Lord of the Ring fans

[Jedi Master Carr]

Remeber the HP debate about Coke sponsering the movie and all the marketing that went into that some fans of the books didn't like well, it looks the LOTR fans or perhaps just purist are mad now here is the link
http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-000098984dec13.story?coll=la%2Dheadlines%2Dfrontpa ge

I have no clue what there problem is it is just a book but they treat it like a religion and we though Star Wars fans were bad, man these guys get pissed off that Frodo (gasp) is a toy at Burger King. What did they expect New Line has to find a way to get there money back and merchandise is a big thing, plus more people will want to see it now, but these guys seem to not want the general public to like?? They want to be special. Man are they screwed up or what. The funny part of the story is how the main purist they talked to ended up buying a piece of merchandise at the end of the story (I think it was a copy of the Ring). I',m just curious are there many LOTR fans like this or are these just the wierdos who are the exception?

[darth_mcbain]

I think these people need to take a step back and look at this in perspective. Carr, you're right - it looks like they are portraying it like a religion, which I think is kinda lame. It is one thing to really like a story and even to follow some of the tenets that might be in it, but to glorify it to the status of a religion is too much.

Another thing is to think about all of the people who might come into contact with this. These people treat LOTR as though they own it, and they know best what should be done with it. They are not taking into account that there could be a three year old who may never have come into contact with these stories if it weren't for his parents taking him to Burger King.

I don't really care - it is a reality of life, that things will be merchandised, the sooner they realize that and come to grips with it, the better...

[Darth23]

"I don't really care - it is a reality of life, that things will be merchandised, the sooner they realize that and come to grips with it, the better..."

It's a reality of life in our society today. Merchandising isn't like the law of Gravity.

LOTR comes from a literary tradition, which is different from movies and other mass culture. Especially since there are many people in academia who have a great deal of repect for Tolkien's work. It's about reading the books, studying and discussing the books, NOT collecting action figures. Plus a lot of LOTR fans have always looked at the merchandising that has built up in fandom over the last 20 years or so as an attempt to cheapen the saga.

There are many Star Wars fans that spend a lot of time criticizing Lucas for being 'more into making toys than making movies', so it's not just LOTR fans.

I think merchandising is inevitable with a big movie - the studio has to try to decrease the risk and also looke ofr alternative promotional tools, but I understand the concerns of some LOTR fans. I remember when there was some fake story about Peter Jackson trashing Phantom Menace, I visited a LOTR website. THere were severl peopel who had the attitude that Star Wars had all this cheep sell-out merchandising, and that LOTR would never do anything like that. As if there weren't going to be and LOTR action figures. :p

I remember posting a message that I was pretty sure that the LOTR studio would have some merchandising, like all the studios do with all the big action, big budget movies that are made these days.

I think the article also points out a little of the snobbery, though. At Dragon Con I saw a lot of Officially Licensed stuff that was DEFINITELY in the upscale market. I'd be willing to bet that a most of the fans have less of a problem with the $75 LOTR goblets than the $3 Fast Food glasses.


The only thing I've seen that was pretty bad is those STUPID Burger King commercials on tv. I dont' think they're doing ANYTHING to help the promotion of the film.

[darth_mcbain]

Point well taken Darth23... You're right - merchandizing is mostly a contemporary phenomenon, with the advent of the mass media... But, I don't see it going away. I think as long as we have mass media, which will probably be forever, we will have advertising to fund it, which will include merchandizing...

[Darth23]

Phantom Menace did a lot to contribute to ending massive merchandising. ;) :D :p