voicesinmyhead
Main Eventer
Joined on: Mar 4, 2009 19:21:00 GMT -5
Posts: 1,594
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Post by voicesinmyhead on Jun 24, 2024 19:42:25 GMT -5
I feel like we just had this discussion several weeks ago.... with the guy who insisted that talent doesn't have to to have a WWE "Legends Deal" and even Steve "Action Figure Attack" himself chimed in to say that they DO need a WWE deal, and the guy didn't even believe Steve of all people.... Mattel can't just slap the WWE brand on any old wrestler - I'm not sure how JAKKS was doing it, but Cancel Culture wasn't a "thing" back then (not to the extent that it is today) and there is absolutely no doubt that WWE would not allow Mattel to sign random wrestles and produce their figures with the WWE brand attached. Can you imagine if Mattel tried to market a Snuka or a Benoit WWE Legends figure that wasn't approved by WWE? WWE would cancel Mattel's contract so fast our heads would spin. WWE chooses which Legends to keep under contract, and on the flip side, some talent would rather not do business with WWE, for various reasons. The Owen Hart estate is one example. Are we suggesting that Mattel create a Non-WWE line and sign their own talent (guys like Von Erich, Hansen, Missing Link)? I really doubt Mattel would have any interest in that when they already have the most lucrative wrestling brand in the world, WWE, in their portfolio. You're asking McDonald's to start selling Whoppers...... because, well, some people like Whoppers. Your first paragraph is exactly why I said this should be common knowledge at this point. Every couple of weeks a new person comes along and asks the same question that we’ve answered to death at this point. And like you said, even Steve chimed in to finish it off once and for all… or at least for two weeks. See you all in another two weeks when another person asks the same million-dollar question. |
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azraelms
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jun 26, 2010 8:41:07 GMT -5
Posts: 2,008
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Post by azraelms on Jun 25, 2024 13:24:20 GMT -5
I feel like we just had this discussion several weeks ago.... with the guy who insisted that talent doesn't have to to have a WWE "Legends Deal" and even Steve "Action Figure Attack" himself chimed in to say that they DO need a WWE deal, and the guy didn't even believe Steve of all people.... Mattel can't just slap the WWE brand on any old wrestler - I'm not sure how JAKKS was doing it, but Cancel Culture wasn't a "thing" back then (not to the extent that it is today) and there is absolutely no doubt that WWE would not allow Mattel to sign random wrestles and produce their figures with the WWE brand attached. Can you imagine if Mattel tried to market a Snuka or a Benoit WWE Legends figure that wasn't approved by WWE? WWE would cancel Mattel's contract so fast our heads would spin. WWE chooses which Legends to keep under contract, and on the flip side, some talent would rather not do business with WWE, for various reasons. The Owen Hart estate is one example. Are we suggesting that Mattel create a Non-WWE line and sign their own talent (guys like Von Erich, Hansen, Missing Link)? I really doubt Mattel would have any interest in that when they already have the most lucrative wrestling brand in the world, WWE, in their portfolio. You're asking McDonald's to start selling Whoppers...... because, well, some people like Whoppers. Your first paragraph is exactly why I said this should be common knowledge at this point. Every couple of weeks a new person comes along and asks the same question that we’ve answered to death at this point. And like you said, even Steve chimed in to finish it off once and for all… or at least for two weeks. See you all in another two weeks when another person asks the same million-dollar question. Yeah, this was the recent gem that Steve posted in and had devolved into semantics about the name of the contract - Legends Deal vs Nostalgia Contract. forum.wrestlingfigs.com/thread/376862/bischoff-legends-deal |
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Herc and Roma
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Jun 1, 2024 16:00:40 GMT -5
Posts: 91
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Post by Herc and Roma on Jun 25, 2024 14:35:01 GMT -5
Mattel's contract with WWE should already be jeopardy due to their horrible distribution of these products. Mattel's core lines (elite & basic) which feature figures primarily of superstars from the current product are no longer carried by Walmart & Target on a consistent basis so how can WWE keep fans (kids especially) interested in watching their shows if kids can't find action figures of their favourite superstars in stores?! It looks like in this age of billion dollar streaming deals, merchandise is not as important to WWE anymore- back in the 80s Golden Era, merch sales were one of their big revenue generators along with live events and PPV buys. I think the new owners of WWE should look at finding someone else to takeover the license as Mattel has held the license for far too long and has gone as far as they can go with it.
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Post by J-MANN on Jun 25, 2024 15:59:23 GMT -5
I think the new owners of WWE should look at finding someone else to takeover the license as Mattel has held the license for far too long and has done whatever they can do with it. Who would you have take over the license? |
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Herc and Roma
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Jun 1, 2024 16:00:40 GMT -5
Posts: 91
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Post by Herc and Roma on Jun 25, 2024 16:20:26 GMT -5
I think the new owners of WWE should look at finding someone else to takeover the license as Mattel has held the license for far too long and has done whatever they can do with it. Who would you have take over the license?
