Even if the last movie had been successful, you can't make an Indiana Jones action figure line work if you can't have Mola Ram and you can't have the Nazis. Belloq is a non-action character. He doesn't fight. How can you have a line of action figures if Indy doesn't have anyone to punch? Just sell fedoras and call it a day.
Hasbro has always licensed out some stuff in areas outside their core business. Best example is transformers. They have long licensed out Articulated Transformer characters. For example the Fewture Art Storm ES Gokin Optimus Prime might be the single most definitive specimen of Robot Form Optimus (MSRP was $500 years ago). But the key rule has been the licensed figures cannot transform. They can only be robot or car. And never convert between the two. Now that rule seems to be fading. While at the same time Hasbro is getting much more aggressive going after 3rd party manufacturers of unlicensed stuff. I suspect Fanstoys is getting some interesting letters.
@Johndeergreen79 Imagine the detail though, if he goes with 7 inch... I used to love 6 inch figures, I have lots of the classified and I also have lots of Marvel legends & star wars black series which are all 6 inch but I love my 7 inch figures, they just have more detail, Definitely harder to display I'll admit, but they're fantastic.
As a Transformers fan, who frequently doesn't see some figures on shelves, or even evidence some toys reached stores (ie. knowing what figures ship together, & never seeing any), around me, hearing Hasbro referred to as being good at distribution doesn't make sense.
That'd only help with waves that reached his store. Hasbro's distribution is very inconsistent. Sometimes, my area gets waves right away; others take a full year to show up, if they ever do. It's common for final waves to just never be ordered, if there's too many shelfwarmers. I'm sure some TRUs were better at ordering until the end of a line, than others. I've seen a Target sit for months with zero Leader Class figures. That was weird, to not even see an Optimus or Dinobot that I knew was supposed to be on shelves. And not just one line. No Leader Class, for both Transformers lines with them.
When The Mandalorian came out, baby yoda was an overnight sensation. But they had no toys of baby yoda for a year. Now the market is oversaturated with baby yoda toys. Is that why they have all these toys for these unproven brands, like skeleton? So they don't make that mistake again. Because they lost countless moneys by not having baby yoda when they were high in demand, when everyone and their dog wanted a baby yoda.
10:26 - In my experience, 3rd party stuff sucks. Compare Super 7 Transformers & Joes to Hasbro's. They cost twice as much with middling at best quality.
Great vid. A bit off topic question for the Spector Creative team: - Is in your opinion the new Masterverse Vintage (bigger upper torso) a correction on the original Masterverse male body mold? I still have a lot of Classics and that sculpt is just amazing, the torso and arms are just great. I was a bit letdown by the new Masterverse body type, the biceps and the upper torso. The legs are great and the face sculpts and paints are also very good. - I get the impression that action figures are dying out, it's all Marvel, Star Wars and DC. Some Turtles and Jurassic World. No new boys action figure lines in years here in Holland. The only new thing was Fortnite and they are gone from stores. Are action figures just over and only marketed towards adults? Or does Marvel/DC/Starwars cover everything? - If you guys were to design a brand new toyline original IP, what scale and type would it be? 3.75 inch with vehicles and playsets? Or 6 inch super hero types? Or Imaginext more kids cartoony molds? Would it be gimmick heavy?
Generally: what is the range a sub-licensor pays for a vintage IP like Lite-Brite? Have you seen them as flat rate or by volume? Do they still have the same minimum quantity?
What company outside of Hasbro and Mattel would take on a license as Marvel if they were contractually mandated to make unpopular product. It would be self deletion.
I miss your more professionally produced videos. Whoever said put you on the videos needs to be slapped. It's embarrassing that you left that cell phone ringing bit in. Just edit it out for Pete's sake.
Maybe the nickname stuck because you keep referring to yourself by it. If you essentially keep asking people to call you by a certain name, social politeness somewhat requires people to call you by that name. I challenge you to not refer to yourself as 'toy guru' anywhere for 12 months and then see if it's still your nickname.
Third party stuff is garbage, and imo it only serves to devalue your brand and your company. I've seen it way too many times, same with branching off into media and live service, unless you have a 2 billion slave caste to purchase your online gambling blind box service. I would really like to see brands like Marvel go to Mcfarlane, SW to maybe Jada, TF back in full control to Takara. Hasbro losing licenses would be far better than their licensing out their IPS and I really hope Cox is on that road with the mass layoffs and real estate purges.
You are the first TH-cam content that finally makes me see that the events unfolding these days are possibly for the best, in terms of the future of beloved toy lines like Star Wars. Great insights on the industry and historical references as always, thank you Scott. I’ve been a regular listener since you started, I’ve learned so much since from your work as well as some of the commenting it triggered on your videos!
Super Mario and Sonic the hedgehog are much bigger brands with kids today than Star Wars is. Jakks was smart to pick those licenses up.
Even if the last movie had been successful, you can't make an Indiana Jones action figure line work if you can't have Mola Ram and you can't have the Nazis. Belloq is a non-action character. He doesn't fight. How can you have a line of action figures if Indy doesn't have anyone to punch? Just sell fedoras and call it a day.
Wasn't Hasbro doing this back in the 80s with Tyco making Transformers train and slot car sets? What about the GI Joe Laser Tag game?
