The Force Awakens: Official Review Thread - ** SPOILERS ** — Page 135

Apparently Alderaan has never heard of Stephen Miller.

NeverarGreat said:

The so-called Senate lies so much, it’s just constant lying.

WYSHS

The toy revolution started with a girl named Rey.

Before “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” you would be hard pressed to find a female action figure on the shelves of your favorite toy store.

“[Disney] took a risk and they made a female the hero of ‘Force Awakens’,” Jim Silver, CEO of TTPM, an online toy review site, told CNBC. “She sold better than just about anyone, except for Kylo Ren, but the villain always sells better.”

An accidental phenomenon, female action figures were never supposed to be big sellers. It’s why in the last 20 years, it’s hard to recall a best-selling action figure that was female.

“They never sold well so companies stopped making them,” Silver said.

But the release of “The Force Awakens” in 2015, which pushed “Star Wars” toy sales for Hasbro to almost $500 million, changed that.

Before Rey, kids and collectors alike struggled to get their hands on female characters from their favorite superhero and action movies. Characters like Black Widow and Gamora from Marvel were hard to find or missing altogether from playsets and toy lines. Many angered consumers took to social media to express their outrage over the missing characters.

Even “The Force Awakens” attracted its own share of ire. Initially, Hasbro and Disney were criticized for the shortage of Rey merchandise available in the months leading up to the film’s release. However, both companies later said it was a deliberate move to avoid spoilers to the film. Since then, Rey has appeared across all major toy, apparel and consumer product lines.

Now, shelves are lined with strong female characters. At New York Toy Fair this year, companies showcased toys featuring D.C. Superhero Girls (teenage versions of Supergirl, Batgirl and Wonder Woman, among others), Jyn Erso from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” and Wonder Woman foam roleplay items.

Full article here:

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/27/this-star-wars-character-altered-the-toy-industry-forever.html

My wife had a hell of a time finding Rey characters for our girls, I’ll have to tell her that it was supposedly to avoid spoilers. Not sure if I buy that.

TV’s Frink said:

My wife had a hell of a time finding Rey characters for our girls, I’ll have to tell her that it was supposedly to avoid spoilers. Not sure if I buy that.

Well, apparently they start making toys way before film comes out, so I don’t know maybe they didn’t realize she’d be so popular and just assumed because it’s a female toy it wouldn’t sell.

I think the spoiler thing has more to do with lightsaber stuff, so kinda an excuse but barely.

Cool article.

DominicCobb said:

TV’s Frink said:

My wife had a hell of a time finding Rey characters for our girls, I’ll have to tell her that it was supposedly to avoid spoilers. Not sure if I buy that.

Well, apparently they start making toys way before film comes out, so I don’t know maybe they didn’t realize she’d be so popular and just assumed because it’s a female toy it wouldn’t sell.

That makes a lot more sense.

I think the spoiler thing has more to do with lightsaber stuff, so kinda an excuse but barely.

That would make sense if there weren’t a ton of toys where she has the staff instead.

TV’s Frink said:

My wife had a hell of a time finding Rey characters for our girls

You sound surprised.

imperialscum said:

It was no personal attack. I was pointing out that you cannot refute two solid arguments with just one person’s experience.

Sounds like both to me. You literally said the man wasn’t up to the task of getting Rey toys for his kids. Regardless of the overall message you were trying to convey you still shaded Frink on the low. Remember you can’t argue against the truth so the futility of your rationalizing should be apparent.

imperialscum said:

It was no personal attack. I was pointing out that you cannot refute two solid arguments with just one person’s experience.

This post doesn’t have to do with personal experience?

ray_afraid said:

I don’t buy the idea that female action figures are a rare sight or unpopular. My best buddies daughter has TONS of 'em and they never had to look hard to find em at the toy shops.
I also don’t think having the lead in TFA be female was a “risky move”. Maybe if they made the movie right after ROTJ, but not now. Movies, comic books, cartoons, ect. have been putting strong females in the lead for a long time now. (though it does seem that the scale is just recently tipping towards even)
I’m also not surprised that an action figure of the lead character in a Star Wars movie sold well. Who would be?
Seems like the reporting of someone who is very much out of touch.

There are plenty of articles out there about this subject. It was a widely reported phenomenon when TFA came out that there weren’t enough Rey toys on store shelves to meet demand. I don’t see how it’s so hard to believe. It’s not like they’re saying that female figures are like needles in haystacks. There just aren’t nearly as many of them as male figures which I think is a fairly obvious fact.

Was having the lead in TFA be female a “risky move”? Fuck no. I think that’s pretty clear. I guess the question is though if studio execs and toy companies still misguidedly think that it might be.

imperialscum said:

It was no personal attack. I was pointing out that you cannot refute two solid arguments with just one person’s experience.

You must lead a sad, lonely life. This is no personal attack, it’s all I can come up with to explain why you have to cover up your massive insecurity problem by acting the way you do here. You have my sympathy, and I hope some day you can find your way to a better life with people in it that love you the way you deserve to be loved (as we all deserve to be loved).

imperialscum said:

DominicCobb said:

ray_afraid said:

I don’t buy the idea that female action figures are a rare sight or unpopular. My best buddies daughter has TONS of 'em and they never had to look hard to find em at the toy shops.
I also don’t think having the lead in TFA be female was a “risky move”. Maybe if they made the movie right after ROTJ, but not now. Movies, comic books, cartoons, ect. have been putting strong females in the lead for a long time now. (though it does seem that the scale is just recently tipping towards even)
I’m also not surprised that an action figure of the lead character in a Star Wars movie sold well. Who would be?
Seems like the reporting of someone who is very much out of touch.

There are plenty of articles out there about this subject. It was a widely reported phenomenon when TFA came out that there weren’t enough Rey toys on store shelves to meet demand. I don’t see how it’s so hard to believe. It’s not like they’re saying that female figures are like needles in haystacks. There just aren’t nearly as many of them as male figures which I think is a fairly obvious fact.

Was having the lead in TFA be female a “risky move”? Fuck no. I think that’s pretty clear. I guess the question is though if studio execs and toy companies still misguidedly think that it might be.

Do you have any evidence of ratio of toys produced to support that “fairly obvious fact”?

Hahahahaha, the king of unsupported Truth can’t handle anyone else doing it.

Truth supports itself. Duh.