Misaimed Marketing: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

 

[[Executive Meddling|Executives]] are a superstitious, cowardly lot. They're always worrying about their "next big thing" gaining lots and lots of fans. And so when it comes to marketing and tie-in merchandise, they'll try to cast as wide a net as possible to attract a wide variety of people.

 

 

Toys based on R-rated films are common, though these are usually aimed at adults. However, such action figures [[What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?|are also often found sold in mainstream toy stores]]. Some companies go even further, creating products directed ''at'' kids for those same movies. It's a tad creepy when either toys or [[Animated Adaptation|Saturday Morning Cartoons]] of movies that had visible sexual content are sold to kids. (Why, yes, your kids would '''love''' a ''[[Starship Troopers]]'' action figure...). It may also be because executives know that [[Periphery Demographic]] exists among kids who watch shows meant for older audiences.

Contrast [[Merchandise-Driven]], where marketing may have been the point all along. Tends to happen when you've got yourself a [[Cash Cow Franchise]]. Very often leads to [[What Do You Mean It's Not for Kids?]] See also [[Never Trust a Trailer]] and [[Contemptible Cover]]. Sometimes runs headlong into [[My Little Panzer]]...

 

** And to complement the Hulkie Pokey, they have a SD Spider-Man plush that sings Eensy Weensy Spider and another with Spider-Man and his '''security web blanket''' as well.

** There are also T-shirts featuring chibi versions of the Marvel characters, with quotes like [[Understatement|"Bad temper" for Hulk and "Doesn't play well with others" for Punisher.]]

** There's a little Wolverine action figure now, who's naked except for his Weapon X mental reprogramming gear. He's ''smiling''.

** Or [[Transformers Victory|Victory Saber, Deathsaurus]], or even Unicron?

** Some have argued that they're not really going for kids, but as a nerd [[Guilty Pleasure]] that's cheaper and easier to pose than action figures.

* The ''[[Star Wars]] [[Transformers]]'' line. Had both Star Wars ''and'' Transformers toys been made by the same company in the '80s, they could have bankrupted their competition because of the sheer awesomeness of the combination. Seeing as how both have been around for nearly the same amount of time, it seems a bit forced.

* Another example of misaimed marketing in ''Transformers'' is the IDW comics original character [http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Drift Drift]. While more a [[Canon Sue|canon]]ized [[Gary Stu|fan-character]], the company has been playing him up, as they believe his Japan-centered drift racer car mode, red and white rising sun deco and dual [[Katanas Are Just Better|samurai swords]] will appeal to the fans, who've ended up finding his [[Creator's Pet]] [[Gary Stu]] Japan-shilling slightly insulting. That said, Drift's [[Merchandise-Driven|toy]] is pretty much agreed to be [[So Cool Its Awesome]] by the fans, even those who detest the character. On the other hand, the toy has been redecoed as Blurr, so Drift-haters can still experience the figure without actually owning a "Drift".

* [[J. K. Rowling]] rejected a lot of hypothetical ''[[Harry Potter]]'' merch. Her least favourite idea was the "Moaning Myrtle toilet seat". This mindset makes the existence of [http://www.toymania.com/columns/spotlight/hplevgame.shtml this "levitation skill game"] even more odd.

** How many ''Harry Potter'' fans actually wanted to know firsthand what an earwax-flavored Bertie Bott Bean tasted like anyway?

** There was also the "slime chamber" playset released around the time of the second film. What this has to do with ''Harry Potter'' is anyone's guess as there is nothing resembling a slime chamber in any of the books or films. Oh, and the ''Harry Potter'' action figures you're supposed to pour the slime on, [[Nickelodeon]] style, aren't even included in the set! Really, the closest tie to ''Harry Potter'' is the fact that the slime chamber rather vaguely resembles the Chamber of Secrets.

** Cute Scabbers plushies were made in conjunction with the first two movies, {{spoiler|when anyone who'd read the third book, released two years before the first film, already knew Scabbers would turn out to be a creepy little man who betrayed Harry's parents to Voldemort.}}

** That's not all that's wrong with the Princess line, though, oh no. Dig how "Princess" [[Beauty and the Beast|Belle]] is never seen in the blue dress she wears throughout the movie or with a book in hand. Marvel at how [[Sleeping Beauty (Disney film)|Aurora]] wears pink (look closely. They also give her purple eyes). Rejoice that all your favorite heroines spend their days in toy stores posing and staring vaguely into the distance, swishing their sparkly gowns in the same exactly poses over and over again, in recycled, off-model clipart slapped onto every pink backpack they can find. Their coloring books and [[Direct to Video]] features are filled with stories about spring cleaning, going to the market, and setting up parties for their friends.

