preach! being 20 years old, it's super hard to find merch that actually is appealing to me. Zim is my favorite character and there is barley anything of him. Instead, everything is basically Gir in his dog costume or some cringy shirts sayings like, "I mustache you a question," or "Somebody needs a hug." I personally love the art style and atmosphere of the show, but it's a shame there isn't much merch for the older audience.
Rock amolie Especially ZIM or Dib. ( Irken names are capitalized for all letters, aside from the title. ) Recently I went looking for some shirt involving pig smellies. But the only thing in the store were GIR Shirts and Keychains. Aside from stuff from the other franchises.
So true! I will admit that i actually do like the merchandise but it misrepresents the show. The show was all really dark humor and all the Gir stuff is all cute.
You know, I just got an idea... I hope that someone makes a shirt with Bloody GIR on it and sends it to Hot Topic. Where’s your cute dog now, teenage girls?
To be honest I think hot topic really needs to consider changing the main focus on their invader zim merch, it's always gir... I've tried emailing them about making merch for Zim or Dib, gaz, tak, etc. But they keep on telling me they'll "look more into it" and it's starting to piss me off because fans like me want to have some different character items! I want Zim and Dib plushes (zim is super rare and dib is nonexistent, and yes I know the keychains but I want actual plushes) I want to see a pak inspired backpack you know? Come on hot topic stop being stupid please, I loved you but you need to change your merch around... how come invader zim is one of the only fandoms that have merch that only focuses on one character anyway?? I hope they make different character merch soon...
The other day I went to Spencer's and I scored this kick ass shirt of Zim and Gir, it looked 10x better than any invader Zim shirt I have seen from hot topic in my opinion so I had to get it. I'm sure it's still available bc I got it pretty recently
I have never personally met anyone who was wearing Gir merchandise and didn't know the show, and I'm happy that I haven't. When I found out that that was actually something that would happen, I was actually offended! It insulted me that people would wear something that reminded me of my childhood, and not know it's true meaning or importance. I have been so excited for the movie so I have been wearing my Gir necklace (and a Pak I made) to show it. I got three of my friends to be excited too. Two of them had watched it when they were younger, and one hadn't even heard of it. As of yesterday, she has now watched every episode as well as a few canceled ones XD I just hope that this movie will hopefully satisfy all the old fans, as well as make many new fans!
I think it's pretty silly to get upset over somebody else wearing a shirt of a character even if they don't know all the details about said character or the show that they're from.
it could just be a design/art that they like. young people like to wear graphic shirts. what im disgruntled about is the criminally small role jhonen has taken on his very own zim comics. he basically doesn't have to draw or write anything. he had said in the past they he'd like to get it to the point where people under him do the work. what an artist/storyteller. i hope it satisfies the old fans too. jhonen has said, you know how when you like something then years later it gets done again and you hate it, that what i want to do.'' there was a girl in high school with him who he would give his comics too. she got to really like them and 'bothered'' him too much to make more so he started to make them shitty so she'd stop asking. i dont have high hopes about continuations of his jthm or squee stories. 5 years ago, he said he'd like to continue squee and jthm in the vein of animation (but no funding /too expensive. he could just continue them in the vein of comics because then he can have 100% creative control, it would be affordable and successful... ive been a fan for a very long time, unfortunately, i'm a fan of an artist who doesn't like to create anything even if he has ideas and it would mean success. he's skating on the success of his few creations that ended 15 to 20 years ago. he hates being a performing monkey.
I know this sounds stupid, but I joined my friend in roblox in a catalog avatar game, they were putting together a nice avatar with a shirt with gir on it that had green slime text above it that said “GIR” in all caps, I was so happy to know they were a fan, I said “You are an invader zim fan?” They said no, I was heartbroken:( how do you just wear something like that and have absolutely NO clue what it is? That’s like if somebody wore a dang Star Wars hoodie despite never even knowing Star Wars was a thing!
I find it frustrating that the merch available is all Gir related. I mean, Zim doesn’t even have his own pop vinyl? Whereas there are several versions of Gir. And the pop vinyl that does have Zim in it also features Gir and the piggy. I just wish more merch featured the actual titular character of the show, not his sidekick.
To be a sane person, Invader Zim has to be one of the BEST animated shows of the early 2000's, and it still aged well on me. All I see is there are some cliché nutjobs always obsessed with every GIR merchandise on Hot Topic, as long as I'm fine with the show. I don't want to hate GIR just because, I find him cute but, goofy.
Coming to this in 2019 as a 13-year-old, “new” fan, I’m glad that hot topic has fixed this to a pretty large degree by using the fanart t-shirt contest! I’m wearing an Invader Zim shirt right now- with not a Gir in sight! It worked really well, and I’m excited for the re-birth of Invader Zim, even if I wasn’t alive for the beginning.
Yeah! They also released some new figures and I think I saw some other figures in the works on insta but they could have been the old ones, and there of zim and Dib! I'm also a newer fan of invader zim. And I'm glad some better merch is being released.
Very true. Plenty of people wear shirts with Gir and they've never even seen the show. I never really delved deeper into this concept and I've never even seen this point made so I'm glad you're churning out original content, it's really refreshing!! I feel like Disney does this with their princesses. No matter the story the princess has or the personality or even if they are a princess or not, they still get manufactured in the same cookie cutter style as the older ones before them. And every movie disney makes starring a girl has to be a princess movie or is at least classified as one because that is what everyone expects now.
YEP! Some girl back in highschool had a gir top and I was all "YOU LOVE INVADER ZIM TOO!" and she all "what's that!..No this is Gir, get away from me weirdo!"
Ok, I have a story on this topic. So, I have a daughter in middle school, and I went to go meet some of her teachers along with multiple other parents from all the kids in her class. While she’s not too huge on Zim, I certainly am, and the first thing I see when I walk into her homeroom is this girl who is slathered in makeup with obviously fake blonde hair, who I immediately knew was a “popular girl.” She was on her phone, texting. I wasn’t paying attention that much to her, until I started noticing a swarm of girls flocking around her, and saying things like “Oh. Em. GEE! That sweater is TOTES ADORBES.” As a curious father (my daughter was off doing other things, in case you were wondering), I looked over to see what was “Totes ADORBES”, and I was completely shocked. On her sweater, their was a picture of GIR in his dog costume wearing the biggest nerd glasses to ever exist, and in the girliest cursive font imaginable, it read “GET YOUR NERD ON.” This girl was clearly not a nerd, but I figured that there probably were girls like her in the Invader Zim fandom, and so, I decided to talk to her. I told her I liked her sweatshirt, and then said that I loved Invader Zim as well, and went into some long tangent about Gaz. She kind of just looked at me awkwardly, and said, “I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about. Sorry.” Trying to be as polite as possible, I asked her where she got the sweater, and why she got it if she didn’t have a clue what Invader Zim was. She told me that she’d just been at the mall, seen a cute sweater, and bought it. She then went on to comment that Invader Zim must be a really cute show if there were characters like “this frog” in it. First of all, how does one confuse GIR in his dog costume with a frog? Second, if that girl actually went to watch Invader Zim that night, she must have been in for a shock. And third, I’d lost faith in Invader Zim merchandise that day. And, I’m sorry, but I can’t for the life of me actually find a picture of the sweater anywhere on the Internet, but if I come across it, I’ll update this comment. Oh, and if you can find a picture of this sweater, I’d like to know as well. Edit: This is not the exact sweater, but it was fairly similar in design. My description is all up to date still, I’m just trying to find a possible reference for you guys. www.animationshops.com/invader-zim-gir-genius-duh-junior-t-shirt.html?cmp=googleproducts&kw=16539&size=jl&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4Mn20f3h3gIVSlYNCh03eAyXEAkYDCABEgIXTvD_BwE
I agree with your hatred of the merchandise. I have interacted with so many people who barley understand this show and swore up and down that they were huge gigantic fans because they wore some cool guy t-shirt or some hot topic hoodie. There are some really great, and now expensive, things that came out closer to the shows runs. For example, the line of Palisades Toys actions figures which are fantastic replicas of the shows characters in a 3D space. But then you get things like, a t-shirt for tweens with a picture of gir sitting on a taco that says, "making sense is so taco". I'm not worried about the quality of the movie that's coming out. The merchandise hasn't harmed the property, it's harmed the fandom. If anyone has been keeping up with the run of comics, they are pretty great. They are practically storyboards for unproduced episodes. A lot of the original writers returned as part of the staff, and if you've watched the show enough you can hear everything perfectly in your head. The original writers, and even Vasquez, have a pretty strong disdain for how Nickelodeon has handled the property. If you've followed Jhonen Vasquez's work he shows a pretty strong anti-conformist sentiment. He has been approached numerous times by Nick to revive the show and declined every time. He constantly berates fans and makes fun of people who wear shirts that say things like, "making sense is so taco". The great thing about him is; the people he makes fun of don't notice, and the people who do notice love it. I don't think he's the type of person to drastically change the things he believes. He's not making this to appease fans, he's most likely making this because he has wanted to finish the story he set out to tell. As for the fandom, there's not really anything that can be done. Every fandom is beyond redemption. Anyone who openly discusses how big of a fan they are of some recognizable thing has a high chance of being devoid of personality. They are wearing what they consume like a badge. The only way to really convince people in your life to give the things you love a chance is to talk to them about it. If you're just telling people, "dude, watch this show, it's really good!", it doesn't matter what it is; they're probably not going to make the time to watch it. You need to explain why you like it, and what you like about it. You need to make an effort to see that they watch it. Give them an opportunity to see it. Watch it with them, I guarantee they will get it a lot quicker if they grasp what it is to someone they hold dear. If they don't understand how you can like something with such an awful fan base, it needs to be made clear that the fan base almost never reflects the content. Then, maybe they too can learn how terrible fan bases and pandering are.
