This will be the last Ask Matty before San Diego Comic-Con, and it’s a double-sized edition. Mattel will resume taking our questions in August. Now, buckle up and have fun!
1. What are the DC comics that you’re reading? How do they influence what you want to see in the various DC toy lines?
From Toy Guru:
Pretty much everything DC puts out these days is required reading! On a personal note, I really enjoy the current Green Lantern and Flash Rebirth storylines. Booster Gold, Legion of Superheroes, Batman, the War that Time Forgot and Action Comics are also favorites.
The current DC Archives collection hardbacks have been a fantastic way to re-read some classic stories like the Batman Annuals and the Roots of Swamp Thing. Highly recommended! Kamandi and anything by Jack Kirby is also a favorite of mine.
Favorite characters definitely have a way of influencing both Mattel, DC Comics, Warner Brothers and the Four Horsemen as we decide each year who makes the cut in each line!
We got an update from Toy Guru that next week’s Q&A would be the last before August, so our strategy to save up all the hard-hitting questions until the July 15 Q&A was tragically flawed. On the plus side, a lot of our questions were going to be about what lines would they have on hand at the show, when their panels were going to be, and what exclusives were they selling – and Mattel just posted all of that info on Mattycollector.com.
One license that I was expecting but is not in the announcement is WWE – they’ve told us in the past that with the license due to kick off in 2010, they wouldn’t be sharing any information until San Diego at the earliest. We’ll try to find out whether they’ll be talking about WWE at San Diego.
San Diego Comic-Con 2009—New Toys & More
By Matty
Comic-Con is coming!
For us toy collectors, the granddaddy of events has to be San Diego Comic-Con. The 2009 show starts July 23rd (preview night July 22nd) and runs through July 26th, and this year I’m bringing more cool stuff than ever before!
FAN PANELS
First off, we’ll have not one, but TWO fan panels at the show:
Mattel & DC Comics, a Powerful Partnership
Friday, JULY 24
11:00 AM – 12:00 NOON
ROOM 2
MattyPalooza
Friday, JULY 24
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
ROOM 2
NEW PRODUCTS
Then, visit me at Booth #2845, and you’ll find tons of new toys either just coming on the market or soon to come. We’ll have Ghostbusters™, DC Universe, DC Universe Classics, Infinite Heroes, Justice League Unlimited, Masters of the Universe Classics, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Disney/Pixar CARS, Toy Story, Hot Wheels, Scene It? The DVD Game, and the insane new Mindflex game — plus a few surprises!
PRODUCTS AVAILABLE AT COMIC-CON
Products will be sold starting preview night. Customer service and safety is our number one priority, so we’ll have a separate booth run by our Toy Club to handle sales. Lines will only be allowed to get as long as the designated roped-off area, but “fast-pass” tickets will be handed out to reserve your spot later that day. Limits on all exclusives will be six per person, per visit to the Mattel booth.
If you choose to wait in line a second time, you’ll be eligible to buy another 6 figures (there will also be a limit of six figures for online purchases after the show). It should all go very smoothly for the best buying experience yet!
We’re going to have plenty of gotta-get products available for sale, including (click each for all the scoop):
Disney/Pixar CARS Toon Rescue Squad Mater
3-3/4″ scale Buzz Lightyear figure
DC Universe Infinite Heroes Anti-Monitor figure
Justice League Unlimited Green Lantern Origins 3-pack
DC Universe Classics Wonder Twins 2 pack
Masters of the Universe Classics He-Ro figure
Ghostbusters™ Classics Dr. Egon Spengler™ with Slimer
Can’t make it to Comic-Con? Fear not, fair comic fan! You’ll be able to get everything listed above on MattyCollector.com starting at 12:00 Noon on Monday, August 3rd, except these items:
SDCC variant He-Ro
SDCC variant Buzz Lightyear (with “Andy” on his foot)
SDCC Gleek (but the onder Twins without Gleek will be available)
Whew! That’s it for now, but stay tuned to MattyCollector.com, because I’ll have more news as Comic-Con gets closer.
