Tomy struggling with Japanese Market, possible Adult-focused ideas brewing!
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Primus was listening to my prayers. I for one am awfully sick of Transformers being almost exclusively marketed at kids who don't even know that Transformers exists. When Animated fails, I hope Hasbro starts importing whatever it is Takaratomy is working on. I hope this means lots more Hybrid styles as they are my favorites.

- The Chaos Bringer
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The Chaos Bringer wrote:Primus was listening to my prayers. I for one am awfully sick of Transformers being almost exclusively marketed at kids who don't even know that Transformers exists. When Animated fails, I hope Hasbro starts importing whatever it is Takaratomy is working on. I hope this means lots more Hybrid styles as they are my favorites.
Yeah, uh, here's the deal: Toys generally ARE marketed towards kids. And why? Because who are toys usually created for? KIDS! And what is Transformers? A Franchise AIMED at kids.
Just so you know, we're generally looked down on by a lot of people, just look at the snarky comments some of us get when buying toys. Not putting you down or anything, but you need to realise that if Kanye West was a Transformers fan, he'd be informing everyone Hasbro doesn't care about Adult Transformers Fans.
- Damolisher
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Adult TFs are basicly Collector TFs, and although they will be expensive, I'm sure hoping they'll be more intresting than the domestic TFs that are on the horizon!
- Liege Evilmus
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Fireblast wrote:Well if Hasbro does something like this over here I'll be happy. I hope whoever's idea it was to make Kiss Players for little girls is fired because no offense, but marketing Transformers to little girls is like trying to marketing Barbie to little boys. Hopefully Takara Tomy makes more Masterpiece Transformers because Optimus Prime is rated as one of the best toys ever.
Little girls? i've read many threads state those toys were marketed to older collectors of the male perspective.
Specifically pedos if you ask me.

- Klozminded-G1
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Sure hope Takara does not give up on the line, I would hate to see what Hasbro would do to Transformers if they had complete and utter control...
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i_amtrunks - Guardian Of Seibertron
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I disagree with the only reason people collect is because they did as kids. While I did collect toys as a kid, I didn't collect transformers until jr high.
- tacogrande
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Takara would never do that, not only is it still a profitabe market, and they all have their ups and downs, Hasbro would never let them because they knew if they did, they'd actualy have do do something themselves for once!
I know corporations, they wouldn't let something like them having to do actual work ever happen!
I know corporations, they wouldn't let something like them having to do actual work ever happen!
- Liege Evilmus
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Sid Burn wrote:Hopefully this will spawn more use of the TF comics as source material for molds.
I want a Nova Prime Dammit
Or super forgotten rarities like Dark Nova!
- Liege Evilmus
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I worry when we hear adult Transformers from Japan, we'll end up getting a Kiss Players Hentai TV series.
- Scaleface
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Without reading any posts, I say:
If Tomy/Takara/whatever is losing profit, maybe Hasbro'd buy it.
I don't mean that they's make their own hasbro only series, but still use Takara ideas and such.
If Tomy/Takara/whatever is losing profit, maybe Hasbro'd buy it.
I don't mean that they's make their own hasbro only series, but still use Takara ideas and such.
- Sherade
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Marketing Transformers at kids sounds like a good idea at first, but for whatever reason, kids just aren't interested. The Unicron Trilogy was aimed specifically at kids and did all in its power to appeal to them but for some reason it didn't do so well. Of the kids I've asked, most either:
A) Don't know about TFs,
B) Just don't care about TFs,
C) Think TFs are too babyish (just wait til they see Animated)
There you go. Transformers aren't popular enough with kids to rely so much on them to support the franchise. And StarWars figures are technically toys, but guess who buys them? (hint. It's not kids) Are we so different?
So I defend my previous statement. Marketing Transformers at us is a good idea.
A) Don't know about TFs,
B) Just don't care about TFs,
C) Think TFs are too babyish (just wait til they see Animated)
There you go. Transformers aren't popular enough with kids to rely so much on them to support the franchise. And StarWars figures are technically toys, but guess who buys them? (hint. It's not kids) Are we so different?
So I defend my previous statement. Marketing Transformers at us is a good idea.

