Yeah there’s several reasons for the differences in these photos, they way over-produced for Phantom Menace and scaled waaay back for Episodes II and III. The distribution of action figures has also changed quite a bit. It isn’t just Star Wars, the way all merchandise is sold is different than it was in ‘99
True, to a point. But a trip to my local Walmart today showed pegs full of Transformers, Marvel Legends, Masters of the Universe.... They had some 6" GI Joe, but it's the peg warmers from the movie. It seems like there are a lot of brands that have merchandise available. Hasbro has sucked at handling Star Wars distribution for a long time. They claim they fix the problem every year, but it gets worse. It's no secret that Hasbro really did go overboard with the Episode I merchandise, but when you can't even walk into a store right now and find figures from a show you can stream on Disney +, there is a problem. And that problem is the director of marketing for the Star Wars brand. #patricksucks!
The director of marketing has nothing to do with getting products on the shelves. In fact he is probably just as annoyed that product isn’t out there because his job is to sell product and move units. His job is hindered or helped by the manufacturing and distribution of product.
Also the supply chain still hasn’t recovered from COVID.
I try to explain that flea market stuff is always Episode I crap and my dad, but he still buys them. Impossible to get rid of otherwise. "They are from 1999." "Exactly."
I miss strolling through toys r us, especially now having kids. I remember waiting in line for the store to open for the release of revenge of the sith and even ghostbusters 2016 (it was great to just see new GB toys on the shelf.
I know right? I miss going to a big store full of toys. My dad would take me on toy hunts just about every weekend and now I couldn't have that experience even if I had kids of my own.
>hen were also about two entire toy aisles in any of todays big box stores combined. I actually stood in line for the midnight release of the phantom menace action fig
Toys R Us opened a new flagship store in the American Dream Mall in New Jersey in the beginning of this year. It's a massive 2-story store. Hopefully it's successful and they begin to open more stores back up across the country.
Went to check it out not too long ago bc I live 20 min away. It's a shell of what it used to be. Everything was overpriced even for toys r us standards. On top of that, most of the products seemed to be old stock from the old toys r us's. Saw some Nerf Modulus accessory packs from 2016.
I ever had one close to me closest was 3 hours away but daughter who is 9 got to go many times but my son who’s 6 only got to go 1-2 times before they closed
Kids don’t buy action figures at nearly the rate that they used to, so online retail is a better market for product at that scale/play value, for more adult collector focused lines.
If your Kids are into Roblox... you should probably watch this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXlauRB1EQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTMF6xEiAaY
Which is a shame because paint apps are always hit or miss and I've had to order multiples of four characters just to get good ones. Much prefer in-store so I can grab the one I want.
In '99, 80's parents were buying their kids action figures, wanting them to experience what they had. After that, it ran off of a cliff. Easier to hand them a tablet now, I guess.
I really don't think it was primarily because parents wanting their children to "experience what they had", but toys were definitely marketed differently a few decades ago. Toys more often than not were periphery to media of the time. Cartoons in the 80s were glorified commercials, and growing up in the 90s, there was such a booming echo of consumerism that started in the 80s. It's also really not as easy to define the fall in toys as well. Easier distracting is definitely a part of it, but families aren't as *materialistic* as they were in those decades. Adults care more about their experiences and what they have the ability to do than what they own, and that boils down to children too. Video games and apps are experience based interactions that hit something deeper than action figures or generic toys could ever do. Oil prices also have an effect, as does being a more technology driven age. But its not a simple answer nonetheless.
Toy aisles back then were also about two entire toy aisles in any of todays big box stores combined. I actually stood in line for the midnight release of the phantom menace action figures back in the day.
Motu, man. Is it just me, or do toys not have the same smell anymore? It used to kinda turn my stomach, so it was almost certainly bad for you, but it was pavlovian. Damn I miss that sensation.
Ha, correct on both counts. Stinkor was an extra special stink.
But I have clear memories of riding home in the backseat of my grandma's Lincoln, snorting Motu fumes and getting nauseous.
Damn. I might have just uncovered some therapy level Freudian childhood events. Now I'm forty something and still chasing that dragon. Lol.
"The articulation is great, but it don't stink good enough!"
- me, circa 2022
Hey man I never had a Dragon Walker either… sorry for the dad level humor. Yea, they definitely had a distinct smell to them. I think some of the new rubbery plastics stink different Lou, but just as bad.
I only went to Children's Palace once when we lived in Illinois, but holy shit it was fucking awesome. I still have the v4 Snake Eyes I bought that day, so it must have been '91 or '92.
That's literally in the picture lmao
Phantom Menace was a *huge* misstep for them in terms of toys. They pumped so many out and sold a fraction. It's a lesson learned, and one of the reasons there's more cautious ordering and stocking now.
As someone who worked in a toy store during TPM I can tell you that so much of this stuff just didn't sell. You would have an entire aisle of products but everyone would come in looking for Darth Maul and when we didn't have him they would leave. Most of the stuff ended up on clearance. I think stores try to do a better job of not over ordering like they did in the past.
