News and Reviews of Monster High Dolls, Plush Toys, and More!
Discontinuing Dolls
I just posted this on another page (and my Group) and had to share with the rest of the fansite. I think there are quite a few of us out there that are extremely perturbed with Mattel:
There have actually been quite a few complains to Mattel about discontinuing dolls. The consumers are saying that they keep coming out with new dolls a little too fast, so those that didn't get a chance to find some of the older dolls are screwed. Mattel can barely keep MHDs on the shelves and they're pulling stuff away to make room for newer ones? C'mon. That's a little dumb in my opinion. Believe me, I'm not against new dolls! Not in the least! I'm so excited about the Ghoul's Rule line that I keep peeing myself! That being said, however, Mattel could try and do a little better to keep the older stuff out a little longer and push the release date back of the newer dolls. Don't discontinue stuff that people haven't even seen to buy yet! I think that's a little cruel. Part of the fun of collecting the dolls is finding some that are worth more than others. However, it's kind of sad that they may land in Beanie Babiesville. I collected TONS of beanie babies. I traveled to Europe around the BB craze and purchased hard to find beanies over there. Now they're all in plastic boxes in my parents basement, and worthless. I still can't force myself to chuck them, though. I HOPE this won't be the case of MH, since they are doll, and dolls do have prices on their heads for hard to find ones. Anyway, back to my original point: Don't discontinue stuff people have never seen because you (Mattel) can't keep them on the shelves! I mean don't they want to make more money?! Lol.
Now with all of this being said it just struck me to ask what makes certain dolls worth more than others? Is it the consumer making it so? For example: Mattel releases Abby. Abby dashes off the shelves faster than you can blink. Just because certain people purchase her so fast, is that what makes her more valuable? So does the demand make a doll rare? Like how on earth did Wave 1 Clawdeen jump in numbers? What makes certain dolls so much more rare than others? This is the same question I ask about art. I can look at a Degas painting and fall in love while someone else can look at the same painting and can't understand what makes it so great. I saw the Mona Lisa in person. I was completely unimpressed. First, it's crazy small in real life. I find nothing haunting/mysterious about her smile, nor do I care what she's smiling about. Hell, it could be a self portrait of Da Vinci himself! Who deems these things worthy of our attention and love? Who says "Oh this is great! This is amazing!" and other people nod because they agree, or nod because they want to just go along with it?! I particularly wasn't that impressed with Abby, so I didn't buy her when I saw her. Now I'm KICKING myself. So does this mean I have to buy every single doll that comes out so I can collect the ones that become higher in value?! I collect the dolls I like, but now I'm questioning if I should just purchase what ever dolls I see. Not to sell them later on if they raise in value, but to keep for myself to say "Hey! I have a rare MHD!"
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by jack thibideaux on -
collect for whatever reason makes you happy! :)
i've been an avid toy collector for about 25 years, and i've never bought a toy based on what it might be worth in the future. i buy what i like, and what makes me happy to see on my shelves (i also open all my toys...i always free them from their tiny plastic prisons!). now...some of my toys have become quite valuable. many of them have not. but some of my favorite figures are also the ones i could buy very cheaply off ebay or amazon right now. on the other hand, i have boxes of very valuable figures that i no longer enjoy packed away, despite being the far more scarce toys in my collection. *shrug*
i will say...when i collect a line, i do tend to get the whole line. that way i avoid having to pay larger amounts for toys after they become scarce. (i did this after skipping a few figures in the latter days of the masters of the universe line, then having to search fervently in a pre-internet world for a scareglow and king randor!) my daughters love monster high, so i decided early on that i would get them at least one of every doll and accessory that was released. this way i avoid the regret of skipping a doll that is rather unimpressive upon first viewing.
but ultimately, it's totally up to you. don't bother to buy a doll that you can't be happy to see sitting on your shelf. :)
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ModPermalink Reply by ♫☮Champion Sadie☮♫ on -
I agree with this but Mattel said on the MH Facebook page more Abbeys will be around by May (probably with the new Robecca. Venus, etc). So if you're still looking for Abbey you should at least focus more on Toralei, Nefera, etc. I'm more personally worried about Cupid, I haven't seen her once and am desperate to get her.
