Huge Surprise planned for ToyFair 2011 - What is it?

[hellpop]

This one leads to thoughts of DC, Star Wars, GI Joe, He-Man, Thundercats, and Transformers properties. Unfortunately, I do not think any will get the Minimates treatment anytime soon. I pray I'm wrong.

As we know - He-Man, Thundercats, Transformers & modern GI Joe (1980's on) were properties that were conceived exclusively to sell a (mainly action figure) toy line. I don't see too many other companies being allowed to develop action figures outside of the license owner.

As for DC... they may come back... but I wouldn't hold my breath, especially since I'm sure they have so many other wonderful concepts (like Blammoids) that they need to fail in the market.

Well, Hasbro has allowed DST to make Transformers busts, and Sideshow to make 12" figures, so I don't think it's that far-fetched. I would imagine that they insist that any merchandise be exclusive to the collectibles market, though, so as not to compete in the mass market toy aisle with their own products.

I predict that this will be an odd license that none of us predicted.

minimates based on the films by the popular film company Vivid Entertainment!!!!

You have no idea how many people tell me that I should make customs based on these... "films"... and sell them in the toy store.

Well, you did make that lingerie photoshoot set...

[gambitron]

I would hope for something like Tron, MOTU, or Thundercats. James Bond would a little too generic for me in terms of the characters to make (like 24 was).

[luke314pi]

I predict that this will be an odd license that none of us predicted.

minimates based on the films by the popular film company Vivid Entertainment!!!!

You have no idea how many people tell me that I should make customs based on these... "films"... and sell them in the toy store.

Well, you did make that lingerie photoshoot set...

Point taken.

[TM2 Dinobot]

Wait, what's that cool movie coming out? With the girls? And... stuff bows up. The one that looks like a 12yo boy's mind exploded. I can't remember.

EDIT: Sucker Punch!

What about that one?

Edited January 27, 2011 by TM2 Dinobot

[HRGMann]

Well, the LOGICAL choice would be the Spaceknights.

You got robot(like) heroes, and an endless supply of alien villains and human support characters. Plus, the license should be fairly cheap as no one has done anything with it in a long time.

[Jay Tigran]

I suggested Men in Black as it's a well diverse movie(s) with lots of fun characters (a~la Ghostbusters), and potentially has a 3rd movie in the making...

[winkerbean]

Maybe they've finally got enough orders to release marvel wave 15!!!

Edited January 27, 2011 by winkerbean

[Jatta Pake]

There is a rumor going around that these will be Major League Baseball minimates.

This would be a real bolt from the blue and a big announcement as well. Sports fans spend tons of money on sports memorabilia and merchandise. Imagine stadiums selling these in their gift shops. I think they would sell like gangbusters as an interesting collecting alternative to baseball cards. I could see 7-11 picking these up as well to sell across the country.

I suspect many in this community would be disappointed, but MLB Minimates would be a solid brand anchor to build upon. You have a MASSIVE potential back catalogue of players to make.

If you can't picture a design of these, look up the old images of the Father's Day prototypes. One is a baseball player.

Lastly, I seem to remember Chuck saying he was a huge baseball fan. Food for thought.

[Twisted Two-Face]

Yep...outside of my Yankees, that'd be underwhelming to say the least.

I'd get bored pretty quick. More power to DST, and bless them if these would sell (if it's true), but once my Yankees would be finished i'd be done.

[Brad Redfield]

I suggested Men in Black as it's a well diverse movie(s) with lots of fun characters (a~la Ghostbusters), and potentially has a 3rd movie in the making...

Potentially? They're filming it right now in 3D.

[Michael McGowan]

Instead of DC minimates, I would be much happier with Vertigo (DC subsidiary) license, the lady death from sandman would double as a girlfriend for my thanos (just won infinity guantlet on flea-bay) not to mention sandman himself...

but the release I could see happening the most would be the Disney release... someone was talking smack about the vinyl disney figs, to that I say leave my vinyl buddies alone...

[fwoosheyman]

There is a rumor going around that these will be Major League Baseball minimates.

This would be a real bolt from the blue and a big announcement as well. Sports fans spend tons of money on sports memorabilia and merchandise. Imagine stadiums selling these in their gift shops. I think they would sell like gangbusters as an interesting collecting alternative to baseball cards. I could see 7-11 picking these up as well to sell across the country.

I suspect many in this community would be disappointed, but MLB Minimates would be a solid brand anchor to build upon. You have a MASSIVE potential back catalogue of players to make.

If you can't picture a design of these, look up the old images of the Father's Day prototypes. One is a baseball player.

Lastly, I seem to remember Chuck saying he was a huge baseball fan. Food for thought.

Well as a huge sports fan and buyer of Mcfarlane sportspicks, etc for many years I sure hope that MLB isn't the new license.

For one if DST wants to get into sports, NFL is king and sells much more merchandise. Two, a current minimate body can't recreate many of the distinct poses for baseball (can't even come close to a batting stance), they would need to create a much more articulated body. Three, they might sell well in stadiums (at ridiculously high prices, featuring only players from that team) but the same problem exists that Mcfarlane faces for Sportspicks and the 3 3/4" Playmakers figures. Most people buy their regions team and big name players only. So you end up with the same players over and over and over each year. I don't see this as something TRU or even LCB would want to carry.

[karamazov80]

I think sports-related Minimates could be nifty, particularly if they have likenesses of actual players (and not just a generic Yankees guy, generic Athletics guy, etc. etc.)

