1975 to 1982 was the golden age of movie merchandise according to the NYT. The articles that I found on the subject mostly talk in dollars. I have to wonder what the numbers mean in terms of tons of plastic.
In more recent decades, toy manufacturers have experienced a lot of expensive failures with movie merchandise. It is a high risk venture. I think one of the ways that they mitigate the risk is by making really cheap plastic products. On one of my walks on the beach, I found a broken Spiderman bucket and filled it with other plastic trash.
There are three main strategies used in movie merchandising and the target demographic of the movie will determine which one gets the most attention. The main difference between plastic toys and plastic collectibles is the price. Blockbusters that are aimed at the cool kids are better off selling clothes.
I would love to see some big name movie producers make a responsible decision and simply not grant licenses related to making crappy plastic movie merchandise. Worldwide illegal sales of unlicensed merchandise would continue, but consumers might buy less.
The Trekkies are typically enthusiastic consumers of plastic crap. It’s too late to argue against merchandising with regard to the current release but it’s not too late to suggest to fans of Star Trek that they enjoy the experience of the movie without buying any plastic collectibles. Resistance is not futile.
Photo Credit: Nanoprobe67