Posts Tagged ‘Ask Matty’
Ask Matty for February 15, 2012 – Polly Pocket and the New 52
Here’s the latest Ask Matty Q&A, with more hope for the future Polly Pocket. And just as a reminder, we’re currently renovating the message board, so keep checking there for the latest news.
How do DC’s television plans, for instance the upcoming DC nation shorts, “Super Best Friends” and potential live action Green Arrow, factor into Mattel’s plans for future line-ups?
Sorry, this is not information we can share with the public at this time.
Will future waves of Action League feature New-52 style DC characters, or will Action League remain a haven for more classic characters?
You can potentially see new 52 characters in all of our lines. They are not restricted to 6″.
DC’s New 52 appears to be making many steps to broaden the exposure base of its characters, for instance, introducing digital combo packs, shucking high numbered books for ready-made collections and jettisoning continuity. Can we expect increased comic tie-ins, such as comic packs, action figure ads in the comic books or mail-in exclusive figures?
We do not have plans for comic book packs ins right now, but it is certainly something to explore.
Will there be an increased presence of gimmicks and action features in WWE, for instance, the Force Flex Lightning?
For the kid aimed product, yes. Collector product less so.
Will we see more DC Universe themed Polly Pocket figures and if so, will they remain a seasonal impulse item?
It is possible. Nothing to announce right now but the previous ones were big sellers!
Ask Matty February 1, 2012 – Action League Vehicles and the future of 3.75 Inch DC
Expecting some 3.75 inch love from DC at Toy Fair? Think again! But apparently we can expect to see what Dark Knight Rises toys! If you’d like to ask some questions, ask them over in the Ask Matty thread
1) Considering the number and variety of vehicles already produced for the Brave and the Bold line, is there any chance that some of these will be repurposed or re-released as part of the DC Universe line?
No, not at this time.
2) The DCU All-Star figures revealed so far have been an unusual combination of apparent repaints and figures requiring minimal tooling. Would larger waves allow more unique sculpts?
There will be some figures with more tooling and others with less depending on the best execution for each character.
3) Can we expect any news about the future of DC’s 3.75 plans at the upcoming Toy Fair?
No. We do not have a DC 3 3/4″ line planned at this time. Maybe down the road.
4) With Dark Knight Rises coming this summer, what product lines can consumers expect to see? 6 inch? 3.75 inch? Action League?
We will have this to announce at NYTF.
5) With a fresh slate of DC direct-to-DVD animated movies coming out this year, can we expect any Mattel tie-ins like either the Public Enemies line, or the one-off retailer exclusive figure pack-ins?
At this time, no we do not have plans for this in out 2012 lines.
Ask Matty December 15, 2011 – DC Universe Props, Action League
Will there be any props similar to the Ghostbusters trap for the DC Universe, or are those rights tied up by other companies?
We can definitely explore props for DC Universe. This would be a great execution for Mattycollector.com. So be on the lookout there for any announcements about future prop replicas!
Is there an estimated in-store date for the Flashpoint wave of Action League figures?
The Flashpoint-themed mix is scheduled to hit shelves around February 2012.
Is Mattel able to make Young Justice or YJ styled figures based on characters that haven’t appeared in the show (although there’s certainly enough actual appearances to choose from)?
Although this could be a possibility, our focus has been on characters that have appeared in the animated series.
With Wildstorm characters in the “mainstream” DCU right now, and Milestone characters appearing in Young Justice, are both available for Mattel action figures?
Yes, these characters are available for Mattel action figures, however we don’t have anything specific to announce at this time.
Hasbro has recently launched it’s own construction toy brand, Kre-O. Has Mattel given any thought to producing it’s own line of construction toys?
Sorry, Mattel can’t comment on any in development concepts or ideas!
Got any questions for Mattel? Ask Matty here!
Mattel Q&A May 1, 2011 – Voltron Subscriptions, Matty Collector Sales Gauge
1) As you know, there’s been some criticism of Matty Collector sales.
Collectors are told that future product hinges on sales, but no figures are ever given (of either actual sales or required sales) for business reasons and collectors get mixed messages about figure sales (product is pulled or “no longer available” to focus sales on other products like with the Cyber Monday Parademon controversy).
