Are Star Wars toys just not selling?

Alot of the recent SW toys are terrible. Asking top dollar for figurines with horrible facesculpts, cheap plastic, poorly done boxart.


And then there are the Hot Toys, Lego and other high-end stuff that I don't think too many 5 year-olds are buying. $200 plus Hot Toys, an $800 Aluminum Falcon!?!!? (robot chicken reference). One of those makes up for not selling oodles of crappy sculpt, cheaper toys. And those weren't around in the 1970s and 1980s

Not doll, ACTION FIGURES!
 
We all have to admit. Toys just dont sell anymore. Baby/toddler toys, yes. But anyone older than 6 is getting a nerf gun or a new game for the xbox or PS4. Even Lego is suffering with the younger crowd. Im a huge Lego fan. But the price! But I'm a 10 year old at heart and have the patience to complete a puzzle. I think everyone under the age of 25 is ADHD.

Edit: @JPH I was typing while you were posting...lol
 
We all have to admit. Toys just dont sell anymore. Baby/toddler toys, yes. But anyone older than 6 is getting a nerf gun or a new game for the xbox or PS4. Even legos is suffering with the younger crowd. Im a huge lego fan. But I'm a 10 year old at heart and have the patience to complete a puzzle. I think everyone under the age of 25 is ADHD.

Lego has become so popular and expensive that here it is all mainly just empty boxes on the shelves and the insides are locked up in cages out the back. There are even specialized gangs that focus purely on stealing it. Its a big issue.
 
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Yeah...I paid $450 on eBay for the Ultimate Collector's Series Falcon from a few years ago. At the time, it was the largest Lego set ever. Three ft long, 2 1/2 ft wide, 5195 pieces, & a 311 page book. Took two weeks to put it together. Ultimately, it was just too big to display, so after a year, I sold it for $1100. Today, that same set can go for SEVERAL thousand.

They came out in October with an updated set with over 7500 pieces that sold for $800.

Not for the faint of heart, indeed.

I dont mean to turn this into just a Lego thread.. but..

I think thats what Mr Webber and I agree. Lego is not the same anymore for BDay gifts or Christmas gifts, for the average family.

Those prices, if lowered, would contribute greatly to the overall sales. Lego Star Wars, is now a collectors market and not a toy market. And furthermore, collectors are of age.
 
I can see why.

Just look at the 40th anniversary Hasbro "Kenner" figures.

The targeted marketing group was not kids but all of us that ... ugh...suffered...the card board Christmas when Star Wars first came out.
Unlike the regular Black Series these Kenners can't be opened and then repacked, are too expensive as a regular toys and yet are so mass produced that I doubt they will have any value other than fake nostalgia as a collectors item.
 
I think the problem with toys these days lies both in the audiences and the makers. Kids turn to video games, because the action figures are terribly made. And the toy makers justify their crappy toys because the kids are all playing video games. So, it becomes a vicious, endless cycle of crap. I'll use Hasbro as my main base of complaint because they're the toy company I'm most familiar with. Years ago, say... 2006, when kids still played with action figures, Hasbro was at the top of their game. They were making tons of vehicles, tons of toys, and tons of action figures of every figure. It was a great time to collect figures and toys. Then... some years later, things started changing. For whatever reason, Hasbro started getting lazy. I'll use the Jurassic Park toys as an example because they're the toys I'm most familiar with. Sure, Hasbro never treated the brand right to begin with. From 2001, when they disbanded Kenner and absorbed all their licenses, Jurassic Park toys have gotten the smelly end of the stick. But I still gave Hasbro a pass, because they were still producing this kind of quality:
saga02jedistarfighter-front.jpg

But later, a decade later things started changing. Hasbro changed their game plan. They took away vehicles as their mainstay for selling action figures, and began focusing on combining toy styles. That's when we started getting this:
Jedi_Master_3.jpg

I mean, what the **** is THAT?! Why, Hasbro? Why? It's around the same time we got this fugly SOB:
PTsYFmy.jpg

That was 2015... and it was done SO poorly that Hasbro got the license taken away by Universal. Now, it's 2018, and the SW toys are just as bad at that. Nerf toys and vehicles, chintzy plastic, bad paint apps, and the most random of character choices. In fact. all of Hasbro's licensed toys are terrible looking. Though, ironically, Hasbro's home IPs are doing GREAT! Transformers toys have (arguably) never been better, and My Little Pony toys just keep improving! Both have collector focused lines within the brands, and they're great. It just seems obvious to me that Hasbro doesn't want to make licensed toys, but doesn't know how to admit it.

