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| Thursday, 28th February 2008 |
| Hasbro Q&A |
| Reported By - Phill - 13:17:10 (GMT) |
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Despite having most of our answers supplied via reports from the US Toy Fair, Hasbro have finally forwarded their response to our last round of Q&A. For insights into Indy Wave 4, the Clone Wars animated line, and what Hasbro really think of the internet fan community - read on !
Q1. We've seen a number of UK Toy Fair reports which detail the 3 3/4" Indiana Jones line. Raiders, Last Crusade and Crystal Skull all seem to be represented - but Temple of Doom appears strangely lacking. Are you, like Lego, avoiding merchandise from this film due to it's darker tone? Will we ever see Willie, Short-Round and Mola Ram in plastic form?
Wave 4 of the IJ basic figure line will be Temple-themed, and it will be a doozy of a wave. We showed one image at Toy Fair - of a Temple Thug - and we can tell you that this is one fine wave. As for specific characters, we will confirm Wave 4 at Toy Fair (if not before).....the remaining one(s) will be be in the first of the 2009 waves.
Q2. The new Clone Wars packaging previewed on the Official Star Wars site looks incredibly dynamic - great job! However, many have noted that the graphics feature animated renderings of the leads. Is this merely an attempt to tie the cartoon portrayal of characters to 'movie-style' figures in the mind of kids/collectors, or will we be seeing toys that reflect the designs seen on-screen?
Phill - by this time, you have seen the images coming back from Toy Fair, and we can confirm that the style of the Clone Wars figures does indeed match that of the animation. We do want to emphasize that the Legacy Collection - the basic figure line that focuses primarily on movie figures - will continue side-by-side with Clone Wars so the "movie"-figure collectors will get a fantastic line-up as well in a unique card style just for that line. The artwork for the Legacy Collection will feature a Stormtrooper head (as opposed to Clone) and realistic imagery as has been the case for the 30th line.
Q3. Will press be given more access to Star Wars product on your stand at the NYC Toy Fair than they were at the UK event? We were frustrated not to be able to get details out to the fans considering that the two shows are relatively close together, and that other licencees were showing Clone Wars items. You've been very gracious in participating in these Q&A's, but how do you really view the fan-site community - as a useful tool for reaching out to your customers, or as a hinderance to your marketing plans?
Phill - we see the Q&A as an essential part of our community-building with fans - that's why we originated it, and why pretty much every Hasbro boys brand has followed suit! Now to your specific question regarding Toy Fair. Given the nature of New York, the tremendous press attention, and the participation of our Hollywood studio partners, we have chosen to save all product news for Toy Fair. We did show the lines to retailers at U.K Toy Fair and Nuremburg, but held all public unveilings so we could best leverage the message on a global scale. After all, it's not just the fan press we are courting - it's international news media, investor relations, and the like - all of which are in attendance in New York. We apologize for not giving you access to the lines at the previous shows, but those are the reasons why New York was central to our bigger corporate plans.
Hasbro have advised us that the next round of submissions will be on 29-02 (tomorrow), with answers to follow on 07-03. The bi-weekly Q&A will then continue as normal thereafter.
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