Community > Other Toy Lines

Tough Year For Toys

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Scott:
Man talk about an eye opener, MOTU, Simpsons both bite the dust, SW launches a new line with 14 rereleases out of 20, KB and FAO go down the tubes.  These my friends are sad times for the toy buyer

Brian:
Yeah, I agree Scott, I was just thinking the same thing today after reading that news about Simpsons.  It sure has been rough times lately.  Don't get me wrong, I am really psyched about the Star Wars offerings for 2004, even though there are a lot of re-releases, but the other stuff looks great (particularly the vintage-modern OTC figures...Dagobah and Bespin waves as well).  Is it just the fact that kids aren't "into" action figures like we were when we were kids?  I will say that almost every time I visit Target to check out the SW stuff, there are a couple of boys looking at various lines (sometimes even Star Wars).  It does seem different than in the 80s though, unless I am out of touch with kids.  I know my friends and I all had fairly extensive collections of several lines at the same time (Star Wars, Joe, MOTU, MASK, Transformers, Thundercats, Marvel or Super Powers)...I don't know if kids today are quite like that.  All that Pokemon-ish stuff is more their flava now maybe :).  Anyways, you are right, definitely a tough time lately.

jadesfire:
 I agree.  Barbie (Mattel) has totally changed its look and this has had a trickle down effect to the other dolls in the line.  Kelly dolls, in particular, are now redone to look like "Bratz" dolls with that awful 'squished' face.  The previous dolls in the line for the end of 2003 and beginning of 2004 have been sent out of the country to focus attention on the new look, which basically ends my ability to complete my daughters collection.
(But Brent and Dale are helping make amends to this) ;).

Mattel has now gone so far as to "break-up" Barbie and Ken so that they can add some new hype to the line.  Honestly, kids are fickle and jump from one fad to the next.  I think Mattel should really think hard about changing so much of Barbie's "standard" look in order to try to by hip with the times.  Barbie has been their bread-and-butter toy for years, I'm still surprised that they would risk the facial change that I've read about to try to lure girls back when a few years down the road, the standard Barbie face might be all the rage again.

As for the Simpson line, I did enjoy purchasing these for my son's collection but they have pretty much made as many characters as they could.   With so much out there competing for the expendable money kids (and adults) have, it's a given that some of the lines are going to take a hard hit and not survive.  

I wonder what other lines will fold in 2004.

Morgbug:
Disappointing, but timely for me.  I'm sad to see the Simpsons go, but they'd been waning for a while.  I can only presume I might not get all the Homers previously announced.  I had hoped for Sasquatch Homer, but oh well, I'll be happy with Deep Space Homer.  And if they are doing a THOH5, hopefully it too will have a Homer figure.  

I'm currently in a toy collecting doldrum anyway, so I'm kind of lackadaisical about the whole thing anyway.  Not sure why either.  All the toy fair SW stuff is great, but McFarlane just seriously disappointed me, which is my other main collecting line.  I guess I shouldn't be too sad, I still have good luck finding variants and they'll just be pure trade bait now.  

Hmmph. :-\

Jesse James:
BBI actually supplied me with a buttload of cool stuff...  Lots of new figures (Looks like some Brits, Maybe Canucks, Frenchies...  Various forces).  An F18 fighter TO SCALE.  You wanna talk huge?  You wanna talk "Hasbro should be making scale ships!" then just look at this thing.

It's just a huge airplane!

The unfortunate thing was that 21st Century Toys had little to show it seems aside from their upcoming Spitfires.  I want one of those, but am PO'd at no sign of new carded figures.

21st has jerked its fan-base along that we're getting Japanese Infantry, USMC figures, modern military figures, and a mass re-release (online or otherwise) of the Battle of the Bulge US infantry and German infantry (who'd be released for the first time).

Not a damn word from them other than more planes that'll clog shelves at Wal-Mart.

When they'll wake up and see that planes don't sell well but figures do, I don't know.  They can move minimal #'s of high-ticket items, but not 30 or 40 of the same damn plane on a single WM's shelf ya know?

Oh well...  Hopefully all in good time.  We need more WW2 figures.

Oh, and Dragon had some 1:18 offerings, very few though, but some amazing 1:6 figures including a wonderful German Medic.  First German Medic figure I've ever seen.

And Army of Darkness 1:18 figures.  Keep your eyes peeled for those if you're a customizer.  Skeletal remains for your Lars Homestead burnt corpses may be a reality finally.  ;D

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