There is no escaping that Freddy Krueger, ghostly child murderer, was not only a horror icon but he was also a hit with kids. You can probably chalk that up to cable TV and video rentals. Kids might have a tough time convincing their parents to take them to an R rated horror movie, but it gets much more difficult to keep kids away from the television (or their friends’ televisions for that matter). My first encounter with Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) was surreptitiously taping it off of Showtime late at night (at 11, I was the only one who knew how to program the VCR) and watching it over and over again. By the time Part 3: Dream Warriors (1987) arrived, New Line cinema seemed well aware that kids were into Freddy. He appeared in the Dokken music video, he started showing up on MTV in segments and specials. Companies were also looking at ways to get Freddy merchandise into the hands of those same kids, but is it possible to market a scarred killer in a way that isn’t weird?
That answer is no, but here are some things they tried:
Freddy Krueger Candy:
These were little pieces of gum in a tube, each emblazoned with a photo of Krueger and a “funny” comment. Rather than quotes from the movies, they went with some seemingly random statements. My personal favorite is: “The Freddy Nobody Knows”
Freddy Krueger Yo-Yo:
I proudly still own this yo-yo featuring a weird lumpy rendition of Freddy that looks like he’s trying to tell you that your fly is down. Strangely, Freddy never once used a yo-you in any movie or TV show. It seems like a natural gag for him to kill someone with a razor blade yo-yo.
Talking Freddy Doll:
Made by Matchbox(?!?) this cute little guy would say a few phrases when you pulled his string. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Sure why not? Those kids didn’t need to have a moment’s rest in their house anyway.
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