Re: Mattel Creations - Jurassic World the Gates Crowdfund
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2023 9:52 pm
I’m going to be honest:
I remember hearing some chatter about crowdfunds for Jurassic a few years back, and then a lot of excitement when Mattel stepped into the crowdfund arena. I suspect people believed this would help get big play sets like the Visitor’s Center made…?
I was worried that the higher prices from crowdfunds would make them inconvenient to many but went along my merry way buying Mattel Jurassic products as I always have.
Then, in mid June I saw the Mattel Creations tease about the gates and wondered what the crowdfund would entail, but I secretly groaned because we just had too many (absolutely amazing) things from Mattel in too short a timespan. They really went all out for Jurassic 30, but everything was hitting in too quick succession: the 93 Classic line, the Legacy Collection Containment Chaos and Mercedes sets, the HC Brachiosaurus, the Mamenchisaurus, plus the anticipated SDCC set which had not even been revealed yet and I wondered if I would have to buy it from the secondhand market at highly inflated prices given my luck from past years. I mean I could afford all of these things but it was just too much in too short a timespan.
Then the day came when the crowdfund was revealed and I admit I felt underwhelmed. I wanted the gates, for sure, but the $250 price tag just seemed more than what my EXPECTATION was, although I was also relieved it wasn’t like some $400 set. Still, the offerings other than the gate seemed kind of uninspired and the things that I really wanted (fences, goat) were locked behind high tiers.
Still, I did my part and I supported it because I really wanted those amazing gates and because I appreciate that Mattel has saved this franchise from extinction, not to mention the awful crap Hasbro pumped out for 20 years. I always knew the $250 price tag was for the gates and the #5 explorer and I was at peace with that, although I hoped we could at least get to the 6000 backers so we could get the plug-in fences. I did my part.
But almost immediately, instead of rallying around to support the franchise, people immediately started tearing this thing apart and putting up nonsensical pretexts for not supporting it. It was like a few bad apples who were upset they couldn’t afford it and made it their mission to relentlessly poison the well, setting to work to immediately suppress any momentum this crowdfund may have had.
I tried to support the campaign through the entire run by posting what I could and clarifying questions and information, etc. but these people were on a toxic rampage, posting laughing emojis on any post and giving nasty retorts to any positive spin anyone could give to the crowdfund. Just absolutely noxious invectives piling up one after the other, egging each other on. It was apalling!
I can understand people having valid misgivings about the crowdfund, and I already shared mine above, but I still supported the campaign because I know the designers at Mattel wanted to give the fans something special and they really did put a lot of hard work into the gates to make them a stunning centerpiece to any Jurassic toy collection. And I do think they were worth the $250 price tag, unlike the tacky 3-D printed crap that people tried to talk up as a better value. Let’s face it, many toy collectors just don’t have good taste.
Besides, Mattel’s designers have really tried to listen to the fans and give us what we want, even when they make mistakes. Habitat Defender trike, anyone? Maybe the higher ups at Mattel did hamstring this crowdfund from the get-go, but the fans are even more to blame for dragging it down and through the mud. Their disgraceful behavior, calling us crowdfund supporters shills or worse, should not be swept under the rug.
I hope Mattel doesn’t give up on Jurassic and continues to give us great things, because I don’t want to go back to the dark ages of 1999-2018. But I don’t blame them if they think this fandom is undeserving of more effort or appeasement. Ungrateful people do not deserve nice things.
I remember hearing some chatter about crowdfunds for Jurassic a few years back, and then a lot of excitement when Mattel stepped into the crowdfund arena. I suspect people believed this would help get big play sets like the Visitor’s Center made…?
I was worried that the higher prices from crowdfunds would make them inconvenient to many but went along my merry way buying Mattel Jurassic products as I always have.
Then, in mid June I saw the Mattel Creations tease about the gates and wondered what the crowdfund would entail, but I secretly groaned because we just had too many (absolutely amazing) things from Mattel in too short a timespan. They really went all out for Jurassic 30, but everything was hitting in too quick succession: the 93 Classic line, the Legacy Collection Containment Chaos and Mercedes sets, the HC Brachiosaurus, the Mamenchisaurus, plus the anticipated SDCC set which had not even been revealed yet and I wondered if I would have to buy it from the secondhand market at highly inflated prices given my luck from past years. I mean I could afford all of these things but it was just too much in too short a timespan.
Then the day came when the crowdfund was revealed and I admit I felt underwhelmed. I wanted the gates, for sure, but the $250 price tag just seemed more than what my EXPECTATION was, although I was also relieved it wasn’t like some $400 set. Still, the offerings other than the gate seemed kind of uninspired and the things that I really wanted (fences, goat) were locked behind high tiers.
Still, I did my part and I supported it because I really wanted those amazing gates and because I appreciate that Mattel has saved this franchise from extinction, not to mention the awful crap Hasbro pumped out for 20 years. I always knew the $250 price tag was for the gates and the #5 explorer and I was at peace with that, although I hoped we could at least get to the 6000 backers so we could get the plug-in fences. I did my part.
But almost immediately, instead of rallying around to support the franchise, people immediately started tearing this thing apart and putting up nonsensical pretexts for not supporting it. It was like a few bad apples who were upset they couldn’t afford it and made it their mission to relentlessly poison the well, setting to work to immediately suppress any momentum this crowdfund may have had.
I tried to support the campaign through the entire run by posting what I could and clarifying questions and information, etc. but these people were on a toxic rampage, posting laughing emojis on any post and giving nasty retorts to any positive spin anyone could give to the crowdfund. Just absolutely noxious invectives piling up one after the other, egging each other on. It was apalling!
I can understand people having valid misgivings about the crowdfund, and I already shared mine above, but I still supported the campaign because I know the designers at Mattel wanted to give the fans something special and they really did put a lot of hard work into the gates to make them a stunning centerpiece to any Jurassic toy collection. And I do think they were worth the $250 price tag, unlike the tacky 3-D printed crap that people tried to talk up as a better value. Let’s face it, many toy collectors just don’t have good taste.
Besides, Mattel’s designers have really tried to listen to the fans and give us what we want, even when they make mistakes. Habitat Defender trike, anyone? Maybe the higher ups at Mattel did hamstring this crowdfund from the get-go, but the fans are even more to blame for dragging it down and through the mud. Their disgraceful behavior, calling us crowdfund supporters shills or worse, should not be swept under the rug.
I hope Mattel doesn’t give up on Jurassic and continues to give us great things, because I don’t want to go back to the dark ages of 1999-2018. But I don’t blame them if they think this fandom is undeserving of more effort or appeasement. Ungrateful people do not deserve nice things.