Archive for the ‘Mattel’ Category:
Mattel Q&A April 1, 2011 – Toy Story Buddies, 3.75 inch SA Hal and more!
Toy Story fans rejoice because there will be as many as 8 all new characters in the Toy Story Buddies line this year! Head on over to the Ask Matty thread to pose your questions for the next Mattel Q&A.
1) Now that Toy Fair has come and gone, can you give us more insight into the future of the Toy Story Buddies? Other than a Dolly and a grimacing Lotsa, not a lot of new product was shown, leaving fans to wonder if the line is nearing its end and whether there will be product related to the upcoming short films.
We love the buddy segment and will be supporting it in 2011 with tons of new characters. As I am sure you know, in 2010 the line was focused exclusively on TS3 characters. In 2011 we will be introducing as many as 8 all new characters, including one of Sids toys and a Spanish Buzz! We will also be going back into the archive to pull out characters that were not available last year!
2) Will we see any other Disney or Disney/Pixar properties represented in a Buddies or Action League format?
Right now we do not have any to announce beyond the Toy Story figures from the Disney team. Stay tuned!
3) Many 3.75 inch collectors have waited patiently for DC related news only to be disappointed in the less articulated Green Lantern figures. Is there be a more collector oriented line of 3.75 DC figures, either Green Lantern or not, coming?
The collector line for GL is in the 6” scale. The 3 ¾”line is our kid line and to keep the SRP at $6.99 we had to go with kid style articulation. But we are working on trying to find a way to do at least one really great SA Hal figure in this scale down the road. Toy Guru is determined!
4) With Young Justice figures that ship with a veritable mini-playset, and Green Lantern Classics having a three-pack of smaller characters, can we expect the DCUC line to experiment with multiple smaller characters for instance, including Brain as an accessory or Gizmo or Damian Wayne as the alternative to a BAF piece?
Yes, this is something we are looking into, but nothing to confirm right now.
5) DCUC has recently unveiled the “Super Friends”, and of course Batman Beyond and the Public Enemies styling have been represented previously, so does this mean that other DC Animated styles and original characters are possibilities? For instance, characters or designs from the Teen Titans animated series, or Justice League?
We do have access to these, but right now our animated line will focus on Young Justice.
Ask Matty 3/15/11 – Green Lantern Action League, JLU and More
It’s time for the latest edition of Ask Matty, and this time we hit a number of great Mattel lines, from the WWE Rumblers to the Green Lantern Action League figures, to the soon to be ending JLU line
I now regret asking about the Justice League figures because I would have loved all the ones Toyguru mentioned.
1) Can you tell us more about the Walmart Green Lantern Action League
figures, for instance, how many are in each pack, or what the assortment
is?
They will be in three-packs, in both movie and classic comic looks. Look for them in May at Wal-Mart!
2) With the new emergence of the WWE Rumblers line, what is the chance we may get a legends rumblers line such as legion of doom, demolition, the Rock, yokozuna, diesel etc done in the mini scale like these 2 packs?
As the line continues we will always look to add new talent to Rumblers and that includes Legends where appropriate. The better the Rumblers line does at retail, the deeper into the roster we will be able to go!
3) It sounds like the final days of the Justice League line are already
planned: which figures do you regret not having had a chance to make?
From Toyguru:
“Personally I would have loved to do a Wild West pack with Bat Lash and Hex as well as Bruce in a Cowboy hat. Granny was always on the wish list as are more New God characters. I also thought it would be great to get to more Cadmus scientists and King Faraday, maybe with a Jetpack like in “To another shore,”
4) The classic Batman animated figures, or at least oddly-repainted
versions of them, continue to live on in bargain stores like Big Lots,
so is there any chance that Justice League will share the same fate?
No, the focus will shift to Young Justice for this scale. JLU will not
be offered as a discount line the way Batman figures have been.
5) Will we have “mega packs” for the DC Universe Action League, either
pairing larger figures with smaller figures, or multiple figures and
slightly larger animals/creatures/vehicles?
This is something we are looking into, but nothing to announce right now!
Ask Matty February 1, 2011
Not much meat on the bones of these answers unfortunately, but it’s worth noting that a Batman the Brave and the Bold set featuring Batman and Superman double teaming a bad guy has shown up at Walmart so there’s at least a little life in the line.
1) There’ve been reports of DC Universe Action League figures getting pretty visible scuffing from minor play and contact. Is Mattel looking into ways to minimize “battle damage”?
We are always working on quality control and ways to improve figures and products.
2) Thanks to the Batman Brave and the Bold line, DC Universe Action League has inherited some bat-related vehicles but since this line is a great tour of the DC Universe how likely are vehicles and playsets for this line?
At this point we don’t have plans to release any of the B&TB vehicles in the Action League DCU line, but you never know what the future will bring!
3) Batman Brave and the Bold Total Armor figures are hitting stores now, so can fans and collectors expect any new characters?
You’ll just need to wait for NYTF to find out!
4) Now that the Infinite Heroes line is gone, can you tell us what figures were planned for Figure 41, Figure 44, and Figure 50? Even if we’ll never see them, it’d be nice to learn what we missed!
We don’t have this list handy, but we’ll see if we can dig it up with our licensor partner.
5) With Toy Fare coming up, you’re probably going to keep your cards close to your chest, but is it safe to say that if a character is on the packaging for DC Universe Action League (Kilowog, Guardian, Martian Manhunter) they’ve got a better than average chance of making it into the line?
Not always. There are many times when figures wind up on packaging and don’t always make it out there. Many times sales logistics and orders will dictate production and not every figure we work on always makes it to shelf.
