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Hasbro 2020 Toy Fair - Attendee Report & Ghostbusters Product Line Details
By Paul Rudoff on Feb. 25, 2020 at 9:15 PM , Categories: Personal, Ghostbusters 1, Real Ghostbusters, Reviews & Merch, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Filming Locations, The 2016 Parody Remake
On the top shelf, we see a blast from the past.
When the news was made last year that Hasbro got the Ghostbusters license, I hoped they would do something like this. So, I'm happy that they "listened" to me :-)
Some have compared the figures to the Kenner originals and noticed minor differences. I didn't do any such comparisons, but if there are subtle differences, my guess is that Hasbro had to resculpt off an actual toy, or they managed to create new sculpts from scratch. Either way, we can't complain as they did a fantastic job considering they (presumably) didn't have any original molds or production materials to work with.
On the shelf below the Kenner Classics were the new adult-collector Plasma Series figures.
I'm pretty sure that the overall design of the Ghostbusters booth was meant to represent Egon's workshop at his old farmhouse in Afterlife. The area on the far right would have been his work area, complete with a very old and worn Apple III computer, which was originally released in the Spring of 1981.
Framed photos from the movie adorn the upper part of the wall. The one in the bottom left of the three guys in the jail cell is one of the infamous altered photos. In the original, there were prisoners standing behind them. Anyway, below the photos is a chalkboard with Ghost Trap blueprints. Oh, and who knew the guys were Islanders fans?
A replica of the USA Today newspaper from the first film's "Ghost Fever Grips New York" montage sits on the desk.
As I was taking photos at the Ghostbusters booth, Kevin Evans (Senior Manager of Product Design, and Design Lead on the Ghostbusters line) stopped by with the adorable Olivia to demonstrate Spengler's Neutrona Wand for the Hasbro Pulse video crew. As of this writing, Hasbro has yet to make that video available, but I recorded a little bit of it with my own camera. Before Kevin left, I gave him one of my Spook Central business cards. Maybe that will benefit me later this year.
(image provided by Hasbro)
This was the item that was demonstrated on stage with Ivan and Jason, who said that it looked exactly like the movie prop, which they also had. In short, it's like a cross between the wand part of Spirit Halloween's Proton Pack (with all of the lights and sounds) and a highly-detailed replica that Mattel would do (though I don't think they ever made a neutrona wand replica). It also vibrates, which the Spirit Pack doesn't do. That said, it's kinda weird to have a neutrona wand that isn't connected to a pack. I just know that the more mechanically-inclined among us will mod it to the Spirit Pack for the ULTIMATE "under $200" Proton Pack :-)
Hasbro has been sending me the official product descriptions, which have been used throughout this article. They include two additional items that were not on display at the Toy Fair. There are no photos available for these items.
These figures are a FOOT tall, which is pretty large. My hunch is that these are more "doll like" and will closely resemble the classic G.I. Joe figures of the 1960s. I wonder if the pack, neutrona wand (it's not a "proton blaster"), and jumpsuit will all be removable. I wonder if the Disney Princess Comfy Squad clothes will fit on the guys. Hey, sometimes we all want to embrace our inner Disney Princess.
While I spent the majority of my time at the Ghostbusters booth, I did take in everything else as best as I could. So, indulge me as I go over everything else I saw at the show. By getting all of this documented, it'll help ensure that these memories never fade away.
Right next to the Ghostbusters booth was the My Little Pony booth, which totally speaks to my inner teenage girl.
The back wall had a HUGE graphic promoting the upcoming My Little Pony: Pony Life animated series, which is set to debut later this year on Discovery Family. It's the follow-up to My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, with the return of the "Mane 6" characters, and their original voice actors (including Tara Strong - Kylie in Extreme Ghostbusters), with all-new chibi-style character designs. While I'm not a "Brony" in any sense of the word, I enjoyed Friendship Is Magic, so I'm willing to check out this new show.
