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Ask Mattel > July 1 Edition
1.) Valo487 asks: The Legion of Doom has been fairly well represented in both JLU and DCUC with a few left to finish the team in both lines, however Toyman is currently missing from both. Is he in the works for either line? Also, any chance for a non-armored Lex Luthor?
Both are a possibility, but nothing to announce quite yet.
2.) He-Dan asks: Given the recent announcement in Toyfare that key figures (like Joker and Power Girl) will be part of the Wal-Mart exclusive line, what assurances can Mattel offer that the line will be available more widely and in greater quantities at Walmarts than Wave 5?
It is up to Wal-Mart (and any other retailer) to decide which toy lines to carry, not Mattel. If you are not seeing your favorite DC or other Mattel line at your local retailer, ask for it by name!
3.) Ed asks: Some collectors have reported their DCUC figures (wave 3 specifically) developing a strange coating of white film that doesn’t seem like normal dust. I myself have seen it on my DCUC figures and even some of my old Batman figures from the original Horsemen line. A collector on Fwoosh had speculated that it’s probably just mold release working itself out of the plastic. I was wondering if Mattel had a take on this to help clarify the mystery?
An interesting question. If you have photos of this to post we’d be happy to review with our safety department and get a more complete answer. At this time we are unaware of this particular issue.
4.) How much of the Question figure, revealed recently in ToyFare, is new sculpting/tooling?
The Question is based on the DC Superheroes suit body used for Clark Kent, The Riddler and Two Face with a new head, coat and arms.
5.) Given the success of the Movie Masters Batpod, is there any possibility of similar smaller-size vehicles (such as a Batcycle) for DCUC, perhaps as a Mattycollector exclusive or a Collect-and-Connect?
Nothing is planned at this time, but if there is enough fan interest it is something we can get to in time!
Posted: July 1, 2009 in Ask Mattel
Tags: Batman, DCUC, JLU, Mattel, Movie Masters, ToyFare, Walmart
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This item has 75 comments (now closed):
Fengschwing
07.01.2009 17.35
The Two-Face suit rides again!
We didn’t see that coming!
I wonder when Bones is going to arrive?
jestergoblin
07.01.2009 17.57
wow. that was pretty uninformative. i feel like mattel just has stock answers, they just roll a 6-sided die and paste what comes up.
PrfktTear
07.01.2009 18.00
@jestergoblin: give ‘em credit, they must at least have a 12-sided die!
Fengschwing
07.01.2009 18.15
“It’s a ’4′ give them the ‘ask your toy aisle manager’ one again.”
The Flash III
07.01.2009 18.15
I can’t believe they were able to fit “It is up to Wal-Mart (and any other retailer) to decide which toy lines to carry, not Mattel. If you are not seeing your favorite DC or other Mattel line at your local retailer, ask for it by name!” onto one of the sides!
By the way, “Thanks a pantload, Mattel!” is on my die for responding to their responses.
Poe
07.01.2009 18.45
So what I’m getting from you guys is, you want me to stop bothering with these Q&As?
Andrew
07.01.2009 18.53
Absolutely not Poe, the Q&A is our most direct contact with the company we both love and hate. I appreciate that you do these for us.
DavetheBrave
07.01.2009 19.01
I don’t mind the Q and A, I just think you need to be careful with question choices. Don’t ask about character selection or availability, as we always get the same answer. I think that quality control question was perfect. Ultimately, I think the key to getting use out of these Q and A’s is to be really selective about what you ask them.
PrfktTear
07.01.2009 19.39
@DtB: Very true. Keep in mind also, Poe has been kind enough to allow readers to submit questions as well, so many of the questions we’re getting are from fellow Poesters. As valid as He-Dan’s question (#2) is, it was pretty much doomed from the beginning.
I think Question #4 about The Question – the figure is a good example of a good question to aks. Also, they may not be providing us with the answers we want to hear, but at least they are giving us answers.
Asking more open ended questions may be better moving forward rather than trying to get them to pigeonhole themselves. Asking about specific characters like Toyman or Luthor, aren’t likely to to yeild answers we want to hear. How often do they actually announce upcoming figures via Q&A? They’re just basically saying its a possibility, but they’re not ready to announce anything.
The question about a DCUC scale vehicle was a good example too. They gave us an answer, again, just not one we might want to hear. Still, an answer be it negative or vague is better than no answer.
RageTreb
07.01.2009 19.49
Reading number three had me checking my wave 3 figures, lol. The only problems I ever had with mold release/mysterious lubrication was on a few Robot Heroes figures. They were so bad I needed to wash them off throughly right after opening them.
Jim
07.01.2009 20.10
@Poe: Personally, I think these Q&A’s are pointless.
Mattel should just GIVE the info they CAN give us. Instead of “we cant tell you that…we can’t tell you that too….we can tell you that either”, Mattel should seriously just dump all the news they can give on our laps.
Seriously, how many times have we heard…”WELL…TELL YOUR FAVORITE RETAILER TO ORDER MORE DCUC IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM SOME MORE” lol
It’s same b.s. cookie cutter replies that make us seem like a bunch of crazy people asking questions to a rock.
Mattel’s Q&A should be “Matty toyline news” and they can just dump everything they are allowed to tell us right then and there.