@Mrreebo you wrote this while you were drunk?! Wow if you can write like that even when you’re drunk I could only imagine what you could do sober! You should write a book or something, you’ve got some real talent.
All the merch is GIR in his dog disguise, MAYBE without his disguise. It's like he's the only character or something. We seriously need more Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Tak, they're all amazing characters and need more merch for them.
It did sadden/shock me when I learned that there are people who like GIR, yet had no idea what Invader ZIM was. Still, as a loyal fan of the show, I still enjoy seeing all the IZ stuff at Hot Topic, whether it's a lot or a little.
I KNOW!!! I've seen a Zim shirt *ONCE* but other wise it's just Gir, don't get me wrong I love Gir, but it's just annoying how much people or "fans" ignore all the other characters, like ibsaw a comment on an IZ episode and someone commented "Admit it, you came for Gir" and the merchandise just represents the show so wrong. Like there is Gir with mustaches and cupcakes and stuff that don't have anything to do with the actual show and just stuff that are popular, not Invader Zim, sorry I could go on forever but this is getting too long
I’ve already said this in someone else’s comment, but someone needs to send a Bloody GIR shirt to Hot Topic to basically put those teenage Gir(l) fans in their place.
I have directly been affected by this and I completely agree. I see people at school, even one of my best friends, who have Gir merchandise but they barely know a thing about the show besides Gir. Luckily, I have a shirt where Gir is not the main focus.
I saw someone wearing a Gir hat once when I was in 9th grade. I got excited and asked them “so you are an Invader Zim fan” and they responded “what is Invader Zim?” I wanted to punch them XD i know that’s over reacting but I felt hurt that people knew the merchandise but not the show itself.
I think it’s even worse. I’m sure there are tons of people now who’ve never even seen the show, so when they released the movie, they were probably like, “Oh hey, they’re making a movie with those Hot Topic characters!” 😭
I feel that so much, so often zim is refered to as the LoL so random Show, but it really is so much more, the artstyle by itself for example is prime 2000 feeling, the architecture is also intresting as hell with it being futuristic but at the same time hellish and dystopic, much like the World of zim. Really a shame people don't see the show for what it is, most people only know gir and that's where it ends.
Can agree, even though i own a gir plushie its pretty good but a zim plushie would be good, along with dib and gaz EVEN THE TALLEST WOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH
that sounds the same as what happened to Jhonen's jthm comics, he thoroughly mocked the 'goth' culture in them but hot topic marketed to them and they loved it and didn't seem to notice or care. lol idk. my problem with zim merchandise was that 98 % was gir merchandise X( also if the creator would bring down the ''never to see the light of day'' special effects budget in order to bring the show back, it could instantly and more relevantly speak for itself.
Though I do agree that this show had bad luck with marketing from beginning to end, how else is one supposed to represent the show? I'd say a good handful of the products have that similar style of stripes and zigzags, and I do think people are trying. I guess I just feel that it's an impossible situation with unavoidable consequences.
Nichimoon hey, great comment! While I don't have the answers to how they should market the show, not a marketing executive by any stretch of the word, I do think that he marketing of Invader Zim should be inclusive to characters other than Gir. He's the most juvenile character of the bunch as well as the least dark character in a surprisingly dark program, so it's strange that he's the only character to really get T-Shirts and merch molded after him. I wouldn't mind some Dib or Gaz centric stuff. Especially Gaz stuff. She's my favorite. That way more of the show is represented than just the loudest, most colorful character. Just my two cents though. Thanks for commenting!!!
cami cami I actually have a Zim shirt as well as a Gir. Both bought in 2002. They're a bit holy now so more they're for sleeping in the summertime. I refuse to get rid of them until they fall apart. Dear Lord I'm old now!
Things have been improving in recent years, although I'm still disappointed by the lack of Dib merch. There are some *extremely* high quality plush (Zippermouth) and enamel pins (Zen Monkey). I still want a backpack that looks like Zim's PAK though. 😔💔
It’s honestly sad how it’s been 5 years after this video was posted and Hot Topic has not changed whatsoever and still continues to produce nothing but Gir merchandise, seemingly even more than they used to nowadays. When I was originally just getting into the show, I didn’t really see the problem and bought two or three shirts that seemed fairly normal with no random quotes on them and a pair of gloves that I still do wear from time to time, but i eventually ended up getting hyperfixated on it really intensely and now it’s more upsetting to me than ever that Dib, Gaz and surprisingly Zim himself get little to no merchandise. They began making these little blind bags with everyone in them and I’ve been trying to collect them all for months now, but 6 out of the 11 figures are just different variants of Gir and I’ve only been able to get Gaz outside of him. I wound up with so many Gir duplicates to the point where I just gave up and now have to resort to buying Dib and Zim online. I know they most likely won’t ever change their ways, but it would be really really nice if Hot Topic listened to the fans and shone some light on the others with their next wave of merchandise 👍🏻
I completely agree! I love that Invader Zim gets as much merchandise as it does, it’s part of what helps keep the show alive and popular. But Gir is a very overrated and over marketed character. I don’t mind some Gir merchandise, but I want merchandise for Zim, Dib, Gaz and all the other characters too! It also sucks that most Invader Zim merchandise (or should I say Gir merchandise) doesn’t accurately reflect the tone of the show. But I guess that’s not a big deal since the merchandise sells well regardless and if it wasn’t for the massive marketing of Gir at Hot Topic we might not have the show back... so... victory? I guess...
What do you mean GIR is bad? He is one of my favorite characters in the show, why would you hate him? Because of his over marketable merch? I mean yeah, but I also understand why he is over marketable because he is CUTE. I mean look at him. Now the hatered of the invader zim merch is now making people hate GIR. Don’t be like that.
@@lucasw1348 I never said Gir was a bad character and I don’t hate Gir, I just wish there was more merch for all the other characters instead of just one character. I also wish we got more Invader Zim merch that reflected the gross and dark tone of the series instead of always only being colorful and cute.
I seriously hope hottopic Fixes this especially for the up coming movie, When I heard about there’s merch for Invader Zim at first I was super excited until I went and uh you get what happened Just please hottopic atleast bring Zim and other characters merch not just gir.. Yes I do love gir in his robot form and dog costume but atleast make merch for the others.. I’m literally waiting for a Zim plush or something ;-; *Hopefully all our prayers have been answered for other merch without a bunch of gir*
True, i did buy a Gir shirt though, the show itself has a unique art style that i couldnt resist. Thats why i even cared about this show at all. I didnt grow up with this show like other people so i am an outsider.... They need 2 represent the unique moments in the show more in their shirts at Hot Topic
i agree, alittle bit. but i don't think it ruins the show. it just shows alot of people will latch onto something despite knowing fuck all about it. seriously, my friend devon when i first met him in highschool never knew what zim was. but he always saw gir merchandise. upon finding that out i basically got him to watch all the episodes that wer eon netflix at the time. and then he became hooked. really i don't think the merch ruins anything. it's just so many people latch onto it without knowing what the hell the series even *is* as for the "a show that made fun of popculture, becoming popculture"... uh. that just kinda happens dude. hell look at rick and morty. it's pretty much invader zim for adults in it's own way. and alot of it's parody becomes apart of the shit it parodies. like rick's "catchphrase" wubalubadubdub. the creators thought of it as a one off gag to make fun of shitty catch phrases... AND EVERYONE QUOTES IT! IT BECAME A CATCHPHRASE! is that a bad thing though?? not really. i mean it does mean a lot of people missed the gag, but it's not exactly something people could easily catch without digging a little deeper anyways. plus honestly, i think it's better when a good show gets popular rather than something dumb or mindless.
