When toylines jump the shark

[Earth 2 Chris]

One could argue Super Powers kinda jumped the shark in series 3 by NOT giving us the obvious Supergirl, Batgirl, Nightwing, Riddler, etc. Made-up characters like Golden Pharaoh and Cyclotron were issued instead, along with the Justice Jogger. A lot of the figures planned for the later waves were far more promising.

Chris

[Iron Mego]

Big Jim bored me until the PACK stuff happened, actually it was the introduction of Dr. Steel earlier that made me sit up and take notice of Big Jim (and of course, the cool directions that the line took in Europe and Mexico were even better!). Adventuring/sports wasn't interesting to me, so when lines took a weird turn that's when I became interested (another example is GI Joe, which I had no interest in until Atomic Man, Bullet Man and the Intruders showed up, and of course Super Joe). I never had any interest in the Adventure People, but those sci-fi ones look cool to me actually.

I can't think of any line that really jumped the shark for me, the weirder things got, the more I liked them.

As a kid I don't think I even realized the Big Jim and PACK stuff were from the same toy line. The PACK figures were so weird and cool, but the sports dudes never did anything for me. I never had any of them, but a friend had PACK stuff and I loved them. An older cousin had a Big Jim and I was like meh. Conversely, the turn that GI Joe made with the figures you mentioned specifically, was really intriguing to me. Never had any of those either. :( I did have a hand-me-down fuzzy headed Joe, but never really cared much for him.

[starsky]

hahaha, the big jim pack line is my favorite big jim series. guess it just depends on how old we were at the time each toy line introduced new ideas. lol

[enyawd72]

Never had this problem. My favorite lines were so badly mismanaged they never made it to the ramp. Sttmp Mego failed to release all of the crew and any vehicles. ST3 ERTL only did 4 figures. This line had the most potential and should have been run like GI Joe. TNG Galoob gave us no vehicles or playsets. Playmates made the mistake of changing the scale and by the time they fixed their mistake, the line had run it's course. This line had cost prohibitive accessories because of the scale and the one playset that would have worked, and made them a fortune, they never even considered. Then they dropped the ball with the movie line by not releasing the second wave an completing the bridge playset. Now it is Funko's turn to tank by not following through.


CC.

Galoob did do a couple nice vehicles for the figures...a shuttlecraft and Ferengi fighter, and a smaller die-cast Enterprise.

[Earth 2 Chris]

If you go by the mini-comics DC did that were included with the toys, Miles Mayhem killed Matt Trakker's brother. I can't seem them agreeing to settle their differences Ricky Bobby style.

Chris

[Werewolf]

Then there's MASK. When it went NASCAR, it went completely downhill.

Ugh, yes, I try to pretend the 10 episodes of the second season didn't happen. It didn't even seem to be in the same continuity as the first season. Mercifully those episodes were not included in the M.A.S.K. DVD box set.

[palitoy]

I'm with you on this one. I LOVED the whole Adventure People line and to see it take a right turn shortly after the release of the Alpha Probe (which was my favorite Adventure People toy of all time) was where they lost me. Of course, I was 9 when it came out, and they were probably going to lose me shortly anyway. But, this decision definitely hastened things.

Yeah I was most definitely at the end too but this line had me for years, so it was like an old friend doing something weird.

[Werewolf]

As I said in that thread, GI Joe:RAH probably jumped the shark in 86 with the seemingly super-powered Sgt. Slaughter and sci-fi/horror villain Serpentor.

RAH always heavily leaned sci-fi. That's a lot of what made it fun. Serpentor could have worked if the character had not been handled so poorly. Cobra Commander was a fun character and basically competent. Only being brought down by his own ego or the betrayal of others. Serpentor, on the other hand, was a blustering imbecile who lacked any of Cobra Commander's wit or charm. Cobra La and the retconning of Cobra Commander was just flat out horrible idea. No saving that.

Sgt. Slaughter should have never been added, in my opinion. Putting in real pop culture characters or celebrities, like Slaughter, the Fridge or Rocky Balboa, is just a terrible, terrible idea.

[Donkey Hoatie]

Oh and I'll kick in too. I loved the Fisher Price Adventure people as a kid, they were special to me.

Around the late 1970s they retooled figures to look more "Star Warsy" and I viewed it as lame and weak as a kid.

I'm with you on this one. I LOVED the whole Adventure People line and to see it take a right turn shortly after the release of the Alpha Probe (which was my favorite Adventure People toy of all time) was where they lost me. Of course, I was 9 when it came out, and they were probably going to lose me shortly anyway. But, this decision definitely hastened things.

[jwyblejr]

I think the 90s is more when G.I Joe jumped the shark. Stuff like Mega Marines,DEF,Star Brigade and Eco-Warriors.

[MRP]

For me, GI Joe jumped the shark when they went to the 3 3/4 inch scale from the larger figures I grew up with. Had no interest in them because they were't GI Joe, GI Joe was the Adventure Team not some paramilitary outfit or counter terrorist thing, and calling that GI Joe was just trying to cash in on the established name of the toy line I loved. Never bought anything from that line, never read the comic and never watched the cartoon.

I get others love it, and that's cool for them, but it's not for me in and it killed any interest in anything new GI Joe for me. As Pallitoy said, it's all a matter of when you came in and the perspective/bias it gives you.

-M

[cjefferys]

Big Jim bored me until the PACK stuff happened, actually it was the introduction of Dr. Steel earlier that made me sit up and take notice of Big Jim (and of course, the cool directions that the line took in Europe and Mexico were even better!). Adventuring/sports wasn't interesting to me, so when lines took a weird turn that's when I became interested (another example is GI Joe, which I had no interest in until Atomic Man, Bullet Man and the Intruders showed up, and of course Super Joe). I never had any interest in the Adventure People, but those sci-fi ones look cool to me actually.

I can't think of any line that really jumped the shark for me, the weirder things got, the more I liked them.

[Earth 2 Chris]

Oh yeah, the 1701 debacle. Even when they released those three figures in a box set, it was too little too late.

Chris

[EmergencyIan]

I started with GI Joe in 1982 when they hit the stores. I don't remember a time when I didn't have adventure people. Because of that, I was deeply invested when both lines jumped the shark...especially with the RAH. It really had a theme going.

- Ian

[palitoy]

Oh yeah, that backlash was powerful.