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In our Business Spotlight series, we highlight one of our merchants to learn more about their business and how they approach eCommerce. In this installment, we will be showcasing McFarlane Toys to show off our true love of geekdom here at EYStudios. McFarlane Toys is a company that has been designing and manufacturing toys, statues, and collectibles for the last 25 years. They are known for their detailed sculpts of iconic characters from movies, TV shows, video games, comic books, and more.
From One Character To Many
Todd McFarlane founded the company in 1994 to produce and market action figures based on his comic book character Spawn. The renowned international company has now branched out into licensed goods to become one of the world’s leading action figure makers including having the official rights to NFL and the NBA.
In addition, they carry products from the following fandoms:
- The Walking Dead,
- Game of Thrones,
- Stranger Things,
- Destiny,
- KISS,
- Shrek,
- X-Files,
- Austin Powers,
- Jaws,
- Rob Zombie,
- Alien,
- Predator,
- AC/DC
- Marvel Comics,
- DC Comics,
- and many more.
McFarlane Toys is the fifth largest action figure manufacturer in the United States and they are the only company licensed to make toys for all four major movie studios: Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Films Corporation, and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Detail Direct From The Creators
What separates McFarlane Toys from other toy manufacturers is the level of detail and accuracy in their sculpts. Each figure is designed with input from the creators of the source material to ensure an authentic recreation. For example, for their line of Walking Dead action figures, McFarlane Toys worked closely with Robert Kirkman to create figures that were true to the comic book.
The Walking Dead action figures are the most successful line of toys that McFarlane Toys has produced with over 20 million units sold to date.
Constantly Offering New Approaches to Action Figures
McFarlane is also known for its “Color Tops” series, where they will change a character’s color scheme from one figure to another in order to create a new version for collectors. The Color Tops figures themselves promise to be the most accurately detailed, and life-like figures McFarlane Toys has ever produced.
An example of this is their color-topped Rick Grimes figure where the black and white version was released in 2013, while the original release featured more red tones on his shirt, jeans, and baseball cap.
Another example is McFarlane Toys’ Halo Master Chief figure that was released in three color versions: green, red, or blue depending on whether you prefer John-117 clad in Mark V, ODST, or Prefect armor respectively.
McFarlane Toys also offers a “Build-A-Figure” program for select collector lines. This means that each figure in the line comes with an extra piece to assemble a larger, more detailed figure. The first example of this was their Halo: Reach Series Two where you could build an entire ODST squad by collecting all six figures.
Not Just For Collectors
Their most recent endeavor is their “Toddler” line which are smaller, cheaper figures meant for kids. This line was created in response to the ever-growing market of adult collectors that have been buying up their toys. McFarlane Toys doesn’t want to exclude anyone from their fan base, so they created a line that is more affordable for children without sacrificing the level of detail and accuracy in their sculpts.
The first wave of Toddler figures released were based on characters from The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. More waves are planned for the future with additional licenses and characters.
McFarlane Toys and EYStudios
EYStudios recently helped launch a new BigCommerce store for McFarlane Toys that allow for easier purchasing of these amazing action figures. We are now working alongside them with our Runway program to help refine their site and add even more cool elements. The brand’s uniqueness is what has made McFarlane Toys a household name for fans of all ages and interests. We look forward to seeing where this innovative company will go in the future!