The cute Hasbro rep at the My Little Pony booth... Wait a minute. It just occurred to me that all of the female Hasbro employees at the event were super cute. Is that a requirement to get a job there? I think I know where I want my next job to be at :-) Anyway, she showed off a new pony figure...doll...I don't know what the correct nomenclature is for this line.. the "Magical Mane Rarity" with color-changing, growing hair. It's cute, but I can't help feeling like I've seen that concept before. She also gave me a "Magical Potion Surprise", which is a little mini-figure sealed in a blue pouch inside a plastic capsule. Fill it with water, swish it around, and the pouch disintegrates revealing the figure inside. Or you could do what I did, and just use a scissor to cut open the pounch, leaving everything nice and dry. My minifigure was a little grey cat. I don't recall ever seeing it in Friendship Is Magic (though I've hardly seen every episode), so maybe it's a new creation. I would have preferred Twilight Sparkle (Tara's character) or one of the other characters that I'm familiar with. There are 24 to collect, and it's all blind bag. Oy!
It was recently announced that IDW will be releasing a Transformers/My Little Pony: Friendship in Disguise cross-over graphic novel on November 3, 2020. I mentioned to the Hasbro rep that the company should release some tie-in figures, specifically the "Mane 6" as ponies that transform into their human Equestria Girls counterparts. She agreed with me. Come on, Hasbro...make it happen!
Of course, there were other figures and toys at the Pony booth, which was based on the Sugar Cube Corner candy store. There were a bunch of little plush pillows around the booth that, I assume, are not for decoration, but actual products they will be selling - though there is no mention of them in the brand toolkits (the official product descriptions and photos). I should have asked about them, but I had so much on my mind, that I simply didn't think to. There was a round pillow with Rainbow Dash in the center surrounded by a circle of the word "NOM". Another pillow was shaped like a colorful milkshake. It's the third pillow that gives me reason to even mention this in the first place: A rectangular pillow in the shape of a "Peach Juice" juice box, with a straw on the top.
You can't tell me that you wouldn't want to see a Hi-C Ecto Cooler juice box plush pillow just like that. Come on, Hasbro. Give Coca-Cola a call and make it happen. You know, if I'm gonna keep giving you ideas like this, you really oughta put me on the payroll.
Next to the Pony booth, tucked away in the back left corner of the showroom was the Marvel booth. HOLY CRAP was this place PACKED!
Correction: The "Legends Series" half of the booth was packed, and the other half was completely vacant. I don't know what was drawing everyone's attention, as I could not get into that half of the booth. They did have a gold and a red Infinity Gauntlet sitting on pedestals, so at least I got to see them. The vacant half of the booth had the X-Men figures, Avengers figures, Nerf Power Moves (crossover merch between the two brands), Gamer Verse figures, a large Scarlett Johanson "Black Widow" cutout (I wonder who gets to take her home?), Black Widow figures, and the preschool Spider-Man Bend and Flex figures on the far right side of the booth. That corner was also where they had the "Spider-Man: Maximum Venom" 12.5-inch Venom ooze-spewing figure and the "Ecto-Plasm Ghost Gushers"-rip off "Venom Blast" containers that I already mentioned. The Venom ooze-spewing figure (retails for $29.99 and set for release in Fall 2020) was demonstrated for me by a Hasbro rep, and it reminded me of all of the gross-out toys from my childhood. Who would have guessed that all of that gross stuff would make a comeback? Maybe it never went away.
To the right of Marvel was the Disney Princess Comfy Squad booth.
Without a doubt, my favorite part of Ralph Breaks The Internet were the "comfy" Disney Princesses. They were cute, they were fun, and they stole every scene they were in. I bought the entire collection of Funko's Rock Candy figurines, of which they made every princess except Cinderella and Merida. I have no idea why they left those two out of the line. Hasbro's line of dolls and accessories are nice, but if anything, I'd probably only pick up the "Disney Princess Comics - Comfy Squad Collection Pack". It's a set of 12 tiny, little adorable figures - and it even includes Cinderella and Merida!
If only Vanellope Von Schweetz were a figure, too, and not a piece of cardboard.
Directly across from the Princesses was Star Wars.
