Smell Like a Superhero
Pound shops, Dollar Stores, call them what you will, have become ubiquitous in recent years. Furthermore the public’s attitude towards them has radically changed. Where in the past snobbery may well have kept certain socio-economic groups away, it now seems that everyone is happy to use such outlets in search of a bargain. I frequent them regularly for toiletries, kitchen and bathroom cleaning products as well as tinned foods. Most products are well known named brands and the prices just cannot be ignored. Pound shops can also be a fascinating source of curious and esoteric items. I discovered such a product today.
I found the above pictured Batman Deodorant Body Spray on the shelves of the 99P Store in my local High Street and was fascinated to see such an IP used in this way. Out of curiosity I bought two cans and when I returned home set about researching these products. It would appear that there is an entire range of Batman products made by Corsair Toiletries Worldwide. They also manufacture similar items for several other major franchises such as Minions, Marvel and Disney. According to their website the target age group for these products is 6 to 12 years of age. I also noticed that many of these franchises are marketed in a gender specific way. I won’t side-track this post with a tangential debate but why is this still a thing in 2015?
As for the actual Batman toiletries, I guess the question that’s on everyone’s mind is what exactly does a Superhero smell like? Well I can confirm that the Robin body spray has a distinctly coconut based aroma, where the Joker body spray is more akin to sandalwood. Both are pleasant and seem to linger, which is always the sign of a good body spray or at least one that is doing its job of keeping you smelling fragrant. Cheap brands always seem to fade after a few hours, causing immense scope for social embarrassment. However I am content that not only will I continue to smell like a Superhero (and a 12 year old boy, allegedly) for the remainder of the working day, I have achieved this miracle for the princely sum of £1.98 (including VAT).