Jeremy Padawer Interview in AEW Unrestricted

[Deleted]

That interview was mostly just lip service. Any new product ideas were already essentially talked about in the past. We already knew he wanted to make Tony, Aubrey, etc. He'd already talked about doing a stage similar to the ones they did for WWE. Talked about wanting to even get the lower card guys figures. The fancy title belts I think were new for AEW being mentioned, but they actually had that line planned with WWE before this came about, they just didn't make it to market. Really the only new thing I can think of was the idea of a cheaper line.

It would be a good listen for anyone new to the line/who hasn't heard Jeremy talk about this stuff before, but for me this one was a waste of time. I usually enjoy the unrestricted podcasts but this was a big swing and a miss.

[cordless2016]

I’m with those that feel Jeremy geeks over the secondary market way too much. This hobby should be fun and inviting to all. Instead the last few years I feel that the toy collecting industry has turned to anger and hatred.

No, you don’t want to over-ship to stores where product starts to shelf warm. But you also don’t want to start off a new, highly anticipated line by under shipping to the one retail store that took a chance on you and piss off your consumer base.

[stc13]

One tidbit I found interesting was that Jeremy said 40% of the toy market is collectors over the age of 13. He said with a product like wrestling he'd expect that number to be higher, maybe as much as 60%.

That flies in the face of what Mattel has been trumpeting home for years. Obviously they each have their own respective data points that they're basing that off of. But it's an interesting conversation point. WWE is obviously a more kid-geared product overall, but I've felt for a long time like they have undersold the scope of adult collectors.

[cordless2016]

Aug 13, 2020 20:29:41 GMT -5 stc13 said:

One tidbit I found interesting was that Jeremy said 40% of the toy market is collectors over the age of 13. He said with a product like wrestling he'd expect that number to be higher, maybe as much as 60%.

That flies in the face of what Mattel has been trumpeting home for years. Obviously they each have their own respective data points that they're basing that off of. But it's an interesting conversation point. WWE is obviously a more kid-geared product overall, but I've felt for a long time like they have undersold the scope of adult collectors.

Mattel for sure has undersold the adult collector market. We have companies like NECA and McFarlane that aim solely at adult collectors. We have import companies like Figuarts, Mafex, Hot Toys, etc...that aim at adult collectors.

Maybe Mattel’s claim would hold true pre mid-90s, but I feel that last 25 years has seen a huge growth-spurt in the adult collector market (and it’s still growing). Obviously their strategy is working as their WWE line has been one of the best selling toy lines over the last decade, but there’s no denying that they’ve left a ton of money on the table by ignoring adult collectors.

I think Jeremy understand this being a collector himself and seeing a ton of success with the Jakks Classics line. Heck I mainly see adults in toy aisles these days and hardly see kids.

[stc13]

Aug 13, 2020 20:39:56 GMT -5 cordless2016 said:

Aug 13, 2020 20:29:41 GMT -5 stc13 said:

One tidbit I found interesting was that Jeremy said 40% of the toy market is collectors over the age of 13. He said with a product like wrestling he'd expect that number to be higher, maybe as much as 60%.

That flies in the face of what Mattel has been trumpeting home for years. Obviously they each have their own respective data points that they're basing that off of. But it's an interesting conversation point. WWE is obviously a more kid-geared product overall, but I've felt for a long time like they have undersold the scope of adult collectors.

Mattel for sure has undersold the adult collector market. We have companies like NECA and McFarlane that aim solely at adult collectors. We have import companies like Figuarts, Mafex, Hot Toys, etc...that aim at adult collectors.

Maybe Mattel’s claim would hold true pre mid-90s, but I feel that last 25 years has seen a huge growth-spurt in the adult collector market (and it’s still growing). Obviously their strategy is working as their WWE line has been one of the best selling toy lines over the last decade, but there’s no denying that they’ve left a ton of money on the table by ignoring adult collectors.

