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Talking Batman, DC, and More with Spin Master's Mark Morse
248 Plays10 days ago
Mark Morse is a true toy industry veteran with nearly 20 years across a variety of companies from Mattel and Super7, to MGA. While we know him best from his nostalgia-fueled work over at Plastic Meatball, today we’re here to talk about his new role as Vice President and Global Brand Lead for Wheels and Action over at Spin Master. Mark, welcome back to Adventures in Collecting!
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Intro and other voices by Joe Azzari
https://www.instagram.com/voicesbyjoe/
Theme Music is "Game Boy Horror" by the Zombie Dandies
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Adventures in Collecting' and Toy Fair Excitement
00:00:03
Speaker
Are you ready, kids? Get your parents' permission, check your mailbox, and grab your shopping cart. It's time for the Adventures in Collecting podcast. I'm Eric.
00:00:15
Speaker
And I'm Dave. Welcome to Adventures in Collecting, where we talk toy news, culture, and hauls. Along with our journeys as collectors.
00:00:28
Speaker
Hello, everybody, and welcome back to Adventures in Collecting. Hi. Dave, we're back. Yeah. ah we're We're always back. We're back every week.
00:00:42
Speaker
Mm-hmm. I've been doing this for five years now. we're just We're always back. Is anyone ever surprised that we're back? I'm sure, but I know i was for a while, but now it's like... Yeah, we're not, but I'm sure somebody is.
00:00:56
Speaker
Maybe. um So, we as as is usually the case, we we do have um a guest with us this evening that we'll we'll intro in in just a couple minutes here, but a little bit of housekeeping, Adventures in Collecting Housekeeping. So...
00:01:12
Speaker
um First up, ah we are just two weeks out from New York Toy Fair. Oh, my goodness. um Not even less.
00:01:23
Speaker
last time On airtime, it'll be a week. Oh, yeah. Jeez. um Yeah, it's going to be it's going be a packed weekend. um I know I speak on behalf of both of us of how excited we are for for the show.
Plans for Toy Fair Coverage and Giveaways
00:01:37
Speaker
um You know, this is something that is near and dear to us.
00:01:41
Speaker
I would go as far as to say it's my favorite like toy industry show thing that we go to. um It's a lot of fun. Yeah. And we are we are and now we know how to navigate it as opposed to year one.
00:01:54
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Like this like week two of the podcast. Yeah, this is this is ah ah a full circle moment for us in a lot of ways because we have appointments for everything. like we are We're like buttoned up.
00:02:07
Speaker
we're but organized We're organized. We've got we've got ah basically like a spreadsheet with booth numbers. But long story short, the reason why I'm bringing this up is we are going to be providing a ton of coverage March 1st and 2nd. And we're going to do this in a couple different ways. So there's going to be lots of photos. So make sure that you're following us.
00:02:25
Speaker
on social at AIC underscore podcast. um that's That's number one. So we're going to be posting there as quickly as we can, um you know, as as often as we can.
00:02:36
Speaker
Two, if you're watching this on YouTube, hey, how's it going? Um, thanks for watching. Uh, we will be posting videos as well as quickly as we can. So booth tours, you know, on floor interviews, you we're, we're, we're going to bring what we need to shoot and edit those things kind of like in the moment.
00:02:56
Speaker
So we're going to try to get them to you with the, you know, the latest news from, you know, all of the brands that you, you collect and love. um We're going to try to get you that information as quickly as humanly possible.
00:03:08
Speaker
um As it stands, we have, like I think it's something like 10 or 11 booth tours booked with you know potential interview opportunities. So there's going to be a lot of content.
00:03:20
Speaker
And then there's going to be wrap-up podcast at the end of the weekend. so And we'll we'll also ah be walking about, so like we might... yes there's there's always time for for everything yep yep so uh so definitely stay tuned for that um Also on social media, we our February giveaway is still live. As of recording, or as of air, ah you have just the rest of this week to enter.
00:03:50
Speaker
um So this month we're giving away, as a reminder, our friends at Savage Crucible ah provided us with a Veritas Repax, who is their Bloody Valentine variant. They're not calling it that, but that's That's the the the February tie in.
00:04:12
Speaker
But I'm super cool. Bloodied up lizard a lizard warrior guy. I've actually got one right here. So if you're watching on YouTube, it's this guy. He's super awesome. He's covered in blood. He's got a cool like battle cat colorway to him with the green greens and oranges.
00:04:28
Speaker
um you know, articulated jaw, all of that good stuff. So you could take home one of these and it's free to enter. You just got to follow us on social media.
00:04:38
Speaker
Look for that pinned post at AIC underscore podcast on Instagram. um And then in March, we'll be announcing and a new giveaway. So yeah, we try to do one every month.
00:04:50
Speaker
So ah and I gonna say that's not all we got going on in March, Eric. Yeah, and then ah and in March we we are recording, I guess we could technically say our third, because we had an impromptu second live show.
00:05:03
Speaker
yeah
Live Shows and Events: ZapCon and Marvel Legends March Madness
00:05:04
Speaker
Yeah, I guess that was a sound like a test run. um but But yeah, we' we'll be back at ZapCon ah Saturday, March 29th. Of which that audience at Chubzies was very attentive. They were hella attentive. like was It got quiet real quick. Everybody started watching. We were like, whoa.
00:05:21
Speaker
Yeah, I was not expecting that. was kind of expecting just to kind of like pull Steve to the side. But yeah, I... i If in case you didn't watch or listen to that, definitely check that out. We we sat down with with ah Steve Evans, Steve Evans from the ah the Hasbro team ah from our our friends at Chubsy Websy Toys in Little Falls, New Jersey.
00:05:41
Speaker
um Yeah, we we we sat down at the store, talked to him. But i on March 29th, we're doing another another live show. So we'll be at ZapCon in Wayne, New Jersey.
00:05:53
Speaker
ah Tickets are $10. You can go to zapconnj.com to get your tickets. ah The live show will feature ah returning guests and friends of the pod from our ah from our friends at NECA, ah Blaine and Chris Remo.
00:06:09
Speaker
and they They will be talking about design, ah both toys, packaging, art, all that good stuff. um And maybe they'll have some surprises from NECA to kind of show off. Yeah.
