Feature - Action Figures & Collectibles

Figures of fun

Just like the Dolls category, the Action Figures & Collectibles market is also being underpinned by content, with video gaming, anime and even NFTs pushing characters to the fore, as Sam Giltrow discovers.

‘Get off your Xbox’ is what many parents (myself included) can be heard yelling up and down the country, day in day out, but it’s fair to say that these very games are leading to a new way of play and reshaping the Action Figures & Collectibles sector. “Boys aren’t so reliant upon the TV show or the blockbuster movie as they once were in finding things that they like, hence why anime and video game properties have become so popular,” explains Nic Aldridge, MD, Bandai UK.

Anime, in particular, has seen a “huge explosion” in the last three years as it transcends from the kidult market to younger children, and this is fuelling a wave of new products from the action figure and collectible specialist. As Netflix’s library was exhausted by children looking to while away the hours, the streaming service introduced around 200 different anime titles, thus bringing the joy of Japanese animation to an even wider audience.

Tapping into the trend, Bandai has created a property called Anime Heroes, which is taking the key characters from the most popular properties and putting them under an umbrella branding as action figures.

Bandai’s Banpresto range is also proving highly popular and features many anime properties including Dragonball and Naruto – its two hottest properties - alongside One Piece, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Demon Slayer. “There’s definitely a trending shift there and I absolutely see this carrying on,” says Nic. It’s a part of the business which enjoys crossover between the company’s kids and kidult audiences; the kidult market has been a growing part of the company’s core strategy for the past five years.

“We like to think of ourselves as being the experts in that area because of our company heritage and because of our specialism in the boys’ categories,” says Nic. “In the collectible kidult area, we now offer in excess of 50 different properties to our collector channel. When we lose kids to video games, what we try to do is get them back again by producing more sophisticated collectible action figures at higher price points, specifically made with this older age group in mind. We are starting to work with mass retailers to educate them on what the big properties are and how they resonate in the market.”

Marketing for kidult products pretty much takes care of itself with collectors sharing news and promoting their collectibles among fellow fans. “It’s more about creating the best product and putting it in the best place,” explains Nic. “The audience is so engaged that the result is community-based marketing. It’s a very different profile to traditional kids’ advertising.”

Other successful gaming product ranges at Bandai include Animal Crossing, and Nic says there is more to come in the near future. “We are also a video games company in one of the different business verticals and so we use the skills, experience and knowledge of that sector to further our overall understanding and growth in the market,” he tells Toy World.

Another company which has seen the growth of Anime among other categories is pop culture collectibles specialist Funko. As marketing manager Chris Barnett explains: “While blockbuster releases and popular content drops always keep the fans coming back to Funko, it is the unpenetrated genres where the sharpest growth is being seen. Categories such as Anime, Gaming, Music and Sport are gaining in popularity, as consumers increasingly look to demonstrate their fandom in these areas.”

It's these changing cultures and keeping the finger on the pulse of the collectibles category which has been the source of Funko’s success, with the company releasing an incredible 75 to 100 new products every week. With the launch of numerous streaming services and the backlog of film releases due to the pandemic, the rate of content being offered has never been so great, and Funko says it is perfectly placed to react to this influx of demand for pop culture collectibles.

Exclusives have always played a big part in Funko’s brand identity and offering in the collectibles market and Chris says there is a growing trend amongst fans to secure exclusives and limited-edition collectibles for their collection, as this can provide a point of difference which can be shared and celebrated among fan groups across social media. Funko has tapped into this trend further by expanding the licenced offering on one of its newest form factors – Vinyl Soda – which have a limited production run and offer a one in six chance of finding a Chase variant, further adding to the exclusivity and collectability of the range.

With more consumers returning to the High Street after two long years, Funko is taking up more opportunities to engage with its fans in person, in the form of ‘retailtainment’, bespoke Funko shop-in-shops and the return of physical events such as Comic Con, which have always been part of Funko’s DNA. Social channels also play a big part. “By delivering all the latest news and upcoming product releases, we have seen our followers grow by over 80% over the last two years, with no signs of slowing down any time soon,” adds Chris.

A.B.Gee has recently been announced an official distribution partner of Funko in a deal which will include the Pop! Vinyl range. “The Pop! Vinyl is a collector icon that we can’t wait to offer to our customers,” says A.B.Gee buyer, Dave Wright. “With the huge growth we’re seeing in the kidult sector, this will be an amazing addition to our portfolio.”

