Subject:
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Re: Ninja Line, why was it cut short?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.loc.au, lugnet.org.au
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Date:
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Thu, 13 Jul 2000 20:37:31 GMT
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Viewed:
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829 times
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In lugnet.loc.au, Jon Furman writes:
> I think that there may be a few reasons that the ninja line was cut short.
> However I don't believe that they sold "poorly" anywhere in the world. If
> they did, you would have seen more sets for sale as shop at home phone
> specials as they tried to clear out back stock.
I live in the US, so I can't really speak knowledgably to OZ. BUT, I have
recently noticed discount retailers carrying Ninja Surprise and Treasure
Transport at 25% off MSRP or more. The treasure Transport is a nice little
parts resource for me, The Ninja Surprise is a little overpriced That being
said Nija is my favorite Lego theme in years (tied w/ SW sets)
> To date the Flying fortress
> and the emperors stronghold are the only ones to have appeared there. I
> believe now that the line has been cancelled, we will see them sold very cheap
> thru s.a.h.. This does not dissappoint me, as I want as many sets as i can
> get.
I have many multiple copies of all the sets, but I will still buy more = )
> Around 1999 there was a tremendous amount of excitement surrounding the
> release of the star wars line. With the natural success of the star wars
> theme, most consumers ignored the other new themes introduced around the
> time. No steps were taken to effectively promote the other lines and I feel
> they suffered in comparison.
I essentilly agree w/ your assessment. However, atthe times those themes
were released, I travelled extensively throughout NY state and the East
coast. The 6093 FNF and 5988 Ruins were selling well even at ful price. As
a matter of fact, the Ninja lie was particularly hard to find (even at TRU)
at its inception. The $20 Samurai Stronghold and Stone Tower Bridge would
disappear when they weren't even sale priced.
> The Ninja sets were great sets, all you had to
> do was build one to find out,
I agree whole heartedly w/ this. The Royal Knights and Fright Knights sets
that proceeded the Ninja theme were boring for me (although I never got the
flagship Castle)
> but who has enough money to buy star wars and
> ninja, and adventurers (which by the way were great sets, never given a second
> run at their egyptian beginnings).
> If you make a quality Product that is sought after, people will find a way to buy them all = )
I agree that the 1st generation of Egyptian Adventurers barely scratched the
surface of the possibilities. Ifinally acquired a couple of 5988 on
discount...I really like this set.
Add to that an overcrowding of space
> themes still existing from the overloaded (exploriens, aliens, robot, etc)mid
> 1990's and you have a jammed market that is hard to thrive in.
I thin this is more of a compelling argument than consumers not being able
toafford them all...lol. I used to work in retail and was involved in many
discussions space/shelf limitations and the need to carry a good selection,
but sometimes not the entire manufacturer's line. If retailers had alot of
sets from the past filling the shelves, they didn't have the capital or the
space to add new sets and prepare for the SW blitz.
> Secondly, there was never a clear storyline given to the ninja theme. Who is
> good and who is bad? What are their names? Who's side is the Ninja princess
> on? The red(Fire) Ninja's. Even the shop at home catalogs are convoluted and
> confusing.
S@H catalogs are even contradictory w/ Ninja theme presentation(IIRC). I
agree that a cohesive story and explanation would have truly benefitted the
line of Ninja sets. My experience w/ my friend's kids indiates that
children still like the simple presentation of Good guys vs. Bad guys. Lego
did an ok job initially, but never really expained how the second generation
sets fit in.
> Thirdly, I think that TLG just kinda gave up like they did with the Wild west
> theme.
I agree that TLG seemed to quick to focus its resources elsewhere...I think
the adventurer and Ninja themes may have suffered. Like Wild West, I think
there were so many unrealized possibilities to the lines.
> There were obviously new items to be added, look at the new S.A.H.
> minifig sets, why would they include Green Ninja's now just as the theme is
> being closed? Because all of the other pieces can be used in other sets,
> except the figures! Sell them now as collectors exclusives and make a little
> money back on a lost venture.
I disagree with that assertion. The black and Blue 1st generation Samurai
can be added to Black Falcon castle armies fairly easily. The ninja Torsos
and other Samurai can easily be reworked into peasants (especially if TLG
removed the throwing star and dagger graphics)
I think there was alot of potential and initial investment put into the
Ninja theme...look at the introduction of great new parts like the wooden
doors, sloped wall sections, figure detail, etc. Frigh Knights didn't
contribute many new parts to the mix...Ninja incorporated the tan/beige
bricks, new windless wall sections, ec. that are great inside and beyond the
theme.
> They chose to rework the adventurers (TWICE!) why didn't they do more the the
> ninja sets? Maybe they were to adult oriented? Maybe they didn't sell the
> BIG sets as well as they liked? Maybe they just realized they were
> overextended.
I suspect that adventuers had a more universal appeal. With the advent of
recent mummy/egypt movies and the continuing popularity of Indiana Jones,
Adventurers seemed to sell well here in my corner of the world.
I think that Lego may have been overextended and eager to prepare for the
new Star Wars mania. I don't think the Ninja theme has the same mystique as
traditional Castle sets. Many more eurocentric consumers are familiar w/
King Arthur, Excalibur etc than Japanese history and culture.
> At any rate I'm sad to see it go. At least they used it to kill off those
> awful fright knights. If they ever bring back the pirates, I'll be stoked!
> Jon
I used to think the same way about Pirates....but witnessing the
juniorization of town, the mediocrity of Fright Knights, and the less than
impressive rebirth of Castle...I fear a new Pirate theme would be a major
let down.
John
(Long winded, but I seem to come running when people discuss Ninja...lol)
> In lugnet.loc.au, Jamie Obrien writes:
> > Hi, looking through my old catalogues, and lnoticed that the Ninja
> > range were originally released in '98, with new additions in '99.
> > Normally they run the themes, although on a smaller page allotment,
> > for 1 year after the new releases. But not so with the '99 ninja
> > series'. Were they that bad a seller in Oz?
> >
> > Jamie Obrien
> > jamien@interworx.com.au
> > <If Brains were gunpowder, i wouldn't have enough to blow my nose
> > ATM!>
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: Ninja Line, why was it cut short?
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| I think that there may be a few reasons that the ninja line was cut short. However I don't believe that they sold "poorly" anywhere in the world. If they did, you would have seen more sets for sale as shop at home phone specials as they tried to (...) (24 years ago, 13-Jul-00, to lugnet.loc.au, lugnet.org.au)
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