Like Marvel, half of the booth was packed (even more so), and the other half was vacant. I believe the crowded corner was where they had all of the retro Kenner figures. On a pedestal in the middle were some replica-like roleplay helmets. My cousin Robin would love the Star Wars: The Black Series - Boba Fett Premium Electronic Helmet, which retails for $119.99 and is set to be released on May 4, 2020.
You can also expect to see a whole bunch of new The Mandalorian: The Child (aka "Baby Yoda") merch this year, including an "Animatronic Edition Toy" that moves and makes noises. Oh...so...cute. (It retails for $59.99 and will be released in Fall 2020.)
By now, it was 5:00 PM and I overheard someone say that they were gonna usher everyone out at 5:15 PM. That left me zero time to check out the other half of the showroom floor, which was entirely vacant, save for some security personnel. When I say "vacant", I don't just mean that there were no guests there. I mean that there was NO ONE at any of the booths on the right half of the showroom floor; not even Hasbro employees! It was like a ghost town. Even the Play-Doh booth was devoid of people, and it was quite lively when I first entered the showroom about an hour earlier.
I walked through the right half of the showroom floor just snapping photos of each booth as I made my way to the exit, so I'd have some kind of documentation of what was on display. The remaining booths covered: Disney Princess (the non-comfy variety); including the Style Series and the new theatrical Mulan movie; Frozen II; Trolls: World Tour; Beyblade: Burst Rise; Fur Real; Baby Alive; Mr. Potato Head (and Toy Story); Sesame Street ("Year of the Monsters"); PAW Patrol (relegated to an "endcap"); and Play-Doh. In my photos, I noticed that there was a bin of small Play-Doh containers off to the side. I bet these were free for the taking, but I never noticed them while I was there. I'm not sad about it. Like the Rubik's Cube, it's not like I needed it. Oh, and there was also a Nerf booth/display in the passageway to the presentation stage upstairs, and a P.J. Masks booth right at the bottom of the stairs next to Power Rangers. Nobody seemed to pay them much attention, not even the Hasbro tour guides.
As I was leaving, I was handed a swag bag. Freebies like this made sitting through the long, boring presentation oh, so worth it!
Oh, man, is this thing filled with goodies, some of which you can't buy in a store. Maybe on eBay, but not in a real store. I don't know if every swag bag had the same contents, so I can only tell you what I got. For starters, everything was placed inside a reusable bag emblazoned with the "Hasbro Pulse" logo on it.
It's no surprise that there would be some action figures inside. I got the Star Wars: The Black Series - First Order Jet Trooper, Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy - Chromia, Marvel Legends Series: Master of Kung Fu - Shang-Chi, and Power Rangers: Lightning Collection - Mighty Morphin Red Ranger. There was also a Magic The Gathering: Elspeth Planeswalker game card deck.
Several posters were included in the bag. One was to promote the upcoming Netflix original animated series Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy. No specific release date was given; only "coming soon". There is also a large G.I. Joe poster, and MAN, is this thing beautiful! I think that every major character and vehicle is on there.
(click to enlarge)
This Ghostbusters poster measures 11"x17" and uses the new Plasma Series figures to recreate the original movie poster, only this time including Winston.
(click to enlarge)
Not in the bag, but available at various places at the event, were these small bottles of Hasbro-branded spring water. One bottle has Peppa Pig and Transformers on it, while the other is sponsored by P.J. Masks and My Little Pony. I didn't see any other bottles, so I assume that these were the only two.
On my way back to Penn Station, I stopped by Midtown Comics, where I bought this "I Survived" postcard for $0.99 plus tax ($1.08 total). Can you guess why?
And that concludes my look at the Hasbro 2020 Toy Fair - the very first press event I ever attended. Although the presentation portion was a chore to sit through (for those of us not into Star Wars and Marvel), I can honestly say that I had a great time. If I'm invited to next year's event, I hope they shorten the presentation, allow the reps in the booths to show off the product details on a more intimate basis, and allow more time for everyone to check out all of the booths.
Patreon-Exclusive Bonus Features: My Full Set of Unmarked Toy Fair Photos, Hasbro's Original Ghostbusters Product Assets.
