Chapter 134: Toyingly Strategizing

While the comic book industry is brewing up their chances to fight back against the Creed brand that had been steadily rising and now is clearly hovering over them, another industry is contemplating the Creed brand as well.

Although the respective toy sales of respective toy companies aren't actually impacted much by the buzz-worthy Creed Toys, it was always better to look into potential enemies.

While the previous comic giants are sitting on their laurels and busy with their own matters to care about at first, the toy giants were much more guarded against the toy manufacturing newcomer.

They would watch Creed Toys as it grows and prepare for all the potential troubles that would come out of it.

The toy retailers were much more welcoming just as how accomodating the comic direct market was. However, the same could not be said to the toy developers.

While the selling tycoons were looking forward to new profit avenues and diversified selections, the toy developers want to maintain the status quo and gain leverage in whichever direction that the toy industry would head towards.

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In a certain Hasbro conference room, key persons such as Alan and Stephen Hassenfeld are present as Hasbro wouldn't be what they are without Hassenfeld brothers involved.

Also taking part in this regular business meeting is their respective company directors and corresponding operatives.

As usual, the agenda of their talks is, of course, something about their companies such as their way moving forward, the performance of their products, and so on.

The toy business was toy business as always with ups and downs here and there but the mood of the room eventually soured as the agenda went towards the topic of Creed Toys.

The great reputation of the newly available toys was great during this December season but that was just one of the problems that trouble the Hasbro higher-ups.

High-quality detailing, great character, and story representation, and many possible points of expansion to add to it. Any person familiar with toys and their derivative potential can already see which direction that Creed Toys was headed towards and it was a great source of envy.

The envy and dismay could be taken from the 6 phenomenal comic book stories that have many avenues to take up on but it was magnified when they touched up on the topic of The Cybertronian Chronicles and the Cybertronian toy line.

Autobots and Decepticons were the greatest representation of these complex toys and how much they could be expanded upon. Whether it be bad or good in representation, the toys would always be bought as long as it is made well.

How could the toy savvy people in the Hasbro meeting not see the amazing prospects of such an ingenious concept and extremely plausible toy design?

"Why don't we publish our own transforming robots?" Alan asked in irritation and left it to be answered by whoever could answer him.

"We can but we also can't." A mindful toy design representative shaking said in regret.

"Why not? Don't we have all those transformy thingies from Takara?" Alan remembered a certain steal deal they've made with the Japanese and hoped that they could act on that.

"Yes, we do have those..." A market correspondent chimed in. "... but our focus groups tell us that any toy that transforms is greatly related and tilted towards the Cybertronian Autobots and Decepticons."

"Kids have been buying up those comic books for months that the idea has become way too ingrained in them." Chairman Stephen, who was much more experience knew the risky rationale, could only point out.

"That damned Marvel and Jim Shooter didn't deliver upon our storyline deal and made us lose out on the conceptualization and storytelling part." Alan could not help but complain. He was gratified for the renewed G.I. Joe series but missing out on a great toy story has turned any form of gratitude to moot.

"But so what!" Alan was still vocal with his plans. "Let's still make the 'Transformers' initiative and crowd out that Creed Toys or whatever."

"We could design and produce our own but it would only be a fool's errand given that we're playing second fiddle." Stephen reminded his brash brother.

Anyone who read up on Creed Comics and the DC follow-up failure knew the big negative on being a second runner.

"It is also important to note that my secret contacts at toy shops and malls have said that the shelving of Creed Toys is a done deal and the owners are just waiting out on the new shipments to start the retail process." Stephen piled on with much troublesome news.

"Won't that would mean that Cybertronian toys won't just be our problem but also those popular action figures and detailed plastic statues?" By now, brahs Alan can't help but be troubled by those worrying prospects

"Yes, it would." An executive could only sigh as he gave that affirmation and final negation to the 'Transformers plan.

"Whenever people put our products by the side of those new Creed Toys, what do they say?" This was what Alan didn't want to read up from the reports but can't help but ask out.

"I can't speak for the people but I can admit it by myself and I also speak for everyone else in the room, that our toys look like shit compared to theirs." A critical major investor pointed out in hopes of urging these moneymakers in the room to up their game.

Alan could only bottle in from that snobby investor's hidden reprimand and said in defeat. "Remind again on why we weren't able to secure the authorization and toy copyright of that blasted Creed things."

"Creed Comics clearly wasn't interested in cooperations as Creed Toys is a companion company they've always probably had in mind." An authorization specialist gave out his analysis. "Anyways that was the hidden and implicit reasons for our failures."

Of course, there was still the final nail in the Creed authorization coffin. "The official reason that the Creed Comics sent out was that they were increasingly annoyed and troubled by all the cooperation calls that they decided to do it themselves."

What else can the Hassenfeld brothers say to that superficial reply and could only stay quiet at all the missed opportunities that Hasbro can't take a pie on.

Everyone else could only go speechless at that reasoning while also inwardly cursing all their other toy competitors that contributed to the irrant annoyance that formed the now troublesome Creed Toys.

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Of course, the same Creed Toy responses were repeated in other toy company meetings as they cursed each other and ultimately all of themselves for urging Creed Comics into developing Creed Toys.

While the comic book industry was collectively planning to strike towards Creed companies it would seem that the toy industries took another route as they collectively blamed each other and regretted the missed Creed toys that they could have profited from.

Fortunately, the toy industry was much tolerant to new market entrants as they are many numerous and balanced players in the field.

Creed Toys has just started out well in the December season and the toy seniors were blindly confident to think that it was just beginner's luck.

They know that the toy industry is not as simple as it seems and they just need to patiently wait for the chance to snipe up when the Creed upstart would slip up.

Everyone was just too good at toying with toys that their perspective on things were much toyingly strategizing.