Official Ringside Fest 2011 Thread.

RINGSIDEFEST Q&A WITH MATTEL WWE ACTION FIGURE TEAM RECAP
By Mike Johnson on 2011-10-29 15:55:49 We are live at the 2011 Ringsidefest event in New York City. The Mattel action figure design team took part in a question and answer session about the WWE action figure line and their plans for the line as they entered into 2012.
Is Mattel going to do specific series based on PPV lines? They did series for Over the Limit last year and will have Wrestlemania sets exclusively via Toys R Us, but they will do everyone in one set, but there will be themed sets down the line.

Their Legends series will shift over to their MattyCollector.com website in 2012. It will be different WWE Legends but not talents branded to other brands like ECW or WCW, but they will be included in a WWE package if they have the rights to produce them. They will also do Elite flashback characters from older eras as well.

They brought out an early “first shot” look of the Sin Cara mold that they made, which will be coming out next year. The figure will be released in April or May 2012.

They just spoke with Zack Ryder about including the Internet belt on a future action figure.

Jim Ross will be working with them on a new project and some promotional things they are working on, but it’s too early to discuss those plans. He’s gong to help them promote some product. Anything is possible when it comes to including his voice on WWE product. They will be using the actual talents to voice their figures when they go in that direction.

A fan asked about the idea of a Cody Rhodes role-playing mask. The Mattel team asked if there would be interest. They said that the Lucha masks are very easy but they’d have to see how long it will remain part of Rhodes’ persona.

Mattel was asked about the entire process of designing and creating an action figure. If it’s a brand new character from scratch, it can take up to a year. If they need to re-paint a new character, it takes around four months to approve the designs, go through safety testing and get it out via distributors. They have to make sure that all the joints work properly and that the paints and designs can hold up.

A fan asked if there were any plans to do an NWO set. They wouldn’t likely do a multi-figure set but could release them singularly. They would probably be different from previous designs.

Fans asked about an update on the Elite wrestling ring that Mattel has showcased in the past but doesn’t sell anymore. Mattel said that they didn’t sell enough of them in the past but hoped that as they move to more online premium items, they can do more things of that style and price point.

Mattel was asked if they planned to release Michael Cole in his wrestling attire. Fans booed that. They said there were no plans.

Jinder Mahal is currently scheduled for an upcoming set.

There are plans to release new versions of some of the Divas, including Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix. The female characters are paced out because unfortunately, they don’t sell as many as the male characters and told fans that if they want more, buy the ones that are released. If the product sits on the shelves, the newer stuff will be backed up in warehouses because the older releases don’t move out of stores. They want to do as many Divas as they can.

They just received a final sample on the current look CM Punk action figure, featuring a cloth version of his Best in the World shirt and it will be coming out in the future.

There are no plans to do future “1 in 1000” style promotions right now.

They were asked about children’s toys. They said that the Rumblers have shown them that there are younger kids that are buying the WWE product so they are looking at a Wrestling Buddy style release down the line.

In the PG world of WWE, they can’t produce figures that break bones, bleed or bruise. It’s just the way WWE wants their wrestlers to be perceive these days, but they are coming up with some creative features like Flex Force Lightning, where the figures will light up.

There will be an Elizabeth action figure available at MattyCollector.com at the end of the year. If she does well, they can hopefully do Sherri Martel and others.

They had a great relationship with Randy Savage before his passing and his estate will still be allowing them to produce more figures in the future.

They were asked about some Flashback figure plans for the future. They showed an early prototype of the first Yokozuna figure, noting he uses more plastic than the Big Show figure. WWE made them make the butt of the figure bigger. He will come with the belt and the robe.

If they ever do Mr. Fuji, it would likely be a build a feature.

They are doing a series with Toys R Us where each figure in the set comes with a piece and if you buy all the figures, you can build a Michael Cole figure. They knew people would want him but not want to buy him, so this is a way to include him in the series.

