I remember there being an article or comment that Hasbro found that research showed kids like 5" figures better
Y'know, I really believe they believe that. I'm just not sure why it matters so much. Really, when you think about it, a "kid" is supposedly not such a discerning buyer. In point of fact, the kid really isn't even a buyer at all. Yes, they whine, beg and generally pester their parents (who are
supposed to be in charge of the conversation) but the conversation, after the parent gives in, is almost universally:
well, do you want the toy or not? I really can't see a 6-7 year old saying no to the parent because the scale is wrong. Honestly?
So sure, I'm certain some focus group carried out by Hasbro using some representative portion of the kid market was indeed carried out. I'm confident the statistical analysis of the results said something like
72.4% of children preferred the smaller scale because of they fit in their pocket and they are more suited to smaller hands. I'm also fairly confident the study questions were selected to achieve that outcome because it was associated with a reduced cost or increased profit margin by altering the scale.
Time after time after time though we hear it's for the children. Ok, so explain to me again how many 6 year olds really give a care about anything other than a movie figure? Oh right, they don't, because aside from Wolverine they're probably not aware of that character. So why switch and alienate a portion of the market? You know, that portion of the market that ISN'T buying Tanus Spijek in the Star Wars line? Tanus Who?
What I do think is that Hasbro, seemingly moreso than other toy manufacturers, routinely underestimate the dollar value that collectors account for. We hear it from panels all the time; in star wars references it's in movie years that children account for more $$. Well, with a movie one year in three and a finite series of movies going to be done, just what are you thinking? Certainly not the long term view, that much is readily apparent.
I've said it seemingly a thousand times in here before, but I won't change the scale of my collection, I'll just stop. Here at least that's the majority opinion, I don't know if it is elsewhere. But I'm guessing there's enough like me that didn't buy the movie figures. I said it before, I'd have bought 6-8 figures were they in scale with my collection. I just don't understand how that's insignificant. What would they have lost for those 8 figures, maybe 2 kids complaining about the figure being too big? C'mon.
As final comment, my daughter could care less when she's got her Polly Pockets playing with Wonder Woman from the JLA line, Black Cat from Marvel Legends and any other figure of the sort. She's using her imagination (presumably a commodity in short supply, or at least assumed to be by Hasbro) and isn't sitting there ruminating on what scale the figures should be. That's a consideration for neurotic collecting adults.