Jim
07.01.2009 20.13
Oh and the “white powder” is so the joints don’t get stuck. It’s on most of the joints on the dcuc figures to prevent joints from sticking together due to dried paint between the joint slots.
monkey boy
07.01.2009 20.19
ok ok ok…come on now…is ANYBODY out there feelin’ good about mattel’s answer to number 2? ANYBODY? because to me that’s a BIG HUGE MIDDLE FINGER TO EVERYONE. how DARE they blame wal-mart and tell us to go talk to the toy aisle employees again.
wal-mart didn’t say, “oh hey, can we get power girl and joker in that exclusive wave?” that is, perhaps, the STUPIDEST DECISION MADE BY A TOY COMPANY, EVER. and that includes every fucking stupid decision mattel has made up until this point.
what i personally get from these Q and A’s, poe, is that mattel’s attitude toward its fans is basically, “hey guys, bend over for a second, i’ve got something for you”.
Jim
07.01.2009 20.20
@Prfkttear: I think your on to something.
Thus, there seems to be a pattern combined with common sense regarding what they can or can’t reveal.
So if they give us these Q&A’s out of courtesy, I think they should give guidelines for these Q&A’s to put a cap on the ridiculousness of it all.
Tell dcuc/jlu fans HOW to answer questions. Basically, what not to ask: production numbers, character releases, walmart availability, etc. etc.
The guidelines won’t cover ALL the details of what not to ask but it’s a step towards writing the CORRECT question to ask.
If not, then we might as well ask the questions….and find the cookie cutter answers that match that “type” of question from previous Mattel Q&A editions.
Jim
07.01.2009 20.22
@monkey boy: Preach on bro! lol Answer #2 is like one of them computer made fortune cookie fortunes or something.
monkey boy
07.01.2009 20.29
and poe, i’d love it if you’d do me a solid and slip this in your next round of Q and A’s:
dear mattel,
I would love to know what the process was behind Mattel’s inclusion of the Joker, one of the most popular DC characters of all time, in an exclusive Wal-Mart wave. Forgetting for a moment the fact that an exclusive wave is automatically made in more limited numbers than a mass release and thus it’s odd that such a core, popular character would be chosen for an exclusive wave, it seems like Mattel would have perhaps learned something from the lack of satisfaction many fans expressed about the availability of the previous Wal-Mart exclusive wave. Please explain what the logic is behind taking customer dissatisfaction at a very difficult to find retailer exclusive wave and using that info to include one of the most anticipated DCUC figures in another retailer exclusive wave that (if your Q&A answers are a ny indication) is going to prove just as difficult to find. Since it’s assumed that Mattel was responsible for the list of characters for inclusion in the WM wave, it seems like the burden should be on Mattel to make sure that fans have a better opportunity at getting the figure. And yet the response is still “Go tell your local Wal-Mart to order more DCUC!” Some Wal-Marts just do not get exclusives, and there is nothing that can be done at a customer level. So seeing that Mattel is aware of the anger that was caused by the previous WM wave, and Mattel is responsible for the character choices in the exclusive wave, it becomes difficult to believe that there isn’t somebody at Mattel with genuine disdain for the collector community. It’s otherwise hard to understand how the Joker would find inclusion in the second WM exclusive wave. This almost certainly assures that MOST DC fans will not be able to get one of DC’s most iconic villains. Putting the responsibility on consumers to tell retailers what to buy is not only a silly pointless request, but it’s asking us to do your job. As a toy company, it’s up to you to make sure that consumers can purchase your products. It’s a pretty pretentious ideal to assume that consumers should be the ones begging for product. Mattel, as a company, should assume responsibility for getting its product to the consumer.
Thomas B
07.01.2009 20.32
i like the Q&As from all the dif sites i just wish the moderators would sort of communicate so everyone isnt asking the same question over and over again.
i like these sessions and always look forward to them but i don’t usually think they will give us huge nuggets of info. the first quesstion for example was very good and gave us a good tease but ANYTHING is a possibility
the “ask you toy manager” response is aggravating. i am sure MANY of use WOULD ask if we knew :
A. who that was.
B. if the store even HAS one, which they prob don’t
how about this question next time:
can you give us the name, email, birthdate and street address for the account rep for wal-mart, target, k-mart etc.
if we had a person to EMAIL at least for each store i am sure they’d get the point since there is NEVER a toy manager. hell i am lucky if i see someone restocking a toy in the isle that fell on the floor
Poe
07.01.2009 20.39
The next Q&A isn’t due until August 1 (for August 15th), which gives me a month to decide whether to continue doing them.
Jim
07.01.2009 20.47
@Poe: Just send Mattel one question:
Can you give us guidelines of what NOT to ask for Q&A’s?
That or drop all the info you are ALLOWED to give us twice a month!
Jim
07.01.2009 20.51
Oh and although, I think Q&A’s are pointless, I’m not saying you should stop these. I’m just say that enough is enough and everyone at Poe or any other site seriously needs to be given guidelines of what not to ask.
Lol…Remember those magic 8 balls?
Matty collector should sell EXCLUSIVE matty magic 8 balls….then we can ask it a question and it will do the job for the computer that’s spitting out all these question. At the same time, mattel can yank out some extra sales with these 8balls!
outburst
07.01.2009 21.15
I love these Q&As. It’s one of the things I regularly look forward to and I would probably visit less without them.
