After a while it’s like they become old friends. They simply wait, day in, day out, untouched except when being callously pushed aside. When something new comes along they sink to the bottom, but it’s not long before they come bobbing back up to the surface. Unwanted, uncalled for, they multiply unnoticed in the shadows. What had been one becomes two, two beget four, and before you know it the aisle is rotting with them. They’re the peg-warmers, and every store has them.
peg-warmer – 1. a retail product, especially a collectible, that has very high supply and very low demand.
WHY IT HAPPENS
Creating a successful toy line is the equivalent of catching lightning in a bottle. If someone does beat the odds, they’ll be hard-pressed to explain how they did it, and their chances of doing it again shoot up exponentially. Every move becomes a bigger gamble. To avoid looking like a one-trick pony, toy companies are forced to diversify their product. Investment in developing original properties gives way to the cost of licensing already-established brands. What starts off in-house is eventually farmed out to workers half a world away. No, toys are no game, as evidenced by the numerous toy manufacturers that have come and gone in the last two decades. In spite of their intention to serve the fans, companies like Palisades were swallowed up by the the cold, hard realities of doing business in the 21st century. Core fandom is simply not enough.
GREEDO, LEIA, and OBI-WAN (Oh, my!)
One of the biggest collector complaints regarding the 6-inch Star Wars Black Series line is the lack of new product. Sure. Hasbro has been good about getting speeder bikes and Tauntauns to the shelves, but when it comes to basic figures, fans are seeing the same product again and again. The great thing about the Star Wars-as-toys concept has always been its sheer scope: as early as 1979 Kenner had embraced the film’s immersive tone, producing not only the main characters but Tusken Raiders and Jawas, Wookies and Greedos, and Walrus Men. At a glance, what does the Black Series have? Old dudes in robes. Yawn. This isn’t a toy line; it’s a rest home! Wake me when that hot nurse is giving out medicine.
So why is the Black Series idling in Jedi mode? Obviously price-point is a big factor. Dreams of army-building Stormtroopers often remain dreams when faced with the reality of retail prices. Yesterday’s collectors paid $2.97 per character; today a single figure will set you back $20. Unless you’re George Lucas, it’s hard to develop a universe with that kind of overhead. But no one ever said building an entire universe from the ground up was going to be easy. The process of manufacturing an action figure is a lengthy and expensive one, and this is reflected in the product.
The aforementioned Stormtroopers were a safe bet for Hasbro, as their tooling could be reused multiple times. From the SDCC exclusive Sand Trooper to Stormtrooper Disguise Han Solo and beyond, the Stormtrooper is an investment that will continue to deliver. Can the same be said for Walrus Man? By now, Hasbro knows the answer to that, and it isn’t yes. Walrus Man is a one-shot deal and they’re going need to sell a lot of Stormtroopers before they pull the trigger on ol’ Butt-Face.
LEGENDS OF THE FALL
While Hasbro’s rebranding of Marvel Legends as the Infinite Series breathed new life into 6-inch Marvel action figures at retail, the line has produced few notable stiffs. Interestingly, some of the line’s early “stiffs” now go for big money. Lets take a look at Thunderball. A figure I found multiple times at retail that no one seemed to want now goes for upwards of $70 on the secondary market. A lot of that has to do with his teammate Bulldozer’s inclusion in the latest Ant-Man series, allowing collectors to finally complete their Wrecking Crews. Bulldozer will not peg-warm, but you can bet dollars to donuts at least one figure from every series will.
PURPLE REIGN
Let’s look at Hawkeye, who is clogging shelves at the moment. He’s packed two-per-case in Hasbro’s Odin series, which means for every enthusiastic collector who comes and buys an entire set of seven, one Hawkeye will remain. Once four or five sets sell through, you have more than half a case of Hawkeyes just hanging around. With so many figures showing up in the store’s inventory, new product goes unordered, and the pegs become static. Nothing new comes in; the flow of “hunters” slows when it’s clear the stream has dried up, and soon those eye-catching black boxes need dusting.
Now, this isn’t Hawkeye’s fault — after all, he’s a popular character who has appeared in two of the biggest cinematic blockbusters in history. And hey, somebody has to be packed two-per-case. I mean, I guess they could just make the box smaller, but what do I know? The bottom line is, in spite of Hawkeye’s Avenger status, he’s proving to be a bit of a dud at retail. Furthermore, he’s in a series with another purple guy that’s a slow seller (Machine Man), with another potential purple peg-warmer (Batroc) come up right behind him. That’s a lot of . . . of that color on the pegs at once.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
That’s a great question. There are folks who buy up the peg-warmers in their area and return them to different stores for either cash or credit. This is a good way of clearing the shelves in your part of town, but bear in mind, you may also be slowing someone else’s flow. Some collectors will simply purchase older figures outright and donate them to charity for the tax write-off. This may be a doable move if you’re Bruce Wayne, but not so much if you’re a Joe 3-Pack like me. The best thing you can do is support the line, whatever line you collect. Talk it up to other collectors, tell your friends and loved ones and the people on the bus. If you’re super-vocal about Transformers here on the site, then put some money where your mouth is. Buy those peg-warmers and give them as gifts — so what if Grandma doesn’t know who Bumblebee is! With a gift, it’s the thought that counts, and you can tell her I said that.
If you enjoyed this article, look at some classic peg-warmers here.
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