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I've been reading Wizard and Toyfare for awhile now, and while I'm aware of their various problems, they do have their advantages. And today I got to thinking. Wizard/Toyfare has always had a serious "Trukk not munky" complex, so to speak, but now RiD is coming, and they're quite happy about it. I'm certain that the TF coverage shown in the most recent month's wizard is only the beginning, as the moment RiD hits shelves they're going to want in on the nostalgia frenzy. And that's when it hit me. Hasbro makes most of its money off of kids, which makes Botcon and the like all the more impressive and gratifying. But Toyfare... toyfare is fanboy central. They make their money off of fans, and those toy exclusives are pure fan-driven merchandise. Who else will buy the Reverse Flash, or Willow in a Different Color of Pants? If Toyfare thinks there's a market, they'll approach Hasbro about a magazine exclusive. The fandom has a tendency to back petitions and email campaigns, even when they won't make a difference, but I'm pretty sure a combination of RiD-style G1ism and a few dozen-to-a-few-hundred emails from people saying "If you get a transformers magazine exclusive, I will buy it, and thus your magazine" Might push them in the right direction. Or at least get them thinking about it. At the very least it might incite them to an official poll that would gain the same end result. General mail-campaign rules apply: Be polite, ask nicely, and sign with a real, human name so they know you're not mailbox cramming. To bug the folks at Toyfare, e-mail: fanfare@toyfare.com Or hit them with conventional mail. They pay more attention to conventional mail in most situations.
BIGBOT.COM Transformers toyfare mag exclusive Remember: Tell them you'd like to see Transformers repaint exclusives through their magazine, and be sure and mention you would buy their magazine if those types of exclusives were available. Sign with real names (not aliases) and don't use multiple accounts (we want this to be legit).
Sample Letter/Email, That you can send to toyfare: |
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Dear Toyfare I am a regular visitor of BIGBOT.COM (featured in ToyFare magazine # 42/Feb 2001) and a Transformers fan. As a Transformers collector I enjoy your magazine, however, I find that very few of your toy exclusives strike my fancy. I know you've held a rather negative view of Beast Wars, but with the release of "Robots in Disguise" the TF franchise may be taking a turn more to your liking, and to the liking of nostalgia frenzied 20-somethings. I'm writing to say that if you could wrangle some Transformers exclusives for your magazine, you'd definitely get my business, and a subscription in all likelihood. To gage the popularity of TF exclusives, just look at your own price guide for the Botcon exclusives. And there are many, many more fans like myself who would buy your magazine to get an exclusive Transformers figure. The "Robots in Disguise" line is large and varied, filled with vehicles of many descriptions as well as a few beasts. Transformers are a hot property now, and I think an exclusive or three would do well.
Thanks for your time. |