Are we nearing the end of action figures?

[Idiot Savant]

Thought I'd start a discussion on the future of our hobby: Are we nearing the end of our action figure collecting days?

My cousin Bob and I have been talking about this off and on for the last few years and we have come to the conclusion that we are in our waning days of this hobby.

It's all moving to video game related toys that the majority of collectors don't buy (or they do, just because its all they have) or they just want the games.

Mattel canceling their DCUC family of figures to make way for these new cheap, heaps of plastic doesn't help, with Hasbro also following suit. Not to mention that so far this year, Hasbro reported that boy toy (hehe) sales are down 17% from last year, showing a sad trend, which will only get worse if they don't produce and distribute all their toys better...ie Star Wars 3.75" was virtually non-existent for most of this year; thankfully the 'Bro came out with the 6" Black Series, but I still have a hard time finding the Black 3.75" anywhere in town. My Target is chock-full of 6" at the moment, which makes me afraid for wave 2 and beyond...

Thankfully, the geeks still rule Hollywood and movie toys are still fairly prominent, but there are still peg warmers: especially the horrendous 3.75", 5 points of articulation, useless figs.

The prices keep skyrocketing with not much to show for it in terms of accessories or articulation becoming less and less. Remember when Marvel Legends were $10, about 12 years ago? Now they're $17 or more, with Mattel's figs almost $20! There's only so much we collectors can take that breaks the camels back and what will be the final straw?

Let's brainstorm: What could be some ways action figures could make a comeback?

[packerbacker180]

I don't think it's the end, but I think the days of highly-articulated six-inch figures I can afford is quickly coming to an end. I think Marvel Legends have a year, maybe two, left before they become extinct. At $20 they're a tough sell to parents so I understand Mattel's thinking on going to the Total Zero line and lower-price.

I didn't really start collecting as an adult until Marvel Legends. Smaller scale figures are nice, and I love the nostalgia of the GI Joe 25th line, but for this old man the rising prices make me uninterested in smaller scale. Sure $10 for a Joe or MU figure might seem reasonable in this market, but after spending $7.88 per ML less than a decade ago, I've no interest in starting a collection of smaller lines. Having three kids doesn't help, lol.

I think action figures will be just fine. They just might not be geared toward adults at box stores. I think you'll see those lines at comic shops (if they're still around) and specialty online retailers. And after almost a decade of spending a lot of money on MLs and DCUCs, I think I'm okay with walking away from collecting. I'll have customs to work on anyway.

I haven't played a video game in over two years, so those lines don't interest me at all.

And maybe someday I'll walk down the toy aisle at Wal-Mart and see something that revives my childhood once again. Still waiting on a Go-Bots relaunch, lol.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Well, I don't know about that but the only figure series I collect is MOTUC, however, IMO the true action figures are the 1/6 figures like Sideshow & Hot Toys for example, there isn't a ton of stuff to get but online it seems pretty good but it could be better. I am on two of them boards and the people there love1/6 bashing and collecting like I do and they fully support that great hobby like I do as well! It is so fun making your own characters, i do hope this great hobby does last a long time to come!

[Crazy Jetty]

I don't think Star Wars can be held as a sign. I think it's doing poorly all for it's own reasons.

I agree with the cost analysis. Toys have priced themselves out of the impulse buy bracket they relied on. The toys who're still doing well like TMNT are great values for their price. They're not too small, and not overpriced.

I think the other significant factor is all box retailers use Point of Sale systems which only monitors the volume of product on the shelves, and not what is selling specifically. It's what clogs the shelves with bumblebees for months on end without the store ordering more product that will sell.

The final significant factor is i think these companies are out of touch with what kids really DO want.
Transformers Prime is in no way accessible to it's target audience. Slow, plodding plots that go nowhere and do not develop the the characters. Toys that are too expensive an too boring looking with no variety (beast hunters rectified a lot of this, but too little, too late), and most are so simple they treat the child like he's an idiot.
Combine this with the fact that hasbro and mattel are convinced the only characters a kid wants are optimus, bumblebee, batman, superman, spiderman, wolverine, and ironman, anakin skywalker, luke skywalker, and darth vader... While every other character is desired exclusively by the adult collector. True, those are the popular kid characters, but if thats all the kid can ever get, they will lose interest and dump your line.
Bumblebee does not need to make up half the case of every single wave you release to get him into everyone's hands.

