History Main / ScrewedByTheMerchandise

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016'' reboot failed to be the CashCowFranchise that [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls the original]] was a little over a decade earlier. This was likely due to a combination of GirlShowGhetto, heavy criticism of [[ItChangedNowItSucks pretty much every change]] by old fans, and new fans not finding the show as interesting as something like ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo''. The toys just don't sell well. The reboot hasn't been outright canceled yet, but a few months after release it was shoved onto a Saturday-only block, then onto Creator/{{Boomerang}}, which is a death sentence for any Creator/CartoonNetwork original.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersUnitedTheyStand'' was a case of the show getting screwed by the toys as well as the toys getting screwed by the show. The execs decided to make everyone have anime-style armour to sell matching toys and to omit the most popular Avengers. The concept failed and the show and toyline both tanked.

* ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop'' toys are usually popular. However, that didn't stop ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' from being canceled after four seasons due to poor toy sales. It was later replaced with another cartoon.

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]

* ''Manga/NurseAngelRirikaSOS'' was doing rather well with the ratings, however, it had too large of a PeripheryDemographic. The actual toys weren't selling enough with little girls and thus they wrapped the plot up early. The show was intended [[CerebusSyndrome to become even grimmer]]. The actual ending is not exactly light though, as [[spoiler:[[TheHeroDies Ririka]] commits a HeroicSacrifice (though ends up surviving)]].

[[folder: Films -- Animation ]]

[[folder: Films -- Live Action ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* Both of Creator/{{Mattel}}'s {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' and ''Toys/EverAfterHigh'' were canceled after diminishing toy sales and a change in the market towards smaller, cheaper toys. In their place ''Toys/{{Enchantimals}}'' was created as a replacement. This means that the crossover movie was scrapped and ''Ever After High'''s plot [[CutShort was not finished]]. ''Monster High'' was later brought back but ''Ever After High'' is in a "hiatus".

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''Toys/LittlestPetShop'' toys are usually popular. However, that didn't stop ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' from being canceled after four seasons due to poor toy sales. It was replaced with another cartoon.

** This is not the first time this has happened: Their dub of ''Anime/TokyoMewMew'' was cancelled and the second half remained undubbed despite good ratings because they were not able to get a merchandise deal for the show.

* None of the characters from ''Series/TheNoddyShop'''s FramingDevice segments were featured or made into merchandise, save for a millennium calendar having Bonita Flamingo, Warloworth Q. Weasel, Sherman, Rusty, the Do-Wop Penguins and Gums on the December page. [[NoExportForYou The UK did get some more merchandise with the characters from the segments]], but even then the characters from the toy store segments were just cameos. For example, there was a series of toy cars with them on the packaging, when only the ''Toyland Adventures'' characters were made into toys. Even worse, the VHS releases, [[http://variety.com/1998/tv/news/polygram-nabs-noddy-vid-1117468657/ which was supposed to cover the first 40 episodes]], did not even feature the FramingDevice at all and was just the ''Toyland Adventures'' segments with music videos in between each story. Once again, [[NoExportForYou nine episodes got released on home video in the UK rather than the US]]. This resulted in poor sales and the show getting canned after 65 episodes.

No matter how popular the work tself is, it can be CutShort if the toys or other merchandise doesn't sell as expected. This is most common in MerchandiseDriven cartoons; however, action cartoons also suffer from this, and the difficulty of selling toys is a large reason why the genre has become unpopular in America in the 2010s.

No matter how popular the cartoon itself is, it can be CutShort if the toys or other merchandise doesn't sell as expected. This is most common in MerchandiseDriven cartoons; however, action cartoons also suffer from this, and the difficulty of selling toys is a large reason why the genre has become unpopular in America in the 2010s.

Of course, in some cases, the producers misread the market, and might end up with a situation where certain toys are flying off the shelves at Christmas, the rest of the toyline ends up in the bargain bin.

[[AC: {{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]

[[AC: {{Film}}s -- Animation]]

[[AC: {{Film}}s -- Live Action]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC: WebOriginal]]

[[AC: WesternAnimation]]

* ''Franchise/LittlestPetShop'' toys are usually popular. However, that didn't stop ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' from being canceled after four seasons due to poor toy sales. It was replaced with another cartoon.

* ''WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies2010'' was eventually canceled due to a lack of toy sales.

