I came across the thread about people going to great lengths to swap either whole figures for ones they want or just the head of a new sculpt for customs. Let me present this question. Hasbro makes toys that are intended for children. Obviously these toys were more popular with children in the 80's than with adults..but is that the case today? I mean, how many children today do YOU know that collect and play with GI Joe? I don't even see children looking at them in the stores (and I am there ALL the time) We know they are not truly geared toward children, but does HABRO realize with their demographic studies (and the yearly convention alone) that GI Joe is collected and sought for more by adult collectors and less and less by children? I am really curious to other people interpretations and experiences with this matter...please post yours.

i usually think about this, im only 19 so what happens when all the middle aged people get older and stop, does that end joe collecting for me or the few younger than me?

Don't worry, Spike. I am turning 30 in less than a month, and have no intention of stopping. A few other collectors on this site are quite a bit older than me, even, and they show no signs of slowing up, either. So your collecting days are safe.:D

To answer you, Lody, I have noticed the same thing. You only see adults looking at the GI Joe stuff, while the kids are studying, Justice League and Dragon Ball Z. I really do not believe that Hasbro has realized this, though, or they would have improved the molds by now, instead of sticking with disproprtioned figures and such. I do believe that the new Sigma 6 line was intended for children, but since we adults are spending so much on the 3 3/4" line, Hasbro sees nothing wrong with $15 bucks a figure for S6. It's my beliefe that Hasbro's not really trying to rip anyone off, so much as they're really not paying alot of attention to where their profits are coming from.

You wanted opinions, and there's mine.:D

-Jim

I think that Hasbro does realize that collectors constitute a large portion of the Joe market, but at the same time they want kids to be the main focus, hence the changes in the line to make it more kid oriented (e.g. character repaints and availability, core characters, "more heroic" proportions, etc...). Hasbro realizes (and we all should, too) that even if collectors constitute 100% of the market, without garnering a child audience there will be very little growth in the amount of consumers. If you come up with something that is hot with kids, you are going to have a growing fanbase rather than a more or less stable one. I think the fact that Hasbro is carrying on the 3 3/4" line in a collector oriented format while at the same time mass producing a more child oriented line for sale on store shelves shows that they do understand this concept. If they didn't care about getting kids, no sigma six, and if they didn't care about the adult collectors, no direct sales. They are trying to get a piece of both markets and I personally hope that they do.

as one of the older collecters on this site, i'll be 35 in august, i have no plans to stop collecting joes..the day i stop is the day i die..:D

then i'm having all my stuff buried with me..it's going to be a very big box.:D


Duane

some of the other fathers on this board I have my 5 year old more than collecting his fair share of Joes. He already has about 120 joes. Most of the time he is the one stating, "Can we go to the store and look at joes." So there are a few younger kids that like joes. But I do agree that it is a rare to see kids in the toy aisle looking at DUKE V210.

But I do agree that it is a rare to see kids in the toy aisle looking at DUKE V210.

LMAO!! Ya know, when Duke gets that high in versions, I don't even think us serious collectors will be looking at him anymore. Most of us have already gave up on him.

But, I agree. Soon as we hit a Wal-Mart or TrU, it's "GI Joe... mom, I want GI Joe, Dad, where's GI Joe... can I get a GI Joe? I want Duke. I want Commander... I want Snake Eyes..." Grrrr..... SHUT UP already!!! LOL. Yet, he gets just about every one he wants, since I buy all of mine online. Not to mention, I now have a budget for what I buy, but I have found, my wife doesn't count it against my budget if I say part of it's for our son. HEHEHE!!

-Jim

I see kids looking at joes with their parents and buying them but not all the time..mostly in the weekends.

If you think about it..a store is open 10 to 15 hours a day..so we can't be there all the time to witness kids looking at joes. Most collectors including myself look for stuff when the store opens or mid morning/lunch time to get first grabs at the new stock..thats when kids are still at school.

you know im so glad this thread is not as ridiculous as it was a year or two ago.

i have seen lots of kids buying joes, and parents buying them too, for kids.

at one point too many collectors thought they were the only ones buying. not true at all.
we are much bigger percent than in past, but still , kids dominate

I see kids looking at joes with their parents and buying them but not all the time..mostly in the weekends.

