perfect set of collectible toys has more to do with experience, common sense, and breaking the larger groups of toys into smaller subsets where appropriate. “I don’t know if there’s a magic formula to this, and if there is, no one has shared it with me yet,” he says. Companies must constantly look beyond the current wave toward the goal of keeping kids coming back. That, in turn, means new themes, environments, and characters—including rarities and super-rarities—which continue to drive a line’s collectibility. For Series 2 of Shopkins, which launched in late 2014, Moose Toys has included four new themes and 140 characters. “Ultimately, it is about innovating and creating variety in what we offer,” says Solomon. “Girls love to open blind bags to find new characters and swap them with their friends, so we have to keep it fresh.” Blind-packaged items are considered essential to a collectible’s popularity, due to the mystery and excitement they generate around them, which Graham compares to the experience of playing the lottery. On the face of it, the blind-packed toy might seem
Skylanders Wallop figure
DECEMBER/JANUARY 2015
Mutant Mania Mutant Masher, from Moose Toys
A Micro-View the Future
like a risky proposition for collectors, especially if collectors purchase and unbox the toy, only to find a double of one they already own. But, according to Solomon, some young collectors are far from disheartened when this happens, since a double can serve as trade fodder with other kids. “Their level of excitement is just as high, because that character still adds something to their overall collection,” Solomon says. For play pattern-oriented collectibles, another factor considered early on is scalability, or how easily the line can be upgraded or expanded. This was factored into the development of both Crashlings and Bungees; each line can be built up with additional figures or accessories, yet kids can also play them right out of the basic packs. Similarly, in the case of Crashlings, each class of monster has its own designated color, making it easy to add new ones over time. Padawer also points to the larger theme of outer space, allowing Wicked Cool to explore every theme that is relevant to boys and attaching them to Crashlings. “It allows [kids] to say, ‘I know what that is, and I know a particular color of meteor is associated with a particular style of monster,” Padawer says.
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Looking at the future of the collectible toy segment, it is expected that companies will continue to bring new brands to market. No one expects the category to go away; however, there will likely be more failures than successes, due to brands and brand launches constantly being pitted against one another. Launching a successful collectible is also more difficult in the present climate, since buyers are constantly inundated with new ideas. According to Padawer, toy companies can no longer go into a buyers meeting with just a basic concept. “You have to go in with a fully fleshed-out idea, and with a commercial in hand and the marketing already defined,” he says. “If you do that, you put yourself ahead of most of the other players who may just be making a design decision.” Padawer adds that the general understanding within the collectibles industry is that brands are viable for a few years at most, and then must make way for the next hot item. As such, retail buyers tend to be cautious, and the lines tend to launch at one or two accounts that truly believe in the brand. Padawer describes the collectibles category as being hit or miss, with the chance to have a phenomenon if the former happens. At the same time, he admits that misses can be disheartening—and inevitable. “What I’ll tell you is, there’s a lot of turnover in this category, there will be a lot of opportunity over the next few years, and it’s just a tremendous category,” he says. “To be involved in it is very exciting, and it often takes a few years to prove out a brand.” ■
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