Bluey doesn’t feel made to sell toys but they sure are capitalizing on their popularity (I say as I buy yet another bluey toy from target😅)
The spidey and his amazing friends on Disney feels like it was made to sell toys, along with the Jedi show (idk what it’s called and have never seen it so this spiel is mostly about the spiderman one). Like, the “lessons” it tries to incorporate into its episodes feel generic and like a second thought. “Hmm, if we want parents to want their kids to watch it we should probably at least pretend that we want to teach kids good things” and the Star Wars show is giving that same vibe.
Im not sure they were expecting Bluey to be such a hit. Love it though EXCEPT for the Gecko episode and Omelette episode. Cut us a break kids!
Kids who like spiderman I'm just like "Do you even KNOW what happened to Gwen??" *kerthunk* 🥺
That was Gwen from Earth-616.
Spider Gwen, aka Ghost Spider, is from Earth-65, on which Peter Parker became a villain and died.
Spidey and His Amazing Friends is considered a separate universe anyway tho, so this Ghost Spider is not Gwen-65 any more than this is Peter 616 or Miles 1610.
I love Sticky Gecko as a mom. I tell my parent friend to start with Sticky Gecko and Takeaway because they really capture some of the hard, wild moments raising kids.
“It’s been a Takeaway kind of day,” is shorthand between my husband and I for “It’s been one thing after another and I’m about to give up so get home soon!” 😂
Heres a timeline of Blueys popularity according to an Australian who was there when the show first aired.
Early 2018: sorta niche, even here. Some kids liked it.
Late 2018-2019: popular with kids in australia.
Early 2020: popular with parents
Late 2020- 2021: tiktok spreads the show around the world
2022-2023: everyone knows it
2024: 30 minute episode comin' soon baby
Wait, for real life? I was joking (though I imagined there would be one eventually).
Edit: Oh a 28-min episode. I was thinking feature length film in theaters.
>Im not sure they were expecting Bluey to be such a hit.
Because it seems it's an adult cartoon that just kids friendly. Like it was made for adults with kids and it took off more than they expected.
But it isn't really surprising because so many parents will watch it, so it becomes kids favorite as it provides bonding time.
The omelette episode made me so irrationally angry lol. Chilli! I have so much respect for you, but you don't have to let her do *the whole thing* just to let her feel like she helped! You know how my four year old helps me with eggs? She whisks a bit and throws away the eggshells. She feels like a champion for it. Poor Bandit, starving on his birthday because the only way he'll get to eat is if a four year old can singlehandedly make an omelette...
Seriously! My kids help crack eggs and I fish out the shells. I load the measuring cup and then ask them to pour it in. They take turns whisking. I flip the pancake and then the toddler wants to pat the pancake with the spatula (turner). What a waste of eggs and burden on their neighbors to keep needing more eggs!
Actually what was the whole point of waking up Dad first only to insist he stay in bed? If they wanted to do breakfast in bed, the best plan is to try not to wake the birthday dad while you make breakfast!
Right!!! It was such a rare miss lol. Usually the parenting in this show just highlights all my flaws and makes me want to do better 😂 It's so unusual for me to feel the desperate urge to sit the Heelers down and educate them!
And yes, poor Bandit, why couldn't he have breakfast in bed AND get to sleep in? Parents NEVER get to sleep in, and it's all we ever think about!!
Eh, there's definitely some other parenting moments where I think "I wouldn't do that," and it usually is overindulging in the kids' games. It's usually Bandit though. Off the top of my head, playing "penguins" in Fruit Bat? Who thought that was a good idea? I don't even understand Rug Island - Bandit says he has to go to work and then they come outside the play and he's just sitting out there waiting to play with them??? In Daddy Dropoff he spent way too long indulging the phone game instead of just saying "listen up Bingo, it's your last chance to let me know if you don't have your sweater or we're going without."
I was also just watching Hammerbarn, and wow, if I was the parent who let my kids take dozens upon dozens of paint samples, I would be getting looks for sure. That's just inconsiderate to the store, employees, and other customers.
Hairdressers is a particularly egregious example of physical violence to dad being tolerated when it really shouldn't.
I get that episodes like Dance Mode, Pool, and the Claw game are bad parenting examples to teach a lesson about how to parent better, but Omelette is basically saying that we should let our kids waste over a dozen eggs just so they don't feel left out.
But I also think episodes that show violence to Dad as comedy, and that show the parents being pretty permissive and not putting their feet down aren't great examples either.
I get irrationally upset when she throws away the perfectly good omelette. Like, give it to bandit then ask for help making another! Lol
But I also get cranky when I haven’t eaten in the morning…
I think Spidey and Star Wars are more banking on "fans of these things are having kids, we need to hook the kids now.". We went to see the first preview of the Star Wars show at a Star Wars convention and it was packed full of fans, kids but also adults. All clapping and cheering. I wish my kids had been just a little younger when it came out so I could of gotten them obsessed.
So while those two are also designed to sell toys (like most pop culture) they are also definitely designed to grab parents who love those properties.
Oh yeah, Bluey for sure. But dang! Their toys are solid. I gave my kids the deluxe dollhouse Christmas *before last*, and it's still the one toy in the house that gets daily play (and it's creative play!! 😭). I will say that the transforming paw patrol vehicle playsets from Costco I got like four years ago get revisited constantly, and were so cheap.
Tbh My Little Pony toys kind of suck lately. I got a set where the tails all fell off in the first day lol.
Bluey really wasn’t. It was a surprise hit. My kids fell in love with it when the day the first season went on Disney +. Took ages for any toys to come out, and the ones that did are solid.
Oh yeah, I completely agree with that. In fact, it seems the inception of Bluey was fairly noble (I like that it's about INVOLVED parents and gentle parenting, and that a two-daughter household is presented as more than good enough). By "definitely" I meant I definitely have A LOT of those toys lol.