They need to put stuff out that’s not Gir. Don’t get me wrong, I love that sweet little doggo, but this is just getting ridiculous!! I kinda want to see a Gaz plush where she’s holding a slice of Bloaty’s Pizza and a mini Vampire Piggy plush. *GET ON IT HOT TOPIC!! I JUST GAVE U AN IDEA!!*
Agree. All I find in hot topic for the Invader Zim merch is just Gir. It would be nice if they had a shirt that Tak has, or have a Plush of every single character.
i agree. also my little pony gets the same treatment, even though the company doesn't necessarily need to put mlp in the boy section it gives no justice to the girls who like it or the show itself; being of teaching important life lessions even beyond "friendship" but instead of putting quotes on the clothing from the show or important or funny moments that make the show appealing for everyone young, old, boy, girl. it just the same old "i love my friends" "party hard" bullsh*t making the merchadise more appealing for 5 year olds then 95% of the rest of the show's fans. to be honest the clothing for mlp are kind of dumb down -sexist- for what the show is trying to convey.
While I do understand your concerns regarding the effect the Hot Topic merchandise has had on the show's reputation, that really isn't as much of a detriment to the show itself. Need I remind you that it's the popularity of this merchandise that had a hand in bringing Zim back to begin with? While I'm not doubting your passion for the show, I think you fail to understand that it's not just an appeal to the characters that accumulated such a huge cult following and a demand for the show's return. It was abruptly cancelled right in its prime, with several episodes left unfinished, at least two or three story arcs left unresolved, and ultimately left the series without the conclusion that it deserved. The demand for Invader Zim's return was very much the same as the demand of the return of shows like Samurai Jack or Young Justice, and thankfully, all three of those shows are getting/have gotten the revivals they deserve. Getting people into Invader Zim isn't really a very important concern, there's already more than enough demand and love for the show as it is. And if you've kept up with the Invader Zim comic series from Oni Press, you'll see that it hasn't lost its touch at lampooning sci-fi and pop culture in the grimly unique way that it does. In fact, its own mass marketing is already something it's poked fun at quite a few times. TL;DR Your feelings of the show's merchandising are understandable, but it's really not as much of an issue as you think.
I 100% agree with you! Hot topic's merch is all Gir. It's always Gir because gir is the 'comedic relief' 'happy-go-lucky mood' character. There's barely any merch of Zim, even LESS of dib, and other characters like Tak or Gaz are almost Non existent. They've got a bit more after 'Enter the Florpus', but theres still too much Gir. Theres no plushes of the other characters BESIDES gir, and almost all their shirts have Gir on them. On their website (As of now, 10/9/19) There are 37 items total, and the number of strictly gir related items is 24. That's only *13* out of *37* that AREN'T gir related, heres a list of what characters have merch exactly for them on hot topic, and it's practically all shirts. *Zim* - 5 1/2 (One with Gir and Zim) *Dib* - 1 *Zim and Dib* - 2 *Gaz* - 1 *Tak* - 0 *Everyone (Gir, Dib, Gaz, Zim)* - 2 Zim, the main character, the one that the show is NAMED AFTER, has *FIVE* shirts out of the 37 pieces of merch Hot Topic has. I'm sure there is MUCH more merch, (Like the discontinued Doom Juice, WHICH YOU GUESSED IT, ALSO HAD GIR ON IT!) but on their website, it's almost all Gir. Though if you look in the right places, you can find good Zim merch. For Example I got a Nickelodeon Invader Zim Mystery box at NYCC this year, and I got some IZ coasters that ACTUALLY had Zim on them, a Zim Keychain, a Zim mug, a gir towel, and a gir cup. It had actual zim merch, but still had some Gir, and literally no Dib. Some other websites sell really good hoodies of Zim and such, but Hot Topic, the main seller of IZ merch, REALLY Needs more non-Gir items. I've also seen little pins at some shops of the characters, like Prof. Membrane and Zim with a Pigeon, but it isn't anything compared to the Gir merch. All in all, we NEED MORE MERCH OF OTHER CHARACTERS! If any of you wanna see some good non-gir related merch, I'll leave a list here! www.otakuplan.com/the-invader-zim-zip-up-hoodie.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw5_DsBRBPEiwAIEDRWyfuDaoB5GBS8d4DAusF0KPHDBwalhaPxTxUQUeLsT4Y4dSoddmbWxoCi8oQAvD_BwE www.amazon.com/Professor-Membrane-Licensed-Invader-Collectible/dp/B07R95C11D/ref=asc_df_B07R95C11D/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=380225342362&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5449270691575441151&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003632&hvtargid=pla-813472493028&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=79199450604&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=380225342362&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5449270691575441151&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003632&hvtargid=pla-813472493028 www.amazon.com/Dancing-Zim-Licensed-Invader-Collectible/dp/B07K7W69YN/ref=cts_ap_1_vtp teespring.com/shop/invader-zim-27-nuq28-r6n682?aid=ts-boosted-pla&pid=345&cid=6354 www.belk.com/p/nickelodeon-invader-zim-taking-over-the-world-portrait-logo-short-sleeve-t-shirt/0438650974219.html?cm_mmc=CSE-Shopzilla--0438650974219&CAWELAID=500001660022591588&szredirectid=15705963820175074796110080301008005 teespring.com/shop/invader-zim-character-4847?aid=ts-boosted-rt&pid=345&cid=6354&gclid=CjwKCAjw5_DsBRBPEiwAIEDRW_nbxcXfi17CASFSwQodsCo0vkVtF9IhJTdTHYxDEAb9YHFx7Y2znRoC3UEQAvD_BwE www.amazon.com/Obey-Pustulio-Licensed-Invader-Collectible/dp/B07JJFHCSS/ref=asc_df_B07JJFHCSS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=324079311824&hvpos=1o18&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16441887054339005932&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003632&hvtargid=pla-636399019804&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=68552837687&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=324079311824&hvpos=1o18&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16441887054339005932&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003632&hvtargid=pla-636399019804 www.amazon.com/Pigeon-Zims-Head-Licensed-Collectible/dp/B07RCC7C2R/ref=pd_srecs_sabr_st_5/141-2101763-5454059?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07RCC7C2R&pd_rd_r=e10296f5-604e-4b50-936a-1c1eec21aafa&pd_rd_w=4Uejs&pd_rd_wg=TT1ca&pf_rd_p=d48ccac7-7bb6-421b-8e4b-2bccb1ce62db&pf_rd_r=KJ4YSXKFB2VN03PWJ6JM&psc=1&refRID=KJ4YSXKFB2VN03PWJ6JM
I can agree either way but I feel like it depends on when said person or child gets into the show. Now I got into by learning about Johnny the Homicdal Maniac and finding that art style interesting and than finding Invader Zim on TV. My mom who watched all the cartoons I watched went and got us merchandise and yes it was Gir Stuff but Girs just easier to market than Zim. By a marketing stand point Gir is the obvious choice. He's got a funny voice, he's small, he's got fun kid colors, the stuff he does mostly can be described as like the way a child acts. (A very messed up hyper kid which most kids are) I mean Zim isn't easy to market were talking about a character that looks like a bug and Dib well. I'll just let people look up Dib Controversy from Nickelodeon and you'll get the idea. But I feel like that also gets kids into the show eventually because they wanna know where the little dog comes from.
