The Enid Blyton Society

As there has been a lot of discussion in the forums recently about the new books and illustrations I thought this article may be of interest to those who haven't already seen it:

http://www.licensing.biz/big-interviews ... and/042666" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

They certainly seem to believe there is still a big future for the Enid Blyton brand.

cheers
Sue

Thanks for that, Sue. The merchandising sounds exciting, though I hope the main emphasis will always be on the books themselves. On that note it's heartening to learn that the short story collection Enid Blyton's Holiday Stories, published this summer, has made it into the top ten best-selling children's books.

I'm not fond of the phrase "the Enid Blyton brand" - it sounds much too cold and clinical to be associated with Enid's vibrant, magical stories!

Anita I agree I would like to see the focus on the books, but I think merchandising does create an extra excitement. That excitement in my day was the Enid Blyton Magazine with all its competitions and merchandise and clubs. These really added to my love of the books and Enid Blyton in general.

I understand what you mean about 'the brand' but now neither Enid Blyton or any of her family are involved I guess it really is a brand now.

But everything seems to be moving in a positive direction for Enid Blyton so that has to be good.

cheers
Sue

That's a really interesting article thanks, Sue. I am very impressed with the fact that an Enid Blyton book is sold every minute in the UK! It is absolutely brilliant that her books are still so popular to this day, and I'm sure Enid Blyton would never have imagined that so many years after her death: her books would still be so extraordinarily popular!

I think the merchandising is a good idea.

When I was a young girl I used to love things like stationery, accessories, little plastic toys, keyrings, etc, all those kinds of little things that you could collect, and it was always very thrilling to go into a newsagent or Woolworths or WHSmith and see all the exciting displays of little 'bits and pieces' that I could buy with my pocket money.

I know things are a lot more modern these days and kids tend to be looking for iPhone covers rather than simple keyrings or toys etc, but I'd like to think that there are still lots of kids who are more 'traditional' and who are still interested in collecting other things.

The primary one (kind of audience being targeted) is adults (parents and grandparents) who grew up reading Enid Blyton, became fans of her books and are now looking to relive childhood memories through branded merchandise.

So are these new covers going to appeal to theses adults???

I will forever think fondly of Enid as "The Brand".

Thanks for sharing the article, Sue. I sometimes think I am happy that Malcolm Saville's books aren't so popular these days.

Moonraker wrote:

The primary one (kind of audience being targeted) is adults (parents and grandparents) who grew up reading Enid Blyton, became fans of her books and are now looking to relive childhood memories through branded merchandise.

So are these new covers going to appeal to theses adults???

No, they aren't, not those of us who own the books with the original text and artwork.
But I intend to buy the set of postcards and may be tempted by other merchandise which appeals to me.
I think it's a good thing that Hachette are keeping the "brand" alive.
Thanks for the article, Sue.

Moonraker wrote:So are these new covers going to appeal to theses adults???

They don't have to, as to give a balanced view you must remember that Hodder have got all 21 books in print with the Eileen Soper covers. Young children who have come across these cartoon artists in other series might well prefer them though, particularly if they have been weened on the Colour Reads.

Fascinating article. I think that, these days, merchandising goes hand in hand with the central product ie; the books. It's the same in all walks of life. There is a good level of positivity here for the Blytonian future.

An interesting interview and I agree that it seems the brand is in good hands.

It seems very sensible that certain products are marketed towards adults, whilst others are aimed very much at the new generation of children.

Tony Summerfield wrote:

Moonraker wrote:So are these new covers going to appeal to theses adults???

They don't have to, as to give a balanced view you must remember that Hodder have got all 21 books in print with the Eileen Soper covers.

That's all right, then! You are very defensive about these new covers, though! I only commented as Hodder's target audience seem to be adults.

When Hilary Murray Hill talks about the "primary" audience being "adults (parents and grandparents) who grew up reading Enid Blyton", I think she's referring to the merchandise (picnic hampers, homeware, etc.) rather than the books.

I think the comment about the primary audience being adults was in reference to products such as hampers, blankets flasks etc.

(Apologies for the repetition)

If they really wanted to appeal to adults — AND respect the intelligence and discernment of young readers — they'd stop hacking the text about in the interests of "modernisation" (or outright censorship). But I agree, at least they do see a great deal of ongoing potential for "the Blyton brand" and are aware they have a range of ages in the audience.

Now I think about it, Enid did more or less turn herself into a "brand" during her career — founding her own company to manage things, having an instantly recognisable trademark signature, and becoming a name that could sell just about any type of book for children! So I don't find it completely outrageous for her current publishers to speak of her in that way.

At least we can hope that her young readers will continue to love her works enough to still maintain their interest as adults and start discovering the original texts (and original illustrations)!

Yes, I am very positive about the future of "The Brand". I am sure, well hopeful, that Hodders know what they are doing - certainly more than an old codger like me! Here's to the future!