murderofcrows Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 With the recent announcement that DSTMatt was laid off. I can only assume due to the dismal economy. It SUCKS for Matt and I wish him the fastest recovery from this blow. Should we be worried as a community about minimates as a whole? DST can not be THAT big of a company, and usually laying off means things are not going too well moc847 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
handsomedevil Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Blame it on Angelgate! I can't imagine that the company's in trouble with all of the waves that have been flying out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punisher Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I don't think so. Minimates are going well. Maybe we won't see many more "one shot" licenses, but I think Marvel will go well, BUT we need another line! We're wrapping up GB, and T2 and BSG is pretty much done. The vehicles and playsets will be there to the side, so Marvel can take the spotlight. Hopefully we can get a big announcement at ToyFair for a new license. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captain_cbecker Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) With the recent announcement that DSTMatt was laid off. I can only assume due to the dismal economy. It SUCKS for Matt and I wish him the fastest recovery from this blow. Should we be worried as a community about minimates as a whole? DST can not be THAT big of a company, and usually laying off means things are not going too well moc847 The economy is slow everywhere, and lay-offs aren't always a sign of financial trouble. Many companies, including the one I work for, are using this economy as a catalyst to start sharpening the pencil and reducing costs anywhere and everywhere (including staff reductions) to boost lower-than-average profits. To layoff staff, in order to eke out a few extra bucks, is a crappy, heartless thing to do - however, it is how most businesses operate when times are lean. Though I don't know the specific circumstances of DSTMatt, nor do I pretend to know how DST is structured, there are numerous factors that could have brought about the decision to lay him off such as job/position/task redundancy as just one possible example. Considering the aggressive lineup of Minimates that we've already seen (Minimate vehicles, Iron Man II, Marvel, More Ghostbusters), as well as product from other lines (Ships, Action Figures, Trek Tech, Replicas), it doesn't seem that DST is holding back or hurting too bad. Further, the partnership with TRU has given DST much better, mainstream exposure than they have had in the last few years. I'm sorry to see DSTMatt go... Edited January 22, 2010 by captain_cbecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 DSTMatt may well have left of his own volition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrobotC Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 DSTMatt may well have left of his own volition. true, that kind of thing happens all the time,it doesnt mean the company is doing bad. Right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimadman Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I don't think so. Minimates are going well. Maybe we won't see many more "one shot" licenses, but I think Marvel will go well, BUT we need another line! We're wrapping up GB, and T2 and BSG is pretty much done. The vehicles and playsets will be there to the side, so Marvel can take the spotlight. Hopefully we can get a big announcement at ToyFair for a new license. DC aside I don't think that there is any license in the world that would have the possibility to see the longevity that Marvel has. Marvel has over 200 characters in their universe what other property could possibly run along side them the only thing that even comes to mind is GI Joe or Star Wars and I see no way Hasbro lets either one of those out of the house. I think that it's time DST start looking realistically at unlicensed properties. Give us police, fire and rescue, damsels in distress, soldiers, ninjas, zombies, robots, spacemen, and accessories to go with them. The vehicles are a step in the right direction and I think that Accessory Packs should be next. As for Minimates themselves I doubt they are in any danger and to be honest as much as I enjoy them if they ended tomorrow then so be it. There are real things in the world much more deserving of worry then a child's toy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Binaryan Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I don't think so. Minimates are going well. Maybe we won't see many more "one shot" licenses, but I think Marvel will go well, BUT we need another line! We're wrapping up GB, and T2 and BSG is pretty much done. The vehicles and playsets will be there to the side, so Marvel can take the spotlight. Hopefully we can get a big announcement at ToyFair for a new license. DC aside I don't think that there is any license in the world that would have the possibility to see the longevity that Marvel has. Marvel has over 200 characters in their universe what other property could possibly run along side them the only thing that even comes to mind is GI Joe or Star Wars and I see no way Hasbro lets either one of those out of the house. I think that it's time DST start looking realistically at unlicensed properties. Give us police, fire and rescue, damsels in distress, soldiers, ninjas, zombies, robots, spacemen, and accessories to go with them. The vehicles are a step in the right direction and I think that Accessory Packs should be next. As for Minimates themselves I doubt they are in any danger and to be honest as much as I enjoy them if they ended tomorrow then so be it. There are real things in the world much more deserving of worry then a child's toy. Harry Potter would be an awesome license to snag with plenty of great characters to build from. Twilight would open Minimates up to a whole new audience as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 There are real things in the world much more deserving of worry then a child's toy. Precisely. Matt's departure from DST is surprising but not startling & the mere fact that his post proclaiming his own departure was also a proclamation of what he'll have for sale implies much, or little ,depending how interested or cynical you are. Whether his departure ought be discussed here is debatable but in terms of how strong the licence is I would say it is almost insignificant . I mean no disrespect to Matt but let's face it..... Marvel & Mr.Lee parted & neither t suffered did they? My gut feeling is that Minimates are probably at the peak of their popularity ...that may not equate with profitability & in this economic climate anything can happen....