** Mulan was more popular than Pocahontas, so in the line-up she went.

** One Mulan doll is not only sculpted with [[Did Not Do the Research|Barbie feet]] (i.e. can only wear heels) but '''''this''''' is the product description on the back of the box.

** [[The Black Cauldron|Princess Eilonwy]] is spared because Disney [[Canon Discontinuity|doesn't remember she exists.]]

* Some Disney stores these days are selling stuffed [[101 Dalmatians|Cruella de Vils]] (we guess kids need punching bags), stuffed [[The Nightmare Before Christmas|Oogie Boogie]] dolls, and stuffed [[Narnia|Aslans]], which is probably a sin of some sort (at least if you're Orthodox).

** Though this is probably more a case of wild age-inappropriateness, considering that child-sized ''pimp costumes'' have been made.

** Halloween costumes in general, especially those for preteen girls, have become rather horrifyingly inappropriate.

* There is apparently a large market for licensed military toys. We have Batman Tanks, Hulk Humvees, [[Iron Man]] fighter jets and, of course, [[Spider-Man (Comic Book)|Spidey]] ''stealth bombers''. Basically, they are just cheaply made Hot Wheels or a similar toy painted in the color of the hero with the hero's logo, or in some cases, a decal of the hero, placed on it. Because nothing says stealth as much as ''having Spider-Man painted on your hull''.

** Matchbox once did a Mercury Sable wagon (from [[The Eighties]]!) with ''[[The Brady Bunch]]'' tie-in markings.

** [[Studio Gainax]] have a reputation for being absolute marketing ''whores'' and will sell pretty much any merchandise and sex up their characters as much as necessary. Including a Rei Ayanami soap dish.

** They still haven't made a Kaworu PEZ dispenser, which would be cool in a completely tasteless sort of way.

* This bit Warner Brothers in the butt something fierce when ''[[Batman Returns]]'' was released and turned out to be a significantly darker and more violent film than its predecessor. Complaints about kid-oriented tie-ins like McDonald's Happy Meals made it to at least one talk show, and [[Nickelodeon]] apparently canceled a contest where the winning kid would attend the London premiere. This outcry was one reason the [[Joel Schumacher]]-helmed films that followed wound up significantly [[Lighter and Softer]].

** What made this even more bizarre is that Hasbro deliberately misled gullible consumers into thinking ''Batman Returns'' was a different kind of movie entirely by releasing some [[In Name Only]] "deluxe" Batman figures that had him wearing costumes that weren't even in the movie, such as "Jungle Attack Batman." (Remember seeing any jungles in ''Batman Returns''? We sure didn't.)

*** Speaking of Hungry Jack's, in recent years they regularly produce variants of their Whopper hamburgers branded as a burger based on/inspired by whatever hot new film is currently doing the rounds (the aforementioned ''The Dark Knight'' was one of the first examples). You have to wonder because really, they barely alter the burgers at all and most of the films don't even have the slightest connection with the things.

** The Dark Knight Kids Meal was spoofed in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=om_luT7YlkY this] [[Mad TV]] skit.

* There's a really nice [[Death Note|Ryuk]] handpuppet sold in shops. A Death God with a short attention span and worrying lack of morals... in puppet form. How cute.

* Think that's bad? ''[[Tokyo Mew Mew]]'' has a few odd things. The panties are understandable, since it ''is'' a kids' show. Plastic beauty set? Nothing to do with the actual show, but some little girls probably liked it. When you get to the large inflatable Ichigo, however, you really do have to wonder.

* Back in the early 1990s, there were ''[[Alien (franchise)|Alien]]'' and ''[[Predator]]'' toys geared for kids. Yes, you heard right. A toy franchise based on two R-rated movie franchises. This included a face hugger that slipped over the human action figure's head and a baby Xenomorph.

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKSv85mJEmY ALIEN! ACTION FIGURE!] Apparently they are pretty expensive these days, for collectors who want to get their hands on one.

