Prior to the 1980s, the connection between TVs and toy stores really only ran one way. There could be toys based on TV shows, but they were by-and-large a much smaller part of the toy market than toys that were just, y’know, toys. Then, seemingly over night, the top cartoons of the day were based on toys. Toys and TV worked together to create multimedia sensations that were inextricably linked in the minds of children everywhere. What changed? Let’s have a look!
Hot Wheels Vs The FCC
In 1969, Mattel’s then-new Hot Wheels diecast cars became the first toy to get a television adaptation. The animated adventures of Jack “Rabbit” Wheeler and his Hot Wheels Racing Club debuted on Saturday September 6, 1969. The show was intended to simultaneously celebrate the hot rod culture the toys did while encouraging kids to be safe drivers. While commercials for Hot Wheels toys aired during other cartoons on ABC’s Saturday morning block, they did not air during the Hot Wheels show. This was a deliberate attempt by the network to separate “content” from “advertising”.
It didn’t work. Rival toymakers complained to the Federal Communications Commission that the show was a thirty-minute commercial. The FCC didn’t entirely agree but ruled that ABC would have to log various parts of the show as advertising. That included the theme song, any other mention of “Hot Wheels”, and any designs directly modeled on the toys. This axed the show after just 17 episodes and prompted the National Association of Broadcasters to adopt a self-regulation policy about what was permissible as children’s programming. Directly basing a cartoon on an existing toy was forbidden.
The Return of “Half-Hour Toy Commercials”
This remained policy through the 1970s and into the 80s. Specifically, it lasted until the U.S. Government took anti-monopoly action against the National Association of Broadcasters in 1982, ending their ability to enforce regulatory standards. Since President Reagan’s FCC had a laisse-faire attitude toward regulation, they did not fill the gap. For the first time in over a decade, there was nobody telling Mattel, Hasbro, or any other American toymaker not to make “half-hour toy commercials”.
The very next year saw an explosion of television cartoons based on existing toys. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, and even Rubik, The Amazing Cube all began airing in September 1983. They were followed by The Transformers in 1984, M.A.S.K. in 1985, My Little Pony in 1986, and so on throughout the decade. In short order, it had become the standard for production companies and toymakers to work hand-in-glove when developing new properties. That would remain the standard into the 21st century.
Back To The Old Ways
The fracturing of the audience caused by the rise of cable original programming and the streaming revolution has once again changed the way toymakers fill shelves. They have returned to a strategy of standalone toylines alongside media-tied ones. In an era when its hard to predict how many people will see a show/movie nor when they will see it, it’s better for the toylines to operate with a greater degree of independence. The added benefit of this is, of course, greater ability to appeal to the collector market.
You see, the synergy between cartoons and toys in the 80s and 90s had a profound effect on Gen Xers and Millennials. Revisiting their favorite shows from childhood floods them with memories of their favorite toys, bringing the nostalgia factor into the physical realm in a way that wasn’t as acute in older generations. That has fueled the rise of action figures – new and old – as a major force in the collectibles market. If you have a collection of classic toys and you’re ready to sell them, give Back to the Past a call! And if you have a question or comment on this article, or anything else we talk about, hit us up on social media @b2pcollect.