Ask Matty 1/15/11 – New DCUC 5-pack, Rumblers, Young Justice News
Although our question about the Action League versus WWE Rumblers didn’t quite get the response I was hoping for (the question was more of a “why do they get all the good stuff!” question), the DCUC 5-pack answer gives us lots to look forward to!
1) Although it’s still early, what are the chances of Young Justice getting the 3.75 inch or Action League treatment?
We will have to see how the 4 ¼-inch line and 6-inch line does before expanding to other scales.
2) If the C&C Hall of Justice is a success, can we expect other display backdrops/set pieces in various lines such as a JLA meeting room, Batcave computer, Fortress of Solitude, or Legion of Doom headquarters?
Certainly a possibility, but we will need to see how the first figures do before announcing any other plans.
3) In a previous Q&A, you mentioned the number of launch pieces for WWE Rumblers, including single packs, accessories, and sets but it seems the DC Universe Action League is launching with a relative whimper… 4 two-packs that are just starting to trickle out via online retailers. Can you help us understand why the WWE Rumblers are getting such a push, while Action League is relatively quiet?
Action League will be at all the major retailers, like most collector product, it just tends to hit online first. Look for it everywhere in 2011!
4) Presumably you’ve had a little time to evaluate how well the DCUC 5-packs featuring the Gotham villains and Green Lanterns have done… will there be any future DCUC 5-packs?
Yes. These packs have done well and will continue in 2011 with an-all new pack to be announced at NYTF at our collector night on Feb 13 from 3-6pm. This pack will have five all-new figures. One of which is a new version of a previous character and the other four have never been in the DCUC line before.
5) With MOTUC doing well, and Ghostbusters chugging along, are there any other toy lines you’re considering for subscription treatment?
Right now it is only these two.
So head on over to our Ask Matty thread to jump in with some new questions!
Ask Matty 12/15/10 – MOTUC Shadow Beasts, Action League and Toy Story
Unfortunately several of our questions couldn’t be answered, but at least now we know there’s no 2011 pack-ins like the 75th Anniversary buttons, and what the reasoning behind the Masters of the Universe Classics Filmation inspired Shadow Beasts (can the figures be inspired by, if not based on? Curse the legalities!)
1) Understanding the general rules for which characters you are and are not allowed to make in MOTUC, I’m left with a question. While Shadow Beasts have appeared in the MYP cartoon show, the upcoming figure is not at all based on those shadow beasts, but instead are very obviously based on the Filmation beasts (the head design, color, hands, body shape, etc). Why is the rule different for the Shadow Beasts than for Filmation “look” wasn’t allowed, but then it seems the Shadow Beast is a mysterious exception.
All of the figures in MOTUC are based on updated versions of the vintage toy. In the case of a figure from the 200X series or a character like the Shadow Beasts it is an update on what a hypothetical vintage figure would look like. So first we imagine how the character would look if it was in the vintage line and then update it for classics!
2) Will Action League have movie or storyline specific sub-lines? (ie, Blackest Night, Green Lantern, Batman, Superman)
We’ll have to see how it does, but that is always a possibility!
3) Some Batman Brave and the Bold Action League figures that were thought to be canceled (ie, winged Batman in 90′s movie color) appear to have been released in single bubble cards. Can you give us a rundown of what figures are being distributed this way and where people might be able to find them?
The Brave and the Bold team was not available this week but we will try to have this questions answered ASAP!
4) Will there be a pack-in for DC lines in 2011 similar to the 75th Anniversary Buttons?
No, not for 2011.
5) What Toy Story Buddies and Action Link style toys (if any) can fans expect in 2011?
We are not yet ready to reveal the 2011 Toy Story line but look for that news in the near future!
Young Justice Action Figures
hurrijak posted a picture of the upcoming line of Young Justice action figures over on the board and they look good. The new Aqualad, Speedy, Kid Flash and Icicle Jr. are shown, but no word yet on what other figures will be in the line, what the price is, or whether female sculpts can be expected. Hopefully we’ll have more news as it comes!
Edit: OK, we’re behind the times with that line! Apparently AFI has a thread going back to December 2 answering all our questions and more, including a helpful post by Red Ricky explaining the following:
Other bits of Information:
1. Line-up for 2011 will consist of 12 singles.
2. Hall of Justice is 25 inches wide (and I guess made out of 12 pieces.)
3. They will also offer 2-packs in the 4.25 inch scale (I guess, instead of 3-packs) that will come with a Character ID display.
4. They said that they would also make more articulated, 6 inch figures, of the Young Justice Characters. And that these would be sculpted by the Four Horsemen. They also said that they would retain “the animated style”. So fans of the DCUC line might be looking at another Public Enemies Scenario.
5. So far, the singles will consist of Speedy, Kid Flash, Aqualad and Icicle Jr.
6. 2-packs will consist of Batman & Robin, Flash & Kid Flash, Aquaman & Aqualad.
7. The 6 inch Horsemen Figures scheduled are Robin, Aqualad and Artemis.
8. Other figures for the year are “to be determined”.
Tags: Young Justice
Toy Talk Stampede 12/7/10
Imaginext fleshes out the Justice League with Hawkman and Flash action figures, while Killer Croc adds to Batman’s rogues, thanks to some digging by Toxin. A little farther down that thread and ARBCOToys tells us about the Target Joker’s Fun House pack with bonus Two-Face, Joker and Riddler (with hat) figures.
We also discuss this week’s issue of Toy Fare magazine, which features a pretty spiffy version of the Destroyer armor on the cover.
Brian shows us the ninja prowess of Snake Eyes and Toxin and Jessevader team-up to tackle the mystery of the Toy Story buddies mystery figures from an SDCC poster.