00:06:22
Speaker
Yeah, come celebrate the day after my birthday. Yes, yeah we'll be we can all sing to Dave. It'll be great. I'll bring hats. It'll be fun. you're promising Are you promising punch and pie, too? No.
00:06:35
Speaker
just I gotta figure out where I can find hats these days. yeah Yeah, not Party City. and That's for sure. no um Yeah, but ah so so yeah, March 29th. It's going to be a lot of fun. So we've got ah we've got a busy month ahead of us.
00:06:49
Speaker
um But I think that pretty much takes care of the... ah Yeah, I would say that the house has been kept. Oh, wait. No, actually, I lied. One more thing. March is also... we ah we are We have committed to it.
00:07:04
Speaker
The massive undertaking. The list has been solidified. we've We've gotten fan input. ah Marvel Legends March Madness returns for a second year.
00:07:15
Speaker
um so So Marvel Legends March Madness ah is returning ah this year. it was one of the most engaged with things we have ever done, which... still blows my mind.
00:07:27
Speaker
Um, but yeah, we're, so we're going to do that again. We've got 64 Marvel characters that have either never had a figure or, um, are desperately in, in need for a, uh, a refresh.
00:07:38
Speaker
But, uh, yeah, we've got 64 characters ready to go. Single elimination, randomly seated tournament. Um, Yeah, so look for that. I don't think we have a hard date just yet, but I would say sometime after Toy Fair, because I don't think I want to manage that while we're trying to cover Toy We should do it during the tournament.
00:07:56
Speaker
night Yeah, maybe we'll do that. Yeah, when when March Madness actually starts. yeah But we won't have a weird four weird play-in games. Sports. All the schools are in.
00:08:07
Speaker
Yes, all the schools of Marvel characters. all right But yeah, that's that's enough of housekeeping, so... um T L D R follow us at AIC underscore podcast on, uh, on Instagram, all the, you you'll see everything there.
00:08:22
Speaker
So all the things, uh, so with that, I think, um, it's time for me to grab that shovel, Dave. Yeah, we want, we
Guest Introduction: Mark Morse and Spin Master Innovations
00:08:30
Speaker
don't want to bury the lead since the house has been kept.
00:08:33
Speaker
House has been kept shoveling hand beyond unburied. ah So this week's guests returning guests. We're we're really excited to have him back. ah Mark Morse is a true industry veteran with nearly 20 years under his belt across a variety of companies from Mattel and Super 7 to MGA.
00:08:52
Speaker
ah While we know him best from his nostalgia fueled work over at Plastic Meatball today, We're here to talk about his new role as vice president and global brand lead for wheels and action over at Spin Master. Mark, welcome back to Adventures in Collecting.
00:09:08
Speaker
Thanks so much, guys. It's it's great to be here. And that intro just made me feel so old and ancient. ah Well, look young and spry and and and ready to rip, so don't feel old. you're You're in the toy industry, man. like You're as old as you feel. That's right. i hope yeah not Not as old as you look.
00:09:27
Speaker
but Well, welcome back. um you know We're really excited about this this new role. Spin Master company that has brought A bunch toy lines that Dave and i love very dearly um to life over the last couple of years, or at least since I've been doing this podcast. so Yeah. Seen it grow a bunch. Yeah.
00:09:50
Speaker
Yeah. i've I have a lot of four inch Batman figures. Me too. Good. Good. I'm glad to hear. I'm excited for you guys to get back to Toy Fair. what What was the first year that you went? 2020. funny Ground zero.
00:10:06
Speaker
Oh, yeah. nice Yeah. Nice job, guys. Yep. We were at the big old super spreader event. yeah Oh, man. ah Yeah. And then and then we went back, you know, we got to go again in 2023, which was like.
00:10:20
Speaker
was interesting. Yeah. i think everybody was just kind of cautiously dipping their toe back in the pond and and seeing how it was going to go. This is going to be a big show this year. Yeah. It's it sure seems like it's looking like a lot of fun.
00:10:31
Speaker
So, um yeah, we're we're really excited. and and And you guys will be there. Are you going? Yeah, I will be there. Yeah. Awesome. awesome Yeah. You have an appointment for the booth? We sure do.
00:10:42
Speaker
Absolutely. Excellent. We sure do. um so So since you were you were last on the show, quite quite a bit has changed in your career. ah Tell us a little bit more about what you're actually doing over there at Spin Master. Quite a bit has changed. the The main thing is that now I have health insurance. That's the main thing, right? When you're doing your own sort of thing on the side, you're kind of putting it all out there. But now there's some security, which my wife and daughter are very happy um But no, it's it's great.
00:11:13
Speaker
I joined back in April here at SPIN, leading the wheels in Action Division, as you said. And it's it's been like muscle memory, looking back at my past career in Mattel and MGA and some of the bigger companies.
00:11:30
Speaker
and And just getting back in, like I started my career with all of this. So it's and I worked on Monster Jam when I was on Hot Wheels. So now I'm overseeing Monster Jam again. And to see how far it's come in such a short space of time with with what the spin team has done here has been amazing.
00:11:49
Speaker
And then to also be overseeing the DC portfolio and how to train your dragon and Sony and and all the great things that we're doing on the action figure side is a lot of fun, too. So before we jump into the world of DC, um something near and dear to my heart as a PlayStation fan, ah let's talk about the PlayStation Shapes line.
00:12:10
Speaker
Yeah. The first waves of figures are out and have really kind of pushed into some some newer territory for Spin Master with that like super high articulated, high deco, um I guess six, seven inch somewhere in that ballpark line.
00:12:25
Speaker
um What's different about these figures from Spin Master's other offerings? I think you just... just Oh, okay. Sorry, I saw your note. All good.
00:12:37
Speaker
Yeah. um What's different about these? I think you just said it, actually. you know I think most of what action play it's spin has been focused on is kid and mass, and this is very much targeting ah an adult collector, a fan of these games.
00:12:54
Speaker
And the articulation on these things is in insane. i mean, articulated hair on Alloy, you know, it's it's it's a level of detail that we haven't really done here before.
00:13:07
Speaker
And that's why we wanted to do it was to show what our capabilities are, because we know. But the fans don't know, and and quite honestly, a ah lot of ah lot of the other licensors weren't aware of what we were actually able to do.