Also tapping into the strength of an engaged fan community, Mattel’s WWE Basic Action Figure Series is the longest-running continuous action figure assortment in history. This year’s Mattel range lets kids (and big kids) recreate favourite matches with the 6-inch WWE Basic Figure Assortment in Superstar scale. The range also includes the WWE Elite Collection; highly detailed action figures for kids and collectors to play out memorable WWE moments. A new segment, WWE vehicles has expanded the WWE play pattern, with support from WWE in the form of content integration into the weekly episodes of Raw and SmackDown.

Mattel is also expecting success from its new Lightyear collection, which includes action figures, play sets and vehicles. The combination of an established character in an original movie should translate to wide ranging demand. Disney’s Josh Silverman comments: “With Lightyear, there is an incredible opportunity to celebrate everyone’s favourite space ranger, along with a new cast of characters, through new and exciting toys, play experiences and more.”

Holly Oldham, managing director, UK & Nordics at Jazwares says a successful action figure and collectible line has to reflect the depth of the characters within the property, so frequent refresh is key. “For key brands such as Pokémon, Fortnite and AEW, we keep the line fresh with new waves dropping for key scales every few weeks,” she explains. Holly tells us that consumers want action figures to be 100% true to life and authentic, which means Jazwares has to be meticulous about detail; its AEW wrestling figures featuring 25 points of articulation and real 3D scanned faces to ensure true likeness.

Innovation, she adds, is also key, as shown by the huge success Jazwares has seen with its Roblox line. Collectability is driven with unique codes that unlock exclusive in-game items, connecting physical and virtual gameplay. “The community loves this, and we have a huge redemption rate at 60%,” she tells Toy World. The video game space remains important for Jazwares with its strong portfolio which, along with Roblox and Fortnite, contains other robust properties such as Minecraft, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter and Halo. “Video game brands are always on, with gamers playing and consuming gaming content for hours every week,” says Holly. “This constant brand consumption naturally leads to product demand.”

Now in its fifth year at retail. Roblox is seeing incredible results and Jazwares’ mystery figure collectibles are a consistent top item. Fortnite remains very strong too and the 4-inch solo mode line remains a top performing SKU, with continuous refreshes to satisfy collectors. Jazwares has had an incredible year with Pokémon, which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2021, and Holly says that 2022 is proving to be just as successful for its figure and collectible line-up, which is being supported by a robust marketing campaign.

Video gaming has also been a huge driver for sales at Click Distribution, which has had a phenomenal 18 months with its range of collectibles based on Piggy, the multiplayer, survival-horror game, created by MiniToon. The company is looking for even bigger success with its new line-up under Roblox’s Pet Simulator X game brand, which launches this month. “Pet Simulator X is likely to be the biggest brand in our company’s history,” says Click’s UK sales and operations director Lewi Hillier. This will be followed by Poppy Playtime, Yu-Gi Oh! and a range of Five Nights at Freddy’s Security Breach SKUs.

Lewi believes Click’s success with its action figure and collectibles brands is the added value they provide. “Things like DLC (downloadable content) codes have worked incredibly well for us over the past couple of years,” he adds. Content is also driving sales and Lewi explains that it’s vitally important t keep a steady, reliable flow of information coming through. “It’s no secret that kids’ TV is seeing a shift in viewing habits and much of kids’ viewing is now driven by on-demand content,” he says. “YouTube is leading the way across both genders and all kids’ age groups, and also offers greater optimisation opportunities, content targeting and creative flexibility.”

One of the sector’s latest developments will bring the beloved characters of the Cooltopia ecosystem into the physical world. Cool Cats, producers of the widely known Cool Cats and Cool Pets NFT collections has joined forces with Toikido to bring the Cooltopia universe to life at retail, marking the debut of yet another source of brands that can lend themselves to the development of toys. “Toys, plush and premium merch have been a continual ask from the community since early on,” says Cool Cats co-founder Evan Luza. “We’re stoked to be able to work with the right partner who can ensure we’re delivering the calibre of goodies to our community that they deserve.”

Toikido has made a name for itself based on its ability to reach shelves quickly. The company created, manufactured and distributed the official line of Among Us products to over 100 global retailers in less than six months. Among Us currently represents the top new property across total Action Figures & Accessories this year, according to NPD, once again demonstrating the strength of video game properties in this part of the toy market.