The collectable figures are practically just gir, I was gonna buy one but I really don't want gir, he's a nice character I would just rather have someone else, not to mention there are millions of other even more important characters. They left out a lot of fan favorites other than gir from the merch, I'd kill for some cool iz stuff that isn't gir, I'm a newer fan too! They held a fan drawn t shirt contest and almost no one put gir on any of the shirts (well the ones that won anyway) there are some newer figures as of now (this video was posted two years ago, and I don't think the figures I'm talking about or the contest existed then) of zim and Dib which are pretty good (dibs a little weird looking tho),
I do agree to an extent. Merch is always a hard line to walk for me. Especially if any single aspect gets too emphasized. The other aspect I 100% agree on is a parody becoming the very thing it is a parody of. It's happened for decades and it will definitely happen for rest of pop culture
I’ve gone to hot topic several times, I wanted some zim merch but all they ever put out is more Gir stuff, they’ve really leaned into him as sort of a “mascot” character, it kind of annoys me when a company does that with its merchandise, they use gir cause he’s the most easily marketable, and they end up ignoring all the other characters and world they built
I never see invader Zim merchandise anywhere anymore uess someone has it on or eBay. Though I did meet someone with a tattoo of kopa kochi from Bob's burgers who said people mistake it for gir so I guess the fanbase is still invested
I like GIR, and I love Invader Zim merch even if it's only GIR, but I want something Dib related so bad. GIR is way to overrated. I'm even wearing the GIR hoodie rn(ya know the one with the huge zipper) but PLEASE SOMETHING DIB😭😭
I agree and I find that merchandising anything, at least anything in the vein of ideas like Invader Zim, is already a bad idea in that it draws a lot of attention to the product. Once enough attention is directed to the goth punk subculture style of the product (in this case, Invader Zim) its popularity has its fan base demanding their changes to make it, in their minds, "better.". It's not better. People have a knack for mucking everything up and underground expression is no different. This is the problem with when the underground came to the surface back in the 90s in the first place and we had industrial metal bands like Nine Inch Nails and Orgy but they still paled in comparison to the truly indie industrial, bands such as Chemlab, Extinction Front, God Module, Hanzul und Gretyl, etc. And when you have gem ideas like Invader Zim and bring it out to the limelight with merchandising or whatever the method and all the people end up ruining it with commercialization, all that happens is the original gem product tanks losing its audience when the fans notice it's not like it used to be. This happened with cyberpunk sci-fi author, Philip K Dick, when he gained more notice his publishing company had to go mainstream and put regulations on his material (censorship through shadow banning). The same thing happened with the New grounds web cartoon site, their material used to be very warped, outrageous and darkly irreverent until other people noticed it and it got ruined.
I love the show and the merch, nothing wrong with styling the gir hoodie that u get from the hot topic stores, but basically, u just need to educate yourself on what the plot is from invader zim to truly appreciate its whole content of the cartoon
i used to watch the show alot and was around whenever the merch started to pour in, at one point they did sell some actual good merch relating to the show, later on though the marketing led more toward the GIR LOLRANDOM shit that every confused 13 year old girl would eat up, after awhile it was sorta hard to find something like a shirt with the irken insignia on it it's safe to say we're gonna see a resurgence in this sorta marketing, i guarantee you a majority of the commercials are gonna be filled with bits of gir
Yeah I do when I first saw the show I became obsessed it instantly replaced spongebob as my fav nicktoon while I don’t any merch I’m still fan about it
You managed to make this video without ever showing any of the merchandise you're complaining about. I'm going to go ahead and assume that you're wrong for that reason alone.
I grew up watching the show, still watch it now and actually like the merch. It could be better still… I’ve seen more stuff with all the characters on it but gir still dominates. I don’t agree though that it hurts the show, if anything having the merch around stops it from fading away
I might be late on this but I found one on hot topic www.hottopic.com/product/invader-zim-gir-union-suit/11870688.html#q=invader%20zim&start=2 The eyes look weird but it's close enough
I'm so sad I never saw anything of it, withoit the fact that I didn't know of the show in the time then there also are like no Hottopics here in Belgium and fuck I just want stuff
I agree with your criticism...hell, I like the fact that it has merchandise, but I hate...and I do mean hate, the excessive GIR crud, because *I can't find a Gaz shirt, fuck...* and it dilutes the weirdness of the show.
TOTALLY agree. As a zim fan i NEVER shut up about how, for being the main character, zim gets hardly ANY merch, don't get me wrong, i love gir but HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHERE IS THE ZIM MERCH 💔💔
I'd prefer just the show no merchandise I just don't like it I mean I feel like Invader Zim isn't the type of show that should have merchandise however it could have bookmarks I'd be comfortable with that but I do agree most ppl don't even now the show and still have The merchandise
So..... what I'm hearing is, youre a hipster but youre making your argument in a way thats designed to sound less hipster than it is and trying really hard not to be annoying about it. While, I give you props for not sounding annoying about it- your argument still boils down to "Now that its popular and become mainstream, its not as cool as it used to be."
No, he’s just saying it’s taking the show out of context. A shirt with a picture of GIR in his dog costume wearing nerd glasses and saying, “GET YOUR NERD ON” is not what Invader Zim is about. It’s about so much more.
I highly disagree. What your saying is I want others to like it as I do as well as the typical sub culture rant of (they sold out ) .now everyone loves something that makes fun of them. Thats the point . You can't say you want the show to succeed off the basis for others to enjoy the nuances that you did. It's situational and everyone should be allowed to enjoy something for their own reasons. Your saying you enjoy it on a intellectual level while others enjoy it because it's fashionable to do so. It's the argument made of why people who listen to nirvana after nevermind came out just don't know or deserve to enjoy the band like those who first started to listen to them when bleach just came out. Liking something before it was socially acceptable doesn't mean now that it is the show lost its appeal nor it's honor. IT just means ( like with a you and a child) you wanted it for yourself and only would share with others who wanted to play with it as you would. The point is to get the message out there and have people laugh at themselves as much as you watching it and laughing at the people they were making fun of. That view point is the underground virus that ruins art and destroys good artists. And starts to poison the root fanbase. Just because people like something you do and (you don't like them) doesn't mean it's the shows fault. And honestly if you feel that way it says more about your credibility then the shows. It never sold out played it safe and it did what it did best. IT just took people awhile to catch on. Just like daria and other artsy/grunge/gothy art. doesn't mean the show some how became played out. If your only reason for supporting something is because it's edgy and rebellious then your missing a bigger point of johnens . And in a reversed image are being just like those people the show made fun on just on the other side of the coin. If you like a painting for the artists technique and I like it for its pretty colors and you turn around and say you don't know if you should like it means your being descrimintive. Like jock making fun of a need then the need making fun of the jock. Same content different package.
I had this Gir shirt as a kid and had no idea about the show. I just liked the shirt. Now I've seen the show and regret not seeing it sooner
Well, better late than never.☺
Eh I never liked the show
@@StumpyFunnel 😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡
@@StumpyFunnelSorry for no having taste.
preach!
being 20 years old, it's super hard to find merch that actually is appealing to me.
Zim is my favorite character and there is barley anything of him. Instead, everything is basically Gir in his dog costume or some cringy shirts sayings like, "I mustache you a question," or "Somebody needs a hug." I personally love the art style and atmosphere of the show, but it's a shame there isn't much merch for the older audience.
fangirlofyt You think Zim is hard, try looking for Dib and Gaz merch. Goooooooood luck.
Nichimoon I was on eBay the other day, and I found a dib figure with his little spike in his hair broken off, and it was $200
Dare I ask _why?_
It pisses me off that most of the merch is the fucking dog costume. There needs to be more "robot GIR" and less of that stupid dog.
it was like that for me when i liked Lilo, there was everything in his dog form and not his antenna-ed, 6 legged, jagged spine alien form.
I agree it is hard to find merch with other chacthers instead of just gir.
Rock amolie thank you!
Rock amolie
Especially ZIM or Dib. ( Irken names are capitalized for all letters, aside from the title. ) Recently I went looking for some shirt involving pig smellies. But the only thing in the store were GIR Shirts and Keychains. Aside from stuff from the other franchises.
BRUUUUUU go on eBay or etsy you can find it there
Same here! As much as I love Gir it would be awesome to have some Gaz merchandise or Dib merchandise!
So true! I will admit that i actually do like the merchandise but it misrepresents the show. The show was all really dark humor and all the Gir stuff is all cute.
You know, I just got an idea... I hope that someone makes a shirt with Bloody GIR on it and sends it to Hot Topic. Where’s your cute dog now, teenage girls?
@@Tonithealtwing LOL
@@Tonithealtwing Personally, I’d eat that shit up.
To be honest I think hot topic really needs to consider changing the main focus on their invader zim merch, it's always gir... I've tried emailing them about making merch for Zim or Dib, gaz, tak, etc. But they keep on telling me they'll "look more into it" and it's starting to piss me off because fans like me want to have some different character items! I want Zim and Dib plushes (zim is super rare and dib is nonexistent, and yes I know the keychains but I want actual plushes) I want to see a pak inspired backpack you know? Come on hot topic stop being stupid please, I loved you but you need to change your merch around... how come invader zim is one of the only fandoms that have merch that only focuses on one character anyway?? I hope they make different character merch soon...
BeeVomitSenpai
The only existing plushies of IZ are GIR and those quaint keychains. All Zim plushes are fanmade.
