Action Figure size Matters!?!?!

[ddgaff1132]

After reading another slue of comments on the decline of Mego and larger scale action figures. I came to the thought that maybe its the scale that dooms Re-Mego type figures.
Could there be an under lining ideology in today's parents that views anything over 4" and wearing a removable outfit as a Doll??? Put aside the economics for a second. We collectors buy things to have in our collection or maybe to barter off when its appreciation raises in the future. But collectors alone pale in comparison to the market figures of Moms and Dads. Also, If a child wants something bad enough. The parents are sure to oblige.
As a matter of contrast. I offer the Barbie line. A while ago. Barbie's were produced under licences of DC comics (Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Supergirl.) and Paramount/ Star Trek. I seem to recall these were pretty pricey on shelve. In my area I have never seen these toys on the clearance shelf. But I have seen a few in used condition on my Thrift Store trips. Which means to me that though these were aimed at the Collector market. Some parents caved and bought them for the Kiddo's. The same could be said for The marvel Legends brand. I find them also in the Thrift's.
Summing up... Could such fails like, Retro Action Heroes, Famous Covers, Marvel Origins and such be blamed on a gender hang-up???

[MIB41]

I think some of it is generational conditioning. When I was a kid, Megos were a revolutionary invention. I had been crowded with big 12 inch figures and virtually no hero brands to work my imagination. So when Megos came along, that opened the flood gates. And my generation touched by that product remains loyal to the brand. But don't tell that to the kids who got introduced to Star Wars and the 3 3/4 inch figures that came later in '78. Or the kids that grew up with GI Joe figures in the early 80's. That is their figure of choice. And that's another reason why I think the Mego-scale has had trouble adapting. The 8 inch scale never re-established market share after Mego died off. And so generations of kids grew up with no knowledge of Mego as a shelf presence at their local toy store. So I think trying to reach today's generation or even those somewhat earlier is a much harder feat given Mego's scarcity. So it would seem the companies that have had the best success on this scale have done so by manufacturing only what will meet demand to that original generation of fans. Companies trying to build market share with the Mego scale are finding out, it just doesn't work.

[huedell]

The same could be said for The marvel Legends brand. I find them also in the Thrift's.

That would be awesome if there were more secondary market ML's and
DCUC's availiable.

Except for the bottom barrel characters in lines with 200 characters,
the ML and DCUC lines continuously thrive.

[Mego Magyar]

Like MIB41 when I was growing up it was all 12" figures, G.I. Joe and Barbie as figures with alternate outfits and Jonny West as figures with molded clothes but outfit accessories. You also had Big Jim, another figure with alternate outfits. Then came Mego, figures with cloth removable outfits but nothing else, no alternate outfits. By the mid to late 70's G.I. Joe was getting shrieked and molded and Big Jim was also ending. Then came Star Wars, small, limited movement, molded outfit figure and that changed everything. If you wanted a Star Wars figure to play with, small was the ONLY option and everyone wanted Star Wars. Also remember, this was still a point when action figures were bought mainly to be played with, not mainly as a collectable. Lets face it, when it comes to Mego like figures why would a company go to the expense of making a removable cloth outfit when there isn't a reason to remove it for another outfit? Sure we like it but to the mass market of today that has gotten used to small molded figure - that are cheaper - it's a hard sell. How many people are going to spend $20 - 30 dollars on a toy to be played with that could get broken easily. I think the concept of a figure with removable clothes and nothing else to put them in was where the toy market made the change. Now that concept is for the collectors market.

I personally never liked the small molded outfit figures even though I had quite a few Star Wars figure and then a ton of Playmates Star Trek but it wasn't easy to play with them with their limited articulation. SW figures sat with their legs straight out and ST figures legs stuck out at angles if you tried to seat them. If the small figures were articulated like the 80's G.I. Joes then their probably wouldn't be the complaints but even today most small molded figure aren't that articulated. I think it all comes down to what the market is used to and what is affordable to the non collectable consumer AND what is the most profitable for the company. If something like Star Wars came along again and there were ONLY 8" Mego like figure that were more affordable to the non collector market you could see everything change again.

Also if a big company handled it right ( YES I'M TALKING TO YOU MATTEL ) someone with a system for making figures and cloth outfits already established ( I would think they should be able to do it cheaper ) and marketed them to properly, not just to 1 store that isn't available to everyone ( not that all the figures made it into those stores anyway ) it might have made a difference. Mattel's bungling of the Retro line really hurt the chance of Mego like reappearing in the mass market - IMHO.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Yeah, there's a certain amount of conditioning involved. 8" is seen as an older format; one that doesn't lend itself to playsets and vehicles as toys.... and one that takes up a fair amount of room as collectibles. So until someone does something that everyone has GOT to have in the 8" format it'll remain something of an oddity.