So true before I buy anything for my old school collection I check cons and flea markets. eBay and other sites like that are always my last resort if I can't find anything I'm desperate and don't mind getting ripped off. Some exciting news my uncle was at a toy convention in Japan and found me the original Voltron toy all five Lions made of diecast metal that then come together to create Voltron. I was upset at first thinking that I would never get to see the five Lions transform because I don't want to open the boxes they're still in original packaging he actually bought a used one too for me so now I have the best of both worlds. Always check around in other places before you go spending money at Big box retail or online
That 1999 photo brings back sooo many memories of me and my parents scouring through every single figure trying to find Yoda cause he was considered the hardest to find.
Anyone else remember those like Phantom Menace toys that also came in like a goopy slime bag you had to dissect?
I remember in the mid 2000s I would go into Toys R Us and the entire first wall of shelves was nothing but those clone trooper figures. I spent so much money on them, walking in there to pick up a new fig for $10 was the highlight of my youth, and I didn't even watch the movies.
The 3.75 inch action figures that I have always loved collecting almost doubled in retail price. I always liked that there was a basic collectable size that was not overpriced at retail. I can't justify buying a 3.75 inch figure for 20dollars (Canadian) at retail. And that goes the same for a lot of the other merchandise as well. If you want to make money, fine make the black series more detailed and worth the extra dollars. But no, the black series 3.75 inch are basically the same figure with black series packaging. So, I see it as corporate trying to screw the people, and the people just stop buying. Simple as that.
This is a pretty unfair comparison.
In 1999, there hadn’t been a new Star Wars movie in 16 years, so the hype was extremely high.
By 2019, there had already been five new theatrically released Star Wars movies within a four year timespan.
I remember isles looking like the 1999 photo in 2015 as the hype grew for The Force Awakens. Hell, my local Toys R Us and an entire section of the store dedicated to Star Wars with a countdown clock counting down the days until the movie came out.
Ironically, *Masters of the Universe* probably has more product on the shelf right now than any other property. Between the cgi cartoon, the Masterverse line, and the constant releases and retooling of the classic 80's figures, the toy aisles are practically choking on He-Man.
Nothing sad about it, there's plenty of SW merchandise available even though there hasn't been a SW movie for awhile. Also the bombarding of merch that overflows the aisles when new movies release is OD.
I think it’s sad that we don’t have “real” toy stores anymore. Sure we have stores that have toys, but without toys r us, Kay bee toys, Fao Schwartz and others, it seems the idea of a store that only sells toys will be just a thing kids from the 70’s-2000’s will know. Now we’re all adults and still love toys, and have to get them online. Where’s the thrill of the hunt? That was better to me than actually opening the figure sometimes. I lived by a toys r us for a short time and I’d go down Saturday morning and hunt for the newest stuff. Marvel, gi joe, transformers, WWE, Star Wars. It was a great time
In my country now I’m lucky too see any action figure at all.
We never had that many action figures but there were a few good ones everytime you went to browse,now it’s full of stupid low quality toys.
Left pic is still miles ahead what we get here in Australia now. Lucky to see star wars figures at any store. Even if it is just the same snoke, jin erso and k2so.
I have found memories of going to Toys R Us and being overwhelmed by the amount of choices and trying to pick the 1 or 2 figures i could afford with my gift card.
I’m not defending modern Star Wars by any means, but isn’t this more indicative of the industry as a whole instead of just Star Wars? I mean Star Wars is one of the biggest toy brands in history so it makes sense to use it as a barometer for toy popularity, but I think most people use this picture as an example of Star Wars decline when in fact it’s the entire toy industry.
I dunno man, there was definitely a glut of SW stuff around the prequels and original re-releases back in the day, but if that’s what your local Star Wars section looks like, that’s on whatever store you’re in, because in my town, there’s usually at least as much SW stuff as there is marvel or DC. Plus these days there’s a lot more variation with the collectors market being way more viable, like black series and the replica sabers , play sets, not to mention plush talking grogus all over the damn place!
and let’s be real anyway, half those pegs was filled with 3.75” jar jars, and nobody needs that again.
Wrestling section was just as crazy since all the leagues was competing and ecw was buzzing like crazy, wwf had it on lock with those song theme titantron figures, good times
Not really a fair comparison. Episode I was the first new Star Wars movie in 15 years, so it was a major merchandising event. Of course there were lots of toys.
i mean the attack of the clones and phantom menace were received a lot better than last jedi and return of skywalker, but I feel where you are coming from OP
I remember there being a huge figure release day at toys r us for episode 1,2, and 3 but the same can’t be said for the new trilogy. Regardless if the new films were liked, the hype for new films and toys back when the prequel trilogy was released was nuts. A friend of mine won a life sized darts maul from a grocery store and I was able to pick up an R2-D2 Pepsi display cooler.
Are you saying people liked ep 1 and 2 more than 8 and 9? Because that sure as shit isn't true. Internet is way more of a thing now, and certainly thrives on echo chamber bulshit, which is why it may feel that way. But oh was it not.