*** The Alien plush toys are adorable, but it's difficult to picture a child playing with it.

** Or [[RoboCop]]? You know, the movie that nearly got slapped with an X rating just for violent content?

** And let's not forget [[Rambo]] - because kids definitely need a figure representing a near psychotic Vietnam vet who destroyed most of the town in ''[[First Blood]]''. (Not to mention the original ending had him committing suicide.)

* [http://www.flickr.com/photos/babbletrish/3006284899/ Coloring] and [http://coilhouse.net/2011/03/franchised-goodies-for-the-children-of-dune/ puzzle books] for the [[David Lynch]] film ''[[Dune]]'', which features graphic violence and murders, lots of folks in latex and tubes up their noses, a pus-faced psychopath who kills his male sex slaves by uncorking their hearts, and of course a gigantic fish mutant with a vagina mouth. The coloring book made sure to provide lines on Baron Harkonnen's face so children could choose different colors for his facial pustules. The movie was rated PG-13, but this was just months after the rating was introduced in 1984; it's possible Universal expected a PG when they inked the licensing deals, anticipating a ''[[Star Wars]]''-esque hit.

** There's also something both disturbing and hilarious in the fact that there's an official Anakin Skywalker lightsaber toy that changes from blue to red with the push of a button, so kids can [[Face Heel Turn|switch from good to evil]] [[Jumping Off the Slippery Slope|just as easily as Anakin.]]

** Speaking of which, guess which character is the bona fide [[Series Mascot]], considering how heavily ''[[Star Wars]]'' is marketed to kids. No, it isn't adorable [[Robot Buddy]] R2-D2, nor is it little green lightsaber-wielding [[Badass Grandpa]] [[Muppet]] Yoda; it's [[The Dragon|Darth Vader]] himself, the genocidal, 7-foot-tall mentally unstable terrifying cyborg man who [[Bad Boss|kills his subordinates on a regular basis]] (along with countless children and Jedi) and [[Manipulative Bastard|invades cities to terrorize the inhabitants into carrying out his will and helping him take hostages]]. And yet, his sinister black helmet appears on everything from [http://www.mrbreakfast.com/ucp/344_4273_ucp.jpg cereal boxes] to [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_Friends_of_the_Force coloring books].

* A doll of a drunk Peter Griffin from ''[[Family Guy]]'' with a beer stain on his pants.

** And now, the ''[[Terminator]] 2'' [[Minimates]], finding their way into Toys R Us stores across the nation. Cute, 2 inch tall versions of the T2 characters. To be fair Terminator 2 is quite toned down from what we got in terminator 1, for one thing the terminator is no longer a killer, but a kid friendly bodyguard that does what you say.

* A toyline tied in with the Alec Baldwin version of [[The Shadow]]. Yes, that film received a PG-13 (many feel doing so undermined the film), but the film still kept the Shadow as an outlaw who worked without police approval (Commissioner Wainright Barth mentions early in the film that he will order his subordinates to stop the Shadow from interfering in police business). The film also depicted the Shadow as a reformed opium warlord who had a rival slain even though doing so also slew one of his own loyal men.

** Which can enter weird territory when you remember how Mega blocks is similar to legos, and the lego people had removable limbs. [[Ludicrous Gibs|This fits a little too well in a kid playset based on a violent FPS.]]

* There were McDonald's Happy Meals for [[James Cameron]]'s ''[[Avatar (film)|Avatar]]''. Translation: kids' meals tie-in toys for a PG-13 movie.

* [[Jurassic Park]] toys are still made long after the films. Subverted as they have parents notes on the back.

** Also, dinosaurs are just awesome to kids in general; plenty of people had them in one form or another before the JP movies where released. The connection to JP is probably just because its easier to brand something as "Movie-related dinosaur with flesh-eating action!!!" rather than "Generic T-Rex #3"

*** There's ''two''. One's a ''[[LEGO]]'' set. In fairness, both put more emphasis on depicting the conveyor belt leading to the incinerator, which was a fairly action-y sequence before the [[Tear Jerker]] final part set in.

* There's a [[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?|Roger Rabbit]] game where the goal is to flip toons into Dip. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6V3hrIkctls Short video here] by [[Jeepers Media]].

* ''[[Kick-Ass (film)|Kick Ass]]'' action figures, of Kick-Ass himself and Hit-Girl. The best part is that the word "ass" is obscured on the packaging both times it appears, first by graphics of the characters, and then by a spray-paint smudge effect, so the figure can be sold at more mainstream retailers like Toys 'R' Us.