Have you considered implementing a “thermometer” or other way for fans to know when sales have met, or are failing to meet, expectations without giving away concrete numbers?
Actually yes, this is something we are looking into for the future!
2) Has Mattel looked into cross-packing Action League, Buddies or Rumblers with other lines? For instance, including an Action League version of a character with their DCUC version?
No, there are no plans for this type of mix and match between lines at this time. Cool idea though!
3) There hasn’t been a Fourth World figure in DCUC since Desaad in Wave 12, there were no Fourth World figures at all in DCIH, DC Universe Action League has so far been Green Lantern dominated, and the only place to find Kirby’s signature characters recently have been in the soon-to-go Justice League line. Can we expect more New Gods any time soon?
We do have more New Gods planned. You’ll just need to hang in there. They are coming!
4) Continuing our quest to ask you about every toy possibility: Is there a chance we’ll see Ghostbusters in an Action League or Buddies style? So far you’ve had 12 inch, 6 inch and retro style figures, but don’t you think they’d lend themselves to the more animated designs of a Buddy?
This is something we have looked into. No plans right now but maybe down the road, especially when and if there is a new film!
5) With SDCC coming up soon, will you be announcing any new toy line subscriptions?
Yes, there will be a Voltron subscription program. We will have details at SDCC.
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 4/15/10
We just got a new round of answers back from Mattel and here they are!
1) Any chance we could see some more obscure villains in the various DC lines? For instance, a Catman would be great!
Catman would be great, but we can’t comment on unannounced figures. We do have plans for a lot more villains in the line.
2) Even though Music Meister only showed up in the Brave & the Bold TV show, would it be possible to see him in DCIH?
Sure, but not likely in the near future.
3) Is the current similar style of the Toy Story Buddies and Action League Minis a style that is being planned to carry over into other products as a sort of in-house “Mattel Mini” style? Will we see it again?
Yes, this is a “form factor” we are interested in exploring.
4) Have you considered re-releasing repaints of complete C&C figures on Mattycollector or shop.mattel.com so that collectors of different scales (ok, just IH) can get bigger characters without having to pick up other figures?
This all depends on how the DCUC Wave 5 re-release goes. It is our big test to see how re-releases do.
5) Several Brave and the Bold figures such as Solomon Grundy (“Zombie Hitman”), and the individual Metal Men have been given name changes. Can you give us some insight into why some figures get name changed?
There are several reasons for this including, comments from our licensor partners, kid testing, and trademark issues for using a name on a toy.
Well, there you have it! Now, if you want to discuss these answers, or post some questions of your own that you want us to Ask Matty, then head on over to the board!
Ask Matty 3/15
We just got in the newest round of answers back from Mattel and here they are!
1) Why do some characters in DCIH get treated with the old body while they were previously treated with the new mold? For example: we got multi-articulation Flash (Barry) & Psycho Pirate in the Crisis 4-pack only to later be released in single packs with the old mold instead of multi-articulation?
Many times something like this is the case of an older toy being released later then expected even after newer versions of a character have been available through other channels.
2) Is the theme for DCIH this year going to be the 75th Anniversary or is there going to be a more story-specific theme like last year with its Crisis theme?
Yes, the theme for Infinite Heroes in 2010 will be DC 75th!
3) In your 2009 MOTUC round-up, you mentioned having a roll-out through 2016. With DCIH and DCUC being tied to developments in the comic books, how far ahead are those lines planned out?
The DC lines are currently planned through 2011. We will start working on the 2012 line later this year.
4) For MOTUC, the upcoming figure stands apparently have a modular element to them (a piece of rubble that snaps into the stands); will additional modular elements, for instance larger wall panels, be created?
We are looking into ways of expanding scenic offerings, but nothing is set in stone right now (no pun intended!)
5) There are extra entries on The Secret Saturday’s Cryptipedia for Komodo, Duah, Tapire-Iauara, and the Amarok. Coincidentally, these are the same cryptids featured in the TRU exclusive pack, however the pack comes with the same cards as the single non-exclusive cryptids. Could we get an explanation as to why this is?
This was simply a issue with what cards were available to use when this customized item went into production. No other secret there!
There you go! As always, you can head on over to the board to discuss.