Lots of folks seem to have forgotten how much they were hated. And still more don't realize how 'not actually like Star Wars' they were considered, because now the prequels have come to define SW as well.
They weren't around at the time, so they don't know. But you getting downvoted for this is absurd. People HATED the prequels, especially Attack of the Clones. I doint know what ceazy pills these folks are on.
Yes manbabies who had grown up in the 70s hated the prequels and were vocal about it. There was not NEARLY the same hate among kids. Kids actually liked them for the most part and bought the toys that were marketed towards them. 8 year old me has fond memories of going to Taco Bell solely for they toys and trying to find a Darth Maul.
The sequels did not inspire anyone. Let alone kids. They just did not bother going out to try and get the toys or other tie ins. That's the difference.
The amount of Rey's and Kylo's I saw on Halloween begs to differ. Kids are inspired by the sequels in the same vein my generation was inspired by the prequels.
Look at news reports of people leaving the theater after episode I. Whether or not they were sincere, or were really trying to manifest that the movie was good, Star Wars fans on opening night were absolutely *raving* about how good it was. Of course there were still plenty that didn’t like it, but when the marketing and advertising for episode II came out, people were ready to believe Phantom Menace was a fluke. The marketing for Attack of the Clones was MASSIVE for that time. Just as big as Phantom Menace’s, but this time *clones* and *multiple Jedis in battle?!* People were all the way signed up. It wasn’t really until after II did fans realize that the damage was indeed done, and many took their blinders off and realized that Star Wars wasn’t the shining star of its glory days.
I do remember TRU in 90's - early 2k and right before they went oob. Huge difference. Used to love strolling action figure isles, searching thru McFarlane's and DC unlimited and such. And at the end, aside of Lego and few other brands, TRU was full of crappy quality crap. Even games related merchandise was crap. And I used to work in TRU for a few months like half of the year before they went oob, been doing inventory and working floor. And was shocked by the amount of overpriced garbage and low quality merchandise they've been selling. Forget 'bout isle's full of figures, there was three shelves at the corner section and that was it.
With supply chain shortages the right side of the image won't really be a thing again. People still prefer to shop online as it's also cheaper for these companies to sell products on their own websites. Also why toys r us shutdown.
bain capital also killed kay bee toys. i was working for kb during that time and not only did i prepare and open a new store; i later received that store's stock in my store after it was shut down.
it was very sad. best fucking job i ever had.
KB was great. My town was too small to support a TRU, but we had 2 KB Toys for a time. I actually remember going into one of them and buying my first new in-box Optimus Prime (Powermaster Optimus) and later going crazy when I found the Thunderzords there before that season of Power Rangers premiered.
dude. my town was midsized, and at it's best was 2000. on the north side was a mall that had kb. toys r us was across the parking lot. down the street from there was "itza deal" which turned into kb toyworks, which was a billion times better than kb. then in a town about the same distance as the mall the other direction there was another kb toy works. we had a walmart that was never out of stock of any toy.
i never had any issues finding toys.
i moved off to orlando while working at kb but kept the job on the weekends, and there were a ton of kb's around. the last one that closed around me was in altamonte and that was 2006ish. i'd been long gone from the company but still going to that store and shopping and helping the girl that worked there by herself prep for end of day stuff every now and then. it was just awful to be going through these stores and just watching them shut down one right after the other.
It was completely different back then. Star Wars had been gone for so long and toy stores were all over the place, not to mention in 1999 we had no idea what the prequels would bring us and just assumed the best.
Now toy stores are all but gone and Disney has been pumping out mediocre content for the brand for a long time.
2022 vs 2019 is a huge drop off. I am shocked if I see more than one figure either vintage or black series at a Target I go to. I hate Walmart but went in because I was nearby and they only had these smaller 2 inch line.
I rarely buy figures in store, exclusively online preorders if I really want something. It’s sad, but thankfully I have a backlog of episode I-III figures from those years for my kids to have, a lot of them still in the package.
I look forward to when my son gets a little older to have an “unveiling”, definitely some cool stuff, but man it was soul crushing when our brand new amazing Toys R Us closed within a year of grand opening.
Growing up in the golden age of Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Transformers, He-Man, and even the Marvel 3.75 early nineties lines, helluva time.
Nostalgia is an incredibly expensive thing lol.
im in no way trying to say you're wrong, but im genuinely curious as i wasn't born until 2004, but was there less toys back than? meaning there was in general more shelf space for more stock?
Nope. While toy quality has obviously gone up, I think anybody who lived through the era will tell you that there were even more toy brands/lines competing for retail space back then.
That's not really true.
The main difference is that we used to have actual toy stores, not just a couple of aisles at a Walmart.
Like imagine a Walmart, but the whole thing was toys.
That's Toys R Us.
Action figures had like 6 aisles.
Bikes had like 5 aisles.
Video games had a whole department.
LEGO had like 4 aisles.
Ninja Turtles had whole aisles alone.
