New Mattel Creations project confirmed (we don’t know what)

If Mattel wanted to sign outside talent directly, I have zero doubt it would have been negotiated into the last contract.  The reality is that WWE and Mattel (and other licensed properties - Funko, Panini, 2k, etc) benefit financially from the current Legends contract structure.  It's a win-win and they don't have incentive to change it.  And beyond a handful of top tier talent who move significant merch, the rest of the Legends roster is pretty much filler content. 

Some new names will rotate in, some will drop off as deals expire.  But anybody expecting significant change to what we've seen over the past few years is setting themselves up for disappointment.

Jakks did it…..No reason why Mattel a bigger company couldn’t get a similar or even better deal done.

Not trolling at all. I’m just trying to throw out ideas on how we can get more than the same 15 legends recycled over and over again and actually get some fresh legends that collectors actually want. I’m trying to help Mattel because at every Target in my area every single legends figure is $5.99! Target is gonna scrap the line pretty soon if Mattel doesn’t put out figures that collectors actually want.

They get Ultimate Jarrett and it sells well and then within a year and a half we have Jarrett elites rotting on shelves. I think people over estimate his selling power. It’s not worth Mattel changing their current agreement with WWE. If Jarrett and WWE want him under a Legends deal, then we will get him. If not, find a good customizer.

There are tons of products that go on clearance. Ultimate Alexa has been marked down to $8.99. You think they’re going to stop carrying Ultimates?

If every Ultimate had to be knocked down to $8.99 then yes they would quit carrying them. The last 3 series of legends have all been marked down to $5.99-$9.99 and the next series isn’t looking to promising either. Stacy Keibler might make it to .99!

Target is not making any money if they’re having to clearance every legends figure by 75%. Eventually they’re gonna take that shelf space away and give it to someone else.

Just a quick note from someone with big box retail back inventory management experience: Items going on clearance does not necessarily mean they didn't sell well, and absolutely doesn't mean there they're not making a profit. It's usually more due to inventory turnover than anything else. The profits have long been made, and whatever's left has to be cleared through quickly as floors are reorganized and restocked.

*I'M NOT SAYING I know anything specific about Target and WWE Legends. Just giving my perspective from having worked in a similar area for a few years last decade.

It’s basic economics….not hard to figure out.

If a product is selling and there’s a demand for it then the product won’t have to be put on clearance. If there’s no demand for the product then the price has to be lowered to meet the price that consumers will pay for that item.

You never see Ultimate Warrior, Macho Man or Hogans on clearance….Why ? Because people want those figures.

But the 4th Chyna in the last 2 years or the 38th elite of Edge….Yeah a lot of ppl don’t care about them.

Again, really not how this works. It's not a question of lowering the price to what "consumers will pay for that item" it's a question of clearing shelf and floor space for incoming new inventory. Obviously there are figures that sell better than others, but overall Target was likely way in the black on each Legends series just on preorders alone (let alone eventual in-store sales) and stores clearancing out the final inventories of Chyna (to use your example) has no bearing on that.

To use a specific localized example: Currently at my target, there are about 7 Lance Archer figures that have been sitting on pegs for a few months, through 2 restocks of Legends 14 figures that all seemed to sell pretty well through initially. Said Archers are still at full price, while the final Chynas left are clearance at $9.99. By your logic the Archers should have been put on clearance long before Chyna was. However, since the store likely has incoming Legends 15 inventory to put out (likely with a back to school/Fall reset) the Chynas were clearanced to clear the shelf space.