wow

hopefully that means they can actually be friggin' found w/o having to buy a whole box

 

Sadly, sucks-ass distribution is a systemic problem Mattel-wide. We have to deal with it on the Jurassic side too.

What's the point of making really cool shit if nobody can ever get it without having to go Secondary Market?

 

One of the reasons why I refuse to collect JP. That Spino debacle was the nail in the coffin for me. Absolutely inexcusable. I want to buy an Indominus, but what's the point?

And the same goes with Boomco and Mattel Halo 6" figures. I'm glad and disappointed that 343 pulled the license from these dummies. They don't deserve it.

On the other hand, their reliance on TRU I think is what threw everything into disarray, so it is really their fault? I don't know...

 

I wouldn't bet on it, but who knows.

It's honestly a crapshoot with this company.

 

Spinogate and Legacy non-distribution were totally Target's fault, though, they simply refuse to stock and even execs I've talked to are openly hostile to the line--they're taking the bare minimum to keep Mattel dealing with them and only buying rights to exclusives to deny them to anybody else.

First thing Mattel needs is better contract lawyers who'll put Use It Or Lose It clauses into things. Then they need a competent web team who can see beyond "Hot Wheels and Barbie are the only things that matter," and then an e-commerce team who know dogcrap from peanut butter to build them a new web-store. Or hell, outsource it as an Amazon storefront until somebody finds a crowbar to pry their head out of their ass--and start ensuring that all exclusives become "Shared" between Retail Partner and D2C, like Lego does, so there's at least one retail channel for everything made rather than it all getting dumped in the UK or Latin America or Korea.

I actually cried in despair when I heard they got the Top Gun license, because that means yet ANOTHER piece of my childhood they're gonna drop trou and shit all over...  

 

I mean, I managed to get the previous wave on Amazon, even if I had to wait a little.

 

Assorted insider sources at CollectJurassic, Jurassic Outpost and a private Discord chat. Warren Buffett did the same thing with the fast-food rights just to screw Mickey D's and BK out of a big moneymaker even though DQ never does crap with their licenses.

The Target folks I've talked to would only talk to me under Strict Anonymity conditions.

 

Newest custom and I found the $9.99 check point sets at ROSS I found tge blue pirate Destiny armory for $4.99 at Ollie's.

Ollie's had Chet's Toy Shop for $9.99

Ollie's is gearing up for Christmas and ROSS said they start in 2 weeks

 

This is extremely intriguing, and enraging. It makes me want to boycott Target completely.

Then again, like you said, Mattel seems to be just too stupid to do better contracts, put up a website that isn't Geocities slow, and sell products like they're in the 21st Century Global Economy.

 

Rumblings from an article I saw on one of the big investor websites, can't remember if it was Fortune, Forbes or one of the others, is that they really want to wind down the toy business and totally transition to IP's and licensing other than their small core portfolio of "owned moneymakers"--meaning Barbie and Hot Wheels; I suspect the only reason Matchbox gets as much as it does is to maintain cash-grab in other countries where Hot Wheels traditionally don't sell well, UK in particular since MBX is still considered the "home team" brand somewhat.

 

When I first skimmed over the listing, I thought that was an estimated shipping window.

 

I always thougt it was to keep the illusion of choice up for the consumer.

The vast majority of people don't know they are both Matty owed.

 

Haha - ships within 1-3 months.
Nice try, Amazon.

 

I still have a halo heroes Carter on preorder that I preordered years ago. Amazon keeps telling me it’s coming soon

 

Is there anywhere to get the heroes anymore? Target doesn't carry them and Walmart just took them off the shelves.

 

Meijer still has them but are clogged with the Teela/Futurama wave.

 

The HEB is where people are finding them now

 

Sadly, meijer's doesn't exist in Pittsburgh. It's a nice hunting ground when I visit family in Kentucky or Michigan though.

What is this HEB?

 

I remember seeing an article like that, and that the future was media, but I lost it. Pissed me off so much, especially when the LoL CEO was poked fun at for wanting to buy them.

Toy fans can laugh all they want, but without that guy, in 5-10 years your favs by Mattel might not be around because they just want to make stupid games and movies (both are critical and good for brand recognition which Hasbro has learned, but not at the expense of the toys you're trying to support)