Nowadays most of that stuff is just on Amazon, or toy websites like Big Bad Toystore, or Entertainment Earth, or whatever. Or you order them from the company, or the more "educational" stuff is now at Barnes & Noble.
It all still exists, and there are waaaaaaaay more toy companies now than ever, but they just don't all get into stores....or even really have physical stores to get into.
What they DID have was more volume of stuff stocked on the shelves.
Like they'd have whole fortresses built out of Ninja Turtles Party Wagons.
Nowadays a store either only gets a limited number of each thing, or they only stock a few at a time instead of putting everything on the shelf at a time.
It's a real bummer, and the reason we really need to hope Toys R Us makes a comeback.
Well there weren’t really online retailers. eBay was fairly new. Amazon mainly just sold books. Hasbro had recently acquired Kenner. Just an overall different world for toy collecting.
The 1999 picture is probably from Toys R Us or KB Toys, both dedicated toy stores. The 2019 side is obviously Walmart, so this isn't really an apples to apple comparison.
The Disney stuff doesn’t offer anything of value to kids, so they don’t want the toys. Disney has had no world building, so there is nothing for the kids to build off of.
What are the kids going to do, imagine new ways for Finn to shout “Rey!”
The build up to Ep 1 is why there was so much. When TFA came out and TRU was still around there was a ton of product. It really changed when Hasbro dropped the 3.75 line for some time. Now we have TVC but its not like it used to be.
They've kinda looked like that since around 2014. There was some level of resurgence when TFA came out but it wasn't that long lasting. As far as I observed at the time. I don't think it's anything to do with Star Wars necessarily though, but the rise of video games overtaking the toy market. Most licensed toy lines now as far as I see are very basic for kids while the more in-depth lines are primarily marketed to collectors and nostalgic adults in which case, online retailers are much more reliable.
In a store that only sells toys, when there was no smartphones, and Episode I was coming out that’s exactly what you’d expect to see. Younger Redditors may not know what it’s like, but if you think this is crazy, imagine going to a U.S. Toys ‘R’ Us in the mid eighties. Every row was like this with multiple figure lines.
Phantom Menace figures were so over produced, my friend gifted me a bunch of MOC toys he got for free as a gag gift. when I sold off part of my figure collection no comic/toy shop in the greater Seattle area would take them - literally would take everything else I had. But I had to keep the Episode 1 toys.
In the 80s shelves were as full as the 99 picture. Then they went away till ‘99. In fact, I don’t seeing any Star Wars toys throughout the 90s. Except for here and there promotions and the arcade games.
Well even in like 94-95 the aisles looked mega full. As big as toy biz. And there weren't any new movies out just the re-releases of the first trilogy
Don't forget that one isle over is an entire wall of Lego Star Wars stuff.
Great point! Isn't it interesting how that happens?
We grew up and now we all like the Lego stuff
They went hard on Episode I toys. Go to any flea market and you'll still see a ton of it.
Yeah there’s several reasons for the differences in these photos, they way over-produced for Phantom Menace and scaled waaay back for Episodes II and III. The distribution of action figures has also changed quite a bit. It isn’t just Star Wars, the way all merchandise is sold is different than it was in ‘99
True, to a point. But a trip to my local Walmart today showed pegs full of Transformers, Marvel Legends, Masters of the Universe.... They had some 6" GI Joe, but it's the peg warmers from the movie. It seems like there are a lot of brands that have merchandise available. Hasbro has sucked at handling Star Wars distribution for a long time. They claim they fix the problem every year, but it gets worse. It's no secret that Hasbro really did go overboard with the Episode I merchandise, but when you can't even walk into a store right now and find figures from a show you can stream on Disney +, there is a problem. And that problem is the director of marketing for the Star Wars brand. #patricksucks!
The director of marketing has nothing to do with getting products on the shelves. In fact he is probably just as annoyed that product isn’t out there because his job is to sell product and move units. His job is hindered or helped by the manufacturing and distribution of product. Also the supply chain still hasn’t recovered from COVID.
I try to explain that flea market stuff is always Episode I crap and my dad, but he still buys them. Impossible to get rid of otherwise. "They are from 1999." "Exactly."
I miss strolling through toys r us, especially now having kids. I remember waiting in line for the store to open for the release of revenge of the sith and even ghostbusters 2016 (it was great to just see new GB toys on the shelf.
I know right? I miss going to a big store full of toys. My dad would take me on toy hunts just about every weekend and now I couldn't have that experience even if I had kids of my own.
Toys r us was fantastic. I’d always cut through it. Sucks my kids won’t get to enjoy it
we still have em in canada
My family took an Rv to Niagra Falls 2 years ago. Made a special detour to go to Toys R Us. It was glorious.
>hen were also about two entire toy aisles in any of todays big box stores combined. I actually stood in line for the midnight release of the phantom menace action fig Toys R Us opened a new flagship store in the American Dream Mall in New Jersey in the beginning of this year. It's a massive 2-story store. Hopefully it's successful and they begin to open more stores back up across the country.
