Let us journey back to the 1980s. Kids came home from school, slapped on the wood-paneled TV, and were greeted by a swath of 2D-animated cartoons. Transformers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero.
Animation style and target market aside, these shows all had one core thing in common.
They were made to sell toys.
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Solid plot and consistent characterization took a backseat to big blockbuster settings and clear divisions between good and evil, with secret societies full of cool-looking dudes, cool-looking cars, and cool-looking guns. These shows were vehicles (no pun intended, Transformers) designed to get kids tugging their parents’ sleeves in the local Walmart toy aisle.
And now MrBeast is building the digital version of this phenomenon.
MrBeast Lab: The Descent is an upcoming series of animated Shorts made in partnership with Moose Toys, which produces the MrBeast Lab toyline. Announced at San Diego Comic-Con this past weekend, the series stars MrBeast as himself, a YouTuber, but also the head of a lab that’s trying to stave off an invasion of “shadow monsters” (aka “The Shroud”) from another realm.
A 90-second trailer follows MrBeast as he introduces the lab, boasting that it’s “impenetrable,” before walking in on a shadow monster attack. He’s promptly dragged down through the lab’s 100 floors, to the mysterious darkness beyond.
The trailer gives us a glimpse of what the plan is here, showing a high-energy robotic sidekick character, some Danny Phantom-y evil guys, and a heroic, heavily muscled version of the wild cat from MrBeast’s logo (you’re welcome, furries). There’s also a brief flash of a gaggle of creatures that look suspiciously like MrBeast Lab Swarms.
Moose Toys describes the series as “another bold step forward in how Moose brings storytelling to life and turns our brands into iconic global experience.”
MrBeast Lab: The Descent will premiere on Moose Toys’ YouTube channel in October. We already know animation is the biggest driver of young viewership on YouTube, drawing kids to channels like Cocomelon. We’re curious to see if and how it affects MrBeast Lab sales…and whether this expensive method of advertising will catch on with other companies making YouTuber toys.
