Could Another Brand Supplant Joe?

[Fred Broca]

The story goes that Bill Gates got is foot in the game because IBM was napping. IBM just wanted the software exclusively for its products, however Gates wanted to make the software compatible with everything. I think that's how the story goes. Anway....

Anyway, could another company come along and basically be G.I. JOE circa '82-'87, a military themed toy base with realisitic and possible future weaponry. Less generic filecards that state their miltitary specialities, where they trained, what conflicts they were in, and realisitic uniforms, or have we as society passed that point?

 

[The Ewokhunter]

I doubt it. The toy market is so damn dead and expensive and nothing like the 80's. Joe has it's footprint set as it is. Many toy lines now are in the midst of the ADD generation. It has to be hot, gimmicky and now.

After a few weeks, it's dead and time to move on to the next big thing.

 

[MMorelock66]

I think it could be possible. Maybe if the CORPS figures had ever took the right steps, they might of been able to get something accomplished. But like stated earlier, most toy lines are dead. If it's not a Superhero Movie or Starwars, it won't have much room in the Toy Aisle.

 

[K-Tiger]

Corps! already has. No one wants to believe it, but those cheap figures are EVERYWHERE, all the time. Likely always will be, even when Joe is on another "hiatus".

I don't see Bbi, 21st Century, Unimaz etc on shelves anymore, so I'd say society has left the "America, fuck yeah!" early-to-mid 1980s.

 

[The Ewokhunter]

Corps may be the one to replace it per se, but it will never be the line that kids every where have to have it like the 80's. Most of the time, the corps is what parents and grandparents get kids or what kids buy themselves with a few bucks just because of the value, not because of what it is.

GI JOE was the shit.

 

[K-Tiger]

Blame the feminization of America.

 

[nacho]

I'm not sure anything could, simply because if someone else tried and had any success with it, Big-H could copy it, one-up them, and have stuff in every possible retail outlet in mere months. The infrastructure, marketing, business connections, manufacturing, etc... no one could match that before Hasbro squashed them. So the "little guys" are non players on that front. They wouldn't even be able to get off the ground if they had the right ideas and designers. Molten Monkey anyone?

That just leaves the big boys. Hell, even Mattel can't actually make a good 3.75" figure, military or not. Bandai certainly can't. Who is it going to be?

 

[K-Tiger]

I think Jakks Pacific could one day. Their UFC figures really aren't that bad.

 

[nacho]

I've never seen their attempts at 3.75", but yeah, they might have the chops.

I wonder if there is some kind of unspoken gentlemen's agreement between the big boys to stay out of each other's sandboxes. No one successfully competes with Mattel on Barbies or HotWheels, no one makes any attempt to compete with Hasbro on military toys or robots.

But they all want a piece of Lego (no pun intended).

 

[K-Tiger]

Mattel competes with itself, they own Matchbox AND Hotwheels. Jada, Maisto and others are a regular presence in the aisles with those two. (anyone seen a damn 1966 series Batmobile?)

MGA from what I hear is kicking Mattel's ass on the 11" doll front, or at least were. Dunno what the status of the litigation after the verdict against MGA was overturned.

That essentially leaves Bandai USA and it's perennial Power Rangers line, and whatever cartoon license they're fucking up today, and then the other guys also making figures for this week's big kids show, be it Ben 10 or some new Pokemon knock-off.

Anyhoo, like I always say, societal changes, be they in the form of discouraging boys from being boys, the rise (and looks like fall) of video games and other technology (internet, social sites,) or the general change from "America, fuck yeah!" to "Meh, don't bung me I'm texting lolz".

 

[nacho]

I think HALO with it's video game ties would have been the biggest potential challenger to come along in decades. And while there is lots of HALO merchandising going on, I wouldn't say that it's lighting up the toy isles or challenging Joe much (Joe then, or Joe now... at least when Joe is actually on shelves).

 

[K-Tiger]

I don't believe they're taking too many sales from each other.

Though I still weep over that full size Falcon mock-up.

 

[nacho]

Don't we all.

I'd settle for the Molten Monkey transport chopper.

 

[Keenan]

I always thought BBI could have been better- if they had villains to battle. Or Chap Mei if they were better articulated.

 

[rds13601]

In 1:18th scale for collectors at a fair price if someone say a Russian or Chinese firm came up with real vehicles like a BMP or T80 or say a Gazelle or Hind or Havoc helicopter. I think it could work. Call it The Historic Heroes Line. Then expand on a MRAP, x-15, and do figures and vehicles of past and present from world nations. I think would definitely have broad appeal if marketed correctly and not overdone like having 6 models of a Stuka like 21st did. You would have to work with outlets like Walmart etc and they would have to be produced cheap. Nah never happen.

 

[Falcone]

Molten Monkey

Had so much potential.

 

[K-Tiger]

Don't we all.

I'd settle for the Molten Monkey transport chopper.

Yeah, that Kamov clone had some major potential.

I always thought BBI could have been better- if they had villains to battle. Or Chap Mei if they were better articulated.

The only OpFor Bbi EVER did were pilots. That always bugged the hell out of me.

Hell, 21st Century did 3 Vietnam lines and only released 2 NVA/VC figures.