Movie Moments – so, what’s going on? Lots of rumors floating around – retail employees are saying this & that. The new ones disappear in an instant so clearly it’s not disinterest in buying 2-packs … but let’s backtrack a bit …

Mattel certainly started off on the right track – the first Movie Moments made sense from a lot of viewpoints:

Flo & Ramone: Flo is a girl plus with extra tail-fin metal (not judging, not judging! 😉 ) so it makes sense to charge a bit more for the two-pack.

Red & Stanley – of course, Red is about 3-4 times the metal of any other CAR, coupling it with Stanley makes sense from an economic view-point.

Boost & Snot Rod – the less interesting of the tuners. Wingo & DJ were singles so why not make a bit fewer of the other two but charge a skoosh more because the completists will want all the tuners.

Guido, Luigi & the Tractor – again, a nice value in two small CARS plus the Tractor.

This first wave, no one can fault any of them and were eagerly snapped up – but eventually, the problem became not the CARS but the way they were packed in each case – with too many repeats or for instance, after Boost & Snot Rod became single CARS, the MM version should’ve been retired.

Or that it was great fun to see the Pixar parody CARS at first but clearly there was a limit to how many of us were interested and while on one hand, Mattel is to be commended for keeping them available – can you imagine the grief they would’ve had if they retired them – thus denying a two-year the Sully CAR or the Buzz CAR? 😉 But on the other hand, by not keeping more careful track of retail stock and continually repeating less than necessary MM’s packs like Crusin’ McQueen & Sally as a WOC version (or perhaps even worse, packing two in the first case?!) – the perception to retailers was that we weren’t interested when we are – but only in CARS or configurations we don’t already have … and of course, to retailers it’s all just a MM whether it’s Sally/Crusin’ McQ or Red Mia & Tia so they are only measuring by overall stock turnover and in many if not most cases, the perception is that MM’s are selling slowly … but if you’re talking about any (real & actual) NEW MM’s – they fly off the shelves. What is the shelf life of Gaspirin/Tow Cap or Flea & PT Flik … that is IF they make it onto the shelves?

So, what’s next for Movie Moments – we seem to have sporadic reports from WM managers & stockers who seem to think they are being discontinued. For some reason, people find some of their market intelligence … er, less than credible? 🙂

It would appear that they are NOT being discontinued.

To repeat – there is no sign from all other channels and sources.

The Movie Moments portion of CARS is NOT being discontinued.

Now, does that mean WM or another retailer might stop carrying them? Maybe. You also have to understand the bigger issue – to them CARS is a 2-year old line and to their buyers and merchandisers, they were breaking up with their high school sweetheart after the prom that June 2006, and can’t remember back that far … okay, kidding but not too far off from the truth 🙂 … their job is to make the stores look hip & cool – otherwise (and shh, don’t tell anyone), there are just a giant square store selling toothpaste, insecticide & hair dryers … so tie-ins to blockbuster movies makes them look hip & cool and as I’ve noted before, their confused that 2 years later, we’re still buying CARS stuff. So, in some ways, it’s a miracle that CARS got that much shelf & peg space to now … So, what’s next?

Movie Moments might become a retailer exclusive – Toy R Us seems the most interested in CARS exclusives so maybe Movie Moments will only be available there?

Hopefully, they’ll be packed a little better … new kids & mom/dads buying for their kid that just turned 2 might be excited to see Buzz & Woody if it only shows up in July & November? Then it’s like a treasure hunt … and conversely, when you see the same CARS on the shelf time & time again, you’re actually less reluctant to snap it up because you think – it was here a month ago – it’ll be here next month.

So, what’s next?, will future shipments get re-configured much like the Gift 3-Packs? No definite word yet …

For people who just want opener CARS from Movie Moments, there’s clearly enough of the older ones still on the shelves and the more recent Movie Moments will certainly be available again.

For collectors and completists, yes, the big question is whether the next shipments might only be stickered with “TRU exclusive.” I highly doubt any switch-over is going to happen in the next month – at the earliest, probably late summer or September … but of course, there is no definite word – surprise! 🙂

Here again is what’s been announced … and hopefully, we’ll know more soon.

