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The End of Minimates?


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Things are looking dire, with the "announcement" that TMNT is done, what does that leave us for properties that are likely to get made?

Marvel - we've seen wave 74 , and Ragnarok

Aliens - Covenant is out now,  when asked Zach didnt know about post covenant plans.

Predator - ?

Walking dead - Dead

POTC - done i assume

NBX - continuing i think(i dont know, i dont  follow these)

DC -Never going to happen

What have i missed?

it looks like Vinimates are taking over, i guess it makes sense for DST as they are larger and easier to make, and have a higher price point.

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Well, Marvel seems to still be going strong.  DC Comics is not on the table.  DST still seems to be testing the waters with the different licenses they get. Maybe I am a pessimist, but I didn't give much hope to some of the properties.  At the same time, I feel DST didn't give much effort with others.  Granted, they do research and poll retailers for what will sell and they know better than I do, I just think the research does not always show the markets actual interest, just what retailers are banking on.  Frankly, I accept that my personal opinion is not worth magic beans in the scheme of things, so I do not get butthurt and respect the direction these things go. Do I think Lost in Space should have gone forward?  Yes, but its not up to me and I am okay with that.

Vinimates seem to be doing great.  I think that is good for Minimates.  Some of the things that get made into Vinimates are also made as 2 inch Minimates and I think interest will flow down in many cases.  I also believe any success for DST will create opportunities for more Minimates lines.

I do not see any "writing on the wall" for Minimates.  DST keeps pitching them, even to folks who are saying no (for now) and they know they have a product with a nice fan following.  Why abandon it?

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From what I've been hearing in different circles, Vinimates aren't as strong in the market as they might appear to be (especially if you're looking at bigger chain stores).

I remember a time back around Marvel wave 15 or so, where it was starting to look dim for the future of Minimates. But they came back strong, thanks to some changes in the market and an improvement in quality and distribution and other factors.

It might look a little bleak right at this moment, but it may just be one of the dips that affects all toy lines.

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I don't think Vinimates are big sellers, but neither are Pops and I suspect they are really cheap to produce so they don't have to worry about selling as many.

My concern with Minimates is that I don't really collect Marvel mates. I have some sure, but I'm mostly in it for other properties. TMNT was a big one. So them getting canceled is a kick in the Wolfman nards.

And very little else is appealing to me at the moment. I'd love some DC mates, but sounds like that horse has been beat to death.

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Hopefully I'm wrong but I too have begun to notice a number of unnerving 'signs' which when lumped altogether almost prompted me to post a similar thread . Then I see this one & I'm even more unnerved :unsure: 

Regards Vinimates ........they have grown on me but look at what they are .......they are stylized ...........they are big Minimates that are NOT articulated . Is anybody really going to tell me that big unarticulated Minimates are going to sell when actual Minimates 'end' ?    If they do I'll eat Ady's hat.

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I don't think minimates are dying but it's been a bad year for non-marvel lines. They've all been duds and other than Kingdom Hearts there are no new lines we know of. 

Aliens is over, NBX is most likely over after this year's two waves, POTC won't continue, TMNT is done, Gotham is done.

Predator is the only non-marvel line that is continuing (one last TRU wave and then "The Predator" in 2018).

Not to be mean but DST has to do a better job in selecting properties, they made some bad choices this year.

 

 

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3 hours ago, Mattallica said:

Things are looking dire, with the "announcement" that TMNT is done, what does that leave us for properties that are likely to get made?

Marvel - we've seen wave 74 , and Ragnarok and 75, and TRU 24 and TRU 25 and Walgreens 6 and Iron Fist and now Black Panther

Aliens - Covenant is out now,  when asked Zach didnt know about post covenant plans, except since then a new TRU asortment has been planned and Chuck mentioned some possibilities in the last Ask DST.

Predator - ? DST showed a new TRU assortment at the panel at SDCC.

