Toon Zone Talkback - Mattel Lands Master Toy License for Naruto [Archive]

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Duke

11-16-2005, 12:21 PM

This is the talkback thread for Mattel Lands Master Toy License for Naruto (http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=6983).

Why Mattel? Why not Bandai or Hasbro?

Beat

11-16-2005, 12:40 PM

Mattel is a bigger company. Either they expect Naruto to be bigger than we thought, or they were able to get them cheaper.

Andrew T. Hingson

11-16-2005, 12:57 PM

Yes indeed why not Bandai or Hasbro. Mattel is BIG but they focus too much on other things to care about their anime licenses.

As far as outsourcing goes I now deem Viz as stupid as 4kids.

And I have a message to Viz and 4kids...

STOP giving your toy licenses to Mattel. Haven't you learned yet that Hasbro and Bandai are much better choices?

Let's look at the two most successful toylines for imports. Power Rangers and Pokemon and what do they have in common? Neither are by Mattel.

Now Mattel has Zatch Bell, One Piece AND Naruto. Good grief they'll never get around to releasing any of these with their focus on Batman toys (as always).

To Mattel's credit the Zatch Bell and One Piece toys they have shown in toy shows are pretty decent but they'll all surely go the way of the Shaman King toys.

Bandai, Hasbro and even Playmates deserves these licenses more. And in the end they are going to regret this move when Bandai's card games are sold all over and those toys are nowhere to be found.

And from that article I must laugh at the concept of them using two boys brands to try to get back losses for Barbie (which is obviously a girls brand). And I wasn't aware that Bratz was kicking it's booty so much.

Also... does anyone else find it interesting that ZB, Naruto and OP have just about the same marketing plan. The major difference is Naruto's gets the best deal overall with Hot Topic merchandise and uncut DVDs planned already (and in sets no less). But merchadise wise... Bandai has the games (some of Naruto's games anyway) and the card games, Viz has the video rights, and Mattel has the toy rights. Also all three are on Toonami and back-to-back-to-back.

Dark Fact

11-16-2005, 07:10 PM

Why Mattel? Why not Bandai or Hasbro?
Hasbro?! Oh yeah, I can see it now...

KAKASHI: All Gennin and Jounnin ninjas, transform and roll out! :rolleyes2

Conekiller

11-16-2005, 08:05 PM

More like silly gimmicks that dictate the design of the toy (as opposed to the character dictating the design)

Gaara, now with free packets of SAND!

FlyByNite77

11-16-2005, 09:16 PM

They gonna come out with the swimsuit figures? ;)

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/9335/nappanoimg388x4001110030494nar.jpg

:p

HellCat

11-16-2005, 09:21 PM

So we can basically expect any of the female characters to get no respect (Team 7-Lite! All male action with no Sakura!) and a bajillion remoulds of Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi with increasingly dumber gimmicks and paint schemes?

Nin-Nin69

11-16-2005, 09:43 PM

You know this is an excuse to make a Bratz Naruto lineup.

Artimus Gigan

11-16-2005, 10:02 PM

Mattel is notorious for short packing their action figures, also the beleave in two things

A) Villans don't sell well so Heros get priority
B) females don't sell well so they really won't have priority either

YOU KILLED HE-MAN I SHALL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!

Beat

11-16-2005, 10:16 PM

No females? So lonely fanboys will have to do without Tsunade and Hinata action figures...:p

Dark Fact

11-16-2005, 10:23 PM

I'm very VERY worried what the Naruto action figure TV ads are going to look like. :sweat:

Go-chin

11-17-2005, 12:20 AM

Beat

11-17-2005, 02:11 AM

NaRUto!
*Music starts*
Watch him fly past on his super NINJA jetpack!
Watch him shoot his NINJA missiles!
*Music stops*
BELIEVE IT!
Jetpack does not actually fly. warranty not guaranteed. not for children ages 3 or below. Still better than this one.

http://www.retrojunk.com/details_commercial/470/

They gonna come out with the swimsuit figures? ;)

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/9335/nappanoimg388x4001110030494nar.jpg

:p In ye old 80's, there was SUPPOSEDLY concrete evidence that boys would not buy girl action figures in a boy-themed lineup, leaving to heavy cutbacks of them. I don't know if this still holds true, but it probably never accounted for hardcore otaku.

Conan-san

11-17-2005, 02:16 AM

Knowing the past "efforts" of Mattel in this instance over here, it's a non-issue.

zmanjz

11-17-2005, 10:23 AM

NaRUto!
*Music starts*
Watch him fly past on his super NINJA jetpack!
Watch him shoot his NINJA missiles!
*Music stops*
BELIEVE IT!
Jetpack does not actually fly. warranty not guaranteed. not for children ages 3 or below.

