Conference Presentation: From Rainbow Brite to Care-a-Lot: Children’s Play, Intellectual Property and the Toyetic Worlds of the 1980s

Description

The 1980s was a time where children’s play was significantly changed through an emerging media strategy. Toys were no longer used as ancillary merchandise to storytelling, but as strategic drivers of transmedia franchises, which were intended for perpetual licensing. The result was expansive popularity and ongoing commercial consumption amongst children, which continues to this day with the rise of the “kidult” and special anniversary nostalgia releases.

This paper shall discuss the shift in 1980s media strategy through an analysis of “toyetic media” and the intellectual property regimes that underpin it. It will draw upon some defining 1980s franchises, including Rainbow Brite, the Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake. These examples will be used to demonstrate how intellectual property and licensing became a mechanism for shaping children’s play within corporate boundaries. This arguably converted play into intensive consumerism through a carefully curated proprietary narrative.

Discussion shall occur about the convergence of IP, transmedia franchises and the effects on childhood play. This paper argues that the 1980s established a model of children’s play which revolved around commodification – a practice which continues to underpin contemporary children’s entertainment to this day.

Key Words: play, toys, transmedia, toyetic, licensing, IP, commercialisation, 1980s.

Period	1 May 2026
Event title	19th Conference of the Popular Culture Research Network (PopCRN) : Child’s Play in Popular Culture: History, Representations and Consumption
Event type	Conference
Conference number	19
Degree of Recognition	International