If you think about it..a store is open 10 to 15 hours a day..so we can't be there all the time to witness kids looking at joes. Most collectors including myself look for stuff when the store opens or mid morning/lunch time to get first grabs at the new stock..thats when kids are still at school.

Interesting point but I am still unsure. As someone who goes to Toy R US, KB Toys (what have they done for us lately???:mad: ), Wal-mart, Target, K-Mart, Family Dollar and several local collectors and shows when they are going on, we're talking anywhere from 10:00 AM to ohhh...it's only 9:10 PM and I can STILL get there on time before they close to look:D , I CAN NOT remember seeing ANY child looking at GI Joes or even buying one for that matter. Plenty of adults though. I also can not include my daughter as she looks with me but only cause I am into them.

Another interesting point is some stating that HASBRO is "finally" getting it ie HASBRO DIRECT to customers. Took them long enough. What I did not mntion was that my daughter recently went to Hasbro for a trial of a new toy that was being developed. (we have her signed up for them and when she qualifies for the demographics, they call) and my wife mentioned to the women is charge..."uh....what's going on with GI Joe? You got my husband all upset"...the women with exasperation in her voice responded with, "I know, we are getting nothing but complaints". She asked for MY information and tol me wife they will contact me within several monhs to do work Hasbo on another study. Man, I def will have an earful for them esp on Snake Eyes 1,017 and Duke 210.

Lastly, with this whole Hasbo direct thing, if they are cutting out the middle man (retailers) will this mean cheaper prices for Joes? I am willing to bet no and that they will only be slightly cheaper (highly unlikely) or probably more expensive, (high probability). This is a good thread and I am VERY interested with more thought so spread the word about this topic please. :D

I dont recall seeing kids looking at joes in the store ... but then again i cant find any in the store myself ... im In Toronto, Canada ... and ive been to Wal MArts all over and toysRus etc. and the store usually have no joe stuff or if they do , its only one small thing and a super small section for it. when i was a kid and went to the toy isle , there would be a MASSIVE section of Joe Figs and Vehicles ... not anymore ...
Last time i was in Walmart i saw kids looking at PowerRanger figs ... i mean please ... when i was a kid , PowerRangers Sucked and they still do ...
So all my new joes i have to order online ...
just cant go to the local toy store :(

CG

I don't see that many joes around these days, but when I would go out to get stuff, there would always be a nice mix of kids and adults looking at the joes.
Do we really know that there are more collectors buying these toys than parents for their kids? How about the percentage of scalpers? :eek:
I loved them as a kid, and I love them now, and I buy them sometimes for my friends kids too, who really dig them.
So to answer the question, I don't think joes are only for adult collectors.

I think because the cartoon in the 80's was mature, the kids that grew up with it became collectors. However, because the new cartoon is for kids, doesn't mean kids have to like it. I think the new cartoon is fine but I don't collect as enthusiastically as before. And also kids buying joes is on a steady decline.

Kids in general don't buy as many toys any more, they are more into video games, dvd's, etc. I have seen kids looking at joes, but toys in general just aren't as popular with kids over, like, 6.

Kids in general don't buy as many toys any more, they are more into video games, dvd's, etc. I have seen kids looking at joes, but toys in general just aren't as popular with kids over, like, 6.


I agree. The selection in stores reflects that.

Kids waste money on those Ug-li-Oh cards, or whatever they're called. As saw them in the store and they are $3.99 for one pack! What the heck is going on these days?

hmm i think its more collectors buying gijoe than kids. most of us from the early and mid 80's that were kids are buying this stuff now.i worked part time for 2 years at tru and my area was action and boys toys. i sold alot of gijoes and cobras although only because i pushed them. when kids would buy them 90 percent of the time it was because there dad was about my age and played with gijoe and cobra as a kid.I really don't think hasbro inc. knew for along time. they are picking up on it now. I mean think about it now we are seeing comic packs and 6 pack sets and the whole online thing. The only reason they are doing this is because so many of us that love our small joes had a fit about them even thinking about getting rid of 3 inch joes. I really don't think sigma six will make it more than a year or so at retail. I feel that within 2 years we will see a full return of 3 inch and 12 inch at retail weather it be TRU stuff only or not but i think we'll always see gijoe in 3 inch. IF NOT I'M GOING TO GET INTO MY HISS TANK AND ROLL OVER HASBRO WITH MY ARMY OF COBRA OFFICERS AND CG'S lol jk