That reminds me, who was responsible for those terrible DBZ toys that had a SSJ2 Gohan flying on a personal hovercraft?

And other DBZ characters using weapons....

Conekiller

11-17-2005, 10:30 AM

They gonna come out with the swimsuit figures? ;)

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/9335/nappanoimg388x4001110030494nar.jpg

:p
Mantra: they're 12, they're 12, they're 12................ >_<

Conan-san

11-17-2005, 11:16 AM

Mantra: they're 12, they're 12, they're 12................ >_< 17 YEAR OLD SHINO-BI!

Karl Olson

11-17-2005, 12:24 PM

17 YEAR OLD SHINO-BI!

Brilliant! You win an internet for that!

Duke

11-17-2005, 12:58 PM

That reminds me, who was responsible for those terrible DBZ toys that had a SSJ2 Gohan flying on a personal hovercraft? And using it to defeat Android 17.

And other DBZ characters using weapons.... You mean Piccolo really wouldn't use Trunks' sword and Goten really wouldn't use an uzi?

zmanjz

11-17-2005, 01:20 PM

And using it to defeat Android 17.

You mean Piccolo really wouldn't use Trunks' sword and Goten really wouldn't use an uzi?

you know... Not only did I not want to buy those, I wanted to set fire to the aisles in which they were displayed.

For the earth needs to be cleansed of action figures that are totally out of character.

Dark Fact

11-17-2005, 02:26 PM

you know... Not only did I not want to buy those, I wanted to set fire to the aisles in which they were displayed.

For the earth needs to be cleansed of action figures that are totally out of character.
You want to talk about out-of-character action figures? Look at the Sailor Moon franchise toy franchise in the mid to late 90's. Some of the gimmicks they used for the sailors were laughably bad. Anyone remember the Moon Cycle or the infamous playhouse? :eek:

The Dragon Ball Z toy ads were just...awful. I actually wanted to throw both of my shoes at the TV set when the godly sounding announcer pronounced Saiyan as "sai-yawn". :mad:

Beat

11-17-2005, 02:54 PM

Of course they had a motorcylcle. Every toyline has a motorcycle. It's a law.

Meaning that Naruto will probably have stuff like a Ninja-bike, a ninja-tank, and of course, Ochimaru's ninja fortress with real firing missiles.

Nin-Nin69

11-17-2005, 03:18 PM

Don't forget about a giant Ramen catapult and toy Ramen which costs 10x the amount of a 10 pack.

sdp

11-17-2005, 03:42 PM

HellCat

11-17-2005, 03:46 PM

Mattel doesn't do such a bad job, but Bandai of America sucks, i rather have another company take a shot at it than BoA, they take the japanese model, get rid of all the features, dumb down the paint job, cut the toy line in half and sell it here. they do an awful job.
If you're talking about their Gundam product, certain faults come down to Bandai Japan forcing them to put out a lesser product so Japanese fans won't import cheaper American merchandise.

Dark Fact

11-17-2005, 03:49 PM

If you're talking about their Gundam product, certain faults come down to Bandai Japan forcing them to put out a lesser product so Japanese fans won't import cheaper American merchandise.
Nice! Japan can't bother hiring stricter customs officers and we get the shaft!

Nobody You Know

11-17-2005, 04:13 PM

zmanjz

11-17-2005, 06:57 PM

So, what? We all basicaly agree that there aren't any American toy companies who could manage their way out of a paper bag when it comes to anime licences?

Is there ANYONE we would really trust with this? (I'm certainly not sure I can think of anyone...)

Actually, back in the day (1992), Hasbro's old 5" Gi Joes went through a "Ninja Force" kick (http://toys.search.ebay.com/Ninja-Force_1980-Now_W0QQfcclZ1QQfclZ4QQfrppZ50QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQsacatZ2467QQsapplZ1) that was not really a good fitfor Gi Joe characters (They even made Scarlet into a ninja....... for no real aparent reason, though that was the coolest female action figure I had as a kid.)

But the production series would have actually worked pretty well with alot of the Naruto characters. I mean they had various specialty weapons including Nunchukau, hook swords, scimitars, katanas, kodachis, throwing weapons.... and all they would have had to add is some Kunai which would have been PERFECT for the Gi Joe-type weapons hand grips, and some specialty swords.

