karamazov80 Posted May 19, 2009 Share Posted May 19, 2009 (edited) Straw-man. Thanks for the educational ( ) wikipedia link, but I know what a straw man argument is, and that ain't what I was making. You clearly said that over-saturation with popular characters would "kill the line" as fast as "overpacking it with obscure characters." I argued that Minimates have always focused on the popular characters over others, and are currently only continuing that trend by continually releasing Spidey, Wolvie, etc. in nearly every wave. Of course, there are so many Minimates being released now, we are getting the obscure along with the less-obscure, but no one was arguing here for an "all Spidey, only Spidey" wave or anything, as you seem to be suggesting (note: stating such would be the epitome of. . .a straw man argument). What some are arguing is that the wacky, obscure characters may need bigger names to sell. Otherwise, they warm pegs. That's just the way it is. You might notice that the current popularity level of Minimates comes on the heels of the year of the Iron Men and TRU waves chock full of Spidey and Wolvie. Those are probably the best examples you could come up with of a focus on the "popular." Edited May 19, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metaphorge Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 (edited) You clearly said that over-saturation with popular characters would "kill the line" as fast as "overpacking it with obscure characters." Yep, and I stand by that statement. I argued that Minimates have always focused on the popular characters over others, and are currently only continuing that trend by continually releasing Spidey, Wolvie, etc. in nearly every wave. Of course, there are so many Minimates being released now, we are getting the obscure along with the less-obscure, but no one was arguing here for an "all Spidey, only Spidey" wave or anything, as you seem to be suggesting (note: stating such would be the epitome of. . .a straw man argument). But I'm not suggesting that, and clarified that, and you're still arguing against a statement I never made. What some are arguing is that the wacky, obscure characters may need bigger names to sell. Some are also listing all the appearances of particular characters in various media over the last twenty years and then debating over whether that's enough exposure to warrant the character being made into a 'mate. I think that's very silly, and cited evidence of even more obscure characters being made into 'mates. I also think that excessive timidity in across-the-board character selection will result in the line's failure (note that I did not say that DST has been excessively timid) and, if, as you say, broad sales are dependent only upon the inclusion of popular characters in a wave, it shouldn't matter at all how obscure its box- or wave-mates are. I'm not sure I buy that, but I don't think we need to limit ourselves to character choices that have been featured in electronic media in the last five years or some other high standard of visibility, especially when we're speculating on what 'mates we'd like to see. If you were this confused about what I meant here, why didn't you just ask questions instead of continuing to argue against a point I never made? Also, don't you owe me a dollar? ;P I know, I know, I said a "two pack".... Edited May 20, 2009 by metaphorge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I'm a completist which is relevant because I'll buy whatever DST issue but I personally feel there are too many Wolverines*. Please note the word personally ! I wouldn't think that many casual buyers will buy all the Wolverine variations of character they'll choose the ones they actually want the most . The more obscure characters DST are producing are catering for collectors similar to the nuts on here & I'll confess there are characters being made that I had no concept of initially. I bring myself up to speed quickly with any obscure/unknown character ...one of whom (believe it or not) was Deadpool . Of course I'd heard of him but the reason for his popularity eluded me......not anymore!! My point is that whether we buy ALL the Wolverines* or not is a matter of choice but there is little doubt that a casual will buy a Wolverine character off the shelf & not care a hoot whether it is 'Wooly Wolverine' or 'X Wife Wolverine' ....they'll buy it & I can't see that happening with '....insert favourite obscure character..' The 'obscures' stimulate 'collector'interest whilst Wolverine* goes for the jugular of the passive shopper in TRU. This marketing ploy is something that DST have returned to & is a magnificent strategy & one I particularly applaud despite the fact that six months ago I was wondering if they had any marketing ideas at all. I was wrong & I'm glad I was wrong. Minimates as a line is stronger than at any time since my humble interest in them began & my only concern is getting hold of the stuff as interest soars. There also seems to be an influx of interesting ,vociferous newbies( & old returnees) here as well which is welcome & perhaps illustrates the 'surge' . * I have used ol' Cutlery-fingers ONLY as an example . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 (edited) To metaphorge, I think BHM is correct--the obscure characters, to some extent, maintain some "collector" interest, but they also "spice things up." That is why I believe they are here. But they are, in 99% of the cases, based around extremely well-known and popular characters, and most likely will not sell enough by themselves. That is the only point that I have really tried to make here. --edit: rest of post removed to keep thread from degrading further -- Edited May 20, 2009 by karamazov80 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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