Author Topic: Novelties 2022 (second half)  (Read 16138 times)

Offline Adam16bit

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #110 on: August 16, 2022, 04:15:10 »
Maybe they've realized it's difficult right now due to shipping times and maybe production time as well to release everything worldwide at the same time. Hopefully they will continue releasing everything possible in all markets. Seems unlikely that the Dragons series won't be released in the US since a US property, unless someone else got a license block for toys in this market. It may be possible that Naruto is only licensed for Europe and those of us in other markets may have to hunt it down overseas. We won't know until early next year I would guess.

I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say (my day job is toy buyer at a US toy store) but Playmobil informed us Naruto got bumped to 2023, we are expecting it next year.   I have a request in for an update on the Star Trek Klingon Bird of Prey and hope to know more soon!
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Offline Speedyben

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #111 on: August 16, 2022, 10:41:41 »
I am afraid that the bankruptcy of Wilfilm is just another symptom, not really much of a cause. Wilfilm was expecting work for new seasons for Ayuma and Novelmore to come in any moment, but Playmobil kept stalling endlessly to give a green light as it couldn't agree internally on whether to keep walking that media-dependent fantasy franchise road or go back to the old path of effortlessly milking their generic evergreens.

So it is sure there will be no 3th Novelmore season? :sorrow:
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Offline collectobart

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #112 on: August 16, 2022, 12:57:29 »
So it is sure there will be no 3th Novelmore season? :sorrow:

Nothing is ever certain. Lego discontinued Ninjago in 2013, and still it came back stronger than ever with over a dozen new seasons.

But the focus of the Geobra management is much more pinned on their rather abstract "corporate transformation" ideas now and less so on building up their own (sub)brand(s) further.

Offline Adam16bit

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #113 on: August 16, 2022, 23:39:22 »
Klingon ship got pushed back to December/January.

And, things get pushed all the time.  The Ecto-1A was going for a few hundred bucks, and then all of a sudden Playmobil found some more and the price dropped. It's a fun adventure!
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Offline playmovictorian

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #114 on: August 17, 2022, 04:02:29 »
Always very interesting catching up with this thread as I have learned a lot while sipping my morning coffee  :)

Thank you for these informations  :wave:
La, tout n'est qu'ordre et beaute, luxe, calme et volupte. L'Invitation au Voyage. Charles Baudelaire.1857.

Offline Janilew

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #115 on: October 10, 2022, 07:37:36 »
I am afraid that the bankruptcy of Wilfilm is just another symptom, not really much of a cause. Wilfilm was expecting work for new seasons for Ayuma and Novelmore to come in any moment, but Playmobil kept stalling endlessly to give a green light as it couldn't agree internally on whether to keep walking that media-dependent fantasy franchise road or go back to the old path of effortlessly milking their generic evergreens.

I think they ought to return to the generic Playmobil. The licensed sets, while having some cool pieces, are way too friggin expensive and come and go ridiculously fast. At least with Super 4 they let it breathe a little. Now they're juggling, what, 4 different series at once (including Dino Rise and Wiltopia)? At least with generic Playmobil you don't have to try to get a series off the ground as the customers can make their own, plus they won't have to make new licensed products. IMAGINAAAAAATION is the key people.  :rainbow:

Offline Tiermann

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #116 on: October 10, 2022, 17:44:39 »
I just did a blog post about my latest additions that includes the big 71007 set from Wiltopia Amazon. Here is what I had to say about that theme:
If you enjoy realism and interesting new species then this is a great year with the Wiltopia Amazon theme being the best designed wild animal theme since the African Safari sets of 2009. It's been a decade, but the link to a specific location and the unique animals found there is deeply satisfying and very much in keeping with the company's long standing relationship to everyday realistic pretend play. The company has been all over the place with licensing and deep dives into fantasy, but the Amazon theme is a great direction for them to be going in. Hopefully it will be popular and will result in a continuation of additional locations around the world. Added to that of course is the use of recycled plastics for a more environmentally friendly production concept. Hopefully that trend will continue as well, with further developments in the reuse of plastics and long term sustainability in a changing world.

Offline Oliver

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #117 on: October 10, 2022, 18:22:03 »
I think they ought to return to the generic Playmobil. The licensed sets, while having some cool pieces, are way too friggin expensive and come and go ridiculously fast.

We should, I suppose, be grateful that the expensive prices are limited to the licensed sets (unlike Lego, where it is across the board)

Offline collectobart

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #118 on: October 11, 2022, 00:38:14 »
Now they're juggling, what, 4 different series at once (including Dino Rise and Wiltopia)? At least with generic Playmobil you don't have to try to get a series off the ground as the customers can make their own

Way back, in the early days of the development of Novelmore, the goal was to create only ONE full-flagged IP with books, games and a tv-series flanking the toy. And perhaps after a few years and having learned some lessons, attempt a second IP directed at girls. It was a strategy still in line with the moderate and careful evolution of the core brand that existed under Horsts reign.

But between 2018 and the start of the pandemic, the core brand became increasingly under pressure... Due to the licenses taking up more and more development resources, the original Blue Line got neglected more and more. With licenses like Dragons taking up most of the room for new molds, the novelties of once successful Blue Line themes like police , pony farm, construction, etc... were reduced to mostly refurbished re-releases of already existing sets. The result: Blue lines performed poorer and poorer.

And without making the proper analysis - that neglected development leads to boring products and bad sales - the idea grew that the core brand itself was the problem. So, top management doubled down and the core brand was further sacrificed - a nice sign of this is that the playmobil logo got reduced by 66% on the newer box designs - and all the energy went into new "offerings" like Everdreamerz, Dino Rise, Ayuma, DOC and especially Wiltopia, which got brandings that clearly depart from the "blue wall" concept that once gave Playmobil its unified presence in toy stores.

This made it pretty much a self-fullfilling prophecy as far as the future of the Blue Line is concerned, and i am really wondering what the fall novelties of 2023 will bring.

« Last Edit: October 11, 2022, 00:45:06 by collectobart »

Offline Klickteryx

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Re: Novelties 2022 (second half)
« Reply #119 on: October 11, 2022, 02:27:23 »
We should, I suppose, be grateful that the expensive prices are limited to the licensed sets (unlike Lego, where it is across the board)
I can't work out their pricing. Just had a look at the UK site and there doesn't seem to be a pattern. The A-Team van is £70, the getaway van and helicopter set which features a similar van is £65 plus the silly helicopter. The fire engines look to be within the same price range but construction trucks are at least half the price for a similar or greater amount of parts. They even have a new police van coming out which is only £19 unless that's an introductory offer price.