Popularity of Minimates

[magicmilner]

So i've been hunting through Ebay trying to fill up holes in my collection and i've noticed that alot of the auctions seem to always have a high amount of bids for instance 1 auction I found had 14 unigue bidders

Now obviously due to this the price of said auction rose to such high amounts that it was out of my budget which is a pain because I really want to fill my collection and after reading through the Ebay thread it seems that other people seem to find the same problem

Are minimates gaining alot more attention more than just a cult-type followng? looking at the front page of MMHQ and seeing minimates being shown on Jimmy Kimel can only help gain more attention for the brand

Now this is a good thing as the more they sell the more characters/series we'll see minimated but on the bad side it will possibily mean they sell out quicker thus making it harder for us to get them at decent prices

Thoughts?

[minimadman]

So i've been hunting through Ebay trying to fill up holes in my collection and i've noticed that alot of the auctions seem to always have a high amount of bids for instance 1 auction I found had 14 unigue bidders

Now obviously due to this the price of said auction rose to such high amounts that it was out of my budget which is a pain because I really want to fill my collection and after reading through the Ebay thread it seems that other people seem to find the same problem

Are minimates gaining alot more attention more than just a cult-type followng? looking at the front page of MMHQ and seeing minimates being shown on Jimmy Kimel can only help gain more attention for the brand

Now this is a good thing as the more they sell the more characters/series we'll see minimated but on the bad side it will possibily mean they sell out quicker thus making it harder for us to get them at decent prices

Thoughts?

I doubt that Jimmy Kimmel has any sort of effect on the sales of Minimates. The fact that in the past year and a half they became available at Toys R Us has had the most effect and to a lesser effect the fact that DST put out the Ghostbusters line are what have probably made the line more noticeable. I don't think that they will be that hard to get a hold of because if demand goes up then I would think that it's very likely that supply will too. I think that the Halo Minimates may also bring a few folks in as well.

[CaptainChunk]

Some characters(namely the ones I really want) are always going to be in high demand. I've picked up a lot off of ebay in just the last month for under retail and have missed out on others because of the astronomical amounts they've gone for.

[NorthRaider]

Kudos on the interesting topic magicmilner

I'm actually not sure if we've hit critical mass on the popularity of Minimates yet. For the past couple of days I've been trying to Google some random discussions about them to get a feel for what the public thinks of them, and so far I'm still stumped. I think mostly all I've been seeing is a combination of people decrying them for being Kubrick/Lego rip-offs, Marvel collectors dabbling in them to help ease the ML/MU growing pains, miscellaneous Ghostbusters/BSG fans squeeing, and maybe the odd DC diehard still lamenting the failure of the DC line...

In all Minimates still seem to be a woefully under-the-radar property to me, which may not be a good sign if we want stuff like Halo, Universal Monsters, Pirates or M.A.X. to really take off soon. The fact of the matter is it's going to take a lot more than us core fans to keep the line going, let alone expand it to bigger, better things. And unless some major grassroots miracle happens, I'll be doing all that I can to keep 'mates a secure presence at my local LCS.

[groundhog7s]

I believe there are several factors to the increase in Minimates current rise in popularity. Bigger name series (Ghostbusters was a huge boost to the line), increased sales at TRU (last weekend I saw IM2 mates at the front of the store and Marvel and BSG on the front of an endcap-insanity!) and overall improved look in the figures and packaging. These don't just look like Lego or Kubrick knock-offs to the casual buyer any more and they've shown they have staying power and can support sales. It's been said a lot around here, but Minimates are becoming a major player in the toy collector arena now. It really surprises me we haven't had this thread started before now.

And as a big seller and buyer of Minimates on eBay, I've seen the overall price of Minimates has risen over the last year. I'm sure bhm and a few others can attest to this also, but if there was Minimate stock, now would be the time to buy. You can also see that the number of bigger sellers who specialize in large amounts of loose Minimates has risen, which can only mean the demand is there also.

Edited May 7, 2010 by groundhog7s

[buttheadsmate]

Great thread idea magicmilner which I'll enjoy reading . I think the most telling sign was how relaxed Chuck seemed on the youtube Chicago Con videos.....he looked like the cat with the cream....which is meant as a total compliment. Confidence in anything needs to come from the top & he was oozing it. I am probably one of those people who love the fact that 'mates are 'cult ' but I'm realistic enough to realise that it's healthier for us all if 'mates go mainstream but whether they are is still debatable.....hence the debate. Being in the UK we have little exposure to Minimates at all & collecting them here must almost qualify as sub-cult. I'll say more later.....my beer arrived..............

[Chazwinski]

Now this is a good thing as the more they sell the more characters/series we'll see minimated but on the bad side it will possibily mean they sell out quicker thus making it harder for us to get them at decent prices

Thoughts?

A rise in popularity is always a good thing if you want the toy line to continue. If anything, it should make them easier to find as there will be more made. Also, the more that are made the lower the price should become.

