This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
The Evil Dr Bolty: Anyone else think that a note should be made at the top that "Ages 3 and up" refers to safety, not intended demographic? I see a few entries that use that tagline as evidence of this trope when it's really just a safety test approval stamp.
Gloating Swine: On the Avatar toyline, it seems rather more to be that the people making the toys are beavering away at the percieved requirements of the core demographic, 8-12 year old boys, and think that those boys wouldn't want action figures of the female characters, because those would be dolls, and would therefore be for girls (a common theme in action figure sales, I don't recall if we have a trope for that, or whether it's in the remit of the site). The fact that they've completely missed or ignored the Periphery Demographic doesn't mean they misaimed the marketing, just aimed it a bit too narrowly.
Vampire Buddha swoops in an excises badness:
- * "Hulke Pokey" is a little stuffed Incredible Hulk who sings and dances in the same manner as a Tickle-Me Elmo.
- It turns out that there is a whole slew of Chibi-style Marvel Superheroes who appear on products for small children, most of which are under the "Spider-Man and Friends" or "Super Hero Squad" lines. (So wait, if there's a Chibi-Wolverine, is there a Chibi-Punisher?)
- Yes, Virginia, there is a Chibi-Punisher in the "Super Hero Squad" line. "Super Hero Squad" versions of villains, particularly the more grotesque ones (like Venom or movie-style Abomination), are also disturbingly cheerful and cutesy. Heck, there's evn ultimate Giant Man (wifebeater) and Iron Man (drunk)
*** Hasbro also has other "Heroes" lines similar to "Super Hero Squad", featuring other franchises. For instance, there's an Indiana Jones "Adventure Heroes" Belloq in priestly - It turns out that there is a whole slew of Chibi-style Marvel Superheroes who appear on products for small children, most of which are under the "Spider-Man and Friends" or "Super Hero Squad" lines. (So wait, if there's a Chibi-Wolverine, is there a Chibi-Punisher?)
This is mostly natter. I've taken the relevant stuff and put into a single, more succint bullet point.
- ** Hey, Optimash
Prime was awesome.
- We'll let that one go. Same toy company after all. (Of course, with that in mind, we're damn glad this is just a customized toy...)
- What about Idaho Spuds?
- Er... that one's a bit much.
- This Troper doesn't know what you guys are talking about, all the licensed Mr. Potatoheads are awesome.
*** Yes. It's just that the age demographic for playing with normal Mr. Potato Heads is much lower than the suggested age for watching Star Wars, or the sane age for watching Idaho—um, Indiana Jones.*** You have to be 5 to enjoy Mr. Potato Head? Hogwash! - We'll let that one go. Same toy company after all. (Of course, with that in mind, we're damn glad this
Natter = bad
- * Inflate-a-Ichigo. Enough said. Sadly enough for the Periphery Demographic fanboys, the thing was hideous, and didn't look a thing like the character.
Not enough said.
- ** Well, it *is* described as similar to Tang elsewhere on TV Tropes...
Nerdorama: It's the breakfast of champions. Or astronauts, anyway. Effectively, it's the predecessor to other powdered "fruit" drinks in Real Life, and the soulstuff from NGE just happens to have a similar translucent orange look. //You didn't copy all the stuff you removed, by the way.
Natter Natter Natter!
- Don't forget the licensed Lego sets for various action-fantasy franchises, which expanded into video games based on their versions of Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Batman. But apparently they're actually rather fun.
- Almost the inverse of this: Many Lego fans are adults. Whether the tie-ins are good for the majority of fans... no clue. But in this troper's eyes, their major effect was to somehow eliminate the huge boxes of Lego bricks you used to be able to buy but now can't even buy from the Lego homepage... not to mention all the pirates and Robin Hood guys that are now discontinued.
- This utterly incomprehensible move by the Lego company at least led to the creation of a thriving second-hand trading business at such sites as Bricklink, which connects people like a swap meet and offers even brand-new copies of long discontinued pieces. More pirates for everyone!
- Ahem. Brick buckets: NOT eliminated. Pirates come back every year or two. Forestmen were a short-lived Castle subtheme.
- Not to mention that using Lego Digital Designer, you can build virtually using a mind-crushingly vast selection of simple, standard bricks (as well as a handful of more interesting ones), then order the exact parts to build that design as a physical model.
- This utterly incomprehensible move by the Lego company at least led to the creation of a thriving second-hand trading business at such sites as Bricklink
- There's also the just recently announced line of 'Star Trek' Barbies, because if there's one thing that little girls love, it's TV shows from the 1960s and the PG-13 movies based on them!
- Those aren't recent. I'm 17, and my parents got me the Star Trek 30th Anniversary Barbies for my seventh birthday. Anyway, a good half of the Barbie line isn't aimed at little girls; it's aimed at adult collectors with money to burn. This isn't a case of Misaimed Marketing so much as "marketing aimed at a segment that most people aren't aware of"; serious adult doll collectors who buy $50-300 licensed property Barbies like Batman and Star Trek and dolls garbed in Bob Mackie and Vera Wang. That's who the Star Trek Barbies are for, not little girls who spend $5 at Wal-Mart. And I was a little girl who LOVED my Star Trek Barbies!
