"International" packaging - a case study - image-heavy

[nevermore]

Hi guys!

There is still a lot of confusion regarding the different packaging types used by Hasbro in its various worldwide markets, ranging from sheer astonishment when faced with those "alien languages", utter confusion at the lack (or presence) of certain properties or details people are used from their own "domestic" packaging to simply inaccurate, inadequate or insufficient terminology when discussing those packaging types.

So when I had the opportunity of directly comparing two of the main packaging types (and included paperwork), I decided to post a comprehensive overview for your convenience, hoping to minimize confusion in the future.


First up, though: Coming up with accurate terms to refer to the different packaging types. I often see the term "international packaging" thrown around, which not only strikes me as an awfully one-sided term (someone's "domestic packaging" might be "international" to someone else!), but is actually inaccurate and insufficient even in the most common meaning (i.e. "packaging not used for the United States market"), as there are often multiple different types of "international packaging", which are frequently mistaken for each other! Likewise, from the other end of the spectrum, "UK packaging" is woefully insufficent as well.


Generally, there are three common types of packaging, although Hasbro has recently eliminated one of them for the most part:

1) "US packaging", and even that term is insufficient. This packaging type features texts in English only, and was very common from 2005 to 2014. Currently, it's limited to Combiner Wars Deluxe Class figures that include comics. The telltale sign is an English-only age recommendation label that says "Ages 5+" (or "Ages 8+"). The term "US packaging" is insufficient because whatever packaging is used for the United States market is usually also available at retail in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Taiwan. Sometimes those markets get one of the other packaging types (even though English-only "US packaging" exists in those instances), and sometimes this packaging type is also available in Canada (except for Quebec), but those are typically flukes.

2) Canadian/Latin American packaging. For a while, this packaging type featured texts in English, French and Spanish, but a few years ago Portuguese was added as a fourth language. The telltale sign is an age recommendation label in multiple languages that says "Age Edad Idade 5+" (or "Age Edad Idade 8+"), with the French "Age" doubling as the English "Age". As my name for this packaging implies, this variety is typically the packaging used for Canada and Latin America. With Hasbro's decision to completely abandon English-only packaging (except for the Combiner Wars Deluxe Class figures), this packaging type is now also available in the United States and all those other markets that get whatever packaging is used for the US market.

3) "European" packaging, also frequently (but insufficiently) referred to as "UK packaging". For a while, this packaging type featured texts in up to 13 (!) languages, but has now been reduced to four again: English, French, German and Spanish. The telltale sign is a bare age recommendation label that simply says "5+" (or "8+"). This packaging type is usually available in, obviously, Europe, which includes (but is typically not limited to) the UK. As far as I'm aware, this packaging type is also used for the Middle East (including Israel) and South Africa.


The advantage of the reduced number of languages featured on European packaging is that the packaging now looks less cluttered (or less bare, in instances where Hasbro had previously opted not to feature any texts at all rather than texts in 13 languages), and longer bios are possible again as well. The downside is that people in Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands, the Dutch part of Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Turkey, Greece and Russia no longer have any texts in their own domestic languages on the toys' packaging.

Also note that multilingual American ("Canadian/Latin American") packaging features "Canadian French" and "Latin American Spanish", whereas European packaging features "European French" and "European Spanish", which often tend to have differences in translation, terminology, grammar and spelling. (On top of that, Canadian/Latin American packaging also features "Brazilian Portuguese", whereas European packaging, back when there were still 13 instead of just four languages, had featured "European Portuguese".) On the other hand, English texts are the same between the two (or three) versions, i.e. there are no "American English" and "British English" (or "Canadian English" or "Australian English", for that matter) differences between the texts on the packaging.

[nevermore]

So, with all that being said, here are the comparisons. US/Canadian/Latin American/Australian packaging is either on the left or on top, European packaging either on the right or on the bottom.

I've chosen Combiner Wars Voyager Class Battle Core Optimus Prime because I just happened to come into possession of the two versions, and also because he can serve as an excellent example to showcase the difference between the packaging types.



Right off the bat, you should notice the first differences. In detail:



As I explained above, multilingual American packaging has an age recommendation label that says "Age Edad Idade 8+", whereas European packaging has a bare age recommendation label that simply says "8+". In addition, the translations for the "Battle Core" prefixes are different: Since the launch of the 2015 Robots in Disguise and Combiner Wars lines, Hasbro has decided to translate prefixes for same-character redecos into the different languages featured on the packaging, although that practice has apparently been abandoned again with the European release of the latest RID Warrior Class wave (which features pure "Blizzard Strike Optimus Prime" and "Night Strike Bumblebee" without any translations). In this case, we have "Battle Core" in English for both packaging types, "Noyau Guerrier" in Canadian French versus "Voyager Guerrier" for European French and "Núcleo De Combate" in Latin American Spanish versus "Núcleo De Batalla" in European Spanish. (There's also "Núcleo De Batalha" in Brazilian Portuguese, whereas there is no German translation at all because Hasbro deems the English "Battle Core" as sufficient for Germany.)

