Post by WalterF on Feb 13, 2008 13:52:35 GMT -5
I made this post to try, from an objective standpoint and being nonpartial to observe the possible pro's and cons of the WWE license going to Mattel. I am a diehard fan of JAKKS since 1996, but who really knows what we're gonna get? Lets look at some bullet points
First the con's of the license going to Mattel ...
-Mattel doesn't have the familiarity with wrestling toys so they may not be keen on what we look for as far as scan accuracy, playability, torso's, removable pads, etc ...
-JAKKS did a great job of releasing new stars and new attire's in record time. Example, HHH is in his August Summerlsam attire in a figure of him released in January. That's only a bit over four months from a "look" showing up on TV til final product reaches mass retail. As far as I know, Mattel has not had a line where the line requires such quick products to be released
-The obvious one is continuity. Chances are, the Mattel figures will not be very compatible with the JAKKS figures. Likely they will be a different size, style, etc.
-JAKKS has had a willingness (especially since Jeremy came aboard) to really listen to and work with collectors. They have involvement with this site, hold fanfests, answer questions, etc ... it is particularly intimate for a toy company. Will a big name like Mattel bother to make a similar relationship?
-Wrestling figures (particularly attires, etc) are high-detail figures. The deco's are usuallty spot on, the fonts are usually accurate and we have become accostumed to a very accurate (for the most part) interpretation of the wrestlers. Will mattel go a more exaggerated route or a more cartoony route?
And now the possible pro's of Mattel gaining the license ...
-Mattel may not rest on their laurels. Since JAKKS has a certain format which they've had for years, people will tend to keep up their collections because of familiarity. However, some laziness has come with the familiarity as far as innacurate torso's, old scans hanging around, the frankensteining of parts. Since Mattel will have to start from scratch there is a possibility of wrestler-specific parts, etc. They do not have a back catologue of parts to use so it may be incentive to made more accurate, specific wrestlers
-Mattel must be aware of how well JAKKS has done with the WWE license and how collectible the figures are. Not wanting to risk looking bad for a new license Mattel may do research on what JAKKS did and try to deliver similar if not higher-quality product.
-Perhaps Mattel will downsize the amount of different lines, therefore making the figures better quality. They make make less different lines, but also make the few lines better.
-JAKKS had certain weakpoints. The kinds of accessories, stupid attire mess-ups ... they also lacked a lot of accessories, etc like a lot of good entrances, backstage areas, updated rings. Will Mattel have the intuition enough to capitalize on these certain areas or will they ignore the areas that do need improvement?
-Will Mattel create a toy of higher or lower quality? We all know JAKKS toys were more expensive than a lot of action figures. Will Mattel try to compete with the detail and remain the same price or is part of WWE going to Mattel because they want a less expensive toy to sell more, which means Mattel would produce a cheaper quality toy?
We all know JAKKS pro's and cons. They have quick response, they listen to us, they know "wrestling figures." The WWE license is not like a movie figureline or a cartoon line where there isn't much updating. WWE is a weekly show with contantly evolving looks, feuds, etc. JAKKS was very used to this type of product and the question is will Mattel be able to keep up to it as well.
The two main issues I believe are quality and response time. JAKKS made high-quality figures with high quality plastic and paints. Will Mattel create a cheaper product like most action figure are to give us a lower price tag? And of course, as mentioned many times, will they be able to give us as updated and relevant of a product as JAKKS did? Will we see attires we saw 4 and a half months ago on TV on our shelves this week?
First the con's of the license going to Mattel ...
-Mattel doesn't have the familiarity with wrestling toys so they may not be keen on what we look for as far as scan accuracy, playability, torso's, removable pads, etc ...
-JAKKS did a great job of releasing new stars and new attire's in record time. Example, HHH is in his August Summerlsam attire in a figure of him released in January. That's only a bit over four months from a "look" showing up on TV til final product reaches mass retail. As far as I know, Mattel has not had a line where the line requires such quick products to be released
-The obvious one is continuity. Chances are, the Mattel figures will not be very compatible with the JAKKS figures. Likely they will be a different size, style, etc.
-JAKKS has had a willingness (especially since Jeremy came aboard) to really listen to and work with collectors. They have involvement with this site, hold fanfests, answer questions, etc ... it is particularly intimate for a toy company. Will a big name like Mattel bother to make a similar relationship?
-Wrestling figures (particularly attires, etc) are high-detail figures. The deco's are usuallty spot on, the fonts are usually accurate and we have become accostumed to a very accurate (for the most part) interpretation of the wrestlers. Will mattel go a more exaggerated route or a more cartoony route?
And now the possible pro's of Mattel gaining the license ...
-Mattel may not rest on their laurels. Since JAKKS has a certain format which they've had for years, people will tend to keep up their collections because of familiarity. However, some laziness has come with the familiarity as far as innacurate torso's, old scans hanging around, the frankensteining of parts. Since Mattel will have to start from scratch there is a possibility of wrestler-specific parts, etc. They do not have a back catologue of parts to use so it may be incentive to made more accurate, specific wrestlers
-Mattel must be aware of how well JAKKS has done with the WWE license and how collectible the figures are. Not wanting to risk looking bad for a new license Mattel may do research on what JAKKS did and try to deliver similar if not higher-quality product.
-Perhaps Mattel will downsize the amount of different lines, therefore making the figures better quality. They make make less different lines, but also make the few lines better.
-JAKKS had certain weakpoints. The kinds of accessories, stupid attire mess-ups ... they also lacked a lot of accessories, etc like a lot of good entrances, backstage areas, updated rings. Will Mattel have the intuition enough to capitalize on these certain areas or will they ignore the areas that do need improvement?
-Will Mattel create a toy of higher or lower quality? We all know JAKKS toys were more expensive than a lot of action figures. Will Mattel try to compete with the detail and remain the same price or is part of WWE going to Mattel because they want a less expensive toy to sell more, which means Mattel would produce a cheaper quality toy?
We all know JAKKS pro's and cons. They have quick response, they listen to us, they know "wrestling figures." The WWE license is not like a movie figureline or a cartoon line where there isn't much updating. WWE is a weekly show with contantly evolving looks, feuds, etc. JAKKS was very used to this type of product and the question is will Mattel be able to keep up to it as well.
The two main issues I believe are quality and response time. JAKKS made high-quality figures with high quality plastic and paints. Will Mattel create a cheaper product like most action figure are to give us a lower price tag? And of course, as mentioned many times, will they be able to give us as updated and relevant of a product as JAKKS did? Will we see attires we saw 4 and a half months ago on TV on our shelves this week?