00:13:20
Speaker
So it was ah it was a great way for us to work with an amazing partner with Sony. So many different characters to play with there across the portfolio of games. And just really lean into it and show the industry what we could do.
00:13:35
Speaker
Yeah, and and you know you mentioned the the articulated hair on on Aloy, and that was that was the one thing that kind of blew me away. um you know Because usually you don't really see that on domestic toys, right? like Every now and then you'll get like an articulated ponytail on a character, and um You know, whether it's in like wrestling or superhero. Right.
00:13:56
Speaker
But like the the way that you could kind of stack the the different articulated pieces of the hair and ah and make it look like it was flowing is something that typically is reserved for like an import, you know, import ah level toy.
00:14:10
Speaker
Very Asia Pacific, yeah. um But what we did was we just let the designers go crazy. It was like, guys, you've you've been sort of stuck in this tiny box for a while for for mass production. Now, like, let loose. What would you do if if you could do anything, right? And what they came back with was just amazing. So what does the the future look like for the the Shapes line now that we've had this kind of initial
Transition in Toy Sizes and DC Figures Discussion
00:14:37
Speaker
offering out there?
00:14:38
Speaker
Yeah, we're we're discussing it. the The performance was, you know, we we weren't sure what it would be, but it was better than we expected it to be. You know, as we as we look at sort of what we put in our budget for the year versus how it performed, it it performed very well.
00:14:52
Speaker
So we're talking with Sony about what other projects are that we could do, whether it's to that high of a standard, unknown. I think one of the things that that interests us right now, and we have actually had some preliminary discussions with them, is around Astro Bot.
00:15:08
Speaker
and what we could do there. I think that could be a lot of fun to sort of go in and another direction where it's a little bit more novelty and kiddalt as opposed to high end. So I think we want to we want to use this relationship to show the the great range that we can do in that collector space.
00:15:27
Speaker
Yeah, and there's there's especially in that game, there's like so many nods to the, the you going back even to PlayStation 1, it's just almost like the Astro Bot character itself is leads into just opening so many doors for what you can can do.
00:15:45
Speaker
Yeah, it's like ah it's a really cool template to be able to put some of the other IP on top. Yes, Sackboy walked so Astro Bot could run. 100%. Yeah, and and what a game, too, by the way.
00:15:58
Speaker
Yeah. yeah um So one of the lines that has brought us the most joy um over the past few years, as we um spoke about earlier, the four-inch Cape Crusader and DC Heroes lines at Spin Master.
00:16:12
Speaker
um But it's been a little while since we've seen new waves. um Is there any update that you can provide? I can't, yeah. um When we started our relationship with DC, we were very much sort of confined to that four-inch scale.
00:16:28
Speaker
the The opinion at the time was that that's kit, and anything larger than that is purely collector, and that's why you saw a lot of that coming from the McFarland side.
00:16:40
Speaker
um but We looked at the industry trend trends, we we worked with our partners at Warner Brothers, and we got them to open the door to let us play with scale. So we're we're actually moving away from 4-inch, and now we're going to be focused on more of a 6-inch execution that you're going to be seeing.
00:16:58
Speaker
The first time will be with the Superman movie this summer. okay And then that will move into Batman as well into the fall with ah with a ah new theme that we have for Batman.
00:17:10
Speaker
The 12 inch will continue. I think the 12 inch figures are just a great value. gets we we get to go deep with some characters in the 12 inch that that I think you you normally wouldn't see.
00:17:22
Speaker
Just because for $9.99, we've got the luxury of being able to take a few risks. So so that's going to continue to be fun. but Four-inch is going to be sort of relegated to more of a retro program, which I think you've seen to a degree with the Batman Forever line that's a Target.
00:17:42
Speaker
Yeah, and ah that that's a that's a ah great segue, but ah shouts to those 12-inch figures too, because i so I always make the case as as a girl dad, um you know,
00:17:54
Speaker
My girls love the doll offering that's out there right now. They love the Monster High, the, you know, obviously Barbie, stuff like that. But those 12-inch superhero figures, like, they love those they love those characters, too, and they can have...
00:18:09
Speaker
Batman and Robin and Harley Quinn and Joker and Superman, uh, scale up with their, with their dolls. Yeah. That's how they play with them. Like yeah right now in my living room, sitting in a pink coop is, uh, is Harley Quinn and, and, uh, and a monster high doll. So that's pretty awesome.
00:18:27
Speaker
Yeah. They, uh, they, they love that scale and, you know, across the board and every, every company that makes those 12 inch figures, whether it's, it's you guys with the DC ones, whether it's, you know, the Marvel ones that are out there, whether it's even the,
00:18:39
Speaker
you know, um, but like Dragon Ball Z and anime characters, I always tell everyone, like, keep plugging away at them because they, you know, they're, they're awesome.
00:18:49
Speaker
They really are awesome. It's great to see how that caught on here in the States. That was, when I was at Mattel, I was, uh, on Max Steel for a while, which was, huge, huge in South America.
00:19:03
Speaker
Uh, it was that 12 inch sort of action man scale. Um, And then think it was probably, think it was Hasbro that sort of imported that over to Marvel and brought it domestically.
00:19:17
Speaker
And then all the other toy companies were like, okay, cool. That's a, it's a great value play at 10 bucks just to get a wide variety of characters and, you a nice hefty figure for for a, for little kid.
00:19:30
Speaker
Yeah. So, um, you know you you, you mentioned, uh, before you know kind of the transition from a four-inch figure i to more of a five-inch retro style figure. And actually happen to have a little certain something here. um So the Batman Forever line, tell us a little bit about how this ah this tribute line i came to be here to ah and and why you guys started with Batman Forever.
00:19:58
Speaker
it's um It's a great question. And, and a great story. The, the buyer at target is a huge fan of this particular toy line that Kenner did back in 95. Yeah. 95, 96.
00:20:14
Speaker
Yeah. And, you know,
00:20:18
Speaker
you know he approached us and said, I want an exclusive program. I want you to redo those toys. And, and it was like, um, Yeah, okay, sure. it's It's the anniversary year. We can certainly lean into that. We can do nods to the original packaging, nods to the original figures.
00:20:41
Speaker
He just loved it so much. i he's He's younger than me, and I think that that was like his Star Wars. you know like That was the toy line he grew up with. And just like all of us that are into to that sort of thing, you want to relive your childhood.
