Answers to WTFWTK 2.30!

[oICEMANo]

Wow, I really don't know what to say about that last answer Scott.

Firstly, it's MVCreations who did the comics... not MVP (maybe you're confusing the initials with MYP... they did the cartoon remember)
And as they were doing the comics as an officially licensed product of Mattel it stands to reason that anything created within is eligible for the Classics treatment. But please correct me if Im wrong...

Although Illumina does appear on a few panels in the MVP comic series, her larger backstory was part of a fan pitch that was ultimately deemed too complicated for publication.

I dont want to get into the whole Illumina debate because as far as I recall Illumina was shown in a teaser image of a future cover (and not in actual published comic panels as you have led us to believe in your statement) so I'm not entirely sure if that makes her part of Mattel's property or not? However, to dismiss the efforts of MVC as a "fan pitch" is a complete disgrace and a huge slap in the face of those creators (who were basically employed by Mattel) and the large fan base of the MotU comics they produced.

To state that the backstory of Illumina would be too complex to follow is a bit of a moot point because the Classics line has taken many different bios of certain characters and "merged" it into a new one geared for the Classics "direction". Im sure it would not be so hard to do the same for Illumina if need be.

We are including the “Icons of Evil” series in MOTUC storyline but the other MVP comics and characters will not be included as toys. We may allude to them in bios, but these stories are too difficult for new fans to access (i.e. out of print) and simply do not fit with the current franchise direction.

"Too difficult for new fans", "Out of print"? It's far easier to get a copy of these comics than to get information on "Demo-Man"! Plus all the information one would ever need to get up to date with MotU is right here on He-Man.org!

Im sure there must be some reason why you've felt the need to word your answer as you did but it is very saddening to see such a dismissive attitude (be it from you personally or Mattel as a company) towards some of the best MotU products the fanbase has seen in a long time.

I thought that MOTU Classics was supposed to represent ALL eras of MOTU, so why are the MVCreations comics being treated with such disdain?

Classics is one of the best, if not the best, MOTU lines of all time and I hope something like this MVC issue does not stain it's reputation amongst fans (customers).

Thanks for your time in submitting answers to our questions and hopefully reading the responses as well.

[Emiliano]

Wait, Mattel once tried to wrest ownership of this website without compensation? And you resisted? No WONDER Mattel hates the org so much.

Well, there was just talk about them acquiring the ownership of the domain, they didn't try to wrest or we resisted.
It was something that was mentioned when the 200x was popular and then quickly forgot as the line was dismissed.
We didn't even get to discuss how that would have happened, so I can hardly believe that may be at the origin of any bad blood between He-Man.org and Mattel.

[Toyguru]

In my ongoing attempt to be a diplomate between Mattel and the fan base, let me see if I can clear the air a bit. First, the Q & As are not written by me. They are written by PR and legal. I don't make the rules, I just help facilitate the Q & A program with fan sites! (and yes they did make a type-o in the name of the company which I missed when proofing in my rush to get the answers out on time. Sorry Val!)

The whole deal with "Illumina" is not something I have control over. The bottom line is she is off the table per upper management for many reasons. But in the big picture, considering that the Goddess was a poor seller, Mattel is going to be reluctant to do other extremely obscure characters as well. Illumina appeared on a few panels in one out of print issue and in an ad. She just isn't a figure we will be doing in the Classics line right now. This has nothing to do with "Val hating" or anything like that. We love Val and Emiliano and the gang! They are awesome guys with a huge passion for MOTU. Why do you think I post on He-Man.org more then any other web site!? I want to do all I can to support this site, but can only do as much as my bosses permit me to. Again, I don't make the rules, but I do need to follow the recs from my management. For reasons way beyond people or characters or anything I can control we are just not going to explore this small corner of MOTU lore in the current line. No fan polls or postings will change that right now.

But lots of good stuff is happening! We were able to confirm with our vendor that they could de-flock Moss Man's ears! Plus if you haven't heard MOTUC will be at retail (sort of) in some MOTC vs DCU 2 packs! This is not a form to do new tooling, but rather to do some kid oriented packs to bring new blood into the both franchises by offering key characters from both licenses at retail in fun 2 packs. And no, Superman will not be on a MOTU buck. The DC bucks will only be used for DC characters and the MOTU bucks will only be used on MOTU figures. Even if they are in a two pack together!

NYTF is right around the corner with some great figures to reveal! A lot of fan requests will be granted! See you on Sunday, I've got a plane to catch!

