Companies have modeled toys and dolls after children’s favorite movie characters, wrestling characters, comic superheroes, and even villains sometimes. Studies show that people will pay more for a toy linked to an entertainment property like movies, TV shows, cartoons, and even comics than they will pay for a non-entertainment-associated toy. The statistics show that they may be willing to pay even up to 50%.
Toy companies, knowing how significant the entertainment industry is to their business, have tried to delve into film making, although there have been some catastrophic failures.
The ten best movies based on successful toy brands
10. My Pet Monster
American Greetings adopted My Pet Monster from a doll produced in 1986. The movie depicts the struggles of a hungry young boy, Max. During a school excursion, he locked eyes with a statue, which mysteriously turned him into a monster. The statue has just arrived from the Middle East. The movie shows Max’s heroics in escaping the capture of himself and his sister. He was just trying to figure out how to control his transformation to and from the monster. Yet, he was able to stop some thieves at a dog show.
9. Mars Attacks
Mars Attack is a 1996 sci-fi movie produced based on Topps’ trading card series, also named “Mars Attacks”. The movie shows a Martian invasion on Earth by Aliens. Although his military aid recommended that he attack the spaceship, the president of the United States of America decides to welcome the Aliens. The two parties arranged a meeting. Humans appointed an ambassador among the president’s science aides to meet the Martian ambassador.
During the meeting, the Martian ambassador said they were here for peace. To cheery that statement, he released a dove from among the onlooking crowd. The Martian ambassador then shot it down. He continued shooting, killing many the people at the event. The Martian ambassador claimed he was remorseful for what had happened. He requested to appear in front of the US Congress to apologize and make amends. After his arrival, the ambassador turned and killed all the people present in the house.
This preposterous act sparked the beginning of the full-blown war between the humans and the Martians. The Martians killed world leaders, destroyed international monuments, and devastated the lives and property of a lot of people. When all hope seems lost, a young man trying to save his grandma noticed that “Indian Love Call” by Slim Whitman is lethal to the Aliens, making their heads explode. Thus, they transmitted the music on every media channel, killing all the Martians. Richie became the hero of the movie and received a presidential award.
8. Ouija
Ouija is a 2014 supernatural horror movie with two sequels. The first sequel released in 2014, with the second sequel following a couple of years later. Hasbro created these movies were based on the Ouija board game. The movies depict the Ouija as an evil board game. It deceives the players into thinking they are contacting the spirit of a dead loved one. However, they were being possessed, only by another spirit. The movie later revealed that the evil spirits were a Polish immigrant that a heartless doctor captured and experimented on during World War II. The spirits were bounded to the game and possess the players into committing murder or suicide.
7. Robosapien: Rebooted
Robosapien: Rebooted is a movie based solely on the Robosapien toys produced by WowWee. The movie was also known as “Cody the Robosapien.” Arad Production, Arc Production, Crystal sky pictures, and Brookwell McNamara Entertainment produced it in 2013. This movie shows a brilliant inventor who created a robot for search and rescue purposes.
On discovering that his employers intend to weaponize the robot, Allan Topher programs his invention to escape from the lab. Although it escaped successfully, the robot was seriously damaged during its escape, and its memory is gone. A 12-year-old boy named Henry discovered it. So, Henry fixed up the robot and named it Cody. Henry and Cody developed what seems like friendship till Cody regain all their memory.
Now, Henry had to return it to its rightful owner. Allan Topher was not willing to break the kid and the robot’s friendship. So, he returned the robot to the boy. The laboratory company met this act with disapproval. They tried to retrieve the robot by all means necessary.
6. Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons is an action, adventure, and fantasy movie with three already produced sequels. The fourth one is expected to be released in the summer of 2021. These movies are heavily based on the role-playing game, Dungeons and Dragons produced by Wizards of the Coast. The original sequel debuted in the year 2000. It depicts a land under the control of two special powerful magicians – an evil warlock, Profion, who wants more power, and an Empress Savina. Savina desires to liberate the ordinary people in the kingdom. Both Profion and the Empress set their sight on the Rod of Savrille, which had the power to control the red dragon. The red dragon is the most powerful in the kingdom. Marina, a young warlock, and two thieves found themselves unintentionally involved in the quest for the rod too.
5. Bratz: The Movie
Bratz: The Movie is a musical comedy movie released on the 3rd of August 2007. The movie was majorly based on the Bratz line of dolls by MGA Entertainment. Just like the cover of the first set of Bratz dolls, the movie centers on four teenage friends who just gained admission to a high school.
Their major antagonist was the president of the student union. He wants the students to make friends within their group of study and not interact with other students. This rule became a problem for the four friends who have distinct study interests since it successfully divided them before they spent time together in detention, which brought them close to each other. The four friends decide to break the clique restrictions to allow any student to become friends with whomever they want regardless of their educational differences.
4. An American Girl Movie Series
American Girl movie series is based heavily on the 18″ American Girl dolls produced by Pleasant Company, a subsidiary of Mattel. A storybook to narrate the story of the girls produced as dolls usually came with the American Girl dolls. American Girl movies are televised adaptations of the storybook in this doll packages. There have been ten movie sequels of the American Girl so far.
The first being Samantha: An American Girl Holiday. Samantha is an orphan who lives with her wealthy grandmother. She made friends with their new neighbor, Nellie, who just lost her mom. They soon became each other’s confidante and shared everything, even house chores. Then tragedy stroke, Nellie’s father died, she and her sisters moved to an orphanage home. She had to work to support her sisters. Samantha fought valiantly for her friend. In the end, Samantha’s uncle adopted Nellie and her sisters.
3. Max Steel
Max Steel is a superhero movie that was based on the “Max Steel” action figurines produced by Mattel. The movie depicts the adventure of a teenager, Max, and an alien form, Steel. Max discovers he has the special ability to emit tachyonic energy. However, he cannot control when or where the energy emerges. He then met an alien who seems to suffer from memory loss. But whenever they bond, Max was able to control his energy bursts. He can build himself a suit of armor. Through the fragments of Steel’s memories, Max was able to uncover the truth about the death of his father. In an attempt by his father’s friend to absorb his powers, Max and Steel combined well to destroy him.
2. G.I. Joe
G.I Joe movie series are futuristic military sci-fi movies that are based on the action figures produced by Hasbro called “G.I. Joe”. The movie already has two sequels, with the third sequel scheduled for October 2021.
The original movie, G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra, depicts a nanotech-based weapon capable of disintegrating metals and any materials. NATO cooperated with the sale of four of the weapons. Then, terrorists hijacked the weapons designated to NATO, planning on using them to attack France, U.S.A, China, and Russia. The US charged the G.I Joes with the retrieval of the weapons, and they were successful, but not until the terrorists attacked the Eiffel Tower.
1. Transformers
The Michael Bay Transformers movie series consists of six sci-fi action movies. These movies are strongly based on the mecha toys produced by Takara Tomy and Hasbro. The movies show the constant struggle between the good Transformers called Autobots and their antagonists, Decepticons. The Transformers are mechanical extraterrestrials that have their life and a unique ability to transform into a normal machine, usually vehicles. Civil war between the Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons led by Megatron destroyed their home planet, Cybertron. The Decepticons then planned to make Earth their new home and destroy all humanity.
Although toy factories can make an abundance of toys based on movies, comic characters, and the whole entertainment industry, these movies have shown that there is also an abundance of movies that movie producers can make from toys.
About the author
Author: Chris Ingledue
Contact: email
Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!