ZIM, Human Of E-arth there has been official Zim plushies but they're very very very rare
fandoms killed me inside yeah
BeeVomitSenpai agreed zim and dib are the best characters on the show
The other day I went to Spencer's and I scored this kick ass shirt of Zim and Gir, it looked 10x better than any invader Zim shirt I have seen from hot topic in my opinion so I had to get it. I'm sure it's still available bc I got it pretty recently
I have never personally met anyone who was wearing Gir merchandise and didn't know the show, and I'm happy that I haven't. When I found out that that was actually something that would happen, I was actually offended! It insulted me that people would wear something that reminded me of my childhood, and not know it's true meaning or importance.
I have been so excited for the movie so I have been wearing my Gir necklace (and a Pak I made) to show it. I got three of my friends to be excited too. Two of them had watched it when they were younger, and one hadn't even heard of it. As of yesterday, she has now watched every episode as well as a few canceled ones XD
I just hope that this movie will hopefully satisfy all the old fans, as well as make many new fans!
I think it's pretty silly to get upset over somebody else wearing a shirt of a character even if they don't know all the details about said character or the show that they're from.
it could just be a design/art that they like. young people like to wear graphic shirts.
what im disgruntled about is the criminally small role jhonen has taken on his very own zim comics. he basically doesn't have to draw or write anything. he had said in the past they he'd like to get it to the point where people under him do the work. what an artist/storyteller.
i hope it satisfies the old fans too. jhonen has said, you know how when you like something then years later it gets done again and you hate it, that what i want to do.''
there was a girl in high school with him who he would give his comics too. she got to really like them and 'bothered'' him too much to make more so he started to make them shitty so she'd stop asking.
i dont have high hopes about continuations of his jthm or squee stories. 5 years ago, he said he'd like to continue squee and jthm in the vein of animation (but no funding /too expensive. he could just continue them in the vein of comics because then he can have 100% creative control, it would be affordable and successful...
ive been a fan for a very long time, unfortunately, i'm a fan of an artist who doesn't like to create anything even if he has ideas and it would mean success. he's skating on the success of his few creations that ended 15 to 20 years ago. he hates being a performing monkey.
Lila Sziv i am a old fan
I‘ve met ignorant Hot Topic GIR wearers... It was the worst experience I ever had at a parent-teacher night.
I know this sounds stupid, but I joined my friend in roblox in a catalog avatar game, they were putting together a nice avatar with a shirt with gir on it that had green slime text above it that said “GIR” in all caps, I was so happy to know they were a fan, I said “You are an invader zim fan?” They said no, I was heartbroken:( how do you just wear something like that and have absolutely NO clue what it is? That’s like if somebody wore a dang Star Wars hoodie despite never even knowing Star Wars was a thing!
I find it frustrating that the merch available is all Gir related. I mean, Zim doesn’t even have his own pop vinyl? Whereas there are several versions of Gir. And the pop vinyl that does have Zim in it also features Gir and the piggy. I just wish more merch featured the actual titular character of the show, not his sidekick.
I’d kill to have some Zim merch. Since he’s like the main character.
To be a sane person, Invader Zim has to be one of the BEST animated shows of the early 2000's, and it still aged well on me. All I see is there are some cliché nutjobs always obsessed with every GIR merchandise on Hot Topic, as long as I'm fine with the show. I don't want to hate GIR just because, I find him cute but, goofy.
Gir is EVIL!!!!
@@miathealien3911(but cute)
Coming to this in 2019 as a 13-year-old, “new” fan, I’m glad that hot topic has fixed this to a pretty large degree by using the fanart t-shirt contest! I’m wearing an Invader Zim shirt right now- with not a Gir in sight! It worked really well, and I’m excited for the re-birth of Invader Zim, even if I wasn’t alive for the beginning.
Yeah! They also released some new figures and I think I saw some other figures in the works on insta but they could have been the old ones, and there of zim and Dib! I'm also a newer fan of invader zim. And I'm glad some better merch is being released.
The only merch of my favorite characters, The Tallest, are figures which they haven’t sold since about 10yrs.
Sad truth
Very true. Plenty of people wear shirts with Gir and they've never even seen the show. I never really delved deeper into this concept and I've never even seen this point made so I'm glad you're churning out original content, it's really refreshing!! I feel like Disney does this with their princesses. No matter the story the princess has or the personality or even if they are a princess or not, they still get manufactured in the same cookie cutter style as the older ones before them. And every movie disney makes starring a girl has to be a princess movie or is at least classified as one because that is what everyone expects now.
YEP! Some girl back in highschool had a gir top and I was all "YOU LOVE INVADER ZIM TOO!" and she all "what's that!..No this is Gir, get away from me weirdo!"
Did she also tell you that you had a big head?
MORE MULAN MERCHHH
@@QUEENOBSCURE *pats you on the shoulder sympathetically* I'm so sorry to hear about that...😓😅
Ok, I have a story on this topic. So, I have a daughter in middle school, and I went to go meet some of her teachers along with multiple other parents from all the kids in her class. While she’s not too huge on Zim, I certainly am, and the first thing I see when I walk into her homeroom is this girl who is slathered in makeup with obviously fake blonde hair, who I immediately knew was a “popular girl.” She was on her phone, texting. I wasn’t paying attention that much to her, until I started noticing a swarm of girls flocking around her, and saying things like “Oh. Em. GEE! That sweater is TOTES ADORBES.” As a curious father (my daughter was off doing other things, in case you were wondering), I looked over to see what was “Totes ADORBES”, and I was completely shocked. On her sweater, their was a picture of GIR in his dog costume wearing the biggest nerd glasses to ever exist, and in the girliest cursive font imaginable, it read “GET YOUR NERD ON.” This girl was clearly not a nerd, but I figured that there probably were girls like her in the Invader Zim fandom, and so, I decided to talk to her. I told her I liked her sweatshirt, and then said that I loved Invader Zim as well, and went into some long tangent about Gaz. She kind of just looked at me awkwardly, and said, “I don’t know what the heck you’re talking about. Sorry.” Trying to be as polite as possible, I asked her where she got the sweater, and why she got it if she didn’t have a clue what Invader Zim was. She told me that she’d just been at the mall, seen a cute sweater, and bought it. She then went on to comment that Invader Zim must be a really cute show if there were characters like “this frog” in it.
First of all, how does one confuse GIR in his dog costume with a frog?
Second, if that girl actually went to watch Invader Zim that night, she must have been in for a shock.
And third, I’d lost faith in Invader Zim merchandise that day. And, I’m sorry, but I can’t for the life of me actually find a picture of the sweater anywhere on the Internet, but if I come across it, I’ll update this comment. Oh, and if you can find a picture of this sweater, I’d like to know as well.
Edit: This is not the exact sweater, but it was fairly similar in design. My description is all up to date still, I’m just trying to find a possible reference for you guys. www.animationshops.com/invader-zim-gir-genius-duh-junior-t-shirt.html?cmp=googleproducts&kw=16539&size=jl&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4Mn20f3h3gIVSlYNCh03eAyXEAkYDCABEgIXTvD_BwE
I agree with your hatred of the merchandise. I have interacted with so many people who barley understand this show and swore up and down that they were huge gigantic fans because they wore some cool guy t-shirt or some hot topic hoodie. There are some really great, and now expensive, things that came out closer to the shows runs. For example, the line of Palisades Toys actions figures which are fantastic replicas of the shows characters in a 3D space. But then you get things like, a t-shirt for tweens with a picture of gir sitting on a taco that says, "making sense is so taco".
I'm not worried about the quality of the movie that's coming out. The merchandise hasn't harmed the property, it's harmed the fandom. If anyone has been keeping up with the run of comics, they are pretty great. They are practically storyboards for unproduced episodes. A lot of the original writers returned as part of the staff, and if you've watched the show enough you can hear everything perfectly in your head. The original writers, and even Vasquez, have a pretty strong disdain for how Nickelodeon has handled the property. If you've followed Jhonen Vasquez's work he shows a pretty strong anti-conformist sentiment. He has been approached numerous times by Nick to revive the show and declined every time. He constantly berates fans and makes fun of people who wear shirts that say things like, "making sense is so taco". The great thing about him is; the people he makes fun of don't notice, and the people who do notice love it. I don't think he's the type of person to drastically change the things he believes. He's not making this to appease fans, he's most likely making this because he has wanted to finish the story he set out to tell.
As for the fandom, there's not really anything that can be done. Every fandom is beyond redemption. Anyone who openly discusses how big of a fan they are of some recognizable thing has a high chance of being devoid of personality. They are wearing what they consume like a badge. The only way to really convince people in your life to give the things you love a chance is to talk to them about it. If you're just telling people, "dude, watch this show, it's really good!", it doesn't matter what it is; they're probably not going to make the time to watch it. You need to explain why you like it, and what you like about it. You need to make an effort to see that they watch it. Give them an opportunity to see it. Watch it with them, I guarantee they will get it a lot quicker if they grasp what it is to someone they hold dear. If they don't understand how you can like something with such an awful fan base, it needs to be made clear that the fan base almost never reflects the content. Then, maybe they too can learn how terrible fan bases and pandering are.
