Merchandising in the 1980s
Star Wars reached a merchandising high that a toy manufacturer could only dream of. It didn’t go unnoticed. Saturday morning cartoons became toy commercials. Companies developed characters specifically for the merchandising opportunities. There were no regulations about the amount of advertising targeted toward children. If there was a product that could have a character slapped on it, it was in production within weeks. Clothing and toy lines were obvious choices, but merchandising expanded well beyond that. Cartoon characters smiled from electronics, home décor, and cereal boxes. Toys weren’t just toys anymore. They were worlds where kids could escape their own realities and go on adventures in their own imaginations. Kids could spot fellow fans with the merchandise they wore. The characters became a child’s entire world, and gave popular culture some of its most beloved, and long-lasting, characters like the Smurfs, Care Bears, and My Little Pony.