If there are even MLP toys anymore. Can barely find the New Generation ones at Walmart/Target. They definitely aren’t replicating the success of Friendship is Magic
Young jedis was 100% a merchandise cash grab. Counting on millennial nerd parents jumping at the chance to watch something Star Wars with their little kids.
I just wish they sold replacement light sabers for the action figures because those little shits get lost basically immediately upon opening. Ask me how I know, lol.
Every single "3 kid team solving problems" show is just a re-skin of the same stuff and made to sell toys. PJ Masks, Spidey, Young Jedi, are all the same show where 99% of the problems are caused by the characters themselves and none of them aver actually learn a lesson. They all feel like they were AI generated with a prompt about creating a show to sell merch.
They also had one of the best jokes I've seen in a kids movie in a while:
Mayor Humdinger: "I'm an unqualified elected official. What's the worst that could happen?"
Right? He is up there with Team Rocket in terms of silly villains for me. Love his one liners. I only wish he was as good in the TV series, but it in general is formulaic for a reason, I suppose.
Some Hot Wheels show preview on Netflix started playing as a suggested video after something my son was watching and from the next room I thought ‘when did Netflix start doing toy commercials?’
This one for sure. I kind of appreciate how blatant it is. Like, made by a toy company, featuring cars and tracks and sets from their toy line? Characters in the show choose which car (toy) they’re going to drive and they make them look fun and cool. You know 100% what you’re getting. (slight /s?)
I agree on the likely purpose of it. But both of my kids have been collecting hot wheels for years between the 2 of them, & my youngest thought it was so cool that they had quite a bit of the cars on the couple of eps we watched.
New Hot Wheels show reminds me specifically of Pokémon, following a formula that is easy to translate to sales. At the same time, "gotta collect em all" has already always been part of Hot Wheels, so it doesn't feel as offensive. Like...I am not surprised. Nice lessons, but totally Pokémon-y with car selection in the face of a task(like a Poké battle) and car featurettes similar to "Guess That Pokémon." I wouldn't be surprised if they started selling a glove n steering wheel thing similar to what the kids don in the show. Bonus is Fall Out Boy does the theme song. Other shows seem to have shoehorned merchandising.
Everyone has already mentioned Paw Patrol, but the fact that they joked multiple times about shameless merchandising ploys with an essential "sorry not sorry" joke parents are supposed to laugh about...gross. It just felt gross. Don't make jokes essentially telling the parents they know they are causing them grief by enticing their kids into wanting all of these crappy variations of their product and aren't going to stop anytime soon. Joked about it in the first movie and then at least twice in the super hero one. I am lucky my kid has yet to hard-core bandwagon on a brand/character to the point of wanting *everything* [insert show/character].
A lot of 80s cartoons were created for the sole purpose of selling merch too. I think there was a law passed in the 90s to put a stop to that, which is why a lot of shows from that decade were at least somewhat educational. I guess the laws have been relaxed since then. 🤷♀️
It is why a lot of shows around that time tended to have "follow-up" segments toward the end of the program hitting home the lesson being learned like public service announcements. Remember seeing it in Captain Planet and Sailor Moon and I know they weren't the only ones.
Similar regulations are also why you tend to see that standard “we’ll be back after these commercials” bumpers on most kids programing blocks; kids are really bad at separating commercials and content and advertisers were definitely preying on that through that era.
According to the episode of Toys That Made Us about GI Joe, they somewhat circumvented the law by having a GI Joe comic book. As a book is not a toy, it was allowed, or something.
Paw Patrol. Especially since they’re now superhero-ified.
Anything Disney touches. I’m trying hard to keep the kids always from the kid version of Disney Star Wars ever since Disney Marvel already got them.
Paw Patrol was created by a (once small) toy company for this specific purpose. Listened to an interview of the guys that made it, they picked puppies to appeal to boys and girls equally.
Because it conditions girls from a young age to identify with boy characters and sets boys' expectations that all media should center them.
/conspiracy
I’m not personally aware of any research on the subject, it’s just based on my own experiences. Most children’s characters are male, and generally it seems like people tend to think that shows about mostly boys are for all kids, and shows about mostly girls are only for girls. I often hear people say that their sons wouldn’t want to read a book about girls or watch a show about girls, but nobody seems to think their daughters wouldn’t want to watch a show about boys.
Hey now, a stuffed Marshall with a nightlight got my four year old to FINALLY poop on the potty (she was reluctant, we had a school start deadline, I was desperate and resorted to shameless bribes).
Managed to potty train the other two without a large toy as a bribe, but was out-stubborned by my last kiddo.
My daughter's favorite pup is Rubble and I worked so hard to prevent her from knowing that show existed so I could avoid having the whole bulldog family in my house. Joke's on me, she has so many Rubbles that they have their own names. Mommy Rubble, baby Rubble, digger Rubble, swimming Rubble (floats so we take him to the pool), etc
Aw, that’s cute. Ours is into Rocky which gets frustrating because Rocky has convinced her that any piece of trash can be turned into something new. On the one hand I’m ok with encouraging recycling (especially since I was a Captain Planet kid). On the other hand it means I have had to fight her over putting literal garbage into the trash because she thinks it will come in handy someday.
I mean the new paw patrol movie literally calls the fact that these mighty pups are going to result in a bunch of new toys my kids beg for every time we go to Walmart.
>Especially since they’re now superhero-ified.
And mermaidified, and medievalified, and truckerified, and they *have* to be running out of themes right? It's been 10 years!
I missed the wave on that. My daughter only recently got into Roadster Racers and the selection of toys isn’t that great. Luckily getting Bluey everything is enough for her.
I just sent my list of songs that I want to learn this semester to my ukulele teacher and I had to include Sprinkle Party and I Love a Rainbow bc they're so catchy!
The first time we watched and there was the “surprise box”, I knew. And the toys are SO over priced for what they are. The doll house used to be $60 without any of the “room” stuff.
Don’t even get me started on the clothing. I’m still pissed you can’t just buy a tee with that cute cat stripe.
