{mosimage}A lot has happened since the last time we sent our questions to Mattel for answers. Toy Guru is back to share the information on all things DC.
1. February Toy Fair is not that far away now, do you guys plan to show a lot of stuff for 2008 there? Last year the showing for DCSH and JLU was a little small, do you guys plan on showing stuff in greater numbers this February?
We will be showing many new 2008 items at Toy Fair in NY and Hong Kong. But collectors should keep in mind that we usually do not show customized or exclusive items at these shows so there will be a lot of surprises along with what is revealed at these shows.
2. The last real hold out of concern for the line is the distribution. We know that Mattel’s retail partners have a lot to do with this, so if you can, how has the response been (perhaps from Fall Toy Fair) to the DCUC line? With the big box retailers as well as the online/specialty shops?
The reaction has been very positive. With a new major DC movie in theaters next year (Batman the Dark Knight) many of our retail partners are more inclined to order larger amounts of other DC lines which includes the 6” DCUC line and the Superfriends line.
3. The packaging for DCUC looks really nice, is the design something you are going to stay with for awhile? The emphasis on the Collect and Connect figure is great as well as the character bios, were those instated to help more casual collectors get some background on the now massive DCU that you guys will be dealing with?
Absolutely, the design for the packaging came directly from collector feedback. This line is aimed at the adult collector and we wanted to make the packaging as collector friendly as possible. Aside from the bios you will also see the figures are now numbered and easy to read on the pegs.
4. Just speaking hypothetically, if year one for DCUC really takes off what are some other executions for the line that you would personally like to see? Some Team-Up or "Versus" 2-packs? Box sets for teams? Exclusives? What do you see as possible?
It would be great to see larger box sets of entire teams (like the Legion or JSA for example.) I’d also like to find ways to get some of the harder to find 2005-2007 figures into collector’s hands that make sense within the line architecture yet keep the original versions collectable.
5. I am sure that you guys are already thinking/planning out your exclusives for the summer conventions next year, any plans on making the figures available to fans that cannot attend the conventions? Maybe an online store?
We are looking into several options. More will be announced soon. This is something we are taking a good look at.
Once again, a big thanks to Mattel andToy Guru for answering all of our questions. Remember to submit all of your burning queries in the "Ask Mattel" Thread.
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