- The Chaos Bringer
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The reason Star Wars toys aren't marketted at kids is because Star Wars isn't a kids' franchise. Transformers is. And yeah, I think it IS popular enough. Not everyone who walks down toy aisles are adults, believe it or not. Most of the time when you see figures being bought it's by kids. I don't know where you get this idea Transformers is meant to be marketted towards adults, but it's not. It's like I always say- take it as it is, or leave it.
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i_amtrunks wrote:Sure hope Takara does not give up on the line, I would hate to see what Hasbro would do to Transformers if they had complete and utter control...
Whoa now, wait just a minute.
I'm not happy with Hasbro at the current time due to their lack of stock and methods of keeping up, however...
People forget, if it wasn't for Hasbro bringing the molds over with the story behind it, we wouldn't have TFs. Takara would be sitting on rusty molds doing nothing, still to this day. (well, they'd find some way to whore them out sooner or later, but you know what I mean.)
Hasbro's had some pretty good ideas in the past, so to say they'd ruin it singlehandedly, is just nonsense.
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Autobot032 wrote:i_amtrunks wrote:Sure hope Takara does not give up on the line, I would hate to see what Hasbro would do to Transformers if they had complete and utter control...
Whoa now, wait just a minute.
I'm not happy with Hasbro at the current time due to their lack of stock and methods of keeping up, however...
People forget, if it wasn't for Hasbro bringing the molds over with the story behind it, we wouldn't have TFs. Takara would be sitting on rusty molds doing nothing, still to this day. (well, they'd find some way to whore them out sooner or later, but you know what I mean.)
Hasbro's had some pretty good ideas in the past, so to say they'd ruin it singlehandedly, is just nonsense.
Now Hasbro have had some pretty decent non-show figures lately (Classics, Cybertron Downshift, Shortround et. all) but the movie line, which is a line entirely designed by Hasbro has been an absolute stinker.
To me, it seems as though Hasbro can make good figures, when they have some input from Takara, or at least a kind of style guide from figures already made.
I know the movie designs themselves played their part in how bad the Hasbro Movie line figures are, but it is still ultimately Hasbro's fault that the line is as horrific as it is.
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i_amtrunks - Guardian Of Seibertron
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tacogrande wrote:I disagree with the only reason people collect is because they did as kids. While I did collect toys as a kid, I didn't collect transformers until jr high.
Good point, I didn't start collecting anime figures until...well this year.

As far as Star Wars being marketed to adults... perhaps, but that wasn't the case in the beginning. It's just how it evolved. An evolution transformers needs to make.
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No, it really, really doesn't. Saying it should is just another case of some adult fans being selfish. I like Transformers the way it is, and I don't see what right we have to take it away from the legions of kids who love Transformers now. How about we think of the kids who like Transformers, instead of just thinking of ourselves for a change?
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so the toy industry is struggling partially because of a shirnking population of kids?
dammit japan, start having more sex then!
anyway, I'd love to see a reissue of skylynx and more adult oriented transformers (adult as in better detail eyc, not kiss players)
dammit japan, start having more sex then!
anyway, I'd love to see a reissue of skylynx and more adult oriented transformers (adult as in better detail eyc, not kiss players)

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By "adult focussed" I truly hope that doesn't mean more stuff like the KISS Players line.

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Burn wrote:By "adult focussed" I truly hope that doesn't mean more stuff like the KISS Players line.
Read Gear: Adult Edition
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Counterpunch wrote:Burn wrote:By "adult focussed" I truly hope that doesn't mean more stuff like the KISS Players line.
Read Gear: Adult Edition
Which will in turn draw in the "Ugly spinster" demographic...
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This article sounds like great news to me. Less for the kiddies and more for me.


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This is terrible news- there are two likely scenarios.
1. Less new Japanese Transformers product will be created and produced.
2. The product that is produced will be Kiss Players-esque in nature.
1. Less new Japanese Transformers product will be created and produced.
2. The product that is produced will be Kiss Players-esque in nature.
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