09 Round 1 Questions Answered.

[lehsreh]

(question 1)
Have you put any thought into (or if not will you consider) making some everyday life figures wearing everyday life cloths? For example, a orange inmate figure. This could easily be done by coloring any number of the figures already out orange. Then we could have some cobra prisoners.

Thanks for the idea, but there are no plans for this right now.


(question 2)
After the movie figures are available at retail, are you going to continue producing more 25th style figures other then the movie and Resolute figures? For example, anymore comic packs or five packs so we can still get old favorites like the Dreadnoks, ext, ext?

The vast majority of the line in the future will be movie focused. We will still try to deliver specific fan favorites (such at the 7 packs) so please keep telling us what you want.


(question3)
Will we be seeing anymore of our favorite vehicles? we know these are not in the movie, but maybe in the resolute figures. By favorites I mean the ASP, Stun, Thunder Machine, Snake Armor, Whale or tomahawk?

We are open to using classic vehicles in the movie line when we can. We
are making the 2010 plans right now, so don’t yet have an update on the
specific vehicles you have asked about.

[Sonneilon]

Tell you guys what I want? What I want???

Fine, keep going with the Modern Era/25A stuff AND doing Resolute! Or at least in the case of Duke, make the remakes of 'fave' chars as good as him!

[Black Knight]

wow... it never fails to amaze me at how undescriptive these "important" people can be. His answers were short and lame, my 4 y/o daughter could give better comments. I do however, look foward to more resolute and movie figures.

[Death_at_Midnight]

Interesting questions, and interesting answers. A little disappointing with the answer for question 2, in that they are indeed gambling that the movie toys will be popular. I have mixed feelings about the stuff I've seen concerning the movie, though.

[lehsreh]

[QUOTE=Death_at_Midnight]Interesting questions, and interesting answers. A little disappointing with the answer for question 2, in that they are indeed gambling that the movie toys will be popular. I have mixed feelings about the stuff I've seen concerning the movie, though.[/QUOTE]

you just voiced what i could not. hasbro lost some buyers with the 25th, but gained tons more. from the reaction i have saw toward the movie figures, they are going to lose a lot of those. will the movie bring in kids to make up the difference?

[Flatline]

[QUOTE=lehsreh] will the movie bring in kids to make up the difference?[/QUOTE]
I'll answer Hasbro style short and to the point.
[SIZE=5][COLOR=Red]" NO "[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Black Knight]

[QUOTE=Flatline]I'll answer Hasbro style short and to the point.
[size=5][color=red]" NO "[/color][/size][/QUOTE]

Are you kidding? The 25th line drew kids out of the woodwork, and they weren't intended for them. The movie toys are geared towards kids... "lights & sounds", "firing launchers", "push-button" technology, all of the movie toys are build and designed to entertain kids. Hasbro could give a crap about the "collectors", we are but a few dollors to them compared to the vast out numbering of parents/kids vs collectors.

The new Night-Raven has a lowering grip for "enhanced play".
The PIT has "electronic lights & sounds"
Each figure comes with a "rocket launcher" thingy...

...I rest my case.

[troopsofdoom]

[QUOTE=lehsreh]you just voiced what i could not. hasbro lost some buyers with the 25th, but gained tons more. from the reaction i have saw toward the movie figures, they are going to lose a lot of those. will the movie bring in kids to make up the difference?[/QUOTE]
25A got me buying figures again and I won't be buying anything related to the movie.

The former licensed properties like the comics and cartoons were long term interests that lasted years. Now Hasbro is focusing everything on a movie that no one will care about a month after it's release. They'll make some short term profits, then the shelves will be filled with really crappy movie merchandise that on one wants. Stores won't buy new stuff because the old isn't selling anymore, Hasbro's profits will drop to a record low and they'll cancel the line.

[zedhatch]

[QUOTE=lehsreh]you just voiced what i could not. hasbro lost some buyers with the 25th, but gained tons more. from the reaction i have saw toward the movie figures, they are going to lose a lot of those. will the movie bring in kids to make up the difference?[/QUOTE]

I actually think it was the insane and inane distrobution that hurt more than anything, I know of at least 5 guys who have told me they would buy the line if they could have found it that first year (nothing visible to wave 5 or 6) and it wasn't the "big selling power" that caused that but a lack of shipments. Even after they started getting out better it never really improved that much (just a few bones every couple of months) and I honestly think they lost a huge chunk of change with that.

