Mattel DC Figures

I believe it was DC Multiverse that prompted a total overhaul of how his figures were made and marketed. In a way it kicked him in the butt to be a little bit more competitive with everything else we're used to.
 
From what Blake at Toy Collector magazine has shared, it sounds like whoever heard Todd's pitch liked it and they decided to give him a chance. Their bid was well under Mattel's.
 
Atomic Knight said:
Just looking forward to all the 6.5 scale vehicles Mattel is gonna make. Oh wait a second…
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I have enjoyed Todd's vehicles. I actually like the way that he originally approached it with making them reasonably affordable. He's gotten away from that more recently, just like he has with the actual figures themselves. I've purchased every vehicle he's made, even the recent BvS/JL kickstarter Batmobile. The early affordability was an especially strong selling point after Hasbro had just failed miserably with their asking price of $350 for their Engine of Vengeance HasLab that is about the same size as many of the McF Batmobiles.

You never know, though. I still like Mattel's Batman '66 Batmobile better than McFarlane's most recent effort. They have the ability if they choose to. They're just clearly more focused on the toy aisle. Many of McF's vehicles have only ever been available online because even he knew they wouldn't sell at retail. With Mattel's online store and subscription programs they might end up doing more of this kind of stuff. Only time will tell. They certainly do quite a few vehicles for the MOTU Origins line (not Masterverse so much though). They've also experimented with vehicles in the Barbie and WWE lines. It certainly wouldn't shock me if they tried to take a swing. If it was me, I'd probably take a break from the Batmobiles themselves though.
 
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I'm keeping the vehicles. I think they'll work fine with 6.5" figures. I'm not really looking for any others to be made.
 
Atomic Knight said:
I’m still of a mind that DCD/DCC might be a workaround. It doesn’t seem to be a part of the master license that Mattel now has. DCD ran for 23 years parallel to Hasbro, Mattel, and even Todd for a year. The DCD brand was turned over to Todd by DC in 2022. And again, I don’t think he lost it when Mattel took over. I suppose it depends on how DC wants to proceed.
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If this was a done deal, Todd probably would have already said so. Instead comments from him have included that they are negotiating and that they have the license until the end of the year. None of us knows anything about how the DCD brand works with the overall license that McFarlane has. However, if I was Mattel, I sure wouldn’t want McFarlane to keep producing competing action figures. We know Mattel wasn’t too happy when DCD was stepping on their toes, and DCD weren’t even in retail stores, so would Mattel really agree to the same deal again?

There are actually a few lines I’d like to stay with McFarlane under the DCD banner (DC Retro, DCAU, Super Powers (if it wasn’t already dead)), but not if I have to jump through hoops to buy any of it. Making Red Platinum Jayna available for order on Amazon and other sites was a step in the right direction, so I’ll give them credit for that.

Atomic Knight said:
Look, I get it. Todd is out in terms of the master license. I truly understand.
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They have never had the master license.

Stoopid_Sandwich said:
The fact that Warner Bros and DC are not satisfied with what Todd is working on is mind boggling to me. I mean for crying out loud, it feels like Todd has mastered the art of meeting sales quotas. He announces new figures every week thanks to his social feeds and his livestreams. Figures sell out lightning fast. Especially when they are exclusives. And Todd’s level of output puts even Hasbro to shame. Hell I don’t think even bootleggers work as fast as Todd does. Not only does he constantly release product, he releases so many figures(sometimes even ahead of a preorder window) that by the time they reach your door, it weighs like 40 lbs and it’s all the last two weeks worth of DC multiverse.

Meanwhile Mattel is lucky if it releases 12 figures a year. And Warner Bros has a problem with the choices that Todd is making??……kay….good luck I guess?


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McFarlane produces a lot of different figures… great. And they sell out quickly… great. How does his really translate into sales, though? It seems to me the figures sell out quickly because McFarlane Toys produces a lot less quantity per figure then they use to. Reducing supply to increase demand does not necessarily translate into more sales. It’s great for eBay scalpers, but that doesn’t help McFarlane’s bottom line. Getting relegated to the collector aisle at Walmart seems like a lack of confidence on Walmart’s part, they’d rather use that space for something that sells better. Or, simply — Mattel paid a hell of a lot of more money to get the license back and everything else is irrelevant. Who knows?
Atomic Knight said:
Just looking forward to all the 6.5 scale vehicles Mattel is gonna make. Oh wait a second…
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I thought you didn’t collect vehicles? I don’t think anyone here is saying McFarlane hasn’t had many successes with DC, though I’d argue they’ve had at least as many failures, but neither of our opinions are really relevant at his point. The deal is done, saying one company is better then the other for whatever reason isn’t going to change that.
 
I don’t collect vehicles. I was being facetious. Sarcasm doesn’t work very well without facial expressions and voice inflections.
 
It’s interesting to me how some people see the power dynamic between Mattel and DC. There are obviously reasons why Todd lost the license and why Mattel got it back.