McFarlane Toys
From what I have read they have done a good job with the DC license and they are familiar with making sports figures having released figures of players from all major sports leagues.
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Post by stc13 on Jun 25, 2024 16:21:26 GMT -5
I think the new owners of WWE should look at finding someone else to takeover the license as Mattel has held the license for far too long and has done whatever they can do with it. Who would you have take over the license? Bigo. And have them do what with the license, exactly? Mattel WWE figures are on par with any other 6/7in articulated, play-focused line. Unless you want high end NECA/Hot Toys style figures, another company is going to do what Mattel has been doing. And the last time there was a premium wrestling product, the line crashed and burned after a handful of figures. |
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Post by stc13 on Jun 25, 2024 16:27:03 GMT -5
Who would you have take over the license?
McFarlane Toys
From what I have read they have done a good job with the DC license and they are familiar with making sports figures having released figures of players from all major sports leagues.
I'm a huge McFarlane fan and have been for decades, but it's not a fit. Their Sportspicks line are/were statues with almost zero articulation. The DC line is solid, but Todd is a known Batman fanatic and it shows in the product. Pretty much all of their licensed properties outside of sports and DC have been a dumpster fire. Plus WWE wants to market to their core demographic of kids - they want playable figures that adults AND kids will buy. |
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Herc and Roma
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Joined on: Jun 1, 2024 16:00:40 GMT -5
Posts: 91
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Post by Herc and Roma on Jun 25, 2024 16:40:55 GMT -5
I'm a huge McFarlane fan and have been for decades, but it's not a fit. Their Sportspicks line are/were statues with almost zero articulation. The DC line is solid, but Todd is a known Batman fanatic and it shows in the product. Pretty much all of their licensed properties outside of sports and DC have been a dumpster fire.
Are you saying the DC figures are not playable?!
The pro sports figures were designed to be statues, that is why they came with a display stand so you can display them on a shelf. Are you going to play football with the NFL figures they released or basketball with the NBA figures?! Also, this doesn't mean they are incapable of making fully articulated figures that kids can play with.
Exactly, why its time for a change- Mattel can't get retailers to stock their core lines, they have done a poor job of distributing their products and the distribution issues are getting worse which indicates they don't have a solution. How can WWE cater to their core demo when Mattel cannot get their figures onto store shelves?!
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azraelms
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jun 26, 2010 8:41:07 GMT -5
Posts: 2,008
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Post by azraelms on Jun 25, 2024 16:53:51 GMT -5
Who would you have take over the license? McFarlane Toys From what I have read they have done a good job with the DC license and they are familiar with making sports figures having released figures of players from all major sports leagues.
McFarlane would not be able to handle the volume of figures needed for a complete WWE line. The figures themselves for DC are nice, but they never complete a set, unless it is a small set. We would get Roman, Seth, and Cena every other set, and the Legends would be very hit or miss. Plus, they would probably increase the size of the figures by an inch, making them incompatible with what we have now, so everyone would have to start over. Mattel can keep the license for continuity sake, in my opinion. |
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Post by Next Manufactured’s Sweater on Jun 25, 2024 18:18:41 GMT -5
Mattel can't just slap the WWE brand on any old wrestler - I'm not sure how JAKKS was doing it Jakks didn’t do it. WWE had approval of all Jakks WWE figures. Jakks signed wrestlers outside of WWE merchandise deals, but WWE still had to approve the figures. Same was true with Mattel for the first few years, but the original Legends line bombed and they had to be more selective about which old-timers they made figures of. |
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Post by savedbytheringbell on Jun 25, 2024 18:41:35 GMT -5
McFarlane would really have to up their face sculpt game. Their John Cena Peacemaker fig barely looks like him.
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voicesinmyhead
Main Eventer
Joined on: Mar 4, 2009 19:21:00 GMT -5
Posts: 1,594
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Post by voicesinmyhead on Jun 25, 2024 19:32:07 GMT -5
Who would you have take over the license? McFarlane Toys From what I have read they have done a good job with the DC license and they are familiar with making sports figures having released figures of players from all major sports leagues.
Uhmmm... no. How do you pick a company that you yourself aren't familiar with? How do you recommend them when you've only "read" about their handling of the DC license? I collect McFarlane DC figure and some are great while others are not. They are very difficult to stand, and they are severely overpriced. You want to start paying $30 or more for an elite style figure? I don't think so. I for one want Mattel to keep the license for as long as possible. 1) I do not want to start my collection all over again. If any other company took over the license then I would have to chose to limit myself to just collecting Undertaker figures. 2) We are continuing to get new characters into the line on a consistent basis. 3) The distribution that everyone complains about is not exclusive to WWE Mattel figures. Walmart exclusives are absolutely impossible to find, but Target exclusives have been fair as of late, and all elite series can be found at Ringside and other online sites. There are plenty of lines and plenty of other toy companies that have trouble with distribution. Look no further than AEW and their hit and miss record with a certain series either being nonexistent or completely warming the pegs. I just can't get past the idea of recommending a company that you have no first hand experiences with. |
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Post by WalterF on Jun 26, 2024 0:25:31 GMT -5
I don’t think Mattel would share toy rights w anyone else. It wouldn’t benefit in anyway since they have to by WWEs rules anyway.
