As I sit here at the start of a new year writing this blog with 91 MINIS around my desk (83 blind bag engines, plus the six Advent Calendar engines and the two Comic-Con exclusive engines), I think about what a great year it has been for this brand new range, but also about what is coming ahead for them in 2016, and perhaps onward.
First of all, I'll just recap my experience with these in 2015. When I heard about them on Mattel's New York Toy Fair press release last February, I was quite curious into what these mini engines with different themes and blind bags might turn out. I though they were going to be bigger in size than they turned out, be more suitable for preschoolers, and even possibly replace the Thomas Take-n-Play range. When I saw the first images of them seeing engines like Racing Bill, Neon Toby, and Super Hiro, I was surprised and thought they actually resembled knock-offs seeing them all have four wheels and unusual decorations. I then couldn't believe how mini they really were. Shortly however when I started seeing the entire line-up and the earliest video reviews, I thought they looked cool and I liked how it just threw all the rules out the window with what we know as Thomas and made a lot of clever fantasy themes. Previously, I had a rule where I was not going to get new Thomas merchandise released from around 2013 to now, but when I saw that they were getting a mass release in Australia and that there was a way to identify engines in the blind bags, I thought I might try and get some. The point I actually started trying to find them, the blind bags were already selling out really fast at most toy stores. I managed to buy the Collector's Playwheel (not at the cheaper price I was hoping to buy it for but it was still fine) to begin, and as I had fifteen more spaces I thought, "Maybe I'll just get the Classic engines". With a list of codes on my phone, I went to my nearest store which still had stock, and I started looking through the bags until I went, "Screw it, let's get them all.", and bought the first few bags in number order, (minus Thomas as I thought he would be sold in several other packs or sets, and I eventually got him) and so my aim to get as much of the MINIS range released in my country began.
It's been very fun slowly getting them all during the year, and I was pretty fortunate that Australia and New Zealand received Series 2-4 earlier than other countries (the US getting 8-packs and 3-packs sort of made up for it though!), although the wait between Series 2 and 3 was particularly agonizing. It's satisfying finishing the 2015 series. The Metallics look excellent together, so do the Chillin', Spooky, and Robo, themed engines. Heroes was good but feels redundant, and Old School is a little boring by itself but looks good in the line-up with the other themes.
Now, what's next for the line? Well, the 2016 series is underway, and it sure looks exciting, if not a little daunting. It's fantastic that it seems Fisher-Price listened to customers and made a clearer indication of which series is on the blind bags like what was done in Japan, and divided the checklists to the relevant series. It's a lot better than subtly changing the engine graphics on the blind bags, having fine print saying that some engines were going to be released later, and having to wait on an update from the Facebook page telling you the series has arrived. This also means that staff in toy stores will actually know that a brand new shipment has arrived different from their existing stock, and you don't have to fumble through so many blind bags. Now that the Walmart exclusivity in the US has ended, it seems that there is now better distribution of the range than before, and I feel sorry for people in America who must have had a difficult time completing their collection. Thank you Fisher-Price.
The re-releases of most of the Classics themed engines is something I predicted was going to happen, even though there are more than I was expecting. Fisher-Price had to do this as there are always going to be newcomers or those late to the party who missed out on the 2015 series, and the main characters are required to be made all the time to ensure that kids can get Thomas and the rest of the steam team, otherwise there would just be a range of variants. These re-releases will mean nothing to all the serious collectors, but on the plus side, at least you've got not as many engines to look out for. There are also the same engines I see get requested for over and over which I'm not personally fussed for. Whilst I was very surprised and pleased to see that a Troublesome Truck will be released in the blind bags, I think that there won't be too much focus on them. I'm expecting to see Annie and Clarabel in the third and fourth series, and if any other trucks are made, I think we'll see them or a cargo car included in sets. I'm not keen at all for non-rail vehicles. I don't particularly see how they would fit in with the four wheeled engines as they would look out of proportion.