Not a threat, just saying it like it is. Your site is very helpful in that sense, especially by compiling all the Q&A links for us so that I don’t have to hunt them down myself.
Yes, we get stock answers, but I agree that it’s because in some cases, we’re asking the wrong questions. Mattel will never be able to answer general distribution questions unless it relates to items they’re selling on MattyCollector.
We’ve received some tasty hints at future releases through these Q&As and I hope they continue.
Scott
07.01.2009 21.19
Many of the sites do give guidelines, such as no character specific questions or rude sounding questions.
It should also be clear by now that “why doesn’t X store have Y product” questions are pointless, regardless of the numerous ways people find to phrase them. In that regard, it’s unfair to complain that an answer is repetitive if the question itself is repetitive.
Also, whether you like it or not, they did give a real answer to Q2. They said as politely as possible that it would be the same situation as last year.
Jim
07.01.2009 21.30
@Scott: What your saying is all true. However, I’m not referring to guidelines the particular site gives but Mattel themselves should give guidelines since it’s Mattel who’s doing the answering.
People will always forget the guidelines and it just makes a mess of things to expect people to remember such guidlines.
1) Poe or sites should request Mattels own “guideline bullet point cheat sheet” for all the sites that have Q&A.
2) The sites should post this cheat sheet at the beginning of every “Mattel List of questions to submit”. This way, people will remember all the time. New site visitors will know what to ask.
Lastly, I agree it’s unfair to complain about repetitive answers if the question is repetitive but again, that’s why Mattel needs to write guidelines and the sites need to chose the questions that fit those requirements.
How many Q&A’s have we had where the majority of us are pissed at the questions they give? We need to start being a bit more proactive and figure out ways to end this ridiculous cycle.
nerdbot
07.01.2009 22.10
Have the monthly Q&As ever been the source of solid new information? I mean, I read them every month… and as many have noted (and I have griped about in the past), I always have a sense of deja vu when doing so.
It’s up to you, Poe, whether you have the interest to engage in the monthly game of trying to get a new or helpful response out of Mr. Neitlich. The Q&A responses are usually so predictable and insulting that I wouldn’t miss them if they went away. But, as I said, I still read them every month, hoping for some accidental slip of honesty.
For my part, I prefer questions that address distribution issues, quality control, or other matters that the good people of Mattel would probably not bring up on their own. In other words, I have no interest in the gamesmanship of trying to get Mr. Neitlich to announce upcoming figure assortments or the like, as I know they will announce these things when they are ready to do so (and not before), regardless of our questioning. (Really, these are just thinly veiled attempts by us fans to announce our personal preferences.)
Oh- and regarding the white film… In my experience, it hasn’t been only near joints, but coating most of the figure. (I hope it is just powder to keep joints from sticking — I’d rather wipe some film off a figure than have a broken one.) It has been particularly apparent on black areas, and I have noticed it on DCUC and JLU figures (DCUC 3, and JLU Huntress come to mind). Furthermore, it appeared over time. It wasn’t noticeable when the figures were new, but only after they sat around a while. And it is pretty evenly distributed on the surface, as though the paint was turning to dust, or a residue from outgassing of the figure itself was left behind.
I thought Mattel (or the manufacturer) was aware of it, and that’s why they were putting vent holes in the newer packaging. How long have they been adding those? The oldest sealed DCUC I have at hand is my unmasked Deathstroke, and it has them, while some DCSH figures I have here do not. Are the vents there for another reason, and just a coincidence?
George
07.01.2009 22.59
Eh, Poe if you get rid of the QA its yet another one the features you get rid of. i hope you don’t get offended at my next comment but since you sold out you’ve been getting lazier (for lack of a better term) in what you do with the site. Never has it stopped me from visiting your site or should but its just something i wanted to put out there you can catch and receive it or send it right back. I mean no harm nor disrespect with this comment and would retrieve it at any time if it got you upset Mr. Poe.
Thomas
07.01.2009 23.11
I don’t know if I’m stating the obvious or if I’m totally out to lunch on this, but I have to assume the reason why Mattel offers Wal-Mart exclusives has to be about money. And, I have to assume further, that the reason why they would offer such popular characters like Joker and Power Girl, is to get Wal-Mart on board with them. I believe they are promoting these waves to Wal-Mart in exchange for a nice chunk of change.
It is clear they are not offering these waves for casual or serious collectors. They aren’t offering these waves out of the love they feel in their hearts for Wal-Mart. They aren’t doing it to reward dedicated Wal-Mart customers. They don’t care whether these figures ever make it to a store, let alone into our hands. They are doing it for financial benefit.
Now, I understand that Mattel is in the business of making money and not of personally satisfying my collecting needs. However, it is indeed a big “frak you” to all of us every time they provide their canned and completely meaningless response about talking to our local store toy managers.
These figures are made in limited quantities, will find their way into a limited number of stores, get sold on eBay for outrageous sums of money by the assholes who troll through the toy aisles every single day with the express purpose of buying figures like this to sell, but Mattel doesn’t care about any of that, because they still get paid.
