According to Bloomberg-Mattel loses boys toys rights for DC

[MRP]

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-...DZPW3TXxGCkBBo

Beginning in 2020 Spin Master Corp will have the DC toy license for boys toys, remote control vehicles and robotic vehicles, water toys and games and puzzles, while Mattel will retain the DC license in the pre-school and girls toy category (likely Imaginext and Super Hero Girls). Mattel's stock value took a pretty big hit with the announcement as well.

Not sure how this will affect Mego moving forward if at all. It looks like it could mean the end of some of the current DC lines unless the new company is just going to mimic what Mattel did.

-M

[MRP]

I knew nothing of Spin Masters, so I did a little google fu on them. Looks like they are a very successful Canadian toy company that has been around close to 25 years. They currently have a bevy of brands including Paw Patrol, Erector Sets and Air Hogs. I can see Air Hog versions of the Invisible Plane and the Batplane, and Erector sets for a lot of Bat-vehicles once they start production in 2020.

-M

[palitoy]

I know a designer there, they've really grown.

[cjefferys]

Wow, good for Spin Master, they have indeed really grown. That's the company who was responsible for the Hatchimals craze of last (?) year.

[Werewolf]

Wow, that's a huge blow to Mattel. Worse than when they lost the Disney Princess license. At least they still had Barbie to fall back on. DC is pretty much the only action figures they bring to retail these days. They are really going to have to up their game. Hopefully they will bring back a bunch of IPs they own that they've been sitting on.

[hedrap]

^Interesting you say that. I was wondering how much this had to do with Matty starting their own film/tv division. He-Man was moved from WB partly because Mattel felt it was being shelved so not to compete with Warner's other properties.

[MRP]

Wow, that's a huge blow to Mattel. Worse than when they lost the Disney Princess license. At least they still had Barbie to fall back on. DC is pretty much the only action figures they bring to retail these days. They are really going to have to up their game. Hopefully they will bring back a bunch of IPs they own that they've been sitting on.

I thought the Jurassic Park and Wrestling lines were Mattel these days. Both seem to have a bigger presence (and presumably bigger sales) on the shelves of stores like Wal Mart and Target when I go there.

-M

[Werewolf]

I thought the Jurassic Park and Wrestling lines were Mattel these days.

I totally spaced the wrestling line.

[jwyblejr]

I haven't collected any but I do like their combo of wrestlers and horror figures.

[hedrap]

Another point in the article is how Matty is keeping the DC Girls license, as if that means they're still in the DCU business.

Here's the problem - Matty created the DC Superhero Girls imprint. I think it's staying with them because it would have required some kind of buyout by WB and the sales didn't justify it. Apparently, Matty took a hit this year and (at some quarter), blamed it sluggish DC and DC Girls sales. That explains why DC Superhero Girls was liquidated in the middle of Wave 2 and why we're seeing all these Matty lines pop up at Five Below. It also explains why the DCSH Girls cartoon reboot went nowhere.

I think Mattel is not going to survive 2019. I don't like seeing people lose their jobs, but it's probably time for Hasbro and Matty to merge. Put all the legacy lines in one house and clear room for new companies.

[MRP]

In another article I read on the Mattel loss of license, it was mentioned that Hasbro's deal with Disney for the master license for Marvel and Star Wars expires in 2020, and most people assumed Disney would just re-up with Hasbro, but this move has raised the possibility that Hasbro could get some competition as companies may look at this move and try to woo Disney for the licenses (some were speculating Mattel might even be desperate enough to try to overbid for them since they lost the DC license, but I think this is just idle wild speculation not anything likely to happen, but this loss by Mattel could start a chain of dominoes that entirely shakes up the toy industry.

-M

[Captain]

Honestly, the DC and Star Wars licenses need fresh eyes on them anyways. Hopefully whomever gets them takes a fresh approach.