Importing Delights or Dangers?: Films, Television, Toys, and the Creation of Children’s Consumer Culture in New Zealand, 1935-2024
The thesis traces the development of children’s consumer culture in New Zealand from the 1930s to the present. It begins with the merchandising efforts of local entrepreneurs to appeal to boys’ desires for cars, and girls for Hollywood glamour as Shirley Temple and Walt Disney became the inspiration for toys and related merchandise. Initially playing with replicas of foreign-made toys in the 1930s, New Zealand children became increasingly attracted to imported toys due to the arrival of television in the 1960s. By the late 1970s when Star Wars arrived, they were immersed in a global children’s consumer culture that often involved different forms of media with associated toys created by Disney, Mattel, and other global enterprises. In the 1990s programme-length commercials like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) filled up television schedules and added must-have items to toy boxes, while New Zealand productions and products found it difficult to compete for audiences and consumers.
The explosive popularity of the heavily marketed and hyped Barbie indicates that the relationship between trans-media and merchandise is more powerful than ever. Today it encompasses nostalgic adults reliving their childhood amusements as evidenced by The Super Mario Bros. Movie which was only $83,000,000 behind Barbie in the global box office. Super Mario competed against a slew of male-oriented blockbusters, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, while Barbie’s main competition was Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid. The merchandising machine of Mattel with its dolls, housewares, beauty items, and bags encouraging customers to channel their inner Barbie was also adept at extracting profits from its Disney rival with a Little Mermaid doll collection. Toys, Hollywood films, and streaming services like Netflix continued to associate playing with profits and the promise of enjoyment for New Zealand children and adult consumers.
The emergence of children’s consumer culture is examined through an analysis of influential films, television, toys, and advertising from the 1930s to the present concentrated on trans-media entertainment and associated merchandise. A survey of contemporary New Zealanders enquires into their relationship with globally influenced children’s consumer culture, and the extent of their continued attachment to childhood thrills derived from imported products and trans-media offerings. The thesis reveals that parental and children’s consumption patterns in New Zealand demonstrate the impact of global children’s consumer culture transmitted by Hollywood films, imported television, and the marketing of toys that associate enjoyment and status with the purchase of cultural and commodity imports.