We have received the answers back from Andrew Croce, in Product Development for NJ Croce. For those of you that had submitted questions, here are the answers. Some of the answers include information for 2016 and 2017, so start reading! We would like to thank Andrew and the team at NJ Croce for doing this interview.
1. Do you have any other super hero lines in the works?
Other than expanding the Batman (1966) TV series, New 52 and Batman: The Animated Series with more bendable figures, we’ll be adding a Batman (1989) movie line for 2017.
We’re also considering the Super Friends but we’ll probably wait and make sure it doesn’t compete too much with the other iterations of the Justice League that we’re offering.
2. Are you continuing The Simpsons line?
The Simpsons have been relatively slow for us. They are popular enough to continue renewing the license and using the molds we already have, but the up-front costs of developing new figures is too high to continue at this point.
However, we are re-releasing the Krusty the Clown Show boxed set – excluding Corporal Punishment, to differentiate it from the old Krusty set. We’ve made so many Simpsons characters in the early 2000s, from Ralph Wiggum to Blinky the three-eyed fish, and we still have molds for all of them, so if the Krusty Show set does well, then we may resurrect another one.
3. Any vehicles possible for The Simpsons line?
Sadly, no: Vehicles have an even higher development cost than bendables. That would be cool though, wouldn’t it?
4. With the success of the first Batmobile, and hype for the soon to be released Animated Batmobile, are you planning any other vehicles?
Definitely: The 1989 Batmobile is a no-brainer, so we’re doing that one next. After that we’re considering the Tumbler, Batfleck’s Batmobile, or the battle tank from The Dark Knight Returns.
5. What do you have the Marvel license to produce? Just clocks and thermometers, or is there going to be a line of Bendies to follow?
We have a license for motion clocks, thermometers, and non-figural key chains. Hasbro has an exclusive license to produce Marvel figural toys, so bendables are not an option for us.
7. Will you be adding any new cartoon characters to your line?
We’ll be introducing a Where’s Waldo? bendable, hopefully in time for the Fall.
8. Will you be adding other Justice League characters to the movie line, i.e.: Aquaman, Flash, Cyborg, etc.
Yes, I’m pretty sure we will, and in that order.
9. What about villains? Such as Lex Luthor, Doomsday?
If the film franchise shows signs of being an enduring classic then we might add Luthor and Doomsday, as well as other villains that turn up.
10. Did you also get the license for the Suicide Squad Movie figures assortment? What do have planned for that?
We haven’t been granted explicit approval for that film, but if there’s still a market for it after the release, (and we can get a license), we may release a set in 2017.