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“We’ve got to generate excitement through marketing,” Wadleigh said. It attended Comic-Con in July to present the toyline at a panel that was interrupted by WWE talent in a publicity stunt. It has also spent heavily on ads on WWE’s websites and magazines, and set up booths at its live events.
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To increase sales, Mattel has also courted WWE’s fanbase by promoting its new toys through commercials that air during the company’s TV shows, including “Monday Night Raw” on USA Network and Syfy’s “ Friday Night SmackDown,” as well as during kids programming on Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. The event was announced a year in advance - an unusual move for WWE, but beneficial to licensees who need more lead time to prep tie-ins. Mattel is planning to launch new toys around Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s “WrestleMania” match against John Cena in Miami next April. “We find out the same time the fan finds out,” Wadleigh noted. While it is a licensee, Mattel said it doesn’t get tipped off as to WWE’s character plans.
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“We wanted to make sure that by the time we see a change in a storyline or a change in a superstar’s outfit or roster, we could react immediately and get the figure on the shelf sooner,” Wadleigh said. To that end, Mattel sped up its design and production time from the typical six to eight months to three to four months. “WWE is a brand that’s fueled by freshness in storylines and character and we wanted to make sure we delivered fresh new toys when they go to retail,” Wadleigh said. The company also had to figure out a way to keep all that lucrative shelves stocked with new product throughout the year given that WWE doesn’t take breaks with its TV shows or pay-per-view events like this Sunday’s “SummerSlam,” at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, and “WrestleMania” in April.Ĭhanges in an athlete’s outfit or new plotlines gave Mattel something to use to freshen the line at intervals.
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“It’s something that seems like a no-brainer but hadn’t been done before.”Ī new shade of white was also developed to match the light skin tone of Sheamus for his figure. “Now the action figures represent true scale,” Wadleigh said. Rey Mysterio is 5 foot 5, while the Big Show towers at 7 feet, for example. Mattel also redesigned the figures to more accurately reflect individual athletes’ body shape, height, facial features and tattoos. To give kids more dynamic play, Mattel redesigned each figure with new articulating joints to replicate the wrestlers’ signature moves and poses. In the past, figures featured generic body parts that limited movements. “They wanted to re-create the over-the-top action they see in the ring.” “Kids were into the brand, but the toys available to them weren’t exciting,” said Doug Wadleigh, Mattel senior VP of global entertainment and franchise development. When it took over the license, Mattel found previous WWE figures were purchased by collectors but not kids. Mattel’s clout as the top toymaker enabled it to take over entire aisles of valuable shelf space in Walmart, Target, Toys R Us and Kmart stores for WWE product that launched with more than 76 figures last year. Joe and “Ben 10” figures, according to NPD. In the first half of 2011, WWE’s action figures top the category, beating “Batman,” “Iron Man,” “Spider-Man,” G.I.