For some of these action figures, you work directly with the special FX artists or doing set visits. What are examples of figure details you know would never have happened had you not had a closer work experience?

Access to the FX team and props and wardrobe is essential when we are working on any current film when in production because the goal is always to have the toys out with the film release. Just last year, when the new Halloween was in production, we had amazing access thanks to a great relationship with one of the producers who was able to send us amazing reference and details on the spot throughout the shoot and reshoots they did in the spring. One late addition to Michael Myers’ accessories was that of a fire poker, thankfully the producer kept us in mind throughout production and when that item was added he messaged me and said is this of interest and I said absolutely. If it’s on screen and Michael holds it we want to make it and include it with the figure. Had he not kept us in the loop all along we wouldn’t know crucial details like that until after the film is in theaters and by then it’s too late.

With the classic or legacy brands, we work on having relationships with famous FX studios like KNB, Stan Winston, ADI, Rick Baker, and so on has been a tremendous help as these guys love that people want to collect and buy figures or characters or monsters they worked on back in the 80s and 90s and they have all been incredibly helpful and digging out old slides, negative, prosthetics molds your name it. They help us be more accurate and get all those little details right.

Ninja Turtles are a good example. All the Turtles toys have always existed, even if you go back to the first film in 1990, everything was kid focused and designed that way, sculpted that way. It was all simplistic. They didn’t look like they did in the comic book, cartoon or movie. What we’ve been able to do is fill those voids. It;s crazy to think that first movie is the most beloved of the Turtles theatrically. There had never been a single product done that looks like it did on screen until we did it last year at San Diego Comic-Con. We have more turtle film based products from 1990 that we’re launching this summer. It’s finding those voidsm or that niche that hasn’t been filled yet. We are doing Turtles shredders, the foot soldiers. Certainly, the Turtles are the heavy hitters, but if collectors want those Turtles, they want someone to fight, so they want the next logical step.

Really, it’s from the inception, having that vision the creative vision of how you want this to end up eight or nine months from now. The more eye-catching and also collector friendly you can make it, the better. We present the product clearly so they can see everything, but they can also remove it, play with it, pose it, swap the pieces, but also put it back in the packaging without damaging the box. People either run out of money or space. People are buying two of everything: one to keep in the package and one to open. Solving the problem to them iis making the package resealable and reuseable so they can hold onto it and take the figure out of it any time they choose. The old school was a cardboard back with a bubble heat sealed to it. You were left with paper you throw out and a plastic blister you recycle. We design a lot of the boxes almost like a book. You open the flap like you’re opening a book. The tray is positioned with all of the various accessories.

We’ve done a Pennywise figure with four different heads in one package, plus the balloons and swappable hands. Everything is seen right on the shelf wherever you happen to be so you can see what it is without having to open it. We see it reflecting in feedback. We see it in sales.

How do you market with social media and YouTube?

We certainly value what YouTubers do. It is an important tool to help people buy our products.

Once a reviewer has attained a certain level of notoriety, followers and views, we will send them things. We have a press list; those people get comps for the items they are interested in because of the someone being an influencer and the press value. Some people do a really great, polished presentation with good voiceovers, knowing what they are talking about and being knowledgeable and having interesting views of the product with good lighting and presentation. We take care of them because they present a good, unbiased view of the product.

Last year, when we did a box set of the four Ninja Turtles from the original film, we recreated the packaging of the VHS cassette. We tried to be as on the nose as we could. But because it was a film, there were quotes from critics of the time. To stay as faithful as we could, we looked at two or three of the biggest online toy reviewers who have covered our Turtles items and took sound bytes from them and put their names on there, legitimizing what they do. It made the product look like the toy equivalent to the VHS. it was for the toy reviewers, and it made them part of the process. We didn’t tell them we were doing it! The very first sets that went out, we sent to those guys, and they were blown away they were part of the Turtles history.