Lincoln Geraghty - Cult Collectors

CULT COLLECTORS

Cult Collectors examines cultures of consumption and the fans who collect cult film and TV merchandise.

Author Lincoln Geraghty argues that there has been a change in the fan convention space, where collectible merchandise and toys, rather than just the fictional text, have become objects for trade, nostalgia, and a focal point for fans personal narratives. New technologies also add to this changing identity of cult fandom whereby popular websites such as eBay and ThinkGeek become cyber sites of memory and profit for cult fan communities.

The book opens with an analysis of the problematic representations of fans and fandom in film and television. Stereotypes of the fan and collector as portrayed in series such as The Big Bang Theory and films like The 40-Year-Old Virgin are discussed alongside changes in consumption practices and the mainstreaming of cult media. Following this, theoretical chapters consider issues of gender, representation, nostalgia and the influence of social media. Finally, extended case study chapters examine in detail the connections between the fan community and the commodities bought and sold.

Topics discussed include:

The San Diego Comic-Con and the cult geographies of the fan convention

Hollywood memorabilia and collecting cinema history

The Star Wars franchise, merchandising and the adult collector

Online stores and the commercialisation of cult fandom

Mattel, Hasbro and nostalgia for animated eighties childrens television.

Lincoln Geraghty is Reader in Popular Media Cultures and Director of the Centre for Cultural and Creative Research in the School of Creative Arts, Film and Media at the University of Portsmouth, UK. His research interests lie within the broad contexts of British and American popular culture and he has written extensively in these areas.

Cult Collectors makes a skillful contribution to cultural and fan studies, theorizing second-hand fandom whilst smartly tackling transformative nostalgia. Emphasizing places and spaces of collecting whether San Diego Comic-Con, Collectormania or Forbidden Planet Lincoln Geraghty forcefully argues for the individualizing vitality of collectors material and consumer practices. This is a valuable study of how fans commemorate, curate and create value in todays media culture. Definitely one to add to your collection.

Matt Hills, Professor of Film and TV Studies, Aberystwyth University, Wales

As I sat down to read Cult Collectors in an office full of licensed toys, posters, mugs, and candy, its importance was clear: film and television studies have had too little to say about collectibles and about the huge role they play in media culture. Geraghty delivers the goods in this accessible, smart, fun, and highly perceptive book. Highly recommended.

Jonathan Gray, Professor of Media and Cultural Studies, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

CULT COLLECTORS

Nostalgia, Fandom and Collecting Popular Culture

Lincoln Geraghty

First published 2014

by Routledge

2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and

by Routledge

711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2014 Lincoln Geraghty

The right of Lincoln Geraghty to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Geraghty, Lincoln, 1977

Cult collectors : nostalgia, fandom and collecting popular culture / Lincoln Geraghty.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Includes filmography.

1. Fans (Persons) Psychology. 2. Mass media Social aspects. 3. Mass media and culture. 4. Collectors and collecting Social aspects. 5. Motion pictures Collectibles. 6. Television broadcasting Collectibles. I. Title.

HM646.G48 2014

302.23 dc23

2013027210

ISBN: 978-0-415-61764-2 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-0-415-61766-6 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-0-203-13026-1 (ebk)

Typeset in Bembo

by Taylor & Francis Books

CONTENTS

PART I
Stereotypes

PART II
People

PART III
Places

PART IV
Spaces

A book of this nature has inevitably required the help of a number of people who I must acknowledge. For originally having the faith to take this project on I wish to thank the editorial staff at Routledge, particularly Sheni Kruger and Natalie Foster. I cant thank those individuals enough for having the patience while this book was in progress and for allowing me those extensions as I gathered more material and needed time to develop those ideas. Much of the onsite research at the San Diego Comic-Con, Forbidden Planet and other conventions I attended would not have been possible without the financial support of the Centre for Cultural and Creative Research (CCCR) at the University of Portsmouth. Through the aid of project funding and teaching relief I was able to get this book started and do the serious research that was required of course, being able to do some of that research in San Diego helped enormously! I must also thank CCCR and the British Association for American Studies for awarding me travel funds to gather primary material from the Special Collections Department at the University of Iowa, that it came near the completion of this book gave me that last injection of energy to see where this work needs to go next and what future projects should come off the back of it. My thanks go to Kathryn Hodson at Iowa for helping me enormously during the short time I was there. During the writing of this book I was kindly invited to join PLACIM (Platform for a Cultural History of Childrens Media) a research group based at Maastricht University, led by Elisabeth Wesseling. I want to thank Lies, Gary Cross, Joshua Garrison, and all the group members for their thoughtful comments and stimulating ideas we shared at workshops on remediation and nostalgia in Maastricht and Reading. They have informed the development of this book in numerous ways. Keeping me going throughout the whole research and writing process has been the enthusiasm of the students on my two fan studies units, discussions proved very inspiring. To my friends and colleagues (past and present) in the School of Creative Arts, Film and Media John Caro, Van Norris, Graham Spencer, Imogen Jeffery, Justin Smith, Paul McDonald and Derek Johnston I thank you all for your support and encouragement.

The inspiration for this book comes from the toys and memorabilia I had as a kid and now collect and display around my office and house. For this I must thank my parents; without their love and support, of course, none of that would have been possible and I would not be where I am today without it. Who else would have bought me those Transformers at Christmas? Lastly, I offer my deepest gratitude to my wife Rebecca without her encouragement, love and patience this book would not exist at all. She deserves the biggest credit for letting me get away with the line, I need that new Lego