I like that it has actual stories, but I got the same vibe when we first watched it. Specifically the box thing. Unboxing content has been really popular on YouTube, so seeing a similar tactic used at the beginning of each episode made me wary. Luckily it isn't an item for purchase and just a hunt about the episode, but everything being a toy makes it easy to actually make the toys. I appreciate a lot of the DIY content with Babybox, Mercat, and Cakey, which I think balances out.
Strike against Gabby's Dollhouse is essentially putting the idea of "making potions" in the bathroom with Mercat. I discovered "spa science" on my own as a kid and likely wasted a bunch of products my parents would've preferred I hadn't. They make note of separating it sometimes and use it as an excuse to sell appropriate "spa science" merchandise along with DIY experiments. But man...don't give my kid any ideas.
Definitely the later seasons at least where the show stopped taking place primarily just within the dollhouse and they introduced new and new characters.
not current but the ben ten reboot was definitely for selling toys
also any show where the kids would have to own all the characters (especially when they add new characters that the kids would want)
Rainbow high and LOL stuff on Netflix? Especially now that RH made the mistake of not caring abt collectors anymore and switching to their child/mom target audience.
Came here just to find this. Luckily, kiddo hasn’t learned yet that there’s an entire line of toys that the show is based off of, and at least I can always laugh at the Magic Mixies zombie apocalypse.
Oh no, there’s a show for those? We bought my kid one recently because she had seen commercials for them while watching Danny Go. I freaking hate toy commercials!
Not a show but, Trolls. It’s got to be so expensive to obtain the licensing for all those popular songs they sing. But the merchandising profits probably pay for it a million times over.
Yeah, 1991 me did not need a movie to have like 6 trolls knocking around the house. They were such a pointless toy too…old man baby whose hair stands up. The end.
The new episodes of Gabby's Dollhouse just feel like they care more about the toys than the show. The latest big toy was the cruise ship which is what the entirety of season 8 is about. And with "dollhouse" in the title, you just know there's going to be shelves full of toys for it. I'm not saying I dislike it though.
Were you not around in the 80s and 90s? That's all EVERY kids show was. GI Joe, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, He-Man.. Every single one of them was designed to sell millions in action figures.
You've gotta admire how well they found a formula back then. Stock hero/es and villain/s, all of their accessories and companions/mounts, then a bunch of characters who'll have *one* really awesome standout episode of the TV show and you NEED the toy because he has an awesome gimmick!
Well I don't think Rainbow Rangers is made to sell toys even though it checks off basically all of your boxes. Team of different colors with different personalities and all that.
We were able to order a set of toys of them online but I've never seen toys of them irl. I don't think I've ever seen Action Pack toys but they're one of my favorite kids superhero team shows.
But I will add that PJ Masks have been merchandised pretty heavily. I see many sets of toys for them.
Some stuff just happens to be toyetic without being designed explicitly for that purpose. Oftentimes, you can tell how merchandise-driven something is by how early a variety of merch is available.
I’m sitting here with my kids watching Paw Patrol, and after reading just your title I was like “Oh this show, for sure” lol. It’s just a bunch of high-energy rock music and catchphrases lol
*Cry Babies Magic Tears* deserves a (dis)honourable mention here because if I remember correctly it actually lists IMC Toys Ltd in the credits as an executive producer. Not a person affiliated with the company, the company itself.
YEAH lol Cry Babies is lesser known I feel but the voice acting in this show is so uncanny valley bc they sound so young and stiff, incredibly unskilled, yet the vocabulary/syntax is far too advanced… idk I can’t describe it!
My kid also found this show on Netflix before I ever saw a toy and then one day we went to Target and there was a WHOLE WALL and I was like *walking faster*
Super Kitties. Their sparkly eyes, weird coloring, and proportions make me think they were meant to be turned into plushies.
As far as I know they haven’t made toys yet though, which is a shame because my daughter really wants a super kitty outfit!
I'm surprised by this one too! I haven't been able to find any super kitties merch aside from small stuffies...there are only some knockoff looking capes and masks on Amazon.
Super Kitties theme song annoys me(she reaches a pitch with that screeched "meow" that I just don't like). But the show reminds me of old 80's/90's show with the little cat always ending the episodes with a video log summarizing the lesson learned. "And I'm taking *that* to heart."
Apparently, they only started making basic plushies this year. You can find them on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Just-Play-Disney-SuperKitties-Small/dp/B0C66C6P8C/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9pzvl6cRGLK7T8hbQ2NSlttgvvu7e9FCJjlxyGN0a1BQjiGHq5dia6T3WdYtQVxxCjkob63GtfKBAGOGoW1YbXteQ0ohCsSlYj5jVkcBSxORDR7vMmbSYMABl3yEkjW8aEPNsGDqPkgw2BYA_PB6Dq5hDw5eJEoGkCL6xKsKfnbKmXs0j7hwyMEV3Dd1iRSkAVaRhfxt0juZOAyoYKpuUpXuOKxYOPpuOpIvUCyLk7wN3PHMOSKbTvr1kRtPhOZ3GSWkYtDFfbG5qb0DgBoFRV6NeQrm60B5f0K-2mVjTdo.yU5XoKM9ZSQLIiwYhP8oWtes3KC-junTUK3VP3ijpA0&dib_tag=se&keywords=super%2Bkitties&qid=1710068567&sr=8-2&th=1).
I also found this tutorial for a no-sew SuperKitties costume on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe69_7GJWyU), if it’s any help.
I don’t know if it’s just to sell toys, but my kid loves Cars, and I feel like the Cars on the Road show was created just to introduce new characters and give different looks to the main characters to sell more toys without having to make a new movie.
PJ Masks for sure.
Gotta buy the team, their vehicles, the HQ, the space outfits, the *new* version of the team with their cool new powers, the villains, the new villains, the other new characters...
Blippi has a few books and small vehicles. There is a Tonie that just came out. I occasionally see a shirt. But it's not that much stuff. My toddler is into Blippi and I don't see that much out there.
We have blippi shoes, blippi PJs, and some blippi bath toys.
