Origins Wun-Dar

[JohnnyC]

Seeing tons of pics showing up for this figure. Surprised I didn’t find a thread here already. I still have no idea how or where or when to purchase. Any inside info?

-Johnny C

[Stratos88]

Mattel distribution, as always, is a complete mess. A supposedly exclusive figure to their own store just leaking out...how does this even happen?

[depp76]

Seeing tons of pics showing up for this figure. Surprised I didn’t find a thread here already. I still have no idea how or where or when to purchase. Any inside info?

-Johnny C

All the discussion of him has been in the Origins: General News thread.

[Megalodon]

Mattel distribution, as always, is a complete mess. A supposedly exclusive figure to their own store just leaking out...how does this even happen?

Will Mattel STOP with these exclusives already???

Damn! They already have the tooling so why not release it as a regular figure?

[Dylamug]

Will Mattel STOP with these exclusives already???

Damn! They already have the tooling so why not release it as a regular figure?

Call me crazy, but I think it actually makes MORE sense to make an exclusive out of something made with all existing tooling. You sell less units, but since you spent less on it, you get more for your investment than if it was something with lots of new tooling. Unless you plan on crowd sourcing or giving the toy a huge mark up over retail prices, that is. The more new tooling they use, the more likely it should be to hit retail so you can both produce more and spend less per unit in the production and reach a larger target audience to potentiwlly sell enough units to get more of a return on the tooling costs

[Megalodon]

Call me crazy, but I think it actually makes MORE sense to make an exclusive out of something made with all existing tooling. You sell less units, but since you spent less on it, you get more for your investment than if it was something with lots of new tooling. Unless you plan on crowd sourcing or giving the toy a huge mark up over retail prices, that is. The more new tooling they use, the more likely it should be to hit retail so you can both produce more and spend less per unit in the production and reach a larger target audience to potentially sell enough units to get more of a return on the tooling costs

Yes but your not spending any more money for tooling and as a company you can sell more and make the scalpers IE resellers not make any money.

Now this figure Kol-Darr (And Probably Wun-Dar too) (Like Tri-Klops & Sun-Man) sold out in minutes and that 5 per max order how many went straight to E-Bay this is BS

This was SUPPOSED to be a retail line that was:

1.Nostalgic
2.Affordable
3.Widely Available (Online & Brick & Morter stores)

It DID do these things BUT it's starting to go the way of MOTUC because the secondary market is going for some of these figures ($75-up) that's 300-500% markup compared to retail

They should make it FAIR and limit ONE per household then everyone can get one not just the guys that are on their computer's all day and have nothing else to do...

[Glasstor]

Now this figure Kol-Darr (And Probably Wun-Dar too) (Like Tri-Klops & Sun-Man) sold out in minutes and that 5 per max order how many went straight to E-Bay this is BS

I 100% get what you are saying. But, to be fair, I only count 137 Kol-Darrs having sold or up for sale on eBay. Granted, there are other avenues for sales and some may be waiting to have it in-hand before they sell but, that’s not that many unless they only made like 1500 figures.


The thing that gets me is that they said the previous waves would be available regularly (paraphrasing). What happened to that plan? Only one wave has been re-issued and I believe some of those orders were canceled. Hmmm

[binkibonsai]

It may seem arse-backwards, but I think wot the employees and the suits are thinking are completely different.

The designers, as creatives are thinking of the collectors, but:

• Marketing want to create hype with next to no effort. Aside from the occasional exceptional individual I find most marketing people I've met are overpaid "idea guys" who, despite speaking well are as sharp as a bag of hammers.
  
• Shareholders want infinite and continuous growth of profit, seemingly unaware that demographics aren't infinite and eventually your target demographics will cap out (pretty much the problem that Netflix is having)
  
• Upper management want to make their own performance look good and likely produce low quantities so they can guarantee selling out and look good in reports.

I dinnae think they care about the exact numbers, just that they sold out of all units produced and have reduced cost, thereby creating the appearance of profit.

There's something counter-intuitive about suit logic and when I worked as a creative I'd be at meetings looking at the higher-ups and thinking "What the hell is wrong with ye?!"

Suits don't think about making a good product; they think about how to look like someone who can create something out of nothing and be able to command higher salaries at their next job.

Similarly, companies don't care about scalpers; all they care about is clearing stock and scalpers who buy in volume seem like a fast way to do that. They don't care who actually gets the product at the end of the day.

As far as I can see, designers are the only personnel who might actually love their products.

If ye want to see actual results ye have to vote with your wallet and get others to do the same.

They'll stop predatory business practices when we stop rewarding it.

Will Mattel STOP with these exclusives already???

Damn! They already have the tooling so why not release it as a regular figure?

With the death of toys r us and limited shelf space for toys at retail, brands now have to be more discerning with wot stock is offered to retailers.