UPDATE: Before we get to the Q&A, Toy Guru just posted a Facebook update on MOTU Classics Hordak and DCUC Luthor and Ultraman – both products sold out within two hours this morning. DC fans – more of that two-pack is on the way, but Hordak fans will need to wait for a reissue. Here’s the full text:
Update on Hordak and Alex Luthor/Ultraman sale
Today at 4:43pm
Hey toy fans,
Just to give everyone the latest info from today’s sale of MOTUC Hordak and DCUC Alex Luthor and Ultraman two pack!
1: Ultraman and Luthor (much like Mer-Man) came over on two different shipments. We sold through our first shipment pretty quick, but never fear DC fans, more are on the way – most lilkely by the end of next week. We’ll keep you updated as we confirm an on sale date for this second batch.
2: As for Hordak, well he has been our most successful figure yet. We produced as many Hordak’s as we did Zodac and Mer-Man, but he also sold out faster than any other figure! Just goes to show the power of the Horde lives!
We will continue to increase numbers and adjust as needed on a figure by figure basis. We are well aware of which figure are more popular (i.e. Zodac vs. Hordak) and will continue to do our best to adjust production without the dreaded line-killing over-production option. And yes, in time Hordak will be back for a second run much like we are doing with He-Man and Skeletor in the fall.
And keep in mind that the full 12 figure MOTUC subscription for 2010 will be available in July starting at SDCC (you can even sign up right in our booth if you are at the show!). This is the best method to guarantee you get every figure. And as a bonus, the 2010 subscription will include extra items only available to subscribers (and there will be a nominal fee to cover this). more details will be revealed in San Diego.
Next up is Man-At-Arms on July 15. After that, see you in San Diego!
Now, here’s the latest round of Q&A with Mattel. Thanks again to Toy Guru!
We know SDCC is almost upon us and you’ll be saving up reveals for the show, so we’ll keep our questions light for this session. We’ll start with a couple of questions about the DC properties.
1. Of the figures that have made it or will make it to the shelves, which ones are your favorites and why? (If your favorite is in production but hasn’t been announced yet, feel free to give us a hint.)
DCUC Green Arrow
DCIH Anti-Monitor with giant SDCC Anti-Monitor Giveaway
JLU Blackhawk (credit: ActionFigureInsider.com)
JLU Amanda Waller
DCUC: Green Arrow tends to be a favorite around here. The new hand articulation really works for Ollie!
DCIH: The SDCC 3 ¾” Anti Monitor is way cool. And you can get one free with 50 AntiMonitor points at the show.
JLU: Blackhawk and Amanda Waller are both personal favorites. To get them both in JLU style is just a thrill.
Toyfare has posted an interview with Harold Ramis, who played Dr. Egon Spengler in the Ghostbusters movies. He talks about the upcoming action figures from Mattel, the video game, and making the original movies. An excerpt here:
Mattel Ghostbusters - Ray Stantz and Egon Spengler
TOYFARE: Have you gotten a look at your action figure yet?
HAROLD RAMIS: I saw the maquette, the clay model of my head, which was cool. Then they showed me a fully dressed figure without the head.
What was it like seeing an action figure that actually looked like you?
It was weird coming after all the toy merchandising that was really predicated on the cartoon show. The movie drove the merchandising and yet they were afraid to use our likenesses because they didn’t know that we would stick with it. So, there was something more generic about the cartoon figures. I have one sitting right here in my office, the blonde Egon. It was cool that we created something that had that much reach into the culture. And now, to see one that actually looks like me and to see our likenesses in the new video game is incredible.
How long ago did Mattel approach you about the figures and what was your initial reaction?
I’m really vague on when the toy stuff started, but it had to be in the last two years. The game stuff probably started three years ago. The game development went apace, but the release of the game was delayed due to the corporate shuffle. The action figures, I can’t remember when we signed off on it, but it’s kind of exciting for me, having spent so much money as a father on action figures.
Here’s the latest round of Q&A with Mattel. Thanks again to Toy Guru!
1. With the upcoming DC Universe Classics 2-pack of Alexander Luthor and Ultraman, Mattel is showing that they can go pretty deep in terms of character selection. What are some of the DC team’s favorite characters that you think may never be able to make it into the line for whatever reason? Hopefully Jonah Hex isn’t on that list!
We are hoping to get to both obscure and A-list characters in time. If there is fan demand, the sky’s the limit.