00:20:56
Speaker
So being able for him to work closely with us and bring that line exclusively to his shelves, i think was was really, really an important moment for him.
00:21:08
Speaker
So we were happy to do it. we're blown away by the response. and I go into all the targets in here. I haven't seen any of them on shelves. So I got to tell you, as somebody who still has his original, these are these are mine from when I was from 1995.
00:21:25
Speaker
One of my favorite toy lines of all time. I've still got a few of them. It's a real good, like it was a great line. Yeah. you guys You guys crushed it. The barrel chest, the proportions of portions i head Accentuated masculinity. Yep.
00:21:40
Speaker
And i I love the added articulation in the, in it. Like, that's the one thing that the added articulation in the shoulders and the soft goods keep, but like the soft cape, so he could sit in the Batmobile. I mean, you know, the first thing that I did was as soon as I got my hands on these, I was like, I held it right up to the the old, like, you know, Val Kilmer, Bruce Wayne. And I was like, Oh man, here, here we go. Yeah. We're, we're cooking.
00:22:03
Speaker
Yeah. No, they did a really great job. And for me, it's, It's the value. It's so accessible, right? That Batmobile is $20. That's cheaper than a reaction Yeah, and this thing's ridiculous. I keep moving my head out of the way because the tail fin is so massive. But, like, yeah, you know, the the translucent blue plastic underneath, you know, the it's working wheels. to Even, like, the the deco inside, it's kind of hard to see. But, like, even, like, yeah, the deco inside the the cockpit, it's this thing is awesome.
00:22:37
Speaker
Awesome, awesome, awesome. Thank you. Yeah, the design team did an amazing job.
00:22:43
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's such a great line. um So men you mentioned it briefly before, but yeah there is the new and of direction DC Studios is going, um with Superman being the first film coming out from James Gunn.
00:23:00
Speaker
um You said there are plans to support the film. um is it just going to be stuff from like the new movie or is there the opportunity to go kind of backwards in time too for our previous superman?
00:23:13
Speaker
Oh, there's always opportunity. da Always opportunity. Yeah. Um, all of that stuff is under embargo. Now you guys will have the benefit of seeing it next week. Um, when you come through, um,
00:23:28
Speaker
But I don't think you'll be able to videotape anything. It will just sort of be some inside baseball. But, yeah, we have a full line. we We're the master toy licensee for the movie. Full line of figures, feature figures, some really cool innovation you're going to see on the line.
00:23:45
Speaker
We're excited about it. All of the behind-scenes stuff that we've seen that that the public hasn't seen yet. mind-blowing. It's going to be a great, great movie, I think.
00:23:56
Speaker
And it has James Gunn's signature all over it. Yeah, mean, it's
Superman Movie Toy Line and Retro Toy Affordability
00:24:02
Speaker
just... it That trailer, i saw first of all, I'm not a big like Superman guy. Never have been. I mean, as a kid, I love chris Christopher Reeve's Superman. you know i I actually really like the, the um I always pronounce the name wrong, Slicer, Slicer, sch sliceer Slicer cartoons? Yeah, Fleischer. The Yeah. yeah i
00:24:27
Speaker
I remember picking up VHSs from Five and Dime stores as a kid like you know and and getting those kind of... Styling in that was so elegant. It really was.
00:24:38
Speaker
ah But when I think of Superman, obviously, i i think of kind of that bright those bright colors and everything. And... You know, what Zack Snyder did with the the DC you know universe was successful, maybe not for everybody.
00:24:52
Speaker
But seeing the the know the trailer for James Gunn's Superman, it's like, this is Superman. Like, this looks like Superman. it feels like the old, like, you you will believe a man can fly type of... Sure does.
00:25:04
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And with that, as somebody who has always associated these properties with toys, I'm so excited to it coming up. And finally seeing that trailer, full disclosure, when see Captain America, that trailer played, seeing that trailer on a big screen, it's like, yeah, this is hitting. This trailer hits.
00:25:25
Speaker
Well, and they were so smart, too, with the sort of the twist on the John Williams music. yeah drot it's And it's not the main cue that everybody knows. It's a little bit more of a deeper cut, but it's still familiar.
00:25:40
Speaker
you know And i think I think they hit all the right notes of that trailer. Yeah, i'm i'm I'm so excited. yeah it's so It feels so weird for me to be so excited for a Superman movie, but I really am.
00:25:54
Speaker
Like, honestly and truly, as i'm I'm so excited for it. yeah Yeah, I didn't read it much until high school when everybody did, when, like, Doomsday started hitting and all that stuff, but, like... Yeah, this is what you think of Superman being.
00:26:09
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, totally. So, unfortunately, i don't have one of the cards here with me, but the the the cards that these, on the Batman Forever figures came on, there was a hint on the back of them that said something about Superman. Oh, yeah, there's Robin.
00:26:24
Speaker
Awesome. um On the back, it's it it references something about Superman um on the cross cell. Is there? Oh, yeah, there is. So I was just curious, is that a reference to the movie or is that a reference to potentially something else? Well, it's in a retro package.
00:26:47
Speaker
All right. to The mystery continues. yeah So um that I was going to say, the other thing about those two, those Batman Forever, like, you know, you anybody can get in. It's a four figure wave. Like, oh, yeah, you've got the everybody you need. Like, you know, again, talking about value, like you're in for pretty yeah fair price to get that whole thing.
00:27:14
Speaker
I think what? They're $8.99 at Target, I believe. yeah So you're you're in for under $40 plus a $20 Batmobile. They've got the entire line under $60. It's insane. Yeah, and that really is insane. you know And that's that's honestly one of the things that has that kind of drew me to...
00:27:34
Speaker
um the, the, the four inch Batman line initially was yeah me too like, it's like, okay, you know, you get a bunch of cool accessories. You have a chance at like, there's, there's, is like ah a, um, a blind unboxing situation here, like a chance at like a rare piece.
00:27:51
Speaker
Um, there was actually like those, those, you know chase hunts for the actual figures themselves, which was a lot of fun, but like the same thing. It's like, you know, or at one point, I think when they, there was seven 99,
00:28:05
Speaker
when they when they first came out, right? And it's like $7.99, the Batcave and Gotham playset works as an awesome display piece to like put them all out on there. The character selection got super deep.
