Firefly
Back
to the Future
Game
of Thrones
Terminator
Predator
Alien
Escape
From New York
Hellraiser
A
Nightmare on Elm Street
Friday
the 13th
The
Nightmare Before Christmas
The
Rocketeer
Halloween
Pulp
Fiction
BTVS
The
Goonies
The
Crow
Universal
Monsters
Scream
Trick
R’ Treat
That’s
the list of license that are currently available for preorder on
Entertainment Earth as part of Funko’s new ReAction line.
Before
I get any further, let me explain what’s going on here.
Late
last year we started hearing rumors that Funko – a company
traditionally known for bobbleheads (which I loathe) and quirky vinyl
figures – was looking at starting up actual action figure lines
thanks to the success of its partnership with Super 7 to release the
never-produced Kenner Alien
figures. This success happened before said figures were even released
because obviously every nerd on the planet – even non-toy
collectors – let forth simultaneous splooshes when they heard about
it. I don’t know the whole story behind the partnership, but I
suspect that Funko stepped in to help with production and
distribution when it looked like demand for these figures far
outstripped what Super 7 was prepared to deal with. I don’t know –
that’s just speculation. Maybe I can wrangle one of these guys into
doing a podcast to find out.
What
we’re looking at now is nothing short of a toy revolution. Funko is
producing action figures based on all of the above licenses (and
likely more) in the Kenner 70s Star Wars style. That is, simplified
sculpts, five points of articulation, and basic (but good) paint
apps. It’s one of the craziest and most brilliant moves I have ever
seen in any
industry and I haven’t even gotten to the most brilliant part.
Nostalgia
is the toy collector’s G-spot. I think Funko and Super 7 realized
this when the initial response to the Alien figures came in. They
must have, because there’s no way they have all of this product
ready to go with any less lead time than that. Funko has access to
all of these licenses because they have been slowly growing their
Pop! line of vinyl collector toys for years now. All of the above
franchises and more have been represented in the cutesy, pop-art
style line. More importantly, the Pop! figures have been carried at
Target, Toys R Us, Hot Topic, and many other major brick-and-mortar
retailers. This means that Funko has an in-road to those important
entities for the ReAction lines.
But
here’s the brilliant part – these figures are currently listed at
$9.99 apiece on Entertainment Earth.
As of now this is the only retailer that has them and I believe it
has something to do with the tight relationship Funko has always had
with EE. But this ten dollar price point is genius because we
collectors have been trained over the years to pay a premium for the
licensed products we love. We have been told over and over again that
our favorite franchises are niche properties and that companies just
can’t produce enough to turn a big profit. Mattel has applied this
principle to their current Masters of the Universe Classics line to
great effect, charging twenty-seven
dollars apiece
for six-inch scale figures.
NEWS
FLASH: As I was writing this Big Bad Toy Store
listed the ReAction figures for preorder, also for $9.99 apiece. While the customer service is comparable between BigBad and EE, I find the shipping is usually cheaper with BigBad and they also offer the useful Pile of Loot service.
So
it was a true double-whammy when these ReAction figures appeared with
such a massive bevy of licenses for under ten bucks each. That ten
dollar mark is such an important one nowadays – the equivalent of
the five-dollar mark of the 80s. Once a single-carded figure goes
over that price point, it is no longer an impulse buy and becomes
something that requires conscious thought and decision-making. But
these little ten-dollar gems can all be thrown right into your
virtual shopping cart without a second thought. For a hundred bucks
(plus shipping) you can get ten whole action figures!
So
those are the facts surrounding Funko’s new ReAction line. Well,
the facts and a bit of speculation on my part. Now it’s time for my
opinions
on things.
Opinions.
You are not obliged to share them. I am speaking only for myself and
my views on this line.
I
am fighting with every bit of my common sense against the
unbelievably strong impulse I have to order almost all of these
figures. Because my heart wants them something terrible, but my brain
knows they aren’t actually all that great.
Before
you put me on your list of people to stab in the face, let me
explain. I think you’ll see my points.