They were asked about doing figures based on WWE wrestlers in their movies. Mattel said it’s not likely.

Mattel was asked if there would be any WWE Zombie style action figures. They said not right now.

They were asked about a Brock Lesnar action figure. Mattel said that they don’t have the rights to him, as the rights would be with Jakks Pacific. The videogame deal came about because THQ had the rights to both WWE and UFC.

They will put Freddie Blassie into a poll for a potential release down the line.

Mattel was asked about a lego-style WWE line. They have had some discussions about the idea, but it’s in the early stages of the discussions and there are no immediate plans to do it. They are looking at the “construction” toy genre seriously and they could always bring WWE elements into that.

There are no current plans to do any additional DVD action figure series.

Owen Hart’s widow has asked them not to do anything with Owen as a figure and they have to go by her wishes.

They have an exclusive Elimination Chamber set via Toys R’ Us.

Mattel was asked if they would do a feud series of figures, such as Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart. If they did that, they would go back and forth between past and current feuds. They like to have a reason to have two characters together when they release them, such as Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix or doing Fathers and Sons tonight.

The next Ringside Collectibles exclusive action figure, which they displayed will be an Elite Flashback Bret Hart figure. Hart will come with a removable jacket and shades.

They said the exclusives are a great opportunity for fans because all the numbers of the figures are available directly for the consumer, sold at the same time.

When asked about future tag team sets, they noted that if the Rockers sell well, they may re-visit that down the line but they need to see the numbers for that to happen. They’d like to do The Legion of Doom and The Hart Foundation as sets if that happens.

They don’t have the rights to do any Matt Hardy action figures and there are no plans to pursue him.

They are working on a Jerry Lawler figure right now.

Mattel was asked about packaging being changed. They loved the black packaging but everyone else seems to be following Mattel’s lead, so they made the chance to change the packaging to white so they stand out and pop. It’s a way to keep things fresh for retailers and set them apart from “the other guys’ “ stuff.

If they do Paul Bearer down the line, it would likely be as a figure you can assemble. They’ve noted that guys in suits don’t sell well.

They don’t have the rights to do NWA era belts but are working on including classic WWF style belts with Legends figures.

They have done a breakdown ring but it would be hard to replicate the broken ring from the Big Show vs. Mark Henry match at Vengeance.

There are no plans to do a Stunning Steve Austin action figure. They asked about doing Ringmaster but WWE wants the characters to be the iconic versions, not older versions right now. It’s not something WWE would want right now when they are actively involved.

They were asked about a family pack group, like The Guerreros or the Rhodes families. They said that could consider that down the line, but for now, they have the Usos.

They were asked about a set like the Four Horsemen. They love to do the box sets but when you have four figures and do a set, the price point usually leads to fans not buying them because they only want 1-2 of the figures, so it’s easier to release them as single action figures. They loved the Rey Mysterio set that they released but the price points make it hard for something at that level to be a success.

They were asked about a Zack Ryder replica belt. They’d have to get his permission.

They are getting samples of a Bella Twins set next week.

They are working on a ring entrance ramp. “It’s being worked on.”

They will be doing another mail-away figure in 2012 since the Vince McMahon toy promotion was successful.

The Defining Moments line is on pause currently. They loved the line but the price points were too high for some fans, so they need to re-tool where they can work the best. The future will likely be at places like MattyCollector.com and Ringside Collectibles.

They were asked if there were any new items that haven’t been announced yet that they can discuss for next year. They are doing a Tribute to the Troops set with four wrestlers sold for charity through K-Mart. They are also going to do a Tribute to the Troops ring as well.

They were asked why so many playsets and accessories are sold with rings as opposed to adding them via accessory packs. They said they want to get more accessories into the fan’s hands, but the direct sales to consumers online might be the way to make that happen since the retailers are cold to such things as they don’t want the product to sit on the shelves.

They were asked about doing action figures for events that come with a version of the PPV take-home chairs.