Jakks History
The business relationship between Jakks and the WWF/WWE began in 1995. When Jakks signed a licensing agreement with Titan Sports Inc. to produce and sell WWF figures. Jakks was a new start-up company in 1995, co-founded by Jack Friedman and Stephen Berman, with Friedman as chairman and chief executive officer and Berman as executive vice-president, secretary, and chief operating officer. The agreement was a ten-year deal which benefitted the growth of the this new company massively. Berman registered just how important the deal was when he spoke to the Los Angeles Times on August 18, 1998. He commented that "The WWF has been to us what GI Joe was to Hasbro...That's how Hasbro started their growth; GI Joe allowed them to acquire other brands and other companies." By 1997, the company had grown by 250%, with some saying that half of this was a result of the licensing agreement with the WWE. As Jakks began to grow, they no longer maintained their reliance on WWE figures; by 2000 WWE figures accounted for only 35% of their sales.
Friedman was no stranger to wrestling figures, as he was president of LJN Toys in the 1980s. His business acumen meant that he focused on these licensing agreements as well as ensuring that products shipped directly from China to toy shops such as Toysrus and stores such as Walmart. This kept the wholesale price low and meant that margins were as high as 35% for toy stores.
Bibliography
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/jakks-pacific-inc-history/
https://www.forbes.com/forbes/1999/1101/6411274a.html#3f859bb739b8
Friedman was no stranger to wrestling figures, as he was president of LJN Toys in the 1980s. His business acumen meant that he focused on these licensing agreements as well as ensuring that products shipped directly from China to toy shops such as Toysrus and stores such as Walmart. This kept the wholesale price low and meant that margins were as high as 35% for toy stores.
Bibliography
http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/jakks-pacific-inc-history/
https://www.forbes.com/forbes/1999/1101/6411274a.html#3f859bb739b8
Berman LA Times Interview.pdf | |
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The Al Snow Controversy
In 1999, one figure produced by Jakks caused such serious controversy that it made press across America and ended up with one major retailer pulling the figure. The figure was the Summerslam '99: Road Rage Al Snow figure:
In 1999, one figure produced by Jakks caused such serious controversy that it made press across America and ended up with one major retailer pulling the figure. The figure was the Summerslam '99: Road Rage Al Snow figure:
The issue which arose was around the accessory which came with the figure. The controversy led to Wal-Mart pulling the figure from their shelves. As the Chicago Tribune summarise "A doll depicting a World Wrestling Federation wrestler carrying a woman's head has been pulled from Wal-Mart shelves following a complaint that it makes light of violence against women." The decision was made as a result of opposition from Sabrena Parton, assistant Professor of Communications at Kennesaw State University and the manager of a Wal-Mart in Cartersville, Ga. Parton commented "My sons are 6 and 11. What kind of message would this toy send them about brutalization of women?" The opposition was first publicised in the Atlanta Journal and Constitution and was heightened by the OpEd's suggestion that the accessory was a "dismembered woman's head".
The WWE responded in the form of a comment by Jim Byrne, WWF(E) Vice President for Marketing, who said "This is the first complaint we've had about the toy...Al Snow's act with the mannequin head is as silly as it gets--loads of fun." A press release from the WWF(E) commented that "There were 225,000 of the original Al Snow action figures shipped in June 1999 and of those only roughly 10,000 remain on sale throughout North America. Since the misunderstanding began, the Al Snow action figure has become a collectors' item, selling for approximately $20 on the online auction website E-bay and rapidly moving off the shelves in other retail outlets." The Village Voice website put this complaint into a wider context. It commented that "a central critique of the WWF today is that wrestlers bring real women into the ring, with unfathomably overstuffed bras, and dares viewers (mostly kids) to ogle them. The brutality-to-women charge, if not technically correct, ain’t such a stretch."
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Seanbaby.com responded to the complaints in a very dismissive manner, criticising the complaint. Its argument was summarised in the following comment: "I think a more important question would be to ask Ms. Parton what her children are going to think after they find out mommy is a "dumbass."
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