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Fri 29 Feb 2008 |
 Today is Leap Day, the extra day that we tack on to February every four years to keep the calendar in time with the seasons. We do this because the Earth does not orbit the sun in a nice round 365 days, but rather in 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds.
Ancient peoples based their calendars on many things, from the movements of the stars to the activities of plants and animals. The Greek poet Hesiod told farmers to begin the harvest when the constellation Pleiades was rising and to begin plowing when it was setting, and to sharpen their farming tools when snails began climbing up plants.
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Fri 29 Feb 2008 |
 This news is a little late as it came in while I was prepping for Toy Fair, but it’s so cool I have to mention it. AFI friend and board-member Antony C has opened up what may just be the definitive Wonder Woman archive- ExperiencetheWonder.com.
It’s thorough, easy to read, and a great resource for all things Wonder Woman.
Antony has included some helpful navigation tips for the site to start you off:
NAVIGATION :: I have placed every item in my collection within one of several menu categories that are tabs at the top of every page. Click any tab to view the "contact sheet" for that category.
CONTACT SHEETS:: Every item under a particular category will be displayed in a group of thumbnails, each showing the name of the item beneath. Click any thumbnail to visit each item’s own "detail" page. Contact sheets (and their sections) are arranged from oldest to newest, following a left-to-right, row-by-row format.
DETAIL PAGES:: The detail pages feature my own high-resolution photos including complete turnarounds, packaging and product specifications. Hover over any thumbnail to change the "preview" image to the left. Click on any thumb nail to open a pop-up window with the full-size image. For fun,try scrolling your mouse over the thumbnails from top to bottom and back! If you do, the preview image will "rotate" before your eyes!There is a text link above each preview image to get you back to the contact sheet for that category.
VALUES :: Auction values are provided for informational purposes only. Items in my private collection are not for sale.
UPDATES:: As I acquire new pieces, they will be included in the appropriate section. New releases will be added within a week of their release.
GLOSSARY :: To learn about frequently used terms throughout ExperienceTheWonder.com, CLICK HERE
LOGOS ::Different versions of the Wonder Woman logo are used on many products.To see the evolution of the Wonder Woman logo design from 1942 to present, CLICK HERE
So get over there and have a look at ExperienceTheWonder.com! And just in case you forget the URL we have added the site to our links over there on the right hand column.
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Wed 27 Feb 2008 |
 NY- Fans of the popular NBC series Heroes are eagerly awaiting the release of the Mezco Toyz action figures of their favorite characters from the award winning series. Collectors are pre-ordering the figures online in record numbers and the prototypes, on display at NBC’s Rockefeller Center headquarters, draw crowds of onlookers who pose next to their custom display case for a quick photo. The 1st set of Heroes action figures is set to be released in June 2008, but one lucky fan will get them early thanks to The-OWI.com, a Heroes fan site. By simply e-mailing pictures of themselves dressed as their favorite Hero, fans can enter the website’s Show Us Your Heroes contest. In April, judges from the website along with representatives of Mezco Toyz, and NBC will select a grand prize winner who will receive a complete set of unpainted "test shot" figures. Test shots are quickly becoming one of the hottest collectibles in the toy world due to their extreme scarcity, only a handful are produced and many are destroyed.
Several test shots of Mezco Toyz are on display in museums, including New York’s prestigious Museum Of The Moving Image. Additionally, NBC will be supplying several additional prizes, to be revealed at a later date, for several runner up winners.
The OWI, Mezco Toyz, and NBC hope that by requiring fans to participate and send a photo rather than simply send an e-mail or postcard, the prize will be awarded to a true Heroes fan.
To enter the contest visit: www.owiheroescontest.com
Heroes action figures by Mezco Toyz are available for pre-order online, and will be in Toys"R"Us and other fine retailers in June.
Click here to see the Heroes figures and our Mezco Toy Fair Coverage.