Why they don't just have a direct online store and deal with the public directly is a bigger question.

[timrollpickering2]

I 100% get what you are saying. But, to be fair, I only count 137 Kol-Darrs having sold or up for sale on eBay.

Is that just on eBay.com though?

For example I just found one available to me on eBay.co.uk that's "located" in Ireland and offers postage to all of Europe minus Russia and Ukraine (which seem to be the two most commonly excluded countries) but not to the rest of the world. There's one listing on ebay.de for one located in Italy with shipping to the European Union which is not found on eBay.co.uk. I suspect neither listing is visible on eBay.com.

(Also a lot of sellers don't know how to hyphenate Kol-Darr even when reproducing the stock picture of his card.)

Okay that's only two but that's just a quick glance at a couple of platforms outside the US. It may not be the madness of the Monster High Dracula (who had a limit of two, sold out when immediate pouncers were still in the queue and at times has sold on eBay for prices that suggest something other than collecting dolls/vampire merchandise is going on) but I suspect a significant portion of scalpers may well want the items in hand first and also some may not want to faff around with international shipping.

With the death of toys r us and limited shelf space for toys at retail, brands now have to be more discerning with wot stock is offered to retailers.

Why they don't just have a direct online store and deal with the public directly is a bigger question.

A lot of manufacturers have built up relationships with both big retailers and also distributors that could be jeopardised if they went into direct sales. It's one thing to have a site selling a few exclusives and some surplus stock, it's another thing to be in competition with your own middle people which can generate distrust and bad blood when there is still heavy reliance on those retailers for sales. Also a lot of companies are not easily set up to suddenly take on new ventures and buying out existing firms to take over infrastructure hasn't always worked, to say nothing of potential restrictions on vertical integration.

Finally there's the international situation to consider as well. Not all countries have lost their dedicated toy shops. Here in the UK we have two nationwide chains with over a hundred stores each - the Entertainer (mostly on high streets and in shopping centres) and Smyths (mainly found on retail parks; it expanded out of Ireland) - as well as smaller chains (e.g. Hamleys), regional chains (e.g. Toybarnhaus) and independent shops (some of which are in consortiums). Nor did Toys R Us stores actually close in many countries but instead other chains took them over. e.g. Smyths took over nearly 100 stores in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In France Toys R US merged with PicWic to create PicWicToys. IIUC Toys R Us survived in Asia, has been restarted in Australia and is looking to return to the UK physical market next year. All in all this is a quite different picture from the "no more dedicated toy stores" painted of the US. If Mattel went into online sales en masse it would either have to risk relationship damage with significant clients or risk limiting the countries they sell in which would probably be the US only, maybe Canada as well, with cut offs to the international collectibles distributors.

[Glasstor]

Is that just on eBay.com though?

For example I just found one available to me on eBay.co.uk that's "located" in Ireland and offers postage to all of Europe minus Russia and Ukraine (which seem to be the two most commonly excluded countries) but not to the rest of the world. There's one listing on ebay.de for one located in Italy with shipping to the European Union which is not found on eBay.co.uk. I suspect neither listing is visible on eBay.com.

(Also a lot of selloers don't know how to hyphenate Kol-Darr even when reproducing the stock picture of his card.)

Okay that's only two but that's just a quick glance at a couple of platforms outside the US. It may not be the madness of the Monster High Dracula (who had a limit of two, sold out when immediate pouncers were still in the queue and at times has sold on eBay for prices that suggest something other than collecting dolls/vampire merchandise is going on) but I suspect a significant portion of scalpers may well want the items in hand first and also some may not want to faff around with international shipping.

That’s what I meant when I said “Granted, there are other avenues for sales and some may be waiting to have it in-hand before they sell but…”

My point was basically, that there would be a lot more on eBay if the majority went to resellers. 137 is not a lot and even if we triple that number, it’s still not enough to make too much of a dent(unless they made a very small number).

I would definitely prefer if they did a timed release sort of thing to help out people that are unable to be there at an exact time when an item goes live.

[Megalodon]

That’s what I meant when I said “Granted, there are other avenues for sales and some may be waiting to have it in-hand before they sell but…”

My point was basically, that there would be a lot more on eBay if the majority went to resellers. 137 is not a lot and even if we triple that number, it’s still not enough to make too much of a dent(unless they made a very small number).

I would definitely prefer if they did a timed release sort of thing to help out people that are unable to be there at an exact time when an item goes live.

And Mattel said this was going to be an "Easy" line to collect and find....

[Glasstor]

And Mattel said this was going to be an "Easy" line to collect and find....

They definitely underestimated the interest in MOTU.

[depp76]

I'm already turning into a nervous chihuahua over this drop lol.

[Bonehead]

These exclusives are what made me drop the line. Origins' appeal was that they were readily available at B&M and online stores. When these Creations figures became impossible to get, my interest waned.