I think the bottom line is that Mattel doesn’t care about collectors, Mattel cares about Mattel. That’s fine. But I, for one, would love to hear them actually acknowledge that they are making a whole shitload of money on these exclusives and that most of us are unlikely to find these figures hanging on a peg.
Thomas
07.01.2009 23.19
Poe,
I appreciate what you do here. Your site is one of my favorite sites to visit and I stop by every day. As far as the Q&A, I would say it’s up to you. I read it every time you post it, unhelpful Mattel responses and all, and I will continue to read it as long as you offer it.
Emerald
07.01.2009 23.30
First off I still can’t believe that after all the Q&As you guys have read you would still ask the same type of questions over and over. Jesse Falcon used to post guidelines and we learned a lot from his threads. People still asked stupid questions, but I think you, POE, have done better than most at trying different questions out. But you guys are right — be specific. Eg.: Will the Jon Stewart figure from Wave 11 have a variant? Will the retail price of the figures continue to rise every other wave? Will the pattern of adding a repainted former DCSH figure continue into waves 12 and 13? They might throw a hint and that’s all anybody can expect. At another Q&A a very specific question was asked and they hinted that the next Matty 2-pack will be villain male and female. Now I’m thinking Cheetah and Toyman
I appreciated the question about the white film on the plastic though, even though I am somewhat disturbed that Mattel is unaware of it. I have some insight into this from way back. Years ago, I used to use a material called “Elasticlay”. It was a flexible polymer and it mysteriously disappeared from the market but it was a great product for making flexible parts. A few months after using it (even through paint) it began to leech out the very same white film. After a few years, eventually the flexibility became stiff and brittle and would crack very easily. People need to realize that many of these plastics used have never been tested for long term effects. I think many of you will find that many of your toys will suffer from this and only get worse. Sorry for the long read.
nerdbot
07.02.2009 0.01
I doubt Wal-Mart is paying any money to Mattel in exchange for providing exclusive waves. Not directly. It seems Wal-Mart’s usual attitude is that manufacturers should bend over backwards to satisfy Wal-Mart’s whims (and be damned thankful for the honor of providing merchandise to them). A number of major companies have opened offices in Bentonville, Arkansas just to be near Wal-Mart corporate HQ and better appease them.
I believe “Matty” when he said that Mattel wanted to get the line into Wal-Mart – the world’s biggest retailer – and the only way to make it happen was to provide exclusive waves. (I suppose the numbers that they look at must prove me wrong, but I cannot see how exclusive waves matter much at all to a retailer like Wal-Mart or Target. How are they any different to their bottom line than any other wave? The sell-through rate might be higher – but do the numbers produced really generate vastly more revenue? Do they really generate more ancillary sales?)
And while we’re on the subject, I don’t believe that Wal-Mart was hands-off when it came to character selection on wave 10. I would be shocked if there was not a buyer in the Wal-Mart organization who demanded the inclusion of A-list characters- possibly Batman and the Joker specifically.
If only we could convince retailers to cut out the exclusive wave nonsense. An exclusive variant here and there is one thing, but entire waves are ridiculous.
Barring that, if only we could convince both Mattel and Wal-Mart that it would be in their best fiscal interest to produce the exclusive wave in numbers that rival the production run of any other wave, maybe we would have a hope of finding wave 10.
And while I’m on my wishful thinking kick… If only we could convince them to make more of wave 5, for cripes sake!
Scott
07.02.2009 0.15
I don’t think they necessarily make less of the Walmart waves than of any of the others. It’s just that when people see them on shelves, they buy up everything they see thinking their valuable. Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Jim
07.02.2009 0.17
I think if every site said “Mattel, your Q&A’s are useless, we quit”….They would start to see that everyone is serious about the Q&A complaints and either improve it or just ignore everything.
Personally, I think all the toy site should just say “mattel screw your crappy q&a’s”
There may at least me SOME reaction from mattel towards that.
Jim
07.02.2009 0.26
@Poe: I think if i were in your position I’d be in a tight spot. I’d feel somewhat disappointed with Q&A’s but I wouldn’t want to seem lazy or a sellout to my readers.
Bottom line is the problem needs to be rooted out at it’s source. Mattel can fix the situation by giving us Q&A guidelines. Post these guidelines up before every “Mattel List of questions”.
Case solved.
nerdbot
07.02.2009 0.29
Pardon my long post about Wal-Mart there. The connection (that I failed to make) to the Q&A is that I believe Mattel, and anyone who works for Mattel, understands that decisions about what to carry are *not* made at the local level. Continuing to suggest that it is on us to ask our local stores is disingenuous and insulting. Generally, I was agreeing with Thomas; but offering a slightly different take on how I got there.
I think, at some level, Mattel appreciates collectors. (If they don’t value us, why are they constantly trying to blow smoke up our keisters?) But I think they are primarily interested in making money. Secondarily, I think they are interested in avoidance of risk. I’ve said before, and I still believe it to be true, that Mattel would rather make 5,000 toys and sell 5,000 toys than make 10,000 and sell 9,000.
