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Lets debunk some toy myths that wont go away.

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  • Werewolf
    Inhuman
    • Jul 14, 2003
    • 14682

    Lets debunk some toy myths that wont go away.

    Post your most irritating toy myths that still wont go away.

    For me are all the often repeated anti-She-Ra myths. These are still reposted by youtube personalities even though these myths have been debunked over and over again by widely available information.

    Too make a very long story very short:

    She-Ra was not created because the Barbie team was jealous of He-Man's success. She-Ra was created because sales of Teela were through the roof and they found out 30 percent of MOTU collectors were girls. Mattel wanted to create a line that would lift up both of their flagship properties.

    Development of She-Ra was not stolen from the boys group. The She-Ra concept was created by Mattel designer Justine Dantzer. It was based on her earlier Andromeda concept of a line of fantasy action toys for girls.

    Interview with Justine Dantzer. http://diaryofadorkette.blogspot.com...ne-part-2.html

    Larry DiTillio did not create She-Ra. But he did name her and create the show story Bible. From what I remember one of the working names was He-Ra a play on the Greek Goddess Hera. This is not to diminish Larry's incredible work and contributions but to remind people of all the hard working women at Mattel that tend to get forgotten.

    She-Ra did not kill off MOTU. 1985 was another banner year for MOTU sales. The She-Ra launch went great and MOTU sales were bolstered by the the success of the Horde characters. MOTU was hurt in 86 by terrible case assortments. They flooded the shelves with new secondary characters and vehicles that were crazy over produced while popular main characters like regular He-Man, regular Skeletor, Teela, Beastman, Man-at-Arms, etc. were no where to be found. Real Ghostbusters became the new hot thing in 86. The 1987 movie was too different and bombed. It failed to reignite interest in the brand among strong competition from the hot new properties TMNT and Real Ghostbusters.
    Last edited by Werewolf; Oct 5, '21, 3:43 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...
  • Klosterheim
    Persistent Member
    • Mar 23, 2013
    • 1121

    #2
    Very fascinating, it is good to hear the history.

    One myth that still seems to come up is probably the most common, that the rocket firing Boba Fett was released to the public. Many people claimed to have had it. I think they mention it on documentaries a lot.

    The myth that certain toys and games lead to Satanism is a bad one too.

    There are probably a few false tales going around on things like the speckled face Data of the Galoob line for Star Trek TNG.

    There are probably a lot of stories out there, that seem to easily catch on, much like the Halloween candy scare.

    Old movie rumors seem to have a lot in common with these things.

    Same things happen in the music industry, remembering clearly how many people believed the rumor that Trent Reznor died shortly after making his first album, then all the sudden there was a new album that came out and hit big.

    And with toy rumors, there has to be a lot of made up stuff out there, for various reasons why something was made, or why something was discontinued or removed from toy shops.

    Comment

    • J.B.
      Guild Navigator
      • Jun 23, 2010
      • 2919

      #3
      Aren't there people that claim that their AE Peter Parker came with the camera?
      You are transparent; I see many things... I see plans within plans.

      Comment

      • PNGwynne
        Master of Fowl Play
        • Jun 5, 2008
        • 19600

        #4
        Possibly, though I don't know why. Those are obviously Dawn/Pippa cameras and sealed Parker AEs belie that claim.
        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

        • Megotastrophe
          Permanent Member
          • Jun 29, 2018
          • 2900

          #5
          I think my favorite myth was the Blue Batmobile. And now you can buy one.

          Comment

          • ODBJBG
            Permanent Member
            • May 15, 2009
            • 3154

            #6
            Eh, I generally agree with this, but She-Ra definitely did HELP kill He-Man, even if she didn't strike the final, fatal blow. There were already other factors at play. But you can't deny she was a big factor.

            When She-Ra showed up, they ended the Filmation toon shortly after to focus on She-Ra. The general consensus with boys at the time was that suddenly they were now "girls toys" helped in part because She-Ra toys were now in the aisles often near or with the He-Man figures. He-Man was already facing stiffer competition and now it was no longer "cool" in part because your kid sister played with it too. Saying that wasn't a part of the downfall, is misguided. Was it the total reason? Of course not.

            I'm sure Teela sold well, but the idea that Teela was so popular that they created a whole new line, show, etc but didn't like, include Teela or you know, just add another female into the MOTU line sort of debunks that entire concept.

            One need only look to the MOTUC line to see the "popularity" of the She-Ra figures. Had they not been foisted on collectors who were forced to sub, very few would have sold. While many MOTUC figures now go for 4x-5x their original price, very few She-Ras do. In fact most can be sold for less than original retail, years later.

            She-Ra was popular enough, but it watered down the concept (which was already treading water) and helped to capsize the juggernaut. Was it "intentional"? I suppose we'll never know. But most of the people who worked on the line seem to think it was. I suspect it was just Mattel being inept and not realizing they were cannibalizing their own toyline, but you can certainly see it from both sides.