00:28:19
Speaker
um I mean, unfortunately, you as as much as I'm excited to see what you guys have coming up next, You know, there were a couple of characters i was really hoping we would get in that in that line. Yeah. But, um you know, some some some pretty like key Batman villains. Two Faces. I was like, oh, Firefly. Yeah. Like yeah what super super cool, super cool character selection. But, um you know, that kind of theme runs across Spin Masters. Like there is a lot of value, even when you guys were doing those League Legends figures. Yeah. Like going back like those figures were super cool. Yeah.
00:28:53
Speaker
which was really, I think, our first foray into more of a collector-type execution. yeah
Sponsor Highlight and Listener Q&A Introduction
00:29:00
Speaker
but i really It's what the company's known for. the the They are great at designing for manufacturing and finding efficiencies because they're there's such an engineer technology ah mentality when they're designing these things.
00:29:16
Speaker
So they're able to find ah cost efficiencies that other designers maybe wouldn't be able to come up with. So I think that's how we're able to to really deliver that value to the consumer. And now, a word from our sponsors.
00:29:34
Speaker
This segment is brought to you by our friends at Chubsy Wubsy Toys, a traditional mom-and-pop toy store in Little Falls, New Jersey. Chubsy Wubsy Toys brings you the best new toys from the brands you love without the hassle of pounding the pavement searching for them at larger retail stores.
00:29:51
Speaker
Visit them in person at their brand new home at 101 Newark Pompton Turnpike Suite 1 in Little Falls, New Jersey, or online at chubzywubzy.com.
00:30:03
Speaker
That's
00:30:09
Speaker
And tell them Adventures in Collecting sent you.
00:30:15
Speaker
And now, back to the show. Now, before we head into our Q&A section here, and we actually, normally we pick like one or two questions for like featured Q&A, but when we announced you were coming on the show, we have never gotten more submitted Q&A questions. Really? It blew up, yeah. Yeah, it was, there are a lot of people have a lot of questions about, you know, and I think just kind of going through ones that we did pick here, we ended up going with four. Yeah.
00:30:48
Speaker
which is literally double the amount that we we normally, i lots lots of people ask similar questions, so we did kind of combine some. yes But um we did answer a couple of them already. But before we head into there, you did mention at the top how to train your dragon. and So yeah um that new trailer came out, the live action, which looks astounding.
00:31:07
Speaker
um yeah are are there Are there plans also to you know to to support the release of that? complete full line of product for that across different scales.
00:31:20
Speaker
All the dragons, all the Vikings and main characters. Role play. If you want to become toothless, you can become toothless.
00:31:33
Speaker
Vaporizer technology. it's It's a really, really exciting line were We're stoked for that one. Spin has been with Universal and the How to Train Your Dragon franchise the first movie and have have supported it for every release and I believe the majority of the animated series that come out in between.
00:31:58
Speaker
But this line is something. And you will be able to show this one off, I think, at New York White Fair. So yeah theyre awesome there will be a follow-up where I think you can see these products. These these are not, some are under embargo, but we're able to reveal something.
00:32:18
Speaker
Very cool. Yeah. Very
Future Plans for DC Toy Lines and Nostalgia Discussion
00:32:20
Speaker
much. So looking forward to that. So, uh, Dave remind our, our followers, our listeners, our viewers, how can they, as we head into our, our featured Q and a section here, yes um, how can they participate in future Q and a's here on adventures and collecting?
00:32:38
Speaker
So, um, you know, usually the weekend before we record, um we'll post who our next guest is. And in this case, it was Mark. And we had a little um story up that said, do you have questions for Mark?
00:32:54
Speaker
And you can tap on the little dialogue box in that story um at AIC underscore podcast, of course, and type in the question. So, you know, you can, I'm taking a page out of the Albert Brooks book here. You can ask a question and you can ask a question and you can ask a question.
00:33:13
Speaker
um That is a very, very deep cut. c Yes, seriously. For real life. Yep. If you've seen a 3D trailer. Oh my God. On YouTube or on DVD, you will understand that reference.
00:33:27
Speaker
um All the Google Analytics people are going be like, why is there sudden a sudden surge for Albert Brooks' searches? Why is there a sudden surge in the search in the real life trailer?
00:33:38
Speaker
Which, by the way, I just i know the majority of people listening have not seen real life. You need to see real life. What movie. It is such a great, great movie.
00:33:49
Speaker
So ahead of its time. For real. Albert Brooks created Meta. Yes. Before there was such thing. Yeah, in the the late 70s, early 80s. And Charles Grodin's in it. like He you can't go wrong.
00:34:03
Speaker
um So when um when that when you send in a question, we get to see it. And um we can make it a featured question or one of many featured questions. um You can also call and leave a message. there's There's right now just like the rest of the skeleton left. There's just the skeleton left his hand on the receiver.
00:34:27
Speaker
Yeah, I don't have i don't have the number the number ready. Hang on, wait. I'll pull it open. So, yeah, we do have a hotline, and this is where I'm i'm vamping as I pull up the the number for the hotline. you can call that hotline and leave a question, and maybe one of these times we'll put, like, your recorded question. You can hear yourself.
00:34:47
Speaker
broadcast throughout the world and Eric's going to tell you where to call. Yeah. So the number is one nine, seven, three, seven, five, zero, eight, two, five, six. You can either call or text that number.
00:35:00
Speaker
Yes. Texting does work. And you can, you can submit a question for a guest. You could submit a question for us. We, we are banking some questions that are directed just at us for a mailbag episode. we're,
00:35:13
Speaker
Shouts to the couple people that did leave us question left mail that questions for Melbeg. So we're're we're getting there. We're getting there, Dave. We're getting there. um All right. So ah with with all that, ah let's head into Q&A. Now, Mark, a couple of these questions we did sort of answer, but we'll attach some some so ah Instagram handles to some questions here and and like make sure that voices are heard.
00:35:41
Speaker
Everyone's read me, yes. If we have already answered these, it might be a little repetitive here, but we want to make sure that your questions, the way that you ask them, are getting answered.
00:35:51
Speaker
We can throw some follow-up. We'll figure it out. Yeah, we'll talk about it here. We very New Jersey here with the hands. I will say a lot of these questions are around four-inch DC Batman figures, which... Three-quarters of the questions were...
