Readers please note that these questions were sent in prior to Toy Fair 2008, and, for that reason, the questions are a little more generic (because there's really no way to anticipate what Hasbro will show at the big show). If you want to know about the economics of Star Wars figures, the reasoning behind the scenes, and the figures' figures, well, we've got the answers. (And one non-answer, but we can't win 'em all.)
Galactic Hunter: Among the Hasbro Star Wars team is there anyone who sort of speaks for or represents the fanboy/fangrrl collectors when ideas are being pitched? We know our input is considered, and we appreciate it.
HASBRO: The simple answer is that members of the teams do read the boards and are able to bring outside perspective to the table when we are faced with some choices. The much deeper answer is that enthusiasm for all things Star Wars oozes out of every pore around here, but not always for the same thing (which is great, variety after all is what the Star Wars universe is about!). Most everyone on the team is a passionate fan of one area or another, whether it be source (films, which is everyone, Marvel or Dark Horse comics, video games, novels, Clone Wars) or specific subline (3-3/4", Titanium, Galactic Heroes, Mighty Muggs/vinyl, Transformers, etc). So often the "fan voice" is right here on the team as well!
Galactic Hunter: We know that figures are decided on through some weird economic values. How does costing break down? Are the main heroes/villains "worth" more than, say, Gargan? I suspect Hasbro might sell more Princess Leia figures than Gargan figures, but I still want ball joints and "real feel" underarm flab on Gargan. (It can be made from the surplus plastic that weapons are sometimes composed of!)
HASBRO: That could be an award-winning design for Yarna, for sure. Actually, the weird economics are not all that weird. It's all about planning. We shoot for an average cost over the whole year that meets our targets, building out our assortments and average cost around some assumptions that help us get to the overall bigger picture without getting too mired in analysis paralysis on a figure-by-figure basis. We'll first break down how the "heroes" and more obscure characters are going to comprise the line and get to our overall release numbers, and then make sure we can hit our targets with the selections we have made. We will try to estimate costs for each figure based on articulation, size (if it has a deeper blister or uses a large amount of plastic or parts), deco, and accessories. We also acknowledge the very real situation that "niche" characters, like Cantina aliens, Jabba aliens, senators, Separatists, and pretty much all female characters (yes, even Leia) are going to be much less popular than other characters that could be produced in much higher numbers. These characters are important to the DNA of Star Wars and are high-collector desire figures, so we know that we'll have so much tooling set aside for them (and most of them are brand new tools). To counterbalance, we need to make sure that we have enough higher-production run figures, such as fresh takes on core characters and troops, that we can release in greater numbers. These characters may or may not be refreshed, which helps out on tooling. By taking into account the overall costing, tools, individual volumes we arrive at our assumptions on how we will build the line wave by wave but not "sweat" when a few figures are over (or under) our costing assumptions....it all balances in the end if we do a good job at the front in planning.
[Editor's Note: I've lobbied long and hard for Yarna d'al' Gargan from Jabba's Palace, and, as we all now know, she's finally on her way to plastic immortality! Next up, Beatrice Arthur as Ackmena from The Star Wars Holiday Special! She's a decorated former United States Marine -- it's true -- so she'd be a great salute to Veteran's Day!]
Galactic Hunter: A handful of figures show bare skin (Slave Leia, Oola, Aayla Secura, and the upcoming Force Unleashed Shaak-Ti). Does this cause problems for adding extra articulation? Does exposed skin automatically mean limited articulation?
HASBRO: It does pose some aesthetics challenges, as joints seem to be more visible on a figure with bare arms and legs than on, say, a trooper or Jedi. However, bare skin doesn't mean less articulation…often the limit is the width of the limb we have to work with. Good try, but we have no news on when, if ever, there will be a The Force Unleashed version of Shaak-Ti.
[Editor's Note Again: Meh! We thought they might show her off at Toy Fair. Who knew?]