** ... Not to mention the Twilight Barbie dolls. Apparently the Edward doll has [[Everything's Better with Sparkles|glitter skin]]. There's also a Jacob doll which comes wearing only its pants.

* ''[[Inception]]'' has both official and unofficial replicas of the top used as a dream totem by Cobb and Mal. The top which is for the explicit purpose of being one of a kind and handmade by only one living user so that nobody else could possibly know the feel of it. There is even an official set of every totem from the movie (the top, a loaded die, and a metal chess "bishop").

* [[Barbie]] dolls of the various [[James Bond (film)|Bond Girls]]. Yes, they had the [[Dr. No|white bikini]].

* Wendy's Japan did a movie tie-in for, of all things, [[Titus Andronicus (theatre)|Titus]]. Yes, Julie Tamor's R-rated adaptation of Shakespeare's bloodiest play, which culminates in two characters being cooked into a pie, and ''fed to their mother''. Enjoy your burger.

* The release of [[The Hunger Games]] in theaters brought out bushels of merchandise. Some of the things include a magnetic story book (recommended for ages 5 and up), tribute bracelets, figurines of the tributes, costume replicas, and socks. Nothing says family friendly like children being forced to brutally murder each other for entertainment!

** A particularly Egregious case of this is the commemorative pin that is a replica of Katniss' Mockingjay pin. While it seems nice, anyone who's read the book [[Kill'Em All|would know the importance of the pin and why it probably shouldn't be given as a present lightly.]]

 

== Other Marketing Oddities ==

* ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' has a Saturday Morning Cartoon. Let me repeat that. The game that is single-handedly responsible for rating systems and the need to keep adult games away from kids. Has a Saturday Morning Cartoon.

** Unfortunately, since practically every fantasy novel today gets compared to ''[[Harry Potter]]'', no matter how different they are (''[[Across the Nightingale Floor]]''? ''[[Thursday Next]]''?) this could also just be a case of lazy marketers/reviewers who think all fantasy is basically the same.

* In Japan they were apparently selling "LCL" brand orange juice as a tie-in for the recent ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]'' remake movies. For those who aren't Eva fans, LCL is a fluid humans can breathe in that fills the EVA cockpits {{spoiler|that's actually the harvested blood of an [[Eldritch Abomination]]}}. And in [[The Movie]] [[Grand Finale]], {{spoiler|[[Instrumentality|every human being on earth melts into LCL]]}}. It's almost like releasing ''[[Soylent Green]]'' brand tofu. Besides ''that'' issue, part of the [[Freud Was Right|Freudian overtones]] of the EVA designs also make it analogous to ''amniotic fluids''.

** See also [http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/81337 this animation].

* A ''Golgo13'' kewpie. [http://item.rakuten.co.jp/haco/r-4000070301/ A GODDAMN GOLGO 13 KEWPIE. A GOLGO, THE DEADLIEST ASSASSIN IN THE WORLD. KEWPIE.] Not that the Devilman and Sirene kewpies are any less insane, but c'mon.

* There was a toyline, comic book and freakin' CARTOON SERIES based around the raunchy R- to PG-rated ''[[Police Academy]]'' franchise of films.

* [[Hello Kitty]] [http://cgi.ebay.com/Sanrio-Hello-Kitty-Massager-Vibrator-Pink_W0QQitemZ360039770631QQcmdZViewItem Vibrator]. It's supposed to be just a Massager; Sanrio reportedly discontinued the item when they found out about people discovering the Perversion Potential. That doesn't stop the weirdness, though.

** Perhaps not a pure example as these things apparently sell like crazy in both Japan and to importers of the Weird Japanese Things.

** You think that's odd? One of Japan's more famous [[Love Hotels]] has a room with a ''Hello Kitty BDSM'' theme, hardcore enough to give the plush Kitty Dominatrix in it ''barbed wire garter belts''.

** And now they have Hello Kitty lingerie available!

** That's not even the half of it. That little girl on the packaging? {{spoiler|Not only does she die, but her ashes are kept ''inside that tin of candy''}}.

* An ''[[Invader Zim]]'' [http://www.amazon.com/LeapFrog-Didj-Custom-Learning-Nicktoon/dp/B00134PM64 edutainment game]... ([[Massive Multiplayer Crossover|sorta]]) [[Jhonen Vasquez]] probably choked on his tacos when he heard about it.

