Word: toyetic (probably coined by Bernard Loomis in 1977)

[Garson O'Toole]

The word "toyetic" does not appear in the ADS archives. It was new to
me when I read it today; however, it apparently was coined in 1977.
Further below is a citation in the Washington Post in 1977 in which
Bernard Loomis is specified as the coiner.

Here is a recent instance in a profile of Dwayne Johnson, aka The
Rock, in Forbes:

Title: The Rock is Kicking Ass and Saving Franchises
Author: Dorothy Pomerantz
Website: Forbes.com
Date: 2012 May 16
http://www.forbes.com/sites/dorothypomerantz/2012/05/16/the-rock-is-kicking-ass-and-saving-franchises/

[Begin excerpt]
Such wrestling cred only burnishes his action hero status, allowing
him to become, as Goodman of Paramount says, "toyetic." And there are
many more ¬merchandise-friendly roles lined up in his immediate
future. After G.I. Joe there’s Snitch, about a father who goes
undercover to try to free his imprisoned son.
[End excerpt]

I could not find "toyetic" in the OED. It does not appear in any of
the quotations.

The Online Random House Dictionary has "toyetic":
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/toyetic

toyetic, adjective
1. (of a character or object from a movie, TV show, etc.) potentially
marketable as a toy: a toyetic superhero.
2. (of movies or other forms of mass entertainment) having
merchandising potential: toyetic comic books.

Wikipedia has an entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyetic

Wikipedia claims that the word was introduced by Bernard Loomis in
1977, but I did not see a precise supporting citation in the entry.

Cite: 1977 December 20, Washington Post, "You've Come A Long Way, Baby
Doll!" by Phil McCombs, Page B1, Washington, D.C. (ProQuest; Digital
images in the ProQuest database are defective; Textual fields overlap)

[Begin excerpt]
"Toyetic," says Loomis. His own Favorite Professional word. He coined
it himself.

When he spoke with Steven Spielberg about building a toy line around
"Close Encounters of the Third Kind," he told the director, "It sounds
like a great movie, but it doesn't sound toyetic."

Spielberg caught on right away. "Well, it's not 'Star Wars,'" he said.

This surprised Loomis, who at that point had not seen "Star Wars" even
though he had bought toy rights to the movie.
Spielberg, who had seen it, filled him in.
[End excerpt]

Garson

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