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Subject: 
Re: Toy Makers Resurrect Dormant Toys
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.general
Date: 
Mon, 5 Feb 2001 23:23:09 GMT
Viewed: 
872 times
  
and Pokémon, the perplexingly
successful Japanese animation series

Darn it, why can't it be perplexingly successful over here?  I can't even
play Gold in public (the video games, incidentally, are the only really
worthwhile part of Pokémon) without getting stares.

and after that Godzilla,
when toymakers were hurt by Sony’s decision to keep the monster off shelves
until the movie was released.>>

More proof that Sony is a company divided as follows:
50% Idiots who don't deserve to be running a successful business
25% Sleazbags who think the only way to get ahead is to sabotage the
competition
20% Gangsters who threaten video game store proprietors
  5% Innocent employees who have the unfortunate distinction of working for
a company whose goal seems to be to infuriate me

<<Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace was a merchandising flop for
Hasbro in 1999. The toy company – which agreed to pay a $450 million advance
for the three Star Wars sequels – at first sold more than $500 million worth
of toys and games linked to the epic. But there was a ton of stuff left on
the market as interest in Star Wars action figures quickly faded. All told,
$150 million worth of merchandise remains unsold.>>

This makes me wonder how high an advance TLC payed for a similar license?
And how badly have they been bitten by it?  Have the Star Wars sets made
money for LEGO yet?

Maybe if the Star Wars line does badly enough, Lego will dump Lucasfilm and
bring back the Space theme.

Then again, maybe they'll decide "N0 1 L1K35 SP4C3 4N7M0R3", being the
geniuses that they seem to be.  I fear that TLC was hit by the Dilbert
Principle a few years ago and shows no signs of recovering.

<<...They are also trying to limit the amount of merchandise hitting stores.
That will be tested later this year when Warner Bros. And Mattel hope to
drum up interest in Harry Potter trivia games and plush dolls as part of the
movie’s release.

It would be nice for everyone if they limited other Harry Potter stuff, too.
Like gift wrap, toothbrushes and bandages.>>

There's the trick.  I've often thought that there should be less toys from
movies - that rarity makes them more valuable.  I don't know how many
different toys were release based on Star Wars, but sometimes it seemed like
thousands.  Sure the movies are a rich source of material, but you don't
have to make a toy out of every object appearing in the movie.

Every alien that appeared onscreen for .01 seconds or more...

A dozen good
ones would probably have been much better than the veritable diarrhea of
toys that actually came out.

Heh, nice description.  ::saves::

-Andy &&



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Toy Makers Resurrect Dormant Toys
 
The most recent issue of Forbes (Feb. 5, 2001) also has a story about "Trouble In Toyland". (By Mark Lacter, Pg 98) The basic theme is that licensing properties for toys isn't as easy as it used to be - a lot of toy makers are loosing money. (...) (23 years ago, 5-Feb-01, to lugnet.general)  

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