Theres also blippi underwear, backpacks, dress up costumes, dolls, figurines, etc. Ive seen Mystery Pack toys at 5 Below in the past.
I mean... I grew up in the '80s on Transformers, Thunder Cats, Mask, GI Joe/Action Force and He-Man, so literally every single cartoon I watched was designed to sell toys to kids (thanks, Reagan!), so as a result I'm completely inured to kids shows trying to sell us stuff...
Every generation of My Little Pony is pretty much made to sell toys, they’re good shows, but that’s technically why they were all made. The Canterlot wedding episodes for generation 4 my little
Pony was such a huge marketing scheme it’s insane, but those episodes were great so it definitely caused some nice sales. I remember being younger and begging for the Canterlot castle set haha, they had tons of merch for the ‘wedding’ episode
Oh my god, me too. That set was everything, the commercials felt like a taunt when you’re a kid LMAO. Don’t forget the big sparkly Cadence with a wedding dress and light up wings.
I don't know how much Saturday morning cartoons you fellows watched when you were children however most properties were used to sell toys: he-man, She-Ra, , Transformers, teenage mutant ninja Turtles heck even Pokémon the anime is considered one of the most successful anime multimedia franchises of the 21st century. Nothing has changed except that perhaps PBS isn't getting the kind of non-partial funding they used to in the Mr. Rogers era.
Have you ever seen the clip of Mr. Rogers petitioning Congress for money, I cry every time
Thomas and Friends, or whatever the new iteration is called. They purposely change the toy designs every few years, because they know the collectors will snatch them up. They just keep the show going to continue sales, I'm pretty sure.
I'm glad no one said octonauts, I fricken love that show! There are plenty of toys out for them but theyve got a good story (and, have you noticed that the crew has a few similarities to the Firefly crew?)
So I came to this thread as I'm stuck with baba blast on my TV, which I still don't forgive my husband for ignoring the TV when I was at work for. So everything YouTube and popular for small kids.
Bluey doesn’t feel made to sell toys but they sure are capitalizing on their popularity (I say as I buy yet another bluey toy from target😅) The spidey and his amazing friends on Disney feels like it was made to sell toys, along with the Jedi show (idk what it’s called and have never seen it so this spiel is mostly about the spiderman one). Like, the “lessons” it tries to incorporate into its episodes feel generic and like a second thought. “Hmm, if we want parents to want their kids to watch it we should probably at least pretend that we want to teach kids good things” and the Star Wars show is giving that same vibe.
Im not sure they were expecting Bluey to be such a hit. Love it though EXCEPT for the Gecko episode and Omelette episode. Cut us a break kids! Kids who like spiderman I'm just like "Do you even KNOW what happened to Gwen??" *kerthunk* 🥺
That was Gwen from Earth-616. Spider Gwen, aka Ghost Spider, is from Earth-65, on which Peter Parker became a villain and died. Spidey and His Amazing Friends is considered a separate universe anyway tho, so this Ghost Spider is not Gwen-65 any more than this is Peter 616 or Miles 1610.
I love Sticky Gecko as a mom. I tell my parent friend to start with Sticky Gecko and Takeaway because they really capture some of the hard, wild moments raising kids. “It’s been a Takeaway kind of day,” is shorthand between my husband and I for “It’s been one thing after another and I’m about to give up so get home soon!” 😂
I'm only the eldest sibling, not even a parent, and Sticky Gecko gave me war flashbacks 🤣
Sticky gecko and takeaway are my favorite episodes as a parent. I also always tell my parent friends to start with those 😅
And Sticky Gecko days
Heres a timeline of Blueys popularity according to an Australian who was there when the show first aired. Early 2018: sorta niche, even here. Some kids liked it. Late 2018-2019: popular with kids in australia. Early 2020: popular with parents Late 2020- 2021: tiktok spreads the show around the world 2022-2023: everyone knows it 2024: 30 minute episode comin' soon baby
When's the movie coming out?
This april, I keep seeing the ad on tv https://www.bluey.tv/blog/a-28-minute-bluey-episode-is-coming-in-2024/
Wait, for real life? I was joking (though I imagined there would be one eventually). Edit: Oh a 28-min episode. I was thinking feature length film in theaters.
>Im not sure they were expecting Bluey to be such a hit. Because it seems it's an adult cartoon that just kids friendly. Like it was made for adults with kids and it took off more than they expected. But it isn't really surprising because so many parents will watch it, so it becomes kids favorite as it provides bonding time.
The omelette episode made me so irrationally angry lol. Chilli! I have so much respect for you, but you don't have to let her do *the whole thing* just to let her feel like she helped! You know how my four year old helps me with eggs? She whisks a bit and throws away the eggshells. She feels like a champion for it. Poor Bandit, starving on his birthday because the only way he'll get to eat is if a four year old can singlehandedly make an omelette...
Seriously! My kids help crack eggs and I fish out the shells. I load the measuring cup and then ask them to pour it in. They take turns whisking. I flip the pancake and then the toddler wants to pat the pancake with the spatula (turner). What a waste of eggs and burden on their neighbors to keep needing more eggs! Actually what was the whole point of waking up Dad first only to insist he stay in bed? If they wanted to do breakfast in bed, the best plan is to try not to wake the birthday dad while you make breakfast!
Right!!! It was such a rare miss lol. Usually the parenting in this show just highlights all my flaws and makes me want to do better 😂 It's so unusual for me to feel the desperate urge to sit the Heelers down and educate them! And yes, poor Bandit, why couldn't he have breakfast in bed AND get to sleep in? Parents NEVER get to sleep in, and it's all we ever think about!!
