Could Barbie: The Movie, M3GAN, Small Soldiers, Ted 2, and BIG all exist in the same “Toy Industry Cinematic Universe?”

I’d like to think that they do.

With the latest trailer for Warner Bros.’ Barbie: The Movie finally letting the cat out of the bag doll out of the box and revealing Will Ferrell (The LEGO Movie‘s “Lord Business”) stepping in for Ynon Kreiz as the cinematic Chairman and CEO of Mattel, I couldn’t help thinking about the other fictitious depictions of the toy industry — and living toys — on the big screen.

Ted 2 (2015) heavily featured Hasbro in a plot that featured actor John Carroll Lynch (Fargo, American Horror Story) as Thomas Jessup, the over-the-top CEO of the company behind G.I. Joe and My Little Pony, on a quest to create and market an army of living teddy bears.

Similarly, in the ahead-of-its-time Small Soldiers (1998), director Joe Dante (Gremlins) tapped Denis Leary (Judgement Night) to star as Gil Mars, the CEO of a defense contractor called GloboTech Industries that acquires the Heartland Toy Company. Under Mars’ direction, the company unleashes the Commando Elite and the Gorgonites — action figures that are perhaps a little too lifelike (and inspired a real line of toys from Kenner/Hasbro).

Related: The Toy Book’s 2023 Classics & Specialty Issue Is Here!

Last year’s M3GAN presented a cautionary tale about the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) into the toy department in which the fictional Funki (not Funko) releases the Model 3 Generative Android (M3GAN). A quick glance at Funki’s other products, complete with a commercial for a fuzzy electronic pet (PurRpetual Petz) and other robotics, could easily have been influenced by WowWee, Spin Master, Moose Toys, or Hasbro’s FurReal Pets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBmHHYiA1XM

While there were no sentient toys involved, seldom does a week go by in which I don’t think of Tom Hanks (Toy Story) as Josh Baskin in BIG (1998). While the scene in which Baskin plays the piano at the former FAO Schwarz flagship alongside Mr. MacMillan (the late Robert Loggia), CEO of the fictional MacMillan Toy Co., is iconic, there is another scene that stands out: “I don’t get it.”

A few years back, this scene and its “unfun” transforming building inspired a real-life toy: The Empire State Robot in Mattel’s Fisher-Price Imaginext line. The figure was released in the Series 12 mystery bag assortment.

Are there any additional entries into the “Toy Industry Cinematic Universe” that should be included in the canon? Let me know in the comments section!


BONUS: ANOTHER TOYETIC TRAILER — FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S

This fall, Blumhouse and Universal Pictures will finally release the long-awaited Five Nights at Freddy’s (FNAF) movie.

Inspired by the FNAF video game series, the film follows a troubled security guard as he begins working at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. While spending his first night on the job, he realizes the night shift at Freddy’s won’t be so easy to make it through.

As of this writing, the original upload of the trailer has more than 19 million views on YouTube — a testament to the power of the brand and its rabid fanbase. Funko, Scholastic, Just Toys, and other companies are licensing partners, so expect increased interest in the toy department later this year.

Additionally, a new video game — Five Nights at Freddy’s: Help Wanted 2 — was revealed during this week’s PlayStation Showcase.


For more Media Mashup, including a look at this year’s most toyetic movie releases, check out the 2023 edition of The BIG Toy Book, and stay tuned for the 2023 Licensing & Entertainment issue, out June 13.

About the author

James Zahn

James Zahn

James Zahn, AKA The Rock Father, is Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book, a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider, and Editor of The Toy Report, The Toy Book‘s weekly industry newsletter. As a pop culture and toy industry expert, Zahn has appeared as a panelist and guest at events including Comic-Con International: San Diego (SDCC) Wizard World Chicago, and the ASTRA Marketplace & Academy. Zahn has more than 30 years of experience in the entertainment, retail, and publishing industries, and is frequently called upon to offer expert commentary for publications such as Forbes, Marketwatch, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USA Today, Reuters, the Washington Post, and more. James has appeared on History Channel’s Modern Marvels, was interviewed by Larry King and Anderson Cooper, and has been seen on Yahoo! Finance, CNN, CNBC, FOX Business, NBC, ABC, CBS, WGN, The CW, and more. Zahn joined the Adventure Media & Events family in 2016, initially serving as a member of the Parent Advisory Board after penning articles for the Netflix Stream Team, Fandango Family, PBS KIDS, Sprout Parents (now Universal Kids), PopSugar, and Chicago Parent. He eventually joined the company full time as a Senior Editor and moved up the ranks to Deputy Editor and Editor-in-Chief.

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