Unpopular Toy Opinions

[Ragamuffin]

Back on topic, I do think it is an unpopular opinion elsewhere:
I think boy characters in toylines geared towards girls are often so lame looking. Like the Barbie Fashionistas get all those Forever 21 Instagramchic colorful cuts but the Kens are repeating the same old shirt and pants pattern. Why would I want a male doll like that as a kid? Why would I want more than one?

When characters are fantasy, I abhor how the males always look more grounded/earthy. I have been going on and on about how I dislike how G4 ponies are mostly three colors and brown with short, ugly manes and tails. But you can see than stuff elsewhere, too.
It's like toy companies are constantly afraid of Tinky Winky syndrome, the teletubby who had a handbag and had parents in shambles because they thought he was gay.

I agree, male characters in girl toy-lines are often disappointing. Even the Monster High guys (who were better designed than the usual 'token boys') didn't have such exciting and detailed clothing as the ghouls. And other doll lines are just hopeless. I have always found it frustrating when the girls all have nylon hair and most of the boys have plastic hair.
One of the reasons I like the Mountain Boys and Big Brothers so much is because they are brightly coloured boy ponies with lovely long hair. I wish G4 had gone down that root instead of sludgy colours and troll hair.

I prefer the troll hair to the mohawks, but long manes would be ideal. And ugh yes @ the colours!! Male FiM ponies tend to just be light brown with dark brown hair or grey they're so boring! Or they're blue because Blue Is The Boy Colour (Shining Armour, Twilight's Dad, Pinprick/Royal Pin, Party Favor, Noteworthy). I wish Sunburst would get a brushable release, but that'll never happen.

[Taffeta]

So it's not really important that the Tellytubbies and MB are both British concepts, but the fact they are made me reflect on whether it's better for a toy line to have multiple diverse inputs on a brand rather than "the way" and "the idea" with no conflicting or dissenting views. This isn't the pony thread so I won't dwell on ponies extensively, but it strikes me the gender/species issue for boys not being unicorns/pegasus ponies is mostly just a problem in the English speaking market, since Italy didn't care what gender those ponies were in "the idea". They followed their own path instead.

A lot of toy lines these days are uniform. They're regimented to "the idea" and once "the idea" has taken hold, there's no real attempt to move away from it. So male characters are not the core focus of the brand - they don't get the attention. This seems to me to be under the pretence of "it's a girl toy, we're wanting to emphasise and empower girls", but really it's "we can't be bothered to design guy characters since we want to sell fashiony girly stuff and boys aren't girly!".

I think that's part of the problem. Male dolls often also have moulded hair. That annoys me. Unless they have a reason not to have actual hair (like Deuce, who I still don't like much but eh), I don't see why a painted head is fine for a guy character? Guys don't have actual hair now? Guys can't have long hair sometimes?

[skywlshes]

My apologies if we already have one.

I'm not a doll and human figure type of person. They have to be really interesting looking or a character I really like. Even as a little girl I felt the same way. I have a few now though.

I love Rainbowbrite, and I understand that yarn hair is a key feature, but I hate it. I wish they'd make a line with regular hair alongside it.

I like weird or wildly colored dinos.

I hate chibified toys.

I'm sick and tired of toytoons/game toys with a traditionally big cast being pared down to a few ad nasuem. Perennial favorites are fine, but variety is appreciated and wanted.

I really don't like what Furreal Friends has become. They used to look so realistic ! Now they're just...big noisy petshops

[Sukey]

I really dislike the POPS, they’re so ugly!

I enjoy unicorn stuff, but I usually prefer more classic styled ones for the most part. I also really like the Sugar Loaf llamas from claw machines. My husband got the first one from a Walmart claw machine and then found more of that brand at the store he works at. I had no idea those plushies were even sold in stores. He got me 6 altogether!! Sad that they haven’t had any in claw machines anymore. I watched the same llama for at least 6 months, but where they had it located it was impossible to get.