* Both of Creator/{{Mattel}}'s {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' and ''Franchise/EverAfterHigh'' were canceled after diminishing toy sales and a change in the market towards smaller, cheaper toys. In their place ''Toys/{{Enchantimals}}'' was created as a replacement. This means that the crossover movie was scrapped and ''Ever After High'''s plot [[CutShort was not finished]]. ''Monster High'' was later brought back but ''Ever After High'' is in a "hiatus".

* Both of Creator/{{Mattel}}'s {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' and ''Franchise/EverAfterHigh'' were canceled after diminishing toy sales and a change in the market towards smaller, cheaper toys. In their place ''Toys/{{Enchantimals}}'' was created as a replacement. This means that the crossover movie was scrapped and ''Ever After High'''s plot [[CutShort was not finished]]. ''Monster High'' was later brought back but 'Ever After High'' is in a "hiatus".

* Both of Creator/{{Mattel}}'s {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s ''Toys/MonsterHigh'' and ''Franchise/EverAfterHigh'' were canceled after diminishing toy sales and a change in the market towards smaller, cheaper toys. In their place ''Toys/{{Enchantimals}}'' was created as a replacement. This means that the crossover movie was scrapped and ''Ever After High'''s plot [[CutShort was not finished]].

* ''Franchise/LittlestPetShop'' toys are usually popular. However, that didn't stop ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' from being canceled after four seasons due to poor toy sales.

* This trope became the downfall of the original ComicBook/{{Batman}} movie series. ''Film/BatmanReturns'' was full of [[DarkerAndEdgier horrific and sexual content]], and thus the action figures didn't sell. Warner Bros kicked out Tim Burton and brought in Joel Schumacher to make the next two movies LighterAndSofter so they could sell more action figures. While the ensuing movies (''Film/BatmanForever'' and ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'') had decent toy sales, they were critical and commercial flops, ending that particular batch of Batman movies right then and there.

* Both of Creator/{{Mattel}}'s {{Cash Cow Franchise}}s ''Franchise/MonsterHigh'' and ''Franchise/EverAfterHigh'' were canceled after diminishing toy sales and a change in the market towards smaller, cheaper toys. In their place ''Toys/{{Enchantimals}}'' was created as a replacement. This means that the crossover movie was scrapped and ''Ever After High'''s plot [[CutShort was not finished]].

* ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' was a smash hit in Japan and many other countries, but the success did not translate to the United States, where the show got low ratings and the toys barely sold. The [[http://web.archive.org/web/20060209082127/http://www.toywiz.com/magicaldoremi.html second wave of toys]] (which leaked Oyajide and Onpu's dub names) were cancelled and Creator/FourKidsEntertainment took the show off air, broadcasting the rest of the series via streaming from their website.

* This trope became the downfall of the original ComicBook/{{Batman}} movie series. ''Film/BatmanReturns'' was full of both NightmareFuel and FetishFuel, and thus the action figures didn't sell. Warner Bros kicked out Tim Burton and brought in Joel Schumacher to make the next two movies LighterAndSofter so they could sell more action figures. While the ensuing movies (''Film/BatmanForever'' and ''Film/BatmanAndRobin'') had decent toy sales, they were critical and commercial flops, ending that particular batch of Batman movies right then and there.

* ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' was a smash hit in Japan and many other countries, but the success did not translate to the United States, where the show got low ratings and the toys barely sold. The second wave of toys (which leaked Oyajide and Onpu's dub names) were cancelled and Creator/FourKidsEntertainment took the show off air, broadcasting the rest of the series via streaming from their website.

* ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls2016'' reboot failed to be the CashCowFranchise that [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls the original]] was a little over a decade earlier. This was likely due to a combination of GirlShowGhetto, heavy criticism of [[ItChangedNowItSucks pretty much every change]] by old fans, and new fans not finding the show as interesting as something like ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGo''. The toys just don't sell well. The reboot hasn't been outright canceled yet, but a few months after release it was shoved onto a Saturday-only block, then onto Creator/{{Boomerang}}, which is a death sentence for any Creator/CartoonNetwork original.

* ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'' was canceled after twenty episodes due to no companies wanting to make merchandise for it. KeepCirculatingTheTapes is in full effect due to a home release being difficult and the fact it was rarely rerun, though it can be bought digitally. The [[BestKnownForTheFanservice infamous dancing scene]] in episode 10 prevents the series from falling into obscurity, though.