As for Ki, Genjutsu, and ninjitsu.... well, they could include little plastic logs with sword marks for replacement techniques, and the rest (Ki techniques and all that) would be left to:

Imaginaaaaation. http://justforfun.yourpostcardsite.com/images/2323/imagination_border1.jpg

(Or if they didn't want to leave things in the hands of imagination, they could always make some cheap plastic "Glowy things" that fit into people's hands like chakra scalpels and rasengans, and chidoris.)

Chad Bonin

11-17-2005, 09:09 PM

Well, Hasbro IS doing Star Wars Transformers (Darth Vader turns into a Tie Fighter!)... so, would you want Narutransformers (Male Naruto turns into Female Naruto!).

... actually, that'd be pretty funny.

And, I don't own any swimsuit figures, but...

http://img372.imageshack.us/img372/9335/nappanoimg388x4001110030494nar.jpg
Me wanty. 115 mm? Is that like nineteen feet?

Beat

11-17-2005, 09:56 PM

Hasbro with Japanese licenses that aren't robots can't end well.

http://www.yojoe.com/television/commercials/93/streetfighter93.rm

Case in point.

zmanjz

11-17-2005, 10:09 PM

Hasbro with Japanese licenses that aren't robots can't end well.

http://www.yojoe.com/television/commercials/93/streetfighter93.rm

Case in point.

Hmmm..... Well... I never said that the people at Hasbro ever made sense...... or were sane....

If they had gotten the licence it's be probably be something like this:

Hasbro's over the top announcer: "Naruto's come to america and he's Got a New Sensei!"

Naruto: "Believe it!"

Announcer: "Gi Joe and Naruto Present: NINJA SCHOOL!.

Announcer: "On a mission to help stop Cobra, our favorite leaf ninjas will learn from the Joe's OWN Ninja: Snake Eyes!"

Naruto: "Snakes? WHAT! You can't leave me here with him!"

Snake Eyes: "..."

Sasuke: "..."

Snake Eyes: "..."

Sasuke: "..."

Naruto "Nande, Nande Dattebayo!"

Announcer: "Gi Joe's Naruto: Yo Joe!.... Believe it!"

(Coming this winter to a circle of hell near you)

Nobody You Know

11-17-2005, 10:49 PM

Snake Eyes: "..."

Sasuke: "..."

Snake Eyes: "..."

Sasuke: "..." And you know what? This would still be a hundred times better than the dialouge on Sigma Six...

Andrew T. Hingson

11-17-2005, 11:13 PM

You see it doesn't really matter how well the property is released what matters is that it actually IS released. Did any of you EVER find a Shaman King action figure? I know I didn't. I rest my case.

Duke

11-17-2005, 11:15 PM

115 mm? Is that like nineteen feet?Nope. It's less than 2 inches.

Roman Legion

11-17-2005, 11:28 PM

Nope. It's less than 2 inches.Shouldn't that be just over 4.5 inches?

--Romey

straw_hat

11-17-2005, 11:38 PM

You see it doesn't really matter how well the property is released what matters is that it actually IS released. Did any of you EVER find a Shaman King action figure? I know I didn't. I rest my case. I saw some on the road with my dad once. Can't remember where but it was at a big truck stop. Of course the only toys around here with Shaman King slapped on them are the Hot Wheels sets.

I'm seriously not looking forward to the One Piece line either although Kuro seems like the only good one in the whole bunch.

Conekiller

11-18-2005, 10:09 AM

the only time I've EVER seen Shaman king figures was at my local anime store, I hope this won't be the case with the One Piece and Naruto toys.

and yes 155 milimeters comes out to 4.527 inches. *works with metric convesion all day long ^__^ *but Knux....THEY'RE 12!!!

Chad Bonin

11-18-2005, 12:48 PM

and yes 155 milimeters comes out to 4.527 inches. *works with metric convesion all day long ^__^ *but Knux....THEY'RE 12!!!I'd say they're at least a 26 to 30...

sdp

11-18-2005, 04:44 PM

If you're talking about their Gundam product, certain faults come down to Bandai Japan forcing them to put out a lesser product so Japanese fans won't import cheaper American merchandise. i wasn't talking about those but its mainly them not wanting to spend more money on that and sell them as cheaply as possible and just use "so it can be cheaper" to their defense.

Beat

11-18-2005, 04:49 PM

On another note, can anyone name some licensed toy commericals that don't come off as horrifyingly cheesy?

http://www.yojoe.com/television/commercials/93/ninjaforce93.rm

Because if that's how Naruto would be advertised, then God help us when they need to advertise the girls.

ChibiGoku

11-18-2005, 06:16 PM