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05-11-2017, 10:36 PM | #1 |
Browncoat
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Ohio. For now.
Posts: 4,266
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GIJoe began in 1964. Had a great run as the original action figure. 18 years passed and it was re-created at the 3&3/4" GIJoe that we all grew up with. Had a super-successful time in the 1980's and its glory days ended with a whimper after 12 years in 1994.
1995 Hasbro began trying to revive it. We've now had 22 years of ups-and-downs with 'trying this' and 'trying that'. Extreme, Sgt Savage, Joe Vs Cobra, Spy Troops, VvV, DTC, Sigma Six, 25th Anniversary, Rise of Cobra, Pursuit of Cobra, Retaliation, 30th Anniversary, FSS. Sigma Six, to me, was the best attempt to revitalize the franchise. It was different. I was extremely well done. It played into all of the 'legend' of what a GIJoe figure should be. The modern line has been a ton of fun - but its reached its limit as a collector line. After 22 years of trying, when does Hasbro throw in the towel? Is it time? Are you done with GIJoe yet? Has the toy market simply passed GIJoe by? Opinions? |
05-11-2017, 10:54 PM | #2 |
W.O.R.M.S. Commander
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Back in the US of A! (NoVA)
Posts: 10,649
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No but I think it needs to retire some characters. Focus on new characters, with a supporting cast of cool looking bad guys and awesome toys with serious playability. And an actual cartoon. I agree that Sigma Six was good and a well done cartoon, but they sort of missed the mark on the toys I think. I was intrigued, but was not a fan of the scale. And while some people try to push for the 6 in scale, most of us are more inclined to stick to 4 inch.
Remember Hasbro designed Gijoe as a vehicle line, with drivers thrown in. Larry turned that around and gave us great characters to go with that. Six inch scale means unaffordable vehicles. However I would be happy to see both scales on the shelves. Hasbro probably cranked out as much Joe during venom Vs valor as any other point. They just need another movie and they will ramp it all back up. I think they could do a better job with packaging too. Retaliation packaging was pretty bad. The vehicle card art back in the ARAH days was amazing.
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05-11-2017, 10:58 PM | #3 |
POWERED BY JIM BEAM
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Wright, Wyoming
Posts: 1,435
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The concept is sound, it's the execution that has been problematic. When A Real American Hero came out it wasn't like everything else over time Hasbro felt the need to change it to keep up with the latest trends like TMNT and you get Extreme. If you stick to the core of the concept and stop following what everybody else is doing, Hasbro will have a better shot. Their not out of the woods by any stretch but they need to stay out of their own way. Please stop mismanaaging this great property.
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05-11-2017, 11:00 PM | #4 |
Browncoat
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Ohio. For now.
Posts: 4,266
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"I think they could do a better job with packaging too. Retaliation packaging was pretty bad. The vehicle card art back in the ARAH days was amazing"
ROC and POC had amazing artwork and packaging. Unfortunately, the figures were all bland and grey... so no amount of awesome packaging could make up for that. Retaliation had some great figures - and I could only imagine how awesome they would have sold if they had beautiful packaging and artwork to go with them. |
05-11-2017, 11:00 PM | #5 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Somewhere in South America
Posts: 460
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Everything Hasbro produced under the G.I. Joe banner in the last 50 years is enough to keep a collector busy the rest of his/her life. If the line will continue with the 62th version of Storm Shadow or the 61th version of Duke I would prefer to leave G.I. Joe in the memory of fans as the biggest and better male children toy line ever conceived and executed.
My dreamed revival is a continuation of the 80's and 90's with new characters filling specialties never seen before in the G.I. command, other than that, no thank you, there enough Snake Eyes versions out there, no more of the same and the same. |
05-11-2017, 11:05 PM | #6 |
Browncoat
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Ohio. For now.
Posts: 4,266
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"If you stick to the core of the concept and stop following what everybody else is doing..."
EXACTLY! The one part that Hasbro always seems to forget is the COLOR and DIVERSITY among the figures. They were fun and colorful and odd ball - but that's what made GIJoe. It wasn't all 'realistic' and 'military'. Flint, Lifeline, Airtight, SciFi, Destro, BBQ, Airborne, Mutt, Gung Ho, Bazooka. Its a collection of misfits! Stop trying to make it overly 'military' and get back to making it fun! |
05-11-2017, 11:06 PM | #7 |
Bill Cosplay
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Staying clear of knee-jerk nerds.
Posts: 5,914
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Well, let's start by acknowledging that toys, and kid-targeted merchandising in general, ain't what it used to be. Not only do kids nowadays have an extremely short attention span for this stuff, brand/property hopping seemingly every 6 months (just look at Disney Jr's "flavor-o-the-month" properties for a reality smack...from Doc McStuffins to Jake and the Pirates to Sophia to Miles from Tomorrowland to Elena to...), they also don't play with toys til they're 11 or 12 anymore. Shit, most are done with toys by 8 or 9, and many even before that.
So, honestly, unless Hasbro can somehow turn G.I. Joe into something that interests younger kids and changes every year to stay relevant, it is dead as far as being a major toy property is concerned. That said, they should probably split the brand into two lines: a constantly changing, goof-ball adventure themed team for the kids, full of cheap figures and neat playsets, backed up by a cartoon; and an old school, high-dollar/low-volume military line for adult collectors. I think that's their best bet. Regardless of all that, I'm pretty much finished on the buying front. I have enough and I just don't feel the need or desire to keep expanding it. That doesn't mean it's dead to me though. Not by a long shot. I still dick about with the toys when I can/need/want to. And, if I ever do decide to get rid of it all, I still have those happy childhood memories of G.I. Joe and all it meant...and all it still means. Last edited by SmokeBellew; 05-11-2017 at 11:23 PM.. |
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05-11-2017, 11:16 PM | #8 |
Browncoat
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Ohio. For now.
Posts: 4,266
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"Well, let's start by acknowledging that toys, and kid-targeted merchandising in general, ain't what it used to be"
How true is this. I am amazed that even Star Wars doesn't seem to sell very well any more. Around 2010 Hasbro hit their stride with incredible collectible Star Wars toys - the Big Falcon, The Big AT AT, etc. And even THEY didn't sell very well. Right now Walmart has their entire Star Wars line on clearance... and even half off its just sitting there. |
05-11-2017, 11:42 PM | #9 |
I just want foam gliders.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tooele (two-willa), Utah
Posts: 18,727
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At this point, most of the figures have been remade, give or take a few characters. And those characters aren't going to be made anytime soon. Guys like Steamroller, Windmill and Sea Slug might be made by the Club, but with them only having another year, I have doubts.
I think it needs to end unless they go back to their basics, ARAH styled packaging to keep the retro collectors happy.
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05-11-2017, 11:43 PM | #10 |
Bill Cosplay
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Staying clear of knee-jerk nerds.
Posts: 5,914
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Quote:
"Well, let's start by acknowledging that toys, and kid-targeted merchandising in general, ain't what it used to be"
How true is this. I am amazed that even Star Wars doesn't seem to sell very well any more. Around 2010 Hasbro hit their stride with incredible collectible Star Wars toys - the Big Falcon, The Big AT AT, etc. And even THEY didn't sell very well. Right now Walmart has their entire Star Wars line on clearance... and even half off its just sitting there. |
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