Why are there children toys based on movies that children can't even watch?

You go down the toy aisle and you will see Transformers, The Last Air Bender, Avatar and other toys based on movies that are PG 13 or in some cases R. These are movies I would not allow my children to see because of the violence and sexual connotations. Why do they market these toys when the children will have no frame of reference or are parents letting their kids watch these movies. In my opinion by the time I would let them see the movie they are to old to play with some of these toys.



McDonald's had Avatar toys in their Happy Meals making my kids want to see the movie and then they were upset when I would not let themWhy are there children toys based on movies that children can't even watch?
to get parents to take their kids to see those movies, regardless of age. they're cross-marketing to the reality that a lot of parents will allow that regardless of ratings, particularly if they see the toys everywhere.



i haven't seen any of those movies except avatar, to which i took my then 10-year-old but not my younger kids. what i don't understand is how much of a movie like that parents really think their much younger children can even comprehend. to me it makes no sense to see a movie or read a book until you're going to really get it. a 6-year-old might get some sort of general sense of what's going on in a complicated movie aimed at adults, but they're going to miss an awful lot of nuance. not sure what the big rush is when the movie will stil be there in five or ten years.
Some day your children are going to grow up and are going to hate you so much for not letting them experience childhood. If those movies were not appropriate for children they would not be making things that are for children. Also, Transformers is also a cartoon that many of kids grew up watching. There are more versions to Transformers than the one with Shia LaBouf and Megan Fox. Please just let your children grow up.Why are there children toys based on movies that children can't even watch?
Because you're not everyone's mom.



I took my 6-year-old to Iron Man, and the Dark Knight, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Now she's 8, and she's seen all the Harry Potter's, and is looking forward to the new one. She's not warped or damaged, no nightmares, and she's a happy well adjusted kid.



Having said that, we never buy those movie toys. Those are marketed for the 40-year-old virgins.
Fanboys and Fangirls. I know plenty of 20+ year olds who have action figures of movies they like. Heck, I have a few Star Wars and Star Trek ones on a shelf in our basement. Toys R Us isn't just for kids, they have plenty of games and toys for teens and young adults.
She is two so no, not yet. Lol



Although if she wanted a BRATZ doll, I would not let her have one and I would not let her watch a movie of theirs. They were hussy clothes.
I think transformers were toys before it was ever a cartoon OR a movie. Toys are toys. As for the rest, maybe they are aimed at kids 13 and up?
They know that some parents are letting their children watch those movies. Opportunity=cash.
Maybe you should get the stick out of your *ss.



The last airbender is rated PG.
Transformers have been toys for a long time, not just because of a movie (I played with them when I was a kid and they had already been around for a few years by then). Hasbro made the movies because they knew they had a fanbase that was growing older and they could make more money off of them by making movies geared toward that audience.



The Last Airbender is an anime, which I believe was dubbed in English and aired on Nickelodeon(?) and then was made into a movie. Therefore there was also a previous fanbase from which to draw on.



The Avatar figures I have seen sold were mostly bought by teens/adults and not children.



If you're so bothered by routine marketing of film characters then just tell your children "No." and move on. The reason they do this is for the fanbases they have that do buy these items, that collect them and that are either mature enough to realize a marketing ploy when they see one, or who allow their children to watch those movies/TV shows.



If you're really concerned about the Transformers thing, why not rent the old Transformers TV series and let your children watch that?
I have wondered the same thing at times. However you have to remember that not only toddlers are buying Happy Meals. Technically they market them up to age 10. Now still that is under age for the movies but close enough where the child knows what the movie is about. Transformer toys have been around LONG before the movie. It's a toy from the 80's (yea, I'm dating myself here). Last Airbender, although rated PG13, is actually a childrens cartoon rated G. So the kids probably are aware of the characters at least. And Avatar, well same thing. I think the kids may not have seen the movie but are aware of the characters.



And probably ultimately to entice unaware or indifferent parents to rent the DVD. There are plenty of parents who don't care about the ratings and once you get it home no one can tell you they can't watch it.
the other posters have it covered. #1 transformers was a cartoon at one time. avatar the last airbender is a current cartoon. my son is watching this very second on nickelodeon. #2 who says that the toy department is just for kids? there are always collectors and fanboyes who are going to buy it. and #3 who says ALL parents hold your moral standards? just because you dont let your child watch something doesnt mean another parent wont. and theres nothing wrong with that. my son has seen both of the transformer movies and he LVOES them. hes only 2. hes also seen avatar tho he wont actually sit and watch it.
Styx, actually I'm pretty sure it's the opposite. Buying the toys does not make kids want to see the movie (at least that's not what they're designed to do). In general it's seeing the movie that makes kids want to get the toys. The toys is a huge part of revenue for movie makers who manage to create enough of a buzz. Avatar, Star Wars, LOTR, Twilight may have made incredible amount of money in the cinemas, but the real money maker is outside the cinemas in the figurines, tshirts, accessories, etc...



As to the question, sorry I'm not familiar with the US rating system, but the movies you mention are rated 12A in my country, which means they are accessible to children (I even think The Last Airbender was PG which is just a caution for parents with very young impressionable kids, but is not a restriction of age on who can see the movie). It's just that those under 12 have to be with an adult. And some of these movies are marketed for children in spite of their rating. Transformers and the Last Airbender in particular are movie adaptations of what is originally two children tv programs. In any case, it's simply a money thing. They know the kids are interested in the movies so they use the movies to sell toys and crappy happy meals in order to make more money.

And to point the obvious, you're still free to tell your kids what they can and can't watch.