Actually, now that I think of it, as the biggest toy company, risk-aversion might be their number one priority. Compared to Hot Wheels and Barbie, DCUC might seem like penny-ante BS to corporate Mattel. Of course, they’ll never talk about numbers, so we may never know…
clark
07.02.2009 0.34
Perhaps this Walmart wave was just a reason to keep their product in Walmarts. If you remember we went many month with no DC superhero/DCUC figures in Walmarts, until an exclusive wave was offered. Maybe they made the deal for two waves up front. Okay, so that being said–Walmart waves, from either Hasbro or Mattel, have been epic failures. Distribution is so spotty it is not even funny, and if your region is like mine, Walmart has become the most expensive store to buy figures (compared to Target and TRU, my only other options).
Newton Gimmick
07.02.2009 0.41
I don’t think you’re wasting our or your time with these Q&A’s but Mattel often wastes it with their answers.
The residue is likely that weird mold stuff that develops on figures over time. Putting them in the sun supposedly clears it up.
I wonder if I could get a Q&A with Mattel going. Probably been too mean to them to get one though.
monkey boy
07.02.2009 0.45
@ scott: a retailer exclusive wave is automatically much MUCH more limited than a mass retail release. that’s just common sense. when you crunch the numbers and say “okay, we have to make enough units to ship to target, TRU, wal-mart, internet retailers, comic shops, etc.” and then say “okay, we have to make enough to ship to…wal-mart”…do you honestly think they’re making the same amount? if they produced an exclusive WM wave in the quantities of a mass market wave, they would probably fill every toy shelf in every wal-mart and leave no room for anything else…you’re narrowing the sales venues, you’re narrowing the production numbers…it’s common sense.
in fact, when one looks at the previous WM DCUC wave, it doesn’t even seem like that wave was produced in the amount that would normally get shipped to wal-marts from a mass market wave. i think everyone agrees that wave was painfully underproduced, and mattel’s answer as to the fate of the future WM wave’s availability was a thinly veiled “tough break, douchebags. good luck!”
perhaps wal-mart demanded a heavy hitter in their exclusive wave. though with the way mattel runs things, i have to wonder if ANYONE in a position to deal with retailers actually knows ANYTHING about DC comics, or any of the non barbie, non hot wheels lines they sell…with the boys lines, it seems that any real expertise on the subject matter stops at the research and design level…do you think the guys who actually were responsible for creating the harry potter figures were happy when the bosses came in and said “good news guys, we’re changing the scale in the middle of the line, for no reason! that should make everyone happy right?”………my point is if wal-mart demanded a heavy hitter like the joker, mattel should have said “well, guys, please understand the joker is one of the core characters our customers are really excited about…if we make it difficult for them to get him, that could hurt our company.” now, maybe wal-mart’s a big corporate giant and mattel has no room for negotiation with them, and maybe wal-mart said “give us a heavy hitter or we won’t stock your product”…however, were i mattel i would have countered with “if we give you such a heavy hitter, you had better take steps to ensure that he’s available in quantities such that our customers can actually find him, not like last time.”
then when someone asked what mattel had done to ensure that the joker wouldn’t be as non-existent as the previous WM DCUC wave, matty could have said “don’t worry guys, we know what happened last time, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure that history does not repeat itself and everyone gets a chance to own the clown prince of crime!”
even if that sounds like a fluff answer, it’s a better fluff answer than the utter BS they gave us. if mattel doesn’t have the clout to say “no” to making joker an exclusive walmart release, then it’s a laugh riot to say that us toy collecting nerds talking to the toy aisle manager making 8 bucks an hour is going to have an effect on us being able to buy the figures we want.
nerdbot
07.02.2009 0.53
@monkey boy: A-freaking-men.
clark
07.02.2009 1.24
@monkey boy: You are definitely on to something. But sometimes we forget what a heavy-hitter Walmart really is. They aren’t just a big store, they are the biggest international corporation around. I don’t think that it is out of the realm of possibilities to think that they demanded a mainstream character. Heck, we’re talking about a retailer so big and powerful that they can approach a manufacturer, and give them a Walmart-produced business model for how they can make their product to sell through Walmart.
@Newt–my green lantern got that white powder bad, I just wiped him off with a wet rag and it hasn’t been a problem since.
Fengschwing
07.02.2009 2.26
It’s a tricky one.
I look forwards to reading the questions and I VERY much appreciate the round-up on the other sites, but we never get much news do we?
Yes, it’s mostly down to us asking the same questions and yes, I think they are just us trying to get the scoop on news that we want to hear personally (if it were up to me, I’d ask when Jack Knight was coming out every month).
I think a guideline to what questions to ask is a fine, fine idea but I also think that if a site did drop it’s chance to do a Q&A that might send a message to Mattel too, maybe more so if more than one site did?
Who knows.
AS for the exclusivity issue, yes I agree with everyone else, it’s a tax on the fan, like the Gleek situation, I don’t think Mattel treat fans fairly at all or show much indication that they listen to them.
An exclusive line is the kiss of death for a lot of people, it most certainly is for me and everyone else who lives outside the US.
One thing though, I could be wrong, but has it actually been set in stone that Power Girl and Joker WILL be Wack Mart exclusives?
Jim
07.02.2009 2.48
@Fengschwing: THANK YOU!
Motorthing
07.02.2009 3.21
To bother or not to bother? I could give myself a Mattel answer and tell myself to go ask the local store manager……
Snark Done.
Poe, I think you do a fine job with these in what is obviously a very limited exercise in corporate comminication, but realistically the answers are not only predictable after the first three/four repeats and they become pointless to a degree that is insulting.
