Written by Ryan Brookhart

Earlier this year both Mattel and Hasbro made a bold move in announcing they would be targeting serious collectors (read: adult) by, respectfully, opening a dedicated web site featuring exclusive on-line collectibles (Matty Collector) and a high-end, high-priced figure of the Cloverfield monster at Hasbro Toy Shop.

According to press releases, Mattel and Hasbro should have had their products in the hands of collectors by now. With almost a year of hype and more than a year to manufacture their inaugural items, neither toy company has anything to show, save for a lot of hyperbole.

What happened?

In a few words, just more of the same "smartest people in the room" failing to grasp their target market. Sure, both companies make a great deal of money and have a great deal of market share on toy shelves, but with a few exceptions, neither company really understands what drives the serious collector of high-end toy product.

To be fair, Hasbro released the massive near perfect Millennium Falcon upgrade this summer. Here is a product that perfectly straddles the serious collector's market while retaining the roots of a near perfect toy. And Mattel had the savvy to get The Four Horsemen to sculpt their DC Universe line.

But Hasbro and Mattel have it easy on both counts; by working within a steady stream of strong, recognizable properties, certain risks within price point and style are minor risks. Star Wars is plastic crack for a lot of collectors. So too is the DC Universe. In other words, you'd really have to screw up those properties for collectors not to spend money.

But Hasbro and Mattel certainly saw the lion’s share of big-ticket money going to the likes of Sideshow, Master Replicas, Hot Toys, and even DC Direct (to an extent) and thought, "why aren't we getting those dollars?" So meetings and Excel spread sheets and focus groups ensued, giving way to Hasbro's Cloverfield monster ($99.99) and Mattel's Matty Collector.

At Comic-Con this year I got up-close and personal with a production sample of the Cloverfield figure. Let me repeat, a production sample (meaning final product). I thought "not bad ... pretty big, decent paint." And I thought Hasbro was pulling it off ... we were at the end of July and this bad boy wouldn't be shipping until early October. Plenty of time to stoke the fires of the Internet collector's community. Maybe even send out a couple samples for reviewers to get the hype (and the sales) up.

Prospects seemed less rosy over at Castle Greyskull. First, someone lost a bet and had to wear a ridiculous suit with an enormous cartoon head (Matty Collector personified); I waved at him a couple times, feeling his pain and he didn't feel too obliged to extend me the same courtesy. Fine. Strike 1.

Strike 2 came when I saw the prototypes for the new NEW Masters of the Universe re-boot looked a little "soft" and not nearly ready for prime-time.

Strike 3 came in the form of an answer to a simple question: "will these two figures, He-Man and Beast Man be in production soon?"

"Just keep checking Matty Collector for updates" was the canned reply. But delivered with that impersonal Corporate-Speak© that always gets my dread at code orange.

Flash forward to the second week of October 2008. In the past few weeks Mattel announced they were going to delay both Masters of the Universe figures to do some fine-tuning. Here's the bulk of what Matty had to say:

"I’m writing to let you know that I’ve just made my first really tough decision as Master Toy Collector of Mattel. In a nutshell, we have been forced to make a trade-off between shipping according to our announced schedule and getting our figures exactly right, and I’ve decided to go with quality over speed.

The issue is removable armor for the Masters of the Universe Classics line. As you know, these figures are meant to bring the classic 1980s MOTU toy line aesthetic into the modern era. But the technical challenge of having removable armor that still holds in place with the level of quality we expect from a collector line has proved very difficult. In order to stay on schedule, we briefly considered compromising by gluing the armor for He-Man and Beast Man in place. But I realize that you, the true MOTU collectors, would much rather have the figures done right than get them a few weeks earlier. Our engineers are now re-configuring the sculpts so that the armor attaches to each figure in a uniform plug on his back, so that the armor for almost every figure will be both removable and interchangeable.

So the bad news is both He-Man and Beast Man will now be available for purchase in December. The good news is not only will their armor be awesome, but we will release them on the same day, meaning you can save on shipping by buying both figures together.

I’m bummed we’ve had this delay, but I’m glad it’s given us a chance to show you where our priorities are."

