Peeps, Barbie Latest Brands You Love To Get Movie Treatment
You know what I love? Brands. And products. I totally love both of those things, which is why I'm so happy to be alive today, when all the best brands and products are finally getting the movie treatments they deserve. Toy brands, game brands, and even food brands are coming to movie screens, and I couldn't be happier to sit back and enjoy paying to look at the great brands and products I will later pay to own. I may also interact with those brands - for free! - on Twitter and Facebook, by engaging in hashtag games or retweeting their funny brand-promoting memes tied in to larger cultural events like holidays or Mad Men!
One of the best brands in the whole world is Peeps. I mean, they're marshmallow chicks covered in a fine dusting of sugar, and they're only available a few months out of the year (more or less. Increasingly less). I've always felt that Peeps have a story to tell, that their brand truly ignites my imagination. And Adam Rifkin, who made a movie about totally legitimate rock band KISS' brand called Detroit Rock City, agrees. He's optioned Peeps and will be making an animated feature about them, one that will be able to bring other beloved brands into the picture! See, the film will be set the night before a big Peeps diorama contest (who doesn't remember all the hours they spent making Peeps dioramas?) and one of the Peeps has gone missing! Peeps must travel through other dioramas - which can include other properties, some of whom will pay for the honor or who will become marketing partners as part of the deal - to find their friend. It sounds like exactly the sort of thing that will reinforce my positive associations with this, and other, brands.
Speaking of brands, what about that Barbie! She's such a powerhouse brand that she's negatively impacted the self-worth of girls for generations. Now she's getting the big screen treatment, and Sony sees her as a new franchise starter. They're coming from an exciting point of view, which allows the studio to take advantage of Mattel's "merchandise packages" that have given Barbie over 150 different careers. So glad they've packaged that merchandise for us. Anyway, the studio sees Barbie as a Mary Poppins-type who can parachute into the lives of her friends (to be played by stars. Barbie would be played by a newcomer) and take them shopping, teach them how coffee and cigarettes are pretty much all your body needs to consume anyway and also have a hard time with math.
I have to be honest with you guys - I like seeing these brands making inroads and joining all the other great brands that now make up not only our consumer world but also our entire culture, but where are the rest of the best brands? Why isn't Mr. Clean getting a movie? What's the origin story of Tony the Tiger? Should I still avoid the Noid? Just think of all the roles Jack Black could have in these films.