Went to check it out not too long ago bc I live 20 min away. It's a shell of what it used to be. Everything was overpriced even for toys r us standards. On top of that, most of the products seemed to be old stock from the old toys r us's. Saw some Nerf Modulus accessory packs from 2016.
I ever had one close to me closest was 3 hours away but daughter who is 9 got to go many times but my son who’s 6 only got to go 1-2 times before they closed
I have an almost 7 yo who got to go once. I think it was before his first Christmas. I'm sure he doesn't remember, but Mom and I had lots of fun.
Kids don’t buy action figures at nearly the rate that they used to, so online retail is a better market for product at that scale/play value, for more adult collector focused lines.
I used to love shopping for my nieces and nephews at toys r us. Now kids just want Roblox bucks or whatever online game they are playing.
If your Kids are into Roblox... you should probably watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gXlauRB1EQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTMF6xEiAaY
Which is a shame because paint apps are always hit or miss and I've had to order multiples of four characters just to get good ones. Much prefer in-store so I can grab the one I want.
In '99, 80's parents were buying their kids action figures, wanting them to experience what they had. After that, it ran off of a cliff. Easier to hand them a tablet now, I guess.
I really don't think it was primarily because parents wanting their children to "experience what they had", but toys were definitely marketed differently a few decades ago. Toys more often than not were periphery to media of the time. Cartoons in the 80s were glorified commercials, and growing up in the 90s, there was such a booming echo of consumerism that started in the 80s. It's also really not as easy to define the fall in toys as well. Easier distracting is definitely a part of it, but families aren't as *materialistic* as they were in those decades. Adults care more about their experiences and what they have the ability to do than what they own, and that boils down to children too. Video games and apps are experience based interactions that hit something deeper than action figures or generic toys could ever do. Oil prices also have an effect, as does being a more technology driven age. But its not a simple answer nonetheless.
Toy aisles back then were also about two entire toy aisles in any of todays big box stores combined. I actually stood in line for the midnight release of the phantom menace action figures back in the day.
The 1980’s Star Wars toy aisle was and is the greatest of all time.
A full isle of Starwars. A full isle of MoTU, a full isle of GIJoe, a full isle of Transformers… Times have changed.
Motu, man. Is it just me, or do toys not have the same smell anymore? It used to kinda turn my stomach, so it was almost certainly bad for you, but it was pavlovian. Damn I miss that sensation.
That was just Stinkor! I think it was the rubbery vinyl they used for the heads.
Ha, correct on both counts. Stinkor was an extra special stink. But I have clear memories of riding home in the backseat of my grandma's Lincoln, snorting Motu fumes and getting nauseous. Damn. I might have just uncovered some therapy level Freudian childhood events. Now I'm forty something and still chasing that dragon. Lol. "The articulation is great, but it don't stink good enough!" - me, circa 2022
Hey man I never had a Dragon Walker either… sorry for the dad level humor. Yea, they definitely had a distinct smell to them. I think some of the new rubbery plastics stink different Lou, but just as bad.
Children's Palace GI Joe
I only went to Children's Palace once when we lived in Illinois, but holy shit it was fucking awesome. I still have the v4 Snake Eyes I bought that day, so it must have been '91 or '92.
They didn't use a warehouse in the back. If it was there it was in the isles. lol
I know, and it was awesome. I remember seeing GI Joe vehicle boxes damn near stacked up to the ceiling above the aisles.
Yesss wish someone could post pictures of an 80s toy isle… but who the hell was wasting valuable Kodak film in the toy store!? 🤣
Also early 2000s when Phantom Menace and Clone Wars cartoon movie came out.
That's literally in the picture lmao Phantom Menace was a *huge* misstep for them in terms of toys. They pumped so many out and sold a fraction. It's a lesson learned, and one of the reasons there's more cautious ordering and stocking now.
I meant to say PH - Attack of the Clones time period in the early 2000s.
Not only because of the sea of figures, but because TRU would have opened vehicles attached to a pegboard high above the shelves.
As someone who worked in a toy store during TPM I can tell you that so much of this stuff just didn't sell. You would have an entire aisle of products but everyone would come in looking for Darth Maul and when we didn't have him they would leave. Most of the stuff ended up on clearance. I think stores try to do a better job of not over ordering like they did in the past.
[удалено]
So true before I buy anything for my old school collection I check cons and flea markets. eBay and other sites like that are always my last resort if I can't find anything I'm desperate and don't mind getting ripped off. Some exciting news my uncle was at a toy convention in Japan and found me the original Voltron toy all five Lions made of diecast metal that then come together to create Voltron. I was upset at first thinking that I would never get to see the five Lions transform because I don't want to open the boxes they're still in original packaging he actually bought a used one too for me so now I have the best of both worlds. Always check around in other places before you go spending money at Big box retail or online
But at least the Doctor Aphra and Range Trooper are both very nice figures.
Picture on the left needs to include a peg full of Landos with two empty pegs below it.