You might also notice the lack of the "trademark" ™ claim after the name "Optimus Prime" on the European packaging version. That's because European packaging generally omits "trademark" ™ and "registered trademark" ® markings, as Hasbro hasn't trademarked all its brand and individual character names in all European markets. (Also, the legal power of those markings in Europe is somewhat different to begin with. Generally, if you see someone in Europe use those symbols, chances are that person is either a) academically talking about the concept of trademarks, b) exaggerating in order to make fun of corporations and/or the concept of trademarks, c) utterly clueless or d) a corporate marketing lackey, although c) would typically apply in this case as well.)

Lastly, you'll notice the figure's product code number (B2727) below the age recommendation label on the European packaging version. Those product code numbers used to be featured on the front side of American packaging as well (alongside the assortment numbers), but Hasbro has largely abandoned that practice in 2014 for unknown reasons, and is currently only continuing it on European packaging. (The product code number is also tampographed somewhere on the figure itself, specifically on the right foot in Battle Core Optimus Prime's case.)



The back of the packaging. More differences abound. In detail:



The bio is the same length in both versions. If you look closely, you'll notice that the English version is (almost) identical in both versions, but there are differences in translation between the Canadian French and European French versions as well as between the Latin American Spanish and European Spanish versions. On top of that, the British English version replaces the American English version's long — dashes with shorter -- double dashes, whereas the European French version omits the dashes (which are also featured in the Canadian French and German versions) entirely. The European packaging version also omits the "registered trademark" ® and "trademark" ™ claims that are included in the American English bio.



More translation differences: "Assemble" in Canadian French versus "Crée ta figurine" in European French. Meanwhile, Latin American Spanish and European Spanish both say "Construye". As a consequence, the American packaging version has everything in one line, whereas the European packaging version requires two lines, which in turn results in a downscaled diagram for the combined gestalt mode.



The American packaging version says "Includes: figure, accessories, collector card, and instructions." in all for languages. The European packaging version instead has the "Some poses may require additional support." advice moved to this spot and omits the "Product and colors may vary. Retain this information for future reference." disclaimer entirely. The "choking hazard" warning label is omitted as well, and the factory code (?) "V-2976B" and the "Made in Vietnam" disclaimer are moved to different positions. The "Manufactured under license from TOMY Company, Ltd." disclaimer found on the back of the "American" packaging version is moved to the bottom of the "European" packaging (see below). The "American" packaging version also has contact information for Hasbro Canada's offices (which is omitted from European packaging for obvious reasons) and an additional "Inmetro" safety conformity label by Brazilian federal autarchy "Instituto Nacional de Metrologia, Qualidade e Tecnologia" ("National Institute of Metrology Standardization and Industrial Quality").



More translation differences: "Subject to availability" becomes "Selon les stocks" in Canadian French but "Selon disponibilité" in European French.

[The Doctor]

Very comprehensive!

-Ralph

[nevermore]

The bottom of the packaging. Differences galore.



The "American" version has contact information for the offices of Hasbro Australia, Hasbro New Zealand, Hasbro Mexico, Hasbro Chile, Hasbro Peru, Hasbro Colombia and Hasbro Brazil. Meanwhile, the European version has contact information for the offices of Hasbro Europe (UK), Hasbro SA (Turkey), Hasbro SA (Russia) and a Hasbro division in the Middle East whose name I unfortunately cannot read. On the "European" packaging version, the "Manufactured under license from TOMY Company, Ltd." disclaimer can be found here rather than on the back of the box, where it is located on the "American" packaging version.

Furthermore, the "European" packaging version features several additional labels: The "Green Dot", the license symbol of a European network of industry-funded systems for recycling the packaging materials of consumer goods; the "Lion Mark", a safety and quality symbol by the British Toy and Hobby Association and Toy Fair (BTHA); the "EAC" (Eurasian Conformity) mark, a quality symbol by the Eurasian Customs Union; the "GCC Conformity" marking, a safety marking by the GCC Standardization Organization (GSO) of Saudi Arabia; the "CE" ("Conformité Européenne", "European Conformity") marking, a mandatory conformity marking for products sold within the European Economic Area (EEA); and Hasbro's current company logo.

Lastly, the American version uses a UPC barcode, with the product code and assortment number (B2727/B0975 Asst.) above the barcode, whereas the European version uses an EAN barcode, with the product code and assortment number (0315B2727EU4B0975ASST) below the barcode.



