Half-Hour Commercials For Toys

Throughout the past few decades, there have been cartoons based on books, video games, movies, and yes, even toys. The previous three have often been considered decent forms of entertainment, but the latter has often been derided by critics for being shameless marketing campaigns. To that, I have to ask what it is about toy-based shows that makes them in any way different from any other cartoon. It's a chicken and egg scenario here. Pretty much every popular cartoon show often has some line of toys based on it, even the ones that are well-written, with good stories and characters. Why would a show that works in the opposite direction (one based on toys, rather than toys based on a show) immediately be worse in quality, essentially being what some people have called "half-hour commercials for toys?"

To assume that all the writers of the show want is to sell action figures, it's pretty safe, then, to assume that the overall plot of the show revolves around collecting things or simply showing off the selection (like Pokemon or Yu Gi Oh). This happens often, but many times, there are shows based on action figures that genuinely have good writing and characters. A show that I thoroughly enjoyed as a child was Beast Wars, which was based on a new line of Transformers toys, in which the characters transformed into animals rather than cars. Going by the unfair assumption that the show was just made to sell toys, it should have just fallen into the same pitfalls as other toy-based cartoons, yet this show featured good writing and characters. There weren't just good guys versus bad guys. Often, characters would either change sides or work together for a common goal. Characters on opposite sides of the conflict would form bonds with one another, and on occasion, the goals of each side would not always be classified as purely good or evil. There was also a deep lore concerning the origin of mankind and the secret ancient mysteries of the planet Earth. If the writers had just wanted to sell toys, they would not have felt the need to be so creative in their stories and character development.

It could also have worked the other way. If a show becomes popular, and therefore releases a line of toys based on the show, which immediately become top sellers, they could very well sacrifice their writing because, hey, why waste money on good writers when the toys have suddenly become such a big way to generate revenue? Unfortunately, some shows have fallen into that rut as well (I'm looking at you, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers), but the fact that most don't shows that companies that make a fortune selling toys can (and do) still realize that good storytelling is worth more than money. Whether a company started telling those stories in the beginning, or they came into it after pursuing other moneymaking ventures, the popularity and quality of their physical products should not cloud your judgment regarding the popularity and quality of their writing abilities as well.