Dixie finally reveals target demographic

[Steviekick 0]

Probably in a plastic cup.

 

You know it.

[Silence 0]

Probably in a plastic cup.

 

You know it.

 

Woo wee woo woo!

 

I couldn't resist the Zack Ryder catchphrase.

[LuckyLopez 0]

Sure, there are plenty of nerds out there who still buy toys. But more than kids who buy toys? I haven't been in a Toys R Us or Kaybee in many years, but I imagine you'd find TNA's dolls in there, rather than in Tower Records or Hot Topic or whatever.

 

...if they even have a real merchandise distribution deal at all, come to think of it. Do retailers sell TNA's action figures and other merchandise? (Not counting the dvds and video game, of course.) Are they even available in stores, or do you have to order them from their website or something like that?

I don't know. Clearly its just baseless speculation but I really do personally think Dixie's right and more of the figures get bought by adults to put on the wall or a shelf than kids to play with. Maybe that shifts with WWE that clearly has a wider audience and a larger number of kids in it but TNA's a product that has never aired before 9 PM and has spent most of its run outside of prime time or even cable television. Its a niche product and to that end I'd assume its merchandise is sold to a niche audience. WWE is a niche product as well but it has a large foundation in our culture, a much wider reach, and a clearly larger youth audience.

 

Again, baseless speculation, but if its true that the TNA figures don't show up in Toys R Us that often that just seems more evidence to suggest that TNA expects people to go looking for their figures online or in specialty stores. Or at least that the possibility of kids picking it up isn't enough to warrant putting them out there for them. A kid goes to Toys R Us to get his toys, but a 20 something has no problem going to TNAwrestling.com or highspots.com because he's happy to blow $30-40 on a pair of Beer Money figures for his shelf.

 

Lord knows I fought with my nerd self a month ago when I saw an Arn Anderson/Tully Blanchard set. Obviously figures like that are going to be more themed to older WWE fans since kids won't have the slightest clue who Blanchard is. But still, while I figure there are some kids out there playing with their 6 sided ring their parents bought half off or because it was weird or because they are big time TNA fans... it just seems more likely to me that the Senshi figure is being bought by the 30-year-old who wants to complete his Triple X set.

 

 

With WWE kids might be a larger audience. But this is a case where TNA's limited scope would suggest to me that just as their audience has often be the hardcore niche instead of the "casual" wrestling fan that they're selling their merch to the same people and not the same kids who might be buying Rey Mysterio Halloween costumes or John Cena Chain Gang gift sets. (Or, you know, whose parents buy them.)