GHOSTBUSTERS KENNER CLASSICS FIGURES(Side Note: The reason I'm using someone else's photo taken the day before, is because when I was there, the loose Ray and Winston figures were missing. Maybe someone stole them. That would explain all of the security personnel I saw.)
(Ages 4 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $14.99 / Available: Spring 2020)
(BUY IT FROM AMAZON: PETER / RAY / EGON / WINSTON / GREEN GHOST / STAY PUFT)
It's a (proton) blast from the past with THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS Kenner Classics Figure assortment from Hasbro, inspired by the classic figures from Kenner. With original Kenner deco and card backs influenced by the iconic look from the 80s cartoon series, these retro figures are a must have for any Ghostbusters fan. Each Ghostbuster comes with accessories inspired by the series: a ghost, proton pack, and proton blaster with stream.
Assortment includes Peter, Ray, Winston, Egon, Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, and Slimer (Each sold separately)!
When the news was made last year that Hasbro got the Ghostbusters license, I hoped they would do something like this. So, I'm happy that they "listened" to me :-)
Some have compared the figures to the Kenner originals and noticed minor differences. I didn't do any such comparisons, but if there are subtle differences, my guess is that Hasbro had to resculpt off an actual toy, or they managed to create new sculpts from scratch. Either way, we can't complain as they did a fantastic job considering they (presumably) didn't have any original molds or production materials to work with.
On the shelf below the Kenner Classics were the new adult-collector Plasma Series figures.
GHOSTBUSTERS PLASMA SERIES FIGURESThese six figures are priced a little higher than the rest, and are a little more detailed, because they are meant for the adult collector, and not for the kiddies to play with. Between Mattel, Diamond Select, NECA, and now Hasbro, I think we've already gotten a ton of figures of Peter, Ray, Egon, Winston, Dana, and Gozer. The Terror Dog is a "build-a-ghost", which means that you will get one of his parts with each of the six figures, and when you have them all, you can build him.
(Ages 4 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $19.99 / Available: Summer 2020)
(BUY IT FROM AMAZON: PETER / RAY / EGON / WINSTON / DANA / GOZER)
The premium, collectible Ghostbusters figures that fans been waiting for are here with the GHOSTBUSTERS Plasma Series Figures from Hasbro. Inspired by the original Ghostbusters movies, the Plasma Series Figures features collector grade deco across multiple points of articulation, character-inspired accessories, and photorealistic actor likenesses. Each figure also comes with a buildable ghost component.
The first wave of GHOSTBUSTERS Plasma Series figures features original Ghostbusters characters Peter, Ray, Egon, Winston, Dana, along with Gozer and Terror Dog build-a-ghost pieces (each sold separately)!
I'm pretty sure that the overall design of the Ghostbusters booth was meant to represent Egon's workshop at his old farmhouse in Afterlife. The area on the far right would have been his work area, complete with a very old and worn Apple III computer, which was originally released in the Spring of 1981.
Framed photos from the movie adorn the upper part of the wall. The one in the bottom left of the three guys in the jail cell is one of the infamous altered photos. In the original, there were prisoners standing behind them. Anyway, below the photos is a chalkboard with Ghost Trap blueprints. Oh, and who knew the guys were Islanders fans?
A replica of the USA Today newspaper from the first film's "Ghost Fever Grips New York" montage sits on the desk.
As I was taking photos at the Ghostbusters booth, Kevin Evans (Senior Manager of Product Design, and Design Lead on the Ghostbusters line) stopped by with the adorable Olivia to demonstrate Spengler's Neutrona Wand for the Hasbro Pulse video crew. As of this writing, Hasbro has yet to make that video available, but I recorded a little bit of it with my own camera. Before Kevin left, I gave him one of my Spook Central business cards. Maybe that will benefit me later this year.
(image provided by Hasbro)
GHOSTBUSTERS PLASMA SERIES SPENGLER'S NEUTRONA WANDIf the "Spengler" jumpsuits we saw in the Afterlife trailer didn't already confirm it, by calling it "Spengler's Neutrona Wand", and being based off an actual movie prop, this confirms that it's Egon's old farmhouse and the main characters are his relatives.
