>>211880017There’s always been a market for toys, but lately it’s started to feel like the industry is spinning its wheels. Every time a new Marvel or Star Wars property hits theaters or D+, Hasbro ramps up production like it's the second coming of Endgame or The Empire Strikes Back. The problem is, most of these projects flop or at least underperform. When that happens, shelves end up overflowing with unwanted figures. Think Wen Wu from Shang-Chi, or the Shuri Copter Black Panther 2, or the nigger from Obi Wan.
These toys don’t sell. They eventually get shuffled off to discount chains like Ollie’s, where they collect dust for $4.99 apiece. It’s a vicious cycle of overproduction and overestimation. And yet, amid all this, something interesting has happened: the resurgence of 90s toys.
Instead of pumping out merchandise for the latest forgettable franchise, some companies have gone back to their roots. You can now walk into a store and find figures that look like they came straight out of 1996. Classic Power Rangers, retro Spider Man, even reissues of old LEGO sets and obscure lines that haven’t been relevant in decades are showing up. And they’re actually selling, because the market for toys today isn’t really kids anymore. It’s adults.
Collectors in their late 20s, 30s, and 40s, people who grew up in the 90s and early 2000s, are the ones buying. That’s why Big Bad Toy Store's front page is full of Batman Returns, GI Joe, Transformers, and TMNT instead of toys from the latest streaming series. Nostalgia is king, and toy companies are finally starting to cater directly to that.
Meanwhile, actual kids aren’t playing with action figures much anymore. They want digital goods like Fortnite skins or maybe FNAF figures, even FNAF ripoffs like Garden of BanBan if they still want physical toys. The age of toy aisles being made for kids might be over. Now it's about feeding the nostalgia of grown ups who want to own a piece of their childhood.