Hasbro has always licensed out some stuff in areas outside their core business. Best example is transformers. They have long licensed out Articulated Transformer characters. For example the Fewture Art Storm ES Gokin Optimus Prime might be the single most definitive specimen of Robot Form Optimus (MSRP was $500 years ago). But the key rule has been the licensed figures cannot transform. They can only be robot or car. And never convert between the two. Now that rule seems to be fading. While at the same time Hasbro is getting much more aggressive going after 3rd party manufacturers of unlicensed stuff. I suspect Fanstoys is getting some interesting letters.
If McFarlane gets Marvel, Transformers & G.I. Joe, I'll be broke. 😂😂😂
If McFarlane sticks to the Classified scale on Joes My wallet is gonna be hurting. If not I don’t know if I want to start over with a new scale size.
@Johndeergreen79
Imagine the detail though, if he goes with 7 inch... I used to love 6 inch figures, I have lots of the classified and I also have lots of Marvel legends & star wars black series which are all 6 inch but I love my 7 inch figures, they just have more detail, Definitely harder to display I'll admit, but they're fantastic.
I’m imagining the heads that would explode if Valaverse somehow licensed the 6” GI Joe collector figure line.
Also, Scott, how come when DC Universe Classics started that first wave had characters like Orion, Etrigan and Metamorpho?
Scott should already open toy stores so that there can be any type of toys and there´s no issue of space.
As a Transformers fan, who frequently doesn't see some figures on shelves, or even evidence some toys reached stores (ie. knowing what figures ship together, & never seeing any), around me, hearing Hasbro referred to as being good at distribution doesn't make sense.
I knew someone, who got a job at the local Toys'r'us. Back in the late 90's, just so they could snipe toys as they came in.
That'd only help with waves that reached his store. Hasbro's distribution is very inconsistent. Sometimes, my area gets waves right away; others take a full year to show up, if they ever do. It's common for final waves to just never be ordered, if there's too many shelfwarmers. I'm sure some TRUs were better at ordering until the end of a line, than others.
I've seen a Target sit for months with zero Leader Class figures. That was weird, to not even see an Optimus or Dinobot that I knew was supposed to be on shelves. And not just one line. No Leader Class, for both Transformers lines with them.
When The Mandalorian came out, baby yoda was an overnight sensation. But they had no toys of baby yoda for a year. Now the market is oversaturated with baby yoda toys. Is that why they have all these toys for these unproven brands, like skeleton? So they don't make that mistake again. Because they lost countless moneys by not having baby yoda when they were high in demand, when everyone and their dog wanted a baby yoda.
Out of curiosity, What was that ringtone? Can't remember it.
From Austin Powers
@ericlewis217 the shaguar phone
Good vid! Thanks.
Was that ring tone from Austin Powers?
10:26 - In my experience, 3rd party stuff sucks. Compare Super 7 Transformers & Joes to Hasbro's. They cost twice as much with middling at best quality.
Great vid. A bit off topic question for the Spector Creative team:
- Is in your opinion the new Masterverse Vintage (bigger upper torso) a correction on the original Masterverse male body mold? I still have a lot of Classics and that sculpt is just amazing, the torso and arms are just great. I was a bit letdown by the new Masterverse body type, the biceps and the upper torso. The legs are great and the face sculpts and paints are also very good.
- I get the impression that action figures are dying out, it's all Marvel, Star Wars and DC. Some Turtles and Jurassic World. No new boys action figure lines in years here in Holland. The only new thing was Fortnite and they are gone from stores. Are action figures just over and only marketed towards adults? Or does Marvel/DC/Starwars cover everything?
- If you guys were to design a brand new toyline original IP, what scale and type would it be? 3.75 inch with vehicles and playsets? Or 6 inch super hero types? Or Imaginext more kids cartoony molds? Would it be gimmick heavy?
Generally: what is the range a sub-licensor pays for a vintage IP like Lite-Brite?
Have you seen them as flat rate or by volume?
Do they still have the same minimum quantity?
What company outside of Hasbro and Mattel would take on a license as Marvel if they were contractually mandated to make unpopular product. It would be self deletion.
You know you can go in and edit your videos, right?
I think it's a shame jakks got the warcraft movie licence Vs warcraft as a whole. They could still be making product to this day if they had.
I miss your more professionally produced videos. Whoever said put you on the videos needs to be slapped. It's embarrassing that you left that cell phone ringing bit in. Just edit it out for Pete's sake.
Maybe the nickname stuck because you keep referring to yourself by it.
If you essentially keep asking people to call you by a certain name, social politeness somewhat requires people to call you by that name.
I challenge you to not refer to yourself as 'toy guru' anywhere for 12 months and then see if it's still your nickname.
Sorry, that came across with more of an aggressive tone than intended
Third party stuff is garbage, and imo it only serves to devalue your brand and your company. I've seen it way too many times, same with branching off into media and live service, unless you have a 2 billion slave caste to purchase your online gambling blind box service. I would really like to see brands like Marvel go to Mcfarlane, SW to maybe Jada, TF back in full control to Takara. Hasbro losing licenses would be far better than their licensing out their IPS and I really hope Cox is on that road with the mass layoffs and real estate purges.
❤
Money is why
What's next?????? Subway is going to start sub-licensing????
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You are the first TH-cam content that finally makes me see that the events unfolding these days are possibly for the best, in terms of the future of beloved toy lines like Star Wars. Great insights on the industry and historical references as always, thank you Scott.
I’ve been a regular listener since you started, I’ve learned so much since from your work as well as some of the commenting it triggered on your videos!
Meh it will be fine I think.
Noone wants the dei stuff
The fuck!?!?!
The fuck are you talking about!?!?!