[bright rabbit 1]

Barbie and Ken get fashion outfits, but Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea don’t. Why can’t Mattel make fashion packs for them so that I don’t have to keep buying multiple dolls just for the outfits.

Plus Funko still hasn’t done a funko of Mike from Attack on Titan.

Plus Disney Store hasn’t done a doll of the shadow man, or Vanessa, they’ve done Ursula, Jafar (already got), and Gaston (already got).

[Zapper]

Barbie and Ken get fashion outfits, but Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea don’t. Why can’t Mattel make fashion packs for them so that I don’t have to keep buying multiple dolls just for the outfits.

I think you answered your own question. They want to sell more of the individual dolls that's why they don't have fashions.

[bright rabbit 1]

Barbie and Ken get fashion outfits, but Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea don’t. Why can’t Mattel make fashion packs for them so that I don’t have to keep buying multiple dolls just for the outfits.

I think you answered your own question. They want to sell more of the individual dolls that's why they don't have fashions.

But they’re doing Chelsea dolls with painted Torsos now, plus it’s hard to get old Chelsea dolls who don’t have the hand close to the torso.

[Wardah]

Barbie and Ken get fashion outfits, but Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea don’t. Why can’t Mattel make fashion packs for them so that I don’t have to keep buying multiple dolls just for the outfits.

Plus Funko still hasn’t done a funko of Mike from Attack on Titan.

Plus Disney Store hasn’t done a doll of the shadow man, or Vanessa, they’ve done Ursula, Jafar (already got), and Gaston (already got).

There are actually 3 packs out now for Chelsea at least.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GLNMGFL/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GLH8ZZL/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GLNPP24/

[glitterball]

Barbie and Ken get fashion outfits, but Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea don’t. Why can’t Mattel make fashion packs for them so that I don’t have to keep buying multiple dolls just for the outfits.

Plus Funko still hasn’t done a funko of Mike from Attack on Titan.

Plus Disney Store hasn’t done a doll of the shadow man, or Vanessa, they’ve done Ursula, Jafar (already got), and Gaston (already got).

There are actually 3 packs out now for Chelsea at least.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GLNMGFL/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GLH8ZZL/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GLNPP24/

Oh wow, the bunny slippers are adorable and the raincoat/wellies are so cute!

I have a Vanessa doll, but she came in a deluxe Disney set a few years ago, I have seen her being sold as a single doll for lots of money, though. Demand is high, I think Disney should re-release her! 

[Sora]

I have a Vanessa doll, but she came in a deluxe Disney set a few years ago, I have seen her being sold as a single doll for lots of money, though. Demand is high, I think Disney should re-release her! 

The one problem with Disney's marketing team is that they almost always ignore the sequels later down the line. Twenty years later and I'm still waiting for a proper Zira plushie, as are many Lion King fans

[Carrehz]

I have a Vanessa doll, but she came in a deluxe Disney set a few years ago, I have seen her being sold as a single doll for lots of money, though. Demand is high, I think Disney should re-release her! 

The one problem with Disney's marketing team is that they almost always ignore the sequels later down the line. Twenty years later and I'm still waiting for a proper Zira plushie, as are many Lion King fans

Oh the things I would do for a nice full-sized Zira plushie And Nuka. At least he got a beanie, I guess, but it's hard to count it since it looks nothing like him (it is terribly cute, though).

I do wish Disney would give more love to their sequels. I get that they want to focus on the original films, it makes sense, but surely it wouldn't hurt to throw the sequel fans a bone every now and then?

[Ponyfan]

I have the set with Vanessa also. I wish that Disney hadn't given the doll the a light purple head and body though.

I'd love to see another Melody doll. I still regret not getting her from Toys R Us back when they're were at least 50 on the shelf.

And also more Kiara and Kovu merch. All I have is a Disney pin with them on it


Ponyfan

[bright rabbit 1]

One thing I want Disney to do is more Chernabog merchandise (I haven’t got anything of him).