the.com/merchandising
turning a story into a t-shirt, a mug, and forty dollars you didn't plan to spend.
means the business of selling branded physical goods tied to a character, franchise, or idea, separate from the thing itself.
from from middle english merchandise, rooted in latin mercari, to trade; the modern industry exploded when george lucas kept the toy rights to star wars in 1977 instead of taking a bigger director's fee.
star wars toysoutearned the movie's box office within a year.
lucas's gambletraded salary for merchandising rights, became a billionaire.
pokemon economycards and toys dwarf the games and anime combined.
disney storesexist mainly to sell plush, not push films.
for instance
star wars figures — kenner's 1977 action figures created the modern toy-movie tie-in.
hello kitty — sanrio character with no show, built purely on merchandise since 1974.
nba jerseys — a $6 billion global apparel business separate from ticket sales.
harry potter wands — universal studios sells interactive wands for over $50 each.