TG

[Eterniandreams]

VERY CLEAR, Toyguru!
And it looks like you are going to be busy "On the way to NYTF!"

[Tallstar]

Can't wait for all the reveals on Sunday!

[kagamigod]

VERY CLEAR, Toyguru!
And it looks like you are going to be busy "On the way to NYTF!"

I kept saying wait until we hear from Toyguru before everyone blew up.

[CarKrash]

In my ongoing attempt to be a diplomate between Mattel and the fan base, let me see if I can clear the air a bit. First, the Q & As are not written by me. They are written by PR and legal. I don't make the rules, I just help facilitate the Q & A program with fan sites! (and yes they did make a type-o in the name of the company which I missed when proofing in my rush to get the answers out on time. Sorry Val!)

..... This has nothing to do with "Val hating" or anything like that. We love Val and Emiliano and the gang! They are awesome guys with a huge passion for MOTU. Why do you think I post on He-Man.org more then any other web site!? I want to do all I can to support this site, but can only do as much as my bosses permit me to.....

Sounds good to me, thanks for responding to our concerns!

[oICEMANo]

Thanks for responding Scott.

Ummm firstly... its Illumina.

Secondly, how can you say that Goddess was a poor seller when she is sold out!?

If she was still available on the site then I would understand your claim but sold out is sold out.

"Demo-Man" is a small corner of MotU lore... Illumina was at least seen in full illustrative glory.

[Eamon]

d out.

"Demo-Man" is a small corner of MotU lore... Illumina was at least seen in full illustrative glory.

That's a very good point! But then we can guess as to why one is acceptable and the other isn't.

[Killian]

The whole deal with "Illuminata"

Is that Illumina's real name?

[Eamon]

Too much Dan Brown I think!!

Also, all MOTU comics are out of print, why is the MVC comic any different?

[oICEMANo]

That's a very good point! But then we can guess as to why one is acceptable and the other isn't.

Hmm I have yet to see concrete proof of "Demo-Man" existing in some form of official documentation. It wasn't on that Mark Taylor concept sketch was it?

[Tallstar]

"Demo-Man" is a small corner of MotU lore... Illumina was at least seen in full illustrative glory.

Maybe Demo-Man, Vikor and the rest are off the table too.

[kagamigod]

Hey what about the proposed idea to make Illumina a He-Man.org exclusive? It could still just be a repaint but exclusive to the .org.

[Dynamo of Eternia]

Secondly, how can you say that Goddess was a poor seller when she is sold out!?

I am curious about this, too.

Overall I very much appreciate ToyGuru's response (it also helps clarify why many of the Q&A answers are the way that they are), and for the most part this makes sense.

And if Illumina just can't be done in this line for whatever reason, okay fine.

But, How can a figure that sold out be considered a poor seller? Okay, sure, Goddess had a smaller run than many other figures and probably took the longest amount of time to sell out since the original releases of He-Man, Beastman, and Skeletor, however she still sold out.

I could see her being considered a poor seller if she hung around for months, or if there were left overs that had to be sold at a clearance price to get rid of them, but that didn't happen.

I would say that if some of the really obscure characters that had very limited exposure and no previous figure from any previous MOTU related lines can sell out completely within 2 weeks, that is still pretty darn good.

[Thatman]

Well, if nothing else, I do respect Toyguru acknowledging the questions at hand, even if some of the answers lead to more questions.

I'll say this as well, for what it's worth - in my internet travels, it does indeed appear that TG posts here more than I see him post anywhere else.

I appreciate the more detailed explanation, and hope in the future Q&As are a bit more careful in their repsonses.

Looking forward to Toy Fair!

[Eamon]

And yet they decided to use stuff from Icons of Evil and that was MVC. I'm just confused as to the exact policy.
Seems very odd that Mattel will use Trap Jaw's or Tri Klops origins which were only in the MVC comic and then call it "this small corner of MOTU lore".

Something isn't right there!

[kagamigod]

And yet they decided to use stuff from Icons of Evil and that was MVC. I'm just confused as to the exact policy.
Seems very odd that Mattel will use Trap Jaw's or Tri Klops origins which were only in the MVC comic and then call it "this small corner of MOTU lore".

Something isn't right there!

He was referring to Illumina not MVC as a whole.

[Sir Reilly]

First, the Q & As are not written by me. They are written by PR and legal. I don't make the rules, I just help facilitate the Q & A program with fan sites!

How convenient that suddenly, it's PR and Mattel legal that's answering the Q&As and thus are to blame. How very convenient.