Now, take what Mattel is doing with Jurassic Park toys since they've gotten the license.
aEA5NN1.jpg

Wow! Now THAT is a dinosaur action figure! No screw holes, great sculpt and accurate paint scheme, and... are those unobtrusive electronic features? Shut up and take my money, Mattel!

If Mattel can make satisfying toys... why can't Hasbro?


As for Lego... I love Lego, I really do. I love what Lego does with SW, but I agree about those prices! I grew up on Lego. I can remember when the packaging looked like this:
lego7130.jpg

But since then, it's just gotten soooooo expensive! I remember I used to ask for a small set for Christmas as a stocking stuffer. Now what I'd consider a stocking stuffer is outrageous in price. I WANT to buy Lego, but I can't afford it.
 
My findings in Germany so far: Since Disney took over the franchise everything Star Wars has become insanely expensive. The toy aisles in the shops are either completely devoid of SW merch or if they carry anything it is discounted merch from two years ago - which is not selling. The first wave of new figures will arrive but after a very short time they are put on discount. 3 3/4" 5-POA-figures are 14.95 € here, 6"-figures from the Black Series 34.95 €, Black Series 3 3/4" SA figures can only be obtained through etailers for at least 24.95 € each. The only way to get certain figures beyond wave 2 is online. Last year the only shop in my vicinity put the TFA figures on clearance; all ended up in the bargain bin and did not sell. I have no idea what happened to them.

@Bryancd : First, please let me thank you for your insightful reports and news "breaks". I enjoy them very much. :thumbsup

I've been a SW figure collector for 34 years now. One thing I have learned is that etailers and shops are not allowed to order individual figures but cases only. Hasbro puts together these cases and sells them to the shops. When all cases are sold Hasbro has earned a golden nose and can claim that the products were a huge hit and the sales numbers went beyond expectations and call the line a major success.

However, that does not tell what happens to the cases at the shops. Since Disney has taken over the case assortments have become very bad. Potential army builders are packed in once whereas main characters in boring outfits are repacked over and over again. That makes some figs very hard to find in places. The re-packed figures start to clog the pegs and block the place for new products that would sell (like new aliens). The shops won't order any more cases from these future waves because they still have plenty of product left that has to be sold first (but which does not sell). Shops do not necessarily recognize hot items (unless they have a collector in their team who could guestimate the chance of selling the figure of the assortment). They see the brand name "Star Wars", believe it is cool and order the stuff. Then they are faced with boxes of toys that don't sell because of various reasons. So the sales numbers offered by Hasbro only show that they have managed to sell their stuff to the shops, they do not reflect how many figures end up with the customers (kids and collectors). This is a very bad situation because the brand is endangered: Shops don't buy any more cases because they won't sell, collectors don't get the interesting figures which come in later waves.

So why do the figures not sell? I can only answer this from my personal perspective as long time collector. First, the nature of the target audience has changed. The traditional collector has started 40 years ago and collects the figures mainly for nostalgia. They have become used to super-articulation. 5-POA is not that appealing. The kids of today are more into electronics, iPads & Co. Action figures are out. Second, the merch has become too expensive and is loaded with unnecessary features (see the AT-ACT that started at 300 $ - who would buy such an expensive thing?). Third, the character choice is very questionable at times. This is only partly Hasbro's fault because if the characters in the movies are boring they can't do better than create boring figures. However, Hasbro is to blame for these bad case assortments and constant re-packs. Just take a look at how many times Jyn Erso has been re-packed. Now she is in the TLJ line. WHY? She's not even in the movie! Her place should have been better used for C'ai Threnalli who is a visually much more attractive character and who will sell very well.