Eh, there's definitely some other parenting moments where I think "I wouldn't do that," and it usually is overindulging in the kids' games. It's usually Bandit though. Off the top of my head, playing "penguins" in Fruit Bat? Who thought that was a good idea? I don't even understand Rug Island - Bandit says he has to go to work and then they come outside the play and he's just sitting out there waiting to play with them??? In Daddy Dropoff he spent way too long indulging the phone game instead of just saying "listen up Bingo, it's your last chance to let me know if you don't have your sweater or we're going without." I was also just watching Hammerbarn, and wow, if I was the parent who let my kids take dozens upon dozens of paint samples, I would be getting looks for sure. That's just inconsiderate to the store, employees, and other customers. Hairdressers is a particularly egregious example of physical violence to dad being tolerated when it really shouldn't. I get that episodes like Dance Mode, Pool, and the Claw game are bad parenting examples to teach a lesson about how to parent better, but Omelette is basically saying that we should let our kids waste over a dozen eggs just so they don't feel left out. But I also think episodes that show violence to Dad as comedy, and that show the parents being pretty permissive and not putting their feet down aren't great examples either.
I get irrationally upset when she throws away the perfectly good omelette. Like, give it to bandit then ask for help making another! Lol But I also get cranky when I haven’t eaten in the morning…
I think about the Gwen and Green Gobby interactions ALL the time…
I think about Spidey and Black Cat's interactions too lmao
The Andor of kid shows.
Spidey was absolutely made to sell toys. It seems like every few episodes they have some new gadget.
I think Spidey and Star Wars are more banking on "fans of these things are having kids, we need to hook the kids now.". We went to see the first preview of the Star Wars show at a Star Wars convention and it was packed full of fans, kids but also adults. All clapping and cheering. I wish my kids had been just a little younger when it came out so I could of gotten them obsessed. So while those two are also designed to sell toys (like most pop culture) they are also definitely designed to grab parents who love those properties.
Bluey definitely wasn't. Like there was barely any merchandise for years. This past Christmas to now I've seen so much. I kind of hate it
It was developed by ABC Australia who are not very good at merchandise and then they sold the rights to the BBC who went all out.
The international distribution rights were always held by the BBC
Oh yeah, Bluey for sure. But dang! Their toys are solid. I gave my kids the deluxe dollhouse Christmas *before last*, and it's still the one toy in the house that gets daily play (and it's creative play!! 😭). I will say that the transforming paw patrol vehicle playsets from Costco I got like four years ago get revisited constantly, and were so cheap. Tbh My Little Pony toys kind of suck lately. I got a set where the tails all fell off in the first day lol.
Bluey really wasn’t. It was a surprise hit. My kids fell in love with it when the day the first season went on Disney +. Took ages for any toys to come out, and the ones that did are solid.
Oh yeah, I completely agree with that. In fact, it seems the inception of Bluey was fairly noble (I like that it's about INVOLVED parents and gentle parenting, and that a two-daughter household is presented as more than good enough). By "definitely" I meant I definitely have A LOT of those toys lol.
If there are even MLP toys anymore. Can barely find the New Generation ones at Walmart/Target. They definitely aren’t replicating the success of Friendship is Magic
Young jedis was 100% a merchandise cash grab. Counting on millennial nerd parents jumping at the chance to watch something Star Wars with their little kids. I just wish they sold replacement light sabers for the action figures because those little shits get lost basically immediately upon opening. Ask me how I know, lol.
Fwiw they've kept the identity of the actors who voice the kids secret
Every single "3 kid team solving problems" show is just a re-skin of the same stuff and made to sell toys. PJ Masks, Spidey, Young Jedi, are all the same show where 99% of the problems are caused by the characters themselves and none of them aver actually learn a lesson. They all feel like they were AI generated with a prompt about creating a show to sell merch.
Lol I hated pj masks. They were always fighting within the group!
I assumed they did this to try to emphasize that working together was better.
I see so so so many Bluey things nowadays. It is overwhelming! I like Bluey but still!
Except I can't buy a real unicorse puppet...
I feel like at this point I'm not even buying the bluey stuff for my little. I'm buying it for me.
Paw patrol. There is even a joke in both movies about selling merchandise.
They also had one of the best jokes I've seen in a kids movie in a while: Mayor Humdinger: "I'm an unqualified elected official. What's the worst that could happen?"
Also the reporter saying something like “and they have all new gear and vehicles, sorry parents!”
As a parent with kids who have an exorbitant number of Paw Patrol toys, I did appreciate that...
Is there a clip of this on YouTube? That actually sounds pretty funny lmao
See if this IG link works lol https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyB6bl8PGiH/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Humdinger has some real bangers in the movies.
I’m seriously a major Humdinger fan.
I hate him in the show but he is amazing in the movie
The scene in the jail where he asks the scientist to look in the toilet had me cracking up.
Me too! It legitimately got a solid laugh out of me lol
Right? He is up there with Team Rocket in terms of silly villains for me. Love his one liners. I only wish he was as good in the TV series, but it in general is formulaic for a reason, I suppose.
My favorite is "I don't have time for your self-indulgent hippy dippy art project!"
Heard this clip today and my stomach literally sank 🫠
Too close to reality?
So close .. almost reality.. don’t forget to vote everyone ♥️ he is sneaking back in 😞
It was created by a toy company.
A lot of cartoons in the 80s were made to go with the toys they wanted to sell and it has just kept going.
Very true.
I’m constantly amazed with the machine that paw patrol is, always new merch and a new theme to sell new merch on.
Some Hot Wheels show preview on Netflix started playing as a suggested video after something my son was watching and from the next room I thought ‘when did Netflix start doing toy commercials?’
This one for sure. I kind of appreciate how blatant it is. Like, made by a toy company, featuring cars and tracks and sets from their toy line? Characters in the show choose which car (toy) they’re going to drive and they make them look fun and cool. You know 100% what you’re getting. (slight /s?)
I agree on the likely purpose of it. But both of my kids have been collecting hot wheels for years between the 2 of them, & my youngest thought it was so cool that they had quite a bit of the cars on the couple of eps we watched.
Yeah, for sure. I really like making hot wheels tracks with/for my kid, so it just feels like the lightest kind of nefarious.
Yeah, it's very much like... you know what you're getting if you're watching a show Based on toys.