** The game [[Mainstream Obscurity|just sold]] ''[[Cult Classic|that]]'' [[Cult Classic|poorly]].

** This was likely the same reason why ''[[Mirror's Edge]]'' download codes were once offered with Braun ''electric razors''.

* An ''[[Incredible Hulk]]'' children's book series has Hulk going around making friends and helping people. He's never angry and always huge and green. A sweet, [[voiceless]] guy.

** See above regarding the "Hulky Pokey" doll and other [[Marvel]] madness.

* More a case of misconceived marketing, the ''[[The Schnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show|Schnookums and Meat]]'' canned pasta had this remarkable disclaimer on the label: "Meat is a character developed by Buena Vista Television. THERE IS NO MEAT IN THIS PRODUCT."

** Shouldn't they be more concerned with assuring the customer that the product doesn't contain any ''Schnookums''?

* There was a strange attempt in the mid-90s to make the ''[[Mortal Kombat]]'' franchise more kid-friendly (without changing the content of the games). This included the movies, the cartoon show, and even a series of live performances, all which focused more on the martial arts aspect rather than the killing aspect. It didn't work out so well and after the second movie bombed they went back to promoting the [[Rated "M" for Manly]]. Quite ironic in retrospect what with ''Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe''.

* For a strange time period in the late-80's early-90's, everything and its mom and its dog had a tie-in breakfast cereal. Back in '91 you may have seen this irritatingly [[Ear Worm]]-y commercial for [http://www.avclub.com/articles/box-of-robin-hood-prince-of-thieves-tiein-breakfas,26456/ this example]:

* Dear God, [[Barbie]]:

** [http://www.marys-antiques.com/images/6078f.jpg King Kong] Barbies.

** [http://www.designboom.com/tools/WPro/images/08-03decemberblogs/barbie01.jpg Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds] Barbies.

** [http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2135/2179879600_7cf9254acd.jpg Shrek] Barbies.

** [http://extra.listverse.com/amazon/dolls/rosie-2.jpg Rosie O'Donnell] Barbies.

** [http://themusingwordsmith.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/michael-j-doll.jpg Michael] [http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41ofWfZleGL._SL500_AA280_.jpg Jackson] Barbies.

** [[wikipedia:Earring Magic Ken|Earring Magic]] [[And Zoidberg|Ken]].

*** Some of those are the black label Barbies, which were marketed to collectors, both of dolls and merchandise.

** The marketing on this this one is actually pretty specifically aimed. Kids aren't likely to buy DLC, and slightly older kids who might buy some of it probably wouldn't spend their money on something extra if they don't recognize it. The ''game's'' [[Periphery Demographic]] is the ''DLC's'' intended demographic.

* At the Museum of Science and Industry's U-505 exhibit, you can buy a full range of "Rosie the Riveter" projects -- ''oven mitts, spatulas, and dish-towels''. Seems a little counter-intuitive.

** Well, Rosie is popular, and even women who don't spend all their time in the kitchen still ''have'' one. It's still weapons-grade irony, but understandable.

* Live theater souvenir merchandise usually consists of souvenir programs, mugs, T-shirts, etc. [[Cirque Du Soleil]] goes further (especially online) with jewelry, accessories, stationery, and fine art pieces, many of which don't relate to one show in particular, but the company in general. It's not unlike Disney's adult-targeted merchandise, but it does result in oddities such as Cirque-decorated salt and pepper shakers and lip balm in a decorated tin.

* There was a toyline for ''[[Hellboy (film)|Hellboy II]]''. Which never had the word "hell" anywhere on its packaging (the franchise was labeled "HB II", and the character was "Big Red"). If you can't say the guy's name in front of kids, you shouldn't be marketing to them.

** On the subject of {{spoiler|Lotso}}, Disney went all the way and generated ''deliberate'' Misaimed Marketing for the character before the release of ''Toy Story 3'' so that [[The Reveal]] of his utterly depraved nature in the movie would be made even more shocking (Of course, no one would know that it is Misaimed Marketing before then.). After the release of the movie, the usage of this trope with him firmly becomes straight though.

* The ''[[Disney on Ice]]'' shows often devote segments to the company's newest animated films and/or characters. A rare case of a live-action film getting represented came in the early [[The Eighties|Eighties]] when [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilJMC09imKM one edition] featured a ''[[Tron]]''-inspired segment...

* A book of ''[[American Dad]]'' Mad Libs. Mind you, the audience for Mad Libs is MUCH younger than the audience for American Dad.

