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The title of this page speaks for itself; it's about merchandise - or to be more specific, how Major Mint is portrayed in it.
Actual Nutcracker merchandise
Like all the Barbie movies, Mattel brought out a range of dolls based on "Barbie in the Nutcracker". Since he played a big role in the movie, Major Mint got to have a doll based on him. Unfortunately, there were a few problems with it. Take a look if you don't believe me. I'd estimate Mint to be in his late fourties at the youngest. Who, then, decided to have him portrayed by Kelly's friend Tommy?
In case you don't know, Tommy is meant to be Ken's little brother. He is supposed to be TWO. Although, since Kelly appears to have grown, maybe Tommy has too? Either way, he is much too young to even be passed off as Major Mint. But that didn't stop Mattel from trying. It even says right there on the box; "Tommy as Major Mint". If people are still claiming Nutcracker is "a 78-minute commercial" (according to one review) then I'd say that is blatant false advertising, because last time I checked, the Major does not look like this:
Oh, yes, they went the whole hog; they even gave him a monocle and helmet. To cut them a bit of slack, the clothes are of quite high quality when it comes to Kelly clothes. They've obviously paid some attention to the uniform and the helmet looks relatively the same. Too bad this is all put to waste since Major Mint is clearly not a toddler. I understand they want to keep with the same vibe they had with all the merchandise - Barbie as Clara, Ken as the Nutcracker, Kelly as the Peppermint Girl etc. - but at least they actually look like them! Still Mattel tried to pull it off, even declaring this on the boxes for the dolls:
Sorry for the bad quality of this picture. The writing below him says "Major Mint" when it so clearly isn't.
As it is, this isn't so bad. Sure, trying to pass off a toddler as a grown man is ridiculous, but at least they aren't lying. "Tommy as Major Mint" - well, that is Tommy dressed like Major Mint, so what can I say to that? It's only when we get to the storybook that we see what the problem is.
The storybook is supposedly based on the movie, but apparently the author and illustrator only got a look at the dolls. Here's "Major Mint" in all his glory:
Alright, I will admit it is a bit cute. But the thing is, I'd actually like it if he was portrayed properly. If they don't like Major Mint as an arrogant, serious old man then they shouldn't have created him that way. There's no real point in placing him in the Fountain of Youth just to make him look "cute". Cuteness isn't part of his character. Just try and picture Mint as a two year old. Yeah, you see what I mean.
(And yes, I know they gave Captain Candy the same treatment. But that doesn't make it better.)
Merchandise in general
When it comes to Barbie movie merchandise, Nutcracker has a problem; it's the first movie. Therefore, it is easily forgotten. The only time it gets any real attention is as part of the "princess collection" or "fantasy tales" range - and even then it is kept to a minimum. You're lucky to even see Clara get a mention, nevermind anyone else. It's even worse for characters like Mint and Candy because they don't even appear in the promotional pictures. This one for instance:
That's the most characters you'll get from the pictures on the website. Not that there's anything wrong with them; as far as promotional pictures go, they're great. They'd be even better if Mint and Candy were in them. Come on, they played a HUGE role in the movie. You can't tell me that's fair.
The only really good cast shot appeared in "Barbie Princess Tales; the essential guide", in which the two soldiers actually got a mention (!). There still aren't any good pictures of them, but it's nice to see them being acknowledged at the right ages.
The "Barbie movie theater storybook and movie projector" also gave them some credit.
Books aside, most Nutcracker merchandise only features Clara and Prince Eric. The only one that could possibly feature Major Mint is this playset. I don't know if it actually does or not; if anyone does, let me know.
So what's up with all this? Well, with the "Princess collection" stuff, it's simple; it's only going to focus on Barbie's characters (or, to a lesser extent, their love interests). The whole Tommy doll business is apparently because small children aren't interested in anyone with grey hair. There's no real explanation for his lack of appearance in the wallpapers, though.
Still, in two years time it'll be the movie's tenth anniversary. Considering how it started all the movies, maybe Mattel could do something special for it. Maybe they could make dolls of the Major and the Captain that actually look like them. Or maybe I'm hoping for too much.
