Was noticing how Lego stuff in a store was almost entirely sets based on popular media (such as Harry Potter or Minecraft). I can’t remember too well if Lego was always like that, but I think to a degree it was at least because I remember getting some Star Wars sets as a kid.

Anyway, it got me thinking about the way capitalism chases whatever is the big thing and tries to siphon every bit of value out of it that it possibly can. It fits very well with the AI bubble. Also fits with how even a thing like Black Lives Matter could get co-opted and turned into money-making. Capitalism is pretty shameless about that. If people will buy it, somebody will try to produce it and sell it. And sometimes, if people won’t buy it, they’ll do marketing campaigns to try to convince people that they should. But the path of least resistance is to chase the coattails of something already popular. You just make something derivative enough that it’s legal, or make some merchandising deal for a popular IP, and sell away.