Mattel probably sees this as a necessary move. Right now Universal owns the rights to MOTU and Mattel has the right of first refusal to make action figures until 2023 when that agreement ends. After that Universal can shop around. Smart move to try and revive interest in these lines. Hope they succeed
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Big Jim and Pulsar return in 2022... sort of
Collapse
X
-
-
I would take that with a grain of salt. As I understand it Mattel sold the entertainment rights. Not the IP. Universal owns the entertainment rights and the Filmation rights through Dreamworks. Mattel still owns the IP and has very recently renewed the trademarks. Including the trademarks to Princess of Power.You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...Comment
-
Comment
-
I would take that with a grain of salt. As I understand it Mattel sold the entertainment rights. Not the IP. Universal owns the entertainment rights and the Filmation rights through Dreamworks. Mattel still owns the IP and has very recently renewed the trademarks. Including the trademarks to Princess of Power.
Comment
-
I was wondering about that. Toy Guru put up a video about this, but despite the fact he was once the brand manager of MOTU, his cut and paste videos often leave me wondering if he REALLY knows what he's talking about, 100%. I enjoy some of them, but it seems like his "industry insider" angle only goes so far. For instance, in this video he shows a Biff! Bang! Pow! SMDM Fembot in among the classic Kenner line.
He knows his stuff in many respects but he recently did a Big Jim video (where he wholesale used my stuff) and it was SO WRONG, I wish he had read the words I had written when he was nicking the pictures.Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions
Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shopComment
-
I think he goofed on the video above, stating the mold used for Battle Cat originally came from Mattel's Tarzan line first, and then it was used in Big Jim. But I think it's the other way around.
Not cool that he doesn't give you credit, but his videos seemed to be made from Google searches. Many of his images are too low-res for video presentation.Comment
-
Which he never lets anyone forget. Seriously, though, he hasn't worked for Mattel in a long time.
I don't have the intense dislike of Guru some seem to have but he does come off as bit of an odd duck at times. I also noticed the errors on the Big Jim vid too. Even I know the Jim tiger predates the Tarzan one. I don't claim to be an expert on MOTU or have any kind of inside info. Everything I mention, like recent trademark filings, are widely known and reported public knowledge.You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...Comment
-
Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions
Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shopComment
-
In a world of well thought out and informative toy videos from Brick Mantooth, Toy Galaxy, Analogue Toys and Ed’s Retro Geek Out, Scott’s just don’t come close in production value or content. They’re like an assignment that a high school student might put together on the fly. Not sure what the deal is with daily videos anyway.
Ok rant ended.
Re: this line, is it actually a line or just a one off offering. I have to agree with those who say that these new versions don’t capture what made each figure so endearing when they were first released. I’m old enough to have had all three back in the seventies. Like many of you they, along with Mego and GI Joe defined my childhood. Unfortunately looking at the pic, these don’t generate an emotional connection like the one I had when I first opened the Walmart GI Joe Adventure Team figures from around 15 years ago. If the idea is to reintroduce these properties to a new generation, I think it’s missing the mark completely. The first version of Max Steel did a far better job of capturing the fun of Big Jim. Just my two cents.Last edited by thatblockoguy; Apr 10, '21, 6:41 PM.Comment
-
Second that on early Max Steel. Matty should have done more with that relationship and reused those molds elsewhere IMO.WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.Comment
-
I'd rather get my toy info from someone who knows their stuff. (I'm talk'n bout you Brian)Comment
-
I've been thinking about this a bit more. The MOTU rights are certainly a little convoluted due to the multiple sales of Filmation. Loreal to Hallmark to Classic media to Dreamworks to Universal. Again, I have no inside info and I've never claimed to. All public knowledge.
The best I understand it is Universal is the current rights owner of the Filmation series. Meaning the Filmation looks of the characters. But they don't own the characters or the IP. Mattel does. So for a product, like the upcoming Hallmark Filmation Castle Grayskull ornament, Hallmark needs permission from Mattel for the rights to Castle Grayskull and the Filmation likeness from Classic Media/Universal. Classic Media cannot license out Filmation MOTU products without Mattel's approval because Mattel still owns the IP.
License info from the Hallmark Grayskull ornament from Hallmark's product page.
"MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE(TM) and associated trademarks are owned by and used under license from Mattel, Inc. © 2021 Mattel, Inc. Under license to Classic Media."
Under license to Classic Media not from Classic Media.
Universal also owns the entertainment rights, meaning movie rights, but again still not the IP.
Mattel has been recently and continually filing and updating the trademarks to Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power.
Mattel does have to license the Filmation looks of the characters from Classic Media/Universal if they want to release figures of He-Man, Skeletor, etc. as they looked in the Filmation cartoon. Though I think there might be some iffy leeway on how close they can get to Filmation because of the Mattel's style guides from the 80s which did use looks very close to Filmation. Mattel also doesn't own the character likeness rights to the 1987 live action movie. Like I said it's convoluted and overly complicated.You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...Comment
-
Hasbro doesn't have to deal with any of this nonsense with Transformers or GI JOE because they bought the Sunbow library and flat out own everything. Unfortunately, I think one of the problems with Mattel doing that is being forced to buy the entire Filmation library just to get He-Man and She-Ra and getting stuck with a lot of stuff they can't do anything with. In the long run it still might be the better option to not have to deal with this crap again and worry about selling off what they can't use later.You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...Comment
-
-
Here's an article from 2014 stating Mattel owns MOTU.
Donald Glut, the author of early "Masters of the Universe" comic books, strikes out in an attempt to claim rights to the franchise.
Donald Glut, who wrote the four original mini comics, tried to sue Mattel over the rights to MOTU. He lost.Last edited by Werewolf; Apr 16, '21, 1:00 PM.You are a bold and courageous person, afraid of nothing. High on a hill top near your home, there stands a dilapidated old mansion. Some say the place is haunted, but you don't believe in such myths. One dark and stormy night, a light appears in the topmost window in the tower of the old house. You decide to investigate... and you never return...Comment
Comment