00:36:09
Speaker
But we'll yeah we'll we'll throw it out here. So um our first one comes from a friend of the pod, love at milehighground on Instagram. um With the switch from 4-inch to 5-inch retro figures, ah are there any plans for future 4-inch DC movie figures in the future?
00:36:29
Speaker
Yes. yeah So so let's let's be clear. I think Batman Forever retro figures are 5-inch because the Kenner... yep Batman Forever figures were five.
00:36:42
Speaker
As we look at continuing the retro line, which we are doing, they will be size appropriate for the era that that movie came out So, there is opportunity for three and three quarter, four inch retro style.
00:37:01
Speaker
There's opportunity for larger scale retro style. But i I would say that the more kid-focused Batman line than I was, you know, what you were referring to earlier.
00:37:14
Speaker
It's been around for a few years. That's moving to six-inch. But we're looking at more of any a retro approach for the smaller scale. Cool. Yeah. I actually have a follow-up that I just thought of.
00:37:27
Speaker
Go ahead, Dave. Will that kind of chase element from the three and three-quarter... inch figures be part of the new six inch style?
00:37:40
Speaker
Um, probably not the same way. I can't tell you for the next wave, we, we did incorporate a chase into it. Um, that, that I think fans will be excited about.
00:37:52
Speaker
Very cool. And actually we we totally forgot to mention it, but those absolutely gorgeous, um, It was it was a ah Batman Returns Batman on a retro card. And Bane from The Dark Knight Rises.
00:38:13
Speaker
those were Those were gorgeous figures. Yeah, i think I think working on those was kind of the inspiration to go down that road a little bit more.
00:38:25
Speaker
Those turned out great. That was for you know Batman's 85th anniversary to sort of celebrate the whole franchise.
00:38:35
Speaker
that was very Batman focused and we're taking a more holistic DC approach there will be don't get me wrong there there will be more Batman and Batman universe characters incorporated into this but we're trying to look at each individual entertainment property as its own sort of small capsule got it nice Dave you want to do you want to ask the next one Yes, I apologize in advance.
00:39:05
Speaker
Oh, this handle. And I promise this is spelled right, too. Like, I made sure, like, three or four different times that this... Try breaking it up. I am so sorry in advance. I'm gonna go with... Sabukin Slab Ink.
00:39:24
Speaker
i That's exactly the way that I would have done it, too. So... um Hopefully I got that.
00:39:33
Speaker
If not, feel free to just loop it on your account and make fun of me. Eviscerate him in the comments. But that was that' as that's the best I'm probably going to get on that one.
00:39:47
Speaker
um But anyway, they ask, are there plans for any roleplay items like masks or capes? ah Yes to both. Awesome.
00:39:59
Speaker
There you go. I wonder what property coming out would utilize a cape. Yeah. I wonder. I can't think of anything. It'd be really cool if there was like a superhero with like a really cool red cape.
00:40:11
Speaker
Yeah. like yeah I can't think anything. Oh, and if he could bend a metal bar. That's a really sweet dog. I was just thinking about how many people are going to be putting capes on their dogs this Halloween. Yeah. It's going to be a lot As they should.
00:40:28
Speaker
lot of crypto cosplaying happening. All right. So this next one. ah so at B-Man Brandon's Toys asks, the four inch DC line reuses a lot of sculpts. Are there plans to introduce any any new ones?
00:40:48
Speaker
Yes. Yes.
00:40:53
Speaker
There we go. I love these one-word answers. They're great. Now, I think, like I said, you'll you'll see them, but more in a a retro style as opposed to the sort of super articulated ones that we've done in the past.
00:41:09
Speaker
In my mind, this is just personal preference. I feel like the multiple points of articulation at that scale is really hard to pull off. And it just doesn't feel as sturdy of a figure to me.
00:41:25
Speaker
So I don't think you're going to see it as as much articulation at that scale moving forward. Because, again, we're treating it more like like a retro approach. Yeah. And I mean, that like, you know, you have a particular affinity too for you know that that end of things, um yeah yeah which is which is definitely helpful in your in your role, you know but bringing that kind of affinity into this.
00:41:48
Speaker
And there are so many iconic, I mean, you know ah just look at the super superpowers line you know how how far that's being pushed now and you know we're getting you know like the batman who laughs as a superpowers figure so it's just you know it's um which is wild but but that retro aesthetic whether it's what whether it's superpowers figures whether it's i mean you see it everywhere on the shelves yeah um you know Super 7, McFarlane, there there are so many companies, that even Hasbro, there are so many companies out there that are still um you know at at retail, at mass market, that are producing these retro-inspired products. you know There's there's it's a market for it. We all just want to relive our childhoods, right? And and get the toys we couldn't get when we were put that age.
00:42:36
Speaker
If existed, we can't afford them. so Or even now, it with you know that with a fresh coat of paint and with like catching up to kind of where time left off for them.
00:42:50
Speaker
Yeah. yeah that's That's the big thing for me. like I love when these lines... continue, right? Like, it's like, okay, you know, i you know, but I'm going to show it again, but like, i still have my original Kenner Batman Forever figures. Like, you know, if, if, if you guys made like a Chase Meridian, I'd like, I'd lose, I would literally lose my mind. Like, oh you know, I had so many figures that I would just kind of put like masking tape over and like pretend that it's, you know, Chase Meridian, you know, but having like,
00:43:23
Speaker
those characters, Jim Gordon, you know, like, just... Sugar and Spice from that. like Yeah, oh my god. It'd be so good. Yeah, no, I mean, if it if it really resonated and we were able to go as deep as we want to go, mean, like, the Sugar and Spice would be amazing.
00:43:41
Speaker
Like, that's that's thats great twopac or a or convention exclusive or something like that. There's so much equity in these technical movies from the past, but yeah also batman forever is is way better than everyone remembers no it's hey i so that movie is it's terrible like i admit i like it but i i love it but that doesn't mean that it's good right
00:44:15
Speaker
I love it for like what it was when I was the perfect age when that movie came out, like every single. Soundtrack ripped. Soundtrack, that the, the, the, the Burger King glasses, like the bird yes McDonald's actually or McDonald's. That's right.
