Is Indiana Jones "toyetic?"

Recently Steve Sansweet did an interview with Big Shiny Robot where he said he didn't think Indiana Jones is very toyetic.

http://www.bigshinyrobot.com/reviews/archives/7095

Do you think the Indiana Jones films are toyetic? Sure we collect the toys but we collect them because we are collectors and they are there.

Is Hasbro too mainstream for Indiana Jones? What can be done to make Indiana Jones toyetic?

After the Hasbro failed with it last year and LJN failed with it in 1984 and Kenner eventually failed with it in 1983, were those toy lines done in by bad business decisions or is Indiana Jones truly something that doesn't fit as a toy line?

Just heard your submissionto the Indy Cast and it only shows the lack of imagination of the Hasbro "suits" that they can't conceive of cool Indiana Jones toys.

I could give you a list of a hundred cool toys. But ultimately...as expressed by Les from Throw Me The Idol in his Indy Cast interview you can have the best product available, but if you put them out there painted the way they were...what do you expect.

They approached the box counts like it was Star Wars, so they really didn't put out the amount of Grail Knights etc that people wanted.

I think an old indy with an eye patch would have been more popular then the "Strabismus" Indy.

PS The crappy packaging bent the fedora into ear flaps...they did inspire you to think Indiana Jones in one aspect: the quest to find an unwarped well painted Indy was no mean feat!

Maybe or Maybe not

I will have to say I somewhat agree, but still Indy does have a real human appeal like policemen, firemen and solders. I think when it comes to toy, kids should recognize the mortally. Too many kids play video games with endless lives. Kids are growing up today thinking if they fail they try something else. Kids need to learn that failure is part of life and we see Indy fail a lot during the movies, but with many attempts he finally succeeds. If you see your kid playing at the computer send them outside to use their imagination. The computer takes away the imagination and creates a false sense of security. Back to Indy and the toys. The kids have to go outside to become Indiana Jones. When it comes to the Indy action figures they have to be played outside. This is why I believed Indiana Jones does not work for kids of the 21st century. I think I have said enough.
Mr. J

Lon said:

What can be done to make Indiana Jones toyetic?

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ANIMATED SERIES

It's not rocket science.

Seriously, ask Rocket Surgeon. Or not. He's a doctor, man, not a scientist!

If he had an animated series (which he's built perfectly for may I add) toys would be plentiful, they'd sell well, and Indy would finally be "toyetic".

It's a serious crime that this hasn't happened yet.

I agree, IJ is not Toyetic in an action figure sense. IJ is a character that is better suited for role playing toys, which are limited (they had the toy whip & swords, but guns & nazi's are a no-no anymore). Kids don't get excited about an "old man in an suit" figure like they do for a neon green Batman that shoots missles or an cool looking Star Wars Alien. I loved the IJ figures as a kid, admittedly not as much as my Star Wars figures. I loved the new figures, (but even with these I was\am not a "collect them all" sort) and have more fun designing and creating customs that will probably never be made, so I see the new figures essentially not as toys but as little posable models\displays.
A kid can either get with his friends put on a hat and get an old clothesline to be a whip and play in the real woods, or play with 3" versions. I always prefered the former over the latter, (except in winter). It's not the same as playing make believe with a star wars blaster and pretending your neighborhood park Cloud City, but the same park can be a forest and the playground structure an old temple.

DocWhiskey said:

Seriously, ask Rocket Surgeon. Or not. He's a doctor, man, not a scientist!

If he had an animated series (which he's built perfectly for may I add) toys would be plentiful, they'd sell well, and Indy would finally be "toyetic".

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Rocket Surgeon's perfectly built for an animated series?! Really?!?!

Who knew...?

Why is toy guns a no-no? Blasting away a 1000 Aliens, Zombies or Nazis on a computer game is more socially acceptable.
Mr J.

DocWhiskey said:

ANIMATED SERIES

It's not rocket science.

