Richard Gottlieb of the Gifts And Decorative Accessories site, has recently posted an article debating if movie tie-ins are good for toy brands. While his article goes over the success of Cars 2 toys for Mattel, it also questions if a bad movie will doom a toy brand/line. Interestingly enough, GI Joe does come up in the discussion:
So, the question is how many of the children who leave Hot Wheels for the latest Cars themed products come back to Hot Wheels? In addition, what is the impact of a bad movie on an evergreen? My sources tell me that GI Joe has not recovered its former strength since the ill-fated movie came out. Rather than see it as a traditional toy, children who saw the movie saw it as just one of last summer’s tie-in movies. Once the movie was done, they moved on to the next movie.Movie tie-ins are important to the toy industry and no one is suggesting we back off. We may, however, want to think twice about the overall impact of a movie tie-in on the long term health of our highest value brands.
You may notice that the 1st live action Transformers Movie line broke the stigma(especially during that time…the Spiderman 3 and Pirates Of The Carribean lines weren’t flying off of shelves) that “movie toys don’t sell”. Since 2007, plenty of movie toys have graced, and warmed, the shelves, even those tied into blockbuster hits such as Star Trek, and Avatar(to name a few). Unlike other movie toylines, the 2007 Transformers Movie line could not keep supply up with demand. Sure there have been other successful movie toy lines in recent years, but it’s safe to say that most movie toylines weren’t outright successes.
With the GI Joe 30th Anniversary line seeming shorter than expected, and GI Joe Renegades On Hiatus, it does seem like Hasbro is putting more effort into GI Joe II.
However, do you think this is the right direction to go in? It definitely seems that GI Joe II will be notably different from Rise Of Cobra, but do you think it’s worth the risk, depending on the next movie to reinvigorate the GI Joe brand? Note that aside from the IDW GI Joe Comics, GI Joe II is the only big media tie-in planned for 2012. Any new animated series will come afterwards. Thoughts?
Shin Densetsu says
Should Hasbro Depend On GI Joe II To Revitalize The Brand?
Discussion Point - GI Joe Weaker After Rise Of Cobra
Weezus says
yes. this movie is gonna be fucking awesome.
the last one was rushed. they learned from their mistakes and this time they mean war.
A.C.T. says
No. G.I.Joe is a toy line...so make toys.
kennywr22 says
I think a huge movie that generates kids interest and leads them to buy the toys is the way to go, but the toyline needs to be handle better than last time. The line had some nice figures but boring designs on the joes and the vehicles being even lamer and way overpriced killed it. I do think they are gonna correct alot of this for part 2 though. I still totally disagree with dropping the cartoon and having no cartoon figures for support.
AlleyViper47 says
Man it's so depressing going to a target and seeing the one little row left for GI JOE that is always full. Kids around here haven't caught on to GI JOE and the movie was God awful.
Just sad to see something I used to be crazy about as a kid is now just another toy to today's kids. I think the cartoon had the biggest impact on that but the figures were fun and creative.
The figures I see now look cheap and dull.
Jmacq1 says
There's really a lot of factors in this question that aren't immediately apparent: Hasbro can't "strengthen" the brand unless retailers agree to stock more of it, and generally they only agree to stock more of it if there's a media tie-in.
In other words, there is very little Hasbro can do to influence retailers (particularly Wal-Mart) to NOT "depend primarily on G.I. Joe II to revitalize the brand." Wal-Mart isn't going to just arbitrarily start buying more Joe stuff "just because." When you look at the boys action figure aisle, virtually ALL the toys there are media tie-ins to some extent or another (and back in the day the original ARAH was supported across various types of media, as were most of the brands of our youth), and the ones that aren't tend to struggle the most (G.I. Joe, DCUC, Marvel Universe). In other words, the link between media tie-ins and action figures is pretty much inextricable at this point, and probably has been ever since Kenner's original Star Wars line.
In short, it's retailer mentality that needs to change before "big media tie-in" mentality will change. Meanwhile, the best Hasbro can do is try to make a line that incorporates movie elements while still including stuff that's appealing to collectors. We'll buy a "classic" version of a character or troop builder even if it's on a movie-themed card.
Shin Densetsu says
Renegades fans understandably have a lot to be sour over.
krisk says
time to get into Thundercats???HA!
Owner of a Lonely B.A.T. says
I think G.I. Joe II is a turning point...IF somehow they can make this film a mega smash hit it will revitalize everything. Cartoon comics toys.
But Mega hit needs to happen...the one thing Walmart can't ignore is sales.
Walmart has been the lynch pin problem for Joe for years other retailers follow thier lead, and Rise of Cobra really really enforced that lead...the toys sucked...hey I bought them, and I like a few of them but overall...it was pretty bad. Its hard to believe that the designers responsible for 25th and POC and 30th are the same ones who did ROC.
skrapps says
i dont know what part of hasbro runs the gi joe side of things, but they clearly do not understand gi joe. rise of cobra seemed like it didnt appeal to kids.. OR adults. it was like hasbro okayed it without even reading the script or plot.
gi joe is an awesome brand filled with characters of all different personalities.. hasbro doesnt understand this.
as much as i dislike gi joe renegades series, it is a million times better than what rise of cobra was. rise of cobra doesnt even feel like gi joe. "just 'cause you put syrup on shit, doesnt make pancakes!"
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