00:44:31
Speaker
McDonald's glasses. Um, But all of the different, like, tie-ins and just kind of, like, I can literally still feel myself sitting in that theater, like, when the credits roll and, and like, U2 starts playing.
00:44:45
Speaker
Like, i can I can remember all of those, like, feelings. And the toys take me right, like, as soon as I open that Batmobile, which, by the way, other thing that was really cool about that Batmobile. Yeah, the offspring that soundtrack, the flaming lips, like, that soundtrack is still great.
00:44:59
Speaker
This was the first time And I actually looked this up. This is the first time that a Batmobile axial was on actually shipped with Batman sitting in the Batmobile.
00:45:15
Speaker
ye It is the first time that that has ever happened. And when I tell you the joy and surprise in the, the like 10 year old inside my body, when I was like, Oh, there's like, ah cause I'm looking for like the little baggie, you know, cause the, the, cock the cockpit was closed.
00:45:30
Speaker
So I'm looking for the little baggie where like, you know, usually your packing figure sits and i'm like, oh man, the, Like, did I get like a, like a, an error and like Batman's not in there. And then i just opened the cockpit and I was just like, there he is just sitting there. Yeah.
00:45:45
Speaker
yeah So good. So good. Love it. ah It's like, your head for a minute, right? That's an eight figure inside of that Batmobile that's sold to you for 20 bucks.
00:45:57
Speaker
Yeah. Crazy. yeah I don't know how much money we're losing on this, but someone needs to be fired.
00:46:06
Speaker
Not you. Just not you. Not me. Not
Q&A Conclusion and Wishlist for Future Figures
00:46:11
Speaker
You know, to quote um Eric, your my oldest niece, your oldest daughter, from when you guys were putting together the Batcave, every Batcave needs a Batman.
00:46:20
Speaker
Yeah. So does every Batmobile. Every Batmobile needs a Batman. Yeah. And I love that it was a different Batman, too. It's not the... Yes. It's the sonar suit from the end of the movie, so it's the like the silver. Which really plays into the variance of every Batman that could be made, that ever was made, that wasn't even in the movie for the line. Like... i was a subba This is never far... arctic Arctic Batman is never far from from my desk.
00:46:47
Speaker
The dumbest Batsuit that has ever existed... the complete opposite of everything that Batman should be, a stark white. Yeah. Well, there was the gold one. There was like a green one. was like a neon orange or something. Yeah, yeah there was. There's camo.
00:47:05
Speaker
like i And and that was that was another thing that was really great about that that four-inch line was like, you guys made like every Batman under the sun in every colorway. Yeah.
00:47:18
Speaker
With a clip-on armor pieces, ah that it literally, like, i love I love the way that you're approaching the, like, play aspect of of Batman. Well, you're going to see that at the 6-inch, too, because we we know that accessories matter, especially to kids, right? So we the the guys have come up with a really cool thing with a sprue kit, which I think we've used before in some of the 4-inch line movies.
00:47:45
Speaker
But that's going to translate over to the 6-inch line as well. So you're still going to get those armor pieces that you can snap on. You're still going to get a ah great assortment of weapons and things. and And for an extension to the line, you're also going to get actual...
00:47:59
Speaker
action features, right? okay So the cool line at six inches is goingnna be is going to be $9.99, but then we have a ah feature extension, same scale, but you know with punching action and things like that. So we're we're we're bringing the action back to the action playoff.
00:48:17
Speaker
You know what I think too was low key one of the best parts of that line was the little like map or poster that you got check check off like oh no wait I got this part I got this part I actually used it like it was great good I saved one from, so in in the bin that I have the them all like organized in, I saved one checklist per wave, like one fold-out insert per wave, so that way I could i could like go back and look at all of them again. yeah well I saved one that I used actively, and then I had like one folded up that could be... You actually drew on one, you monster.
00:48:57
Speaker
I'm just kidding.
00:49:00
Speaker
Well, ah Mark, with that, that takes us to the end of our Q&A. As we like to say, you so you survived an Adventures in Q&A. We don't have a fun t-shirt or anything to give you.
00:49:11
Speaker
but um But when we see you at Toy Fair, we'll make sure we give you we we'll give you a pin. We've got buttons. So we'll make sure we'll make sure we get you a pin. We don't have the jacket like Saturday Night Live. but
00:49:24
Speaker
Coasters. Didn't we say we were going to do coasters at some point? I thought that was the... yeah Yeah. But um as, as is tradition on this, on the show, we do have a final question that we, we ask all of our guests, since you are a returning guest, we have, um we have a a different ah final question for you. So Dave, would you like to remind me again, what's the standard question?
00:49:46
Speaker
The standard question is um what is your favorite and or strangest piece in your collection? Okay. What did I say last time? Oh my goodness. Okay. I have two children. My brain, my brain, no work. I don't remember either, but there's a lot. Yeah. i would miss question So Dave, would you like to fulfill your role as this podcast, James Lipton and ask our new final question.
00:50:10
Speaker
Why, yes, I would. And I just realized I don't have to get close to the mic. um Since you answered our standard final question on your first appearance on the pod, we have prepared a special question for you based off of a suggestion from friendofthepod at toyfarse on Instagram.
00:50:28
Speaker
If you could snap your fingers and bring any DC character to a Spin Master action figure line, who would it be and why? Any DC character.
00:50:45
Speaker
I'm going to go a little bit further than just a character. okay I would love to see, and this isn't a tease because you're not going to see it, but I would love to see a Wes Craven Swamp Thing action.
00:51:03
Speaker
Whoa. I would love to see that too. That movie, I was... eight, nine years old. And that was on HBO on repeat.
00:51:14
Speaker
And there was just so much that was intriguing, but disturbing at that age. Yeah. The little picky troll guy at the end, chopping off an arm and it grows back. Cause he got his hand in the sunlight, you know? Um, I would love to see.
00:51:34
Speaker
Wow. I need to rewatch that movie. It's been a long time. Yeah. It's, You're amazed at who's in it, too. like You're like, wow. Ray Wise from Twin Peaks is technically Swamp Thing? That's amazing.
00:51:52
Speaker
Yeah, there's there are so many people in that movie. I remember we had that we had that taped off of E.P.O. No, the second... you We had the sequel. The sequel? Oh, and Heather Locklear. Oh, that's the one I'm thinking of. that's the one Yeah, the original, it's Adrian Barbeau.