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Permalink Reply by jack thibideaux on
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i still have trouble believing that cupid will stay a walmart exclusive. i have no "inside information," nor do i pretend to know for sure, but mattel has been notoriously stingy when it comes to new sculpts and tooling on toys...especially when it comes to exclusives. and cupid features so much new tooling and paint apps, with her head and accessories, i feel quite sure she'll pop up in the line again. maybe not in a sweet 1600 package, but in some form.
♫☮Sadie Skeletol☮♫ (BunniBear4) said:I agree with this but Mattel said on the MH Facebook page more Abbeys will be around by May (probably with the new Robecca. Venus, etc). So if you're still looking for Abbey you should at least focus more on Toralei, Nefera, etc. I'm more personally worried about Cupid, I haven't seen her once and am desperate to get her.
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Permalink Reply by Witchy on
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Hate to say it, but I'm actually looking forward to the new characters! I've been lucky enough to find pretty much all the basics, and SO Lagoona I missed out on because I didn't think I wanted it the couple times I saw it... SO Cleo I'm in no rush to get because I have a little bit of time before the next case assortment comes out, and Operetta hasn't been here yet. (And Howleen and the Werecat twins). I've only been collecting since late November. I'm considering starting to collect the other lines just so I have something to search for :( even though I don't really need them.
As for what makes a doll worth more than the others... Well, when they put multiples of some dolls in a case and only 1 of another doll, and a store only gets one or two cases, those singles are going to go pretty quickly no matter how many times they restock. It's the same with lots of collector type toys - Hot Wheels and McFarlane sports figures will put an alternative release into each case - it's called a "chase" and it's essentially done to keep collectors (adults and children) interested and hunting. Skylanders is pretty much the same. It depends on the market in that area and how many cases they get in. If stores got in enough stock to completely and immediately saturate the market, they would experience a spike in sales with each release and then a dramatic drop in sales of those characters until the next new release when sales would spike and then drop again, by releasing a steady (or at the moment, not so steady) stream of dolls over a period of time and periodically re-releasing certain characters, they keep sales high and steady, and the dolls popular and flying off the shelves.
With everyone complaining about how Mattel doesn't know what it's doing with this marketing - you forget that Mattel was founded in 1945 and have been doing what they're doing for 67 years. They own the hottest, best, and longest selling toy brands in the world - Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Cabbage Patch dolls - they own Fisher Price, and manufactur and distribute toys for Disney (Toy Story, Princesses, Tinker Bell, etc), they even distributed for Nintendo before Nintendo distributed for itself. They know how to keep their toys in demand... look how long Barbie has been around and how many variations have come and gone.
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Permalink Reply by Witchbaby on -
Witchy, kudos on such fabulous information! And you are right about Mattel. They are an amazing company and they do indeed know what they're doing. They're just definitely sneaky and a little backhanded, but they do know what they're doing.
Witchy said:Hate to say it, but I'm actually looking forward to the new characters! I've been lucky enough to find pretty much all the basics, and SO Lagoona I missed out on because I didn't think I wanted it the couple times I saw it... SO Cleo I'm in no rush to get because I have a little bit of time before the next case assortment comes out, and Operetta hasn't been here yet. (And Howleen and the Werecat twins). I've only been collecting since late November. I'm considering starting to collect the other lines just so I have something to search for :( even though I don't really need them.
As for what makes a doll worth more than the others... Well, when they put multiples of some dolls in a case and only 1 of another doll, and a store only gets one or two cases, those singles are going to go pretty quickly no matter how many times they restock. It's the same with lots of collector type toys - Hot Wheels and McFarlane sports figures will put an alternative release into each case - it's called a "chase" and it's essentially done to keep collectors (adults and children) interested and hunting. Skylanders is pretty much the same. It depends on the market in that area and how many cases they get in. If stores got in enough stock to completely and immediately saturate the market, they would experience a spike in sales with each release and then a dramatic drop in sales of those characters until the next new release when sales would spike and then drop again, by releasing a steady (or at the moment, not so steady) stream of dolls over a period of time and periodically re-releasing certain characters, they keep sales high and steady, and the dolls popular and flying off the shelves.