I think Jeremy understand this being a collector himself and seeing a ton of success with the Jakks Classics line. Heck I mainly see adults in toy aisles these days and hardly see kids.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE seeing kids get the same joy from figures that most of us had as kids.  And I think they absolutely should be a target market.  But as you said, I really feel like Mattel has undersold how important collect interest is to the success of any action figure line these days.  It's felt somewhat condescending to me at times.

Maybe it's just a matter of brand strategy.  Mattel has been really slow to embrace the collector market on the whole, imo.  Compared to Hasbro, they're lightyears behind on direct to consumer and collector-focused.  And WWE has a vested interest in hooking young buyers.  But I'm genuinely interested to see what Jazwares may be able or willing to do that resonates more with the collector community. 


As somebody who collects a number of lines but is first and foremost a wrestling figure collector, I've felt more and more disconnected from the WWE line as Hasbro has rolled out some really exciting collector-focused product in recent years, while Mattel has basically stuck to the same playbook.  I'd like to see more of a spark in the wrestling figure world.

[cordless2016]

Aug 13, 2020 20:54:42 GMT -5 stc13 said:

Aug 13, 2020 20:39:56 GMT -5 cordless2016 said:

Mattel for sure has undersold the adult collector market. We have companies like NECA and McFarlane that aim solely at adult collectors. We have import companies like Figuarts, Mafex, Hot Toys, etc...that aim at adult collectors.

Maybe Mattel’s claim would hold true pre mid-90s, but I feel that last 25 years has seen a huge growth-spurt in the adult collector market (and it’s still growing). Obviously their strategy is working as their WWE line has been one of the best selling toy lines over the last decade, but there’s no denying that they’ve left a ton of money on the table by ignoring adult collectors.

I think Jeremy understand this being a collector himself and seeing a ton of success with the Jakks Classics line. Heck I mainly see adults in toy aisles these days and hardly see kids.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE seeing kids get the same joy from figures that most of us had as kids.  And I think they absolutely should be a target market.  But as you said, I really feel like Mattel has undersold how important collect interest is to the success of any action figure line these days.  It's felt somewhat condescending to me at times.

Maybe it's just a matter of brand strategy.  Mattel has been really slow to embrace the collector market on the whole, imo.  Compared to Hasbro, they're lightyears behind on direct to consumer and collector-focused.  And WWE has a vested interest in hooking young buyers.  But I'm genuinely interested to see what Jazwares may be able or willing to do that resonates more with the collector community. 


As somebody who collects a number of lines but is first and foremost a wrestling figure collector, I've felt more and more disconnected from the WWE line as Hasbro has rolled out some really exciting collector-focused product in recent years, while Mattel has basically stuck to the same playbook.  I'd like to see more of a spark in the wrestling figure world.

I’m with you that the Mattel WWE lines, and the wrestling toy industry as a whole, has fallen behind in the toy industry. In 2010, Mattel Elites were a huge improvement over Jakks RAs. Come 2020, and Mattel is still relying on those same molds from 2010 that look outdated compared to other toy lines. Look at how much Marvel Legends have improved over the last 10 years. The new 6” GI Joe line has been receiving a ton of positive praise, and Transformers still sell strong as well.

I’m hoping Jawares takes this opportunity to really push the envelope and make wrestling toys relevant again in the mass collector market.

[Fighter Hayabusa]

Aug 13, 2020 20:29:41 GMT -5 stc13 said:

One tidbit I found interesting was that Jeremy said 40% of the toy market is collectors over the age of 13. He said with a product like wrestling he'd expect that number to be higher, maybe as much as 60%.

That flies in the face of what Mattel has been trumpeting home for years. Obviously they each have their own respective data points that they're basing that off of. But it's an interesting conversation point. WWE is obviously a more kid-geared product overall, but I've felt for a long time like they have undersold the scope of adult collectors.

Honestly, I don’t think they’ve undersold it. They realize they need to cater to the adult collector. NXT and Flashbacks prove that. I’ve seen more people on here try to push the narrative that these are kids toys meant for kids than anything from Mattel.