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The end is nigh? Talk amongst yourselves.


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DST has always maintained that Minimates were not a big money maker.  Translated, I take this to mean that they are not (largely) profitable so they don't get treated as such.  I understand it.  However, I think they do like the brand and are fans in general.  By "they", I mean the designers and decision makers at DST.  In fact, I know they are fans, but they are also running a business.

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3 hours ago, fwoosheyman said:

Even though it doesn’t change the situation I do find it cathartic there are others here who don’t think DST has been doing a good job and offer real-life examples/corrective actions. Will it change anything? Probably not, but it’s slightly comforting that there are others who will not go gentle into that good night but will rage, rage against the dying of minimates.

I 100% agree with this. I don't think anyone is being "negative" or "mean" but just being brutally honest because we love these toys.  I would have sold my brother's kidney for a toy line like this to exist when I was a kid. 

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is there anyway we can get some new, lasting Lines? I love the marvel stuff but maybe something different with a long lineage?

Power Rangers

DBZ

Megaman

Mortal Kombat

More Sonic?

Street Fighter series?

I just think some of the other lines just fizzle out after a while. But I can't imagine something like DBZ wouldn't be great. maybe us in the chat should make a petition to show interest?

Just some thoughts.

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We'd all welcome a new lasting line but .....yet again..... the question of where will they be sold needs to be addressed first. That is paramount .

Wish-lists of lines that could 'save the day' are always enjoyable but TBQH there's little point in milking the cow until you know where you're selling the milk ?  

I have to say,  with respect to MJtheJ26,that I would  throw the towel in if I see another Street Fighter Minimate line ...........I would shoot the cow & become vegan . 

 

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If DST can't acquire an evergreen property on par with Marvel (like DC or Power Rangers or whatever the fuck happened with TMNT) then they need to look at more one-off licenses, something to fill a 4-pack or one assortment:

Castlevania

Pacific Rim

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It

Alien vs. Predator

Star Trek: Discovery

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Rocketeer

The Black Hole

Tron

Westworld

 

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I think the biggest problem Minimates face is just general apathy. Big retailers aren't interested in a niche toy line that's been around for so long. Smaller ones have moved onto other things and don't want to give them another try (possibly because they still have old dusty sets on their pegs). And even at DST there just seems to be a general lack of urgency to try new things and innovate with the figures. To me, this is a real shame because I think Minimates are far and away the best specialized toy. The design is much better than any other minifigure, and unlike Pops or other stylized toy (including Vinimates), they aren't static.

I don't really know what the answer is; obviously Toys R Us going out of business was terrible, and I don't know if Minimates will ever recover. But it seems to me a toy that's worth saving, and that with some innovation it could get people interested again. Just because Minimates aren't fresh and new anymore doesn't mean they can't be exciting.

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6 hours ago, MisterPL said:

Castlevania

Pacific Rim

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

It

Alien vs. Predator

Star Trek: Discovery

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Rocketeer

The Black Hole

Tron

Westworld

 

By the way, with the exception of Alien vs. Predator, these are all licenses DST already has for Minimates unless I'm mistaken.

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FWIW, I'm reading this thread. A few notes:

- I do not know why the insert has not been updated. I've updated it twice since that draft and Something is getting missed somewhere. I will push harder. 

- I will try to get Ivan MM earlier, but I am not sure that will bring in new customers. MMDB is a resource widely used by the community, but it's not a promotional site.

- I do send them out for reviews to sites that are interested, and will try to get them out earlier. Paid influencers are possible, but can be pricey.

- Overhauling the Web store is something we'd love to do, and we just took over GG Ltd's site, so that may help. Our site actually works fine, it's just that we cannot offer single MM sets due to the practicalities of our fulfillment procedures. I plug Luke whenever possible.

- I have advertised MM in Archie Comics, and will again. I'm sure some will scoff, but they reach a young audience. 

- When I have a ship date for MM, I post in our ship dates list on the blog, and when they hit I do a blog post and plug on socials, I share my own photos on FB, IG and Twitter. I need to start sharing more fan pics on IG like I used to. Especially Heinous's!

- I promote every new wave of Minimates on Marvel.com, and their social posts get a ton of likes. BUT they also get tons of negative comments. I know, it's the Internet, but the fact is that MM aren't for everyone, and I think changing visual tastes is a real thing. Not to say I'm giving up on them, which I'm sure some will say, but I do sometimes worry they are not as widely appealing as they used to be. 

Ending on a down note! But we do have some licenses we're looking at that may bring new eyes to the line. 

And I will say that every lineup is put together by a fan that reads the boards and I think each has been a good mix of fan wants and mainstream characters. The Spidey line came out to coincide with a movie, not sure why people question the timing or line-up. And I still don't know how Multiple Man was an embarrassment.

Edited by DSTZach
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1 hour ago, MisterPL said:

By the way, with the exception of Alien vs. Predator, these are all licenses DST already has for Minimates unless I'm mistaken.

I do not know why you think we have MM rights for most of those, Even I don't know that. But I know that action Figure rights does not necessarily mean MM rights.