With everyone complaining about how Mattel doesn't know what it's doing with this marketing - you forget that Mattel was founded in 1945 and have been doing what they're doing for 67 years. They own the hottest, best, and longest selling toy brands in the world - Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Cabbage Patch dolls - they own Fisher Price, and manufactur and distribute toys for Disney (Toy Story, Princesses, Tinker Bell, etc), they even distributed for Nintendo before Nintendo distributed for itself. They know how to keep their toys in demand... look how long Barbie has been around and how many variations have come and gone.
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Permalink Reply by Scary Murphy on -
I doubt Mattel would really screw Canadians over on Howleen. There are some advertisements of her all alone that have been shown in countries that Target does not own. This might imply Howleen might get a release, but not in a two pack. Granted these were rather misleading ads, but the companies have to get a hold of the images from Mattel. I would not lose hope just yet.
Khaleesi said:We wont be getting howleen in canada. and there still isnt a date of her in america.
Witchy said:Hate to say it, but I'm actually looking forward to the new characters! I've been lucky enough to find pretty much all the basics, and SO Lagoona I missed out on because I didn't think I wanted it the couple times I saw it... SO Cleo I'm in no rush to get because I have a little bit of time before the next case assortment comes out, and Operetta hasn't been here yet. (And Howleen and the Werecat twins). I've only been collecting since late November. I'm considering starting to collect the other lines just so I have something to search for :( even though I don't really need them.
As for what makes a doll worth more than the others... Well, when they put multiples of some dolls in a case and only 1 of another doll, and a store only gets one or two cases, those singles are going to go pretty quickly no matter how many times they restock. It's the same with lots of collector type toys - Hot Wheels and McFarlane sports figures will put an alternative release into each case - it's called a "chase" and it's essentially done to keep collectors (adults and children) interested and hunting. Skylanders is pretty much the same. It depends on the market in that area and how many cases they get in. If stores got in enough stock to completely and immediately saturate the market, they would experience a spike in sales with each release and then a dramatic drop in sales of those characters until the next new release when sales would spike and then drop again, by releasing a steady (or at the moment, not so steady) stream of dolls over a period of time and periodically re-releasing certain characters, they keep sales high and steady, and the dolls popular and flying off the shelves.
With everyone complaining about how Mattel doesn't know what it's doing with this marketing - you forget that Mattel was founded in 1945 and have been doing what they're doing for 67 years. They own the hottest, best, and longest selling toy brands in the world - Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, Cabbage Patch dolls - they own Fisher Price, and manufactur and distribute toys for Disney (Toy Story, Princesses, Tinker Bell, etc), they even distributed for Nintendo before Nintendo distributed for itself. They know how to keep their toys in demand... look how long Barbie has been around and how many variations have come and gone.
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Permalink Reply by Meowlody Stripes on -
Too bad for u i have been collecting since last year in june so yay
Khaleesi said:This, so much! I've only just got into the monster high craze. been 4 months. yet I've missed out on sooo many dolls.
And Now If I want them I have to pay outrageous prices for dolls they just released like 3 months ago... I'm outraged. Let people catch up before you push out a bunch of new dolls. Like sheesh.
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Permalink Reply by Spectra Fan on
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I posted the list in blogs and i am SO mad, some of that stuff hasn't even been out for a full year!
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Those of us (Canadians) that have contacted Mattel have been told in no uncertain terms that we won't be getting Howleen.
Target does own in Canada, they are just not currently operating - and since they will be entering the Canadian market in 2013 and haven't taken another company over to do so (they bought the leases to Zellers' locations, they didn't buy Zellers), anyone that could carry Howleen as an exclusive would be a Target competitor. It's a complex situation, and no, it's not fair (business rarely is) but to understand the situation is to understand why we aren't getting that product at this time. Any of the other countries that don't have Target owned companies that are getting Howleen also aren't in the same situation that Canada is with Target starting to move in.
