Fan fiction is nothing new. Fans of Jane Austen wrote sequels to Pride and Prejudice. Avid fans of Fifty Shades of Gray and, yes, Paw Patrol have taken it upon themselves to appropriate the characters and create their own stories about them. As literature goes, they’re seldom very good.
However in the toy world, sometimes those stories can create magic. In one case in particular, a secondary character has become a merchandising powerhouse—at least in China—because of what can only be called imaginative empathy.
Lotso Huggin’ Bear, is the villain of Disney’s Toy Story 3. He rules the toys at Sunnyside Daycare with a fascistic iron paw and pretty much makes everyone miserable, even to the point of being willing for all the other toys to be destroyed. (Spoiler alert: The Aliens save the day.) Lotso, as he’s known, is one of Disney’s darker villains. He turned bad after his owner Daisy left him behind at a rest stop on a family trip. Lotso makes the long trip home only to find he’s been replaced by a newer Lotso. He has what amounts to a psychotic break—at least as far as Disney is ever willing to down that alley, which is pretty far, actually—and determines that humans and toys are, more or less, natural enemies. Despite his strawberry scent and cuddly body, he’s a bad ‘un, and, as noted above, he is never redeemed, at least in the movie.
Lotso is currently one of the hottest Disney characters in China, and trips to malls, toy, and lifestyle stores over the past week as I’ve been here have revealed just how much. In a word, it’s anything but a bear market for Lotso, as he appears in a jaw-dropping array of products from toys to bubbles to toothpaste—strawberry flavored, of course, in one instance.
The way it was explained to me was that people began to feel sorry for Lotso and the ordeal he went through and so were, at least imaginatively, turn back the clock to when Lotso (the original) and Daisy were inseparable. As this narrative got some steam, consumers were eager for product—and the market responded. Taking a look around, one would never think that this adorable, cuddly, chum would have a dark, Weekly World News end. In fact, that part of the story seems to have been completely obliterated and what’s left is a newly iconic character who happens to be delivering a lot of royalties and revenue.
The point is that when the consumer co-opts a narrative and has such a strong relationship with a character, the result may just be an opportunity that might not have been previously considered.
It’s not quite the same as Malificent or the other Disney villains because the pleasure we take in them is just how wonderfully wicked they are. It’s more along the lines of Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, who has become another favorite, but again Stitch’s story isn’t really being rewritten, and kids (and adults) love Stitch for his mischievous charm. It’s really only Lotso who has had a wholesale makeover in the minds and hearts of consumers. It’s also a reminder that in today’s market, a company may own the IP, but they may not always own the narrative. In this case, that has meant a happy ending for everyone.
Oh, and take it from me: don’t go looking up some of that Paw Patrol fan fiction. Depending on where you end up, it can really creep you out.
What do you think?