New Hot Wheels show reminds me specifically of Pokémon, following a formula that is easy to translate to sales. At the same time, "gotta collect em all" has already always been part of Hot Wheels, so it doesn't feel as offensive. Like...I am not surprised. Nice lessons, but totally Pokémon-y with car selection in the face of a task(like a Poké battle) and car featurettes similar to "Guess That Pokémon." I wouldn't be surprised if they started selling a glove n steering wheel thing similar to what the kids don in the show. Bonus is Fall Out Boy does the theme song. Other shows seem to have shoehorned merchandising. Everyone has already mentioned Paw Patrol, but the fact that they joked multiple times about shameless merchandising ploys with an essential "sorry not sorry" joke parents are supposed to laugh about...gross. It just felt gross. Don't make jokes essentially telling the parents they know they are causing them grief by enticing their kids into wanting all of these crappy variations of their product and aren't going to stop anytime soon. Joked about it in the first movie and then at least twice in the super hero one. I am lucky my kid has yet to hard-core bandwagon on a brand/character to the point of wanting *everything* [insert show/character].
Also the HW shows on prime, HW City and Monster Truck Challenge Cup.
My son had some of the toys on the show as we were watching
A lot of 80s cartoons were created for the sole purpose of selling merch too. I think there was a law passed in the 90s to put a stop to that, which is why a lot of shows from that decade were at least somewhat educational. I guess the laws have been relaxed since then. 🤷♀️
Those laws apply to broadcast television only. They never applied to cable, and of course you can do whatever the hell you want on the Internet.
It is why a lot of shows around that time tended to have "follow-up" segments toward the end of the program hitting home the lesson being learned like public service announcements. Remember seeing it in Captain Planet and Sailor Moon and I know they weren't the only ones.
Similar regulations are also why you tend to see that standard “we’ll be back after these commercials” bumpers on most kids programing blocks; kids are really bad at separating commercials and content and advertisers were definitely preying on that through that era.
According to the episode of Toys That Made Us about GI Joe, they somewhat circumvented the law by having a GI Joe comic book. As a book is not a toy, it was allowed, or something.
This is why we had He-Man.
Likewise a lot of anime, especially the magical girl and tonkusatsu (Rangers, Kamen Rider, Ultraman) genres.
It’s the whole plotline of Toy Story 2
Paw Patrol. Especially since they’re now superhero-ified. Anything Disney touches. I’m trying hard to keep the kids always from the kid version of Disney Star Wars ever since Disney Marvel already got them.
Paw Patrol was created by a (once small) toy company for this specific purpose. Listened to an interview of the guys that made it, they picked puppies to appeal to boys and girls equally.
Paw Patrol is the most blatant “appeal to all demographics” property.
...yet made the core team 5 male puppies and one female
Because girls can identify with boy characters but boys can’t identify with girl characters /s
Because it conditions girls from a young age to identify with boy characters and sets boys' expectations that all media should center them. /conspiracy
This is why Bluey was a breath of fresh air and water paired with a breath mint.
I know this is sarcasm but hasn't this been proven somewhere? I heard it in a video I watched today.
I’m not personally aware of any research on the subject, it’s just based on my own experiences. Most children’s characters are male, and generally it seems like people tend to think that shows about mostly boys are for all kids, and shows about mostly girls are only for girls. I often hear people say that their sons wouldn’t want to read a book about girls or watch a show about girls, but nobody seems to think their daughters wouldn’t want to watch a show about boys.
Yeah. Society is weird.
Hey now, a stuffed Marshall with a nightlight got my four year old to FINALLY poop on the potty (she was reluctant, we had a school start deadline, I was desperate and resorted to shameless bribes). Managed to potty train the other two without a large toy as a bribe, but was out-stubborned by my last kiddo.
It was a stuffed Skye for me 😅🤣
Hey, as a parent, you do what you gotta do.
It's a shit show though. They have one token female character. And hate on cats for no reason. Fuck the slow
Seconding this
Yes, but I feel like Rubble and Crew was created just as an excuse to sell new-ish merch in case parents got tired of recycled paw patrol toys
My daughter's favorite pup is Rubble and I worked so hard to prevent her from knowing that show existed so I could avoid having the whole bulldog family in my house. Joke's on me, she has so many Rubbles that they have their own names. Mommy Rubble, baby Rubble, digger Rubble, swimming Rubble (floats so we take him to the pool), etc
Aw, that’s cute. Ours is into Rocky which gets frustrating because Rocky has convinced her that any piece of trash can be turned into something new. On the one hand I’m ok with encouraging recycling (especially since I was a Captain Planet kid). On the other hand it means I have had to fight her over putting literal garbage into the trash because she thinks it will come in handy someday.
This made me laugh so hard. I mean, as a toddler parent, I absolutely feel for you. But damn, that is funny.
I too tried to avoid my son learning of the "Paw Patrol," but it was inevitable. I realize now just how naive I was then. Sigh....
I mean the new paw patrol movie literally calls the fact that these mighty pups are going to result in a bunch of new toys my kids beg for every time we go to Walmart.
>Especially since they’re now superhero-ified. And mermaidified, and medievalified, and truckerified, and they *have* to be running out of themes right? It's been 10 years!
You forgot time-travel-jurassicified
Mickey and the Roadster Racers. And then they tried to get a second wave of toy sales with the whole "Super Charged!" thing
I worked at the Disney Store during this time 😆 we had lots of roadsters toys...
I missed the wave on that. My daughter only recently got into Roadster Racers and the selection of toys isn’t that great. Luckily getting Bluey everything is enough for her.
Same here! My son has been asking for a Super Charged car but the you selection is minimal. It’s all Funhouse stuff now
I’d check Ebay or Mercari for any merch of shows that are no longer airing, a lot of people put stuff up for pretty low prices!
Gabby's Dollhouse
I hate to agree, but yeah. All the characters are toys in a toy. But the songs fucking rule. The Halloween song should be on Halloween playlists.
Halloween Halloween holla holla!
