By: Christopher Byrne

What is it that keeps some properties exciting and in-demand for decades, while others fade away or fail to take off when reintroduced? In a marketing and merchandising world that’s cautious at best, merely bringing something back is the kiss of death for a property. Simply put: Nostalgia is not a strategy. It may work in the kidult market, but kids don’t care what their parents liked. You have to prove yourself to them from scratch.

It’s imperative to understand how the market has shifted, how consumption has changed, and probably most importantly, how engagement has evolved. In the contemporary market, your property doesn’t belong to you. Sure, you may own the copyright and rake in the royalties. But the real value lies in the hearts and minds of your audience, and how they engage with your property and express themselves through it. Social media, and especially TikTok, lets your audience “own” a brand and continue to drive awareness and preference.

It’s also critical to keep innovating. The last thing you want to do is introduce a new movie or TV show that lets fans simply dust off the toys and merch they bought last time. The challenge is to continue to evolve and expand while preserving the essence of the characters that first made the brand a hit. Then, let imaginations run wild—for both your team and fans.

To see how this works, look no further than the Minions (pictured). First introduced in 2010, the little yellow creatures became an international sensation. Classic comedy combined with the cute factor appealed to virtually everyone. “The Minions are really an all-audience brand, as illustrated by last summer’s viral #gentleminions TikTok trend,” says Joe Lawandus, SVP and general manager of global toys and hardlines at Universal Products & Experiences. “Younger fans engage with the franchise through toys, but we also attract a significant Gen Z demographic through our streetwear collabs (e.g. last summer’s Lyrical Lemonade, as well as sellout collections with Reebok and Verdy). The Minions’ irreverent humor transcends all audiences and age demographics, and is truly embraced by cultures across the globe.”

And that’s the point. By the way, if you don’t know #gentleminions, look it up. It’s an iconic example of the audience taking ownership. (And folks of a certain age will be reminded of how audiences engaged with The Rocky Horror Picture Show.) Finding “first-evers” keeps the property exciting and relevant, adds Lawandus, pointing to new looks and play patterns that will debut next summer in Despicable Me 4.

Ronnie Frankowski, chief commercial officer for Moose Toys, which recently signed a deal for The Minions, calls the evolution of the property “disruptive,” adding that the new movie is “the most toyetic installment of the franchise, giving us the jumping-off point to disrupt ourselves and—in close partnership with Universal and Illumination—reimagine play patterns.”

The key to remaining competitive is to marry the essence of the property with a “super-wow,” says Frankowski. “More and more kids have choice, and a level of dynamic interaction [with a property], and we’ve seen that change rapidly in the last five years.” He adds that this increased level of empowerment and choice in daily lives makes it more important than ever to build deeper engagement potential into the toys in order to be competitive.

Ultimately, toymakers looking to contemporize a legend are required to be “hyper-creative” and challenge themselves in new ways.

Christopher Byrne (a.k.a. The Toy Guy) is a toy expert, consultant, author and co-host of The Playground Podcast.

This story originally appeared in Kiscreen‘s August/September 2023 magazine.