Bryan Adams Interview: The Art of the Toys That Made Us
From capturing the lightning-fast humor of The Toys That Made Us to expanding the ever-growing footprint of the NacelleVerse, nostalgia isn’t just a marketing strategy for Nacelle—it’s a way of life. As the brand teams up with Oni Press for a massive, two-volume art book Kickstarter campaign, fans are about to get an unprecedented look at the concept art, forgotten characters, and cutting-room-floor relics behind pop-culture royalty like Power Rangers, G.I. Joe, and MOTU.
We sat down with Nacelle’s Director of Marketing and PR to discuss the strategy behind crowdfunding, the surreal reality of seeing Biker Mice From Mars share shelf space with heavyweights like Transformers, and what it really takes to market childhood memories without losing your soul.
The Toys That Made Us was a massive streaming hit that thrived on its fast-paced humor and deep-dive storytelling. How do you go about capturing that same unique energy in a two-volume art book, and what kind of “relics” from the cutting room floor are you most excited for fans to finally see?
We’re of course adding a Nacelle touch to the storytelling in ways that’s signature to our brand, but our friends at Oni have been great in guiding us in this brave new world of art books. With their help, we were able to take the essence of the shows and evolve those themes and that humor into print form. As far a relics, there’s some amazing concept art, box art, forgotten characters and more from Power Rangers, G.I. Joe and MOTU that I think fans will enjoy.
Nacelle and Oni Press are debuting this massive set on Kickstarter. Given that The Toys That Made Us already has a huge, built-in audience, what was the strategic thinking behind taking the crowdfunding route, and how does it change the way you engage with the community?
We love finding new ways to engage fans and make them feel part of the overall Toys That Made Us brand and story. Kickstarter helps us do that, in addition to gauging the appetite for a project before it’s officially launched. Crowdfunding is a great way for us to remain connected to the audience and understand their preferences better so we can continue to improve our shows, toys, comics and now art books!
You are essentially marketing nostalgia—a powerful tool, but fans are notoriously protective of their childhood memories. As the Director of Marketing and PR, how do you ensure the campaigns for these beloved brands feel authentic rather than just like a cash grab?
The short answer is that we’re fans too. I personally was a Biker Mice and Moo Mesa fan growing up, so being able to work with these franchises in my adulthood is literally a dream come true. We’re protective of these brands in the way fans across the world are because we care about their legacy and the nostalgic moments they generated for millions worldwide. If we can continue to be passionate about our work, the authenticity will shine through without us even having to think about it.
The campaign also highlights NacelleVerse: Year Zero. How rewarding has it been to see Nacelle’s own revived properties—like Biker Mice From Mars and RoboForce—standing shoulder-to-shoulder with heavyweights like I. Joe and Transformers, and what has the reception been like as they expand into comics?
We never imagined Biker Mice and Maxx 89 from RoboForce would share the same shelf space as Optimus Prime and other iconic characters, but they are and that’s very surreal. Fans are loving RoboForce: The Animated Series and the reception we’ve received for Biker Mice comics, the recently announced Judge Dredd x Biker Mice comic series, and our new original character, Scorch, has been amazing.
These books clock in at around 250 pages each, packed with concept art, advertising, and deep-cut lore. From a marketing and branding perspective, was there a specific piece of vintage promotional art or behind-the-scenes story uncovered for this book that blew your mind?
If I told you my actual answer, it would spoil a surprise in the book, and I definitely can’t do that, so for this question I’ll just say this – The book does a great job at squeezing out that extra information that we unfortunately had to leave on the cutting room floor when making the episodes.
The campaign-exclusive items are a collector’s dream, featuring retro lunch boxes, toy stands, and VHS tapes. What is the brainstorming process like for creating these physical tie-ins, and which exclusive item are you personally trying to snag for your own shelf?
We sat down with the team at Oni and thought about what we would collect ourselves and what makes sense for the brand overall. I definitely need a VHS tape in my collection and will be on the lookout for them the second they enter our office!
With two more seasons of the show on the way and this massive book set launching, how do you see the toy collecting community evolving right now, and how is Nacelle positioning itself to stay at the center of that pop-culture conversation?
The toy collecting community continues to evolve and really all we can do is continue to listen to customers and pay attention to the trends as collectors ourselves. With fans looking for more cost effective options for their collection, we focus on keeping our price points low, while also adding a ton of extra value with multiple accessories.
And finally, stepping away from the books for a second—have you had a chance to see the new Masters of the Universe film yet, and if so, what did your inner kid think of it?
I have and I loved it! It was one of those rare moments when a movie is so fun that I can escape reality for a bit and really feel engulfed in the story. I know there’s been criticism of the film, and I respect those opinions, but for me, it was fantastic and I”m hopeful for a sequel.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/onipress/art-of-the-toys-that-made-us
About the Author
Adrian Gunning Adrian lives in Melbourne Australia and has a huge passion for gaming, technology and pop culture. He recently finished his a Bachelor of Journalism and is currently focusing on games journalism. When not writing and playing video games, Adrian can be found in Comics 'R' Us debating the pros of the DC Universe and cons of the Marvel Universe.
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