northman wrote:

onthetrail wrote:

Why? Merchandise is a normal part of any major release and has been so since at least the 1800s.

For me it's just sad to see middle-earth get dragged deeper and deeper into the rampant consumerism and commercialism of this 8 billion strong dash for instant gratification. While I believe in the market I also think we should strive to limit ourselves. ME for me is something far removed from actionfigures, amazon shopping bags and ice cream. This is my private opinion. I dont mind people having other views.

I should add that I suspect this entire show is ice cream/bubblegum with tolkiens name on it. I suppose that makes me even less tolerant of this kind of marketing. If the show rocks I might try a spoon or two :)

I don't disagree. I'm not a merchandise fan of any kind, really. Beyond the books, collecting isn't a thing for me. Sadly, marketing and tie-ins and rampant consumerism are what drives most productions at this point. To some degree it started with George Lucas and has just gotten worse ever since.

northman wrote:

onthetrail wrote:

Why? Merchandise is a normal part of any major release and has been so since at least the 1800s.

For me it's just sad to see middle-earth get dragged deeper and deeper into the rampant consumerism and commercialism of this 8 billion strong dash for instant gratification. While I believe in the market I also think we should strive to limit ourselves. ME for me is something far removed from actionfigures, amazon shopping bags and ice cream. This is my private opinion. I dont mind people having other views.

I should add that I suspect this entire show is ice cream/bubblegum with tolkiens name on it. I suppose that makes me even less tolerant of this kind of marketing. If the show rocks I might try a spoon or two :)

I was looking at this purely from a merch pov, but Stu makes the most important point, and one that I totally agree with, from an environmental perspective I would have any any merch for any shows. But that there will be merch for this show is neither he or there in my opinion. The movies had insane merch, the animated movie also, and Middle-earth remains unaltered by both. Like you, I won't be buying any merch, but I don't see it as a big issue. People like merch, it is part of how they get closer to content and enjoy the ride. I think you and I just have to look away.

On your points about consumerism, only a fool would disagree. People do want things NOW, and they want plenty of it. But are we any different except we like books? How many versions of the books do you own? Maybe you can say one, or two, a reading copy and one for Sunday best, but I can't, and most here certainly can not claim any moral ground when it comes to consumerism. A collectors site where we all have multiple versions of the same books that take up 90% of our shelf space we could be putting to better use. But that is collecting and whether it be merch or books, it is no different in my view. Only our perception of what is collecting and what is accumulating.

What the show is or not remains to be seen, I hope it will be entertaining. I certainly hold out little hope of it reflecting Tolkien, but then I am not sure I want it to especially. I prefer my own vision to anything Amazon could offer me.

I have fond memories of Phantom Menace Pepsi and Pizza Hut pizzas.

I find it harmless. Merchandise will exist regardless because there is a market for it. Tolkien t-shirts, badges, songs, etc. It's not like the movies created it out of thin air.

onthetrail wrote:

northman wrote:

onthetrail wrote:

Why? Merchandise is a normal part of any major release and has been so since at least the 1800s.

For me it's just sad to see middle-earth get dragged deeper and deeper into the rampant consumerism and commercialism of this 8 billion strong dash for instant gratification. While I believe in the market I also think we should strive to limit ourselves. ME for me is something far removed from actionfigures, amazon shopping bags and ice cream. This is my private opinion. I dont mind people having other views.

I should add that I suspect this entire show is ice cream/bubblegum with tolkiens name on it. I suppose that makes me even less tolerant of this kind of marketing. If the show rocks I might try a spoon or two :)

I was looking at this purely from a merch pov, but Stu makes the most important point, and one that I totally agree with, from an environmental perspective I would have any any merch for any shows. But that there will be merch for this show is neither he or there in my opinion. The movies had insane merch, the animated movie also, and Middle-earth remains unaltered by both. Like you, I won't be buying any merch, but I don't see it as a big issue. People like merch, it is part of how they get closer to content and enjoy the ride. I think you and I just have to look away.

On your points about consumerism, only a fool would disagree. People do want things NOW, and they want plenty of it. But are we any different except we like books? How many versions of the books do you own? Maybe you can say one, or two, a reading copy and one for Sunday best, but I can't, and most here certainly can not claim any moral ground when it comes to consumerism. A collectors site where we all have multiple versions of the same books that take up 90% of our shelf space we could be putting to better use. But that is collecting and whether it be merch or books, it is no different in my view. Only our perception of what is collecting and what is accumulating.

What the show is or not remains to be seen, I hope it will be entertaining. I certainly hold out little hope of it reflecting Tolkien, but then I am not sure I want it to especially. I prefer my own vision to anything Amazon could offer me.

I just need one copy of any book....no extra editions, impressions or variants here no sir not at all ;)

When i said i believe in the market but within limits this is what i meant. Buying and producing books/art is something entirely different for me than ice cream and shopping bags and this KitKat nonsense (and putting galadriel on a kitkat wrapper .... is that the laughter of Sauron i hear?). This isnt a binary problem. Just because I mean buying/selling is ok doesnt mean i have to think all kinds of products are ok to produce.

This of course also means I think making movies and tv-series based on the ME legendarium is fine. Its the results so far I think are rubbish....not the idea of putting middle-earth on the screen.

Tolkien exhibitions too have been accompanied by all sorts of merchandise, so it’s not just studios and corporations like Amazon that are guilty of feeding consumerism.

In the end I do agree with Stu and onthetrail, in that my personal concern is less about the impact of merch on Tolkien’s works / legacy / whatever, but more for the impact on the environment.

The way I figure (these in particular) - people buy candy bars all the time, a little cross promotion isn't increasing landfill in any appreciable amount - though the goal of course is to sell more candy, in my mind this is offset by all the collectors not throwing away wrappers. (That is sarcasm)

There are more, I will be adding to this topic for posterity, hopefully you all remember the "mute this topic" button? ?

https://twitter.com/maeglin/status/155 ... &t=m7XcOZFQyCBfhTIL768QgA

Urulókë wrote:

The way I figure (these in particular) - people buy candy bars all the time, a little cross promotion isn't increasing landfill in any appreciable amount - though the goal of course is to sell more candy, in my mind this is offset by all the collectors not throwing away wrappers. (That is sarcasm)

There are more, I will be adding to this topic for posterity, hopefully you all remember the "mute this topic" button? ?

https://twitter.com/maeglin/status/155 ... &t=m7XcOZFQyCBfhTIL768QgA

I wonder if there is a hidden Mithril ticket that will permit the bearer entrance to Khazad-dûm lol?

Gloinson wrote:

Urulókë wrote:

The way I figure (these in particular) - people buy candy bars all the time, a little cross promotion isn't increasing landfill in any appreciable amount - though the goal of course is to sell more candy, in my mind this is offset by all the collectors not throwing away wrappers. (That is sarcasm)

There are more, I will be adding to this topic for posterity, hopefully you all remember the "mute this topic" button? ?

https://twitter.com/maeglin/status/155 ... &t=m7XcOZFQyCBfhTIL768QgA

I wonder if there is a hidden Mithril ticket that will permit the bearer entrance to Khazad-dûm lol?

If that were the case, I might actually buy one. Not so much for the ticket but for the Mithril

Urulókë wrote:

There are more, I will be adding to this topic for posterity, hopefully you all remember the "mute this topic" button?

Yes yes ?
For the sake of my blood pressure I will exile myself from the thread ??