In the 1980s and 1990s they really knew how to sell toys! Back in those wild years, we kids were even more glued to the TV than today, had fewer ways to have fun, and there wasn't the oversupply of products that exists now. We were easy prey for any product that appeared during the commercial breaks of our favorite cartoons. Many times they were trying to sell us toys from the very show we were watching! Real evil marketing brains, behind a plan that worked perfectly.
It's not that today's marketing brains are worse, but the ultra-fragmentation of children's demographics has meant that, with honorable exceptions, there are no toys as massive as before, which had a huge and addicted clientele for their TV shows. Such is the case of the 1987 series "Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future", a Canadian sci-fi serial that kept kids in Canada and the US on edge for its 22 episodes.
The World of Captain Power
The story of Captain Power was set in the 22nd century, after the so-called Metal Wars, where humanity fought (and lost) against intelligent machines, in Terminator style. The Soldiers of the Future, commanded by Captain Jonathan Power, are the only ones who oppose the machines, the new owners of planet Earth. The series mixed real people with computer-generated animations and had a fun plot with many nods for adults to enjoy as well.
The Interactive Powerjet XT-7
However, the most notable thing about the series, and the reason why many adults still remember it today, were its toys, which had the ability to interact with the TV images and offer the viewer a more interactive experience. The best of those toys was "Captain Power-Powerjet XT-7", a ship that hovered in front of the TV and worked not only as a gun to shoot at moving objects, but also to "dodge" enemy shots.
The game came with a VHS full of missions, to play at any time, but during the series they broadcast short clips with missions specially designed for viewers (similar in some way to what Nintendo Satellaview did). The challenge was as follows: the player gained points by shooting enemy ships and lost points when enemy ships landed shots on the Power Jet XT-7. When the total score reached zero, it was Game Over and the toy ship ejected the pilot (an articulated Captain Power figure, of course). If the player managed to get through the whole scene without his Power figure being ejected, then it meant he had completed the mission successfully. All thanks to the toy's light sensors and a lot, a lot of ingenuity!
Honestly, I would have gone crazy with something like that; I would have been easy prey for some diabolical TV businessman. Unfortunately, the horrible 'Jugando con Hugo' was the closest I had to interactive television during my childhood. And that damn gnome never jumped when told! Damn you, Hugo!