WIth the 3.75" figs being available online only, I think Hasbro is going to see where their profits are REALLY coming from. While Sigma Six is collecting dust on the store shelves.....and 3.75" stuff is getting bought en masse on their site, maybe it will be the big wake-up call.

then i'm having all my stuff buried with me..it's going to be a very big box.:D



that sounds selfish! ever heard of the word called "charity"?

that sounds selfish! ever heard of the word called "charity"?

Off topic...YEAH....give it to the L-O-D-Y-6-6-6 charity. we, I mean they, are ALWAYS looking for donations.

ive never seen kids buy joes. ive only seen 2 kids even looking at them and they were making fun of them.

plus the days the stores put new stuff on the shelf, its sold out THAT day. what kid is gonna get to the store at 9 am and buy 12 comic packs? or 10 crimson guard packs?

if you saw kids makin fun of joes i hope you slapped them around a bit! j/k :)

A New point that someone made in this thread about less toys in the stores is very true ... going to walmart , there Toy sections seem to keep getting smaller and smaller all the time. I even yelled it out at the store the last time i was there as there near nothing in them ... and lots of the stuff in the toy section arnt toys!!! i dont need to see a whole section on yugioh cards or whatever ... I guess more and More kids are getting sucked into the VideoGame world or cyberworld ... but its a shame , videogames and all are good , i have every current system and have had almost every system ever made , but i always played in the real world way more then the cyber one ... when i see kids or know of kids that just play videogames 24/7 , its just sad to me.

I remember as a kid going to Children's Palace every Saturday morning with my dad. The selection was enormous. I mean isles close 60' long would be fully stocked on one side from top to bottom with figures, and the other side would be stocked with vehicles. I went to Wal -Mart last Tuesday, and they had eight figures and no vehicles. I do not know why most of the people on this site collect G.I. Joes, what I do know is that for me it is not only a love for G.I. Joes, it is also sentimental. I mean for me in the mid 80's G.I. Joes was a way of life for me and all of my friends. No one had just 2 or 3 G.I. Joes. Everyone had a huge collection. We played with them all the time, and traded with eachother. I hit my teen years and the line ended in 94 and it just passed by. You could not find them in the stores anymore. The cartoon did not come on. But can not keep a good G.I. Joe fan down. I remember when we were moving I found most of my collection in a box. It was mostly just various parts to vehicles long gone, some G.I. Joes that survived the years of play. I was hooked again. I wanted to rebuild my childhood collection. That is how my rebirth as G.I. Joe collector started. Yet, I could not be satisfied with just rebuilding my old collection I also wanted the new stuff....... I know I am rambling

Here is my point. For most of us G.I. Joe was a way of life, an every day occurence. We grew up with them and they embodied what we loved. The reason it seems that adults are the major collectors is because we have a great appreciation for those little guys that brought us so much fun. Unless kids today have someone such as a father to pass down that appreciation they see G.I. Joe as that old toy in the corner.

Just my 2 cents... anyone for a tootsie roll

Define adult?

... I do believe that the new Sigma 6 line was intended for children, but since we adults are spending so much on the 3 3/4" line, Hasbro sees nothing wrong with $15 bucks a figure for S6. It's my beliefe that Hasbro's not really trying to rip anyone off, so much as they're really not paying alot of attention to where their profits are coming from.

You wanted opinions, and there's mine.:D

-Jim

Well thought out shipmate. I think your reasoning here might be dead on. Wow. We are talking about some serious egg on Hasbro's marketing department's collective face if the reason S6 fails is b/c they do not even know who is buying their products.

