Merch

  • NewsYahoo Movies Contributors

    Merch Mania! From 'Steamboat Willy' to 'Batman,' a Timeline of Movie Tie-In Toys

    In the decades leading up to the release of George Lucas’s 1977 masterpiece, "Star Wars," movie merchandising was not very common — and not very lucrative.

  • NewsEthan Alter

    A Field Guide to Major Movie Merchandising Misfires, From 'Alien' to 'Waterworld'

    With the release of the latest round of Star Wars merchandise set for this year’s so-called “Rogue Friday” (riffing on last year’s Force Friday) on Sept. 30, Yahoo Movies is looking back at movie merchandise through the years. In today’s fourth installment, writer Ethan Alter looks back on movie-related goods gone awry.__________________________Ever since George Lucas’s foundational blockbuster Star Wars proved that the Force is strong with tie-in movie merchandise, audiences have been able to f

  • NewsGwynne Watkins

    From 'Hook' to Bond to 'Battlefield Earth,' 11 Movie Toys You Never Knew Existed

    With the release of the latest round of Star Wars merchandise set for this year’s so-called “Rogue Friday” (riffing on last year’s Force Friday) on Sept. 30, Yahoo Movies is looking back at movie merchandise through the years. In today’s third installment, writer Gwynne Watkins looks back on some of the weirder movie tie-ins.  __________________________When the blockbuster film emerged as a category with Star Wars and Jaws, another lasting trend was created: movie tie-in toys. Though dolls of fi

  • NewsKevin Polowy

    Wishing on Wish Books: An Appreciation to Catalogs of Yore

    With the release of the latest round of Star Wars merchandise set for this year’s so-called “Rogue Friday” (riffing on last year’s Force Friday) on Sept. 30, Yahoo Movies is looking back at movie merchandise through the years. For a budding movie buff bent on stacking up on new toys, there was no better source to peep the latest Star Wars action figures and Transformers whips, among all the other cinematic merchandising gold to mine. Sears, JCPenney, and Montgomery Ward were the most popular W

  • NewsNick Schager

    Feast your eyes on the greatest movie action-figure fails

    With the release of the latest round of Star Wars merchandise set for this year’s so-called “Rogue Friday” (riffing on last year’s Force Friday) on Sept. 30, Yahoo Movies is looking back at movie merchandise through the years. In today’s opening installment, we go deep on the greatest action-figure mishaps from some of Hollywood’s greatest films. Enjoy! __________________________ Ever since the release of 1977’s Star Wars, kids (and adults) have channeled their love of movies into playing with —