So, in all the endless talk I read over at Hisstank about the death of the line and where GI Joe is going and how to make the line successful again, it is always brought up that each line of toys must have some type of anniversary or media to go along with it, either movie, video game, or preferably a TV show. So my question is, what was the media tie-in with POC? And if it did not have a direct tie-in media wise, is it considered to be a failure that no one points to it and says, look it can be done without a show or a movie?

_________________

It was coming off a major media event and corresponded with the timing DVD release of the movie, if I am remembering correctly.

Failure of a toy is in the eye of the beholder. For the company, G.I. Joe is an intellectual property more than a toy now. Its value is measured in what the IP can be sold for - be it video games, media or blockbuster movies. Hasbro is transforming from a toy company to an IP development and marketing company - they always were to an extent, but more and more they are getting into all the other ways you can turn a buck off ideas.

G. I. Joe is more than mere plastic; more than a "Toy". G.I Joe is an idea. An idea can never die - but can undergo periods of limited profitability due to a confluence of competitive, cost, marketing and distribution challenges.

On a day when he is needed, Joe will step forward. When one man can stand up and say, "Demographic support and web interaction indicate that the market is ready for a relaunch of a boys military line in a popular scale. We own that branding! Outsource some sculptors!" Joe will rise again!

- R

_________________

I would concur with Raptor on the way Hasbro views Joe. And I would expand on his observations in an attempt to answer your question: yes, Hasbro viewed the PoC toy line as less than optimally successful. It was resonating with adult collectors, the demographic they value the least in the toy space, and we weren't buying the figures for the story tie in. That's why they abandoned that aspect of the marketing and rebranded the line as an Anniversary (30th) thing and scaled back on what they planned to offer us before G.I. Joe 2 came out.

Hasbro will not quantify any toy effort it puts forth as successful unless it captures a large share of the kid demographic. But because they can't pick a viable kid-appealing theme and stick with it long enough to get toys and corresponding media launched at the same time, they can't capture that fire in a bottle like they had in the 80s.

Personally I don't see them even arriving at a kid-appealing theme without essentially disregarding the character and story baggage of the 80s. It's too Cold War, pro-war and subject to way too much scrutiny from uptight grown-up fanboys like us to be commercially viable on a broad scale.

I think the Adventure Team is about the only thing they could do right now that would have a chance of appealing to modern kids (and their parents) without alienating their adult collector contingent. And anything like that would likely have to compromise on scale and figure articulation in order to provide the playset and vehicle opportunities it needs to really resonate at prices that parents of young kids wouldn't balk at.

Everytime I see a Jurassic Park Joe set, or one of those Discovery sets, or an outdoor set with a pickup truck and a trailer with a figure and a dirt bike, I think, man, wouldn't this be great as the Adventure Team.

_________________

Weren't there a handful of online video CGI shorts that sorta-kinda-almost tied in with POC?

_________________

I agree totally Spin, an Adventure Team themed line would garner some pretty good cross-section appeal. It seems even channels that were once serious in their programming like Animal Planet and NatGeo (originally) are more Cryptozology and Myth and Legend now. Animal and Discovery channels regularly run some pretty outrageous "NEW EVIDENCE!!" programming. Tying in with this new adventurous wanderlust would be easy for a toy line to do. You can have playsets...the gear...traps and kits...and yes, still have a handful of weapons for protection.

_________________

Pursuit of Cobra was a transition line. It was meant to carry-over the momentum of RoC (kids buying the toys) and hold the interest of the kids until the next movie.

Obviously things didn't work out like that.

PoC and 30th were really the results of Hasbro having this product (most of PoC was originally going to be released under the RoC banner with the pursuit of cobra environments changed on the packaging) and stuff in the schedule to be released.




And I'd love an Adventure Team line.

I don't know if the Animal Planet toys are very popular, but the line seems to live season after season.
The generic side of it seems to keep it affordable and varied. Playsets, vehicles and creatures. The basics are there.
An Adventure Team line, with the proper marketing, could take the AP concepts and bring them to another level.
Of course, the key word here is proper marketing, without it, no matter what line Hasbro might try to push, it will fail.

Of course, it looks like the upcoming Marvel and Star Wars movies are mobilizing all the creative talent at Hasbro's so GI Joe might stay on ice until a new movie.

_________________

A lot of parents don't want to buy their kids terrorists and military themed toys. That's why we get Cobra La and zombies. A cartoon would actually take the emphasis off the objectionable material. The old Sunbow was good for that. Kids could play realistically or they could emulate what was in the program, which was too silly to be threatening.

Even back then groups complained of the toy line's violent theme and yes, the cartoon's violence, too. This was back with saturday morning toons didn't allowing hitting or anything that looked like a real gun to be shown. GI JOE avoided that with syndication.

It's amazing that Modern Warfare and those types of games seem to be acceptable (or even GTA for that matter). I know middle school students that are allowed to play them.

_________________

Yes, but that's not the market the Hasbro execs want to capture. They want that 3-8 yr old crowd playing with their stuff.

The funny/sad thing is, many of those 3-8 yr olds are busy watching their older siblings play GtA and Modern Warfare (which many parents don't bother to look into to check appropriateness and, at least among those I know, they're just glad to have their wee ones out of their hair).

HALO is actually the big one at my 8 yr old's school. We don't have it in our house, but it's all his 2nd grade classmates talk about.

Personally I have been waiting for Mega Blocks to get the GTA 5 license. I would collect the hell out of that.

Rockstar is even in Montreal a short drive away from Mega. Make it happen kids!

Funny Grand Theft Auto (3) story.

A parent said that they had gotten their 10 year old a copy and asked me if it was a good game. I told her - "it's great - here's a trick you can teach him. Always take the hookers into a back alley so that when you're done you can kill them with a baseball bat to get your money back!"

She returned the game.

- R

_________________