The whole deal with "Illuminata" is not something I have control over. The bottom line is she is off the table per upper management for many reasons.

So, what's the whole deal with forbidding MVC to present their "fan pitch" online? You haven't addressed what makes that so different from stuff like the "Son of He-Man" pitch.
And shall we really believe that upper managment deals with matters such as if you can use the "Icons of Evil" comics for the biographies but not the rest of the "fan pitch"? I guess Mattel's really doing things totally different than anybody else then. But pretending that indeed to be the case, there's gotta be someone really in charge that can be contacted about the whole situation.

Why do you think I post on He-Man.org more then any other web site!?

Because it's the largest MotU fansite on the web, plain and simple.

But in the big picture, considering that the Goddess was a poor seller, Mattel is going to be reluctant to do other extremely obscure characters as well.

Poor seller, considering that originally, all figures were supposed to be available at least 2-3 weeks? What's a successfull sellout now? Seven days? Twelve hours? Sixty minutes?

But lots of good stuff is happening! We were able to confirm with our vendor that they could de-flock Moss Man's ears!

Very well done and thanks alot for that. We still want to know why we can't see Val and Emil's "fan" pitch, though.

[Tallstar]

And yet they decided to use stuff from Icons of Evil and that was MVC. I'm just confused as to the exact policy.
Seems very odd that Mattel will use Trap Jaw's or Tri Klops origins which were only in the MVC comic and then call it "this small corner of MOTU lore".

Something isn't right there!

Didn't Mattel give MVCreations a list of "usable" characters at one time back in the day? Maybe that ties into somehow.

With Icons of Evil, they're technically only using the backstories (Kronis was in the cartoon), so it's not the same type of scenario where you have a newly created character. Just a thought.

[Angel-T]

Well at least you are acknowledging the MVCreations work as a part of MOTU now, but why will you not let the org post the MVC bible on the org? 2K MOTU is dead and gone, at least let the fans have this bone! I think you have helped to do many great things with the brand scott, but this is something the 2K fans want. I am not speaking about an Illumina figure here, I specifically mean the MVC comic bible. If you are in this akward position between the fan base and management, who or what specifically is your boss, Maybe it's time the fans started petitioning for the things we want directly to the source above you that can make this happen or not. Rather than just taking your word for fan requests maybe your management/ manager needs to come and see first hand the support there is for the MVC bible.

Issues like this and Shadow Weaver are not going to go away especially without a real explenation as to why they can't be done. YOU are the brand manager and IMO have a lot more to do with the behind the sceens decisions than you might like people to know. I also think your appeal to a higher authority could be because your back is against the wall, like it was during the SDCC Art Book mess, but I will play along. So these decisions come from management, would you be so kind as to name your boss or manager so I and other fans can write directly and express our concerns and tell them what we want! MOTUC is fantastic but it could also be so much more. You seem like a nice guy, but sometimes people are wrong.

I don't think things are as they appear at all. You guys (Mattel) ARE lisencing the Filmation look of He-Man and She-Ra, I found this out from HYPE media LTD last year. The birthday cards blend the Filmation and 2K looks. I just think things just need to stop being suger coated and some real answers need to be given to issues like Shadow Weaver, rather than "we know you wan't her but no can do"! Mattel did a one time deal for She-Ra, so why not her? You guys do seem to have a problem with the org IMO, and are constantly contradicting yourselves in what you say here, on face book and on other websites! The goddess salesw were dissapointing, (what the mother funky!) she sold out in the time frame (2 weeks) you guys said eariler last year you were aiming for. It seems the goal posts you guys at Mattel set for us have all grown little legs and are running around all over the place to suit Mattel's whims.

I am a hard working adult, I don't collect any other form of adult collector toy or cartoon memorabilia, I love MOTU & POP to death, I spend around $100-150.00 each month on the product and what do I see (besides fantastic 4H figures), a contemptable tone at times from whoever writes the Q and A's, I see Mattel (you) taking swipes at MVC and the org, the largest and most established fan sight on the web for basically having the tallent and ability to do your job's better than you do at times, Whats the problem? Val and Emiliano seem to have their fingers on the pulse of the fan community at all times, where as you guys are hit and miss. It's simple, work with us, listen to the people who know the brand and the fan base as well as you if not better IMO, this way everyone wins. You cannot expect to win the org fan's respect (and experience the love and adoration we all have for this place and the incredable artists here in) while you guys at Mattel are looking down your noses at us and our elected representatives. Val has publically appologised for whatever the problem is (were you banned or blasted by a mod back in the 2K days or something?) Just accept this appology, move on and start working with this site once more, restablishing the previous good relationship we had with Mattel! We should all be on the same page as we all want fantastic things for MOTU!