I won't even get into what the Duke arms probably did LOL.

[Scuba Steve]

Judging by all the answers on the other sites I think next QnA the one question asked should be:

Is there anything you HAVE information on and CAN tell us about the Joe line?

[Sonneilon]

Hasbro pretty much can't reveal a thing. There are some laws that most likely prohibit them from confirming a lot. IF we asked, "Will we get a Resolute Heavy Duty?" they most likely can't say YES or NO because if it doesn't happen, then people will call out the lawyers. "YOU PROMISED US A HEAVY DUTY!!!" or "WHY CAN'T HE BE MADE???" Anyway...

[Roland da Thompson Gunner]

How did that Prisoner figure question A. get chosen and B. get presented without going through spell check?

[QUOTE=Black Knight]Are you kidding? The 25th line drew kids out of the woodwork, and they weren't intended for them. The movie toys are geared towards kids... "lights & sounds", "firing launchers", "push-button" technology, all of the movie toys are build and designed to entertain kids. Hasbro could give a crap about the "collectors", we are but a few dollors to them compared to the vast out numbering of parents/kids vs collectors.

The new Night-Raven has a lowering grip for "enhanced play".
The PIT has "electronic lights & sounds"
Each figure comes with a "rocket launcher" thingy...

...I rest my case.[/QUOTE]

I'd like some proof that kids are into G.I. Joe. Kids aren't stupid, they use the internet. However most message boards do not have children posting. Care to cite an example that kids came out of the woodwork for the 25th line?

G.I. Joe is a niche market it has been since 1997. The line sold badly when they tried making it kid friendly (CG VvV and Spytroops movies, Sigma Six). The 25th line was the most succesful the line had been in decades and why? It was the new hot collectible line. If you notice lot's of guys hate figures that don't look like they were the 1985 figure.

The movie toys are geared towards kids, does that mean they're gonna be succesful? no. Were Indiana Jones toys that succesful, they had gimmicks too (If you say "yes" too the Indiana Jones toys being succesful I'd like to know what your dream world is like because succesful toylines don't get clearanced out for like a buck a figure)

[Sonneilon]

Actually the themes did quite well. And Sigma6 went over better than Hasbro planned. Kids were buying them. The adult market makes up what, less than 12%?



And when comparing movie lines, consider that movie toys are usually produced twice as much as a regular non-tv or non-movie line.

[Death_at_Midnight]

Personally, my gut feeling is that Hasbro is optimistic that the movie will bring huge crowds of kids to buy the Joe toy line. Sounds like the same optimism I heard concerning another big film, Indiana Jones.

I don't have kids, but I would be interested to know if anyone here who has children if they can comment on what action figures they are interested in, including Joe. Do kids now-a-days still watch Saturday morning cartoons?

On the bright side, I often saw crowds of parents buying Star Wars figures this past Christmas. Clone Wars seem to have struct a chord with the kids. Parents on cell phones talking to someone saying "she already has Padme, she wants a General Grevous. How does that look?"

I wish it was "she already has Scarlett, she wants a Resolute Duke. How does he look?"

The 80's were the golden years for GI Joe... cartoon of okay quality; Transformers cartoon either before or after Joe; an awesome comic book series and a number of spinoffs; fantastic toys that were highly articulate compared to other lines. I truly hope the Hasbro magic is still there. Because in these hard economic times, Hasbro best give me good reason to spend my hard earned money on good toy line, else there are electronics I could easily spend money on instead.

[lehsreh]

[QUOTE=Roland da Thompson Gunner]How did that Prisoner figure question A. get chosen and B. get presented without going through spell check?[/QUOTE]



the prisoner question got picked because no one took the time to submit any questions. if you had something better to ask, it was there for everyone.
as for spell check, that is for people with less confidence and who actually care if a word is right, not me.

[Rambo]

[QUOTE=Scuba Steve]Judging by all the answers on the other sites I think next QnA the one question asked should be:
Is there anything you HAVE information on and CAN tell us about the Joe line?[/QUOTE]

Prolly Answer: "Thanks for the idea, but there are no plans for this right now."

BTW... O-ring related questions werent allowed...