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@DSTZach

For what it’s worth, the Minimates that we do get are usually awesome. I recently got wave 75 and 77 and was very happy with them overall. Even that wonky Moon Knight hood grew on me after awhile. I do need to get off my ass and preorder 79 because Cosmic Ghost Rider is worth the price of the set to me.

I also think fans could and should help spread the word about Minimates on social media. I rarely see cool setups on the r/actionfigures page of Reddit (which is currently the only social media platform I can tolerate).

Thank you for putting up with our grumbles and responding.

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18 hours ago, DSTZach said:

- I will try to get Ivan MM earlier, but I am not sure that will bring in new customers. MMDB is a resource widely used by the community, but it's not a promotional site.

I'd be surprised if Ivan's site wasn't a resource for DST. As the go-to archive, Ivan should be getting a subsidy of more than complimentary product. In turn, it could become a promotional site simply by linking to it on social media posts. Most consumers would probably be flabbergasted by the number of Minimates DST has produced, and for so many diverse properties.

18 hours ago, DSTZach said:

- Overhauling the Web store is something we'd love to do, and we just took over GG Ltd's site, so that may help. Our site actually works fine, it's just that we cannot offer single MM sets due to the practicalities of our fulfillment procedures. I plug Luke whenever possible.

Sounds like DST could use a Luke, and not just for Minimates and Vinimates. I'm sure he'd need commercial space but I hear he employs child labor so at least that much overhead is low.

18 hours ago, DSTZach said:

- I have advertised MM in Archie Comics, and will again. I'm sure some will scoff, but they reach a young audience. 

No scoffing here. I'm just curious which Minimates were featured.

18 hours ago, DSTZach said:

- I promote every new wave of Minimates on Marvel.com, and their social posts get a ton of likes. BUT they also get tons of negative comments.

I'm happy to balance out those comments when I know there's something being promoted there.

18 hours ago, DSTZach said:

And I still don't know how Multiple Man was an embarrassment.

Me either. I mean, would I have liked alternate expressions? Sure. Extra arms so he could be displayed without his coat? I guess, but did he ever take off that coat? 

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4 hours ago, MisterPL said:

I'd be surprised if Ivan's site wasn't a resource for DST. As the go-to archive, Ivan should be getting a subsidy of more than complimentary product. In turn, it could become a promotional site simply by linking to it on social media posts. Most consumers would probably be flabbergasted by the number of Minimates DST has produced, and for so many diverse properties.

You're right, I should link to it more! I compensate Ivan in other ways, the less said about that the better. ;)

4 hours ago, MisterPL said:

No scoffing here. I'm just curious which Minimates were featured.

I've run ads for the Walgreens animated waves, we can't run comic style ads unfortunately. I am going to see about getting a Black Widow ad in there. 

4 hours ago, MisterPL said:

I'm happy to balance out those comments when I know there's something being promoted there.

We tend to retweet it on our Twitter account, and repost it on our Facebook account, but I will try to share it here. 

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Have you considered doing retro-style toy commercials for YouTube?  Something along the lines of the old Star Wars, MOTU or GIJoe commercials?

How about teasers on the packaging for the next series?  That was always fun with the Joe cardbacks.

Could the lack of convention exclusives have contributed to lesser interest?  Maybe try to get at least one exclusive out for each of the big cons to help keep them in the public eye?  A 2-pack for NYCC, 4-pack for SDCC?  Something that will generate buzz and interest instead of retreads of all the same characters.  Make them fun and unique, and it will get the community's attention.

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12 hours ago, Swarm198 said:

Is there any way to get a single movie Minimate thrown into a pack with Marvel home releases on Blu-ray/4K?

DC used to do this all the time with their animated movie and the figures/statues were usually crap quality.

That could be one way to get DC Minimates into the market. WB Home Video doesn't require licensing for premiums. DST would be a third-party manufacturer just like they were with DC Direct.

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15 hours ago, youbastards said:

How about teasers on the packaging for the next series?  That was always fun with the Joe cardbacks.

Previewing upcoming releases is a proven way of whetting collectors' appetites. It could also act as a visual checklist. Put the next series on the back as well as on the insert. And that insert should feature ALL Minimates, not just Marvel. 

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Retailers like Target looking to grab a chunk of TRU's marketshare were never TRU to begin with. They're department stores. Consumers aren't used to shopping for the kind breadth and depth TRU offered at the Big Box retailers. I'm a relatively savvy toy consumer and even I have trouble finding what Target's trying to put out there because their in-store experience in inconsistent when it comes to merchandising.

No one's replacing TRU until someone dedicates themselves to the category in the same fashion. These existing stores aren't capable of adding more space to accommodate what TRU had to offer, not without sacrificing other departments.

I'd recommend Target try co-branding and opening up retail space in dying malls desperate to attract consumers. I know a "Target Toy's R Us" in one of my local malls would be a pretty big deal. Whether it ends up being successful is another issue but the TRU brand requires dedicated space and a rebooted customer experience. 

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