& probably just did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MINI_MYTE Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Question: How is it that you (MoC) heard of DSTMatt's situation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Question: How is it that you (MoC) heard of DSTMatt's situation? here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) With the recent announcement that DSTMatt was laid off. I think MINI MYTE may be querying those 'two words' which are not mentioned in Matt's actual post. Edited January 22, 2010 by buttheadsmate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trekker 42 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I don't think so. Minimates are going well. Maybe we won't see many more "one shot" licenses, but I think Marvel will go well, BUT we need another line! We're wrapping up GB, and T2 and BSG is pretty much done. The vehicles and playsets will be there to the side, so Marvel can take the spotlight. Hopefully we can get a big announcement at ToyFair for a new license. DC aside I don't think that there is any license in the world that would have the possibility to see the longevity that Marvel has. Marvel has over 200 characters in their universe what other property could possibly run along side them the only thing that even comes to mind is GI Joe or Star Wars and I see no way Hasbro lets either one of those out of the house. I think that it's time DST start looking realistically at unlicensed properties. Give us police, fire and rescue, damsels in distress, soldiers, ninjas, zombies, robots, spacemen, and accessories to go with them. The vehicles are a step in the right direction and I think that Accessory Packs should be next. As for Minimates themselves I doubt they are in any danger and to be honest as much as I enjoy them if they ended tomorrow then so be it. There are real things in the world much more deserving of worry then a child's toy. Harry Potter would be an awesome license to snag with plenty of great characters to build from. Twilight would open Minimates up to a whole new audience as well. Mythology would EASILY be one of the best unlicensed lines one could do. There is such a character variety with the herrors, the Gods, and the monsters. There are multiple feasable mythologies (though Greco Roman would probably be the first as it is just the best known worldwide) and none of them have anyone who owns them. And the Anglo-Saxon heroes like Robin Hood and King Arthur would make for fun licenses as well. Would anyone here complain if they released a boxset of a bunch of badasses in tights or Knights? However I find that Twilight, though it does have its merits, would probably be a very difficult license to obtain and probably a mildly boring character design. The only reason I'd get any of them is for a Werewolf. To fight my King Arthur Knights. :biggrin: And while they're at it, might as well do Biblical heroes. I mean, why not? Free license and a mildly large fanbase worldwide. What's there to lose on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mirymate Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Harry Potter would be an awesome license to snag with plenty of great characters to build from. Twilight would open Minimates up to a whole new audience as well. Potter toys have been slow movers in general. Now some of their stuff has been crap, but I don't remember those really neat Lego sets flying off the shelf either. There seems to be a disconnect between semi-rabid fandom and certain merchandise. Not sure if minimates would be the medium to bridge that gap. And do they actually do anything action worthy in Twilight? Aside from looking pretty and depressed? I suppose it'd be a good choice despite my general disdain for the idea of sparkling vampires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minimadman Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 (edited) Maybe in order to move the line forward they get a blanket license from major movie studios and do Two packs from several different movies instead of trying to push out waves or boxsets from 1 movie. Call it like Minimate Movie Legends or something of the like. That way if fans plead for more from a certain film they can be done without having to put out tertiary characters that no one really cares for or 4 or 5 variations of the same character. Edited January 22, 2010 by minimadman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groundhog7s Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I think that when it comes to worrying over a company, you never know what's going on unless you're inside it. I remember when Palisades went away. It appeared to be profitable and successful with one of the coolest lines out at the time, yet it went away. And there's tons of companies that look like they're on their last leg, yet continue to put out (crappy) product year after year. I think maybe this is a better conversation to have after seeing what Toy Fair brings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Maybe in order to move the line forward they get a blanket license from major movie studios and do Two packs from several different movies instead of trying to push out waves or boxsets from 1 movie. I feel similarly, and was hoping we would see something like this when the announcement was made that DST had obtained the rights to make toys from. . .some major film company (can't remember the details). Yeah, it's difficult to sell a Beverly Hills Cop 4 pack for $17 or so when all anyone really wants is Axel Foley. But if you released him alone in a single pack for $5 I bet he would sell. Doing 2-packs of well known and recognizable characters would, I think, be a hit because people would pay $7 for 2 characters they know and like. But justifying the $16-20 for 4 is tougher for the casual collectible consumer. I'm not talking about the Marvel films here, though apart from Iron Man, the lack of sales from Marvel movie licenses suggests this strategy might also apply to them. Hulk and Abomination would have been enough from the Hulk movie, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groundhog7s Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Yeah, it'd be awesome to see a Minimate version of the Cult Classics line. I'm not sure you could make enough money to justify individual rights, but it'd be cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karamazov80 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Didn't it appear that they had obtained "blanket" rights to some film company, though, last year at some point? Likeness rights seem to be a non-issue because of the nature of the toys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buttheadsmate Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I remember a thread with a whole bunch of movie titles that 'could' be used, Northraider is the one for this sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groundhog7s Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 Are we talking about the deal with Paramount Studios? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthRaider Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 That's the one. Interestingly enough it's been nearly a full year since we first heard of this, and so far we haven't seen any actual product in stores relevant to the deal yet. Maybe this is what we'll be expecting to see more of in Toyfair? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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