Don C.

[Tothiro]

And my generation touched by that product remains loyal to the brand. But don't tell that to the kids who got introduced to Star Wars and the 3 3/4 inch figures that came later in '78. Or the kids that grew up with GI Joe figures in the early 80's. That is their figure of choice.

Uhm. Hmm.
Skeleton in the closet- I was born at the end of '75.
By the numbers:
Got 3 OMBC guys from my Grandparents (not blood related, but 100% my Grandparents) between my 3rd and 4th Bday. Got a second hand Magentic 12" Batman sometime later. Played with my sister's 8" T1 Superman after his elastic broke. I talked someone into a Star Raiders Yog impulse buy (was not easy) while we were on the road - it broke an arm before the next motel and I never saw it again. I really longed to pick up the clearanced Pin-Pin Fantastic Four at my local Playworld later, but saw that they were all "broken" and/or zombie in the package.
I didn't have many kids in the neighborhood and no one I knew had 8" Mego. Full on, I was the 3 3/4" generation, followed by He-Man, Thundercats and Transformers.

Pretty much that was it for 8" until I picked up some WGSH and Trek when I was 16 from scouting local shops and garage sales.
I have a few hundred 8" loose, and have more or less left 3 3/4" behind.
I'm atypical though since I was exposed to all types of toys via family antique shop... but these days I still reduce/expand everything to an 8" figure ideal.

Japanese Vinyls now - that's different. Typically I only like those to be 6" and maybe Godzilla Gang are to blame for it.

[ddgaff1132]

My perspective is from a distinct vantage point. As one who haunts the thrift store markets.
I see these items as " Toys given to children for play, then discarded as the child out grows them or if the toy is damaged."
I might also factor in that some might have been bought as collectibles then discarded out of lack of interest.
That in mind. Here is what I'm seeing. Many Barbie and Barbie superhero variants, Marvel legends and DCU action figures. A huge assortment of the recent Star Wars figs (Both Hasbro and Kenner).

In contrast. I think I only found 1 Marvel origins Iron Spider and 1 Famous covers (Been so long. Cannot remember if it was Mr. Sinister or Gambit?)

Now figure how expensive those Barbies and some of the Marvel Legends were. And compare that to how much those recent 9" figure cost. It just seems there was a little bit more than economics and scale preference going on???

[HardyGirl]

I'm pretty much w/ MIB41 on this. Ever since Star Wars, smaller plastic molded action figures have been available to the masses. I don't know how many times I've been to a toy show and heard somebody say, "if it's small and molded, it's an action figure, if it's bigger and has clothes, it's a doll". A lot of people who have children of age to play w/ toys today are 80s babies. They grew up w/ little GIJoes, Star Wars and He-man. I think the re-Mego movement would have done better in the 90s b/c more 70s kids had children then who played w/ toys and who knew Mego and 12" GIJoe. They probably wouldn't have had those hang-ups about dolls vs. action figures, and what defines them. That's not to say that the Mego generation don't have younger kids today, but I think the 80s babies and their kids are who the toy buying market are these days, and are just used to post Mego and GIJoe action figure standards.

[ddgaff1132]

I'm pretty much w/ MIB41 on this. Ever since Star Wars, smaller plastic molded action figures have been available to the masses. I don't know how many times I've been to a toy show and heard somebody say, "if it's small and molded, it's an action figure, if it's bigger and has clothes, it's a doll". .

HardyGirl brings us back to the point of my question. Economics cannot be the only reason for the popularity shift. Because the action figures today and then that followed the Molded clothes route had to make hundreds of distinct mold for every figure it produced. Mego used fewer molds and hollow bodys and heads seems like a less expensive route. I know alot of the 80's GI Joes followed this production game plan.

Somehow the 1/6 GI Joe is immune to this though. I still find many Late-Model 12" GI Joe's in thrift stores in playwear condition. I imagine Joe's military connection excludes him from the "Doll" perception.

I agree that the market shift can be attributed to "Conditioning" of Today's parents in regard to their action figure experiences of their childhood. But what instituted the original "condition" or change from Larger action figure with fabric outfit to small figure w/molded on clothing?
I still have a sense of an Underlying Homophobic fear...

[Myoldtoys]

GI Joe has adapted to the market trends. He was big. He was small. Some are now midsized. The movie certainly helped kids relate more to Joe again. So they have both a young market, and old people like us who buy to collect. Toys are much more disposable today, like everything else. And sorry to offend some...but while Mego's are cool to us, it would be like asking today's kid to buy an 8-track tape. They would stare at you funny. Today's toys are flashy, and cool. And they probably get played with for a couple months before the kid gets bored and moves on to something else. I don't thing it's the size.