[Roland da Thompson Gunner]

[QUOTE=lehsreh]the prisoner question got picked because no one took the time to submit any questions. if you had something better to ask, it was there for everyone.
as for spell check, that is for people with less confidence and who actually care if a word is right, not me. [/QUOTE]

Well "cloths" is different from "Clothes". Where was the "Submit Questions for Hasbro Q&A" thread, I sure didn't see one. And really it's a "Uh why don't you make something no one but me really wants" type of question

[QUOTE=Sonneilon]Actually the themes did quite well. And Sigma6 went over better than Hasbro planned. Kids were buying them. The adult market makes up what, less than 12%?

And when comparing movie lines, consider that movie toys are usually produced twice as much as a regular non-tv or non-movie line.[/QUOTE]

Sigma 6 I might give you, considering I didn't really pay attention to it and know that now they can't even give the figures away (seriously they do Spend so much $ and get a free Sigma joe deals) but I'm unsure on the themes.

[Sonneilon]

The themes did well enough. But by VvV, they WERE losing steam. It's hard to say what the problem was. It'd be real easy to blame the buyers but the big Corporations had a lot to say in how ALL the themes were marketed. THere were conspiracy theories like, "Walmart purposely bought up Wave6 of VvV (the elusive Torch wave) and they made sure Hasbro did a stupid theme so they could make way for the CORPS figure which cost less but turn around a larger profit FOR Walmart."

I never figured out the theme thing until VvV when everyone on JBL was talking about 'themes' and hasbro wanted to churn a theme out every year (or two). That's when I realized Spy Troops and JvC were JUST a theme (just as S6/Robot Rebellion were). It's hard to say what is considered successful in Hasbro terms. Were the small joes REALLY floundering?

The rescaling of Sigma6 was another Big3 move as well as Hasbro's to get more kids into it. Unfortunately, the bottom dropped out when the cartoon was pulled.

DTC was pretty much a disaster in every way possible. Sure, the figures were half-half in terms of design and quality, but online-only??? That was an exercise for Hasbro to see if the so-called 'adult fanbase' CAN support the line. The answer is NOPE.

It's hard to say NOW just how much stroke the Big3 have with Hasbro. I feel that it's lessened somewhat with the several online store offerings (the enviromental packs, for example).

As for the movie toys, I'm guessing it's geared for the kids. It'll sound LAME on my side, but if my vehicles can't shoot a rocket or something, it's kinda boring. I got spoiled with the coolness of the NAC and Thunderwing firing away it's rockets. Then to go back to a re-release pink Conquest or Bronze Rattler and it's like, 'meh'. That's just how I feel on it and I'll have to duck fast to evade those tomatoes you guys are ready to sling!

IF you guys looked at the offerings that Hasbro is doing for the movie, you'll see there'll be backpacks, costumes (adult and kid), shoes, hats, Battleship, Monopoly, and a ton of other toy tie-ins. Hasbro is going all out on this one. I just hope it works.

[Black Knight]

[QUOTE=Death_at_Midnight]I don't have kids, but I would be interested to know if anyone here who has children if they can comment on what action figures they are interested in, including Joe. Do kids now-a-days still watch Saturday morning cartoons?

[/QUOTE]

I have a 4 y/o girl who is into some action figures... all her little boy friends are between 4 and 8 y/o and so my experience comes from them and for working at Toys R Us. The action figures kids are into these days are (in order of sales) Star Wars, Transformers, GI Joe , & Ben 10. I don't know about Saturday morning cartoons, but I know "Clone Wars" is a huge thing with kids.

As far as my comments reguarding Hasbro gearing GI Joe towards kids... My friends Grandpa is the former Vice President of Hasbro, so I think I like to believe in my sources.

Indiana Jones figures didn't go over so well for multiple reasons, one major one being alot of parents wouldn't let their kids see the movie when it first hit theaters, but instead made the kids wait a week or until it hit dollor theaters. The figures suffered for that, among many other reasons... marketing is one. The GI Joe movie figures are probably gonna suffer the same if not simular fate... the collectors won't want them, the kids will want them, but parents will so no.

[jedsoon]

Two things worry me about Hasbro's current marketing strategy for Joe:

1) Movie or bust. Why not market the characters in their classic looks right alongside the new? Transformers seems to be doing well with this. If the movie tanks, collectors aren't going to have anything to latch onto or keep going with. It seems that a scaled down line targeting collectors would be good PR. With the cartoon dvd's coming back to market to advertise just such a line, it seems like a no-brainer. I almost wonder if they're just keeping mum on more collector-oriented plans to get more tongues wagging about movie product.