(Ages 14 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $99.99 / Available: Fall 2020)
(BUY IT FROM AMAZON)
The GHOSTBUSTERS Plasma Series Spengler's Neutrona Wand from Hasbro is inspired by the blaster seen in the all-new GHOSTBUSTERS: Afterlife movie. It features movie-accurate sounds and an LED proton stream that emits from the end of the blaster. Flip a switch, press a button, and change the modes for blasting ghosts. Imagine the awesome power the Ghostbusters hold in their hands with rumble feedback via an internal motor. Premium deco and incredible detailing make this a perfect addition to any Ghostbuster fan's collection.
This was the item that was demonstrated on stage with Ivan and Jason, who said that it looked exactly like the movie prop, which they also had. In short, it's like a cross between the wand part of Spirit Halloween's Proton Pack (with all of the lights and sounds) and a highly-detailed replica that Mattel would do (though I don't think they ever made a neutrona wand replica). It also vibrates, which the Spirit Pack doesn't do. That said, it's kinda weird to have a neutrona wand that isn't connected to a pack. I just know that the more mechanically-inclined among us will mod it to the Spirit Pack for the ULTIMATE "under $200" Proton Pack :-)
Hasbro has been sending me the official product descriptions, which have been used throughout this article. They include two additional items that were not on display at the Toy Fair. There are no photos available for these items.
GHOSTBUSTERS ECTO-1No, this is not the "Ecto-1 Playset" seen earlier in this article. It's priced at less than half of the "playset". It sounds like it's based on the original movie's Ecto-1, which means no gunner seat. I have no clue if the figures fit into it, or if it's just a "model". I don't know how else it differs from the other one.
(Ages 4 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $12.99 / Available: Summer 2020)
The classic GHOSTBUSTERS ECTO-1 toy from Hasbro is inspired by the iconic Ecto-1 car. This Ecto-1 vehicle allows kids to imagine zooming into ghostbustin' adventures.
GHOSTBUSTERS 12-INCH SCALE FIGURESCould Hasbro make this any more confusing? We have the "Plasma Series" set of the four guys, we have the "Fright Features" set of the four guys, and now we have this "12-Inch" set of the four guys. Yet, other than Muncher and the roleplay toys, nothing was shown of the Afterlife characters. I can only assume that to show anything more than what was in the trailer, at this point, would be too much of a spoiler.
(Ages 4 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $9.99 / Available: Spring 2020)
The original Ghostbusters team is getting a size upgrade with these GHOSTBUSTERS 12-inch Scale Figures from Hasbro! Each figure features multiple points of articulation and deco inspired by the original movie, including a molded Proton Pack and a Proton Blaster accessory!
Assortment includes Peter, Ray, Egon, and Winston (each sold separately), allowing kids to imagine the action of the original Ghostbusters taking on ghosts... on a big scale!
These figures are a FOOT tall, which is pretty large. My hunch is that these are more "doll like" and will closely resemble the classic G.I. Joe figures of the 1960s. I wonder if the pack, neutrona wand (it's not a "proton blaster"), and jumpsuit will all be removable. I wonder if the Disney Princess Comfy Squad clothes will fit on the guys. Hey, sometimes we all want to embrace our inner Disney Princess.
While I spent the majority of my time at the Ghostbusters booth, I did take in everything else as best as I could. So, indulge me as I go over everything else I saw at the show. By getting all of this documented, it'll help ensure that these memories never fade away.
Right next to the Ghostbusters booth was the My Little Pony booth, which totally speaks to my inner teenage girl.
The back wall had a HUGE graphic promoting the upcoming My Little Pony: Pony Life animated series, which is set to debut later this year on Discovery Family. It's the follow-up to My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, with the return of the "Mane 6" characters, and their original voice actors (including Tara Strong - Kylie in Extreme Ghostbusters), with all-new chibi-style character designs. While I'm not a "Brony" in any sense of the word, I enjoyed Friendship Is Magic, so I'm willing to check out this new show.