Ah well. As I said, this is my personal view as a long-time collector from Germany. Maybe there are truths out there I don't know, but it saddens me a lot to see the once mighty SW line to decline like that. I really hope the Vintage Collection will change things for the better a bit (I need that tank! :) ). :)
 
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Hey everybody, first post... as I've been lurking for a few weeks.

I'm chiming in on this one because as a life-long SW enthusiast and collector since 1980 (even more-so in the late 90's / early 2000's) I've found that not only have the figures become less inspired but the really cool figures usually end up as some comic-con exclusive or limited run. I think the product has been diluted by The Black Series -- way more cool, but pricey and larger than what we grew up with.
My son is almost 10... he LOVES SW... but he has no interest in figures or vehicles (and believe me, I've tried) because his sports or video games are way more interesting to him. I think figures are going the way of baseball cards - just not a fun thing to collect or interact with anymore.
 
My findings in Germany so far: Since Disney took over the franchise everything Star Wars has become insanely expensive. The toy aisles in the shops are either completely devoid of SW merch or if they carry anything it is discounted merch from two years ago - which is not selling. The first wave of new figures will arrive but after a very short time they are put on discount. 3 3/4" 5-POA-figures are 14.95 € here, 6"-figures from the Black Series 34.95 €, Black Series 3 3/4" SA figures can only be obtained through etailers for at least 24.95 € each. The only way to get certain figures beyond wave 2 is online. Last year the only shop in my vicinity put the TFA figures on clearance; all ended up in the bargain bin and did not sell. I have no idea what happened to them.

@Bryancd : First, please let me thank you for your insightful reports and news "breaks". I enjoy them very much. :thumbsup

I've been a SW figure collector for 34 years now. One thing I have learned is that etailers and shops are not allowed to order individual figures but cases only. Hasbro puts together these cases and sells them to the shops. When all cases are sold Hasbro has earned a golden nose and can claim that the products were a huge hit and the sales numbers went beyond expectations and call the line a major success.

However, that does not tell what happens to the cases at the shops. Since Disney has taken over the case assortments have become very bad. Potential army builders are packed in once whereas main characters in boring outfits are repacked over and over again. That makes some figs very hard to find in places. The re-packed figures start to clog the pegs and block the place for new products that would sell (like new aliens). The shops won't order any more cases from these future waves because they still have plenty of product left that has to be sold first (but which does not sell). Shops do not necessarily recognize hot items (unless they have a collector in their team who could guestimate the chance of selling the figure of the assortment). They see the brand name "Star Wars", believe it is cool and order the stuff. Then they are faced with boxes of toys that don't sell because of various reasons. So the sales numbers offered by Hasbro only show that they have managed to sell their stuff to the shops, they do not reflect how many figures end up with the customers (kids and collectors). This is a very bad situation because the brand is endangered: Shops don't buy any more cases because they won't sell, collectors don't get the interesting figures which come in later waves.

So why do the figures not sell? I can only answer this from my personal perspective as long time collector. First, the nature of the target audience has changed. The traditional collector has started 40 years ago and collects the figures mainly for nostalgia. They have become used to super-articulation. 5-POA is not that appealing. The kids of today are more into electronics, iPads & Co. Action figures are out. Second, the merch has become too expensive and is loaded with unnecessary features (see the AT-ACT that started at 300 $ - who would buy such an expensive thing?). Third, the character choice is very questionable at times. This is only partly Hasbro's fault because if the characters in the movies are boring they can't do better than create boring figures. However, Hasbro is to blame for these bad case assortments and constant re-packs. Just take a look at how many times Jyn Erso has been re-packed. Now she is in the TLJ line. WHY? She's not even in the movie! Her place should have been better used for C'ai Threnalli who is a visually much more attractive character and who will sell very well.