Seriously, ask Rocket Surgeon. Or not. He's a doctor, man, not a scientist!

If he had an animated series (which he's built perfectly for may I add) toys would be plentiful, they'd sell well, and Indy would finally be "toyetic".

It's a serious crime that this hasn't happened yet.

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I completely agree. But it'd need to be much more tongue in cheek than the films to actually make an impact on today's younger viewers, thus killing most of the appeal for us old-timer fans.

I think there are plenty of playable aspects when it comes to Indy. It just has to handled right, right characters released together, them not looking like there face is melting off(unless we are talking Toht) and better case assortments/less Mutts to choke on.

You need a hero and his antagonist from the climatic scenes. We got Indy, Marion, Cairo Thugs and the swordsman. That is one scene you can reenact/is fun to play. Then the Gremans, the Cargo Truck, Troop Car, and Indy. Another great scene to play. I wish the truck came with the driver or "Tough Sargent" we have seen lately and Belloch would have been a great addition to the troop car. Instead we got Belloch from the ceremony at the end and the German Soldiers. That combo has playable aspects if you are creative enough. If we had Jungle Belloch and 1 Havitos that would be one scene you could play/act out. You could even take the Hasbro route and package the Havitos with different head and accessories and have a second one to sell us. The main missing ingredient for me is Toht. You would have never seen him peg warming. Man I haven't even gotten to Deitrich and Gobbler...and this is just ROTLA.

Rant over, I think Indy is "toyetic" since when do kids not like adventure? It just should have been done by a smaller toy company. Hasbro wanted such high numbers, and that part may be unrealistic. I don't think Indy will sell as many units as Star Wars.

MrJinx said:

I will have to say I somewhat agree, but still Indy does have a real human appeal like policemen, firemen and solders. I think when it comes to toy, kids should recognize the mortally. Too many kids play video games with endless lives. Kids are growing up today thinking if they fail they try something else. Kids need to learn that failure is part of life and we see Indy fail a lot during the movies, but with many attempts he finally succeeds. If you see your kid playing at the computer send them outside to use their imagination. The computer takes away the imagination and creates a false sense of security. Back to Indy and the toys. The kids have to go outside to become Indiana Jones. When it comes to the Indy action figures they have to be played outside. This is why I believed Indiana Jones does not work for kids of the 21st century. I think I have said enough.
Mr. J

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That's an interesting observation. I never thought of it that way.

DocWhiskey said:

ANIMATED SERIES

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Just what I was thinking and a no-brainer if a toy line is what you want.

I do kinda shudder to think what they might do to Indy as a cartoon though. I looked at some Droids cartoons and to be honest found them barely watchable. I never even made it to the Ewoks series!

And then again, they'd probably do 'animated style' figures, which judging by the Clone Wars kids would love and adults - well, not so much.

But that is exactly what it would take to appeal to kids, and if it was done in a slightly more mature style than CW say, I dare say adults would like it too. I like the CW a lot, but it is a bit kiddy-centric sometimes.

Actually I find it hard to judge this one objectively, 'cos I love the Indy toys and they trump Star Wars in my book.

I did witness one parent in the store firmly steering a child away from Indy and back to Star Wars, obviously afraid that this would be yet another line to collect. So in that case Indy was up against an alternate Hasbro product!

As a kid tho? I dunno. I certainly went through a very strong "Space" phase, but I also had the Spy/secret agent phase, the cowboy/indian phase and the soldier/military phase. I could easily see an adventuring archaeologist phase.

WAIT A MINUTE! I've got it! Dinosaurs! Digging up bones is archaeology! And being Indy, I'm sure a "lost world" isn't far behind. There, instant kid appeal!

I doubt Spielberg would go for it though, after Jurassic Park. "But George, I've DONE dinosaurs!"

You must admit - not so far fetched after KOTCS, is it?

