Ever wondered why most brands have collaborations with nostalgic cartoon characters, anime or pop culture in general? Or better yet, why are these cult favorites tapping brands to create a collaboration? Well, we can’t speak for other brands but based on our experience, it could be because of the commonality, be it the brand message or branding. The importance of having this commonality is that it could be a determining factor if the two “cultures” could collide perfectly. It is a determining factor whether it could make or break the success of the particular collaboration.  

In addition, it is also a way of maximizing the potential of the brands / collaborators and their target audience. There is an expansion of reach and a sense of introducing your brand to target other audiences with the help of the collaborator. And of course, the joy of having the same vision and creating something with the help of the collaborator and vice versa is beyond what a brand could ask for.  

Apart from these, there is a premium feel or excitement and honor of merging with something that shaped your childhood. Or, the excitement of being able to have the opportunity to be a part of something that you’re a fan of in today’s culture.

And, with the rise of making merchandise for certain pop cultures, you can expect that your favorite pop culture will appear in a brand collaboration in no time. 

To give you examples, here are some run downs of notable collaborations that you may have missed:

BAPE

STAR WARS x BAPE (Photos from Hypebeast)

BAPE x DRAGON BALL SUPER: BROLY (Photos from High Snobiety)

BAPE x MARVEL (Photos from Hypebeast)

 UNIQLO

UNIQLO x KAWS x SESAME STREET (Photos from Hypebeast)

MIGHTY JAXX

FREENY'S HIDDEN DISSECTIBLES (Photos from Mighty Jaxx)

XXRAY LOONEY TUNES (Photos from Mighty Jaxx)

CARROTS

CARROTS x NARUTO UO (Photos from Urban Outfitters)

Nostalgic as it seems to others, these brands gave it a fresh and enticing look. There is also a surge of excitement whenever there’s a new merchandise coming out on certain pop cultures, let alone collaborating with notable brands that you are also a fan of. And of course, another talk is getting your hands on these collaborations as it may be limited or could be sold out fast. 

Now, all we have to do is wait and expect that there will be more collaborations happening in the future whether it may be nostalgic characters or recent pop cultures.