Thursday, 30 September 2010
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Toys From Summer Blockbusters 2008
Star Wars was the big bang as far as film merchandising and children's toys where concerned. The demand for the toys was so high that the manufacturers could not keep up with demand. For Christmas 1977, they sold boxed vouchers for various toys. The toys sold in the "Empty Box" campaign during December were not delivered until the following March. Now that's demand!
As a prime candidate for Star Wars toys I was amazed and overjoyed to be drip fed a succession of action figures, play sets, books, comics and even duvet covers over the following years. My imagination could run riot with these extra props to help me.
I still have some of my original figures and my own kids play with them and seem to enjoy them as much as did.
Now in my old age I am slightly more cynical about the summer blockbuster season and the ensuing avalanche of toys that it brings. Sometimes I wonder if the toys are created and shoehorned into the films rather than the reverse. Anyone who has had the misfortune to sit through a Bratz, Pokemon or Power Rangers film in the cinema will understand where I am coming from. A slow cultural death by poor dubbing, hack writing and flimsy plot lines.
My son's birthday is in mid June which makes him a prime target for the hard sell of the summer movie merchandising. I was heartened this year that two of the major films have decent characters to hang their toys upon. Both Iron Man and Indiana Jones have long histories and characters that should have a life beyond the end of August.
Both the films have gone for the marketing synergy of a tie in with Burger King. The Iron Man set included a cool figure, if a little small, and some funky sun glasses that my son loved. The Indiana Jones toys from Burger King include Boulder Escape Indy, Stunt Jump Indy, they are fun but again a little on the small side.
The main thrust of the Iron Man toys are action figures. The figures made by Hasbro are neat. The design from the packaging to the figures are great, the colours strong and likeness to the film characters are impressive. In line with other comic book hero's the advantage is that the Iron Man toys can do battle with other Marvel and DC superhero's. They have also released a set of dress up outfits with masks, suits and weapons. These look like great fun and should ensure hours of good imaginative play.
Lego appears to be the main trust of the Indiana Jones toys. They have released a variety of different sets covering most price ranges. The Motorcycle Chase with its mini motorcycle and check point looks immense fun. I've never been convinced that the larger play sets are worth the money or the time to construct. The never stay complete for that long in my house!
I love Lego and it has a shelve life that easily out strips the life span of most toys. Once the thrill of the film has died away the Lego can be reused in any number of ways, combined with other sets, morphed and redesigned. The small figures will join the never ending army of Lego figures that double as everything from crowds at soccer matches to holiday makers at the airport or flood victims in need of rescue.
With the new influx of toys the issue becomes what to do with those from last year! What should I do with those Transformers that are cluttering up the toy box.
I have been using Jumbleworld with my children to sell there old toys. Jumbleworld is one of the better
If I had to choose two toys from this years summer blockbusters they would be Indiana Jones Lego and the Iron Man outfit.
Tony Heywood ?
Antony Heywood
used toys online
auctions online
Halo Graphic Novel - Get Your Halo Graphic Novel Online Now
Marvel and Bungie team up to create The Halo Graphic Novel HC based on the best-selling video game. The graphic novel brings the Halo universe to life for the first time in the sequential art medium in a 128-page, full color, high quality, jacketed, hardcover graphic novel. Stories include: "Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor" by Simon Bisley and Lee Hammock. When communications from a Covenant agricultural support ship are mysteriously terminated, an Elite Commander and his squad of Special Forces are sent to investigate. In "Armor Testing" by Ed Lee and Jay Faerber, the only way to test Spartan armor, is to send a Spartan. The question is what's really being tested? In Tsutomo Nihei's "Breaking Quarantine," the untold tale of Sergeant Johnson's escape from the clutches of the Flood menace is revealed! Finally, Moebius and Brett Lewis' "Second Sunrise Over New Mombasa" tells of the subtler, more dangerous fights taking place on the streets of New Mombasa and in the hearts and minds of men. Cover by Phil Hale. Gallery art created a number of elite artists including Rick Berry, Geof Darrow, Scott Fischer, Sterling Hundley, Craig Mullins, George Pratt, Juan Ramirez, George Staples, Justin Sweet, John Van Fleet and Kent Williams.
Price: $24.99Click here to buy from Amazon
Anime vs Manga
If you are a magna fan and reading up on the latest anime and manga releases and the history of the subject, you will find there has been a lot of confusion between anime and manga. Oftentimes, fans will ask others on forums or on blogs or in chat rooms what the difference is. But this is like having the blind lead the blind in most cases.
There are experts who visit these sites and can answer questions intelligently, but since they do not usually leave links to back up their claims, it can be unclear if what they say is true or if they are really experts. If you go to an online encyclopedia, you often find so much information to wade through with so many big words, it's hard to fully make sense of it all.
Suffice it to say that manga means Japanese comic books, or in other words, those drawn-on-paper cartoons originating in Japan. Similar to the American comics with Superman and Spiderman, these comics were often made into different series and are still produced in quantity. Anime is animation, or you could say, the animated versions of manga.
Any animation actually needs to start out as a cartoon drawing of some kind. Manga artists create the characters and story line, then their drawings are made into animated film. The animation process is long and detailed, and takes a number of talented people to bring off the final product. The artists who originally create the character, his personality and the scene where the action takes place play a large part in the production of the anime.
Sometimes, besides the creator of the manga itself, studios take the artwork and make the backgrounds and other details with the labors of other animators. These drawings are combined and photographed or scanned as one piece, making an entire scene with the character, extras and the sights of a modern city or whatever is being portrayed. Thus anime is created.
Rumko Takahashi created the popular series, Inuyasha and Ranma ½. She does the original drawings and assists in the animation process along with other artists in the studio that produce the final anime. And so it is with many manga-kas (manga writers).
Which came first, manga or anime? That is easy to answer in studying the history of cartoon drawing. In Japan, the most famous manga artists were in production in the 1940s, for they were producing cartoons regarding the World War in progress at the time. That doesn't mean there weren't other cartoonists prior to this time. Certainly there were.
In the U.S., comics were in vogue early on. As early as the late 1700s, Benjamin Franklin started the first editorial cartoon. This soon expanded to the longer comic strips, the first of which was drawn by Richard Outcault in 1895. Then in the 1930s there were the debuts of such heroes as Superman and Batman.
The author is the Admin of the Anime Friends Network site AnimeMine [http://www.animemine.com], where you can meet new friends and discuss your favorite anime and manga subjects. This article can also be found at our free article directory Smarticlesmart
For more anime information please go to AnimeMine.com today. For more free articles please try Smarticlesmart.com.
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