1. Why doesn’t the are wars team Discuss the epic Series line? It competes with vintage but why not promote it still since they created it?
--David

Don't feel bad - it's not unique to Star Wars. Hasbro, Mattel, and other companies don't give quite the same level of marketing love to kid lines. I think they should - but for some reason, they don't. I assume fans might actually bite if they gave these the designer desk treatment, showcasing things like crackling lightsabers or a toy shark with wheels that turns into a robot. A lot of very vocal adult fans hate on these things in public forums, and they may have something to do with it - but it would be nice if they gave every toy they made, including Play-Doh and Baby Alive, a little more love.

But, these things cost money and resources. And I don't know what kind of marketing they have - I would love it if Hasbro did "show and tell" every week (or every day, really) showing off cool details on toys to give us a behind-the-scenes look. Do I personally ever plan on owning Peppa Pig toys? No. But if someone can show me what they did on the figures, why they jointed them a certain way or highlight accessories, they could wind up things I buy for someone's kids or even make a fuss about if someone is wondering what toys to carry in their stores. But, as far as I know, nobody at toy companies is doing marketing of kid toys to adults. It would be pretty helpful in helping select birthday presents.

(I mean, I'll do it, someone just send me some samples and a couple of pizzas.)

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2. Do you think that Hasbro has cut back on the amount ordered per item/sku in the years since the pandemic ended? I look at the glut of product on the shelves in Ollies/Ross, etc and it seems to be all older products from 2021/2022 and part of 2023 BUT I don't notice much from the end of 2023 and 2024 (Unless it has just not hit yet). With the earnings reports out of Hasbro and the desire to move towards other forms of entertainment to generate sales, might action figures (Star Wars and others) production levels be cut even more than they have been in the last 12-18 months?
--Jeremiah

Short answer is "yes." But it varies by item.

These and other companies had hundreds of millions of dollars in unsold inventory. Demand spiked hard in 2020, and right-sizing the actual market need is tough. If you had a really good 2020, it's possible someone said "2021 needs to meet that demand, and 5% more!" The only way to grow is to build the merchandise, and if it sells, you're golden. And if it doesn't, Ollie's has a good year. You can't sell what you don't make.

Some of that product took a while to hit closeout shelves. I was finding 2023 items in late 2024 (and also some 2024 items.) Hasbro may be sitting on stuff - ditto Mattel, Funko, Jazwares, and so on - and we won't know for sure until it hits markdown. I assume they're cutting stuff, but I just came home from finding a Hot Wheels Racerverse 2-pack at Ross for $2.99 from last year. (It's a $12 set.)

Predicting the toy market is impossible, and no matter what you do it's wrong. If the market for a figure is 30,000 and you make 27,000? Maybe your boss is happy it sold out. Maybe your boss is mad you left demand on the table. It varies from company to company, manager to manager. If you made 33,000 and the demand is 30,000, and those 3,000 units hit clearance, people go "oh, this isn't selling? I should wait for clearance next time." Sometimes those dumps at Ross or TJ Maxx could be hundreds of units - a drop in the bucket - but they do a lot to hurt perception if they sit. I can't imagine $3-$4 The Retro Collection did much to help that line look like a premium product, or even merely a pretty good one based on inflation.

What's the solution?

Hasbro probably has to make more different items, and less of each item, if it wants to keep stuff off closeout shelves. On the bright side, things have been very good for collectors being able to get most recent toys at or under retail price. But, there are problems. If The Acolyte figures don't sell, and then Hasbro says "well, Star Wars isn't selling so we better cut production," it's possible the next hot thing will be shorted - so "victory" is kind of hard to achieve.

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FIN

OK, back from Toy Fair and catching up! How was the show overall? I saw Yo Monsta!, a new potential toy line/IP/other that looks fun for kids and toy fans who enjoyed 3 3/4-inch action figures and cartoons. Hot Wheels RacerVerse continues with more new cars including an X-Wing with an R2-D2 in it. (Cute!) The Woobles are a line of sew-it-yourself plush toys, some are licensed and some are not. I may lack the skills, but they had some neat licenses - heavy on Warner Bros. IP - and you may have seen some in Walmarts. Masters of the Universe is adding in ThunderCats, Shadow Weaver, and Uncle Montork - plus a Fright Zone. It should be a pretty good year provided pricing stays relatively level, and given the last month that may not be how it shakes out.

