sitrep oct – Kastor's Korner

From the Kastor’s Korner archive: This article has been restored from the original source document.

sitrep oct
Publication date: 2009-10-19
Series: Kastor’s Korner

G. I. Joe – The Sitrep: October 2009:

It’s been a crazy few months in the Joeverse!

August 7th saw the release of the long-awaited G. I. Joe: Rise of Cobra in
theaters nationwide, and I’m pleased to say reaction was overall positive.
Were some things changed from the classic Joe mythology? Yes. Was the
characterization virtually non-existent? Absolutely. But that didn’t stop
the movie from being one of the most fun theater going experiences of the
summer, and it was a great exclamation point to punctuate the end of a
surprisingly strong movie season.
If you’re reading this, you’ve no doubt already seen Rise of Cobra, so I’m
not going to bore you with another review, but I’d like to focus on a few
other happenings in the world of G. I. Joe that the movie kick started.
First is this great piece, put together by Hasbro as a viral video to
promote the movie release. The irony is not lost on me that this stop
motion short, starring my beloved 25th Anniversary figures, provides just
as much goofy fun as the box office blockbuster:

If that’s not enough, Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die website released perhaps
the best G. I. Joe picture of the year, the incredibly awesome “Ballad of
G. I. Joe.” Ironically, this music video spoof is packing more start power
than Rise of Cobra… and it features Destro’s clarinet solo, so what’s not
to love??

In other Joe news, Hasbro’s Rise of Cobra toy line is still in full swing,
and sold like gangbusters in July and August, thanks in no small part to
some great aggressive sales at stores such as Toys R Us. I’ve been an avid
supporter of the movie line since its release, many of these figures are
great values even at full retail, but at 2 for $10, these figures just get
even more addictive… especially when you can do this:

[insert Pit Trooper picture here]

Now that the launch is over for the toys, the store exclusives have begun
popping up, and will continue to do so for the rest of the year. My only
concern with the toy line is timing of the new assortments. Since the
stores sold through so quickly this summer, they all restocked with waves 1
through 3, which are now beginning to sit. This makes it difficult to find
newer product, such as the recently-released waves 4 and 5, which has
eluded many collectors, myself included, at retail. Fortunately, even if
your local Toys R Us or WalMart is too bogged down with older figures to
restock, hasbrotoyshop.com has already sold through and restocked the
popular wave, which are still available at present at the link below:

<a
href=”http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/ProductsByBrand.htm? BR=520&SBR=752&ST=SO&
PG=1&ST=PR”>Rise of Cobra figures @ Hasbro Toy Shop</a>

Is it possible that Rise of Cobra will falter at big box retail, especially
with the huge overstock of early waves? It will slow the line down for
sure, but I doubt it will have a long-term effect. The only toy line that
suffered a demise due to similar circumstances was last year’s Indiana
Jones series, but Joe is a much more kid-friendly and recognizable
property, and the popularity of the movie (especially compared to the tepid
response to 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) should help move toys this
fall and even through Christmas. So if you’re fed up with not finding new
figures right away, just be patient—this isn’t Mattel we’re dealing with
here, Hasbro has a proven track record of making sure they can get their
toys into the hands of anyone who wants them, especially when it comes to
G. I. Joe.

Finally, the 2010 G. I. Joe Convention dates and location have been
announced– they’re coming to Providence, RI (right around the corner from
Joe’s birthplace in Pawtucket!). The show is running April 29 to May 2,
2010, and I’m pleased to announce 2010 will be the first year
kastorskorner.com will be on site with convention coverage all weekend!

Until next month, now you know…