Hasbro News

[primenova]

robot6.comicbookresources.com/2015/04/unhealthy-spider-man-toys-arent-welcome-in-chechnya/

So Russia are going to block toys - but notice that toys stated are Hasbro.

But Hasbro make toys for X-men - Russian characters & then you have most of the Marvel bad guys are russian (& german).

[primenova]

Just seen that Hasbro & Mattel might become one company (could start a thread about this if it happens) It could be worst (Bandi)

But could this talk bring more life into the toys lines? Not just Transformers even if nothing happens. Hasbro movie toys, Marvel then all Mattel stuff.

[blueshift]

Mmm see I see those sort of big mergers as bad. Companies need competition to thrive. If the two big companies merge into a big super company, then they've pretty much won the entire toy market and don't need to make any effort.

[Philip Ayres]

Not the first time this has been rumoured:

www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-04/hasbro-mattel-said-to-have-held-talks-about-possible-merger-ik8jsx1q

[Dezzeh]

Apparently if they did this merger it would give them roughly a quarter of the US toy market, that is a lot of cash.

[The Doctor]

So unknown secret people say vague things about something that may not exist to people unknown. Hardly quality journalism. I'll believe it when I see it.

Ralph would only want this to happen if he got He-Man Transformers.

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

This here is one of them there 'unknown unkowns'.


Or is it a 'known unknown'....?


Or or or a 'known unknown unknown'....?

[Toph]

One good outcome are FINALLY decent 3 3/4" DC figures.

[primenova]

Would they change the name - how would it change the toy market. I do see all the DC themed line that goes against Rescuebots on the shelf at Smyths so they could be made to be more link up able? This could be good to get rescuebots series 5,6 done if they had more kids lines to link it too.

[legios]

Feb 5, 2016 17:53:14 GMT Shockprowl said:

Or is it a 'known unknown'....?

I'm inclined to call it a known known. Bits of corporate boards talk to each other all the time - especially if one part of one board thinks they can get another to strongarm an acquisition past their board and present it to shareholders.

Until there is an actual offer in front of shareholders, or someone quietly buying up shares through proxies...then it is basically "tuesday".

Karl

[KnightBeat]

Toy Wars, a new Amazon series promises to explore the epic battle between Hasbro and Mattel during the 1980s.

I have to admit I hadn't heard of the book on which it's based, but I'm sure we'll see lots of Transformers-related discussions and props in the series itself.

[Philip Ayres]

Warden has been moved sideways:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PwrRngrSite/status/1283932806289162241

[Pinwig]

Eep.

So that means Kingdom is done and dusted from a planning/design point of view and we'll have a new brand manager in for the next trilogy?

[The Doctor]

Well this explains how Kingdom is moving away from Sunbow!

-Ralph

[Llama God]

This could be seen as a good move, since we might have somebody who isn't so obsessed with Sunbow-fidelity in charge of the franchise. We might see some actual Unicron Trilogy stuff, or, more excitingly, something new. Or we might get someone whose focus is somehow even more narrow. I guess time will tell...

[The Doctor]

To be fair, the couple of years prior to him taking over where a bit shitty as the lines went in the toilet. So while the Sunbow obsession has been wearing at times the quality has shot up. I'm certainly buying a lot more TF's now than in the 2010-2013 period. Can't say I'll miss his patented brand of robotic PR-speak though.

But yeah, he's done a good job. Best of luck to him. Power Rangers may actually be a good toy-line now.

-Ralph

[Pinwig]

I think he's been a brilliant brand manager. He's done to the line exactly what I wanted. In my view the only slip was not using Siege to do proper Cybertronian figures and repeating everything a year later, but I suspect there's something to do with economics in there. Here's hoping we can tick off a few more G1 updates in Kingdom before the style changes again.

[Andy Turnbull]

Not being funny, but if he's only recently moved to the position then Kingdom was commissioned by Warden so the Beast inclusion call was his.

[Pinwig]

Indeed. As said, I think the timing of this suggests Kingdom is done from a design point of view and he's either chosen to move on before the next trilogy starts or Hasbro have said, can you do to Power Rangers what you've done for Transformers?

[Llama God]

Fair points - Warden did clearly commission Kingdom - we should have trusted in him from the start! And he did oversee some good stuff like CW and TR, so need to give him credit for that, even if I don't agree with everything he's done. It's been easy to moan about the minutiae, but overall he's taken the brand to a strong place.

[Pinwig]

Yes, if you think back to where CHUG was around 2010 - effectively dead (10 Deluxes for the year), Hasbro weren't interested in a classics style line. Then WfC/FoC gave it a purpose and sparked some life, then came the odd decision to mount a 'best of' 30th anniversary line that felt exciting at the time but ultimately proved to be a real mish-mash of very little that ended up feeling like a greatest hits album done by cover bands. Warden turns up and gives us Combiner Wars and suddenly there's a point to collecting Generations again. There have been misfires and odd choices, but the last five lines we've had from him have all been really good.

