Children’s video is dominated by programs familiar to young viewers through movies and television.
For those endeavoring to introduce new stars into this lucrative market, the challenge is how to capture the imaginations of children whose hearts and minds are consumed with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Disney characters, Barney, the Muppets and Thomas the Tank Engine.
Several video companies looking for the Next Big Thing are importing popular characters from other countries.
A magical furry creature, a spunky miniature antique auto, a free-spirited German shepherd and an ecologically aware dragon may be hits in Japan, England and Canada, but will they play here? For Totoro, Brum, Hobo and Dudley to put down roots in America, critical support and name recognition are musts.
Fox Video is enjoying best-seller success with “My Neighbor Totoro,” the English-dubbed animated feature based on a character beloved in Japan but virtually unknown here. The title was helped by a theatrical release and good reviews, followed by an aggressive advertising campaign pitched to mothers and video retailers.
Smaller companies without Fox’s resources are starting from scratch with characters that have had minimal exposure to American audiences. Random House Home Video (800-733-3000) likens Brum, a resourceful little car that motors into comical adventures, to Thomas the Tank Engine. The target audience is children ages 2 to 8.
Since Brum’s debut in 1991 on England’s BBC television, the series has won film festival awards and motored to video best-seller status in Australia. Paving the way for its American video debut, Random House rolled out Brum in 1993 in three books.
The next step, said a spokesperson, was “to get the videos reviewed in as many places as possible. Then people recognize the name and start to look for it in stores.” “Brum” earned a B-plus from Entertainment Weekly.
Though priced at $9.95 each, “Brum to the Rescue,” “Brum and the Little Girl Lost,” “Brum and the Bank Robbers” and “Brum and the Baby Carriage,” are expected to have the biggest impact in the rental market, where customers are more willing to spend a few dollars to rent an unfamiliar title rather than pay the full purchase price.
This is also the rationale for Falcon Home Video’s release next week of “The Littlest Hobo” to the rental market.
“A sell-through title (unfamiliar to the general public) may sit shrink-wrapped on the shelves and not get the exposure,” said James Russo, vice president of marketing.
“The Littlest Hobo” contains two episodes from the award-winning Canadian television series that went off the air in the mid-1980s but is still seen in that country in syndication. Each week, Hobo, a canine Richard Kimble, would drift into a different adventure.
“We’re using the video store like a TV channel as an avenue of entertainment,” Russo said. “It is a way of exposing the product widely without having to sell hundreds of thousands of copies.”
Also of Canadian origin is “The Adventures of Dudley the Dragon,” to be released this fall by Goodtimes Home Video. The series debuted a year ago on Canada’s public broadcasting stations.
Dudley, who awakens after a 100-year nap and explores the mysteries of nature with 10-year-olds Sally and Matt, is being marketed as Barney, the next generation, for children ages 3-6.
Unlike Barney, who began life on video before getting his own PBS series, “Dudley” will be released on video after premiering on American PBS stations in October.
– “Hondo,” one of the most requested unreleased John Wayne titles, rides onto video for the first time Tuesday priced at $19.98 retail.
This is the second of four Wayne films distributed by MPI Home Video in an arrangement with Batjac Productions, the Duke’s former production company now run by his son Michael. MPI released “McLintock!” last year.
– Freddy, Jason and Chuckie are gone. How desperate is Hollywood to come up with a new movie menace for the horror market? Coming to your doorstep in November: “The Paperboy,” a Republic Pictures Home Video release.
– Fox Video continues to re-releasing its best-selling Shirley Temple library in colorized versions for $14.98 retail. The latest is “Curly Top,” in which Shirley sings “Animal Crackers in My Soup.” The original black-and-white version is still available for $19.98.
