Merchandise-Driven: Difference between revisions

*** Despite the expense of new kits, this has recently been phased out as newer kits are often priced depending on their weight and complexity. Kits like the 00 Qant and the Unicorn Gundam are hot sellers but they are priced according to how much plastic is in those kits. On the other hand, large kits like the Sinanju err to the more expensive side.

** Often times, Bandai will find ways to release old kits as a new model with various ways to make them seem like legitimate standalone kits. One such method is to market recolors (0 Gundam and the celestial being colors) or spin-off variations of a kit (Astraea, Astraea type F) without having to create an entire set of runners. This can be both subtle and completely in your face like the GN condenser 00 where the frame is the exact same except for an extra clip that gives you the condenser pieces.

* ''[[Zoids]]'' is unusual in this respect, as the original model line from the 80s had no supporting media, aside from two short promotional videos, a few video games and a comic series produced by Marvel. The second model line, however, had numerous anime and manga adaptations, though only the first three (''[[Zoids: Chaotic Century]], [[Zoids: New Century Zero]],'' and ''[[Zoids Fuzors]]'') saw distribution outside of Japan.

* ''[[Crush Gear Turbo]]'' was advertising for a rather strange game where battery-powered toy cars rolled around and collided in a small tray until one of them had the wheels fall off, or something. [[Short Run in Peru|The merchandise is almost as hard to find as]] [[Keep Circulating the Tapes|the show itself]].

* In the live-action ''[[Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon]],'' the weapons and accessories used by the characters in the show were the actual toys on sale concurrently in the shops.

* ''[[Hime Chen! Otogi Chikku Idol Lilpri]]'' is an [[The Anime of the Game|adaptation]] of a Sega arcade game called ''Lilpri - Yubi Puru Hime Chen'', which allows players to scan cards to customize their own [[Magic Idol Singer]]. The cards are even used in the show by the three main characters and are advertised at the end of each episode.

* Mini 4WD related manga and anime ''[[Dash Yonkuro]]'' and ''[[Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!!|Bakusou Kyoudai Let's and Go]]'' are created sorely to sell toy models from Tamiya. They even add tips on how to race the toy cars. The premise is similar to ''[[Crush Gear Turbo]]'', except these are even older.

** [[Wild Mass Guessing]]: the character redesigns for [[Black★Rock Shooter (anime)||the TV series]] ([[They Changed It, Now It Sucks|which many find objectionable]]) were created because they need to sell new versions of Mato and Yomi.

* In ''[[Queen's Blade|Queens Blade]]'' the Visual Battle Books are what really ignites any other related product for the franchise, from figurines to [[Anime]]/[[Manga]] and [[Video Games]]; ''Hobby Japan'' itself are endorsed by other companies to make merchandise of their products, so making some for their in-house creation comes off as expected.

{{quote|'''Boomer''' - I've ''got'' to get me one of those!}}

* ''[[Mon Suno]]'', which is being backed by Jakks-Pacific and Topps. It is gaining a steady fandom for the show, card game, and action figure line.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* ''[[M.A.S.K.]]'', which was created to sell a toyline of the same name by Kenner, which combined elements of the aforementioned Transformers and G.I. Joe.

* In the early 1960s, many tv cartoon shows were tied in with a cereal company sponsor (Jay Ward with General Mills, Hanna-Barbera with Kellogg's, Looney Tunes with Post), often with said characters in cereal ads and on boxes. Post then had new mascots created for their cereals, and they all became characters on the ''Linus the Lion-Hearted'' show. This proved too much of a blur between programming and commercials to regulators, and the show was canned. The only current remnant of the series is Sugar Bear for Sugar/Super/Golden Crisps.

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