[Jim]

I have no complaints about Warden, there's been a lot I've liked in recent years. The previous regime had got into a slightly condescending place at times, like parents who felt they were giving kids what they needed rather than what they wanted. "No you can't have proper G1-style combiners", "No you can't have Headmasters", "No, you can't have Pretenders" etc.

TR was, for my money, an amazing line. And for all the Sunbow-slavishness WFC has been great, an affordable MP line where they're also proper toys and built to a quality I didn't think we could even dare ask for (there are MPs that feel less solid, even). They even gave us Micromaster bases and some Micromaster combiner pairs!

I'm curious where it will go with the BW characters. Pre-SIEGE I didn't think I'd be buying any of it, it seemed kind of redundant. With the original toys being so good anyway, I get that feeling again with BW, and will be interested to see how I am wrong again!

Overall I also think it's a good thing to change things up with the team every so often. Here's hoping for something fresh post-WFC.

[Philip Ayres]

news.tfw2005.com/2022/08/24/hasbro-to-change-their-toy-distribution-strategy-464191

Speaking to Kidscreen Magazine, Hasbro is highlighting that they will change their toy distribution strategy. This news comes just a couple of days after the news of their change to future entertainment plans.

While easily applicable to kid-oriented lines, it is unclear how this new strategy will affect collector-specific lines such as Transformer: Studio Series, Transformers: Legacy, G.I. Joe: Classified, etc.

‘Today, unpredictability reigns, with chaotic supply chains affecting timing, and streaming content rolling out in six-packs rather than full seasons. Meanwhile, disappearing theatrical windows have drastically changed movie launches and the Consumer Products programs that accompany them.

But in business, challenges often bring opportunities. That’s the lens through which Marianne James, Hasbro’s VP of EMEA and Asia, sees the current landscape.

“Tried and tested models still have their place, especially when you’ve got a Consumer Products program that leans on core pillars like toys and games,” says James. “What is interesting now is that we can test and learn. Instead of dropping products based on seasons, we’re now looking to where a rollout could be more relevant to a culture in one of our specific markets.”

One way Hasbro has shifted its strategy to accommodate the “highly unpredictable” nature of the market is to space out product releases in smaller waves instead of releasing the entire range in one large launch, she says. This provides the ability to establish contingencies if logistical issues occur in the company’s supply line.

“If the content is pushed back and we experience a delay at retail, or there are problems getting product on the water, it’s better to be flexible and have a softer, more phased-out launch instead of using a big, all-encompassing 360 strategy,” says James.

This is especially important for Hasbro’s “vault” brands such as Transformers, Peppa Pig, and My Little Pony, which exists in highly competitive toy categories, most notably preschool. To have a major rollout fall flat due to timing problems is not an option, so the company is expanding its arsenal of marketing and engagement tools, she says.’

Based on the above, Hasbro is planning to establish smaller waves and shift content accordingly. This new strategy can already be seen with the release of Transformers toys for the upcoming movie, Rise of the Beasts. With the production company Paramount Pictures delaying the release date, Hasbro is repackaging the toys while omitting ROTB branding. Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Smash Changer Optimus Prime is repackaged into Cyberverse (Transformers: Bumblebee – Cyberverse Adventures – Dinobots United – Smash Changer Optimus Prime), while Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Energon Igniters 2-Pack is repackaged into Buzzworthy Bumblebee (Transformers: Buzzworthy Bumblebee Energon Igniters 2-Pack).

[Philip Ayres]

I'm not sure this is a good thing

Smaller waves more often = less variety of toys on the shelf at once & a shorter time to get them in

A step closer to solid casing all round.... which is only a good thing if multiple solid cases are available at once.

Less toys per wave also limits the economic trickery possible over the whole case

[The Doctor]

Shorter waves more spread out is what I would like. Large chunks of product waves are being dumped too close to each other, which is daft in the current economy.

-Ralph

[The Huff]

I just want toys to be available for longer periods - not this current 'Buy it as soon as it's out or you'll never ever see it again' method.

[Pinwig]

This will make no difference to anything. All it is is Hasbro moaning that the product launch for Rise got screwed over by Paramount moving the film and that we should shut up about getting toys dumped on us at no notice because it's not their fault the world is generally shafted at the moment.

[The Doctor]

Aug 24, 2022 12:18:49 GMT The Huff said:

I just want toys to be available for longer periods - not this current 'Buy it as soon as it's out or you'll never ever see it again' method.

That too!

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Aug 24, 2022 12:18:49 GMT The Huff said:

I just want toys to be available for longer periods - not this current 'Buy it as soon as it's out or you'll never ever see it again' method.

Totals.


People want to buy the toys, but can't!

[Llama God]

Yup, basically all of that. What will happen is that this will either introduce scarcity, or it'll result in some stores not stocking newer toys if a previous wave of toys doesn't sell because of what's in it. I'm not sure that this'll be a good thing. They just need to get their shipping dates right so that consumers can plan effectively.