Scary Murphy said:I doubt Mattel would really screw Canadians over on Howleen. There are some advertisements of her all alone that have been shown in countries that Target does not own. This might imply Howleen might get a release, but not in a two pack. Granted these were rather misleading ads, but the companies have to get a hold of the images from Mattel. I would not lose hope just yet.
Khaleesi said:We wont be getting howleen in canada. and there still isnt a date of her in america.
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Permalink Reply by Witchbaby on
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Robecca! I HATE the new MLP designs, though I will start to spend money on the blind bags that have just been released in the U.S. I like their molds a lot. So spending up to 20.00 on tons of those doesn't bother me as much. But spending so much money on a doll I can't find, and is being discontinued because others are scalping is ridiculous. I agree whole heartedly that it's a greed game and it's hurting those of us who aren't in it for the money value of the dolls, but for the collectors value. Though owning a doll that is hard to find is sometimes nice. But I'm not going to hold it over someones head and say "Na na na na look what I have and you don't! I'll sell it to your for a bajillion dollars!" It sucks. And I'm very sorry for the Canadian people who won't be getting Howleen, though if it makes you feel any better I've yet to see or hear anything about her here in the States. I had no idea Canada didn't have Target. How slow is the company to take over the world? Lol.
Robecca Girl said:
I agree, I live in Australia and the dolls for a while were very rare.. but there was always a draculaura or a 2 pack of cleo and deuce..
When I started buying them I luckily was able to get all the first ones, and at present, there is so many I need to get to complete my first round.. and while trying to catch up with the old.. im getting battered with the new, hardly getting a chance to have enough money to get them.. I only just got the chance to find nefera and operetta.. and they are churning all the newbies out before I even get a chance to pay the other ones off..
I think they are sending them out too fast for us collectors to keep up.. the worst part is I think they are only rare because others have it in their minds to buy all on the shelves then sell them for 3 times as much on ebay.. not giving us a chance to enjoy finding them in stores.. I think its a greed game these days.. If these dolls are based at an age group of 6 and up. not everyone is going to have the money (especially 10 year olds) to get their dolls.. And parents are already struggling with other expenses.. I think they need to hold it back just a bit..
Im still hanging to find cupid.. ive got the other 4 1600 dolls on lay by.. and I only just found draculaura and clawd the other day?
its crazy.. I tried to keep up with my little pony.. but I got bored with the same ol characters being recycled into these new bodies.. then when the new characters had come out.. I was over them.. I dont like the new my little ponies.. so I stopped collecting them.. kinda sad for someone who has almost 400 ponies..
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Permalink Reply by Heather on -
That was pretty rude and unnecessary. It's great that you have been collecting for longer, but there's no need to rub that in the face of someone who is a more recent collector and is having trouble finding some of the older releases.
Has Mattel actually stated that any of the items are being discontinued? I mean it would make sense that Wave 1 basics would be phased out, but I know that other currently hard to find dolls (like Abbey) will be being shipped out again later this year. I haven't seen any official statements about anything being discontinued though, just a lot of speculation.
Meowlody Stripes said:Too bad for u i have been collecting since last year in june so yay
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Permalink Reply by Witchbaby on
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Heather, I believe Spectra Fan recently posted a link to the items being discontinued. Some of them are fairly recent as far as being released, too! It's crazy! Spectra Fan, if you see this, could you please resend the link on this thread? Thanks so much, lovely!
Heather said:That was pretty rude and unnecessary. It's great that you have been collecting for longer, but there's no need to rub that in the face of someone who is a more recent collector and is having trouble finding some of the older releases.
Has Mattel actually stated that any of the items are being discontinued? I mean it would make sense that Wave 1 basics would be phased out, but I know that other currently hard to find dolls (like Abbey) will be being shipped out again later this year. I haven't seen any official statements about anything being discontinued though, just a lot of speculation.
Meowlody Stripes said:Too bad for u i have been collecting since last year in june so yay
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