Pre-Order New Black Series Boba Fett Figure, Boba Fett Monopoly And More
When Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope became this unexpected hit, George Lucas was encouraged to renegotiate his payday. He declined and instead opted to negotiate for the merchandising rights. Sounds like innovative business thinking, doesn't it? Back in 1977, it was genius. Back then, movies weren't tied to toys and games. The most extensive tie-ins were novelizations, and they were hardly going to spin-off into some humongous money-churner. After all you don't hear kids clamoring for books like they might holler for toys (although it would be nice if they did).
Lucas was prescient, insightful, or lucky – or perhaps all three. First, merchandising became the thing, and everybody wanted Star Wars toys and games. Then, Lucas became a wealthy man with The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, iconizing Star Wars as a pop culture property (if not effectively inventing pop culture). He-Man and the Masters of the Universe started life as a toy range in 1982 and was pitched around to become a TV series so the manufacturer Mattel could sell more toys. That's a form of reverse engineering we commonly see, especially with computer games that inspire film franchises, such as Resident Evil. But back then, it was unheard of.
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Writer/director Kevin Smith talks about his experience being commissioned to write a new Superman movie in the 1990s. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace had bombed spectacularly in 1987. Ironically, its budget had been slashed to help further fund a Masters of the Universe feature adaptation. Furthermore, Christopher Reeve no longer wanted to play the Man of Steel. Nowadays, prominent name actors love to find a franchise. Christian Bale remarked that doing Batman allowed him to make riskier [acting] choices because there'd always be a Dark Knight movie to galvanize his marquee.
In the past, though, actors wanted out, fearing they'd be typecast – something Reeve was to an extent. Sigourney Weaver wanted out of the Alien franchise. This was a common career choice. After all, actors wanted to do some serious acting. So it's curious to think about how Reeve might approach Superman today. Kevin Smith – popularly known for Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy – laments how he had to write around studio insistence that he introduces characters upon which they could base and sell toys. But this had already been trending as a strategy.
Scuttlebutt is Return of the Jedi initially intended to be a much darker story featuring the destruction of the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo's death, and Luke Skywalker donning Darth Vader's helmet becoming the new emperor, but that was kyboshed, and the secondary focus became the merchandising. There's a balance that has to be met. The story should be paramount with films, television, and any similar medium. Unfortunately, the story is compromised at times (although in contemporary storytelling, an overt reliance on CGI is usually the culprit). Marketing opportunities should stream organically from the property.
Having said that, though, you can find integrity in merchandising, like toys and games are the archaeological byproducts of any film or television show. We've seen how memorabilia appreciates in value. Today's toys might be tomorrow's fortunes. In fifty years, you can just imagine all the kids and grandkids who are going through their grandparents' attics only to stumble upon hidden treasure. (If I had a choice, I'd booby-trap mine, so it would need Indiana Jones to unearth it.)
The Book of Boba Fett hasn't even debuted yet, but its merchandise is already on the shelves. This Star Wars – The Black Series Boba Fett (Throne Room) Deluxe 6-Inch Action Figure is a testament to how merchandising has evolved. When I was a kid, toys were rudimentary. We understood they were toys. They were plastic and wore cheap clothes and were built to be abused. But nowadays, there's a grasp at realism. Just look at Boba's attire. He dresses better than most cosplayers.
I also wonder how Temuera Morrison feels about being immortalized as an action figure – one that'll live on long after we're all gone. There must be a surreal quality to see himself cloned (ironic, really, given Boba's heritage) this way and to reconcile that he'll either be the plaything for numerous kids or stored away in some closet corner to gain value.
Decades ago, I recalled reading an article talking about how the measure of realizing you've made it as an athlete is when they license a computer game after you. Of course, action figures are much more ubiquitous, but I can imagine Temuera Morrison would have to get a kick out of entering the pop culture and memorabilia zeitgeist. From humble beginnings as a Maori/New Zealand actor in small-budget films to a global icon.
Of course, it's not all action figures. There's also the Star Wars Boba Fett Edition Monopoly Board Game.
When I was a kid, there was one Monopoly game – the one with the original British locations, which had tokens such as a car, a battleship, and, my favorite, a dog (he reminded me of Snowy in The Adventures of Tintin. Most games climaxed with the loser flipping the board). But now Monopoly has become this multi-tentacled Goliath built on many different locations – from actual geography to fictional inspirations. It has actually become a monopoly. Name a place, and Monopoly has probably already been there, colonizing. When we land on Mars, Monopoly will be the first to claim the real estate.
The Boba Fett Monopoly has properties based on characters (Darth Vader is the most expensive), bounty hunter equipment (such as a jetpack and a blaster rifle) for the utilities, a Sarlacc Pitt for tax, various Boba’s (in different poses) for tokens, among other things. It's a nifty way to tie yourself into a uniquely idiosyncratic part of the Star Wars universe.
There are also New Animaniacs Ultimates Action Figures from McFarlane – I'm only tentatively familiar with Pinky and the Brain, but the images are gorgeously symbolized. Boba's human (a form toymakers have obviously mastered), but Pinky, Brain, and supporting casts such as Wakko, Dot, and Yakko Warner are drawn from cartoon inspirations.
It's always amazing to see how cartoonish two-dimensional characters inflate into three-dimensional beings. There's a charm they find, like life has been breathed into them, and they're only a heartbeat from springing into action themselves. (Please note: each image is seven inches tall; I've put them in proportion to one another to resemble their on-screen relationship.) It is astonishing how far merchandising has come as an industry, and while some might nurture a degree of cynicism, I think nowadays, it's evolved into its own art form and one that gives a new voice to beloved characters.
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