Speaking of Kids and 10 Year-Olds…
Outpost Gallifrey have news of what is probably the coolest pieces of new series tie in merchandising yet: The Doctor Who Sticker Book and the Doctor Who Intergalactic Activity Book. Both of these are pieces of tie-in marketing that take the series out of the aging over-25 ‘cult’ market and into the playgrounds and family rooms of children.
Back where it belongs, really
This is such a major shift. Back when the TV movie aired, the closest thing there was to any consideration of marketing to the little ‘uns was Gary Russell’s novelization, which was a pitch-perfect pastiche of Terrance Dicks. Now we have tie-in merchandise like we saw back in the 60s and 70s: stuff not intended for putting into mylar slipcases for collecting (although we know that will happen: David Howe is probably appraising the value of the Sticker Book even as we speak!) but for kids to read and play with. And that, to our minds, is really exciting.
Plus, The Doctor Who Blog freely admits they want a copy of Build Your Own Tardis, as they lost the version from the 1980s that they used to own.
Posted by Graeme on Friday, March 11 at 12:06 pm
12 Comments...
Yes very nice, but why do most of the new Doctor Who aliens have pot bellies?
Posted by Richard on 03/11 at 01:30 PM
Oh, quiet you.
In other cool news: Terrance Dicks loved the first episode!
Posted by Graeme on 03/11 at 01:37 PM
Those books do look really neat. But if the series belongs in the playgrounds and family rooms of children, then what are we doing here?
Posted by John on 03/11 at 03:17 PM
I dunno. What are adults doing reading Harry Potter and Phil Pullman? Or reading comic books? Or playing video games? Or, frankly, watching Star Wars films?
Doctor Who is an all-ages family series, but it’s always lived primarily with children and adolescents. This is something that has been forgotten during the TV-less years, when Doctor Who became a primarily adult thing as the fans were now mostly grown-ups.
I’m glad it’s back to reaching to its core audience. The show is sophisticated and intelligent enough to keep grown-ups like myself into it.
Posted by Graeme on 03/11 at 03:25 PM
I am not sure that children are the core audience for Harry Potter and Philip Pullman. And I’m not sure that children are or should be the core audience for Doctor Who. But what do I know, marketing gives me a rash.
Posted by John on 03/11 at 04:12 PM
Phil Pullman I might grant you, but Harry Potter…dude, have you looked at what section of the bookshop those things are sold?
Posted by Graeme on 03/11 at 04:16 PM
No I haven’t actually, but I do know that there are adult editions with dark, serious covers.
Posted by John on 03/11 at 04:23 PM
...which were because they thought adults might be embarrassed to read a children’s book.
Seriously, the whole method I got my then 10 year-old goddaughter to watch Doctor Who was by saying “It’s sort of like Harry Potter”. Which it isn’t really, but it was something she could identify with since everyone in her school read the books.
Posted by Graeme on 03/11 at 04:27 PM
Children were the core audience of Doctor Who in Britain for decades, too, John. Why shouldn’t they be now?
Posted by Graeme on 03/11 at 04:28 PM
Children don’t know what Doctor Who is today, apparently. The audience has grown up.
I certainly don’t mind that the new series is aimed at children.
But saying that it should be aimed at children just because it has been in the past… I’m not sure I see the necessity.
Posted by John on 03/11 at 04:39 PM
Ah, children today WILL soon know what Doctor Who is!
Posted by Mike on 03/11 at 04:46 PM
One book that my kids have loved since the age of one is “It’s Not Easy Being Big” It is a Sesame St./ Dr. Seuss book!This is a Great Book.
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