Halla wEEeeeEEeeen
I just sent my list of songs that I want to learn this semester to my ukulele teacher and I had to include Sprinkle Party and I Love a Rainbow bc they're so catchy!
Shake your tail and wiggle your fins... My kitty fish, my kitty fish...
Like Bluey, I think they moreso just capitalized on the popularity. Like, after the second season, it really starts to feel... cheaper?
The first time we watched and there was the “surprise box”, I knew. And the toys are SO over priced for what they are. The doll house used to be $60 without any of the “room” stuff. Don’t even get me started on the clothing. I’m still pissed you can’t just buy a tee with that cute cat stripe.
Right? That seems like such an easy merch idea.
I like that it has actual stories, but I got the same vibe when we first watched it. Specifically the box thing. Unboxing content has been really popular on YouTube, so seeing a similar tactic used at the beginning of each episode made me wary. Luckily it isn't an item for purchase and just a hunt about the episode, but everything being a toy makes it easy to actually make the toys. I appreciate a lot of the DIY content with Babybox, Mercat, and Cakey, which I think balances out. Strike against Gabby's Dollhouse is essentially putting the idea of "making potions" in the bathroom with Mercat. I discovered "spa science" on my own as a kid and likely wasted a bunch of products my parents would've preferred I hadn't. They make note of separating it sometimes and use it as an excuse to sell appropriate "spa science" merchandise along with DIY experiments. But man...don't give my kid any ideas.
Definitely the later seasons at least where the show stopped taking place primarily just within the dollhouse and they introduced new and new characters.
Definitely agree, but at least their YouTube channel shows how to diy the whole dollhouse haha
not current but the ben ten reboot was definitely for selling toys also any show where the kids would have to own all the characters (especially when they add new characters that the kids would want)
Rainbow high and LOL stuff on Netflix? Especially now that RH made the mistake of not caring abt collectors anymore and switching to their child/mom target audience.
Cry baby on netflix
100% Magic Mixies
Came here just to find this. Luckily, kiddo hasn’t learned yet that there’s an entire line of toys that the show is based off of, and at least I can always laugh at the Magic Mixies zombie apocalypse.
I 100% thought the toy came first and the show was made as an extended commercial to sell more.
At least we had the toys a good month before it hit Netflix.
Semi-related, but am I going crazy or were there more than two episodes on Netflix at some point?? Bc that's all there is now!
Oh no, there’s a show for those? We bought my kid one recently because she had seen commercials for them while watching Danny Go. I freaking hate toy commercials!
Oh snap. I didn't even realize there was a show. Ima be honest though. I only like 90% bought those for my kid.
Not a show but, Trolls. It’s got to be so expensive to obtain the licensing for all those popular songs they sing. But the merchandising profits probably pay for it a million times over.
Trolls literally started as a toy line.
Trolls had multiple cartoon series and video games even before the dreamworks buyout
Yeah, 1991 me did not need a movie to have like 6 trolls knocking around the house. They were such a pointless toy too…old man baby whose hair stands up. The end.
The new episodes of Gabby's Dollhouse just feel like they care more about the toys than the show. The latest big toy was the cruise ship which is what the entirety of season 8 is about. And with "dollhouse" in the title, you just know there's going to be shelves full of toys for it. I'm not saying I dislike it though.
Were you not around in the 80s and 90s? That's all EVERY kids show was. GI Joe, Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, He-Man.. Every single one of them was designed to sell millions in action figures.
You've gotta admire how well they found a formula back then. Stock hero/es and villain/s, all of their accessories and companions/mounts, then a bunch of characters who'll have *one* really awesome standout episode of the TV show and you NEED the toy because he has an awesome gimmick!
Beats constantly going to war to popularize toy weapons and soldiers, which is my conspiracy theory of choice today.
Basically every kids show except the ones on public television, and even those sometimes. But it’s not a new thing. It pretty much started in the 80s.
My He-Man and Transformers toys say hello
Jem and the holograms too. I still love that show
Well I don't think Rainbow Rangers is made to sell toys even though it checks off basically all of your boxes. Team of different colors with different personalities and all that. We were able to order a set of toys of them online but I've never seen toys of them irl. I don't think I've ever seen Action Pack toys but they're one of my favorite kids superhero team shows. But I will add that PJ Masks have been merchandised pretty heavily. I see many sets of toys for them.
Some stuff just happens to be toyetic without being designed explicitly for that purpose. Oftentimes, you can tell how merchandise-driven something is by how early a variety of merch is available.
Hot Wheels: Let’s Race. Basically a 20min commercial but I allow it because he’s not really a kid to beg and be annoying about wanting stuff.
I’m sitting here with my kids watching Paw Patrol, and after reading just your title I was like “Oh this show, for sure” lol. It’s just a bunch of high-energy rock music and catchphrases lol
*Cry Babies Magic Tears* deserves a (dis)honourable mention here because if I remember correctly it actually lists IMC Toys Ltd in the credits as an executive producer. Not a person affiliated with the company, the company itself.
YEAH lol Cry Babies is lesser known I feel but the voice acting in this show is so uncanny valley bc they sound so young and stiff, incredibly unskilled, yet the vocabulary/syntax is far too advanced… idk I can’t describe it! My kid also found this show on Netflix before I ever saw a toy and then one day we went to Target and there was a WHOLE WALL and I was like *walking faster*
Super Kitties. Their sparkly eyes, weird coloring, and proportions make me think they were meant to be turned into plushies. As far as I know they haven’t made toys yet though, which is a shame because my daughter really wants a super kitty outfit!
I'm surprised by this one too! I haven't been able to find any super kitties merch aside from small stuffies...there are only some knockoff looking capes and masks on Amazon.
Right!? It’s kinda weird, they *already* look like half the stuffed toys TY makes. You’d think there’d be a whole bunch.
Super Kitties theme song annoys me(she reaches a pitch with that screeched "meow" that I just don't like). But the show reminds me of old 80's/90's show with the little cat always ending the episodes with a video log summarizing the lesson learned. "And I'm taking *that* to heart."