Referring to the last post about Sigma six...what IS the interest? Are you going to collect them or will they end up the way of Sgt Savage and GI Joe EXTREME? Cause I know I will avoid them like the plague

Well, I think we'd all agree that the 'naked' 12" Joes are for adults only ;) :eek:

Well thought out shipmate. I think your reasoning here might be dead on. Wow. We are talking about some serious egg on Hasbro's marketing department's collective face if the reason S6 fails is b/c they do not even know who is buying their products.

I predict that is exactly what will happen.

I think the S6 line has a chance. If the cartoon is a hit, then the figures will be fine. I wonder if it will be only on weekends or if it will be a nightly event (like teen Titans). My son loves that show, partly because he can see it every day if he wants to.

I hope it does do well, and I plan to collect the line with my kids. My son likes the "little Joes" and had enjoyed Daddy's "Big Joes". I cannot see why "Medium Joe" would be any less enjoyable.

And we get our online source for those that need a fix, so life is good. It was imposible to find some of the Joe stuff in stores anyway, so we get to go direct. Now, as long as the scalpers do not buy all there is, we can all be happy.

I dont think they are intentionally marketed for adults but I have only seen ONE child in the joe aisle actually looking at joes. Most of the time they are right next to the joes looking at the spiderman figs or something like that.

i collect them. i love them. i will always collect them. they will be passed down to my kids and grand kids.

probably until hasbro realizes that history repeats itself, so therefore they should take the skills of the production, p.r., media:commercials, fan clubs, cartoons, comics, promotions, all the stuff that made it popular back in the day and recycle that formula so it works today
pay attention to the consumer market, and benefit enthusiastically from
if it worked backed then, why not now
and who's to say that kids can't be unglued from that yugi o stuff, and the anime look, and thrown into the goodness that we all know and love.
it can be done
but someone needs to do their homework, study, and study hard
Are GI Joes only for ADULT collectors? (http://forums.yojoe.com/showthread.php?p=118359#post118359)
it seems that way until..........
i have no idea
what will it take for the kids of today to become drawn to our 3 3/4 figs like we were and still are
what could hasbro do so powerful to make kids addicts to the joes
i don't know, i'm the optimistic type, and i just don't think s6 is going to do it
, i hope it does though, or maybe it'll show hasbro that the strength is in the smaller figs, and they try and put all there effort into that
what other action figure lines does hasbro own, besides
transformers
starwars
how are these markets doing, i don't know i can't think anymore, it's tearing me apart.

but I have not read all five pages of replies. My 5 year old plays with his Gi Joes almost everyday. He brings them to church with him, he plays with them at home, and he is contantly after me to buy him more at the store. However, I am enough of a realist to know that his interest only exists out of mine.

It is my belief that until Hasbro makes a real attempt at fueling interest of this toyline by children with a cartoon (or dare I mention video game), it will primarily be adults who have the most interest.

I took out a DVD with some old GI Joe cartoons on it the other day and watched them with my oldest and the first thing he did was go get his Joes and start re-enacting the cartoon...that is what it is all about. Heck, it is how I got started in it.

Hasbro, doesn't care either way....they will make money off us no matter what.

I really don't understand why they didn't make a VvV video game during the dvd's launch.

Dude, the possibilities for a Joe game would be endless, I remember some Yojoers had really good ideas for Joe-based games a while back. We should keep talking about it , maybe Hasbro will pay attention! :D Imagine a stealth game like MGS3, but you could play as Snake Eyes or Storm Shadow with a Joe storyline and a Cobra storyline. Or a "free roaming city" style game with Joe vehicles and weapons!!

as one of the older collecters on this site, i'll be 35 in august, i have no plans to stop collecting joes..the day i stop is the day i die..:D

then i'm having all my stuff buried with me..it's going to be a very big box.:D


Duane
Heh, do what King Tut did and get a tomb. Then you can have ALL your toys in the afterlife ;)

Dude, the possibilities for a Joe game would be endless, I remember some Yojoers had really good ideas for Joe-based games a while back. We should keep talking about it , maybe Hasbro will pay attention! :D Imagine a stealth game like MGS3, but you could play as Snake Eyes or Storm Shadow with a Joe storyline and a Cobra storyline. Or a "free roaming city" style game with Joe vehicles and weapons!!

