So there I was, talking with Sharayah, when she mentions footie pjs. Now I'm a pretty big (mainly tall) guy who's chances of finding said pajamas are very slim. But my girlfriend is one step ahead of me and tells me of website that sells these pjs...in my size no less. So I'm browsing the selection, but nothing catches my eye.
Then it hits me. I want Max's footie pajamas. You know, King Max from Where the Wild Things Are. I want my pjs to have a hood...with wolf ears. I want them to have a tail (I think Max's has a tail). I don't want them to have a stupid logo on them, or a picture on the back. I just want pjs that are straight up like in the book and movie.
Then I'm hit with another though. Well, more specifically, it's a question. Have you ever noticed how merchandise from a movie is never exactly like in the film? It's always tweeked in some way.
I first noticed this lack of authenticity as far back as 95, when Toy Story came out. I wanted a Buzz Lightyear just like in the movie. The height of a GI Joe, with a helmet that wooshes open at the push of a button, and the karate chop action. I was ok with the fact that it wouldn't fly because, well, Buzz Lightyear is not a flying toy. But that was never the case. He is never to scale. He never has any karate chop action. His head moves around. Or his suit was never the same as in the movie. It was either silver or clear or something just as ludacris. I'm pretty sure he could glow in the dark though. My point is, when a toy design is dancing around on the screen in front of you, why change it?
I've also wondered why they never mass produce wardrobes. I can understand costumes from, say, Lord of the Rings. But what about more "normal" items? Why is it that I can never find a Gryffindor scarf? Or, in the rare case that I do find one, it has a Harry Potter logo on it. Did the uniforms from Hogwarts all have Harry Potter's name on them? Of course not! So why put it on the clothes? I've seen the movies; I'm well aware that red and gold mean Gryffindor. Even the muggle clothes in the Harry Potter films are cool. Why not make a store where they sell those clothes? I'd shop there. Truth be told, I'd love to have a Weasly sweater.
But sadly, we fans are (at least in terms of clothing) forced to fend for ourselves. We have to try to make them or find them at thrift stores. We're stuck with the silver Buzz Lightyears. The Slinky dog is made out of plastic. The Gryffindor scarf has Harry's name on it. Max's footie pjs only come in a toddler size. And so forth.
These merch designers need to get in the game.