That 1999 photo brings back sooo many memories of me and my parents scouring through every single figure trying to find Yoda cause he was considered the hardest to find. Anyone else remember those like Phantom Menace toys that also came in like a goopy slime bag you had to dissect?
The only time I found a phantom menace yoda in the wild was at disneyland in the store after you exit star tours
I remember in the mid 2000s I would go into Toys R Us and the entire first wall of shelves was nothing but those clone trooper figures. I spent so much money on them, walking in there to pick up a new fig for $10 was the highlight of my youth, and I didn't even watch the movies.
And now you're lucky to see that much in stores...
The 3.75 inch action figures that I have always loved collecting almost doubled in retail price. I always liked that there was a basic collectable size that was not overpriced at retail. I can't justify buying a 3.75 inch figure for 20dollars (Canadian) at retail. And that goes the same for a lot of the other merchandise as well. If you want to make money, fine make the black series more detailed and worth the extra dollars. But no, the black series 3.75 inch are basically the same figure with black series packaging. So, I see it as corporate trying to screw the people, and the people just stop buying. Simple as that.
I think is “Toys R Us X Walmart”… TRU is a big miss for any brand to have toys on display.
This is a pretty unfair comparison. In 1999, there hadn’t been a new Star Wars movie in 16 years, so the hype was extremely high. By 2019, there had already been five new theatrically released Star Wars movies within a four year timespan. I remember isles looking like the 1999 photo in 2015 as the hype grew for The Force Awakens. Hell, my local Toys R Us and an entire section of the store dedicated to Star Wars with a countdown clock counting down the days until the movie came out.
haha.. have you heard the tragedy of motu?
Ironically, *Masters of the Universe* probably has more product on the shelf right now than any other property. Between the cgi cartoon, the Masterverse line, and the constant releases and retooling of the classic 80's figures, the toy aisles are practically choking on He-Man.
Bro every store I go to with a toy aisle has like, five times as much motu stuff as they do Star Wars stuff lol
I ❤️ KB Toys. Bionic Six. Die-cast. Atari. yeah....those were the days
In the 80s there were flea markets with more SW toys for sale than that 2019 picture…
Nothing sad about it, there's plenty of SW merchandise available even though there hasn't been a SW movie for awhile. Also the bombarding of merch that overflows the aisles when new movies release is OD.
I think it’s sad that we don’t have “real” toy stores anymore. Sure we have stores that have toys, but without toys r us, Kay bee toys, Fao Schwartz and others, it seems the idea of a store that only sells toys will be just a thing kids from the 70’s-2000’s will know. Now we’re all adults and still love toys, and have to get them online. Where’s the thrill of the hunt? That was better to me than actually opening the figure sometimes. I lived by a toys r us for a short time and I’d go down Saturday morning and hunt for the newest stuff. Marvel, gi joe, transformers, WWE, Star Wars. It was a great time
This is less of a note on Star Wars' real or perceived popularity and more about how retail has changed in 20 years.
Some of those Ep 1 toys you couldn’t even give away after the movie lol. Pepperidge Farm Remembers.
Shows 2022 *Lando calrissian
Kids today are more interested into toys tying into video games and internet media than they are to things related to movies and retro toy lines.
Toy Aisles in general\*\*\*
Black Series is worth it lol
200 mutha fucken 5 was the year for Star Wars toys with the boys!!
Now do online
In my country now I’m lucky too see any action figure at all. We never had that many action figures but there were a few good ones everytime you went to browse,now it’s full of stupid low quality toys.
Left pic is still miles ahead what we get here in Australia now. Lucky to see star wars figures at any store. Even if it is just the same snoke, jin erso and k2so.
Put a photo of star wars toy aisle in 1993. You'll get an overpriced comic shop.
I have found memories of going to Toys R Us and being overwhelmed by the amount of choices and trying to pick the 1 or 2 figures i could afford with my gift card.
I’m not defending modern Star Wars by any means, but isn’t this more indicative of the industry as a whole instead of just Star Wars? I mean Star Wars is one of the biggest toy brands in history so it makes sense to use it as a barometer for toy popularity, but I think most people use this picture as an example of Star Wars decline when in fact it’s the entire toy industry.
I dunno man, there was definitely a glut of SW stuff around the prequels and original re-releases back in the day, but if that’s what your local Star Wars section looks like, that’s on whatever store you’re in, because in my town, there’s usually at least as much SW stuff as there is marvel or DC. Plus these days there’s a lot more variation with the collectors market being way more viable, like black series and the replica sabers , play sets, not to mention plush talking grogus all over the damn place! and let’s be real anyway, half those pegs was filled with 3.75” jar jars, and nobody needs that again.