** They do make [http://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Single-Adult-Mad-Libs/dp/0843133252/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1286412731&sr=8-12 adult Mad Libs]...

* This trope may well be [[Older Than Radio]] at the least if you consider military-inspired toys (soldiers, tanks, and so forth). Granted, warfare wasn't ''quite'' as grisly as it is today until around the early twentieth century, but going to war in ''any'' era is certainly no picnic.

* In 1999, Compaq Computers sponsored musician [[The Police|Sting]]'s (then-current) album ''Brand New Day'', as part of a marketing tie-in to promote their new line of products and services. The only problem is that point of ''Brand New Day'' was Sting lambasting the use of consumer products and ridiculing anyone who believed someone was a god because they brought out a "newer and better" version of something. Hell, it even says this in the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cA46ZNjrzeY music video]. Somehow, no one at Compaq (not even their vice-president of marketing, who stated that the song "fit in with our core values") realized that having [[Isn't It Ironic?|a song telling the listener not to embrace pointless upgrades and newer versions might not be a good fit for their brand-new line of computer products]].

* Among HBO's line of season one ''[[Game of Thrones]]'' merch an odd choice of T-Shirt was unveiled just for the ladies; a House Frey shirt. Lord Frey being both untrustworthy and a [[Dirty Old Man]] with a teenage bride. Hardly the faction a lot of fans, new or old, would really want to get behind.

* [http://twitpic.com/5xd3fe This] ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]'' wishboard to be put up at Otakon 2011, where convention-goers can write their wishes down on pieces of paper mounted on the board. Maybe not quite ''marketing'' per se, but a strange promotion in context nonetheless - whoever was behind displaying it either hasn't watched the show, or they'd know [[Fate Worse Than Death|what making a contract with Kyubey entails]], or it's some ''very'' [[Black Comedy]].

** [[Values Dissonance|It's Japan]]. Convenience stores like Seven-Eleven and Lawson's regularly run cross-promotions with such family friendly series as [[Detective Conan]], [[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]] and, yes, [[Neon Genesis Evangelion|Evangelion.]] [[What Do You Mean It's for Kids?|"Kid-friendly" has a very different, but more entertaining, meaning there than it does in the West]].

*** Although in this case ''Madoka'' is a [[Seinen]] series, meaning it's aimed at adults even in Japan. And it's easy to see why - {{spoiler|how many [[Magical Girl]] series can you think of that feature ''decapitations?''}}

** When queried about this, author Chuck Palahniuk said, "They can do whatever they want with my book as long as the fucking check clears." He and David Fincher have talked about turning the movie into a musical, and were only about 50% joking when they did.

* The ''[[Pokémon]]'' bop bag. Perfect for those who hate Pokemon.

* A recent commercial for Mazda cars was a cross-promotion with... ''[[The Lorax (film)|The Lorax]]''. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrvg33vkdFI&feature=player_embedded I shit you not.] This has already been a target for [[Internet Backdraft]] not just because of the blatant greenwashing in play, but also for the tragic irony of a car company promoting something that's absolutely ''famous'' for its [[Green Aesop]]. The commercial probably would have been less ridiculous if the car it was advertising was either electric or a hybrid (which works in context of the story), but this is a wholly gas-run car. [[Sarcasm Mode|Because we all associate that with being environmentally friendly.]]

** Yeah, there's around 70 companies that have marketing tie-ins with a film that preaches against consumerism.

* Back in the late 1990s-early 2000s, Disney sold a lighter with the main six from ''[[Recess]]'' on it. Granted, the show has a HUGE [[Periphery Demographic]], but it's still a piece of merchandise you wouldn't buy for the target audience.

* Here's a weird product from [[Thomas the Tank Engine]]: [http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NTAwWDUwMA==/$(KGrHqFHJDcE63Z(jjCLBO3MQ932ug~~60_35.JPG A Thomas The Tank Engine Toddler Urinal.] Justified, since most kids who watch Thomas are toddlers, but still, how many parents use toddler urinals anyways?

 

== Parodies of this phenomenon ==

** Thing is, though, Mel Brooks actually agreed for there to be very limited merchandising of the film, as per a request by [[George Lucas]]. So, this may have been an intentional [[Take That]].

