Neil Gaiman on Why We’re Lacking in Morpheus Merch

Okay, at this point? If we told you how many times we revised the draft that’s been waiting to announce the second season of Netflix’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman‘s The Sandman, you probably have us checked in for 72-hour observation. But as we continue to wait, Gaiman continues to live a social media life filled with a lot of interesting intel. We had another example of that earlier today when Gaiman addressed a topic that a number of fans have been rumbling about, especially as the calendar ticked closer to Halloween. So where’s all the Morpheus merch? For an IP as beloved as The Sandman with a devoted fanbase that’s proven itself more than willing to drop green to support what they love, some expected there to be a wave of ways to bring a bit of The Dreaming home with them. So why are the merch cupboards so bare for the first season?

“There isn’t really a reason other than manufacturers of merchandise only like to bet on sure things, and nobody was out aggressively selling ‘Sandman’ to merchandisers,” Gaiman shared in his tweet to offer a little clarity on the matter. And then he followed it up with an excellent observation about the geek store chain: “I find it weird that Hot Topic had more Sandman merch 25 years ago than they do now.” And along those lines, I feel like they have more Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twin Peaks merch now than what there was in total during the full runs of both shows. Anyhow, here’s a look at Gaiman’s tweet:

And Speaking of Netflix’s The Sandman…

Here’s a look back at that deleted scene from S01E01, “Sleep of the Just,” as Alex (Laurie Kynaston) confronts his father Roderick (Charles Dance) about the mysterious “Sleeping Sickness” that’s spread ever since they captured Morpheus (Tom Sturridge):

There is another world that waits for all of us when we close our eyes and sleep — a place called the Dreaming, where The Sandman, Master of Dreams (Tom Sturridge), gives shape to all of our deepest fears and fantasies. But when Dream is unexpectedly captured and held prisoner for a century, his absence sets off a series of events that will change both the dreaming and waking worlds forever. To restore order, Dream must journey across different worlds and timelines to mend the mistakes he’s made during his vast existence, revisiting old friends and foes, and meeting new entities- both cosmic and human- along the way.

Netflix’s The Sandman stars Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Jenna Coleman, Niamh Walsh, Joely Richardson, David Thewlis, Kyo Ra, Stephen Fry, Razane Jammal, Sandra James Young, Patton Oswalt, and Mark Hamill. The series stems from Warner Bros. TV, EP & co-writer Neil Gaiman (Good Omens); EP, co-writer & showrunner Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman); and EP & co-writer David S. Goyer.