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Mon 25 Feb 2008 |
JAKKS’(TM) Electronics Roster Includes NextGeneration EyeClops(TM) Products, Ulti-Motion(TM) Wireless Motion Gaming System Products and G2: Game Girl(TM) Deluxe Hannah Montana(TM)Plug and Play, Collectible Plush Linking to Neopets.com DiscoveryKids(TM)-Branded ”Smart” Toys
MALIBU, Calif. –(Business Wire)– Feb. 18, 2008JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (NASDAQ:JAKK) is presenting the company’s line-up of interactive toys and games to media and buyers attending the American International Toy Fair held in New York City, February17th-20th. The 2008 electronic toy portfolio from JAKKS Pacific(R)features products for every level of gamer and tech gadget enthusiast,including smart AND fun interactive learning products based on the Discovery Kids(R) brand. It features new expansions of the JAKKS Plug It In & Play(TM) TV Games(TM) line with the Ulti-Motion(TM) wireless motion gaming system, conceptualized in collaboration with Disney(R),and Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana(TM) G2: Game Girl(TM) deluxe plug and play game. JAKKS(TM) will also debut its EyeClops(TM) Night Vision Goggles and BioniCam(TM), two extensions of its award-winning EyeClops(TM) Bionic Eye toy, which was nominated for Most Innovative and Best Educational Toys of 2007 by the Toy Industry Association.
"We are excited about the potential for our 2008 interactive portfolio and believe it will appeal to many different consumer groups, ranging from preschoolers to boys, tween girls, adults and everyone in between," said Stephen Berman, President and COO, JAKKS Pacific. "We continue to focus on traditional play patterns intertwined with new technology to make them engaging to today’s kids.Our next generation EyeClops BioniCam features portability, a multi-zoom lens and recordable features allowing kids to capture and save their finds on a USB key. The new EyeClops Night Vision Goggles are so cool that practically everyone out there might want a pair."
"With our new Ulti-Motion game system, several titles of which were conceptualized with Disney Consumer Products, we combine the hugely popular motion gaming category with plug and play gaming andtoyetic role play accessories especially designed for preschoolers andgirls. The G2: Game Girl line takes our TV Games(TM) line to the nextlevel with rich graphics and sounds, tween-centric gameplay, andpopular entertainment properties such as Disney’s Hannah Montana andHigh School Musical(TM)."
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Mon 25 Feb 2008 |
 Medicom has recently announced the acquisition of the LOST license and the first wave of Kubricks based on the ABC series. They are believed to have an August release date.
Shown in the first wave are:
●JACK
●KATE
●SAWYER
●SAYID
●HURLEY
●LOCKE
●CHARLIE
Additional information is available on Medicom’s official site.
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Sat 23 Feb 2008 |
In the coming weeks I’ll be posting news, information and my general thoughts about what I saw this year at Toy Fair 2008. First up is retailer turned manufacturer Amok Time
You can see all of our Amok Time Showroom Photos by clicking here.
Amok Time
Amok Time is having a go at manufacturing toys as well as being an online retailer. They have taken over the classic Battlestar Galactica 12” license from the now defunct Majestic Studios. The silver and gold cylons were fairly widely available at Tower Records and the like before Tower went under, as was the 12” Apollo. The 12” Starbuck and Adama however were much harder to come by, so it’s nice to see them re-released. It looks like the new AT versions will sell for $49, which is a little higher than the original Majestic figures went for.
Starbuck and Apollo will be re-released with new head sculpts. Adama will be the same. Then we will start to see new characters such as Boomer, Tigh, Athena and Lucifer. They are still working on securing the likeness rights with Baltar’s estate. When the Cylons are re-released they will have the back skirts missing from the original release.
They were displayed on a cool custom Galactica bridge diorama. That was for display purposes only unfortunately. AT has already started taking preorders for some of these figures on their website.
They are also continuing on with the classic 12” Lost in Space line as well as starting up a line of 12” B-movie monsters. Also in their 12” line is the classic film version of “The Day The Earth Stood Still”with Klatuu at 12” and a 16” rotocast Gort.
They are also in talks to develop some product based on some classic adult film stars, the first of which is Seka. Their Seka bookends from last year were a big hit so they are looking at expanding that line further with figures and other merchandise.
This is Amok Time’s 16 year in business and it should prove to be the most interesting for fans and collectors with all of these licenses they now hold. All of these offerings look great and I’m excited to see where Amok Time will go with them. I’ll definitely be keeping my eye on them.
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Sat 23 Feb 2008 |
 Last week we started seeing a photoshopped mock-up of the Deluxe 2-disk Justice League: The New Frontier DVD set that came with an exclusive PVC Hal Jordan. We first learned of this exclusive pack-in from a picture in a Best Buy add. There has been a lot of speculation on what the figure will really look like and what exactly it would be. I got a look at the completed product while I was at the DC Comics offices in New York while I was there covering Toy fair 2008.
The Hal PVC was created by DC Direct. It is about 3" tall, has NO articulation, is mounted to a stand, and comes with his lantern battery. At this time DC Direct does not have any plans to make any additional New Frontier based PVC figures, but they will be watching to see how this version sells.
