As
many of you might know, I have been trying to make inroads into
various toy companies for quite some time now. I suppose it’s a
pipe dream of mine to interview somebody from each of the major toy
companies, as well as some professionals who have spent time working
in the industry.
Over
the last several months I have been sending e-mails and messages out
to various names that I come across. I’ve communicated with people
from DC Direct, Funko, NECA, and a couple of smaller companies. I’ve
also exchanged messages with a guy that has sculpted for Mezco and DC
Direct. We should be recording sometime in the next two weeks.
But
the larger companies have taken some time to work with. I’m not
sure if they’re wary of bloggers or hesitant to spend valuable time
talking to what is probably a smaller presence on the internet.
Everybody has been very nice and cooperative, but I have definitely
felt like they’re sort of stalling or something.
The
last thing in the world I expected was to hear back from one of the
most consistently persecuted personalities on the internet – Toy
Guru himself, Scott Nietlich.
So
what happened is I sent several messages to various “Contact Us”
addresses I found scattered about Mattel’s various websites. It’s
my stock message about wanting to interview or record a podcast with
a representative of the company or somebody who works on the toys. I
make it clear that this is an interview/biographical style thing with
the intent of finding out what it’s like working for the company as
opposed to specific questions about the toy lines.
Much
to my surprise, I received an e-mail from Nietlich asking about the
interview. He wasn’t interested in doing an actual podcast. I got
the impression that Needless Things didn’t have quite the presence
he deemed necessary to take the time for that (which is fine – I
totally
understand that these people are busy). But he said he’d be happy
to do an e-mail interview. He couldn’t commit to the full 13
questions I normally do, but he said he’d send back as many as he
could.
I
was pretty stoked. Even if he gave me a bunch of fluff answers, it
was still going to be a heck of a catch to be able to put Toy Guru’s
name on my list of interview subjects.
He
ended up having some very interesting answers and being one of the
better subjects I’ve had. The only bad thing is that it made me
really
want to record a podcast with the guy.
Anyway,
here’s a great Q&A with one of the most important people in the
toy industry. He was pretty open and I think there are even a few
tidbits in here that haven’t been announced or mentioned before. No
new figures or anything, just info about the direction of some lines.
Enjoy!
1
– I always ask my guests what their favorite toy was when they were
a kid. Obviously we already know what your favorite was – was there
a close second?
A
– I’m not sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I definitely
have a soft spot for Kenner’s Super Powers line. They were almost
like smaller versions of He-Man – they had bulky, exaggerated
physiques and action features.
2
– How did the decision to create Club Etheria come about? It seemed
to me like a bit of a risky proposition, though it turned out I was
wrong (Light Hope looks FANTASTIC, by the way).
A
– If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years with MOTUC,
it’s that the fans feel very strongly about their favorite
factions. From the beginning the She-Ravers have had the loudest
voice of any of them. We originally weren’t even sure we wanted to
include She-Ra in the Classics, but the She-Ravers showed up loud and proud and fast! Club Etheria was an opportunity to say thank you and to get some great characters out under their own special banner to acknowledge the 30th anniversary of She-Ra. Since they were all getting tooled, even if the sub didn't go through we could just roll them into the 2015 sub, which will be the final year.
3
– We keep getting teased with the possibility of a new Masters of
the Universe movie. I know you can’t really reveal anything, but
for pure wish fulfillment how would you envision the inevitable
related toy line?
A
– I think anybody can look at the toy aisles now and recognize that
smaller figures are the way to go. If we could reduce articulation
and size, we could put out what I think would be the ultimate,
all-encompassing MOTU line. Playsets and vehicles could happen,. And
by reducing parts and paint we could put out some really cool stuff.
But that’s just thinking out loud. None of this has been discussed
yet.
4
– Manage Your Expectations has to be one of the most brilliant
phrases I’ve ever heard. It’s cautionary without sounding too
harsh. Is that all yours or did that take some teamwork at Mattel to
develop?
A
– I know you’re looking for an in-depth answer to this, but
manage your expectations! Haha! Seriously, though, the first time I
said it was in response to a Ask Matty question about vehicles. It
just had a ring to it and I took to using it any time the fans –
who often expect what I call a “Dream Scenario” rather than a
realistic, workable product – seemed like they were getting out of
hand with their wants. At first it seemed reasonable, but now it’s
a another one of those things that the fans seem to get upset over!
5
– The line has certainly changed throughout the years. From
starting out as a truly amazing and different toy line through the
difficulties of the quality control issues and customer expectations
to the current run of amazing characters with lots
of new tooling. I’m sure we have more changes in store, but is
there relief for you seeing the light at the end?
A
– One thing I can go ahead and say – look for us to drop
accessories within the line whenever possible. Personally, I am not a
fan of accessories. They just get lost and I kind of never
understood why these huge, powerful characters needed weapons anyway.
The key to this decision was when we dropped Rio Blast’s visor. The
fans didn’t seem to mind and the figure still looks GREAT! Here’s
the great part, though – for those fans that do still need weapons
and extra pieces like Rio Blast’s visor – we plan on offering
some special, no-deco Weapons Paks each quarter for around $50. These
will include ALL of the accessories for the figures that quarter.
We’re rolling this out in the Fall and yes, fans – they WILL BE
available during Early Access!
6
– Your history with Mattel and how you started Masters of the
Universe Classics is pretty well-documented; your (thing) has been an
especially fascinating source of the story. Is there any chance that
the whole thing – from the inception of the idea to whenever the
line might end – might someday be documented?
A
– I think this is a great question to close with because I have
some VERY exciting news on that front and it’s something that I
think the MOTU fans are going to LOVE! I mentioned it on the last
Roast Gooble Dinner, but I’m not sure if that is posted yet, so
this might be the first time fans will hear about it!
Part
of managing the line has been keeping a close eye on expenditures.
Obviously we have to make money. Well, we’ve done such a good job
of managing the costs on this line for the past two years and also
going into 2015 that we have been able to fund a very special project
for the fans.
You
might have seen me on the hit Travel Channel show, Toy Hunter, a
couple of times now. Well, those appearances have led to a
partnership with the Toy Hunter production crew. Thanks to the cost
management on the Masters of the Universe Classics line, we will be
able to fund a documentary detailing my work on the line, from the
long nights poring over old documents, to the pitch to management, to
now!
That’s
right He-Fans and She-Ravers – Toy Guru is going to be starring in
his own movie!
Now,
we aren’t; trying to get this project into theaters, though we
might tour some film festivals. The plan is to offer it on disc and
digitally on MattyCollector.com so that the fans have the first crack
at this exciting project!
That’s
all I can say for right now.
There
you have it, Phantomaniacs and He-Fans and She-Ravers! Toy
Guru: The Movie!
I, for one, can’t wait to see it!
You
know, normally it is not in my nature to be deceitful, but… April
Fools’!
This
idea struck me Friday night and I thought it would probably be more
fun than last year’s misery-laden post.
Which, despite the opening paragraph, still managed to fool some
folks. The shitty part is that I am in a similar frame of mind this
year. Which brings me to this:
GIVE
ME MONEY.
I
will not use it to make a Phantom Troublemaker documentary. I will
use it to make Needless Things better and to continue producing the
Needless Things Podcast. And record more episodes. Here are the
links, you should know them by now:
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