The cute Hasbro rep at the My Little Pony booth... Wait a minute. It just occurred to me that all of the female Hasbro employees at the event were super cute. Is that a requirement to get a job there? I think I know where I want my next job to be at :-) Anyway, she showed off a new pony figure...doll...I don't know what the correct nomenclature is for this line.. the "Magical Mane Rarity" with color-changing, growing hair. It's cute, but I can't help feeling like I've seen that concept before. She also gave me a "Magical Potion Surprise", which is a little mini-figure sealed in a blue pouch inside a plastic capsule. Fill it with water, swish it around, and the pouch disintegrates revealing the figure inside. Or you could do what I did, and just use a scissor to cut open the pounch, leaving everything nice and dry. My minifigure was a little grey cat. I don't recall ever seeing it in Friendship Is Magic (though I've hardly seen every episode), so maybe it's a new creation. I would have preferred Twilight Sparkle (Tara's character) or one of the other characters that I'm familiar with. There are 24 to collect, and it's all blind bag. Oy!
It was recently announced that IDW will be releasing a Transformers/My Little Pony: Friendship in Disguise cross-over graphic novel on November 3, 2020. I mentioned to the Hasbro rep that the company should release some tie-in figures, specifically the "Mane 6" as ponies that transform into their human Equestria Girls counterparts. She agreed with me. Come on, Hasbro...make it happen!
Of course, there were other figures and toys at the Pony booth, which was based on the Sugar Cube Corner candy store. There were a bunch of little plush pillows around the booth that, I assume, are not for decoration, but actual products they will be selling - though there is no mention of them in the brand toolkits (the official product descriptions and photos). I should have asked about them, but I had so much on my mind, that I simply didn't think to. There was a round pillow with Rainbow Dash in the center surrounded by a circle of the word "NOM". Another pillow was shaped like a colorful milkshake. It's the third pillow that gives me reason to even mention this in the first place: A rectangular pillow in the shape of a "Peach Juice" juice box, with a straw on the top.
You can't tell me that you wouldn't want to see a Hi-C Ecto Cooler juice box plush pillow just like that. Come on, Hasbro. Give Coca-Cola a call and make it happen. You know, if I'm gonna keep giving you ideas like this, you really oughta put me on the payroll.
Next to the Pony booth, tucked away in the back left corner of the showroom was the Marvel booth. HOLY CRAP was this place PACKED!
Correction: The "Legends Series" half of the booth was packed, and the other half was completely vacant. I don't know what was drawing everyone's attention, as I could not get into that half of the booth. They did have a gold and a red Infinity Gauntlet sitting on pedestals, so at least I got to see them. The vacant half of the booth had the X-Men figures, Avengers figures, Nerf Power Moves (crossover merch between the two brands), Gamer Verse figures, a large Scarlett Johanson "Black Widow" cutout (I wonder who gets to take her home?), Black Widow figures, and the preschool Spider-Man Bend and Flex figures on the far right side of the booth. That corner was also where they had the "Spider-Man: Maximum Venom" 12.5-inch Venom ooze-spewing figure and the "Ecto-Plasm Ghost Gushers"-rip off "Venom Blast" containers that I already mentioned. The Venom ooze-spewing figure (retails for $29.99 and set for release in Fall 2020) was demonstrated for me by a Hasbro rep, and it reminded me of all of the gross-out toys from my childhood. Who would have guessed that all of that gross stuff would make a comeback? Maybe it never went away.
To the right of Marvel was the Disney Princess Comfy Squad booth.
Without a doubt, my favorite part of Ralph Breaks The Internet were the "comfy" Disney Princesses. They were cute, they were fun, and they stole every scene they were in. I bought the entire collection of Funko's Rock Candy figurines, of which they made every princess except Cinderella and Merida. I have no idea why they left those two out of the line. Hasbro's line of dolls and accessories are nice, but if anything, I'd probably only pick up the "Disney Princess Comics - Comfy Squad Collection Pack". It's a set of 12 tiny, little adorable figures - and it even includes Cinderella and Merida!
If only Vanellope Von Schweetz were a figure, too, and not a piece of cardboard.
Directly across from the Princesses was Star Wars.
