Now Buy the Merchandise

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

When a show breaks the fourth wall and implores the audience to please go out and buy The Merch, because the show's creators would really like to get some income from it.

Usually associated with parodies of Merchandise-Driven shows. Compare Enforced Plug.

Examples of Now Buy the Merchandise include:

Anime and Manga

  • The English dub for the last episode of Moon Phase ends with Haiji using these very words.

Film

  • Any mainstream movie with licensed music will have a line near the end of the credits that states that the "soundtrack is available from x records."

Literature

  • Dave Barry Talks Back does this in a deliberately irrelevant afterword intended for people who decide to buy books based on skimming their final pages. In this afterword, two characters who have nothing to do with the rest of the book (which is a compilation of humor columns) advertise it as a "steamy, action-packed novel." They talk about the book's retail price being a bargain even without the advice on how to make money fast and lose weight effortlessly.

"Buy this book now!" they chorused. "Mrs. L. Puttee of Big Stoat, Ark., bought this book, and the next day she won four billion dollars in the lottery! Myron Fennel of Syracuse, N.Y., failed to buy this book, and the next day his head was sliced off by a helicopter rotor and landed on the roof of a Holiday Inn four miles distant!"
Your eyes are getting heavy. You are getting sleepy, very, very sleepy. You are walking up to the bookstore clerk. You are taking out your wallet. We take all major credit cards. Thank you.

Live Action TV

  • The transitional cityscape shots on Laguna Beach, The Hills and The City often include a backing track by a notable or up-and-coming band or artist. During these scenes, information is displayed on the screen which lists the artists, song name and website where you can buy the track (often on iTunes or MTV's official site).
  • Smallville also featured a bevy of Warner Bros artists during its run on the The WB network. After each episode, they'd name the song and artists featured in that show, and point you to where you could buy their album.

Magazines

Bulbasaur, Magmar, Jigglypuff!
Bellsprout, Squirtle, Wigglytuff!
Raticate, Omanyte, Rapidash,
And other dumb names to suck your cash!
Give us pesos, schillings, yen, rupees,
There is no bottom to our sleaze!
Money orders, check, or credit card,
We're pushing this crap and we're pushing it hard!

Theatre

  • In the revue Ziegfeld Follies of 1936, the lyrics of the Dance Sensation spoof "The Gazooka" took care to mention that its sheet music was "thirty cents a copy -- one you ought to buy!" The revue's finale, "Dancing To The Score," shamelessly plugged several earlier numbers because "it helps the sales at ev'ry music store."

Video Games

Web Original

Western Animation

  • In the South Park episode "Towelie" they break to a fake commercial selling a Towelie towel. Ironically, you can really buy one (not exactly the same, as it doesn't have a speech chip).
  • Freakazoid!! had an episode that was essentially a commercial for a toy of his car, the Freakmobile. It even comes with its own chubby sidekick figure. They tell the viewer to run right out and get one NOW. At the end the narrator reads off a disclaimer telling the viewer not to go anywhere as (sadly) the toys don't really exist and it's all a joke.
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