Editing Superman (section)

==Merchandising==
DC Comics trademarked the Superman chest logo in August 1938.<ref name=Gordon2017/> [[Jack Liebowitz]] established Superman, Inc. in October 1939 to develop the franchise beyond the comic books.<ref name=Tye2012/> Superman, Inc. merged with DC Comics in October 1946.<ref name=FindingsOfFact>J. Addison Young, "Findings of Fact" (April 12, 1948), in ''Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster vs. National Comics Publications Inc. et al. (New York Supreme Court 1947)'' ([https://www.scribd.com/doc/298839638/Young-April-12-1948-Findings-of-Facts Scan available on Scribd])</ref> After DC Comics merged with Warner Communications in 1967, licensing for Superman was handled by the Licensing Corporation of America.<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'' p. 162</ref>

The Licensing Letter (an American market research firm) estimated that Superman licensed merchandise made $634 million in sales globally in 2018 (43.3% of this revenue came from the North American market). For comparison, in the same year, [[Spider-Man]] merchandise made $1.075 billion and [[Star Wars]] merchandise made $1.923 billion globally.<ref name="thelicensingletter">{{cite web |title=Retail Sales of Licensed Merchandise Based on $100 Million+ Entertainment/Character Properties |url=https://www.thelicensingletter.com/100mil-chart/ |access-date=August 7, 2018 |website=The Licensing Letter |date=July 23, 2018}}</ref>

The earliest paraphernalia appeared in 1939: a button proclaiming membership in the Supermen of America club. The first toy was a wooden doll in 1939 made by the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/comics.php?topic=articles/superb-manifestations |first=Ian|last= Anthony |title=Superb Manifestations: Five Anniversaries Converge In 2003 For Superman |website=Superman Homepage |date=Nov 2003 |access-date=August 7, 2018}}</ref> ''Superman'' #5 (May 1940) carried an advertisement for a "Krypto-Raygun", which was a gun-shaped device that could project images on a wall.<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'' p. 146</ref> The majority of Superman merchandise is targeted at children, but since the 1970s, adults have been increasingly targeted because the comic book readership has gotten older.<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'' pp. 162–165</ref>

During [[World War II]], Superman was used to support the war effort. ''Action Comics'' and ''Superman'' carried messages urging readers to buy [[war bond]]s and participate in [[Salvage for Victory|scrap drives]].<ref>{{harvp|Gordon|2017}}. ''Superman: The Persistence of an American Icon'', p. 155</ref> Other [[superhero]]es became patriots who went to fight: [[Batman]], [[Wonder Woman]] and [[Captain America]].