JayC

One of the most ruthless villains in the DC Universe and the main antagonist of ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’ is none other than Darkseid himself, the ruler of the nightmare world ‘Apokolips’! Debuting in 1970, DC’s supervillain Darkseid has become a staple of the comics all the way to his recent onscreen introduction by Zack Snyder. A powerful intergalactic being, his Omega effect beams are a mighty weapon, which he can blast from his eyes. Powerful enough to defeat even Superman, he is one force to be reckoned with! His imposing rock like appearance brings fear to the masses, and his ultimate goal is destroy all free will from the universe, reshaping it into his own design! In his years battling the many heroes of the DC universe he has crossed paths with Justice League many times creating fascinating and often exciting stories! Beast Kingdom proudly introduces the DAH-062 Darkseid for collectors to display next to the many DAH Justice League characters that have been launched by the ‘Entertainment Experience Brand’. With 20 points of highly articulable joints, the figure set comes with a host of accessories and Omega effects that will give the Justice League the ultimate challenge. Included are two replaceable head sculpts (angry and regular) with LED-lights in the eyes, four pairs of replaceable hands, including one extra special effect energy fist, and a host of add-on Omega effects to really showcase the powerful villains weaponry! ．DAH design Darkseid action figure around 20 points of articulation ．Built in LED-lights in the eyes ． Two (2) replaceable head sculpts (regular, angry) ． Four (4) pairs of replaceable hands (fist, open, holding, clenched) ． A set of energy special effects and replaceable energy fist ． Two (2) styles of Omega beam special effects (direct, refracted) ． Special, branded figure base with bracket ． Product Measurements：Approx. 23 cm height ． Release Date: Q3, 2022(7-9)

Hasbro's latest Star Wars Haslab campaign for the Black Series Rancor Monster figure seems to have failed to reach it's minimum of the 9k backers needed in order for Hasbro to be willing move forward with the project. While the finally tally of backers has been fluctuating up and down since the campaign closed, it does say not funded and has been removed from the main Haslab page. This is only the second Haslab campaign to fail and the first that was action figure oriented. In 2019 Hasbro launched one of these campaigns for a 38" Tall Sesame Street Cookie Monster that ended up not meeting it's funding goal. Now eyes turn to Hasbro's other active Haslab campaign which is for a G.I. Joe Skystriker. That campaign will end tomorrow at midnight ET. That one right now only has 7,734 backers of the minimum 10k needed to move forward.

It's not Looney Tunes

As we told you last week, Toys R' Us is planning on opening a brand new Mega-Store later this month in New Jersey which would be the first large TRU store to open here in the United States since closing all it's stores back in 2018. While it remains to be seen how impressive this new store will actually be or how well stocked it will be, I doubt it will compare with the golden years of the company which many would argue is in the 80's and early 90s. For those who don't remember what it was like to walk into a toy store and actually find product on the shelves, we recommend you check out this video online which is a walk-through tour of a Toys R' Us store in NYC circa November 27, 1991. While I would argue 1991 was on the tail end of the Golden Age of action figures, you can see the pegs are full with the likes of TMNT and WWE figures. You will also note at one point in the video we see a huge big pile of Technodrome playests with Hasbro's G.I. Joe Brawler vehicles on top. Of course this was at the beginning of the Holiday shopping season when places like TRU would always make sure to have the most product on hand, but its a far cry from anything you will see today from TRU or any other major retail toy section.

With less than 24hrs until Hasbro's Star Wars Black Series Rancor Haslab campaign and only having 5,688 of the minimum 9k backers needed to move forward, it is looking almost definitely like this campaign is going to go down in the toy history books as a failure. Some are hoping, others have been expecting that Hasbro would extend the deadline for this campaign which we did see them do in 2020 for their Transformers: War For Cybertron Unicron campaign which eventually was fully funded. According to Hasbro's own Steve Evans who has been addressing people's questions about the project on his Instagram account this is likely not going to happen. If you scroll through the comments of his Rancor post you will see him say multiple times to people asking for it to be extended that he does not expect it to be moved. Now some might be thinking he is just trying to scare folks into backing the project at the last minute, but I tend to believe what he is saying. At this point I think Hasbro has accepted the fact that the Rancor is not going to make it to the finish line. As for a 6" Black Series Oola The Slave Girl figure being made, well again according to Steve it doesn't look like that was ever in the cards. Many have suspected that Disney was not OK having such a figure made and while he doesn't 100% confirm that, he seems to indicate that is in fact the case. He doesn't specifically say Disney but does suggest such a figure is not really an option these days. I am sure over the coming days we will hear from all the talking heads and fans reasons for why this campaign failed and I do include myself among those who will be talking about this. While I would say there were a number of factors at play, the number 1 reason for why this campaign failed or will fail is simply because not enough people wanted it. That's not good or bad, just simply the way it is. Hasbro's other active Haslab campaign for the G.I. Joe Skystriker also seems in extreme jeopardy of not making it. It has a little more time left on the clock with just a little over 24hrs to go before ending, but it only has 7,205 backers of the minimum 10k needed for that one to move forward.

Shown below via Wanwangee is a look at the new Black Series and Vintage Collection General Grievous figure based on the original Cartoon Network Clone Wars animated series. Here in the US these are being offered as Walmart exclusives, though pre-orders for them are currently sold out.

So far it's not really looking like its going to make it. With just over 2 days left it still only has 6,865 backers.

As I am typing this the Walmart Exclusive Masters Of The Universe Origins Flocked Panthor from Mattel is available on their website for the $39.99 price. Note if it sells out from Walamrt, the listing might revert to higher secondary market sellers. Again though as I type it the item is available direct from Walmart at the original retail price.

