You can always count on Sony to strike while the iron's hot! LittleBigPlanet may have been released in 2008, but that hasn't stopped Sony from turning Sackboy into a whore for 2009's holiday season. Toys, keychains, and all manner of LittleBigPlanet merchandise are due out in time for Christmas. Because Sackboy totally took off as a huge mainstream icon.
"For the very first time you can adopt your own SackboyTM as the iconic character springs into real life action with a super cool range of products available to buy and collect," boasts Sony. "Snap up a whole sack-full of goodies including figurines, mugs, keyrings, t-shirts, hoodies and loads more, all featuring the loveable little character."
This is stuff that should have arrived when the PS3 game came out (you could argue that LBP PSP makes this stuff relevant, but that would mean PSP games were relevant themselves), but hey, at least it's here now, right? As cynical as I am, however, I must admit that a Sackboy figurine would probably look quite good on my desk.
Adopt the cult hero of the legendary PlayStation® game with out of this world new product ranges
Earth calling all big fans of the much-loved PlayStation® game LittleBigPlanetTM. For the very first time you can adopt your own SackboyTM as the iconic character springs into real life action with a super cool range of products available to buy and collect. Snap up a whole sack-full of goodies including figurines, mugs, keyrings, t-shirts, hoodies and loads more, all featuring the loveable little character. The power of play is now in your hands and can even fit in your pocket so unleash your creativity and let your imagination run wild as Sackboy and LittleBigPlanet morph into life and join you wherever you go this winter.
Home to the small but mighty Sackboy, LittleBigPlanet is an irresistible world of endless possibilities where imagination is everything. Whatever you can see, you can enhance. And whatever you don't see, you can invent. All you need is curiosity, creativity and a thirst for fun: LittleBigPlanet provides the rest! Now this gameplay just hit a whole new dimension as the irresistible Sackboy is transformed into a quirky range of collectable souvenirs starting from just £2.99.
Available to buy now at selected UK high street stores and online retailers including HMV, Play.com, The Hut and Firebox.com, Sackboy keyrings and figurines will be the first to hit gamers’ wish lists this Christmas. You may even be lucky enough to bag a sought-after angry version of Sackboy in your stocking, plus watch out for more amazing products and characters released in the New Year that will really put a smile on the face of all you fans across the nation.
So get ready for 10 times more fun in early 2010 when Sackboy and Sackgirl are busy taking shape to form a fantastic range of soft toys, mugs, bags, posters and more. Style and fashion flair are key to life on LittleBigPlanet so it’s handy that Sackboy’s celebrity status even stretches to his very own clothing range from Bravado. Wear the T-shirts and hoodies with pride as Sackboy represents the ultimate fashion statement to ensure you are the trendiest little or big kid in town. Plus, don’t miss more ‘out of this world’ products coming soon, including collectable mini-figurines, children’s sleepwear and underwear and all you need to keep in tune with the coolest character in the universe!
Ratchet & ClankTM fans can also look forward to racing into stores in early 2010 to clamber over the first ever must-haves, including bags, keyrings and toys, featuring the exploits of their favourite crime-fighters.
Contest:
1:20 PM on 12.18.2009
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Either way, I'm not really drawn to Sackboy, just the tech, concept, and enjoyment of the game.
I do agree that Sony isn't really good on marketing their iconic characters. Though, admittedly, Nintendo and Square Enix kind of have the market on that as a whole. That and they've taken this long to get an icon they can market to a wide range of people, but especially kids, without getting some backlash or relegating the items purchases to 'private' displays.
I just wuv my wittle sackgirl!
The only named souce I actually found dolls at.
Couldn't find hoodies, which is what i was looking for.
This is a baby shirt
http://www.cafepress.com/+sackboy-baby+baby-bodysuits
Now on to the main problem with your masterful marketing analysis.
For a game that is a year old, introducing product related paraphernalia during periods of heightened consumer awareness is a great way to continue to raise market awareness for a product during a period where purchases are less likely to be researched and well though-out. In other words, an impulse buy is more likely during the winter season.
Clearly debating over the timing of arrival of merchandise is a valid post, but stating that the merchandise has arrived a year late is somewhat ignorant without providing tangible evidence stating that the brand had always intended the merchandise to be timed to release with the games release. This merchandise's timing is more likely on part of the marketing direction of the brand rather than an inability to get such items to market.
Of course this is all speculation based on studied marketing practices of organizations, but nonetheless effectively places a damper on the idea the merchandise has arrived late. Rather the merchandise has arrived as was always intended; when the brand wanted the merchandise to arrive.
Oh...wait, they're not sacks? They're plastic figurines? ...Eh, screw it, I still want one.
also bias
Sony makes some damn fine tech. Wish they'd stop hiring hobos to plan their marketing strategies though.
Greedy Marketing != Hobo Marketing
Why would they have made this other stuff back when they didn't know if LBP would sell at all?
You're kidding right? You must have missed the marketing hype of LBP when it came out. I can totally see how Sony couldn't be sure LBP would sell seeing it was only one of their flagship games.