[RocketPunch]

Goddess was a poor seller, Mattel is going to be extremely reluctant to do other obscure characters.

MOTUC will be at retail (sort of) in some MOTC vs DCU 2 packs! This is not a form to do new tooling, but rather to do some kid oriented packs to bring new blood into the both franchises by offering key characters from both licenses at retail in fun 2 packs.


TG

I'd love to know why the Goddess is considered a flop by Mattel when she sold out in less than two weeks. A sell out is a sell out guys, or are you expecting Adora-levels of demand from every figure? Besides, wasn't your goal for each figure to last around a month on the site?

If you're planning to bring more kids and collectors into the line you REALLY need to increase production numbers outside of the subscription. Otherwise all your hard work to attract new customers with these DC 2-packs will be for nothing, when they come to the site and see that every figure has soldout and is unavailable to buy.

Most casual buyers are not going to sit at their computer at noon each month waiting to get their figures, which is another reason why having them on the site for longer periods of time is a good thing.

[Mr. Shokoti]

Secondly, how can you say that Goddess was a poor seller when she is sold out!?

We don't know how many of her were made. She might of had the lowest production numbers out of the entire line and it still took her longer to sell out.

Also, all MOTU comics are out of print, why is the MVC comic any different?

It might be because Mattel is still gun-shy about the perceived failure of the 2002 line and feels it is tainted. While I personally like those comics, Mattel may not want to remind people of an unsuccessful era. While NA may not have been as sucessful as the vintage line(although it did last longer than the 2002 line), it is still it's own thing whereas the 2002 line sought to replace the 1980's mythology.

[MegaGearMax]

In my ongoing attempt to be a diplomate between Mattel and the fan base, let me see if I can clear the air a bit. First, the Q & As are not written by me. They are written by PR and legal. I don't make the rules, I just help facilitate the Q & A program with fan sites! (and yes they did make a type-o in the name of the company which I missed when proofing in my rush to get the answers out on time. Sorry Val!)

...

The whole deal with "Illuminata" is not something I have control over.

Illumina. Please take this suggestion: maybe you're rushed for time (considering the next few days), but getting names right will help your diplomacy with fans who might think that you don't care.

The bottom line is she is off the table per upper management for many reasons. But in the big picture, considering that the Goddess was a poor seller, Mattel is going to be reluctant to do other extremely obscure characters as well.

Uh oh. That's bad news for this line as most of the "new" attractions are obscure characters who have never had figures. The idea of eventually getting ultra obscure MOTU characters are an attraction to many collectors of this line, as it is for DC Universe.

Waitaminute, even though The Goddess took 2 weeks, she still sold out. Didn't you want figures to last this long originally? Has something changed? Or was she pulled from the website when she wasn't selling out?

Illuminata appeared on a few panels in one out of print issue and in an ad. She just isn't a figure we will be doing in the Classics line right now. This has nothing to do with "Val hating" or anything like that. We love Val and Emiliano and the gang! They are awesome guys with a huge passion for MOTU. Why do you think I post on He-Man.org more then any other web site!? I want to do all I can to support this site, but can only do as much as my bosses permit me to. Again, I don't make the rules, but I do need to follow the recs from my management. For reasons way beyond people or characters or anything I can control we are just not going to explore this small corner of MOTU lore in the current line. No fan polls or postings will change that right now.

Since we don't want to "shoot the messenger", who can WE talk to above you? How do the fans get in touch with your bosses?

But lots of good stuff is happening! We were able to confirm with our vendor that they could de-flock Moss Man's ears! Plus if you haven't heard MOTUC will be at retail (sort of) in some MOTC vs DCU 2 packs! This is not a form to do new tooling, but rather to do some kid oriented packs to bring new blood into the both franchises by offering key characters from both licenses at retail in fun 2 packs.

Any unique tooling or sculpts involved or will any offered TRU exclusive MOTU figures just be repaints?

And no, Superman will not be on a MOTU buck. The DC bucks will only be used for DC characters and the MOTU bucks will only be used on MOTU figures. Even if they are in a two pack together!

That's unfortunate. There are fans who would be interested in a Superman on the MOTUC buck.

[RocketPunch]

We don't know how many of her were made. She might of had the lowest production numbers out of the entire line and it still took her longer to sell out.

Doesn't matter, she still sold out. It's not like they have boxes of unsold Goddess' gathering dust in their warehouse, is it?