2) Too bleepin' expensive! Joe costs have been escalating over the past year, and all indications point to movie stuff being even higher. With that being aimed largely at kids, it's going to fall to their parents to buy them. Price points have a much greater negative effect on parents buying for kids than they do on collectors, I suspect.

[Outrider]

[QUOTE=troopsofdoom]25A got me buying figures again and I won't be buying anything related to the movie.

The former licensed properties like the comics and cartoons were long term interests that lasted years. Now Hasbro is focusing everything on a movie that no one will care about a month after it's release. They'll make some short term profits, then the shelves will be filled with really crappy movie merchandise that on one wants. Stores won't buy new stuff because the old isn't selling anymore, Hasbro's profits will drop to a record low and they'll cancel the line.[/QUOTE]

25A stopped me buying figures again and I won't be buying anything related to the movie. From what I've seen of the movie toys, they're so far removed from anything even resembling the GI Joe we know and love that they may as well be from a completely separate line. And I agree with your thoughts on the movie, I think it'll bomb badly and burn Hasbro big time. You'll probably see box loads of the movie toys in the clearance aisle at TRU for years to come!

[ender098]

[QUOTE=lehsreh]

We will still try to deliver specific fan favorites (such at the 7 packs) so please keep telling us what you want.

[/QUOTE]


Tell you what we want? Are you kidding me? How many years have we been asking for Army builder packs and it took you until 2004 to take the hint? A lot of us have said Bring back "O" rings and ARAH and you haven't listened. We said tone down the ninja crap, and no love there.We Keep Asking for better Articulation for the 25th stuff and it's so slow coming you might as well not bother! We keep Telling you what we Want HASBRO....the real question is when are you going to respect collectors AND LISTEN?

"Give them Vagueness and Ambiguity, or maybe, possibly,them give them Something else!" - Hasbro!

[Outrider]

[QUOTE=ender098]Tell you what we want? Are you kidding me? How many years have we been asking for Army builder packs and it took you until 2004 to take the hint? A lot of us have said Bring back "O" rings and ARAH and you haven't listened. We said tone down the ninja crap, and no love there.We Keep Asking for better Articulation for the 25th stuff and it's so slow coming you might as well not bother! We keep Telling you what we Want HASBRO....the real question is when are you going to respect collectors AND LISTEN?

"Give them Vagueness and Ambiguity, or maybe, possibly,them give them Something else!" - Hasbro![/QUOTE]

Frank, you have a way with words that is unmatched, and a way of saying what many of us are thinking. Pure gold!

[Death_at_Midnight]

The 25A is what got me started collecting Joe figures again. Before that I was buying all the Clone Troopers I could find.

In terms of the movie, just the figures I can see myself buying for collection purposes, then any extra figures would be for custom purposes. There are some vehicles I am interested in, but not many. The ferret is one. None of the big ones, though.

I have a feeling Hasbro is dropping the ball with the movie. It seems to me they want to remake the Joe line.. change the overall story, make it more geared towards a one globally unified special forces team. It does make sense in terms of marketing GI Joe to the world. Not every country may be happy for an "American" hero, but may like more an "international" hero.

Other markets...

That I think is the root of Hasbro's big push to change Joe's story... make it easier to sell GI Joe in other markets. Especially if other markets have a stronger currency compared to the dollar. Now, I know GI Joe is already packaged in packages worded with "international soldier" or something to that effect, but I think this complete alteration of the Joe story is more sweeping than anything before.

With that said, I fear the Joe we know and love will be reduced to a niche market, and treated as such. Even with a failed movie, Hasbro will be too stubborn to admit failure. They will push the movie line b/c they have already spent a lot of money to market it, believing that's the future.

Anyway, I shall continue to buy and collect the 25th and maybe even some o-rings to supplement my army. As long as there are 1/18th scale vehicles my Joe forces will continue, and my Cobra R&D (in my joeverse) will continue to output customed vehicles.

Long live GI Joe!

[EasySimpleStuff]

[QUOTE=Outrider]Frank, you have a way with words that is unmatched, and a way of saying what many of us are thinking. Pure gold![/QUOTE]

Word!!