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Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomax

Wrong. Collectors are the backbone of the toy industry. collectors buy toys constantly versus a kid who has to depend on their parents to buy them something and thats maybe 2-3 times a month...plus collectibles are much more expensive then kid toys

It depends on the toy line. For things like Lego and Marvel Legends, the percentage is a tiny bit higher, but as a general rule, adult collectors amount to 20% to 30% of sales. I’ve heard this from several representatives from different toy companies. Hardly a backbone. The only companies that would be different would be companies like Neca or Hot Toys, since their figures aren’t meant for kids at all. The main competition for toys now is not another toy, but electronics. That’s why tmnt, Transformers, and marvel toys are starting to skew younger and younger with their main lines, to nab the attention of kids before the cellphone gets them. So get used to the “preschoolization” of your favorite brands and cartoons.

I still see tons of kids in the toy aisles of stores. I guess it depends on where you are. If you are in San Francisco or Manhattan, you won’t see as many young kids as you will in Salt Lake City or Topeka.

Also, the companies that make the mass market toy lines don’t make the collectibles, with the exception of Barbie. Hasbro doesn’t make the premier Marvel figures, Hot Toys and Diamond does. Hasbro doesn’t make the Masterpiece Transformers line, Takara does. Playmates doesn’t make the premiere tmnt figures, Mondo, Neca, and ThreeA do... etc. Much smaller companies with much smaller production numbers.