But that doesn’t mean Mattel is calling the shots. DC is. Or maybe it’s WB. Mattel (the vendor) does what DC (the licensor) says. If DC wanted to give Todd a dispensation, they could. What’s Mattel gonna do about it? Renege? Doubtful.

But you’re right, we don’t know how DCD fits in. I’d love for someone to address it. Officially that is.
 
Atomic Knight said:
It’s interesting to me how some people see the power dynamic between Mattel and DC. There are obviously reasons why Todd lost the license and why Mattel got it back.

But that doesn’t mean Mattel is calling the shots. DC is. Or maybe it’s WB. Mattel (the vendor) does what DC (the licensor) says. If DC wanted to give Todd a dispensation, they could. What’s Mattel gonna do about it? Renege? Doubtful.
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Look at the bigger picture... Let's assume WB (they handle the licensing) wants as much money for the license as they can get. In that case, their options are Mattel and who else? Hasbro is unlikely to want to piss off Disney by acquiring a product that competes directly with Marvel (assuming their contract with Disney even permits this). So who is left? No one. So yeah, I'd say Mattel had some decent leverage in the negotiations that led to their acquisition of this license.

And while WB (the licensor) likely has approval rights over products produced by Mattel (the licensee), there is still a contract in place, and the licensee does not have to just do whatever the licensor says. Both parties must fulfill the terms of the contract, and "do whatever I say" is not a contract.... So, the premise that WB is just going to decide to grant McFarlane a slice of the pie and tell Mattel to just deal with it is ridiculous. If the contract doesn't already allow for whatever slice(s) McFarlane is going after, it ain't happening, at least not between WB and McFarlane.

Are there options for McFarlane to sub-license from Mattel? I have no idea, but maybe... Todd did claim to be negotiating with both WB and Mattel, but I don't necessarily believe everything he says...
 
Don’t forget that Neca had the DC license for a good 6 years during Mattel’s first run and produced a whole bunch of 1/12scale figures and 1/4 scale too. If I had to guess, I’d say that Mattel was more infuriated with Neca since they tried to shut that shit down as fast as possible. But DCD didn’t manage to shut down until after Mattel lost their bid. They survived the floor from falling out from underneath them back in the late 90’s too when Hasbro lost the rights. The only reason DCD had been shown the door at all is because Zaslav came in was like “What up, Bitches?!?!?” And then strip mined the place. It was very unfair. Who knows what kind of artistic direction and talent could be working at DCD now if had been left alone. Instead Todd took control and has essentially been using it as a clearing house ever since. No innovation comes out of that company anymore.


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scottg10 said:
McFarlane produces a lot of different figures… great. And they sell out quickly… great. How does his really translate into sales, though? It seems to me the figures sell out quickly because McFarlane Toys produces a lot less quantity per figure then they use to. Reducing supply to increase demand does not necessarily translate into more sales. It’s great for eBay scalpers, but that doesn’t help McFarlane’s bottom line. Getting relegated to the collector aisle at Walmart seems like a lack of confidence on Walmart’s part, they’d rather use that space for something that sells better. Or, simply — Mattel paid a hell of a lot of more money to get the license back and everything else is irrelevant. Who knows?
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I don't have a dog in the Todd fight, but I will comment that "sell through" is one of the more important components of profitability, if you consistently get rid of your product (not through heavy clearance but with actual sales) and are constantly emptying out your warehouses for new product, profitability and the velocity of money coming in isn't hindered. It's like saying "who wins in a side by side showdown, a motorcycle or a tank?" Well are we talking a race or a game of chicken? Let's remember that while Walmart is no one's champion, Todd did still pursue alternative outlets like ToysRUs and later specialty shops like Gamestop and stores like Suncoast, EB and the like to get his product to market before making his own store. He's stated recently that he often looks for slivers of marketshare and areas where the big dogs aren't occupying to force his way in. I assume that'll be his continued angle going forward.

However if he totally loses all things DC that's going to save me a lot of money too.

I just recently heard that Jim Lee (one of his friends) has it written into his contract with DC that if he's ever fired he takes Wildstorm with him when he leaves, which is probably why you'll never see DC get rid of him unless he leaves on his own. Which embeds another ally and friend of Todd squarely at DC. Plus it makes me wonder if Todd is making the WildCATS $60 Spartan figure, and Lee is the head of publishing at DC, and Mattel has no designs on WildStorm stuff, if that wouldn't be another alley Todd can occupy unencumbered.
 
Whatever Todd does next likely starts with Mattel and what exclusions they negotiated. Maybe they aim to do all 1:12 scale and are okay with Todd continuing in his 1:10 scale, but with restrictions on where they can be sold and how many releases he can do per year. I kind of doubt that since 1:10 and 1:12 are pretty close in size to the average person, but it's possible. I think it's more likely he's able to get something like Super Powers or the Snyder-verse designs and the ability to sell outside of the toy aisle.
 
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