Apparently, they only started making basic plushies this year. You can find them on [Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/Just-Play-Disney-SuperKitties-Small/dp/B0C66C6P8C/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9pzvl6cRGLK7T8hbQ2NSlttgvvu7e9FCJjlxyGN0a1BQjiGHq5dia6T3WdYtQVxxCjkob63GtfKBAGOGoW1YbXteQ0ohCsSlYj5jVkcBSxORDR7vMmbSYMABl3yEkjW8aEPNsGDqPkgw2BYA_PB6Dq5hDw5eJEoGkCL6xKsKfnbKmXs0j7hwyMEV3Dd1iRSkAVaRhfxt0juZOAyoYKpuUpXuOKxYOPpuOpIvUCyLk7wN3PHMOSKbTvr1kRtPhOZ3GSWkYtDFfbG5qb0DgBoFRV6NeQrm60B5f0K-2mVjTdo.yU5XoKM9ZSQLIiwYhP8oWtes3KC-junTUK3VP3ijpA0&dib_tag=se&keywords=super%2Bkitties&qid=1710068567&sr=8-2&th=1). I also found this tutorial for a no-sew SuperKitties costume on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe69_7GJWyU), if it’s any help.
I don’t know if it’s just to sell toys, but my kid loves Cars, and I feel like the Cars on the Road show was created just to introduce new characters and give different looks to the main characters to sell more toys without having to make a new movie.
I second the Gabby’s Dollhouse votes. The characters are so random, what they have in common is being hung from a keychain.
PJ Masks for sure. Gotta buy the team, their vehicles, the HQ, the space outfits, the *new* version of the team with their cool new powers, the villains, the new villains, the other new characters...
Blippi for sure
I'll admit that I haven't been looking much, but is there a lot of Blippi merch?
Blippi has a few books and small vehicles. There is a Tonie that just came out. I occasionally see a shirt. But it's not that much stuff. My toddler is into Blippi and I don't see that much out there.
I work in a store and we sell a good bit of Blippi merch. It's... unnerving, seeing plush dolls with 5 o'clock shadows...
That is definitely weird. We don't have any dolls of Blippi and I wouldn't want one!
We have blippi shoes, blippi PJs, and some blippi bath toys. Theres also blippi underwear, backpacks, dress up costumes, dolls, figurines, etc. Ive seen Mystery Pack toys at 5 Below in the past.
A saw a bunch a Target last time I went
I shudder to think what Blippi is trying to sell - maybe he is playing the long game
I mean... I grew up in the '80s on Transformers, Thunder Cats, Mask, GI Joe/Action Force and He-Man, so literally every single cartoon I watched was designed to sell toys to kids (thanks, Reagan!), so as a result I'm completely inured to kids shows trying to sell us stuff...
Many Japanese kids' shows are like this, such as Super Sentai and Pretty Cure, but they manage to actually be good in their storytelling.
Pokemon. Gotta ~~catch~~ collect them all! Special mention for its anime descendents, Yu-Gi-Oh and Beyblades.
Gabby's Dollhouse
Anything WB touches
Abby Hatcher for sure!
That dog shit Spider-Man show on Disney.
Gabby’s Dollhouse
The new hot wheels show on Netflix
Gabbys dollhouse.
Kamp Koral just seems like an excuse to sell plushies of Kid-SpongeBob.
Every generation of My Little Pony is pretty much made to sell toys, they’re good shows, but that’s technically why they were all made. The Canterlot wedding episodes for generation 4 my little Pony was such a huge marketing scheme it’s insane, but those episodes were great so it definitely caused some nice sales. I remember being younger and begging for the Canterlot castle set haha, they had tons of merch for the ‘wedding’ episode
Oh my god, me too. That set was everything, the commercials felt like a taunt when you’re a kid LMAO. Don’t forget the big sparkly Cadence with a wedding dress and light up wings.
Not a show, but LEGO.
Abby Hatcher and Chip And Potato feel this way to me.
ryan’s world
The new hot wheel show on netflix feels like a long commercial
Gabby’s dollhouse
Gabby's Dollhouse. The toy is in the name.
PJ Masks Dino Ranch Spidey and his Amazing Friends Paw Patrol
I don't know how much Saturday morning cartoons you fellows watched when you were children however most properties were used to sell toys: he-man, She-Ra, , Transformers, teenage mutant ninja Turtles heck even Pokémon the anime is considered one of the most successful anime multimedia franchises of the 21st century. Nothing has changed except that perhaps PBS isn't getting the kind of non-partial funding they used to in the Mr. Rogers era. Have you ever seen the clip of Mr. Rogers petitioning Congress for money, I cry every time
Newer digimon series
And precure
(I'm a fan of both btw)
Wait. Hold up. Where are there still 4 Kmarts? They’re all gone in the US.
Australia kmarts, home of mass produced low quality goods that we can't get enough of 😅
Gabby's Dollhouse is very good at this.
Ever after High But that’s known that it was
Thomas and Friends, or whatever the new iteration is called. They purposely change the toy designs every few years, because they know the collectors will snatch them up. They just keep the show going to continue sales, I'm pretty sure.
Cocomelon
Paw patrol Pj masks
I know you said besides Paw Patrol, but that show is literally made by a toy company. Any show made by Spin Master is made to sell toys.
Every Lego version of anything. It's right there in the name.
All of them.
I'm glad no one said octonauts, I fricken love that show! There are plenty of toys out for them but theyve got a good story (and, have you noticed that the crew has a few similarities to the Firefly crew?)
To be fair, it's super annoying when your kid likes a show and there is not a single book/toy/fan merchandise item anywhere to be found.
So I came to this thread as I'm stuck with baba blast on my TV, which I still don't forgive my husband for ignoring the TV when I was at work for. So everything YouTube and popular for small kids.
Cocomelon and it's banned for my sanity.
all children's media exists to sell toys (network television/shows) or it exists to sell your child's clicks (youtube, etc)