Toymakers Create Their Dream Projects (but Ask for Money Upfront)
Hoping to form stronger bonds with their fans, companies like Hasbro and Mattel are making once-in-a-lifetime toys through crowdfunding and other online strategies.
Thomas Brandt in his collection room with the $600 Snake Mountain, which he called “the play set I’ve always wanted.” Credit... Kristine Potter for The New York Times
Thomas Brandt has loved the Masters of the Universe franchise since he was a child. Drawn to the sword and sorcery, he has gathered a large collection of He-Man toys over the years.
Now 41, Mr. Brandt eagerly supported a crowdfunding project for “the play set that I’ve always wanted”: Snake Mountain, the lair of He-Man’s archnemesis, Skeletor. At 36 inches high and 48 inches wide, the highly detailed purple mountain, made by Super7, a boutique toymaker based in San Francisco, dwarfs the original version, which Mattel made in 1984.
Mr. Brandt, an account manager in health care who lives in Nashville with his wife, paid $600 (plus $150 shipping) and had to wait a year for delivery. “It’s a gamble when you back a project,” he said, but Super7 had built a reputation for reliability, so he felt comfortable with the risk.
