I still don't notice much of a smell at all, not even when I first opened mine. I think they are well above gumball machine quality. I wish there were more toys at the retail price of SLUGs considering the prices on blind bags of single Lego or Playmobile figures, single Star Wars figures, Fighter Pods, etc. All toys are pricey for parents now. I think I paid $7.99 for a 3 pack of Annoying Orange mini-figures.
A lego minifigure is multiple connecting parts, comes with accessories, and has more detail.
Slug Zombies are just one piece of molded plastic.
A lot of cool toys have been distributed in gumball machines over the years. I'm not saying they're 25 cent gumball machine quality, but a 50 cent or 75 cent.
I disagree.
I think the sign of a dead toy line is seeing them pack on shelves and NOT moving. Hitting clearance quick and getting pushed aside. These aren't doing that. The two places that had the singles in my area both sold out TWICE very quickly. Everyone on the board who finds them at a toys r us has the same experience. As long as they sell out they are doing just fine. Yes distribution sucks but they sell out really fast when they drop. I don't see the price as any kind of issue either. Yeah they cost double what muscles did but so does everything else. When i was a kid a candy bar was a quarter. Now they cost damn near a buck.
I'll be worried about the toy line when i see them stacked up in clearance bins 50% off and not moving at all.
And they smell like lime soda and mercury. I like it O_O
Mercury is neurotoxic and one of the most hazardous substances known to science, so them smelling like mercury should be enough to make people stay away from them, especially parents with small children.
Yes, the tiny pockets where they get distributed sell out quickly, but let's see what happens when there's more than 1 or 2 stores in any given 100 mile radius that has them.
But maybe you are right, maybe they will succeed. Squinkies have been a success haven't they? It just seems like squinkies have more "kid appeal" whereas with SLUG Zombies it seems like they're marketing to collectors a little more than they're marketing to kids. Compare it to MUSCLE or MIMP, those lines were meant as primarily kids toys, while with SLUG Zombies (and OMFG too) there seems to be some kind of artsy/hipster self-consciousness like "we are doing something nostaligic for the fans of MUSCLE and MIMP." It's a nice idea, the figures look cool, but if you don't have moms buying them for their kids, you don't have a successful toyline.
Who knows, it will be interesting to see what happens with the line.
And fkro, cool picture. It's neat getting to see all the series 2 figures.
Edited by James, 21 June 2012 - 10:20 PM.