Movie Merchandise: Who buys this Stuff?

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Remember back when times were simpler and movie merchandise was relegated to lunch boxes, tee shirts, kid’s meals and the toy aisle? Back when a new Disney movie dropped and you were anxious to get a Princess Jasmine toy with your cheeseburger or an Aladdin for the boys. In the golden age of Disney movies, waaay before Hannah Montana, I had the Aladdin sheet set, a Pocahontas that rowed in the bath and Land Before Time hand puppet. Now, years later, I’ve started to notice that the same movie execs pushing Disney merchandise in the 90s have caught on to the fact that those of us weaned on buying movie merchandise have grown up therefore are now selling random merchandise for PG-13 flicks.

I don’t remember my mom or older cousins buying Waiting to Exhale anything, besides the book, or snagging “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” martini glasses. However it now seems that no movie goes unmerchandised. Sex and the City has spawned Christmas tree ornaments, walk clocks, and even a set of character themed thongs, all of which are aimed at girls in their late teens and twenties. Alice in Wonderland’s recent release brought us the usual Disney merchandise along with make-up palettes, nail polish, and a line of Disney Couture jewelry, not to mention a ton of pieces inspired by the film. I won’t even being to touch on the madness that I am assaulted with when entering my local Borders that goes by the name The Twilight Saga, Harry Potter may have an amusement park, but Edward Cullen has perfume. Even B movies like the upcoming Kick-Ass have branded merchandise these days.

Seriously, as a die-hard movie and fashion fanatic who grew up with a mess of movie memorabilia, I have to ask who is buying this stuff. Admittedly, I did get a Twilight t-shirt as a gag gift for my 24th birthday but I never wear it in public, and as hard core as I am about Harry Potter the closest I come to HP merch is my collection of hardbacks. While I may pick up an item that was expertly placed in Carrie Bradshaw’s closet of a piece inspired by a film, as a grown-up I would never buy something that has a movie’s logo or characters on it. I also tend to shy away from movies that over saturate the market with a ton of junk-yeah James Cameron, I’m talking about you and your Avatar stuff. I also get a wee bit embarrassed when I have to wait in line to see blockbuster movies on opening night, but I digress.

Someone has to buying this stuff…not it!