Next is the business with the DC Super Friends co-branding. If you had told me a few years ago that Thomas and DC would crossover, I would've said that that's a crazy idea and it would never happen. When Super Friends MINIS was released exclusively for Comic-Con, I thought that it was such an awesome thing that Fisher-Price did that for the 70th Anniversary year, but I wondered what sort of audience they were trying to aim for, and I still don't really know. Were they aiming for hardcore DC fans who might buy the pack out of nostalgia for Thomas when they were younger? It certainly doesn't fit in with the more adult toys that Mattel exclusively sell through conventions and online. I was never greatly into anything from DC Comics in the past, but after the initial surprise, I thought the first set of engines released looked pretty cool even though there were a few characters like Cyborg and Harley Quinn which I had never heard of before. If anything, this mashup really has made me become more aware of anything DC related than before. Learning about the first few new DC Super Friends engines that were going to be made for the 2016 series, I thought it was nice that the theme was getting expanded a little, but then when I saw the 9-Pack with all these superheroes I'd never heard of before, and then two more 4-Packs, I've become overwhelmed by this theme that's now tripled in size. I think it was great when it started, but I wonder how much more Fisher-Price are going to try and continue this theme, which feels like it's become its own sub-range.
Now I want people to understand this now that this co-branding has happened. Just because the Thomas MINIS range had a co-branding with DC Comics, it does not mean that any brand can have its own MINIS theme. I see suggestions for crossovers for things which are either aren't appropriate for children or they are owned by a rival company. Licensing is much more complicated than that. Mattel has had the rights to make toys from DC Comics for a long time and an agreement for using the brand on Thomas toys would have been easier to complete. Now kids would be slightly familiar with DC Comics superheroes like I was when I was younger or the DC Super Friends, so pairing it with Thomas is appropriate. Mattel have licenses for properties like Marvel, Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Masters of the Universe. I can't imagine another big property being used at the moment, but another crossover could happen in the future. Some toy ranges like Hot Wheels use both Marvel and DC licenses at the same time, and while Marvel could be a possibility, I'd personally rather not have another range of superheroes. Perhaps for the next movie, a Star Wars theme could be made. It's something which I could see and would be appealing for kids (Ferdinand as Jar-Jar Binks maybe? :P). I'm not holding my breath for another Comic-Con exclusive though. The Tootsie co-branding was certainly a surprise, and I wonder how it's going to be recieved outside of the US considering their obscurity in foreign countries. It seems that wherever Fisher-Price will go next, it will be unexpected, but hopefully a nice surprise.
Next, I shall go over sets. I would love to see more made and I'm hopeful there will be plenty in 2016. What I don't want to see though is a track system with individual track pieces to make different layouts, and I don't want the same old Brendam Docks and Tidmouth Sheds that I see people suggest. I don't think it suits the MINIS system and I don't want to see it like any other track system. What I think is more suitable are sets which are already made up like the Twist-n-Turn Stunt Set, which I think was a perfect example of how a MINIS set can work. There could be other tower sets which could have familiar destinations put in them, like a Knapford Station gateway or an elevator that can be operated by Cranky, but it would be more about the action. There could even be a racetrack set where you can launch the Racer themed engines. The sets could still have exclusive engines, or Troublesome Truck variants or basic unpainted cargo cars. Perhaps there could be connections on the sides of some of the playsets so there would be some cohesion and you could have your own MINIS world set-up. I'd also like to see a storage case containing 30 engines in the shape of Thomas, and when you open it up, a small scenic layout piece folds out. I even think a DC Super Friends set could be made containing a Batcave, and there could probably be an transparent rail to make it look like engines are flying.
So there are my thoughts. The MINIS range has been a great line of toys to come out, and even though there is potential for a lot of new things to be made and there are things people would really like to see, I think there are some things about the range that should not change and those things, particularly focusing on engines, are what I think best suit the MINIS range. While I am still daunted knowing about all the new engines and themes that are to come, I look forward to seeing what else the MINIS range is going to do this year which we should see next February at the 2016 New York Toy Fair that possibly no one predicated happening. I hope you enjoyed reading the entire blog and knowing about my experiences. So what are your opinions? Are there unusual ideas you have that no-one else has? Do you agree with any of my points, or do you think everything I've said has just been completely bogus?