I think the prices of older minimates are high because they are rarer and not as many people got them back then. My own collection is winding down now that I keep seeing repeats of characters that I already have...I'm considering getting some older ones that I always wanted but passed up to save money. It seems like a positive way to look at this lull in characters that I want being produced.

I LOVE my collection even if I haven't been buying lately. If they continue to be more popular, that means more licenses that may interest me... but BEST of all, DC will see the profits they're losing by abandoning us for cheaper, lamer alternatives. Mwahahahahaha!!!!

[groundhog7s]

A rise in popularity is always a good thing if you want the toy line to continue. If anything, it should make them easier to find as there will be more made. Also, the more that are made the lower the price should become.

I thought that the more that are made, the higher the price became because it meant even higher profits. At least that's the way the bigger toy companies seem to work.

As to making them easier to find, there is always a gap where supply isn't meeting demand, which is what shows the demand for more supply. Maybe this will happen with Marvel Minimates (or could be happening to some extent now with some product).

[buttheadsmate]

I'd agree that Minimates in general have gone up in price but I'd add that there aren't the numbers of completist collectors about as there were. I see stuff regularly on ebay, that I would have killed for years ago, going for a few dollars or just not selling. Examples would be 'Target' sets,Shopkos & promos , which to be fair are hardly appealing to someone who is saving up for his next TRU wave .....& who isn't It was possible when I started collecting Minimates to become & remain a completist but I would imagine it would be almost impossible now . It's for that reason I reckon new collectors can't be assed with worrying about the obscure lines such as LOR & SF just to 'have everything'.....I confess that my LOR sets remain in the cartons that they arrived in years ago.....sad. Old obscure lines have therefore dropped in price in general.....the Western Trilogy ,& of course BTTF, buck this trend ....& how.

Edited May 7, 2010 by buttheadsmate

[groundhog7s]

Yeah, there was an auction recently for a WW blank that only went for $1 and some change. Stuff like that wouldn't have happened a few years ago, but then again the volume of auctions for Minimates have more than doubled in that time.

Another thing to factor in to all of this was the sheer amount of Minimates released last year alone. Over 200 total Minimates released in one year brings a lot of attention to the line. Whether it was in Previews magazine, at TRUs, LCSs, cons or on message boards or eBay, those things had to be sold somewhere and just visible presence of that many mates must garner some new attention. Chuck and company defintiely made last year the 'Year of the Minimate' and it seems to have ushered in a new era.

[magicmilner]

Cheers for all the replies guys

Lots of interesting points raised, I would love for the minimate line to grow and expand into different lines and increase the fanbase I just hope that they also supply enough of each figure to meet demand as when they sell out quick thats where the problem arises for example the Wolverine/Deadpool set is a B***ch to try and find because it seems that they never released enough sets to meet the demand from both minimate fans and Deadpool fans thus having to pay $40+ for them

Another problem I find are store specific exclusives, being from the UK it's not easy getting all the latest mates (although Lukes Toy Store are a MASSIVE help now ) so when they release figures only at a specific american store it makes it even harder to track down I try Ebay'but the postage is a killer

Trying not to sound negative now I do hope the Mates go from strength to strength as they are one of the better action figure/collectables released in years and the bigger they get the more licences they will aquire

I'm sure DST could find someway to release the mates in the UK perhaps through an online store like Play.com or Amazon.co.uk

[groundhog7s]

Maybe some day they'll team up with buttheadsmate.com for an exclusive or two. Rob wouldn't actually sell any of them, he'd just keep all the stock in his attic for later.

And not to get off the topic, but if you're overseas and you've found MMMV, you really should find the Flea Market area. There are a huge number of US members here that are more than willing to help out members who aren't as fortunate to live in a country full of Minimate exclusives. Most members who help even do it for cost. To relate it to the topic, my feeling about it is not only does it help people out, but it helps continue the line by selling more to people who otherwise might not buy the product.

[Zombieboyfiend]

Anyone mind linking to these videos? I can't seem to find anything.

[buttheadsmate]

The hardest bit is figuring out what the questions were. Chuck the chuck.

[The Vox]

If they continue to be more popular, that means more licenses that may interest me... but BEST of all, DC will see the profits they're losing by abandoning us for cheaper, lamer alternatives. Mwahahahahaha!!!!

Nothing would please me more in the world of minimates than if DC and Underground Toys see the popularity and join in the fun.

[Zombieboyfiend]

The hardest bit is figuring out what the questions were. Chuck the chuck.

Did I f'n hear the X-Men's jet? That would be wicked.

[Cappy]

You did hear that, but Chuck was referring to the MAX jet. Meaning, they came as close as they could to giving us a Blackbird without busting contracts.

[gambitron]

This is why I preorder the sets I want ASAP so that I just don't have to worry about them being difficult to find. Working next to a TRU makes it easy for me to get there the day they put out new stuff so for the most part these haven't been too much of a hassle to get a hold of.

[MiniFiend UK]

That was a great bunch of youtube vids alot of questions answered sorta and cool to put a face to the person.