[youbastards]

Yeah, and we would finally see a lot more ethnic diversity!

[hellpop]

I think MLB would be pretty cool, but I suspect that the price point for a 2 pack would have to be pretty high (at least $10) to justify the licensing cost, particularly if the MLBPA is involved as well. Like a lot of others, I'm not sure I'd want to buy too many players outside of the Phillies, bu who knows? If they start doing Minimate giveaways at stadiums, Minimates could become the new bobblehead. At the very least, I think MLB would take Minimates to the next level in terms of product recognition, and might open the door to some of those other properties we've been longing for.

[Turtle]

Too true. There'd also be a lot more I-don't-care-icity.

Hellboy and the BPRD would be a nice move, and it would fit in well with other releases.

[Donny B]

I think MLB would be pretty cool, but I suspect that the price point for a 2 pack would have to be pretty high (at least $10) to justify the licensing cost, particularly if the MLBPA is involved as well. Like a lot of others, I'm not sure I'd want to buy too many players outside of the Phillies, bu who knows? If they start doing Minimate giveaways at stadiums, Minimates could become the new bobblehead. At the very least, I think MLB would take Minimates to the next level in terms of product recognition, and might open the door to some of those other properties we've been longing for.

My wallet is weeping at the prospect of this idea.

2010 was rough enough on me, budget-wise... being a completionist is going to kill me if they do anything sports related. There's no way I'd be able to keep up, especially if they become stadium-exclusives

[drgnrbrn316]

I don't really see an officially licensed Minimate sports line doing well. You'd have to do specific assortments for specific regions, which basically means they'd have to make the entire line in the first production run. We're talking somewhere around 30 teams with up to 40 some figures per team, depending on how far we're going with disabled players, managers, owners, etc. Per year.

Otherwise, you lose most of your target consumers when you open with focus on one or two teams and force the rest of us to sit out until our preferred team shows up. You could do a versus assortment, where you get twice the teams out at a time, but depending on the rivalry, you may have people refusing to buy the sets simply because it has a damn Yankees/Braves/whatever player in the box.

If we have to pay every player for their likeness, then things get even crazier.

DST just isn't a big enough company to handle the kinds of demands it would require to get a sports memorabilia franchise off the ground.

[Jatta Pake]

I don't really see an officially licensed Minimate sports line doing well. You'd have to do specific assortments for specific regions, which basically means they'd have to make the entire line in the first production run. We're talking somewhere around 30 teams with up to 40 some figures per team, depending on how far we're going with disabled players, managers, owners, etc. Per year.

Otherwise, you lose most of your target consumers when you open with focus on one or two teams and force the rest of us to sit out until our preferred team shows up. You could do a versus assortment, where you get twice the teams out at a time, but depending on the rivalry, you may have people refusing to buy the sets simply because it has a damn Yankees/Braves/whatever player in the box.

If we have to pay every player for their likeness, then things get even crazier.

DST just isn't a big enough company to handle the kinds of demands it would require to get a sports memorabilia franchise off the ground.

What if they did single box assortments like the recent Halo singles? The part re-use would be very cost efficient as they are really only tampoing uniforms on a limited assortment of figure styles. You'd have catcher, pitcher, and batter with glove hand.

I don't think they need to do every team with every single box dump. Hit with twelve different teams every quarter and roll out across regions one at a time. Maybe some areas do not see these until 2012 or 2013. There have got to be sports memorabelia distributers who sell to all the local mom and pop team shops across the US. They would become the de facto distributer for these guys.

Throw in some Legends of Baseball box sets that would appeal to a large audience. I think this could work.

If you really want to get crazy, imagine a partnership with Topps. Each Minimate comes with a special baseball card.

[TM2 Dinobot]

If you really want to get crazy, imagine a partnership with Topps. Each Minimate comes with a special baseball card.

Some sort of partnership would have to go down for this to be real.

[buttheadsmate]

Somebody here...can't for the life of me think who......was saying about 'sports' Minimates recently in one of the Max threads?

[hellpop]

I tend to doubt that you'd see figures representing each teams across the country. No offense to the Kansas City Royals or the Pittsburgh Pirates, but you're not moving merch nationally. You do a wave of 4 2-packs featuring the highest profile teams and players, lets say Jeter/A-Rod, Youkilis/Pedroia, Howard/Utley, and Pujols/Holliday. That's in stores nationwide. But then, you do four packs for each market, sold exclusively at MLB's online store and at the stadium stores. So for the Phillies, let's say, you have Howard and Utley again, joined by Rollins and Halliday. But then you do a couple giveaway nights where you augment the lineup with a secondary star, or top prospect, or beloved legend, or whatever. So for the Phils you have Shane Victorino, and Cliff Lee, and maybe even Mike Schmidt. And all of a sudden you've got a hot new collectible that brings people into the ballpark and gets their attention, just like bobbleheads did once upon a time. It could work, people!

And I totally dissed this idea when BHM raised it in that other thread. Props to you, lumps to me!

[murderofcrows]

baseball minimates. = peg warmers

[jcastick]

If this is true...why MLB, why not NHL???

[Mystery Man]

What would be nice:

-DC

-poseable Max Mates (Galactus and the Watcher, please and thank you)

What I personally would like:

-Madman and the Atomics minimates

-Hellboy and the BPRD minimates

-Kang

-Universal Monsters released sooner than later

Best of luck to anybody who wants sports ones. I'd buy a couple for diversity in my set, but that'd be it.

Edited January 28, 2011 by Mystery Man