THE HUNT IS DEAD-Hasbro producing 50% less toys

[GoBackaTron]

I am super rumor mongering here but I read in a Reddit thread that there
was a Hasbro interview somewhere where reps said Hasbro was producing
50% less toys compared to 2023. I don't know if it means overall volume
or number of characters or what. But I think I wrote earlier in the year
that 2024 was not going to be kind to those that wait for clearance
outlets like Ross to get stuff.

I think that Legacy wave with Cosmos and the other repacks might not
even make it to retail. There have been so many signs now that the end
of toys at physical retail is upon us. I hope everyone has mastered
pre-ordering by now because I think the days of new toy hunting are
over.

[Zobovor]

Post by GoBackaTron
I am super rumor mongering here but I read in a Reddit thread that there
was a Hasbro interview somewhere where reps said Hasbro was producing
50% less toys compared to 2023. I don't know if it means overall volume
or number of characters or what. But I think I wrote earlier in the year
that 2024 was not going to be kind to those that wait for clearance
outlets like Ross to get stuff.

I'd be curious to know which specific interview that was. I don't doubt
that it's probably true, but I would hate to go around repeating that
information without knowing the source.

Post by GoBackaTron
I think that Legacy wave with Cosmos and the other repacks might not
even make it to retail. There have been so many signs now that the end
of toys at physical retail is upon us. I hope everyone has mastered
pre-ordering by now because I think the days of new toy hunting are
over.

Well, the holiday season is coming soon, and that's always a time when
consumer purchasing ramps up in volume but also becomes relatively
undiscerning. Often it's enough for an adult to go "well, he said he
wants a Transformer" and they'll just buy something on the pegs
regardless of which character it is. Whatever is being produced and
ordered by stores will flow through retail channels freely until
December, and then clog channels in January.

That's going to be an interesting wave because it's almost all package
refresh specials, BUT it's also got the highly desirable Cosmos. I
wonder if he will become scalper bait a second time around. The whole
point of bringing him back was supposed to prevent that.


Zob (time will tell, I suppose)

[NoOneinParticular]

The day he went live, Cosmos was sold out on Pulse by the time I got
home from work. I was able to pre-order on BBTS though, but it seems
like he's still in high demand even yet.

Brian

[CodigoPostal]

Post by Zobovor
That's going to be an interesting wave because it's almost all package
refresh specials, BUT it's also got the highly desirable Cosmos. I
wonder if he will become scalper bait a second time around. The whole
point of bringing him back was supposed to prevent that.

I think scalper bait is the goal, as it makes the brand seem more
desirable and motivates the consumer base to be more engaged. Look at
how they handle G.I. Joe Classified - artificial scarcity driving
greater engagement for a brand that is, for all intents and purposes,
nostalgia at best, dead at worst.

Hasbro may also remember the lessons of Alternators Tracks, which was so
rare and desired that Hasbro ended up doing a re-release, which ended up
as a shelfwarmer...