Wall Street Journal Details Hasbro’s Planning Around Potential Tariffs
November 18, 2024There was an article this weekend in the Wall Street Journal reflecting Hasbro’s efforts to diversify or move toy production, especially in the light of the threat of tariffs on Chinese goods.
While toys were exempt from Chinese tariffs during the first Trump presidential term, Hasbro has been working to move toy production to other places like India (their goal is having only 20% of products coming from there, down from a current 40%). Of course, with the movement of production to India and southeast Asia comes its own difficulties, including quality control, safety standards, and training an entirely new base of craftspeople, since some parts of toy production simply can’t be automated.
Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see if Hasbro ends up having to deal with tariffs. In the meantime, they’ll continue reorganizing the supply chain in a continuing effort to cut costs, in addition to making things more “politics-proof”.
Buzz Bee Toys Does…Battle Ballz?
November 16, 2024I regularly peruse new patents and trademarks, but I still forget to check in on things, including one from Buzz Bee Toys: “Battle Ballz”. It was trademarked with reference to collectible toys, children’s entertainment, and a few other things…and until this past week, I never checked on it again. Oops.
Apparently, they’re a series of balls you can roll around and battle with, the objective being to knock off the headwear of your opponents. There’s a cartoon series on Youtube, with hundreds of thousands of views on each of the actual (short) cartoons themselves, and the toys are available online through various retailers from Amazon and Walmart to even Michael’s, of all places. Check the link for an actual commercial video, like you’d expect to see during Saturday morning cartoons.
There’s a post on Buzz Bee Toys’ Linkedin profile with more info on the actual campaign, and at a glance it would appear to be a success so far. Good for them, being able to branch out from making just blasters!
Nerf N Series Minecraft Pillager’s Crossbow
November 14, 2024We’ve seen a Nerf Minecraft Pillager’s Crossbow before. It wasn’t great; given the three shots, bulky and uncomfortable construction, bland attempt at being in-theme, and the price, I’m actually shocked I gave it a 6.6/10.
This year, the N Series Minecraft Pillager’s Crossbow is a far better blaster. For $25, you get a stylized six-shot revolver that actually looks like it came from the game. You’re still paying a licensing tax in the price, of course, but for a blaster you can actually use in foam/block combat? Worth it for the fan in your life.
Siren Blink Review
November 13, 2024Siren hasn’t had the best starting run, between the ergonomics and performance issues of the Maulr (springer primary) and the Gnarl (mag-fed springer pistol). Luckily, the top blaster in the line, the Blink, suffers from far fewer issues while having lots of great features. $90 is a lot to ask, but with how much actually comes with the blaster, it’s a far better deal than other recent pro blasters on record (the Nerf Pro Stryfe X included).
Nerf Pro Torrent Review
November 12, 2024After putting out the Nerf Pro Stryfe X as an online-only entry, Hasbro has shifted strategy. Gone are the expensive rechargeable batteries and straight short dart magazines. Now we’re doing less expensive blasters with angled mag-in-grip designs that can be found on store shelves, alongside ammo and magazine refills. On the plus side, this makes the line far more widely available. On the negatives side, it also leads to some issues in User Friendliness.
The Nerf Pro Torrent is the spring-powered entry in this year’s line, and it aims to be a compact way to hit 150fps. And while some shots can get there, overall the the blaster doesn’t fly quite as high as it was aiming.
Buzz Bee Air Warriors Twist Fury Review
November 11, 2024It isn’t every day that a hobby design ends up on store shelves! A local hobbyist, Taffy, designed the Skewer, and after a few connections were made, Buzz Bee licensed the design for sale in stores. For now, it’s only at Dollar General in the US, so availability is highly dependent on both DG’s distribution and the ability of individual stores to actually turn over product on shelves. But if you find one, it’s hard to deny the fun you have operating one – or the potential of the blaster to do even more in the right hands!
Blasterhub’s 2024 Best Blaster List
November 7, 2024Here we are, about a month and a half before Christmas, and I actually have time to put a list out before the holidays! Tons of parents (and kids) are looking for a great blaster, or at least a good blaster with a great deal. “Kidults” like me, as the toy industry calls us, are looking for items that appeal to us as well. So why not get this post out of the way before life gets too busy? Here’s the Blasterhub 2024 Best Blaster List.