MOVIE MOMENTS BOX G

Bob Cutlass & Cartrip
Leakless #64 & No Stall #123
Luigi and Michael Schumacher
Mia & Tia (red)
Ramone (Purple) & Flo
Red & Stanley
Sally & Crusin McQueen (2)
Tex Dinoco & Dinoco Lightning McQueen
Tow Cap #4 & Gasprin #70
Tumble Weed Lightning McQueen & Doc Hudson (2)

Tumble Weed Lightning McQueen & Doc Hudson

MOVIE MOMENTS BOX H

Boost & Snot Rod
Dinoco Mia & Tia (2)
Fillmore & Whitewall Lightning McQueen (2)
Fillmore & Sarge
Leakless #64 & No Stall #123
Mike & Sully
Mr. & Mrs. The King
Sally & Crusin McQueen
Tex Dinoco & Dinoco Lightning McQueen
Tow Cap #4 & Gasprin #70

MOVIE MOMENTS BOX J

Bob Cutlass & Darrell Cartrip
Fillmore & Sarge
Fillmore & Whitewall Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen & Kori Turbowitz (2)
Luigi and Michael Schumacher
Mia & Tia
PT Flea & Flick
Ramone (Purple) & Flo
Rusty Rust-eze & Dusty Rust-eze
Sally & Crusin McQueen
Tumble Weed Lightning McQueen & Doc Hudson

(Lightning McQueen at Luigi’s but before Ramone changed him into Crusin’ McQueen)

MOVIE MOMENTS BOX K

Bob Cutlass & Darrell Cartrip
Buzz & Woody
Dinoco Mia & Tia
Fillmore & Whitewall Lightning McQueen
Leakless #64 & No Stall #123
Lightning McQueen & Kori Turbowitz
Luigi & Guido & Tractor
Luigi and Michael Schumacher
Mr. & Mrs. The King
Tex Dinoco & Dinoco Lightning McQueen
Tow Cap #4 & Gasprin #70
Tumble Weed Lightning McQueen & Doc Hudson

MOVIE MOMENTS BOX L

Dinoco Mia & Tia (2)
Fillmore & Whitewall Lightning McQueen
Luigi & Guido (Ferrari Fans)
Luigi and Michael Schumacher
Mario Andretti & Patti (2)
Ramone (Purple) & Flo
Sally & Lightning McQueen
Tex Dinoco & Dinoco Lightning McQueen
Tow Cap #4 & Gasprin #70
Tumble Weed Lightning McQueen & Doc Hudson

MOVIE MOMENTS BOX M

Boost & Snot Rod
Fillmore & Whitewall Lightning McQueen
Lightning McQueen & Kori Turbowitz
Luigi and Michael Schumacher
Mario Andretti & Patti
Race Damage King & Lightning McQueen
Rusty Rust-eze & Dusty Rust-eze
Sally & Lightning McQueen
Tex Dinoco & Dinoco Lightning McQueen
Tow Cap #4 & Gasprin #70
Tumble Weed Lightning McQueen & Doc Hudson (2)

And for now, we’ll assume the following multi-packs are just re-packaging of the CARS we already have:

Lightning McQueen & Kori Turbowitz
Chick Pitty (Bruiser Bukowski) & Chick Hicks

MOVIE MOMENTS BOX N

Bob Cutlass & Darrell Cartrip
Bruiser Bukowski & Chick Hicks (2)
Fillmore & Whitewall Lightning McQueen
Leakless #64 & No Stall #123
Luigi and Michael Schumacher
Mario Andretti & Patti
Mike & Sully
Mr. & Mrs. The King
Red With Stanley
Tex Dinoco & Dinoco Lightning McQueen
Tow Cap #4 & Gasprin #70

MOVIE MOMENTS BOX P
Bob Cutlass & Darrell Cartrip
Bruiser Bukowski & Chick Hicks
Fillmore & Whitewall Lightning McQueen
Leakless #64 & No Stall #123
Lightning McQueen & Kori Turbowitz
Luigi and Michael Schumacher
Mario Andretti & Patti
Race Damage King & Lightning McQueen (2)
Sally & Lightning McQueen
Tex Dinoco & Dinoco Lightning McQueen
Tumble Weed Lightning McQueen & Doc Hudson
MOVIE MOMENTS BOX Q

Bob Cutlass & Darrell Cartrip
Bruiser Bukowski & Chick Hicks
Dinoco Mia & Tia
Fillmore & Whitewall Lightning McQueen
Leakless #64 & No Stall #123
Lightning McQueen & Kori Turbowitz
Mario Andretti & Patti
Race Damage King & Lightning McQueen
Rusty Rust-eze & Dusty Rust-eze
Sally & Lightning McQueen
Tow Cap #4 & Gasprin #70
Tumble Weed McQueen & Doc Hudson