Answer 2 must be delivered with a smirk – Mattel sat at the same panel/forum where the initial announcment was made about another Wally Wave and heard the collective groan that went up, Nobody was cheering. So they are either pathalogically stupid or simply don’t care.
I suspect the latter.
And let’s face it – we get what we deserve here.
Mattel are going to suceed with DCU no matter the level of complaint, no matter how poor the quality of the product provided and no matter the hoops needed to be jumped through because very few of us actually want to bail out and not buy them.
Legs that sheer off at the hip straight out of the packet? No problem, we’ll be back next wave. If we can find it. Mad, economy-defying price hikes? Even less of a problem. We order by the case anyway.
Mattel knows this and knows ultimately we don’t matter.
Only if we all decide enough is enough and simply stop buying Mattel product would even a blip register on the corporate radar. And it’s not going to happen is it?
Supply your own Mattel-non-answer to that one………
Newton Gimmick
07.02.2009 3.23
The problem with the Walmart exclusives is the exclusive part.
If the figures could be re-released later in other waves I’d be fine with them being exclusives for now. But Mattel makes out like we’ll never see those figures again and that’s troubling.
Mark
07.02.2009 4.33
Poe, there is nothing wrong with your Q&A, they are great…..the only thing I would say though is they have other lines than just DCUC, JLU etc that Poesters would rather find out more information about like MOTUC, WWE, Ghostbusters etc.
Fengschwing
07.02.2009 7.34
Motorthing is completely right, this stuff is plastic crack. No matter how much I whine about it, I still want it.
The trouble is, Mattel are acting just like crack dealers, anything to get the cash coming in from us.
Will I keep buying? Yes, I will. What’s the alternative?
I’m not going back to DC Direct, pretty as their statues are.
Poe
07.02.2009 8.26
@George: Lazy I won’t argue with, but when did I sell out? Selling out implies making, y’know, a profit…
As for my fewer posts, it’s mostly burnout coupled with being a lot busier at my real job (plus one other thing, which I’ll be talking about in a blog post soon). Ultimately this site is a hobby for me, and real life intrudes.
As for the Q&As, I think I’ll keep doing them, but I’m going to be choosier about which questions I ask.
Mark
07.02.2009 8.39
The answer to question 2 was so stupid….I had a job in Toys’R'Us for a while, if you actually asked any of the workers there they would laugh in your face….if anything its managment you would need to speak to….the people these shops hire go and do the job they are told to do to get their pay not worry about someones finding a figure.
jestergoblin
07.02.2009 8.47
Wow. I didn’t expect to set off such a chain of comments.
I think the best way to handle this would be a week or two before questions are due, you post them so we can collectively go through and modify them or cut the ones that will be “go talk to your toy manager…” Currently, most of the questions are new for a lot of us and a discussion would help improve the quality of them.
For example, a follow up on the white stuff would be fascinating. But asking about new characters is pointless.
jestergoblin
07.02.2009 8.51
@mark i used to work at toys r us too like five years ago, parents are not the most receptive to the idea that if they can’t find what they want to write a letter.
The worst for me involved Shredder from the new TMNT line. I had to explain that he was being shipped one-per-case of 12 at the time and the parents could not understand the fact that we can’t just order a single figure.
Mark
07.02.2009 10.07
@jestergoblin, yeah I totally know what you mean….I remeber trying to find the MOTU 200X figures. Although I worked in the bike department in Toys’R'Us.
Years back in the 80′s a small toy shop over here was able to order in specific Thundercats figures, my dad ordered in some for me..Tygra and Panthro.
Jim
07.02.2009 10.37
@Poe: Can you make one of the questions-Will guidelines be given as to what we can actually get an answer to? In other words, a list of things you can’t answer. That way we don’t waste a question by getting an unsatisfactory answer.
The Flash III
07.02.2009 10.59
I appreciate your effort with the site; it’s one of my favorites and there is always something cool to read about.
There have been a lot of good points about Wal-Mart, production numbers for exclusive waves, and the fact that Mattel has us all by the cajones or girl-cajones. I, for one, don’t care about MOTUC or Ghostbusters, but I don’t mind reading Mattel’s answers to those rather than getting pissed when they have no answers for the Wal-Mart debacle. If you drop the Q&A, they’ll just find another site to do one with…it’s the nature of fan sites. Being choosier about questions might help, but don’t stress out over it.
griffin
07.02.2009 11.11
@Monkey Boy, Nerdbot- Oddly enough an exclusive wave should be produced in numbers on par with regular waves to maximize profit to the exclusive vendor. If each Wal-mart wave is only produced in the amount that usually goes to Walmart, what is the point, becaue Walmart isn’t actually making any more money than they would have had they just started carrying the line, unless they got them at a discounted price, which just seems idiotic for Mattel to do. The point of an exclusive is to keep supply and demand about the same but change the venue to maximize sales for that venue. Unless all Walmart wants is more foot traffic, why even ask for an exclusive if you aren’t going to order it with numbers on par with demand? Also I don’t think that Mattel should have given them an exclusive to begin with. With a line as hot as DCUC, Walmart can either get on board or lose out on sales to Target. Then again maybe it is Mattel’s fault. Monkey Boy is correct that each Walmart can only house so many DCUC at a time, so Mattel should have anticipated this and made more than one production run of Walmart waves, so that when Walmarts ran out they could order more. Instead when Walmarts ran out they had to order series 6. But then again some Walmarts didn’t start carrying until after the Walmart wave. Basically this whole thing is a cluster#@$%.