* Though milder than the ''[[Spaceballs]]'' example above, ''[[Rocky III]]'' has Rocky do all sorts of endorsements and product placement while he was reigning heavyweight champ, from the logical (Wheaties, Rocky-brand boxing gloves) to the more absurd (Rocky-brand dinner plates? WTF?) Paulie doesn't like it one bit and destroys a Rocky-themed pinball machine.

* An episode of ''[[The Golden Girls]]'' mentions Dorothy's previous less than amazing Christmases. She mentions one year, she received soap in the shape of the Seven Dwarfs. When Blanche asked her about it, Dorothy says, "What kid wants to play with soap? And after a couple of baths, they looked like Seven Suppositories."

* The [[Mockumentary]] ''The Compleat Al'' has a scene where [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] is presented with such ridiculous licensed merchandise as dress up kits and (to his horror) edible underwear.

** In "The Last Temptation of Krust" Krusty realizes he's lost touch with what audiences find funny and ultimately becomes a stand-up comedian who launches several tirades against his former sponsors. And then [[Status Quo Is God|he's back to endorsing]] a two-lane gas-guzzling SUV, having realized that selling out, not comedy, is his true calling in life.

* A deleted scene from ''Best in Show'' has Gerry Fleck, who has a birth defect of two left feet, endorsing a shoe line made entirely of left shoes. They end with an expert in the field who says "Take it from a professional: these shoes are really different."

*** On a similar note, ''[[The Simpsons]]'' features a "My Dinner with Andre" arcade game. Naturally it's played by Martin.

* ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' had an ad for ''[[Philadelphia (film)|Philadelphia]]'' action figures and a video game, made by a company that apparently [[They Just Didn't Care|just didn't care]] because it [http://bcmoney-mobiletv.com/view/1441/SNL%20-%20Philadelphia%20Action%20Figures/ warped the whole thing into a sci-fi/fantasy concept]. There was also an ad for a fast food joint, KCF Shredders (they specialized in an "extreme" foodstuff consisting of nothing but lettuce and mayonnaise in a bag), that noted their kids' meals currently had ''How Stella Got Her Groove Back'' toys.

** Also, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jeslfkbmcE this fan video] claiming to be an unaired 80's ad for an Ozymandias action figure.

** Some of the other real life tie-in movie products include Nite Owl themed coffee, lunchboxes and blue condoms with the tagline: "We're society's only protection!". [http://www.watchmencomicmovie.com/021609-watchmen-movie-dr-manhattan-condom.php No joke].

*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtSPJZ-qlhA Saturday Morning Wild C.A.T.S.] This WASN'T a parody, it was an actual show.

* ''Relic'' ends with various attempts to exploit the stories of the Museum Beast with things like cartoons and action figures ending in failure. Considering that the Museum Beast was a monster which ate people's brains and brutally killed ''children'', this is not surprising.

** Mention of this episode, particularly the phrase "teddy bear," is [[Babylon 5/Funny|sufficient to make any fan of the series fall apart in a paroxysm of laughter]]. "[[Last-Second Word Swap|Cast... in a bad light]]," indeed.

** It's better than you think. The teddy bear used in the show was an actual gift to JMS. From [[Peter David]]. It later showed up on ''[[Space Cases]]'', with the cast wondering [[Thrown Out the Airlock|who would throw something like that away...]]

* The old FPS game ''[[Blood]]'' had a secret level set in a small shopping mall. One of the stores had a nice display of Blood action figures, including little shotgun-wielding crazed cultists and scythe-wielding ghosts. Take in mind this game came out before the whole "[[Pandering to the Base]] by selling accurate-likeness toys/[[Posters/Feelies|Feelies]] in direct market shops" thing was all the rage in the marketing world.

* ''[[The Chaser's War on Everything]]'' did a stunt where they tried to sell ''[[Shrek]]''-branded beer and sex toys to kids, just to see what people would be willing to buy for their children if it had the ''Shrek'' logo on it. They managed to sell Shrek-brand heroin (of course the heroin wasn't actually heroin, but no-one needed to know that) -- "You might want your mum to carry it for you."

* [http://www.brandonbird.com/lno_color.html Law and Order: The Coloring Book]

* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' brings us the Plasma Cannon Safety Coloring Book.

* ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]'': After Selina Kyle (as Catwoman) helps Batman to foil a criminal plot, a friend tells her that she wouldn't be surprised if (in-universe) they started making Catwoman dolls. As if Catwoman is a heroic figure, when she's morally ambiguous at best.

 

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