            Comment

            • Werewolf
              Inhuman
              • Jul 14, 2003
              • 14682

              #7
              Originally posted by ODBJBG
              I'm sure Teela sold well, but the idea that Teela was so popular that they created a whole new line, show, etc but didn't like, include Teela or you know, just add another female into the MOTU line sort of debunks that entire concept.
              You didn't check my link. She-Ra started off as Teela. The Spin off line was going to be about Teela. There's concept art and everything. I don't ever claim to be remotely as knowledgeable on Megos, Captain Action, Super Heroes, Adventure Team GI JOE, etc. as you guys. But when it comes to MOTU/POP I've researched it quite a bit and I do kinda know what I am talking about. Give me some credit.
              Last edited by Werewolf; Oct 9, '21, 10:22 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

              • ODBJBG
                Permanent Member
                • May 15, 2009
                • 3154

                #8
                I did click your link, I've read it before, I follow DofaD, but it just says it was inspired by the success of Teela, or to be Teela-like, but it's not Teela. It didn't start as a Teela spinoff and then turn into She-Ra.

                And it doesn't answer the larger question, if Teela was so popular, why didn't they make more Teelas? They made a bunch of variations of He-Man... Why didn't they make other female characters in the MOTU line?

                Something just doesn't pass the muster with this whole story. I think there's a kernel of truth in there, but I call BS on the whole "We did this because of Teela" thing. She may have sold well, there were obviously tons of girls who watched the MOTU cartoon and Teela was featured prominently (and was one of the only female figures in the line) but I don't think that's why we got She-Ra. Someone at Mattel wanted to duplicate the success of MOTU but for girls. Rather than create their own thing, they decided to co-brand it with He-Man. If Teela was so popular, they would have just spun Teela off into her own toyline, which would have made a lot more sense all things considered.

                I think a lot else could be open to debate or speculation and clearly several people have chosen sides, etc, claiming one thing, while others claim another. Such is the entire history of MOTU in that regard lol.

                Comment

                • Earth 2 Chris
                  Verbose Member
                  • Mar 7, 2004
                  • 32652

                  #9
                  One Mego rumor that still persists due to official figure listings from the company is that Pocket Super Heroes versions were made of Joker, Penguin and Shazam (Captain Marvel). Unfortunately, they didn't.

                  There are a few myths I'm still uncertain about. Like the Ideal Super Queens/Comic Heroines. Is there really a version of Wonder Woman that came with the nurses outfit? Or just the halter dress like all the other dolls?

                  Chris
                  sigpic

                  Comment

                  • PNGwynne
                    Master of Fowl Play
                    • Jun 5, 2008
                    • 19600

                    #10
                    I"ve never heard that--though I wish I had Barbie Nurse reissue for obvious WW reasons.
                    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

                    • palitoy
                      live. laugh. lisa needs braces
                      • Jun 16, 2001
                      • 59486

                      #11
                      Mego went under because it missed Star Wars. No. It's far more complicated than that. The handheld game implosion deeply wounded them.

                      Marty Abrams went to jail. He did not serve any time.
                      Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

                      Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
                      http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

                      Comment

                      • Earth 2 Chris
                        Verbose Member
                        • Mar 7, 2004
                        • 32652

                        #12
                        ^I'm glad you dispelled the Marty rumor. I honestly thought he had served some limited amount of time.

                        Chris
                        sigpic

                        Comment

                        • ODBJBG
                          Permanent Member
                          • May 15, 2009
                          • 3154

                          #13
                          This is not a knock on Marty... But wealthy people rarely serve time. It's not like he didn't serve time because he wasn't convicted. He was convicted. He didn't serve time because he was rich enough not to.

                          You or I get convicted of 15 counts of wire fraud, obstruction of justice and false filing of tax returns and we're going to the slammer.
                          Last edited by ODBJBG; Oct 11, '21, 1:25 PM.

                          Comment

                          • palitoy
                            live. laugh. lisa needs braces
                            • Jun 16, 2001
                            • 59486

                            #14
                            Originally posted by ODBJBG
                            This is not a knock on Marty... But wealthy people rarely serve time. It's not like he didn't serve time because he wasn't convicted. He was convicted. He didn't serve time because he was rich enough not to.
                            There is a lot more to the story I wish I could share but I promised the person who told me I would never publish it. The reason he didn't do time wasn't related to his bank account. Regardless of the semantics, the myth was he went to jail and he did not.
                            Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

                            Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
                            http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

                            Comment

                            • ODBJBG
                              Permanent Member
                              • May 15, 2009
                              • 3154

                              #15
                              I mean, you know more in that regard, and I can't rebuttal things I don't know but I'd still wager his bank account probably helped on some level. Even being able to fight these sorts of things largely require you to have the finances to do so.

                              But you're right in the myth department for sure.

                              Although I think some of Marty's charm might be that people think he served some time, haha.

                              Comment

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