Guys, the problem I have is, every single podcast, you open so damn many rabbit holes, I could probably talk an hour on every one! Arrrgh!
But Matt, you dropped some very important science on me here. Do you have actual receipts? I hope so!
You so confidently said Bandai went to Mattel to suggest a tie-up which led to Shogun Warriors. This is the missing piece that has wracked my brain for some time.
See, that’s the most obvious reality, but it also could have been Mattel looking for a quick ramp-up (production-wise) toy line to fill a gap in their lineup. Taking existing toys from Japan and reboxing them would get merch on shelves in like 6 months.
But still unknown is what triggered Bandai to do this? The Toei invasion of Europe hadn’t happened yet, I think 1978 is when that happened. Star Wars hadn’t happened yet, so why shop it to America in 1976 for release in 1977? 1978 the Chogokin landed.
But why? It couldn’t be as baldly commercial as Bandai looking at deadstock for shows off the air and thinking a 300% profit margin by selling to Mattel looked pretty good, could it? Did they happen to think (after the Goldrake explosion) that Toei was SURE to have success in the U.S. with their anime, exceeding that of over there in that Europe place?
Because I think you can see how that thinking could have led to the Bandai ‘Battle of the Planets’ fiasco.
Did sales of Bandai toys in Hawaii and Los Angeles lead Bandai to take Mattel on a blind date?
(Say, didn’t Mattel shop Barbie to Takara around this time? Hmmmm)
Guys, the problem I have is, every single podcast, you open so damn many rabbit holes, I could probably talk an hour on every one! Arrrgh!
But Matt, you dropped some very important science on me here. Do you have actual receipts? I hope so!
You so confidently said Bandai went to Mattel to suggest a tie-up which led to Shogun Warriors. This is the missing piece that has wracked my brain for some time.
See, that’s the most obvious reality, but it also could have been Mattel looking for a quick ramp-up (production-wise) toy line to fill a gap in their lineup. Taking existing toys from Japan and reboxing them would get merch on shelves in like 6 months.
But still unknown is what triggered Bandai to do this? The Toei invasion of Europe hadn’t happened yet, I think 1978 is when that happened. Star Wars hadn’t happened yet, so why shop it to America in 1976 for release in 1977? 1978 the Chogokin landed.
But why? It couldn’t be as baldly commercial as Bandai looking at deadstock for shows off the air and thinking a 300% profit margin by selling to Mattel looked pretty good, could it? Did they happen to think (after the Goldrake explosion) that Toei was SURE to have success in the U.S. with their anime, exceeding that of over there in that Europe place?
Because I think you can see how that thinking could have led to the Bandai ‘Battle of the Planets’ fiasco.
Did sales of Bandai toys in Hawaii and Los Angeles lead Bandai to take Mattel on a blind date?
(Say, didn’t Mattel shop Barbie to Takara around this time? Hmmmm)
Will we ever know the entire story?