It’s not that deep, just get over yourself.
@@elliepredator_fan1111 >replying to a drunk post from 4 years ago
get over yourself, bud
@Mrreebo you wrote this while you were drunk?! Wow if you can write like that even when you’re drunk I could only imagine what you could do sober! You should write a book or something, you’ve got some real talent.
All the merch is GIR in his dog disguise, MAYBE without his disguise. It's like he's the only character or something. We seriously need more Zim, Dib, Gaz, and Tak, they're all amazing characters and need more merch for them.
YES!!
It did sadden/shock me when I learned that there are people who like GIR, yet had no idea what Invader ZIM was. Still, as a loyal fan of the show, I still enjoy seeing all the IZ stuff at Hot Topic, whether it's a lot or a little.
I KNOW!!! I've seen a Zim shirt *ONCE* but other wise it's just Gir, don't get me wrong I love Gir, but it's just annoying how much people or "fans" ignore all the other characters, like ibsaw a comment on an IZ episode and someone commented "Admit it, you came for Gir" and the merchandise just represents the show so wrong. Like there is Gir with mustaches and cupcakes and stuff that don't have anything to do with the actual show and just stuff that are popular, not Invader Zim, sorry I could go on forever but this is getting too long
OMG Thank You!
I’ve already said this in someone else’s comment, but someone needs to send a Bloody GIR shirt to Hot Topic to basically put those teenage Gir(l) fans in their place.
ikr
i would love to see stuff of Dib or Zim, maybe like tshirts or something like that
And, like always, Gaz is sitting in the corner, playing Vampire Piggies, alone and forgottten...
I want plushies for all of them.
I have directly been affected by this and I completely agree. I see people at school, even one of my best friends, who have Gir merchandise but they barely know a thing about the show besides Gir.
Luckily, I have a shirt where Gir is not the main focus.
That sucks I love gir to death but I love the whole show even more lol it's one of the funniest darkest shows ever.
THERE SHALL BE MORE GAZ SHIRTS
I saw someone wearing a Gir hat once when I was in 9th grade. I got excited and asked them “so you are an Invader Zim fan” and they responded “what is Invader Zim?”
I wanted to punch them XD i know that’s over reacting but I felt hurt that people knew the merchandise but not the show itself.
I think it’s even worse. I’m sure there are tons of people now who’ve never even seen the show, so when they released the movie, they were probably like, “Oh hey, they’re making a movie with those Hot Topic characters!” 😭
Gir merchandise should just be a meme at this point and it probably already is tbh
I feel that so much, so often zim is refered to as the LoL so random Show, but it really is so much more, the artstyle by itself for example is prime 2000 feeling, the architecture is also intresting as hell with it being futuristic but at the same time hellish and dystopic, much like the World of zim.
Really a shame people don't see the show for what it is, most people only know gir and that's where it ends.
Can agree, even though i own a gir plushie its pretty good but a zim plushie would be good, along with dib and gaz EVEN THE TALLEST WOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH
Hot Topic needs to sell more DIB
that sounds the same as what happened to Jhonen's jthm comics, he thoroughly mocked the 'goth' culture in them but hot topic marketed to them and they loved it and didn't seem to notice or care. lol idk. my problem with zim merchandise was that 98 % was gir merchandise X( also if the creator would bring down the ''never to see the light of day'' special effects budget in order to bring the show back, it could instantly and more relevantly speak for itself.
There is way too much GIR merch in my opinion.
What about Dib?
Or Gaz?
I just want Dib to get merch once in awhile..
I want a toaster that makes Super Toast.
There should be a T-shirt with Dib as L (in blue) and Zim as Light Yagami (in red) in that scene when they are on top of buildings in Death Note.
That is gir!
You are gir!
I am gir!
ARE THERE ANYMORE GIRS I SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?!?!?!
ITS ME!! I WAS IN THE TURKEY ALL ALO-
alright, thats it
So basically, they need to do more merch that doesn't just focus on GIR.
I have a tshirt with zim and dib doing that et bike scene with the moon in the background, must be lucky.
Gir was the hero for the edgy Teens in the Mid 2000s
Invader Zim is the perfect parody of the whole science fiction genre
Though I do agree that this show had bad luck with marketing from beginning to end, how else is one supposed to represent the show? I'd say a good handful of the products have that similar style of stripes and zigzags, and I do think people are trying. I guess I just feel that it's an impossible situation with unavoidable consequences.
Nichimoon hey, great comment! While I don't have the answers to how they should market the show, not a marketing executive by any stretch of the word, I do think that he marketing of Invader Zim should be inclusive to characters other than Gir. He's the most juvenile character of the bunch as well as the least dark character in a surprisingly dark program, so it's strange that he's the only character to really get T-Shirts and merch molded after him. I wouldn't mind some Dib or Gaz centric stuff. Especially Gaz stuff. She's my favorite. That way more of the show is represented than just the loudest, most colorful character. Just my two cents though. Thanks for commenting!!!
Welcome! And again, I absolutely agree.
zim shirts? more like gir shirts
cami cami
I actually have a Zim shirt as well as a Gir. Both bought in 2002. They're a bit holy now so more they're for sleeping in the summertime. I refuse to get rid of them until they fall apart.
Dear Lord I'm old now!
Things have been improving in recent years, although I'm still disappointed by the lack of Dib merch. There are some *extremely* high quality plush (Zippermouth) and enamel pins (Zen Monkey). I still want a backpack that looks like Zim's PAK though. 😔💔
i wish they had merchandise of other characters but i haven't seen any merchandise at all in Hot Topic
It’s honestly sad how it’s been 5 years after this video was posted and Hot Topic has not changed whatsoever and still continues to produce nothing but Gir merchandise, seemingly even more than they used to nowadays. When I was originally just getting into the show, I didn’t really see the problem and bought two or three shirts that seemed fairly normal with no random quotes on them and a pair of gloves that I still do wear from time to time, but i eventually ended up getting hyperfixated on it really intensely and now it’s more upsetting to me than ever that Dib, Gaz and surprisingly Zim himself get little to no merchandise. They began making these little blind bags with everyone in them and I’ve been trying to collect them all for months now, but 6 out of the 11 figures are just different variants of Gir and I’ve only been able to get Gaz outside of him. I wound up with so many Gir duplicates to the point where I just gave up and now have to resort to buying Dib and Zim online. I know they most likely won’t ever change their ways, but it would be really really nice if Hot Topic listened to the fans and shone some light on the others with their next wave of merchandise 👍🏻
I agree, the meme cream did give me a sweet dream.
I agree. My initial impression was that i was going to be as dry as the sahara, but my peach is as moist as the peachy tenderness of your love.
I completely agree! I love that Invader Zim gets as much merchandise as it does, it’s part of what helps keep the show alive and popular. But Gir is a very overrated and over marketed character. I don’t mind some Gir merchandise, but I want merchandise for Zim, Dib, Gaz and all the other characters too! It also sucks that most Invader Zim merchandise (or should I say Gir merchandise) doesn’t accurately reflect the tone of the show. But I guess that’s not a big deal since the merchandise sells well regardless and if it wasn’t for the massive marketing of Gir at Hot Topic we might not have the show back... so... victory? I guess...
-- they recently released a Dib T shirt at hot topic
What do you mean GIR is bad? He is one of my favorite characters in the show, why would you hate him? Because of his over marketable merch? I mean yeah, but I also understand why he is over marketable because he is CUTE. I mean look at him. Now the hatered of the invader zim merch is now making people hate GIR. Don’t be like that.
@@lucasw1348 I never said Gir was a bad character and I don’t hate Gir, I just wish there was more merch for all the other characters instead of just one character. I also wish we got more Invader Zim merch that reflected the gross and dark tone of the series instead of always only being colorful and cute.
@@Metal_Dragon_ you just said GIR is overrated which means bad
@@lucasw1348 that is not what overrated means. Something can be overrated without being bad.
I seriously hope hottopic
Fixes this especially for the up coming movie,
When I heard about there’s merch for Invader Zim at first I was super excited until I went and uh you get what happened
Just please hottopic atleast bring Zim and other characters merch not just gir..
Yes I do love gir in his robot form and dog costume but atleast make merch for the others..