Due to work obligations I was not able to attend the Hasbro press event. The big exciting reveal - for me - was the Star Wars Retro Collection Star Wars: A New Hope Figure Multipack, the pre-orders for which sold out already and it should be in stock in April (let's be honest, probably May 4.) This set includes a reissue of Walrus Man with non-wacky eyes, plus all-new Stormtrooper Han, Sandtrooper, Yavin Luke, Dr. Evazan, and Rebel Fleet Trooper figures. If it had a Bith band member, it would likely have ticked the box of nearly every early 1990s fan custom I tended to see.

What's new for collectors? A $25 deluxe The Vintage Collection Momaw Nadon is coming with an alternate hand, Stormtrooper blaster, 2006 Saga staff, and 1996 giant blaster. Necessary? Not really... but if you don't have those figures it is pretty exciting to get so many tributes in one figure. As far as I could tell, nothing particularly exciting was launched if you're a fan of the first two trilogies or their companion television projects and no all-new Cantina aliens were revealed. Which is kind of a bummer given there's a Cantina coming out and a homeless werewolf sculpt that would be real nice to see made some place.

I got to see Hasbro's booth the day after the fan event, and the fan exclusives were gone. But there were fun things! Here are my pictures and I mostly shot Epic World of Action (previously Epic Hero Series) stuff. The new X-Wing is excellent - I can tell you that my personal vintage Kenner Hammerhead figure can fit in the prototype cockpit. How I know this is best left a mystery. It will be joined by Darth Vader, The Mandalorian, and Stormtrooper mechs - like S.N.A.K.E. armor from G.I. Joe - and a number of small vehicles. The Clone Wars Obi-Wan Kenobi gets a new bike, a "Power the Force" red-energy Speederbike is coming, and a blue Mando bike is also coming. Depending on your tastes, you may prefer the versions currently in stores - but it's neat. The first wave of new figures for the year are already shipping (I have them) and I am pretty impressed with SM-33, Yoda, and the Dark Trooper. Vader and Mando redux are no slouch with fancy blades and more articulation for the same price. Hasbro's biggest enemy here is momentum... as long as they can keep new toys coming, it will remain entertaining and fun. I hope the new movie gets a lot of love in this format! My only real complaint is that it's scattered - if they can focus on a new movie, I bet it'll be a blast.

If you've been watching the news you know that the topic of tariffs on imported goods is a big deal. Hasbro has made a few comments about what they expect will happen. How those work is that if you order a bunch of toys from certain countries wholesale, you have to pay the US government a fee when you bring them in. Today that is 20% on items that left China after the first week of February. If you are a manufacturer bringing in stuff to your US warehouse, you're paying the fee - which will likely be passed along, at least in part, to the customers down the line. Unless there is a last-minute change it certainly sounds like you're going to see some price increases in the very neat future. You may wish to write your representative(s) as I have not yet heard anything about rescinding the taxes on Chinese-made goods. I don't expect low-price items to get much of a sting here. If a Hot Wheels car from Indonesia for some reason goes from $1.25 to $1.50 or even $2.00, it's low enough that collectors and kids will keep making those purchases. If an action figure goes from $25 to $30 or $35, or from $17 to $21, I do not know how buying behavior will change. I am actually quite interested in knowing how fans plan to change their behavior, if at all. (It will probably stop me from buying any new lines for my own personal stash.)

Super7 had some really neat stuff - their new Fun! Fun! figures are a mix of Playskool/Fisher-Price and Funko, with some really tip-top sculpting. ReAction+ Figures (o-ring, 1980s G.I. Joe-style) are expanding with Back to the Future and Universal Monsters in addition to Micronauts and more G.I. Joe. I didn't spy any vehicles or playsets... or apes or Predator or anything like that. If you're an 80s kid you'll probably enjoy it overall. The Loyal Subjects hired away some amazing ex-Hasbro talent and are bringing back M.A.S.K. with more articulation and, I was told, more rugged construction so kids can't easily break them. That sounds really good to me.

I don't recall seeing anything for Star Wars out of the normal lanes from other manufacturers, but I wasn't in every meeting. More things are coming, and assuming you stick with the hobby there are a lot of neat things on the horizon. I will also say that if you don't like what you are seeing, start stockpiling some cash. It sounds like some very good items are coming in the next 2-3 years and you'll want to be ready. (And nobody made a peep about new Cantina alien figures, or Vlix, so I hope someone has something to share soon.)

--Adam Pawlus

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