Abstract
Interviews British parents and children for their views about merchandised products like toys and clothes, including the effects of peer and media pressure, and how children’s ages correlate with the desire for merchandised or branded goods. Includes eight detailed messages from 11 women and girls, accompanied by their photographs and age details; one mother tellingly says that she empties non‐merchandised bio yoghurt into a Thomas the Tank Engine pot in order to induce her daughter to eat it. Observes that some parents admit that their own inclination for merchandised goods contribute to their child’s longing for licensed toys. Concludes, however, that these candid responses express resentment at having to pay extra for merchandised products, while another adverse effect of licensed goods is the perceived brand dependency that many youngsters are developing; by being so desirable, these goods can engender disappointment, bullying and even crime.