I'll tell you want I always wanted...a real-time strategy game like Command and Conquer or Age of Empires. That would rule the school.

You could play as Cobra and try and take over the world, or as GI Joe. Imagine, every time you click on a little green guy he'd yell "Yo Joe!".

And the scenarios...get the last piece of Weather Dominator before Cobra does, spring Cobra Commander from prison, etc. etc.

Oh, man...

these threads are always ridiculous= of cvourse kids buy joes, i see it all the time. maybe not so much as 20 years ago, but plenty of kids buy joes.
i see parents buynig them for kids, kids looking at them, all the time.

I'll tell you want I always wanted...a real-time strategy game like Command and Conquer or Age of Empires. That would rule the school.

You could play as Cobra and try and take over the world, or as GI Joe. Imagine, every time you click on a little green guy he'd yell "Yo Joe!".

And the scenarios...get the last piece of Weather Dominator before Cobra does, spring Cobra Commander from prison, etc. etc.

Oh, man...

Oh man, the unit possibilities would be endless. Gi Joe could have super powered units to take on masses of weaker Cobra units. Roadblock Vs 100 Cobra infantry! Destro's units could build labs that turn into factories that turn into castles for churning out weapons and vehicles. :D

gi joe is not a fluke. thats not what i mean to say. but i think there were some other major factors at work aside from what hasbro was working on when ARAH was THE toy on the market. in the 1980's the world had a different attitude toward the military. it sold because parents didn't have any qualms about kids toys with realistic military motifs. the united states was on top of the world because of its military might, and everyone was happy about it. it seems the media's always up in arms about something the military's doing, or how some kid killed his little brother acting out some voilence on tv, or decrying some new toy and how it sends the wrong message to kids. there would be a national outcry if the 80's cartoon was on today for the first time.
i don't think there are many, if any, adult collectors who didn't have joes as a kid. hasbro is still riding the wave that crested 20 years ago.
kids today are, for the most part it seems, more into full-blown fantasy stuff. yu-gi-oh, pokemon, power rangers, tmnt (side note: these guys make things fall on people a lot, but i don't think they ever actually use their weapons). and when its not fantasy, its because they want to be grown up and play grand theft auto.
i've seen kids in the aisles excited about joes. but i've seen more adults. yet somehow, the shelfs are usually pretty bare.
and one more thing - about how many dukes and snake eyes there are: duke is the leader, snake eyes is the most popular. hasbro feels the need to always have these guys on the shelf (ie in every series) because they feel these characters sell the best. kids want the cool mystery guy or mr. leader man. they want prominant characters. hopefully this practice will change with the 3.75" when hasbro has a direct relationship with us through hasbrotoyshop.

I came across the thread about people going to great lengths to swap either whole figures for ones they want or just the head of a new sculpt for customs. Let me present this question. Hasbro makes toys that are intended for children. Obviously these toys were more popular with children in the 80's than with adults..but is that the case today? I mean, how many children today do YOU know that collect and play with GI Joe? I don't even see children looking at them in the stores (and I am there ALL the time) We know they are not truly geared toward children, but does HABRO realize with their demographic studies (and the yearly convention alone) that GI Joe is collected and sought for more by adult collectors and less and less by children? I am really curious to other people interpretations and experiences with this matter...please post yours.

no. for all!

" Honest babe I buy G.I. Joes for the kids!"
I say this alot to my wife as well.
I'm 35 with 3 kids under 13. Two daughters and a son.
Most of the 2002 and newer one's are in the greenhouse for them.

GI Joe is the reason I stay with my wife...I mean who else would put up with it anyway? :D

Wow this is old COOOOOLLLLL.:)

I'm almost twenty, and I have no intentions of ever stopping my collecting of Joes. I've been at it for 17 years, why should I quit now?

and one more thing - about how many dukes and snake eyes there are: duke is the leader, snake eyes is the most popular.


Since when is Duke the leader? This isn't the G.I. Joe that I grew up with!!!!