I wouldn’t say they could learn anything from the 90s; after all, it was those markets that led into today. It’s just that the profit motive has shifted. 30 years ago, Marvel spends a little money on an IP like Biker Mice from Mars, licenses it out to ABC to distribute and Hasbro for toy manufacturing, then ABC pockets the ad revenue while Hasbro shares climb come Christmas. Not defending the system, but at most levels there was incentive to make a product good enough to maintain hype.
Today, Disney produces Spidey and His Amazing Friends, and there is literally no financial incentive for it to be good, or even marketable. It’s streamed in-house on a subscription they know you have. The only competition for eyeballs is also a Disney Plus exclusive, so who cares as long as subs and usage times don’t drop? The toys are a wash; it’s 2025, your kid is more likely to have a smartphone in their hand than a toy. Better to invest in a freemium mobile game, or toss the character skins into a preexisting freemium game. Hell, even better, since they own the show and it’s competition, just throw everything in there. All Disney needs is the bare minimum product to keep up screentime; something they made easier on themselves by funding politicians that actively removed any and all public works to create or maintain anything else for kids to do. And the only reason they need to keep up screentime is that the real money maker now is collecting and selling user data to grow your speculative forecasts before the next quarterly. Who gives a shit selling toy manufacturing rights to Hasbro for $60 million over 3 years when you can grow stock shares by $12 billion for less than half the effort?
K-Pop Demon Hunters is another great example. They managed to get the Halloween costumes out in time, but some Barbie-sized dolls would be the biggest thing for Christmas this year if it existed. It’s like they don’t want money. It’s also like only the clothing companies are capable of pivoting fast enough.
I don’t think Spidey is a bad show. There’s effort there, and the soundtrack is aimed directly at millennial parents. It’s no Bluey, but it’s been a good way to get my kids interested in the same superheroes I like.
You’re probably right about kids wanting more screens than toys. That’s still crazy to me, because my wife and I aren’t especially strict parents, and it just hasn’t been difficult to keep the kids away from tablets. They just don’t know about it. They want to play with physical toys.
Sorry, I should have clarified: The lack of incentive is only economic. There are millions of good artists and writers that work every day of their lives to make things with beauty and meaning. What I’m criticizing is the companies themselves, not the creatives behind their products.
And good on you for keeping your kids screen-free! Genuinely good parenting.
I wouldn’t say they could learn anything from the 90s; after all, it was those markets that led into today. It’s just that the profit motive has shifted. 30 years ago, Marvel spends a little money on an IP like Biker Mice from Mars, licenses it out to ABC to distribute and Hasbro for toy manufacturing, then ABC pockets the ad revenue while Hasbro shares climb come Christmas. Not defending the system, but at most levels there was incentive to make a product good enough to maintain hype.
Today, Disney produces Spidey and His Amazing Friends, and there is literally no financial incentive for it to be good, or even marketable. It’s streamed in-house on a subscription they know you have. The only competition for eyeballs is also a Disney Plus exclusive, so who cares as long as subs and usage times don’t drop? The toys are a wash; it’s 2025, your kid is more likely to have a smartphone in their hand than a toy. Better to invest in a freemium mobile game, or toss the character skins into a preexisting freemium game. Hell, even better, since they own the show and it’s competition, just throw everything in there. All Disney needs is the bare minimum product to keep up screentime; something they made easier on themselves by funding politicians that actively removed any and all public works to create or maintain anything else for kids to do. And the only reason they need to keep up screentime is that the real money maker now is collecting and selling user data to grow your speculative forecasts before the next quarterly. Who gives a shit selling toy manufacturing rights to Hasbro for $60 million over 3 years when you can grow stock shares by $12 billion for less than half the effort?
K-Pop Demon Hunters is another great example. They managed to get the Halloween costumes out in time, but some Barbie-sized dolls would be the biggest thing for Christmas this year if it existed. It’s like they don’t want money. It’s also like only the clothing companies are capable of pivoting fast enough.
I don’t think Spidey is a bad show. There’s effort there, and the soundtrack is aimed directly at millennial parents. It’s no Bluey, but it’s been a good way to get my kids interested in the same superheroes I like.
You’re probably right about kids wanting more screens than toys. That’s still crazy to me, because my wife and I aren’t especially strict parents, and it just hasn’t been difficult to keep the kids away from tablets. They just don’t know about it. They want to play with physical toys.
Sorry, I should have clarified: The lack of incentive is only economic. There are millions of good artists and writers that work every day of their lives to make things with beauty and meaning. What I’m criticizing is the companies themselves, not the creatives behind their products.
And good on you for keeping your kids screen-free! Genuinely good parenting.