I’m literally waiting for a Zim plush or something ;-;
*Hopefully all our prayers have been answered for other merch without a bunch of gir*
Looking back at this video, I noticed most Indie horror games have been suffering this same issue. Time is such a flat circle. Lol
True, i did buy a Gir shirt though, the show itself has a unique art style that i couldnt resist. Thats why i even cared about this show at all. I didnt grow up with this show like other people so i am an outsider.... They need 2 represent the unique moments in the show more in their shirts at Hot Topic
I just hope jhonen gets a good chunk of merch money
I agree with you on that I still love watching invader Zim I disappointed when they took it off on Nickloien TV
Ughhhhh tyyy this deserves more attention!!
This show is fuuuuuull of interesting references. The more you know the more sense the whole thing has. I never get tired of it
i agree, alittle bit. but i don't think it ruins the show. it just shows alot of people will latch onto something despite knowing fuck all about it.
seriously, my friend devon when i first met him in highschool never knew what zim was. but he always saw gir merchandise. upon finding that out i basically got him to watch all the episodes that wer eon netflix at the time. and then he became hooked. really i don't think the merch ruins anything. it's just so many people latch onto it without knowing what the hell the series even *is*
as for the "a show that made fun of popculture, becoming popculture"... uh. that just kinda happens dude. hell look at rick and morty. it's pretty much invader zim for adults in it's own way. and alot of it's parody becomes apart of the shit it parodies. like rick's "catchphrase" wubalubadubdub. the creators thought of it as a one off gag to make fun of shitty catch phrases... AND EVERYONE QUOTES IT! IT BECAME A CATCHPHRASE! is that a bad thing though?? not really. i mean it does mean a lot of people missed the gag, but it's not exactly something people could easily catch without digging a little deeper anyways. plus honestly, i think it's better when a good show gets popular rather than something dumb or mindless.
this show actually got merchandise? well that's nice to know.
They need to put stuff out that’s not Gir. Don’t get me wrong, I love that sweet little doggo, but this is just getting ridiculous!! I kinda want to see a Gaz plush where she’s holding a slice of Bloaty’s Pizza and a mini Vampire Piggy plush. *GET ON IT HOT TOPIC!! I JUST GAVE U AN IDEA!!*
Agree. All I find in hot topic for the Invader Zim merch is just Gir. It would be nice if they had a shirt that Tak has, or have a Plush of every single character.
i agree.
also my little pony gets the same treatment, even though the company doesn't necessarily need to put mlp in the boy section it gives no justice to the girls who like it or the show itself; being of teaching important life lessions even beyond "friendship" but instead of putting quotes on the clothing from the show or important or funny moments that make the show appealing for everyone young, old, boy, girl. it just the same old "i love my friends" "party hard" bullsh*t making the merchadise more appealing for 5 year olds then 95% of the rest of the show's fans.
to be honest the clothing for mlp are kind of dumb down
-sexist- for what the show is trying to convey.
While I do understand your concerns regarding the effect the Hot Topic merchandise has had on the show's reputation, that really isn't as much of a detriment to the show itself. Need I remind you that it's the popularity of this merchandise that had a hand in bringing Zim back to begin with? While I'm not doubting your passion for the show, I think you fail to understand that it's not just an appeal to the characters that accumulated such a huge cult following and a demand for the show's return. It was abruptly cancelled right in its prime, with several episodes left unfinished, at least two or three story arcs left unresolved, and ultimately left the series without the conclusion that it deserved. The demand for Invader Zim's return was very much the same as the demand of the return of shows like Samurai Jack or Young Justice, and thankfully, all three of those shows are getting/have gotten the revivals they deserve. Getting people into Invader Zim isn't really a very important concern, there's already more than enough demand and love for the show as it is. And if you've kept up with the Invader Zim comic series from Oni Press, you'll see that it hasn't lost its touch at lampooning sci-fi and pop culture in the grimly unique way that it does. In fact, its own mass marketing is already something it's poked fun at quite a few times.
TL;DR Your feelings of the show's merchandising are understandable, but it's really not as much of an issue as you think.
I 100% agree with you! Hot topic's merch is all Gir. It's always Gir because gir is the 'comedic relief' 'happy-go-lucky mood' character. There's barely any merch of Zim, even LESS of dib, and other characters like Tak or Gaz are almost Non existent. They've got a bit more after 'Enter the Florpus', but theres still too much Gir. Theres no plushes of the other characters BESIDES gir, and almost all their shirts have Gir on them. On their website (As of now, 10/9/19) There are 37 items total, and the number of strictly gir related items is 24. That's only *13* out of *37* that AREN'T gir related, heres a list of what characters have merch exactly for them on hot topic, and it's practically all shirts.
*Zim* - 5 1/2 (One with Gir and Zim)
*Dib* - 1
*Zim and Dib* - 2
*Gaz* - 1
*Tak* - 0
*Everyone (Gir, Dib, Gaz, Zim)* - 2
Zim, the main character, the one that the show is NAMED AFTER, has *FIVE* shirts out of the 37 pieces of merch Hot Topic has. I'm sure there is MUCH more merch, (Like the discontinued Doom Juice, WHICH YOU GUESSED IT, ALSO HAD GIR ON IT!) but on their website, it's almost all Gir. Though if you look in the right places, you can find good Zim merch. For Example I got a Nickelodeon Invader Zim Mystery box at NYCC this year, and I got some IZ coasters that ACTUALLY had Zim on them, a Zim Keychain, a Zim mug, a gir towel, and a gir cup. It had actual zim merch, but still had some Gir, and literally no Dib. Some other websites sell really good hoodies of Zim and such, but Hot Topic, the main seller of IZ merch, REALLY Needs more non-Gir items. I've also seen little pins at some shops of the characters, like Prof. Membrane and Zim with a Pigeon, but it isn't anything compared to the Gir merch. All in all, we NEED MORE MERCH OF OTHER CHARACTERS! If any of you wanna see some good non-gir related merch, I'll leave a list here!
www.otakuplan.com/the-invader-zim-zip-up-hoodie.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw5_DsBRBPEiwAIEDRWyfuDaoB5GBS8d4DAusF0KPHDBwalhaPxTxUQUeLsT4Y4dSoddmbWxoCi8oQAvD_BwE
www.amazon.com/Professor-Membrane-Licensed-Invader-Collectible/dp/B07R95C11D/ref=asc_df_B07R95C11D/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=380225342362&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5449270691575441151&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003632&hvtargid=pla-813472493028&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=79199450604&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=380225342362&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5449270691575441151&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003632&hvtargid=pla-813472493028
www.amazon.com/Dancing-Zim-Licensed-Invader-Collectible/dp/B07K7W69YN/ref=cts_ap_1_vtp
teespring.com/shop/invader-zim-27-nuq28-r6n682?aid=ts-boosted-pla&pid=345&cid=6354
www.belk.com/p/nickelodeon-invader-zim-taking-over-the-world-portrait-logo-short-sleeve-t-shirt/0438650974219.html?cm_mmc=CSE-Shopzilla--0438650974219&CAWELAID=500001660022591588&szredirectid=15705963820175074796110080301008005
teespring.com/shop/invader-zim-character-4847?aid=ts-boosted-rt&pid=345&cid=6354&gclid=CjwKCAjw5_DsBRBPEiwAIEDRW_nbxcXfi17CASFSwQodsCo0vkVtF9IhJTdTHYxDEAb9YHFx7Y2znRoC3UEQAvD_BwE
www.amazon.com/Obey-Pustulio-Licensed-Invader-Collectible/dp/B07JJFHCSS/ref=asc_df_B07JJFHCSS/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=324079311824&hvpos=1o18&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16441887054339005932&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003632&hvtargid=pla-636399019804&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=68552837687&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=324079311824&hvpos=1o18&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16441887054339005932&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003632&hvtargid=pla-636399019804
www.amazon.com/Pigeon-Zims-Head-Licensed-Collectible/dp/B07RCC7C2R/ref=pd_srecs_sabr_st_5/141-2101763-5454059?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B07RCC7C2R&pd_rd_r=e10296f5-604e-4b50-936a-1c1eec21aafa&pd_rd_w=4Uejs&pd_rd_wg=TT1ca&pf_rd_p=d48ccac7-7bb6-421b-8e4b-2bccb1ce62db&pf_rd_r=KJ4YSXKFB2VN03PWJ6JM&psc=1&refRID=KJ4YSXKFB2VN03PWJ6JM
I can agree either way but I feel like it depends on when said person or child gets into the show.
Now I got into by learning about Johnny the Homicdal Maniac and finding that art style interesting and than finding Invader Zim on TV.
My mom who watched all the cartoons I watched went and got us merchandise and yes it was Gir Stuff but Girs just easier to market than Zim.
