HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL MERCHANDISE

When the original High School Musical TV movie was Shown by Disney, nobody guessed that it would herald the start of one of the biggest franchises to hit global pop culture in years. The first TV movie in the High School Musical series saw its main cast turned into global superstars, with its lead actors Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens becoming huge celebrities thanks to their wholesome performances in the film.

High School Musical went on to spawn two hugely entertaining sequels, the second of which, High School Musical 3: Senior Year, was released at cinemas all over the world with great success.

It is most heartening to see that, in this age of violent and tasteless films and TV shows, that a series of films based on a group of friends, singing and dancing their way through their teenage years, can be so popular. With clean-cut characters, positive storylines and some fantastic music on offer, High School Musical is a relentlessly positive franchise for kids to be into.

The demand for High School musical merchandise saw the advent of CDs, posters, High School musical calendars, life size cutouts of Zac Efron and other stars, and much more. The appetite for memorabilia, toys and games based on the High School Musical phenomenon grew to fever pitch in 2008, with countless new items coming onto the market to keep up with the demand of fans who want their fix of musical fun. Posters and life-size cutouts of Troy himself, heart-throb Zac Efron, have been hugely sought after this year as his popularity continues to soar.

High School Musical is a true cultural phenomenon, and finally continues the great tradition of fun Musicals with a comedy twist, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the original Grease came to cinemas in the 1970s. The desire for related merchandise underlines this, further cementing High School Musical's place in the global pop culture scene.

Big items for Christmas 2008 include the High School Musical Got the Moves Dance Mat, the High School Musical Sing Together Dolls and more besides. The other items are all still just as popular too, and with more High School Musical Merchandise on the way, fans are going to have a very musical Christmas indeed.

The High School Musical phenomenon continues to gather ever more fans. Even though the movies are at an apparent end, the legend of High School Musical will continue for a long time to come thans to the enduring characters, memorable songs and whole feelgood vibe of the franchise.

Rumours are circulating that a fourth film, tentatively titled HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 4: CLASS REUNION is set to go into production in 2010 for a 2011 release. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens are said to be returning for it, but none of the other cast have been mentioned yet. This is pure speculation at the moment, but reliable sources have stated that the project will be announced in early 2009, despite the cast stating the third would eb the last. It seems the series is too successful to end!