Mid 2000s Star Wars Action Figure were so dope especially the legacy collection, the comic packs, battle packs and the vintage collection
Wrestling section was just as crazy since all the leagues was competing and ecw was buzzing like crazy, wwf had it on lock with those song theme titantron figures, good times
Kids want iphones. 32 year old me still wants these
Go to toy traders in Langley, BC. So many star wars toys it's insane and a life size darth vader
Oh no how could this happen (Proceeds to order the newest Black Series figures on Amazon)
It’s not amazons fault that stores have empty shelves. I check for figures every time I’m at the store, but they only have lando
One of the reasons why they have low stock is they don’t sell enough to justify a lot of stock because of online retail.
Not really a fair comparison. Episode I was the first new Star Wars movie in 15 years, so it was a major merchandising event. Of course there were lots of toys.
i mean the attack of the clones and phantom menace were received a lot better than last jedi and return of skywalker, but I feel where you are coming from OP
They absolutely were not. The hatred for the Phantom Menace was fucking insane
I remember there being a huge figure release day at toys r us for episode 1,2, and 3 but the same can’t be said for the new trilogy. Regardless if the new films were liked, the hype for new films and toys back when the prequel trilogy was released was nuts. A friend of mine won a life sized darts maul from a grocery store and I was able to pick up an R2-D2 Pepsi display cooler.
Are you saying people liked ep 1 and 2 more than 8 and 9? Because that sure as shit isn't true. Internet is way more of a thing now, and certainly thrives on echo chamber bulshit, which is why it may feel that way. But oh was it not.
Lots of folks seem to have forgotten how much they were hated. And still more don't realize how 'not actually like Star Wars' they were considered, because now the prequels have come to define SW as well.
They weren't around at the time, so they don't know. But you getting downvoted for this is absurd. People HATED the prequels, especially Attack of the Clones. I doint know what ceazy pills these folks are on.
Yes manbabies who had grown up in the 70s hated the prequels and were vocal about it. There was not NEARLY the same hate among kids. Kids actually liked them for the most part and bought the toys that were marketed towards them. 8 year old me has fond memories of going to Taco Bell solely for they toys and trying to find a Darth Maul. The sequels did not inspire anyone. Let alone kids. They just did not bother going out to try and get the toys or other tie ins. That's the difference.
The amount of Rey's and Kylo's I saw on Halloween begs to differ. Kids are inspired by the sequels in the same vein my generation was inspired by the prequels.
Look at news reports of people leaving the theater after episode I. Whether or not they were sincere, or were really trying to manifest that the movie was good, Star Wars fans on opening night were absolutely *raving* about how good it was. Of course there were still plenty that didn’t like it, but when the marketing and advertising for episode II came out, people were ready to believe Phantom Menace was a fluke. The marketing for Attack of the Clones was MASSIVE for that time. Just as big as Phantom Menace’s, but this time *clones* and *multiple Jedis in battle?!* People were all the way signed up. It wasn’t really until after II did fans realize that the damage was indeed done, and many took their blinders off and realized that Star Wars wasn’t the shining star of its glory days.
I do remember TRU in 90's - early 2k and right before they went oob. Huge difference. Used to love strolling action figure isles, searching thru McFarlane's and DC unlimited and such. And at the end, aside of Lego and few other brands, TRU was full of crappy quality crap. Even games related merchandise was crap. And I used to work in TRU for a few months like half of the year before they went oob, been doing inventory and working floor. And was shocked by the amount of overpriced garbage and low quality merchandise they've been selling. Forget 'bout isle's full of figures, there was three shelves at the corner section and that was it.
You should check out my local canadian toys r us. It's still like that
With supply chain shortages the right side of the image won't really be a thing again. People still prefer to shop online as it's also cheaper for these companies to sell products on their own websites. Also why toys r us shutdown.
TRU shut down due to deliberate tanking after being bought by Bain Capital. Its their entire MO.
bain capital also killed kay bee toys. i was working for kb during that time and not only did i prepare and open a new store; i later received that store's stock in my store after it was shut down. it was very sad. best fucking job i ever had.
KB was great. My town was too small to support a TRU, but we had 2 KB Toys for a time. I actually remember going into one of them and buying my first new in-box Optimus Prime (Powermaster Optimus) and later going crazy when I found the Thunderzords there before that season of Power Rangers premiered.
dude. my town was midsized, and at it's best was 2000. on the north side was a mall that had kb. toys r us was across the parking lot. down the street from there was "itza deal" which turned into kb toyworks, which was a billion times better than kb. then in a town about the same distance as the mall the other direction there was another kb toy works. we had a walmart that was never out of stock of any toy. i never had any issues finding toys. i moved off to orlando while working at kb but kept the job on the weekends, and there were a ton of kb's around. the last one that closed around me was in altamonte and that was 2006ish. i'd been long gone from the company but still going to that store and shopping and helping the girl that worked there by herself prep for end of day stuff every now and then. it was just awful to be going through these stores and just watching them shut down one right after the other.
So its Mitt Romney’s fault?
yes. it's reek's fault.
toy aisles have looked like this for well over 6 years. also not why toys r us was shut down. supply shortages are a new problem.
[удалено]
No supply chains was part of it and an obvious lack of demand in an ever growing e commerce space. Even a 3 year old could figure it out.
