I'm totally a comic-book / superhero guy myself, so if suddenly there was no one making decent Marvel or DC figures I wouldn't switch my focus to Star Wars, or GI-Joe, or Wrestling, etc. I'd just quit collecting action figures.
Also, I'm not really like most other collectors, as I don’t display my figures on a shelf or anything like that. I mostly collect figures to use them to make action figure comics, so I keep my stuff stored in drawer bins and take them out as needed.
That’s why I was pretty happy when McFarlane got the DC license from Mattel. As I was more concerned with my DC figures having decent articulation than I was with the scale. For the most part I prefer to keep my superhero universes separated, so as long as my Marvel figures scale with my Marvel figures, and my DC figures scale with my DC figures I’m good.
It's mind boggling to think Hasbro - a toy company - wants to sell off the "toy division". Like, what even are you then? Though hasbro started out 100 years ago making pencils and pencil boxes, by 1942 they were a toy company. They are the company that literally invented the term "action figure" to sell G.I. Joe toys to boys who wouldn't play with dolls.
While they have clearly expanded over the years and acquired board game manufacturers (Parker Bros, Milton & Bradley) and bought Wizards of the Coast (D&D and Magic the Gathering) - and branched out into media production .... it's all based on the IP they built with toys.
It's the state of the world we live in today that a guy can be brought in to run a toy company and his idea is "let's sell off the toy division"... genius!
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They haven't dropped toys yet to be sure, but they are I think focusing more on "play" than "toys" - from the annual report:
"We achieved some major wins that I believe augur the Hasbro to come: a company rededicated to play, innovation, and fun for all ages." (More related to selling off some of their entertainment stuff probably)
"OUR MISSION is to entertain and connect generations of fans through the wonder of storytelling and exhilaration of play."
Anyway, Hasbro sold $3.8 billion worth of products they own and $0.7 billion worth of licensed products; and while they got twice as much revenue from consumer products (toys, games) as their Wizards of the Coast and Digital Games lines, they basically broke even on the consumer products but made a 36% profit on the WotC stuff.
A purely clinical look at the company suggests that from a profit perspective you could make the argument to move away from licensed toys given the trends - not where the action is for Hasbro right now.
Things like Hasbro losing the license is out of my control. I would be surprised if they didn't keep it through the Avengers movies and the next Spider-Man. Beyond that, we will see. I will keep collecting as long as I get movie figures in this scale. If they change scale, I would be out. But new company, close to same scale.....I would be willing to see how they turn out and who would hypothetically get it if it happened
I'm sure the reason Hasbro is looking to drop the action figure aspect is why they are introducing the deluxe line so we can get large figures like Dragon Man. 🤔
Yeah, until I here from Hasbro that they are done, I don't believe that talk at all.
In the pure speculation aspect that I don't believe at all, even though I'm major Marvel fan who only mildly follows DC, if Hasbro started making DC Legends, I'd be all over the classic DC characters. However, if McFarlane started making Marvel figures like his DC ones, I wouldn't have a single interest in them at all, even though Marvel figures is my bread & butter, as Robo would say.
If Marvel Legends ceased I would just custom the remaining characters I feel are necessary on my shelf. I learned how to customize during the pandemic and I don't do a ton of Marvel stuff because eventually Hasbro will get to it all and I'll have butchered parts for no reason - but if the line actually goes away, you can bet I'd get around to all the missing characters. It took me 15 years to realize if I wanted characters on my Buffy shelf that DST and MAC never made, I'd have to make them myself. And now my Buffy and Angel shelves have doubled in size - and make me very happy in their (almost!) completeness.
I'd just do the same with Marvel.
@tfitz I'm sure that stuff was planned long ago and it's not like the designers know everything going on in corporate. As long as they currently hold the license they will continue using it. In one of their press releases it was stated DTC was a growing market. I am fully on board and hopeful they continue because from the looks of it Marvel Legends will be better than ever.
However Cocks (spelling?) only cares about his salary. I cannot imagine a world where Hasbro doesn't make toys, it's insane and hopefully just nonsense talk. But it's out there and recent layoffs were upsetting to fans more than I've seen in the past. Weird mix - we have great product but great uncertainty. Just enjoy the now.
I don't do a ton of Marvel stuff because eventually Hasbro will get to it all and I'll have butchered parts for no reason
This is exactly why I rarely customize. Why would I take apart two $25 figures to make my own bare arms movie Wolverine when they'll make an official one after a little patient waiting? You end up with one that's a "good enough" placeholder until an official one comes and the other exiled to the fodder bin which is essentially a garbage can that just sits and doesn't get emptied.
Yeah, until I here from Hasbro that they are done, I don't believe that talk at all.
I don't believe it either. The license isn't going anywhere. I think we're all just bored with staring at empty pegs and "out of stock" web pages. Don't these "if Hasbro looses the license" musings come along every few years?
I think we're all just bored with staring at empty pegs and "out of stock" web pages.
Boy, is that ever the truth. *sigh *
There's a little more juice to such speculation this time around because the licensed toy division has not been doing so well. We don't know how Marvel contributes to it so it could be doing well and it's other stuff dragging the division down. The DTC Dragon Man (and sentinel) could be viewed optimistically as a commitment to the product long term, or as a desperate attempt to find another avenue for making a profit off of the licensed toys division if general retail sales have been soft. Hasbro has also spent years now acquiring more IP. Companies that hold IP usually exit the manufacturing part. Disney, an obviously way bigger company, used to see value in handling the manufacture of a lot of its consumer products then realized it was a lot more profitable and risk averse to just license it out instead. Hasbro may be in a similar position now. It's not like they're family run and have a CEO who will let emotion get in the way of Hasbro doing something so bold as to exit the toy production world. If he is of the mind that their future is in something else and can get the board to agree then that's what they'll probably do, as crazy as that may seem to all of us who grew up with Hasbro the toy maker.
Hasbro may be in a similar position now. It's not like they're family run and have a CEO who will let emotion get in the way of Hasbro doing something so bold as to exit the toy production world. If he is of the mind that their future is in something else and can get the board to agree then that's what they'll probably do, as crazy as that may seem to all of us who grew up with Hasbro the toy maker.
So this is actually quite an interesting quote - because it seems that until 2006 - so some 80 years after the company was founded a Hassenfeld was the head of Hasbro. So, in fact, it WAS family run until the 21st century, when the reins were finally handed over to a non family member. And even then the reins were handed to a long time Hasbro employee who had worked his way up through multiple divisions and was loyal to that company. He died in 2021, opening the door for a new type of "business first" CEO to step in.
Yeah, until I here from Hasbro that they are done, I don't believe that talk at all.
I consider the quote attributed to Dan that they are focusing on completing teams in 25-26 to be confirmation that the line/license is at least in jeopardy.
Also throw in the "Dwight will be finished/retire/whatever joke" when classic Banshee is made, which is on the rumor list for 2025.
Didn't Hasbro issue a statement about being an entertainment company? IIRC, they were serious about getting into film/TV at one point.
Dumping toys to become a movie studio is just stupid enough to come out of some cocaine-addled executive's mouth.
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