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arthur214
Mid-Carder
Joined on: Jan 10, 2019 18:54:58 GMT -5
Posts: 359
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Post by arthur214 on Jun 26, 2024 7:24:34 GMT -5
I'm a huge McFarlane fan and have been for decades, but it's not a fit. Their Sportspicks line are/were statues with almost zero articulation. The DC line is solid, but Todd is a known Batman fanatic and it shows in the product. Pretty much all of their licensed properties outside of sports and DC have been a dumpster fire.
Are you saying the DC figures are not playable?!
The pro sports figures were designed to be statues, that is why they came with a display stand so you can display them on a shelf. Are you going to play football with the NFL figures they released or basketball with the NBA figures?! Also, this doesn't mean they are incapable of making fully articulated figures that kids can play with.
Exactly, why its time for a change- Mattel can't get retailers to stock their core lines, they have done a poor job of distributing their products and the distribution issues are getting worse which indicates they don't have a solution. How can WWE cater to their core demo when Mattel cannot get their figures onto store shelves?!
Hasbro is the only company that could handle the amount of product needed and they have the same issues as Mattel. |
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Post by ChuckPOORis55 Cody Gang 4 Lyfe on Jun 26, 2024 12:18:39 GMT -5
I feel like we just had this discussion several weeks ago.... We've had this discussion multiple times, in fact we have it multiple times every year, especially around SDCC. |
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Post by ChuckPOORis55 Cody Gang 4 Lyfe on Jun 26, 2024 12:27:16 GMT -5
Are you saying the DC figures are not playable?!
The pro sports figures were designed to be statues, that is why they came with a display stand so you can display them on a shelf. Are you going to play football with the NFL figures they released or basketball with the NBA figures?! Also, this doesn't mean they are incapable of making fully articulated figures that kids can play with.
Exactly, why its time for a change- Mattel can't get retailers to stock their core lines, they have done a poor job of distributing their products and the distribution issues are getting worse which indicates they don't have a solution. How can WWE cater to their core demo when Mattel cannot get their figures onto store shelves?!
Hasbro is the only company that could handle the amount of product needed and they have the same issues as Mattel. Anyone who thinks Hasbro would do better than Mattel has never spoken to anyone who actually collected Hasbro figures. This is the same company that bought Power Rangers, an IP almost solely designed to produce and sell toys, and  ed it up so badly they've just given up on them and are letting other companies produce the toys. If y'all think getting half of a tag team and having to wait for the other to be made is bad, wait till it takes 5 years to complete a faction started in wave 1. |
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Post by stc13 on Jun 26, 2024 12:39:54 GMT -5
Hasbro is the only company that could handle the amount of product needed and they have the same issues as Mattel. Anyone who thinks Hasbro would do better than Mattel has never spoken to anyone who actually collected Hasbro figures. This is the same company that bought Power Rangers, an IP almost solely designed to produce and sell toys, and ed it up so badly they've just given up on them and are letting other companies produce the toys. If y'all think getting half of a tag team and having to wait for the other to be made is bad, wait till it takes 5 years to complete a faction started in wave 1. It seems very unlikely Hasbro would have any interest in the license. They have internal IP in Transformers, GI Joe, and Power Rangers in the same category, and huge deals with Marvel/Star Wars. If they ever lost the Disney IP, maybe they'd go after something like WWE. But there's a reason why the WWE/Mattel relationship has gone on this long. Also the grass isn't always greener on the other side. Bill and Steve are both huge wrestling fans, and that shows in the product. Don't assume another company would be as inclined to put passionate fans on the line. Watching some of the Hasbro panels is rough - it's clear the team working on some lines couldn't care less about the IP. |
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nomorexclusives
Main Eventer
Joined on: Jul 31, 2023 16:49:31 GMT -5
Posts: 1,070
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Post by nomorexclusives on Jun 26, 2024 13:52:02 GMT -5
Powertown is better off staying independent. They can sign the wreslers that want more open ended deals. Wwe/mattel is too inclusive. I believe powertown will become the "4 horsemen" of the industry and pump out the best figures we have seen made to date. I do hope they stay in scale with jakks and mattel however...
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Post by PJ on Jun 26, 2024 21:09:13 GMT -5
Powertown is better off staying independent. They can sign the wreslers that want more open ended deals. Wwe/mattel is too inclusive. I believe powertown will become the "4 horsemen" of the industry and pump out the best figures we have seen made to date. I do hope they stay in scale with jakks and mattel however... The Four Horsemen are the Four Horsemen of the industry and have been since the early 2000’s when they started working on the MoTU and DCSH lines for Mattel. |
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ddt4thee
Superstar
Joined on: Sept 24, 2020 14:12:31 GMT -5
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Post by ddt4thee on Jun 27, 2024 6:19:52 GMT -5
Think Mattel can do a deal with Walmart?
(Tee hee)
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