Also @Poe- I think you are right to keeping asking while being more selective.
Scott
07.02.2009 11.25
@Monkey Boy:
I’m sure they make somewhat less, but not as few as you seem to think. One of the points of an exclusive is to keep all of the sales to themselves. If they thought they’d sell the same amount of non-exclusive Wave 9 as exclusive wave 10, why would they even bother? It’s common sense.
Thomas
07.02.2009 11.39
I have seen waves 6 and 7 (non-exclusive waves) in plentiful quantities in Wal-Marts. I never saw a single figure from wave 5. Not one figure, not one time. I searched in five different states and never laid eyes on them.
I think the quantities for exclusive waves are significantly less than for normal waves and when Wal-Mart sells out of all the figures, they and Mattel deem it a success…even though the majority of people interested in them never saw them and will only be able to purchase them on the secondary market.
PrfktTear
07.02.2009 11.41
@George: Sell out? I think thats way off base. Lazy, yes, but unless someone has actually ran a site, I don’t think you know how time consuming it is to come up with quality content. Consistency is nice, but he’s not a trained monkey here for our amusment.
I think the Q&A is worthwhile to keep around. Its not like its a weekly thing, once every month is fine. Just important to be discriminating about what questions are asked.
finkrod
07.02.2009 11.42
I look forward to these Q&A things mainly for the humor. Since they invariably answer either “We will look into it” or “We can’t comment on that at this time”, it’s almost satire. Don’t stop please! It’s kind of like that “Letters to Darksied” column that Toyfair used to do.
@Poe: When exactly did you sell out Poe? And to whom? It wasn’t Whitey, was it?
Scott
07.02.2009 11.47
I think part of it is that they don’t show up at all stores. Beyond that, I still think the perceived rarity helps turn it into reality. I’ve seen people on other boards brag how they own 5-6 sets of wave 5 (complete with pictures).
Put it this way: if you saw waves 10 and 11 sitting on the shelves, and you only had money for 1 wave, which one would you buy?
Or to put it another way: If you saw 2 sets of wave 10 on the shelf, and you had money for all of them, would you buy them all?
Emerald
07.02.2009 11.59
Actually, Mattel stated in a Q&A a while back that Wave 5 was produced in less numbers than other waves as a sales test since Walmart didn’t want to fully commit. Now that they know it’s successful I believe the numbers will be more, but with Walmart downsizing their toy departments corporate-wide and still not really interested in non-media tie-in toys, there’s no doubt it will be another fiasco on a different level. There’s also no doubt that Joker has multi-media tie-ins and is the most A-list villain, thus why Walmart got the character along with Batman. To Walmart, DCUC is at the bottom of their priority list but if they’re going to spend money they want a sure thing. Walmart probably was scratching its proverbial head when the Marvel Legends exclusive wave in 05 sold out in a week, with no media tie-in to guide it. Well, everyone knows that Batman will sell through. Even though Forager is sure to be the pegwarmer of this wave, he’ll still only be found regionally. Good luck on the others.
In the end, Mattel will do what they always do — re-release the hard-to-find figures years later, taking up slots that could have gone to new characters. I call them “Apology Figures”. Just look at JLU to see what I mean.
Mark
07.02.2009 12.21
Yeah but in all fairness 5 questions all about DC, me personally I couldn’t careless about DC or super hero figures. There is no point in asking Mattel about the distribution of their products as it has always not been great.
I look forward to these Q&A and then when I see all the questions being about DCUC and JLA its a bit of a let down, I would have been happy if there was even one slight mention of MOTUC.
Another thing we cannot slag Poe about being lazy or his site. This site is great and Poe does pleny on it….this is only a pass time for him and all us readers, we all have more impotant things to be doing in the real world. As for being a sell out he is far from that….but I still remember the Betty Page statue Poe LOL.
PrfktTear
07.02.2009 12.27
As a Massachusetts resident, Wave 5 was merely a myth. Yet up to that point DCUC was NOT carried by any of the Wal-Marts in the area, and I’ve got at least a dozen all within a 30 minute driving distance. DCUC is now being carried by most WMs in the area, so I hope I will at least have a chance to get this wave.
Talking to Toy Dept. managers… kind of unrealistic. That said, I think speaking with a store manager or writing letters might carry more weight. I’m not suggesting a letter writing campaign, but if managers can pass the information on to the proper dept. heads it might be more helpful.
Fengschwing
07.02.2009 12.35
Mark, with the greatest respect, it works the other way too, I’m not very interested in the MOTUC or Ghostbusters figures, they just don’t captivate me at all and I quite happily skip the questions asked about them.
I’m not bashing the line or the fans one jot, I’m happy that folks are happy they are getting new versions of cherished toys, I admit the Teela figure looks very cool, but DCUC is my main interest.
I think balance on asking questions about all of Mattels lines must be tough, think of the poor Cars fans!
Seriously, this isn’t meant as a slight against MOTUC fans, please don’t take it as such.