Super7's quote is in the image, but yes it almost def seems to be a tease for Animaniacs. The Water Tower they showed is the exact one from the Animaniacs cartoon and busting out of the water tower is the head give-away clue.

Brazilian company Iron Studios has announced they have acquired the license to do high-end statues for Mattel's He-Man And The Masters of the Universe line. Stay-tuned for more information on this when it becomes available.

Hasbro has made one more addition for their Haslab G.I. Joe Skystriker campaign. If the campaign reaches it's minimum goal of 10k backers by 11:59 PM EST on 12/07/2021 they will throw in three additional Cobra figures and an extra sticker decal sheet so you can make it a Cobra vehicle. The three figures now included along with ACE and Wayne Ruthel will be Cobra Commander, Cobra Soldier and a Cobra Flight Crew member. Cobra Commander will feature “Mickey Mouse” variant symbol on his chest, something the very first Cobra Commander figures had back in the 80s. So you get the Skystriker, 5 O-ring action figures, two support vehicles, lots of missiles and blast effects, parachutes, the stand and multiple decal sheets. The cost is $229.99. With just a little over 4 days left the campaign currently has 6,203 backers. The addition of the Cobra figures seems to be helping with the Backer counter, so we will see if it's enough to push it over the line.

The winner for the Skystiker is DaEXfactoR Congrats to them and thanks to everyone who participated. Now lets just hope it makes its goal of 10k in about a week.

Today Hasbro G.I. Joe brand manager Emily did an interview with the folks at The Full Force Podcast where the topic of discussion was the Haslab G.I. Joe Skystriker campaign. In the interview they showed off some images comparing the original 1983 Skystriker with the production model for the new one as well as a comparison of the 2011 version with the Haslab one. With only 5 days left the campaign currently has 5,953 of the minimum 10k backers needed in order for this campaign to move forward. During the course of the interview Emily indicated they might have one more add-on to throw in before the campaign ends at 11:59 PM EST on 12/07/2021. Whether they actually do, and when they might reveal it and what it might be remains to be seen. With only 5 days left and the campaign still needing over 4k backers to be funded, if they have something more up their sleeve to show us, they better think about going on and revealing it.

In what seems to have become a yearly thing since Toys R' Us first declared bankruptcy and closed all it's doors here in the US back in 2018, I bring you a post about how the once famous toy retailer is planning on making a come back with a new store. Most recently it was announced they were partnering up with Macy's Department Stores to carry a limited number of toy related products in 400 of their stores across America as well as online, which has already started to happen. Still it's a far cry from the Toys R' Us heyday when they had over 800 large stores open here in the US. In 2019 the organization called Tru Kids Brand had purchased the rights to the Toys R Us name and opened two small stores in malls located in Houston, Texas, and Paramus, New Jersey. Those stores were short-lived and closed their doors a year later with the COVID pandemic being given as the reason why. Now WHP Global, who is the current parent company of Toys"R"Us is announcing plans to open a two-level, 20,000 square foot flagship store in New Jersey. Specifically the store will be opened inside American Dream, an entertainment/retail center in Bergen County, New Jersey. According to the press release they put out yesterday, this flasgship store is slated to open later this month. See the press release below: Press Release: WHP Global, parent company of Toys"R"Us®, announces the forthcoming grand opening of a new two-story Toys"R"Us flagship store inside American Dream, the unmatched entertainment/retail center in Bergen County, New Jersey. Designed for 'Toys"R"Us kids' of all ages, the first U.S. Toys"R"Us flagship store will feature a modern two-level retail concept that spans 20,000 square feet. The flagship will be reminiscent of the beloved toy store customers know and love, as visitors can shop their favorite toy brands, meet Geoffrey the Giraffe, rediscover their love of play with interactive experiences and product demonstrations, and enjoy new branded elements like Geoffrey's Café and ice cream parlor, two-story slide and more. Located within steps of Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and DreamWorks Water Park, the new flagship is at the epicenter of American Dream's premiere entertainment, shopping and dining experiences. "American Dream is a one-of-a-kind unrivaled retail center featuring massive entertainment experiences that make it an ideal destination for families. Debuting our first Toys"R"Us flagship here is a no-brainer," said Yehuda Shmidman, WHP Global and Toys"R"Us Chairman and CEO. "The Toy"R"Us brand is big and growing fast. Today we have over 900 stores and e-commerce sites operating across 25 countries outside the USA, and now our USA expansion plans are in high gear, propelling us into the next chapter of growth for our global brand." Opening mid-December, just in time for the 2021 holiday shopping season, the Toys"R"Us flagship at American Dream marks the return of the first standalone flagship store of the iconic and beloved toy brand in the USA. This comes on the heels of Toys"R"Us opening its digital flagship store this year together with Macy's and with over 400 Toys"R"Us shop-in-shops slated to open inside Macy's stores nationwide starting in 2022. "American Dream is a world-class destination with one-of-a-kind experiences and first-to-market entertainment/retail concepts, designed to delight a multi-generational audience," said Don Ghermezian, CEO of American Dream. "Toys"R"Us sparks the same feeling of joy across multiple age groups. This powerful brand is the perfect addition to American Dream's all-star lineup of entertainment properties and attractions. We're thrilled to partner with WHP Global and Toys"R"Us to bring this project to life." The Toys"R"Us flagship at American Dream will open its doors in mid-December with extended holiday hours. To keep updated on the flagship grand opening and 2022 store openings, visit toysrus.com and follow @toysrus on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and TikTok.