Channel Frederator Blog

that’s a creepy picture eric.
-jx!

It’s in the Musee D’Orsay…I’m not entirely sure what the point is, though.

Just the same, ratings for FOP have weakened quite a bit, while Spongebob seems to be holding his own. Check out this ratings list:
http://www.top5s.com

Fewnet, to come to the defense of our own show: it would be a mistake to generalize about the ratings for a series from a one week snapshot, since scheduling, competition, freshness of episodes, etcetera etcetera, all contribute to the picture. Truth be told, almost seven years in, FOP continues to be one of the few ratings bright lights in the entire cartoon industry, and deservedly so. Nickelodeon felt strongly enough to order 20 new episodes and a TV movie after a two year hiatus.

You may be right, Fred…but I have a feeling that the fact that every new cartoon that Nick has aired recently has flopped might have something to do with FOP’s renewal. And as far as FOP’s popularity is concerned, it’s also a fact that FOP doesn’t merchandise well, at all; Nick President Cyma Zhargami recently stated in an interview that Nick can’t even sell a T-Shirt with FOP on it. And I really have to wonder how well FOP would do on weekends if it weren’t always scheduled after Spongebob…

Having said that, I will say that I hope that the new episodes will erase the bad feeling some of the pre-hiatus episodes generated amongst fans. Some of that feeling (obviously) generated this post..

Fewmet, you’ve got some points with which I won’t or can’t take issue, but I posted this top ten because we thought some lists might be nice to throw into the blogs (see Jeaux’s post on cartoon dads) - whether fact or opinion, lists tend to create debate. This wasn’t generated to erase any bad feeling. In fact, it didn’t occur to me the popularity of FOP would become a point of discussion by posting this; I figured it would be the dearth of animated shows in the top ten.

Honestly what’s MOST scary to me is that the top SIX are not cartoons and that there are only TWO cartoons in the top ten at all. Even if Fewmet doesn’t like FOP it holds it’s own against live action; no small feat. I know my kids watch Nick all the time and they have slowly migrated towards live action as they get older. At 11 and 9 I seldom see them watching cartoons at all, unless they’re either mine or classics like Popeye, Tom and Jerry or Bugs Bunny. Whatever the reason, kids today don’t seem enthralled by cartoons on TV as they were when I was young. Animated feature films is another story but that’s not really the focus here. Basically, we lose them younger than in previous generations. Why is that?

I think it comes down to the race to grow up. Kids who start to become aware of what other kids are up to seem to be in a race to be the oldest or most mature ahead of their classmates. A lot of cartoons on TV aren’t considered by kids to be for someone their age, despite what the creators intend. I spoke at a middle school a while back and I was surprised to hear how many kids watched the Simpsons, South Park, and Drawn Together. None of the kids would admit in front of the class that they watched Spongebob or “something for kids”. The kids skew upwards in their watching patterns. To kids, live action seems like it’s more for older kids, so younger kids want to watch it too. My kids would rather watch “Tom & Jerry” and Looney Tunes rather than most of the shows on TV today. My kids (ages 7, 4, 2, and 3 months… no tv for the youngest) enjoy “Danny Phantom”, “Fairly OddParents”, “Jimmy Neutron”, “Spongebob Squarepants”, “Dora the Explorer”, and “Go Diego Go”. There isn’t a whole lot of skewing in my household yet.

Merch is funny stuff — I think Alexander Hamilton might have said that — or maybe not. But seriously, there is no science as to what will make a hit T-shirt. Believe me, I made a lot of licensed T-shirts in a former life, and I was always stunned, disappointed, or overjoyed as to what sold. I was once offered the rights to print The California Raisins, which I dismissed as a great ad, but was sure nobody would wear one on their chest. My competitors, a company called Changes in Middle Village, NY, sold several million units, and overtook my company in the marketplace.

I was certain that the popularity of the show “Melrose Place” would be a T-shirt bonanza — A dud. Chilly Willy — buyers gave me the cold shoulder. Count Duckula — made me look like a schmuckula. I can’t recall all the popular shows/ unpopular shirts we made (maybe I’m better off), but there were plenty.

So what did I learn? I learned that when I create a character or a story for comics or TV, I plan on a logo, character, or something in the story that will sell on T-shirts. Not just because of the revenue stream it creates, but a T-shirt is a walking billboard for you property. unlike plush or coffee mugs, which are relegated to the home, T-shirts are out and about.

Many times the initial offerings of licensed merch is made by people with no passion for the property (character). I’m curious, is there a Crimson Chin T-shirt? And if so, what did it look like? Who’s designing this stuff and who is the target audience. If a kids clothing company is making T-shirts, etc. for kids, and a good portion of the older kids aren’t watching the show, then why not market the merch to older demographics. Maybe a teen’s not going to wear the Crimson Chin shirt, but I know a whole convention hall full of people ages 25 and up at comicons across America who would love that shirt (if done right).

For the record, FOP is one of the funniest shows on the air! Youth and cartoons are wasted on kids.