So let me get this right. "... available for purchase in December?" December? Seriously? Well, let me tell you, December sure sounds a lot like "First Quarter of 2009" to me. Lets just see if I'm wrong, Mattel.

And having just gotten off the phone with a representative from Hasbro, that October release date for the Cloverfield monster? "Hopefully some time in December."

Can anyone say "First Quarter of 2009?"

Here's some advice from someone who knows a little about the collectibles market, Hasbro and Mattel: when you're targeting a segment of the consumer dollar that has some knowledge and discretionary income to make or break your venture into high-end product, don't treat them like the clueless mom or dad who calls consumer affairs to see how to install the batteries on their kids Elmo. While I give props to the (albeit late) Mattel press release, Hasbro has dropped the ball in keeping the collector in the game.

Hasbro, you should make an official announcement that your product has been DELAYED and be honest about it. Update your web site with pictures of the Cloverfield monster in packaging; letting them see it's real, it's still coming. There is no excuse.

Learn a little from Sideshow and Hot Toys, all you large toy companies. Look at the way they inform and update the people they've targeted. And then maybe you'll have a new market on your hands.

Update 1:

I hate to say I told you so, but on the heals of writing my article I received this e-mail from HasbroToyShop.com.

Thank you for shopping with HasbroToyShop.com.  Due to high demand, the following item(s) you ordered are no longer available.  Your credit card will not be charged.

ORDER NUMBER:
ORDER DATE: 1/22/2008 3:00 AM

DISCONTINUED ITEM(S)
Item number: 92700
Item name: Cloverfield Movie Monster
Quantity: 1

We apologize for any inconvenience. We would like to offer you 10% off your next purchase at HasbroToyShop.com.

Regards,
HasbroToyShop.com

But wait. It gets better. Four SECONDS later, another e-mail arrives:

Thank you for shopping with HasbroToyShop.com.  Due to high demand, the following item(s) you ordered are not currently available. Please note the revised availability of the items below:

ORDER NUMBER: 868asi
ORDER DATE: 1/22/2008 3:00 AM

We apologize for any inconvenience. If you have any questions regarding your order or would like to change your order, please call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-408-0052.  If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you have agreed to the revised ship date indicated above.

So I called HasbroToyShop.com and spoke with a very nice guy named Brian who sounded apologetic and said he would try to get to the bottom of this.

In the meantime, I'd like to hear from any and all who pre-ordered the Cloverfield monster way back at the beginning of the year. Are you also getting conflicting e-mails, having your orders canceled arbitrarily?

Hasbro, in this economy is this REALLY the best time to be pissing off your customers?

Update 2- And then the other shoe dropped.

 

Today, just minutes ago, I got this e-mail:

 

You were incorrectly sent an email recently stating that your order # for the Cloverfield figure was cancelled. The email should have notified you that, due to a production delay, the anticipated arrival date for this item is December 13, 2008. Your order will/has been reinstated. Please contact us if you have any questions at 800.408.0052.

While I am excited the figure is still coming, this was a massive screw up on the part of Hasbro. Many people I've spoken to have canceled their orders outright and do not want to re-instate them. For my part, I vigorously support large companies creating unique items that would never find their way to Wall-mart, Target, or Toys r Us (think NECA's Balrog). But unlike NECA, that kept a robust blog on the struggles of getting the massive Balrog into collector's hands, Hasbro has done little to calm the frustrations of the collectors who put their faith and their dollars on the line .

 

This story is far from over. 

 

 

UPDATE 3 - And finally a call from Hasbro.

 

This is the OFFICIAL word, folks:

 

The Cloverfield figure IS GETTING RELEASED before Christmas. It is in production. It is on the assembly line right now. 

 

As much as I disliked the handling of this issue, Hasbro is trying really hard to reach out and make nice with the consumer.

 

And let me tell you, the figure is worth the wait. If you chose to sulk and stomp your feet and ignore the figure, you'll regret it come mid December.

 

Order her/him/it at:

 

http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByAge.htm?CD=15&ST=PRDS&ID=21030&PG=1