By a marketing stand point Gir is the obvious choice. He's got a funny voice, he's small, he's got fun kid colors, the stuff he does mostly can be described as like the way a child acts. (A very messed up hyper kid which most kids are) I mean Zim isn't easy to market were talking about a character that looks like a bug and Dib well. I'll just let people look up Dib Controversy from Nickelodeon and you'll get the idea.
But I feel like that also gets kids into the show eventually because they wanna know where the little dog comes from.
I some what agree, but it is true though not many people know about Invader Zim.
we need more plushies of other characters gir isn’t the main protagonist of this show like-
I wish there was more merch of dib, is my favourite character and has so pontecial
I just want a gaz shirt
I need some Zim merch, I love Gir and all but Zim is the main character and probably my favorite if I'm going to be honest here.
This is my new favorite video
a lot of good points right here,.
are you talking to me about the original content.
Elijah Blechman oh shoot sorry I just meant to comment that!!
Elijah Blechman cool profile pic though
The collectable figures are practically just gir, I was gonna buy one but I really don't want gir, he's a nice character I would just rather have someone else, not to mention there are millions of other even more important characters. They left out a lot of fan favorites other than gir from the merch, I'd kill for some cool iz stuff that isn't gir, I'm a newer fan too! They held a fan drawn t shirt contest and almost no one put gir on any of the shirts (well the ones that won anyway) there are some newer figures as of now (this video was posted two years ago, and I don't think the figures I'm talking about or the contest existed then) of zim and Dib which are pretty good (dibs a little weird looking tho),
I do agree to an extent. Merch is always a hard line to walk for me. Especially if any single aspect gets too emphasized. The other aspect I 100% agree on is a parody becoming the very thing it is a parody of. It's happened for decades and it will definitely happen for rest of pop culture
yeah all i want is any piece of merchandise that doesn’t have Gir and/or food on it
I’ve gone to hot topic several times, I wanted some zim merch but all they ever put out is more Gir stuff, they’ve really leaned into him as sort of a “mascot” character, it kind of annoys me when a company does that with its merchandise, they use gir cause he’s the most easily marketable, and they end up ignoring all the other characters and world they built
Me in my contrey: *WERES THE FUCK IS THE MERCH!!!!*
Oh wait....... Theres no hotTopic here.... *Fuck..*
I never see invader Zim merchandise anywhere anymore uess someone has it on or eBay. Though I did meet someone with a tattoo of kopa kochi from Bob's burgers who said people mistake it for gir so I guess the fanbase is still invested
I like GIR, and I love Invader Zim merch even if it's only GIR, but I want something Dib related so bad. GIR is way to overrated. I'm even wearing the GIR hoodie rn(ya know the one with the huge zipper) but PLEASE SOMETHING DIB😭😭
This and nightmare before xmas has a TON of merchandise nightmare has a lot of absurd merchandise
I agree and I find that merchandising anything, at least anything in the vein of ideas like Invader Zim, is already a bad idea in that it draws a lot of attention to the product. Once enough attention is directed to the goth punk subculture style of the product (in this case, Invader Zim) its popularity has its fan base demanding their changes to make it, in their minds, "better.". It's not better. People have a knack for mucking everything up and underground expression is no different. This is the problem with when the underground came to the surface back in the 90s in the first place and we had industrial metal bands like Nine Inch Nails and Orgy but they still paled in comparison to the truly indie industrial, bands such as Chemlab, Extinction Front, God Module, Hanzul und Gretyl, etc. And when you have gem ideas like Invader Zim and bring it out to the limelight with merchandising or whatever the method and all the people end up ruining it with commercialization, all that happens is the original gem product tanks losing its audience when the fans notice it's not like it used to be. This happened with cyberpunk sci-fi author, Philip K Dick, when he gained more notice his publishing company had to go mainstream and put regulations on his material (censorship through shadow banning). The same thing happened with the New grounds web cartoon site, their material used to be very warped, outrageous and darkly irreverent until other people noticed it and it got ruined.
I’m kinda surprised that the show had merchandise
I love the show and the merch, nothing wrong with styling the gir hoodie that u get from the hot topic stores, but basically, u just need to educate yourself on what the plot is from invader zim to truly appreciate its whole content of the cartoon
I would so buy gaz merch
i used to watch the show alot and was around whenever the merch started to pour in, at one point they did sell some actual good merch relating to the show, later on though the marketing led more toward the GIR LOLRANDOM shit that every confused 13 year old girl would eat up, after awhile it was sorta hard to find something like a shirt with the irken insignia on it
it's safe to say we're gonna see a resurgence in this sorta marketing, i guarantee you a majority of the commercials are gonna be filled with bits of gir
Yeah I do when I first saw the show I became obsessed it instantly replaced spongebob as my fav nicktoon while I don’t any merch I’m still fan about it
You managed to make this video without ever showing any of the merchandise you're complaining about. I'm going to go ahead and assume that you're wrong for that reason alone.
The movie kinda feels like the merchandise and not the show it's based on.
Agreed
I grew up watching the show, still watch it now and actually like the merch. It could be better still… I’ve seen more stuff with all the characters on it but gir still dominates. I don’t agree though that it hurts the show, if anything having the merch around stops it from fading away
NO DONT HURT ZIM :(((jahshs
Literally 90% of all IZ merchandise is GIR I swear to god
ok
I just wanna gir Onesie
I might be late on this but I found one on hot topic
www.hottopic.com/product/invader-zim-gir-union-suit/11870688.html#q=invader%20zim&start=2
The eyes look weird but it's close enough
I'm so sad I never saw anything of it, withoit the fact that I didn't know of the show in the time then there also are like no Hottopics here in Belgium and fuck I just want stuff
I agree with your criticism...hell, I like the fact that it has merchandise, but I hate...and I do mean hate, the excessive GIR crud, because *I can't find a Gaz shirt, fuck...* and it dilutes the weirdness of the show.
( me who pays my older sis who can knit)
Your merchandise does not affect me
TOTALLY agree. As a zim fan i NEVER shut up about how, for being the main character, zim gets hardly ANY merch, don't get me wrong, i love gir but HOLY FUCKING SHIT WHERE IS THE ZIM MERCH 💔💔
AGREEEEEEAAAH!
I'm a big fan of invader zim
I love how they do there merch and I understand the show I disagree everything's fine to me
intresting
You kinda sound like under the mayo
I'd prefer just the show no merchandise I just don't like it I mean I feel like Invader Zim isn't the type of show that should have merchandise however it could have bookmarks I'd be comfortable with that but I do agree most ppl don't even now the show and still have The merchandise
So..... what I'm hearing is, youre a hipster but youre making your argument in a way thats designed to sound less hipster than it is and trying really hard not to be annoying about it. While, I give you props for not sounding annoying about it- your argument still boils down to "Now that its popular and become mainstream, its not as cool as it used to be."
No, he’s just saying it’s taking the show out of context. A shirt with a picture of GIR in his dog costume wearing nerd glasses and saying, “GET YOUR NERD ON” is not what Invader Zim is about. It’s about so much more.
Disagree
I highly disagree. What your saying is I want others to like it as I do as well as the typical sub culture rant of (they sold out ) .now everyone loves something that makes fun of them. Thats the point . You can't say you want the show to succeed off the basis for others to enjoy the nuances that you did. It's situational and everyone should be allowed to enjoy something for their own reasons. Your saying you enjoy it on a intellectual level while others enjoy it because it's fashionable to do so. It's the argument made of why people who listen to nirvana after nevermind came out just don't know or deserve to enjoy the band like those who first started to listen to them when bleach just came out. Liking something before it was socially acceptable doesn't mean now that it is the show lost its appeal nor it's honor. IT just means ( like with a you and a child) you wanted it for yourself and only would share with others who wanted to play with it as you would. The point is to get the message out there and have people laugh at themselves as much as you watching it and laughing at the people they were making fun of. That view point is the underground virus that ruins art and destroys good artists. And starts to poison the root fanbase. Just because people like something you do and (you don't like them) doesn't mean it's the shows fault. And honestly if you feel that way it says more about your credibility then the shows. It never sold out played it safe and it did what it did best. IT just took people awhile to catch on. Just like daria and other artsy/grunge/gothy art. doesn't mean the show some how became played out. If your only reason for supporting something is because it's edgy and rebellious then your missing a bigger point of johnens . And in a reversed image are being just like those people the show made fun on just on the other side of the coin. If you like a painting for the artists technique and I like it for its pretty colors and you turn around and say you don't know if you should like it means your being descrimintive. Like jock making fun of a need then the need making fun of the jock. Same content different package.
Agree