[Kollec-Tor]

I am already dreading trying to order Origins Wun-Dar from MattelCreations on Friday. I have had problems ordering their exclusives every single time. As soon as I get to the Checkout page, the site kicks me out and I have to start all over again. For those of you who have had plenty of success ordering, are there any helpful hints you can give that would help us order on Friday?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[jibernish]

I am already dreading trying to order Origins Wun-Dar from MattelCreations on Friday. I have had problems ordering their exclusives every single time. As soon as I get to the Checkout page, the site kicks me out and I have to start all over again. For those of you who have had plenty of success ordering, are there any helpful hints you can give that would help us order on Friday?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

What browser do you use? And is it on a phone, tablet, or computer?

I've successfully used Edge on my work computer both times. We have a faster connection than my home connection. I think tablet/phone would not be good ways to try.

Close everything else that uses the internet. No other tabs open in your browser.

I assume you have your profile already up. If you already have a credit card stored, great. If not, open up a word document or notepad and type your credit card number and address and everything into that. And then if you have to enter it, you can just copy and paste.

Some people swear by putting an item into your cart beforehand, then putting in Wun-dar when he pops up, and then deleting the other item. They say it helps - but I'm afraid the extra time it takes to delete the item would slow things down. So try it at your own risk. I did just bite the bullet and put the $10 Hot Wheels pin in my cart beforehand when the power con items went up the 2nd time. I chickened out and didn't delete - I just paid for the pin and I got everything I wanted that day too.

[anytimepally]

I wonder if the fact that some of these got out prior to official release means they have fewer available to sell...

[Uki]

I've set my alarm to log on in time tomorrow. It helped with Kol-Dar, so I'm hoping we're lucky again. My wife and I have an appointment to get passports tomorrow a bit before then, so if I have to scoot out to grab this guy, I will.

[Kollec-Tor]

Thanks to jibernish for the advice. I was using Google Chrome cause that what Customer Service said when I called MattelCreations. Silly me for believing them. But all I have is a home internet connection. I don’t know if it will be fast enough.

Has anyone successfully used their phone to order from MattelCreations on sale days? I’m thinking the wi-fi might be faster on my phone.

Who knows? I might try using both tomorrow.

[depp76]

Has anyone successfully used their phone to order from MattelCreations on sale days? I’m thinking the wi-fi might be faster on my phone.

Who knows? I might try using both tomorrow.

I always use my phone.

[Glasstor]

Has anyone successfully used their phone to order from MattelCreations on sale days? I’m thinking the wi-fi might be faster on my phone.

Who knows? I might try using both tomorrow.

I’ve always used my phone, too. For Tri-Klops, I pulled off the freeway to order with bad service. Lol

[d0od]

Thanks to jibernish for the advice. I was using Google Chrome cause that what Customer Service said when I called MattelCreations. Silly me for believing them. But all I have is a home internet connection. I don’t know if it will be fast enough.

Has anyone successfully used their phone to order from MattelCreations on sale days? I’m thinking the wi-fi might be faster on my phone.

Who knows? I might try using both tomorrow.

Be ready 5 mins before it goes on sale. Go to the Mattel Creations website and sign-in ready. Then open the Wun-Dar page (close any other tabs) and as soon as it hits whatever the go-live time is in your timezone just refresh the page, add it to cart, and check out. Remember to breathe and you should be golden. The real time-saver is to be signed-in. If you can add your payment details to your account so they're ready to go too, even better.

[Bob]

Be ready 5 mins before it goes on sale. Go to the Mattel Creations website and sign-in ready. Then open the Wun-Dar page (close any other tabs) and as soon as it hits whatever the go-live time is in your timezone just refresh the page, add it to cart, and check out. Remember to breath and you should be golden. The real time-saver is to be signed-in. If you can add your payment details to your account so they're ready to go too, even better.

Don't forget the timed verification not a robot page that is very annoying.

[Lord_Of_Destruction]

Has anyone successfully used their phone to order from MattelCreations on sale days? I’m thinking the wi-fi might be faster on my phone.

Who knows? I might try using both tomorrow.

When the extra SDCC exclusives went up I was able to order the Grayskull accessories pack on my phone. It was a bit slow but I got it. By the time I finished and went back to see if I could get Dupli-cat it was already sold out.

I got Kol-Dar on my PC. I had both it and my phone ready to go got in and out no problem.

[Ornclown]

Ahhhh.... brings back memories of Mattycollector and Digital River.

Refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh... refresh.... move to computer #2....

Refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh.... refresh... refresh.... refresh.... BINGO! Add to cart.... checkout.... "We're sorry, the item(s) you are trying to purchase are sold out."




People may have decried Mattel for the Subscription format, but good-golly did it give me peace of mind!