It's all of these factors combined i think is what got us to where we are.

[beastovjudgement]

I think the decline is almost entirely caused by rising prices (for which there is no solution) combined with a general change in customer interest. Action figures, as a whole, will probably be around for a while. The cheaper, child-oriented lines will likely survive, and continue to take over at retail. The very expensive collector lines (which are already priced far beyond what I am willing to spend on toys) - third party Transformers, Hot Toys and Sideshow dolls, and the like - will also probably stick around. They are prohibitively priced for the average casual collector, but are produced in small enough numbers their built-in, die-hard customer base can probably continue to support them.

Here is the problem. Casual adult collectors are rapidly abandoning the hobby, because they just cannot justify the cost in relation to other expenses. The figures aimed at this demographic are heading for extinction with a near certainty. Fully articulated "mid-range" price 6" is just about dead. Marvel and DC have failed in their relaunches at retail. Star Wars came in way too late with 6", after the market was too expensive and moribund, and we are seeing the result. I think it is very possible these items will be fully absent from retail by this time next year. Even the online-only MOTUC's days are numbered; with the huge drop in subscription numbers, nearly all major characters done or scheduled, and another price increase coming, the line will very likely end next year.

3 3/4" is not thriving, either. Marvel Universe made the mistake of releasing several very weak waves toward the end of 2012, and this encouraged collectors to leave the line. Poor sales translated into low orders for subsequent waves, which further alienated customers. Current waves are seemingly better stocked, but are (from what I have seen) not moving very well. GI Joe has been dropped entirely by several major retailers. Star Wars 3 3/4" is burnt out; there are only so many times people will buy the exact same figure in different packaging. At $9.99, 3 3/4" is much cheaper than 6", but there is an equal lack of perceived value.

If you are going to continue as a figure collector, you need a substantial amount of disposable income. I am just about priced out as is. I think a lot of the third party TF stuff looks great, but it is not worth the price to me. I have substantially cut back on the amount of toys I buy the last few years. Action figure prices have risen to the point where I am no longer willing to pay above retail for anything, no matter how scarce in stores. I will definitely keep a lot of what I have, but the high prices are making it much easier to stop buying much new stuff.

[Bo-rilla Grodd]

I think alot of it has to do with what the companies put out. I just dont see who a 20 dollar 6inch movie figure is aimed for. It takes up so much room at the stores, an its there forever. Im not trying to put all the blame on the toy companies, though. I think retailers and consumers are also to blame, I just feel that always seeing a shelf filled with movie figures (dark of the moon, thor, man of steel, dark knight rises, Iron man) has something to do with the decline of product, and the interest of the consumers.

[secondwhiteline]

I don't think we're nearing the end, but collector figures are going to be a very niche market filled mostly by NECA and imports, while mass market figures are going to be kid-targeted, which means smaller or less articulated or made of cheaper plastic. It's just a financial necessity at this point, and a single action figure just isn't a good bargain compared to, for example, a dozen games on your iPad.

The safest lines are the ones that combine long-term brands, playability, shelf appeal, and heavy reuse, which lowers price - WWE and Ninja Turtles are the ideal. (I'm surprised Nintendo hasn't licensed out Mario to a bigger company, because that could easily fit this mold.) Those also have the benefit of side-stepping distribution issues, due to WWE's huge cast of characters and multiple main eventers/champions, and TMNT having four equally important main heroes. Kids are guaranteed to want SETS of characters for both lines, and it's easy to oblige them. No kid's gonna be totally happy with 1-3 Ninja Turtles, and once you've sold a kid one wrestler, you've already sold him a second.

[Bo-rilla Grodd]

wrestling figures are always gonna be on the market. the turtles line works so well because its great for everyone.(kids, moms buying for kids, and collectors). They are both examples of catering to both groups without having to change there product for either. I only wish Mattel would of took the route of the wwe figures for the DCUC line. Less packaging, less articulation, but a solid figure none the less.