Any news from Playmates?

[Wardah]

When SSC was licensed to Playmates they did a crap job of promoting her then too. If it wasn't for the TV series and her loyal fans she would have probably died out then and there. The sad thing is Playmates is probably the only company that came forward and said they wanted to do something with Rainbow Brite. I think a lot of companies are afraid to take on Rainbow Brite these days cause in these days rainbows mean a lot different things that they did in the 80's and a lot of companies are afraid they will be accused of having an "agenda" by the fire and brimstone crowd. Hallmark actually is mentioning about having stuff in Target's Dollar Spot on their website so they are still behind Rainbow they just had bad luck with Playmates. I think if the right toy company rolled in and wanted the license for Rainbow Brite then Hallmark would not hesitate to give it to them. If an animation studio or kid's book producer came up to Hallmark and said they wanted to produce an animated series or books based on Rainbow Brite I am sure they would leap at it too. The only thing Hallmark could do on their own is maybe make some cards, ornaments at Xmas time (which there probably will be), and maybe some Crayola sets since they own Crayola (that actually is not a bad idea).

ETA: It takes 2 to tango. If nobody wants to tango with you then you are stuck sitting in the corner. If the only person that offers to tango with you is a crappy dancer then you are not gonna do so good. I think if Hallmark got the right partner(s?) for Rainbow Brite then she would shine once again.

I have a Hallmark store near me and they are not a disaster but I think the stores are independently owned and operated. So that might be why they are so different from store to store.

[SunSpire]

According to Hallmark's latest email, they licensed the dolls to Playmates until the end of the year. This may prevent other companies from producing RB dolls in the meantime.

They also said that collectors who are interested in the dolls by Playmates should go and buy them now, as they won't be available much longer. This confirms what I had guessed earlier.

"SunSpire"

[stormberryfairy]

Thanks for the info Sunspire. I already have 2 of the big doll, Moonglo, and the smaller RBB, but maybe I'll get another TP too. I only have 1 each of the horses, but that's cool with me cause they're so big.

[Blondine Arc-En-Ciel]

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The problem is all that stuff takes lots of money up front and my impression was that they really trying to do this project on the cheap.

They got exactly what they paid for.

[*C9*]

Hallmark has the power top go to anyone to create anything. They sit on this monopoly and do nothing they aren't doing anything so far. They just don't really care. They could go to anyone to get a show produced but do they really care?

No I'm pretty sure all their stores suck, they all have to carry specific stock and follow the companies guidelines for merchandising.

[Wardah]

Really that is odd because the store I was in was not a disaster. Maybe its just Canada that has disastrous Hallmark stores. Then again I have never seen a Carlton cards store anywhere near here so that might just be a Canada thing too.

I really want to believe it is really not Hallmark's fault about this since if it is Playmates's fault then there is hope for Rainbow Brite if a decent toy company gets the rights to it. I am pretty sure the way it works with licensing is that companies usually pay the property owner (in this case Hallmark) for the rights to produce stuff with their characters. They usually sell the rights to whichever company impressed them the most tho I think a company can offer more money as an incentive. They probably went with Playmates out of all the companies that were interested because they were at least a "known" company. The sad thing is if Mattel or Hasbro really wanted it they would have gotten it since they are so big and powerful and money talks. Of course the property owner has to try to make the property as attractive to licensees as possible. That's why despite the epic fail that was the toy line there were still PJs and bikes even with the lack of a strong toyline. I still feel it is hard (but not impossible) to market something themed around rainbows these days.

[Blondine Arc-En-Ciel]

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The way I understand things, Hallmark (owner of the Rainbow Brite name and characters) let United Media manage the brand and it was United Media that struck up the deal with Playmates. At the end of the day, Hallmark had the final say on the new line but wasn't overseeing it on a daily basis.

It seems that Playmates screwed things up when they couldn't find manufacturing capacity in China or wherever else to get the line produced for last year's holiday season. I seriously do not think that Playmates has ever made a toy themselves and the production is contracted out to companies that we've never heard of based on the cost to Playmates and the availability of factory space during the summer to get the items produced.

Hallmark may not have known there was a problem until it was too late since they were one floor removed from the action at street level.

Personally, I'd have gotten the toys made earlier this year and then warehoused them until this September or October. At the same time, I'd have arranged for some standby manufacturing capacity in the fall of this year in case they toys really were popular and sold well from the launch. And I'd have had some people beavering away on a TV cartoon series and even a movie and then negotiated for the air time for them starting in the fall of this year.

I think there's enough blame here for all three of the parties to be painted with it. In rainbow colors, of course.

[Stormyfan]

I thought they were cute. Advetizing would have helped. The prototype playhouse was something I would have bought.

[Wardah]

There is no reason they could not have released the few dolls they made during the Spring so they would be out in time for Easter. However the only way they could do that and have brisk sales is if they introduced a TV series or movie around the same time. Usually when a toy is released outside the "holiday season" it is because there is a new movie or TV show and they want to release the toys while interest is still fresh. Then they could have released more stuff like more dolls and playsets during this Fall after wetting the fanbase's appetite. However the morons at Playmates have absolutely no patience to stick it out.

[Blondine Arc-En-Ciel]

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What does Easter have to do with toy retailing, other than for some stuffed animals? Having an Easter launch would have been a mistake as Easter is all about cards and candy. A new toy line, especially one not supported with advertising and Saturday morning animation, would have gotten lost in the shuffle.