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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

There are a few IH figures that are a bit in limbo right now waiting for retailer commitments. As soon as we have confirmation of retailers interested in taking product we will announce them to fans!

2) New Infinite Heroes female articulation was shown on Ravager and Wonder Woman, but will we be seeing elbow joints any time soon?

We are looking forward to getting more articulation for both male and female figures but, again, we need retailer commitments before moving forward with more product.

3) You’ve shown the Attitubes a couple times now, but do you have any update on when a line might be available for purchase?

So far, there has only been lukewarm interest from fans. If there is enough interest we would love to move forward with these fun guys! What say you fans?

4) We already know that Green Lantern is going to be getting a 6 inch line, and at SDCC you mentioned that it’ll have a 3.75 inch presence, but will that be it for Mattel’s Green Lantern offerings?

Hardly! There will be a ton of great GL product in 2011 including some Retro Action figures announced at SDCC for Mattycollector.com. More will be announced as we get closer to the film.

5) You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again: what’re the chances of comic packs for any of your lines?

Always something we are looking into and an execution we did offer in the DCSH line in 2006 and 2007. No plans to revisit right now, but you never know. Stay tuned.

There are pictures aplenty at Toyark and Toy News International but here’s the rundown:

• Firestorm vs Black Lantern Firestorm
• Flash vs Captain Boomerang
• Hal Jordan vs White Lantern Sinestro
• Green Arrow vs Prometheus
• John Stewart vs Atrocitus
• Tomar Re vs Low
• Batman vs. Joker
• Superman vs. Bizarro

Now, I know what you’re saying… heroes packed with villains. Specifically, heroes packed with villains they face. Featuring costumes based on recent, popular stories. And edgy ones at that! Green Arrow and Prometheus are coming off the recent Rise and Fall storyline, which leads into the even more dark and stormy Rise of Arsenal storyline. Low, Atrocitus, Black Lantern Firestorm and White Lantern Sinestro all played prominently in the recent Green Lantern books, especially the zombie-tastic Blackest Night. Even Captain Boomerang has a Blackest Night/Brightest Day tie-in!

Edit: We’ve got updated information for the DC Universe Action League figures in this post.

1) At Toy Fair we saw that Ravager (and unless we’re mistaken, Wonder Woman from the Starro pack) has the new articulation. Are there any plans to give any other female characters in the DC Infinite Heroes line the new articulation?

As we get to new figures in this scale we will incorporate all levels of current articulation and continue to always improve!

2) With the IH numbering discontinued for the 75th Anniversary packaging, will we ever find out who Figure 41, Figure 44, Figure 50, Figure 55, and Figure 57 were?

We’ll try to publish a full list of released figures in the near future.

3) Since we know that a 12″ Tytus and the C&C DCUC figures are possible, will we ever see a larger scale IH figure? More specifically, will we ever see a larger scale humanoid IH figure? Since we know (and are psyched about!) Starro will be offered at SDCC this year.

If the Infinite Heroes line continues then this would be a great way to get out some new news for the line!

4) The Action League Metamorpho is packaged as the Element Man. Is that a result of the name being trademarked, and if so, have you considered an approach like Marvel’s (i.e. calling the figure “DC’s Metamorpho”)?

The name “Element Man” was the name DC provided for this figure in package.

6) So far we know that a couple different teams are only missing a member or two, like Beast Boy/Changeling for the New Teen Titans, Kid Flash for the Flash family, Alan Scott for the JSA, Captain Cold for the Rogues, and Superboy (although he might be unavailable due to legal issues?) for the even newer Teen Titans/Young Justice. Have these absences been intentionally planned out or have they just sort of been victims of happenstance where no “right time” arose for these characters to be released?

All of these are just happenstance. No one has been initially left off the table and we do have plans to finish off these teams as soon as we can. Definitely don’t read into anything!

Now off to the message board to discuss!

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!