Walking dead - Dead Resting

POTC - done i assume

NBX - continuing for sure, Series 4 and 5 on display at SDCC, both up for pre-order and coming to TRU

DC - Never going to happen

What have i missed? Kingdom Hearts, Pacific Rim, Elf, new licenses we are developing we have not announced.

Fixed that for you. One wave getting cancelled is not the end of the line.

 

1 hour ago, buttheadsmate said:

Regards Vinimates ........they have grown on me but look at what they are .......they are stylized ...........they are big Minimates that are NOT articulated . Is anybody really going to tell me that big unarticulated Minimates are going to sell when actual Minimates 'end' ?    If they do I'll eat Ady's hat.

I don't know why Minimates and Vinimates would be connected. Trying to get Minimates fans interested in Vinimates was not a natural progression, outside of large characters, and I would go so far as to say that the people who buy Vinimates are for the most part not Minimates buyers. A casual toy buyer may not want to keep track of a tiny Minimate and all of its parts and stands, but they may buy a stable, posed 4" figure that they can see from a distance and stack in its box. They certainly seem to buy Pops, and if meatballs and olives went away, I'm sure they'd still sell okay.

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2 minutes ago, DSTZach said:

 

I don't know why Minimates and Vinimates would be connected. Trying to get Minimates fans interested in Vinimates was not a natural progression, outside of large characters, and I would go so far as to say that the people who buy Vinimates are for the most part not Minimates buyers. A casual toy buyer may not want to keep track of a tiny Minimate and all of its parts and stands, but they may buy a stable, posed 4" figure that they can see from a distance and stack in its box. They certainly seem to buy Pops, and if meatballs and olives went away, I'm sure they'd still sell okay.

I see it the other way around.  If I had a Vinimate of a character I loved and discovered an even smaller articulated version exists, I'd go after it.  Just me though.  However, if they are not connected, why bother making them look like "larger inarticulate" Minimates?

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13 minutes ago, fwoosheyman said:

Not to be mean but DST has to do a better job in selecting properties, they made some bad choices this year.

We chose three fairly prominent sequels to blockbuster franchises.  I'm not sure how picking franchises with worse track records is the way to go. Remember, we sign deals long before much of the marketing is ready.

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Man the day minimates end will be a sad one but it's not coming anytime soon. And on top of that it's among the most comprehensive toy lines of all time. If it dies, it dies happy. 

 

Until then, long live the minimates. 

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1 minute ago, Shanester said:

I see it the other way around.  If I had a Vinimate of a character I loved and discovered an even smaller articulated version exists, I'd go after it.  Just me though.  However, if they are not connected, why bother making them look like "larger inarticulate" Minimates?

Oh, I certainly think there can be crossover appeal, but I meant that the success was not connected. The buyers are not just Minimates collectors, and sales of Minimates are not tied to sales of Vinimates, which are in outlets Minimates are not. If Minimates DID go away, which they aren't, then Vinimates would still have their appeal - blocky, recognizable, affordable, etc.

As to why we chose the style, we had to choose some style, and we've certainly seen a lot of different takes on the designer toy format, most of them from Funko, but we figured the Minimates style has appeal -- it's been going for a long time -- so why not enlarge it? We certainly hoped that people who liked the style would hop on board the Vinimates line, and like you say, it is another avenue for people to discover Minimates.

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Geez... My free time gets restricted for a few days, and now the sky is apparently falling?!? :Dunno:

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5 hours ago, Mattallica said:

 DC -Never going to happen

What have i missed? 

 

Yeah, we're one LEGO Gotham and LEGO Watchmen movie away from having those DC properties taken away from us.

 

We've still got TRU and Walgreens with another unrevealed previous player returning. (And it's not Hastings or Kmart.) Plus Walgreens is buying half of Rite Aid's stores. I'd say that's cause for optimism.

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We're doomed. We'll be sent to the spice mines of Kessel, smashed into who knows what!

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9 hours ago, DSTZach said:
13 hours ago, Mattallica said:

Things are looking dire, with the "announcement" that TMNT is done, what does that leave us for properties that are likely to get made?