The "Authentic Transformers" logo also omits all "registered trademark" ® claims.



The right side of the box. Not much to see here.



Again, the "trademark" ™ claim is omitted.



The left side of the packaging.



The "trademark" ™ claim after the name "Optimus Maximus" name is omitted again, and "3 of·de 5" is changed to a more language-neutral "3 / 5" for the European version.

So much for the packaging! On to the included paperwork.

[nevermore]

The collector card isn't much different, except for the aforementioned different translations of the "Battle Core" prefix and the omission of the "trademark" ™ claim after the name "Optimus Prime".



Some additional differences on the back: Whereas the "American" version's collector card has a 2014 copyright, the "European" version's card has a 2015 copyright, and "All Rights Reserved" is translated into French for the "European" version.



The instruction sheet is interesting. The first thing I noticed was that the "American" version uses thinner paper with a glossy finish, whereas the "European" version uses thicker, heavier paper with a matte finish and a less saturated print.

In addition, the "European" version only features the "Combiner Wars" logo inside the black stripe on the right and omits the figure's name entirely.

Lastly, the "European" version has the "Manufactured under license from TOMY Company, Ltd." disclaimer and contact information for the offices of Hasbro Europe (UK) and Hasbro SA (Turkey) on the "cover" page. As a consequence, the CG render of Optimus Prime is slightly downscaled and moved further up, where it has some additional space thanks to the bare "8+" age recommendation label.



Aside from that, the front side of the instruction sheet is largely identical. The back, on the other hand, features a lot more differences.



The portion on a red backdrop is very different between the two versions: The "American" version features the advices "Retain instructions for future reference.", "Some poses may require additional suport." and "NOTE: Some parts are made to detach if excessive force is applied and are designed to be reattached if separation occurs. Adult supervision may be necessary for younger children." in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, the "Manufactured under license from TOMY Company, Ltd." in English only, and the disclaimer "Product and color may vary. Retain this information for future reference.", again in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, with contact information for the offices of Hasbro's US parent company, Hasbro Canada, Hasbro Mexico and Hasbro Brazil. The "European" version, on the other hand, merely has the advices "Some parts are made to detach if excessive force is applied and are designed to be reattached if separation occurs. Adult supervision may be necessary for younger children." translated into the following languages, in addition to English: French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Polish, Hungarian, Turkish, Czech, Slovakian, Romanian, Russian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Lithuanian, Slovene (Slovenian), Ukrainian and Arabic.

Furthermore, the "American" version has a section on the gray backdrop to the left of the diagram of the Optimus Maximus gestalt reserved for the following: The advice "Combine to form" in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese; the name "Optimus Maximus"; the disclaimer "BATTLE CORE OPTIMUS PRIME figure works with all Deluxe Scale Combiner Wars figures. Build OPTIMUS MAXIMUS figure or create your own COMBINER WARS bot." in all four languages; and the disclaimer "Each sold separately. Subject to availability.", also in all four languages. The European version, on the other hand, has the diagram of the combined gestalt mode moved further to the left (but not rescaled this time) and features different advices and disclaimers on both sides of the diagram, each in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Finnish, Greek, Polish, Hungarian, Turkish, Czech, Slovakian, Romanian, Russian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Lithuanian, Slovene (Slovenian), Ukrainian and Arabic: On the left, there's simply the advice "Combine to form giant robot.", while on the right, there's the disclaimer "Each sold separately. Subject to availability."



Lastly, the "European" version also includes this little leaflet that's not available with the "American" version. Kept in plain white, and printed on very rough, matte paper, it looks almost like a patient information leaflet typically included with medicines.



The leaflet actually contains contact information for the officies of the following Hasbro divisions: Hasbro SA (based out of Switzerland), Hasbro Europe (based out of the UK), Hasbro UK Ltd., Hasbro France S.A.S., Hasbro Deutschland GmbH (Germany), Austrian customer service (but no actual "Hasbro Österreich" division), Hasbro Iberia S.L. (based out of Spain, covering both Spain and Portugal), Hasbro Italy, Hasbro (Schweiz) AG (Switzerland), Hasbro BV (Netherlands), SA Hasbro Belgium NV Hasbro S.A., Hasbro Denmark (covering "Hasbro Nordic Consumer Services" for Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland), Hasbro Ellas AE (Greece), Hasbro Poland Sp. z o.o., a Hungarian Email address, Hasbro SA (based out of Turkey), Hasbro Oyuncak San. ve Tic. A.Ş. (Turkey), a Czech Email address for both the Czech Republic and Slovakia, a UK Email address for Romania, general advices in Russian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Lithuanian, Slovene (Slovenian) and Ukrainian (good luck, folks!), and a UK Email address for Saudi Arabia.