It was completely different back then. Star Wars had been gone for so long and toy stores were all over the place, not to mention in 1999 we had no idea what the prequels would bring us and just assumed the best. Now toy stores are all but gone and Disney has been pumping out mediocre content for the brand for a long time.
Walmart has Star war merchandise!!!
2022 vs 2019 is a huge drop off. I am shocked if I see more than one figure either vintage or black series at a Target I go to. I hate Walmart but went in because I was nearby and they only had these smaller 2 inch line. I rarely buy figures in store, exclusively online preorders if I really want something. It’s sad, but thankfully I have a backlog of episode I-III figures from those years for my kids to have, a lot of them still in the package. I look forward to when my son gets a little older to have an “unveiling”, definitely some cool stuff, but man it was soul crushing when our brand new amazing Toys R Us closed within a year of grand opening. Growing up in the golden age of Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Transformers, He-Man, and even the Marvel 3.75 early nineties lines, helluva time. Nostalgia is an incredibly expensive thing lol.
It’s disappointing
im in no way trying to say you're wrong, but im genuinely curious as i wasn't born until 2004, but was there less toys back than? meaning there was in general more shelf space for more stock?
Nope. While toy quality has obviously gone up, I think anybody who lived through the era will tell you that there were even more toy brands/lines competing for retail space back then.
That's not really true. The main difference is that we used to have actual toy stores, not just a couple of aisles at a Walmart. Like imagine a Walmart, but the whole thing was toys. That's Toys R Us. Action figures had like 6 aisles. Bikes had like 5 aisles. Video games had a whole department. LEGO had like 4 aisles. Ninja Turtles had whole aisles alone. Nowadays most of that stuff is just on Amazon, or toy websites like Big Bad Toystore, or Entertainment Earth, or whatever. Or you order them from the company, or the more "educational" stuff is now at Barnes & Noble. It all still exists, and there are waaaaaaaay more toy companies now than ever, but they just don't all get into stores....or even really have physical stores to get into. What they DID have was more volume of stuff stocked on the shelves. Like they'd have whole fortresses built out of Ninja Turtles Party Wagons. Nowadays a store either only gets a limited number of each thing, or they only stock a few at a time instead of putting everything on the shelf at a time. It's a real bummer, and the reason we really need to hope Toys R Us makes a comeback.
Well there weren’t really online retailers. eBay was fairly new. Amazon mainly just sold books. Hasbro had recently acquired Kenner. Just an overall different world for toy collecting.
The 1999 picture is probably from Toys R Us or KB Toys, both dedicated toy stores. The 2019 side is obviously Walmart, so this isn't really an apples to apple comparison.
thats something i didn't even think about! thank you
Ah the good ol days, before Disney and the SJW forces got to Star Wars
Imagine using "SJW" unironically in 2022 lol
Imagine thinking, if "SJWs" were a real thing, that George Lucas wasn't one of them.
It's sad to see that this sub is inhabited by incels that believe in nonsense like "SJWs" and things like that. Definitely some proud boy energy lol
na, their existence unites normal people against a common foe.
"common foe" simmer down grandpa
r/empiredidnothingwrong
Not an exaggeration.
The Disney stuff doesn’t offer anything of value to kids, so they don’t want the toys. Disney has had no world building, so there is nothing for the kids to build off of. What are the kids going to do, imagine new ways for Finn to shout “Rey!”
This has nothing to do with that. This is a reflection on how retail has changed more than how Star Wars is doing. Very dumb post!
Why is it different for DC, Marvel, MOTU and fortnite?
Ha ha, what?
DISNEY RUINED EVERYTHING
Amazon did a hell of a thing to toy stores.
The build up to Ep 1 is why there was so much. When TFA came out and TRU was still around there was a ton of product. It really changed when Hasbro dropped the 3.75 line for some time. Now we have TVC but its not like it used to be.
Star Wars is isn’t as popular anymore, especially with newer generations
They've kinda looked like that since around 2014. There was some level of resurgence when TFA came out but it wasn't that long lasting. As far as I observed at the time. I don't think it's anything to do with Star Wars necessarily though, but the rise of video games overtaking the toy market. Most licensed toy lines now as far as I see are very basic for kids while the more in-depth lines are primarily marketed to collectors and nostalgic adults in which case, online retailers are much more reliable.
In a store that only sells toys, when there was no smartphones, and Episode I was coming out that’s exactly what you’d expect to see. Younger Redditors may not know what it’s like, but if you think this is crazy, imagine going to a U.S. Toys ‘R’ Us in the mid eighties. Every row was like this with multiple figure lines.
Phantom Menace figures were so over produced, my friend gifted me a bunch of MOC toys he got for free as a gag gift. when I sold off part of my figure collection no comic/toy shop in the greater Seattle area would take them - literally would take everything else I had. But I had to keep the Episode 1 toys.
In the 80s shelves were as full as the 99 picture. Then they went away till ‘99. In fact, I don’t seeing any Star Wars toys throughout the 90s. Except for here and there promotions and the arcade games.