The Bizarre Origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Marvel was once nearly bankrupt, and a child’s toy helped in its resurrection
It’s hard to imagine a world without Marvel. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed Hollywood and movies forever — but it almost didn’t happen. If it wasn’t for the Skip-It, none of this would have existed.
If you’re not familiar with a Skip-It, it’s a children’s toy that attaches at the ankle. It spins 360 degrees while you jump over it. The connection involves Tiger Electronics, Avi Arad, and a bunch of disregarded comic book heroes.
Simple ideas are often the most successful. The bizarre link between the MCU and the Skip-It goes back to the 1960s, but really took off when it was released in the 80s.
Tiger Electronics manufactured the toy in question, and the Skip-it is considered one of the 100 greatest toys of all time by Time Magazine. It was successful for a few reasons; the first thing was it was a very simple toy, and that made it inexpensive.
The next thing was it was challenging but had a low barrier of entry. This meant it only took a few times to get the hang of it. After a few goes, you were pretty much an expert right away.
Parents also liked it because it wasn’t a video game and it promoted being active.
