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03-18-2014, 05:31 PM | #1 |
Ex-Pharisee
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: 742 Evergreen Terrace
Posts: 12,216
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I just finished reading "Toy Wars: the Epic Struggle Between GI Joe, Barbie and the Companies That Make Them". Very interesting read. Idk if this book has been talked about here at all before, but it's definitely worth a read.
It is stated by the author that the original purpose of the book was to see how GI Joe figs were made from concept to finished product. Bit it turned into a history of Hasbro and the stuff they went through up until the mid 90's. And the bottom line I took away from it was that not much has changed! I wanted to include some quotes to illustrate my point, as well as some interesting facts: "We want kids to understand that G.I.Joe is not a warmonger," (Stephen) Schwartz told a reporter. "We feel that we have a commitment to the kids of America and to their parents to properly represent the role of the military today, which is as a peacekeeping force, not an aggressor." --- there is another passage I read, but couldn't find again, abut how Stephen Hassenfeld, the CEO of Hasbro at the time ARAH was introduced, wanted to keep the violence to a minimum, hence the reason for red and blue lasers and parachutes As the line neared $185 million in sales (in 1986), a third more than Kenner's Star Wars toys at their apex, Hasbro mined its fantasy deeply. --- so goes to show that Hasbro plays on what makes it some money, no surprise there; I was kind of surprised that Joe made more $$$ than the original Star Wars toys, but I knew that Joe was a juggernaut in the 80's. "Collectors are a pimple on the elephant's ass," Bernstein once said, comparing middle-aged men who buy G.I.Joe to the much larger youth market. --- if Hasbro execs felt that way THEN........ Not everything he touched turned to gold (speaking of Bernstein): such action figures as Bucky O'Hare were disasters despite heavy television promotion and programming. --- so even if Joe had a media tie-in, there's no guarantee it would catch on, although it is already somewhat of an established brand. As an aside, if I'm not mistaken, Bucky O'Hare started out as a comic written by Larry Hama. As the session neared its end and the boys were seriously fidgeting, Rentel had discovered why the G.I.Joe series was no longer popular with these boys ("repeats and stuff"). --- this passage was pertaining to market research dine with a group of boys "We're a victim of our own success,"said Bozigian, who admitted to a share of the blame. Once again, Joe had strayed from the real life military persona that had underlaid his success, regardless of era: like Joe in the mid-seventies, contemporary Joe was confused. The 1993 line had Ninja Force Joe,Streetfighter II Joe, Mega-Monsters Joe, Battle-Corps Joe, and Hall of Fame Joe, the relaunch of the twelve-inch figure. Stores still carried most of 1992's line, which included Super Sonic Fighters, Drug Elimination Force, Talking Battle Commanders, and Eco Warriors, billed as "pose able environmental warriors"and featuring such items as Septic Tank, an enemy vehicle. Merrill would not have recognized his pose able fighting man. He'd become a sponge, soaking up whatever came floating down the stream of culture. His (Kirk Bozigian) contribution as the top-secret "dossier" on the back of every blister pack ---the bio card, intended to be clipped, that told each character's background, specialty and favorite weapons. He dossiers were an pediment, inexpensive way to amplify the new Joe storyline. --- even though I've heard several interviews with Bozigian, I don't think I realized this was his idea. "I guess it's remembering a piece of history, trying to preserve a piece of history even if it's your own personal piece of history," Bozigian explained. (On collecting) --- that's kinda how I feel about collecting As Turtles' sales soared past Joe's,he (Berndtson), like others, had been increasingly frustrated by Stephen's intransigence. ---- Aaaand, the turtles are outselling Joes today. Easy to do though, when no product is on the shelves But acquiring the games company did not dissuade him from his belief that video games, despite their erratic performance, ere a serious, long-term threat to traditional toy makers. --- amplified 100 times over today Hasbro's lawyers had drafted a contract with Mortal Kombat producer Larry Kasanoff to produce a G.I.Joe film for Warner Bros., at no cost to Hasbro, and a writer was deep into a script. --- so there could've been a movie in the 80's. Idk what happened, but obviously they went the animated route (unless this is what they were referring to -- idk who made the animated film) The pendulum swings back and forth. Troubles aren't new to Hasbro or the G.I.Joe brand. If tact, this book states that Hasbro was referred to as "Has-been" in the past regarding the original Joe line. Will the pendulum swing back on favor of GI Joe, or are classic toys doomed because of video games, smart phones and the internet? This is such an interesting read that discusses many of the 80's toys we know and love. Lots of intriguing stories. You can get this book for the Nook, Kindle, or paper forms.
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03-18-2014, 05:54 PM | #2 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: WV
Posts: 3,155
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I had never heard of that book and it sounds very interesting. I just ordered a copy from Amazon. I feel like I should give you a tip or something lol.
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03-19-2014, 05:42 AM | #3 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: May 2007
Location: England
Posts: 1,230
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Just done likewise, thanks!
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03-19-2014, 07:18 AM | #4 |
twitter viper
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: SD
Posts: 4,909
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Kirk Bozigian's panels cover most of this at Joecon, another reason to attend if at all possible.
Hama created the dossiers as a way for him to keep track of the characters for the comic,(Hama has said this repeatedly in interviews and panels) I imagine Kirk saw them and was the one who said to use them since he was in charge of marketing. So in a round about way it was his idea. Kirk went into a little more detail on the proposed GIJOE live action movie This was after the 1987 Sunbow feature; during one of his panels at Joecon. It was definitely... unique. It would have rebooted GIJOE just like the ROC and Retaliation movies did, but in a totally different way. I wish I could remember specifics but it was a very short part of his entire presentation.
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03-19-2014, 07:51 AM | #5 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Iowa
Posts: 4,439
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Interesting. What year did Bernstein say "Collectors are a pimple on the elephant's ass," because like I've been saying for years, I feel collectors are (were) keeping Joe in retail stores.
I never see kids looking at Joes. |
03-19-2014, 08:12 AM | #6 |
Ex-Pharisee
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: 742 Evergreen Terrace
Posts: 12,216
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Quote:
The also talked about a possible Hasbro/Mattel merger. That would've been interesting. They could've called the company HasMat.
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03-19-2014, 08:20 AM | #7 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Illinois
Posts: 4,178
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I checked this out from the library, and I look forward to reading it.
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03-19-2014, 08:38 AM | #8 |
Hisstank.Com General
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Houston
Posts: 6,170
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If you liked the book, listen to this for some updated insights with the author.
http://jdso.podbean.com/2013/01/12/e...ller-toy-wars/
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03-19-2014, 09:25 AM | #9 |
Christian Soldier
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Florida
Posts: 6,245
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Interesting stuff, thanks for the information
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03-19-2014, 10:41 AM | #10 |
Ex-Pharisee
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: 742 Evergreen Terrace
Posts: 12,216
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Quote:
If you liked the book, listen to this for some updated insights with the author.
JoeDeclassified: SPEC-OPS » Blog Archive » Ep8/ G WAYNE MILLER + TOY WARS
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