Marvel - we've seen wave 74 , and Ragnarok and 75, and TRU 24 and TRU 25 and Walgreens 6 and Iron Fist and now Black Panther

Aliens - Covenant is out now,  when asked Zach didnt know about post covenant plans, except since then a new TRU asortment has been planned and Chuck mentioned some possibilities in the last Ask DST.   Ok, but just because something is planned doesn't mean it will sell to TRU and others, especially with the reception the Covenant movie got, and the new megaconstrux stuff

Predator - ? DST showed a new TRU assortment at the panel at SDCC.  the last wave seems to be lingering on TRU shelves near me, so we will see.

Walking dead - Dead Resting Stick a fork in 'em

POTC - done i assume

NBX - continuing for sure, Series 4 and 5 on display at SDCC, both up for pre-order and coming to TRU,  like I said i dont follow them, good to know there are at least two more waves coming, although i see quite alot of these peg warming at TRU

DC - Never going to happen

What have i missed? Kingdom Hearts, Pacific Rim, Elf, new licenses we are developing we have not announced. And much like Godfather,  Beverly hills copand countless others , i'll believe them when i see them on the shelves or listed as "in stock" at Lukes.

Fixed that for you. One wave getting cancelled is not the end of the line. Agreed it's not the end, but it doesn't bode well when the Lynch pin retailer(TRU) pulls out of a Hot Property

 

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13 hours ago, SCW said:

So them getting canceled is a kick in the Wolfman nards.

...the wolfman has nards...

it's been a minute since any of my lcs have got a new wave of minimates. none of them got the wolverine wave, or the blind bags. the store closest to me has moved what the have to a back corner of a back room off the main floor. they used to hang within the first 5 feet of walking in. so that's disappointing, and makes things a little bit more complicated for me. the walgreens in my area seem to be doing ok. a couple still have the first waves, but most are current. last time i was at tru they had the wolverine wave and jessica jones boxsets. i didn't see any TMNT, but do they even have a current tv show? maybe overall interest in TMNT is in a lull? i feel like it goes in spurts. (i was really excited for Bebop, Rocksteady, April and Casey Jones, tho. #sad!)

i haven't been clamoring for any of the upcoming Marvel minimates, which are pretty much the only ones i buy. there's only a couple from each wave (LCS, TRU, W) that i do want to pick up, but nothing coming out in the near future is a full set purchase for me. i'm not even totally sure who all is in each set, just that i want Iron Heart & Hydra Cap, Jessica Jones and Purple Man, Black Bolt (i have the original but i welcome an update) and Medusa (i personally thing the animated mates fit in just fine with the comic book mates. i don't go for the movie versions, tho i'll make an exception for Hela if the opportunity presents itself), the X-Men box set (X-Men waves are my go to), and i'd maybe upgrade my OLM via trade. all that said, i can appreciate the breaks between waves where i don't have to buy every set. Marvel seems to be going very well for them to be able to branch out and continue to make off the wall character choices, and even trying new things like the build a figure (tho am i the only one who's like that's Maria Hill with wrist guards?). even if other properties come and go, i'd be surprised if Marvel minimates doesn't make it to 100.

Edited by CortherX
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TrU seems to have lost a considerable amount of confidence in the TMNT brand outside of just Minimates, what used to be almost an entire dedicated aisle has dwindled to almost a 1/4 of that at my TrU.

I think that last movie didn't move as much merchandise as they had hoped and the buyers scaled back all around the brand.

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1 hour ago, youbastards said:

TrU seems to have lost a considerable amount of confidence in the TMNT brand outside of just Minimates, what used to be almost an entire dedicated aisle has dwindled to almost a 1/4 of that at my TrU.

I think that last movie didn't move as much merchandise as they had hoped and the buyers scaled back all around the brand.

 

You guys know they are cancelling the latest cartoon series, right? I believe they are continuing TMNT, just in a different direction then the current incarnation.

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