“Black Panther” just topped “Titanic” to become the third highest-grossing film in unadjusted earnings, so how come Wakanda fans can’t seem to find enough “Black Panther” toys on store shelves?
Hasbro, which holds the master license for “Black Panther” toys, says no new toys are on the horizon any time this month even though the film’s DVD is about to be released.
“Hasbro often comes out with new items with a video release,” said Jim Silver, president of toy review website TTPM, in a New York Post interview. But “the toy industry underestimated ‘Black Panther.’”
It didn’t help that Hasbro only created 11 “Black Panther” toys for the film’s debut. That’s about half of what retailers offered for the “Justice League” film and a third of what they carry for “Power Rangers” movies.
But a Disney spokeswoman claimed that the “Black Panther” product line is “the largest ever for a Marvel origin film, including expanded categories, such as performance wear and high-fashion collaborations.”
“Black Panther” had same toy allotment as “Wonder Woman,” according to industry publication Licensing Letter.
“This is an industry that downplayed the female character in ‘Star Wars’, resulting in shortages of Rei figures after the release of ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’” said Richard Gottlieb, CEO of Global Toy Experts, in The Post. “The African-American community was very excited about this movie.”
However the toy industry did not want to take a risk on the film, worried that it would not generate “broad public demand,” he said.
The toys have been sold out since early March, three weeks after the movie’s Feb. 16 debut. Yet as of April 8, Amazon had only one of the 6-inch, $10 action figures of the movie’s villain, Erik Killmonger, available for its Prime members, the Post reported. The $20 Vibranium Power FX mask was sold out at many stores, including New York-area Target locations.
People are venting on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/gobeahero/status/982082478210011138
#blacktwitter let’s ask some intentional questions?? Why Disney released not one black panther toy in not one fast food restaurant???
— onlyinurdreams (@JustB_143) April 3, 2018
https://twitter.com/_ImNotShai/status/980975842682695680
There might be some more “Black Panther” products on the horizon. A source close to “Black Panther” distributor Disney–whose CEO, Bob Iger, admitted he’d been blindsided by the movie’s success–told the Post that there is “a second wave of product coming in the next few months,” but didn’t give details.
The Wrap reported that there are indeed more “Black Panther” action figures on the way. “Disney says that a new batch of ‘Black Panther’ merch will be slowly rolled out over the summer, including new toys that will coincide with the film’s Blu-Ray release and the theatrical release of ‘Avengers: Infinity War,’ as well as back-to-school items in July and a new line of toys and Halloween costumes in September.”
And there will be the new “Black Panther” helmet, which actually lights up, as seen in the movie. Marvel Studio News reported that the helmet will go on sale in August and is now available for pre-order.