The way these companies have failed is because of poor planning, the best indy action figure line was definitely the kenner line only because of planning the figures they made MADE SENSE why would hasbro release a ark ceremony belloq? a monkey man? and 2 Indys? They could've made main figures instead. Kenner had it planned out well. But also Indy is shoved down peoples throats like star wars every where you turn there's something star war lunchboxes, backpacks, the list goes on forever plus they have an ANIMATED tv series!!!!! That's all for my rant today

NickTurner said:

WAIT A MINUTE! I've got it! Dinosaurs! Digging up bones is archaeology! And being Indy, I'm sure a "lost world" isn't far behind. There, instant kid appeal!

I doubt Spielberg would go for it though, after Jurassic Park. "But George, I've DONE dinosaurs!"

You must admit - not so far fetched after KOTCS, is it?

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No, its not so far fetched, and in fact, one of the better Indy novels deals with dinosaur bones and eggs.

However, I think archeologists stick to studying artifacts and structures, while paleontologists analyze remains.

Is the Rocky franchise toyetic? Jakks Pacific made like 7 waves of Rocky figures which I was an avid collector of. Thats how you do a toy line one for each film and 2 best of series.

Kevin said:

However, I think archeologists stick to studying artifacts and structures, while paleontologists analyze remains.

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Well there you go! Instant conflict, Indy's fighting with some paleontologist (she!), over the importance of some site and they form an uneasy alliance...against an oil company.

There's a great toy idea oil executive!

i think the toy company that made the chronicles of narnia prince caspian toys should take over the indy franchise , they seem to have some pretty good sculpters and i think they could very well carry a line like indiana jones past a coupla years ,

See, to a LEGO fan this whole conversation doesn't make any sense. There is an Indiana Jones toy line that started before Hasbro's and that's still going strong. It's known to have sold extremely well from the beginning, and as far as we know it's still selling as well as it did when it debuted, and it just had its latest wave hit store shelves over the past few weeks. We don't know how much longer it'll go, but it's already outdone Hasbro (not only in longevity but in quality as well, I'd argue), at least...

Crack that whip said:

See, to a LEGO fan this whole conversation doesn't make any sense. There is an Indiana Jones toy line that started before Hasbro's and that's still going strong. It's known to have sold extremely well from the beginning, and as far as we know it's still selling as well as it did when it debuted, and it just had its latest wave hit store shelves over the past few weeks. We don't know how much longer it'll go, but it's already outdone Hasbro (not only in longevity but in quality as well, I'd argue), at least...

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Thank you! I was also thinking this. Lego is a model company for distrubuting liscense themes relativley well and indy is no exception this company has taken hasbro, chewed them up, spit them out, and threw the remains in the trash just like what poeple have done to KOTCS. They left hasbro no excuses on why indy got canceled they proved that it generally doesn't take a movie to make indy stuff sell. Their toys excell in quality and distribution. Other indy toy lines have lasted for about a year - two years at the most and lego has beat them already. Lego distriuted their sets so well that I bought 3-4 of them BEFORE I had even become a fan( I guess it was may when I became a big fan) I actually never bought an indy figure until sept. when the line was practically over. So 'tanks' to lego

NickTurner said:

Just what I was thinking and a no-brainer if a toy line is what you want.

I do kinda shudder to think what they might do to Indy as a cartoon though. I looked at some Droids cartoons and to be honest found them barely watchable. I never even made it to the Ewoks series!

And then again, they'd probably do 'animated style' figures, which judging by the Clone Wars kids would love and adults - well, not so much.

But that is exactly what it would take to appeal to kids, and if it was done in a slightly more mature style than CW say, I dare say adults would like it too. I like the CW a lot, but it is a bit kiddy-centric sometimes.

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Indy does certainly lend himself to an animated series however we don't want to the show to just be created so toys can exist. A lot of cartoons are like that and the movie Batman & Robin was like that. As long as they focus on a quality series the toys would be a natural extension rather than the other way around.