Mark
07.02.2009 12.39
Maybe a reason a lot of shops haven’t ordered the DCUC figures is because they do not want to have nearly every figure returned and have to give out refunds.
Mark
07.02.2009 12.43
@Fengschwing, I totally understand man, I have no interest in Ghostbusters either…I just meant not all questions should be about one line thats all.
I’m sure the Cars fans must have tons of questions they want answerd LOL.
griffin
07.02.2009 12.47
RE: Asking your toy manager- I loved the time someone asked what to do if there is no toy manager to ask and they said “ask your toy manager.”
PrfktTear
07.02.2009 12.47
Obviously if you’re not collecting a particular line you’re not going to be interested in teh news. I really don’t pay attention to DCIH or JLU news. ON the other hand I’m interested in DCUC, MOTUC, and Ghostbusters. I think thats why its nice that so many different sites have the opportunity to ask questions, some specifically tailored to certain lines, others more diverse (like PGPoA). At least here Poe provides us a round-up as well as new Q&A.
Fengschwing
07.02.2009 13.34
Totally agree, the round-ups save me having to go trawling round, I appreciate the effort Poe puts in.
Mark
07.02.2009 13.49
Poe’s is the only site I regularly check for news etc.
outburst
07.02.2009 14.27
The crack dealer reference is fantastic.
‘I hate you because you give me such awesome stuff, but then you go and raise the price and make it hard for me to find it. So, I’m not going to buy anymore of your awesome stuff unless you give me lots of it and make it really cheap!’
It’s fun to see people get worked up over toys. =D
AmericanHyena
07.02.2009 15.31
Y’know…for all the peeps bitching about Joker…I would point out that in Wave 5 the most well known character was the one who was doublepacked. So like Riddler, I’m thinking that Joker is probably going to outnumber the rest of the wave in production number and be substantially easier to find.
Scott
07.02.2009 15.43
Actually, they do cases of 10 now. Since there will be no All Star figures in this wave, there’s a good chance that 3 of the figures will be somewhat easier to find and the other 4 will be hard.
Fengschwing
07.02.2009 17.18
I have a question for next time at least, ‘How can you justify the $3 price rise?’.
Mark
07.02.2009 17.32
LOL.
monkey boy
07.02.2009 18.16
yes exclusives maximize sales for the single vendor, thus maximizing product makes a certain degree of sense, but the goal of exclusives, from a retailer standpoint (and retailers have stated this on several occasions) is to get people coming into the stores and buying things. retailers are proponents of “chase figures” for the same reason…they want people to come to their store. and with chases especially, they want them to come often.
there may be more of an exclusive WM wave than a normal mass market wave shipment to wal-mart, but you’d be batty to assume mattel makes the product in the same numbers that it would have shipped to all the other vendors. keep in mind that not only will this wave ship to wal-marts only, but it most certainly won’t even ship to all wal-marts. wal-marts are notoriously spotty for which stores get exclusives. some entire regions seem to never get any exclusives, or a very limited quantity.
the proof is in the pegs, people. retailer exclusives either tend to disappear immediately, or pegwarm indefinitely. and that’s if the store even gets them in…so for every TRU mezco heroes or DCD watchmen exclusive nobody asked for, you have a WM exclusive like the marvel legends ares wave which barely hangs around long enough for your local scalper to come in and buy all of the good figures.
which is another problem. isolating the figures in a single location is basically a scalper’s dream…it means everything is waitign for him in one location. there are still figures from the ares wal-mart wave i’ve never seen and probably will NEVER see (crossbones, hello?), and i probably only stumbled upon the remnants of that wave maybe three times.
as for DCUC wave 5, never saw it. not at a single wal-mart in my area, and there are quite a few i frequent. not even the super wal-marts near me had any remnants, or even the double packed riddlers lingering on the shelves. if they ever got them in, they flew of the pegs as fast as they hit them, but i suspect it’s entirely possibly that no stores near me carried the wave at all. the only way i got a riddler was through an online contact, and i suspect the joker might be the same way.
furthermore, it’s fundamentally troubling to me that the joker is an exclusive figure at all…i would say it’s like (blank) from the (blank) line being an exclusive, but i can’t think of a better example than…JOKER being an exclusive in a DC COMICS line. what if the only way to get megatron was through a single store. what if the only way to get darth vader was at a single store? power girl i can almost understand…she might be considered a “heavy hitter” in the DC universe…but the freaking joker?! everyone knows the joker, even 5 year olds who’ve never read a comic. probably every hero in the DC universe has faced the joker at least once. yeah, let’s make HIM the retailer exclusive.
Reverend Ender
07.03.2009 22.22
So, enough lamenting. With our powers combined, could we possible compile a list of what states DID receive Wave 5, so that I can ask all of my friends in those states to be on the lookout for the exclusive Wave, buy lots for me, which I can then distribute to me fellow misfortunate Poesters and Fwooshers? Feel free to email me if you have info.
Poe, you are doing a fantastic job, keep up the good work please! MY question actually got asked AND answered last time, and it was a good question and got a good answer. I think it’s a great example of what to ask.
My email is: reverendender@gmail.com
AFP’s Ask Matty Round-Up for 7/1/9 | ActionFigurePics.com
08.15.2009 18.37
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