Argh!
- This may be a case of Political Correctness Gone Mad - five of the fairy tale princesses are Caucasian, and the Arabic Jasmine (Aladdin) seems slightly downplayed nowadays.
- Plush dolls of Cthulhu are an interesting example; both the makers and buyers know the discrepancy; that's the point. HP Lovecraft is rolling in his grave nonetheless.
Darmok: I don't see how the Lego Star Wars example counts. Both children and adults like the movies. Both children and adults like the games. And the companies will sell them to anyone who's buying.
Rogue 7: Is it just me, or do the ads that I've started seeing for Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha completely miss the point of the show to anyone unfamiliar with it?
Freezair For A Limited Time: The picture of Plushie!Iorek is pretty good, but does anyone have a picture of Plushie!Ozymandias anywhere? (I am referring to the golden monkey, not the Watchmen character.) I think that might fit a bit better. Even for those of us who had our childhood raped by the Golden Compass movie, for those of us who wished we had a big polar bear like Iorek to protect us from bullies, Plushie!Iorek is still somewhat redeemable. There's no excuse for Plushie!Ozymandias, though. He always was frightening, creepy, and unsympathetic.
TTD: I'm sure I could find a picture somewhere, but what I'd like to know is this: what version of His Dark Materials did you read where that sick lil' baster' gets a name? (Not that it isn't a decent name for him, but...)
Freezair For A Limited Time: It comes from the BBC radio drama of the books. That Other Wiki knows.
Gattsuru : There are female NASCAR drivers, and more than 40% of the fans are women, so the comment about NASCAR Barbie may be closer to Reality Is Unrealistic or cultural Aluminum Christmas Tree. Well, other than the Barbie part.
Nornagest: I really don't get the hate-on for the His Dark Materials toys.
Xi Whoeverski: I don't get it either. The books are for kids. There are plush toy accessories. This is strange because...?
Rothul: Watchmen action figure marketing is not misaimed. None of it has appeared in regular toy stores, only by DC Direct to fans who have waited years for the chance to buy these things, regardless of whether a Take That! is issued to the concept in-story. In addition I'm beginning to resent the ongoing implication that liking Rorschach in any way as a character is Completely Missing The Point. Yes, I know that he's a flawed mentally scarred anti-hero, seriously messed in the head, who I would loathe to spend any actual time with. But there's clearly an inner integrity and dedication there, and there also happens to be the fact that he's the main character of my favorite book of all time. Why is it so wrong to want to buy an action figure? Mini-rant over.
Later: Okay, admittedly, the Nite Owl Coffee and Dr. Manhattan Condoms are testing even my limits of charity. Course, they are kinda hilarious.
Mr Death: Took out the picture caption because there is an Inigo Montoya action figure out there. Hell, I've got one of Westley. And it doesn't make sense anyway, because The Princess Bride is at least a family film.
Removed:
- Plushies of Half-Life characters. A cuddly little Hunter? A Headcrab hat? Seriously? Also from Valve: by popular demand, a plushie Companion Cube. With Companion Cube rearview mirror 'dices'. As with HP Lovecraft, the fannish irony is delicious.
- Look around online, and you'll find instructions for making a whole variety of Valve-themed plushes, like the Demoman's stickies.
- This Troper bought a headcrab hat, and it is awesome.
The key words are by popular demand. The fact that people a number expressed a desire for the products, and that they were incredibly successful when released, suggest the marketing was perfectly aimed.
Nohbody: Would the plushie versions of various microbes
count, a la the plush Cthulu example already mentioned? Particularly the STD ones.
Freezair For A Limited Time: I would actually file those under the marketing version of Crazy Awesome—they're actually quite popular with both nerds (who love plush anything) and doctors (who find them both adorable and educational; you'll notice they also make medical supplies. Designed to kill what they're depicting, but that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish.)
I seriously think this page needs a medium-sized dose of Tropes Are Not Bad .. I mean there's a big difference between trying to 'clean up' a serious, dark franchise to make it appeal to the parents of little kids and.. Robocop, Alien, and Terminator action figures. When I was a kid, it was understood that young boys would see or attempt to see that kind of fun action movie, regardless of rating, and we shouldn't berate Playmates/Kenner for their admirable strides in making COOL toys for kids, instead of things with oversized feet.
The Gunheart: I hear ya. I mean, just wow. Really, even if its not for kids, kids are often still going to want to see the big action and fantasy movies. Now, plushies of characters from Pans Labyrinth is pushing it, but what kid wouldn't want to see the [[Transformers giant robot movie]] (and this is coming from someone who hates the Bay films)?
Muninn: Page already has a picture, but I found this over at Dark Roasted Blend and it was too good to pass up at least mentioning it here.
