'Wicked' Movie Merch: Hyper Consumption or Magic Formula?
Wicked movie hype is flying onto social media feeds and retailers’ shelves. With thousands of movie merchandise items, Universal is making sure “everyone deserves the chance to BUY," but at what cost?
After 21 years of Broadway performances and a decade of movie development, ‘Wicked’ (2024) is finally about to hit movie theatres. Universal’s $140 million blockbuster starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, is predicted to be the biggest film of the year. With thousands of movie tie-in merchandise items and a fan-driven social media strategy, ‘Wicked’s marketing team are on a mission to achieve box office success. I do, however, worry that the film’s excessive merchandising is encouraging a culture of hyper consumerism and may ‘cheapen’ the brand ahead of the 2025 sequel.
‘Wicked’ is everywhere. Even if you’re not a chronically online theatre kid like me, chances are that your algorithm has still been presenting you with Wicked content. Step aside Raygun and BRAT, a new green-coloured pop culture craze is flying onto your social media feed and global retailers’ shelves. In a May press release, NBC Universal announced 143 Wicked brand collaborations, ensuring that “everyone deserves the chance to BUY!” - apologies for the ‘Defying Gravity’ joke.
The film has collaborated with a wide range of retailers, including affordable superstores like Walmart and Target; kids toys from Hasbro, LEGO, Build-A-Bear and higher-end movie tie-ins from lifestyle brands like Swarovski, BEIS and Ariana Grande’s own, R.E.M Beauty. Whether it’s a Wicked-themed Rice Crispies Treat for the kids’ lunchboxes, an $80 Stanley Cup or a $700 suitcase in ‘Wicked Green,’ there’s certainly something for everyone.
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6am Walmart queues, chaotic shuffle sprints and adults snatching cups from children: people are desperate for a limited edition Wicked x Stanley tumbler. @colleenandmaurmi / TikTok.
However, some have taken to online platforms to voice their criticism of the extensive merchandise. On Reddit, one user said, “it just all looks so tacky! My Elphaba on a box of Rice Krispies?” Another user wrote, “I would love to know how Gregory Maguire [‘Wicked’ book author] feels about Elphaba and Glinda on a box of rice crispies,” which someone cheekily replied with a GIF of a Woody Harrelson wiping his tears with money. Touché.
Since we’re on the topic of the witchy Rice Crispies Treats (don’t ask me how we got here), one of the main ingredients is palm oil. While one of Wicked’s main plots evolves around saving flying monkeys from the perils of greedy Oz society, palm oil plantations are wiping out monkeys and their habitats for a ‘Wicked’-branded lunchbox snack.
Furthermore, mega-movie merchandising is nothing new. Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has made over $10 billion in merchandise licensing sales from 2010 to 2021 alone, and fellow feminist musical movie ‘Barbie’ (2023) has also capitalised on Mattel’s iconic brand. Forbes’ Kate Hardcastle predicts ‘Wicked’ to be a “major commercial force, following a playbook similar to the success of the Barbie” – a movie that also collaborated with 165 different product partners and amassed $1.4 billion at the box office. However, ‘Barbie’ also received criticism for encouraging excessive purchase behaviours, spurred on by the ‘FOMO’ of social media feeds. As author Isabelle Shaw explains, ‘Barbie’s “unethical and problematic consumerism” marketing strategy has ignored the “problems that consumerism causes for women…which is remarkably anti-feminist.” Again, this shows a disconnect between the message of the film and its materialistic rollout strategy. Additionally, while ‘Barbie’ was a standalone movie, 'Wicked' still has a sequel on the way in 2025. With thousands of movie tie-in products already on shelves, I wonder how Universal NBC will keep up the hype and demand without ‘cheapening’ the brand itself.
Interestingly, much of the hype surrounding Wicked’s merchandise has organically stemmed from ‘superfan’ content creators, not from official Wicked social media campaigns or advertorial spots alone.
One of these fan influencers is Tori Calamito or ‘The Oz Vlog’ – a self-proclaimed ‘Oz Historian’ and collector who has amassed 200k followers on TikTok and become a key source of Wicked-related news, merch hauls and updates. She has also faced criticism for purchasing extensive amounts of merchandise, which she defended as being part of her lifestyle as an Oz collector.
“As a collector for 27 years, I am just thrilled about all of these ‘things’…if you are a responsible collector, you never spend the rent money or the mortgage money.” - Tori Calamito
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Tori responds to the ‘hyper-consumerism’ backlash following her extensive Wicked merchandise hauls and promotion on her channel. @theozvlog / TikTok.
Clearly, collecting is not the problem, but I do think there is a conversation to be had about the overproduction of low quality, disposable plastic merchandise that is accumulating in people’s Wicked hauls. On the flip side, so many fans have found excitement and joy in these branded products after waiting decades for a movie adaptation.
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Ariana Grande super fan creator, Eloise, shares her 4-minute Wicked merch haul, which included clothing, plastic mirrors, sippy cups and blankets. @eloise.grace.lane / TikTok.
The film’s official promotional team has also taken advantage of fan engagement, sharing fan posts and inviting superfan creators, including Tori, to an exclusive pre-screening of Wicked. User-generated content (UGC) has been embraced to drive authentic, relatable promotion for the film, and its accompanying licensed products.
Overall, while I expect Wicked to be the biggest pop culture phenomenon over the next few months, I am equally critical of the consumption culture that the film’s rollout is contributing to. Two things can be true at once. Whilst mass merchandising and UGC has played a role in increasing online hype, digital spaces have also seen criticism of the “tacky” materialistic culture that the film’s strategy is perpetuating. However, in the age of streaming and struggling box office numbers, don’t films need to get, ‘Popular’ somehow?
Thanks for reading! Feel free to leave your thoughts on the Wicked movie merch in the comments…is it making you more or less excited to see the film?
Zoe, I so loved reading your take on this and am now deeply reconsidering my own hyper-consumerism of Christmas paraphernalia... The side-note about the link to palm oil reminds me of our chat about artists who promote and defend their values. Your writing (and singing) voice is so engaging and I loved seeing your sense of humour peak through. Can't wait to read more!