, and girls at the big retailers like
Target, Walmart, Kohl's, and Old Navy. Multiple designs that are
swapped out for new designs every few months. Whereas even just ten
years ago, you'd have to go to a comic book shop or a Hot Topic just to
find a shirt that wasn't Batman.
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Jack Bohn
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 13 July 2013
Location: United States
Posts: 747
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| Posted: 31 December 2015 at 5:48pm | IP Logged | 10
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[edited to remove the quote, since I wound up just below it.]
That's what I'm thinking: sales of THE Batman movie T-shirt vs. sales of any one of the Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, or Flash T-shirts. The overall total may be greater, (I would guess so, in proportion to the increased rackage,) but spread over more inventory tracking numbers, possibly larger licensing fees, and, for Spidey, Captain America, or the Avengers' arrow A, possibly money to a different T-shirt company.
Hurrrmm... if the total sales are greater, superheroes just may be taking up a greater mindspace of the population, has anyone noticed what they've displaced? Sports teams? Old Saturday Night Live routines? "I'd Rather Be Fishing"?
Edited by Jack Bohn on 31 December 2015 at 5:50pm
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Brad Brickley
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 29 April 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8286
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| Posted: 01 January 2016 at 1:50pm | IP Logged | 11
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There is a lot of cool stuff these days, but I had a lot of fun hanging a towel around my neck for a cape and using my socks as boots. I used to jump off my garage into piles of leaves and running around playing Super Friends.
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Phil Frances
Byrne Robotics Member
Joined: 08 August 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 340
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| Posted: 01 January 2016 at 11:15pm | IP Logged | 12
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At age 4 or 5, we'd fasten up just the top button of our coats ( leaving our arms out - obviously ..), and run around the playground - that would be us being Superman, or with a hood up, Batman.
Being Spiderman meant you generally had to start off by pressing yourself against a wall ... ( I kid not .. )
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Topic Closed)
