What is your definition of a toy and of merchandise?

I was asking about the definition of a "toy" in general, not a "Transformers action figure Toy" (which is the tangent most of the posts here have gone off to already)... so why can't a licensed Transformers ball or skateboard could be considered toys, since all toys are essentially "merchandise" for a Brand.
Back to the original question in the first post... how would you define a "toy", and how would you define "merchandise" (understanding that they aren't mutually exclusive - one could include the other).

Think it all comes down to original intent. What was the original purpose? In tf case a toy that is a plastic figure Everything else is merchandise. If its a toy using tf branding eg hot wheel cars for star wars then its a merchandising toy.

A skateboard is a sporting good but a tshirt with the skateboarding brand would be merchandise. Original context of the item.

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Originally Posted by Ultra Mackness

Perhaps it's easier to differentiate merchandise as as objects performing their function independent of the storyline/mythology/canon.

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I'd go with this for Merchandise... It's similar to what I would have said.

Glassware, lunchboxes, clothing, cutlery, ice creams etc.

I'm far more lenient on toys. In that just about everything else is a toy.

I consider statues toys. Expensive toys, that don't "do" much but toys none the less. Puzzles, card/board/computer games, yo-yo's, happy meals, models all toys.

In defining a toy, I would say it's something that entertains you.

Oxford Dictionary states:
"An object for a child to play with, typically a model or miniature replica of something."

The whole concept of action figures blurs this line, but I think that toys that are the representation of a character (regardless of whether that character exists in show/comic/back of the card) are toys, whereas merchandise are items (typically licensed) that is reflective of the brand in general.

This helps split the line between "toys" and "other playthings" - balls, boardgames, videogames, etc.

Speaking specifically to transformers, this means that any character released by Hasbro is a toy, while any other TF related item (the MiltonBradley puzzles, walkey-talkeys, visors, licensed backpacks, etc) are merchandise.

There is no reason why a skateboard or a yo-yo cannot be classified as Transformers toys. Semantically speaking if you can play with it then it's a toy. The word "toy" is of Germanic origin and just means "plaything." Heck, Toy Story Four seems to be exploring what one considers a 'toy' with the character of Forky. According to what's been shown in the trailer, Forky is literally a plastic spork that the kid has made into a toy, and thus it has come to life through the power of the child's imagination and love for the toy that she's made. But Forky rebels as he clearly does not view himself as a toy but rather as a disposable utensil.

But I digress... :p In answering the question posed by the thread topic: "What is your definition of a toy and of merchandise?", I'd say that the general consensus is that action figures count as Transformers toys while other stuff counts as merchandise. As with all systems of classification this was always going to be highly subjective. Even scientific classification systems can be subjective... like remember when we were kids and Pluto was a planet? ;)

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

There is no reason why a skateboard or a yo-yo cannot be classified as Transformers toys. Semantically speaking if you can play with it then it's a toy. The word "toy" is of Germanic origin and just means "plaything." Heck, Toy Story Four seems to be exploring what one considers a 'toy' with the character of Forky. According to what's been shown in the trailer, Forky is literally a plastic spork that the kid has made into a toy, and thus it has come to life through the power of the child's imagination and love for the toy that she's made. But Forky rebels as he clearly does not view himself as a toy but rather as a disposable utensil.

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Spoilers!! :p

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

But I digress... :p In answering the question posed by the thread topic: "What is your definition of a toy and of merchandise?", I'd say that the general consensus is that action figures count as Transformers toys while other stuff counts as merchandise. As with all systems of classification this was always going to be highly subjective. Even scientific classification systems can be subjective... like remember when we were kids and Pluto was a planet? ;)

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Not my consensus. Action Figures are a subset of toy, however plenty of other stuff based on transformers are also subsets of toys, ergo, Transformer toys.

But then, I'm not going to go around and count my collection or classify what is what, so maybe my opinion doesn't matter. :)

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Originally Posted by KELPIE

Not my consensus.

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Obviously. An individual consensus is a contradiction in terms. Kinda like Starscream solely electing himself as leader. :p

The debate seems to be coming down to where do you place the non-action figure Transformers toys.

It's like there's three tiers of collection, rather than two
1 - Transformers (the toys representing individual characters)
2 - Transformers-themed toys (skateboards, puzzles, Rubik's cubes, etc)
3 - Transformers-themed merchandise (backpacks, books, clothes, etc)

Therefore it becomes a question of where do you place Category 2.
I personally consider it part of Category 3, as they are more merchandise around the concept rather than the toyline that was about heroic Autobots battling evil Decepticons.

but some things can be kinda grey... like Transformers Juniors - are they merch or action figures? As a kid I considered them merch. I had TF Jr. Ultra Magnus and Galvatron which I found in an Asian grocery store, but I thought that they were merch so I never took care of them like I did with my other TF toys so they ended up being lost. Later in the 90s I found TF Jr Convoy/Chromedome/Fort Max at a collectible store and bought that set, but by that time I considered them toys so I've taken care of those toys and I still have them in my collection. The only thing that changed between the 80s and 90s is my opinion of TF Jrs shifting from viewing them as merch to viewing them as action figures. In the 80s I thought that they weren't much better than Happy Meal toys. I never saw them in toy stores or department stores but only at an Asian grocery store one time when my mum was shopping at Cabramatta.

Then there's the burning question... is Time Warrior an action figure or merchandise? ;)

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Then there's the burning question... is Time Warrior an action figure or merchandise? ;)

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He is in a toy catalogue, so...