Like Marvel, half of the booth was packed (even more so), and the other half was vacant. I believe the crowded corner was where they had all of the retro Kenner figures. On a pedestal in the middle were some replica-like roleplay helmets. My cousin Robin would love the Star Wars: The Black Series - Boba Fett Premium Electronic Helmet, which retails for $119.99 and is set to be released on May 4, 2020.
You can also expect to see a whole bunch of new The Mandalorian: The Child (aka "Baby Yoda") merch this year, including an "Animatronic Edition Toy" that moves and makes noises. Oh...so...cute. (It retails for $59.99 and will be released in Fall 2020.)
By now, it was 5:00 PM and I overheard someone say that they were gonna usher everyone out at 5:15 PM. That left me zero time to check out the other half of the showroom floor, which was entirely vacant, save for some security personnel. When I say "vacant", I don't just mean that there were no guests there. I mean that there was NO ONE at any of the booths on the right half of the showroom floor; not even Hasbro employees! It was like a ghost town. Even the Play-Doh booth was devoid of people, and it was quite lively when I first entered the showroom about an hour earlier.
I walked through the right half of the showroom floor just snapping photos of each booth as I made my way to the exit, so I'd have some kind of documentation of what was on display. The remaining booths covered: Disney Princess (the non-comfy variety); including the Style Series and the new theatrical Mulan movie; Frozen II; Trolls: World Tour; Beyblade: Burst Rise; Fur Real; Baby Alive; Mr. Potato Head (and Toy Story); Sesame Street ("Year of the Monsters"); PAW Patrol (relegated to an "endcap"); and Play-Doh. In my photos, I noticed that there was a bin of small Play-Doh containers off to the side. I bet these were free for the taking, but I never noticed them while I was there. I'm not sad about it. Like the Rubik's Cube, it's not like I needed it. Oh, and there was also a Nerf booth/display in the passageway to the presentation stage upstairs, and a P.J. Masks booth right at the bottom of the stairs next to Power Rangers. Nobody seemed to pay them much attention, not even the Hasbro tour guides.
As I was leaving, I was handed a swag bag. Freebies like this made sitting through the long, boring presentation oh, so worth it!
Oh, man, is this thing filled with goodies, some of which you can't buy in a store. Maybe on eBay, but not in a real store. I don't know if every swag bag had the same contents, so I can only tell you what I got. For starters, everything was placed inside a reusable bag emblazoned with the "Hasbro Pulse" logo on it.
It's no surprise that there would be some action figures inside. I got the Star Wars: The Black Series - First Order Jet Trooper, Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy - Chromia, Marvel Legends Series: Master of Kung Fu - Shang-Chi, and Power Rangers: Lightning Collection - Mighty Morphin Red Ranger. There was also a Magic The Gathering: Elspeth Planeswalker game card deck.
Several posters were included in the bag. One was to promote the upcoming Netflix original animated series Transformers: War For Cybertron Trilogy. No specific release date was given; only "coming soon". There is also a large G.I. Joe poster, and MAN, is this thing beautiful! I think that every major character and vehicle is on there.
(click to enlarge)
This Ghostbusters poster measures 11"x17" and uses the new Plasma Series figures to recreate the original movie poster, only this time including Winston.
(click to enlarge)
Not in the bag, but available at various places at the event, were these small bottles of Hasbro-branded spring water. One bottle has Peppa Pig and Transformers on it, while the other is sponsored by P.J. Masks and My Little Pony. I didn't see any other bottles, so I assume that these were the only two.
On my way back to Penn Station, I stopped by Midtown Comics, where I bought this "I Survived" postcard for $0.99 plus tax ($1.08 total). Can you guess why?
And that concludes my look at the Hasbro 2020 Toy Fair - the very first press event I ever attended. Although the presentation portion was a chore to sit through (for those of us not into Star Wars and Marvel), I can honestly say that I had a great time. If I'm invited to next year's event, I hope they shorten the presentation, allow the reps in the booths to show off the product details on a more intimate basis, and allow more time for everyone to check out all of the booths.
Patreon-Exclusive Bonus Features: My Full Set of Unmarked Toy Fair Photos, Hasbro's Original Ghostbusters Product Assets.
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U.K. eBay (Ghostbusters stuff)
AWARDS I'VE WON