I
have to start with the price point. This is a trick. As I said, we
have been trained to believe that our nerd collectibles are going to
be expensive. We have also been trained to believe that ten dollars
is not expensive. But right now ten dollars gets you a 3.75” scale
Marvel, GI Joe, or Star Wars figure with premium sculpting and
articulation and a blister full of accessories. For less than that
you can get a new 5” scale Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figure. And
for a mere five dollars you can get the new styles of former licensed
figures – five points of articulation, simplistic sculpts, basic
paint apps. Sound familiar? That’s because we were just talking
about a company offering the same thing for twice as much. But it
seemed like a deal back then.
Obviously
the argument is that these licenses are not available in any other
way. And that is a valid argument that will keep us paying a premium
for toys until the end of time. I’m just making the point that the
ten dollar price point is not as magical as it seems.
The next thing to address – and this one is more specific to me – is that I hate the old 70s Kenner style of action figures. I have ever since I bought my first GI Joe figure in 1982. They all look tubby, they can’t hold their weapons right, and they often can’t even stand upright. You guys – their knees and elbows don’t even bend.
Obviously
this is where nostalgia kicks in the most. We had these when we were
kids, for most people in my generation those Star Wars figures were
the first things we truly collected. There’s a lot to be said for
that style coming back, particularly with the licenses in question.
But looking at these figures from a purely practical point of view;
they suck.
And
yet I still want to buy every single one of them. Because I am the
toy producers’ wet dream – a chump with disposable income and a
nostalgia gland that rages beyond my control. It’s a boon that
these will probably be difficult to find at retail because the fact
that I can’t put my hands directly on them (and would have to pay
shipping) are the only things keeping me from going buy-crazy. If I
were to happen across them in a store it would be bad.
I
know I said some hurtful things up there, but I think it’s
important to maintain some perspective amongst the hotness of this
announcement. For me, at least.
And
here’s the most important aspect of the ReAction line – these
will appeal to every
geek. Even non-toy collectors. Heck, even non-geeks. The cards are
beautiful and folks that don’t open toys will find them to be
fantastic collectors’ items. A carded set of Back to the Future or
Pulp Fiction figures will look great on a wall. I expect the ReAction
figures to reach far beyond the collectors’ market.
The
crazy thing is that this is just the beginning. I feel like Funko
probably has more licenses in store and is likely already in the
planning stages for things like vehicles and playsets depending upon
the success of these initial offerings. The DeLorean, Vincent and
Jules’ car with Marvin figure included, Butch’s car (to run over
the Marcellus Wallace figure), the Mule from Serenity.
A playset of Ripley’s escape pod. There are so many possibilities –
these are just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine what a Goonies playset
could look like.
Super
7 and Funko are geniuses and I hope that the ReAction line is the
massive success that I think it will be, if only for the fact that it
could genuinely revitalize the action figure industry. But I am going
to do everything I can to avoid getting sucked in. I do not need to
start another line. Especially not one of figures that I don’t even
particularly care for. Even if they do look so cool.
I’ve
already failed a little bit. I had
to buy this xenomorph when I saw it in person at Days of the Dead
this past weekend:
I’m
trying to think of it as a singular purchase that I bought just for
the novelty of the character in that scale. I will use the same
rationale when I order the Gill Man, Snake Plisskin, and Pinhead.
Dammit.
What
will be interesting now is seeing how other toy companies react to
the almost universal positive reception and overwhelming excitement
for Funko’s ReAction figures. Hasbro probably still has the molds
for the original Star Wars figures, though they might be degenerated
at this point. Mattel has plenty of franchises that would work in the
format – specifically Ghostbusters. Maybe we could get an ECTO-1.
Most interesting is the fact that Funko is using a lot of NECA’s
cornerstone licenses. Although if they wanted, NECA could use its
many video game properties to do figures in the ReAction style. I
suppose it all depends on how well this new/old format actually
ends up doing.
All
I know is it’s a good thing that Funko isn’t offering these
licenses in my preferred format of 6” scale, highly detailed and
articulated figures.
Well,
shit.
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