Ah well. As I said, this is my personal view as a long-time collector from Germany. Maybe there are truths out there I don't know, but it saddens me a lot to see the once mighty SW line to decline like that. I really hope the Vintage Collection will change things for the better a bit (I need that tank! :) ). :)
Great post with some great points, but I'm hesitant to blame Disney only because Hasbro has been going down hill for a looong time, and Jurassic Park is proof that Hasbro's licensing division in general seems to be doing a crap job, not just the team working on SW. I think it's more coincidence than anything. Hasbro is still doing great things with their own licenses. Take their My Little Pony toys. Their new brushables, that is the basic Pony toy are vastly superior to the old version of these toys, with more details, better hair,and more playable features. For example, the old brushable toys may have came with a comb, or an animal companion. While these don't come with accessories in that sense, this figure you can remove her armor to make her "good", like they do in the movie. The old brushables were all the same same sculpt with either a horn or wings sculpted in, but the same basic shell with only the hair being the real difference. The eyes, too, were all the same. The new ones have more expressive eyes painted on, with better quality hair that is actually manageable. It's also bigger in scale than the older brushables, and pairs better with Hasbro's "Guardians of Harmony" collector's line. Here's a new brushable (left) with an old brushable (right) :
SLzRjxP.jpg

So why the inverse in quality? I think it has to do with the divisions behind the teams and which ones get more funding than the actual license owners. I have a buddy who collects Transformers, and he definitely has also noticed that Hasbro IP toys are a lot higher in quality than the Hasbro licensed toys.

SLzRjxP.jpg
 
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Star wars toys fly off the shelves in the run up to any of the film releases..

...it's after the film is released that i guess sales drop off on a lot of things....

Rich
 
Great post with some great points, but I'm hesitant to blame Disney only because Hasbro has been going down hill for a looong time, and Jurassic Park is proof that Hasbro's licensing division in general seems to be doing a crap job

Indeed. I saw the JP things and thought, what's that supposed to be? The rubber skin looked so bad... :( Hmm. However, Disney could be blamed for everything getting more and more expensive. Just take a look at the Revell model kits. The first issue of the big AT-AT had a MSRP of about 39.95 €, now it is twice the amount. The same applies to other re-releases and the figures. The Vintage Collection figures (SA and top-notch) were 7.90 - 12.90 € each. Now you have to pay 14.95 € for 5-POA. The figure quality in general has been improved, however (the new Emperor looks awesome and the RO and TLJ lines make the TFA line look like bootlegs), but well, you got more for your money just a few years ago. I find it suspicious that the massive rise in the prices coincides with the Disney takeover.
 
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...it's after the film is released that i guess sales drop off on a lot of things....
That might be a result of the character choice. Take Zuvio. He appeared in all major formats. The text on the packaging of the big BS figures indicated he would be an important character in the movie. Then the movie launched - and the audience had to witness that Zuvio was in it just for a second. It was a blink-and-you-miss-him moment; he even did not have a single line. There was no chance the audience could relate to him in any possible way. Nobody wants a figure of a character you cannot relate to. So Zuvio is still rotting on the shelves. Another example: Phasma. Hopelessly under-used character, but she had one advantage: She looked extremely cool which saved her from the rotting status. But the character itself was so lame. TLJ didn't change that. I was pretty disappointed seeing Paige being killed after a minute or so, but damn, her figure is so damn cool with that breathing gear! ;)

BTW, the odd design choices are obvious when you look at the Porgs. We should be bombarded with 3 3/4" Porgs. Porg multipacks, Porg as an accessory with every Ach-To character, Porgs standing, flying, sitting, screaming, Porgs with nests and and and. Instead we are getting one single Porg with Chewie. That combination paralyses any serious army builder in an instant. To display a flock of Porgs you'll end up with a flock of Chewies and the figs are 14.95 € / 7.99 $ each. It even doesn't help thinking the Porg was the main figure and Chewie the accessory. What's going on there???
 
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