 
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Thu 21 Feb 2008 |
This just in from MATTEL and our friend Toy Guru:
I’m excited to share some great news about Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited line. Due to overwhelming support from the fans, Mattel and Target are teaming up to bring an all new Collector’s Line to store shelves starting this August!
16 brand new figures along with collector requested repaints and reissues will be available in singles,3-packs and 6 packs. Figures will be out in two waves. Each wave will consist of two 6-packs, two 3 packs and five single carded figures,some with brand new accessories. This line will be sold exclusively at Target stores starting Aug 1, 2008. At this time the line will be an in store exclusive only.
Wave 1 will be revealed at New York Comic Con in April and Wave 2 will be shown at Comic Con San Diego in July.
There may be a few other JLU surprises this year as well. But fans will just have to wait for the summer conventions to find out what!
We are pleased so show the first 6-pack for Wave 1: Attack from Apokolips featuring Superman, Darkseid, Mr. Miracle, Lashina, Mantis and Forager.
Along with these figures, we are excited to announce that the line will also include several major MIA characters including The Question!
  
*Note to collectors, these are not the final figures and we do plan to adjust Mantis’ cape color and Forager’s shield.
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Wed 20 Feb 2008 |
Mattel’s Toy Guru was kind enough to answer some questions about the newly revealed product shown at their Toy Fair Showroom as well as the future of some existing lines.
 Infinite Heroes
1. What is the release schedule for these? IH will be on shelf at the end of the summer.
2. What is the actual scale of these? Are they truly 3 3/4"? or more 3 3/4" Scale? They are 3 3/4 figures.
3. Are these the finished sculpts or just mockups? They seem to be in a couple of different styles. Figures like Green Lantern have regular anatomy on the torso, whereas figures like Batman have a very angular anatomy. Some look like they are the same base bodies with just painted detail (Flash) where as others have a TON of sculpted detail (Black Hand) The figures shown at Toy Fair are prototypes. Many did not have the articulation built in yet. We hope to have final sculpts to show at NY Comic Con in April.
4. Any word yet if Wal-Mart will be carrying this line? We continue to work with Wal-Mart and all of our customers. In the end, it is up to each retailer to decided which Mattel products they want to carry.
5. Will the 4 Horsemen be involved in the line? Not the IH line. The Horsemen will remain our sculptors on the 6 inch DCUC line.
6. What is the estimated retail price? - 5.99 for singles, 15.99 for 3 packs.
7. How many figures per wave? That will be announced at NY Comic Con.
8. I know big names need to be held back, but there’s some glaring absences (notably Superman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Joker, Luthor, etc). Are we looking at 2009 at the earliest for some of those characters? Again, we will announce all character selection at NY Comic Con.
9. There was close to 30 figures shown. How many waves are we seeing here? Is this all 2008 product or do the characters shown spill into 2009? The figures shown at NY TF are there to educate retailers about what they can expect to see in the line. All of these figures are prototypes and not all will wind up in the 2008 line. By the time we reach NY CC we will have a better idea of the line up and can make a more direct announcement to the fans!
DC Universe Classics
1. I heard tell there are some other retailer exclusives planned for the line. Will we find out about those ahead of time or will they be surprises. – We will announce these at NYCC and San Diego.
2. Will Wonder Woman have a variant? Our lips are sealed until NYCC.
The Batman
What is the future of "The Batman?" Any expansion for that line? Villains? Green Arrow? Much like JLU, Mattel is well aware of collector interest in more Batman Animated figures and we are working on finding ways to bring these to market.
Justice League Unlimted
Since Infinite Heroes has characters like Adam Strange, Power Girl, Shazam & Hal Jordan what are the odds of seeing all/some of these in JLU also? The character selection for IH and JLU is handled a bit differently. Not all characters available for the JLU line are available for IH and vica versa. Just as certain characters could not be in the JLU cartoon, some are not available for the toy line. Each line is handled on a character by character basis with our licensing partners at DC Comics. I can tell you that Hal Jordan will not be available for the JLU line. (and neither will Lobo at this time).
The reason you see different characters showing up in different lines is entirely on purpose. With several major DC lines going on at once, Mattel is making a deliberate attempt to spread the character selection out. A figure you see one year in 6 inch may show up in another year in the 3 3/4 line or JLU. It is sorta like switching teams. We don’t want to burn out any character and have him or her show up in every single line in one year. But over the course of several years, most characters should play a visit to every toy line. Currently Mattel has the DC license through 2012. You do the math!
Thanks to Toy Guru for the answers to our burning questions!
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