00:52:07
Speaker
Okay. Adrian Barbeau, Louis... Oh, was the bad guy in Octopussy, too. The French actor. Now I don't know if I've ever seen this movie. Oh, you need to see it. It's Wes Craven.
00:52:21
Speaker
Oh, yeah. It's excellent. It's excellent. It's the... yeah It was the... um Was that post... yeah um Or was that pre-Nightmare? I think it was pre-Nightmare. Pre-Nightmare.
00:52:35
Speaker
81. Yeah. Nightmare was 84. Yeah, 82. 82. 82. yeah eighty two so so eighty eighty two Yeah, I need to see this. It's on Prime. I gotta watch it. Yeah, yeah it's worth it's worth the the effort.
00:52:49
Speaker
Whoa. It was like Wes Craven coming off of like doing horror movies for 50 cents yeah like with a 50 cent budget and like, okay, here's money and the property.
00:53:01
Speaker
Here's a dollar fifty. Yeah. Yeah, there's some crazy people in this movie. Oh my god, Don Knight is in it. Wow. Mm-hmm. That's crazy.
00:53:12
Speaker
Yeah, you got to check that one out. Definitely. and but But as you're watching it, and just be like, oh, yeah, I could see that as a toy. I could see that as a toy. I could see that a Well, Swamp Thing in general, I mean, he talk about awesome DC Kenner lines. That
Podcast Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:53:25
Speaker
Swamp Thing Kenner line. the animated series? from the Yeah. It was outrageously good. I had so many of those, too. like Like, the glow-in-the-dark Swamp Thing, the one that changed color with with heat and light. The one that broke apart, and you could use the string to pull them back together. Yeah, had the little pull string. to yeah The villains in that were great. The like the vehicles were great. the play That playset that had, like, the... I think it was actually a reused... um
00:53:50
Speaker
ah Star Wars Rancor playset because it had like the foam thing and at the top that you could drop the the figures through. like It was like a foam... Yeah, he went in through the swamp. Was there slime in that one?
00:54:02
Speaker
Yes, and there was slime in that one as well. yeah Yeah, that was those were awesome figures. Yeah, great character. like that kind of green and brown fade one where like it was almost Groot-esque.
00:54:14
Speaker
Yep. Like you think of Groot now, but it was swamp thing then. But... Super, super, super cool. um Well, that's that's the answer to the the question there, the final question. So Swamp Thing, great, great. Dave, what character would you, ah if you could snap your fingers and and see a new new DC character from Spin Master, who would it be?
00:54:35
Speaker
I kind of got completely thrown off thinking of Swamp Thing now. um New DC character going into...
00:54:47
Speaker
I have an answer if you want to think for a minute. Yeah, go. Let me think for a minute. because So this character has become very popular in recent in recent years, and I think James Gunn announced that it was recast that he he was recast but with Jason Momoa.
00:55:01
Speaker
But can you imagine with with the way that like Spin Master does like the vehicles and the play features and stuff, like a Lobo on his bike? Mm-hmm. that would be that would be really dope, especially if we're moving into that six-inch scale, like you know with a bike loaded with like play features and like fire stuff. and like Yeah, yeah lo Lobo is is what I'd want to say. That's a good pull.
00:55:25
Speaker
Um, I'm going to go with somebody who yet didn't get an early one. Um, Asriel. Asriel's always, yeah, he's, uh, that's a character that always, I think, looks good as an action figure.
00:55:38
Speaker
Yeah. it Never really gets its due. So you're thinking, but you're going 90s Nightfall Asriel, right? Yeah, you either have to go, like, 90s Nightfall or, like, Solo right after Asriel. But Asbat is, like,
00:55:52
Speaker
asbat is like one of my favorite ridiculous designs of a character. Yeah. That's also great. And mullet Superman. I love mullet Superman. Like in the regenerative suit from that era. And I don't, maybe you guys know, I don't know if there've ever been toys for hit man.
00:56:13
Speaker
Hit man. No, I don't think there has, unless it was like a statue or a DC direct yeah direct, but that would have probably been it. Yeah. I love that comic.
00:56:24
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't think I mean, i I could look, but I don't I don't think I can't think off the top my head of any of any ah figures that were ever made for that. That would be good.
00:56:36
Speaker
That was one of those ones that I had. And I don't know. i don't know who signed off on me having that, but like I was allowed to get it Well, Mark, that this takes us to the end of our end of our chat.
00:56:48
Speaker
um you know We're super excited to to talk to you more and and and see at Toy Fair in a week's time. yeah um between Between now and then, remind our followers, our listeners, where can they stay up to date um with Spin Master on social media? ah That's a great question. I think there's a Spin Master handle. I think it all goes through there. I don't think we've broken out by divisions.
00:57:14
Speaker
Yep, at Spin Master on Instagram. We'll make sure we get the ah we get the link to all that in the show notes, in the description, all that good stuff.
00:57:24
Speaker
and um And like we said at the top, and and now we can we can say it more specifically, stay tuned for coverage from Toy Fair, ah from the Spin Master booth, from from us, from from Adventures Clothing. Coming up later this week.
00:57:39
Speaker
Yeah, yeah just just a few days from now terms of the air date. But ah Mark, thank you thank you again so much for taking time to to be with us tonight. Of course, guys. Dave, send us home.
00:57:52
Speaker
um Okay. I'm Batman.
00:57:58
Speaker
Thank you, dear listener, for hanging out with us today. Subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you listen, and then tell your friends to do it. Thanks also to Joe Azari, the golden voice behind our intro. Our music is Game Boy Horror by the Zombie Dandies. Find more about them both in our show notes.
00:58:14
Speaker
Follow us on social media at AIC underscore podcast on Instagram and Twitter. Stop by and say hi. Show us your toy hauls and share your toy stories. Maybe we'll talk about it in a future episode.
00:58:30
Speaker
Don't try this at home. Voidware prohibited and some assembly required. Each sold separately, not a flying toy. Consult a physician if your toy run exceeds more than four hours.
00:58:38
Speaker
This has been a non-productive media presentation. Executive producer, Frank Hablaui. This program and many others like it on the Non-Productive Network is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License. Please share it, but ask before trying to change it or sell it. For more information, visit non-productive.com.