Wacky Mini Series 4

[Hustler08]

I'm afraid I've got bad news for all you guys and gals on this subject.

I finally got on Greg's web site, thanks to a link to a page on it on one of his emails that he sent to me, and I saw this: the Wacky Packages Minis 4th Series was canceled.

Finally something was wait for it 'CANCELLED"

[DrDeal]

I have inquired at SI about S4 last week and was told no release date yet. Not cancelled. I was told Toy Wiz put up the presale in error. Toy Wiz may have cancelled their pre-orders as they do not know when the product will be released. I think SI has lost Target as a customer as I do not see any of their products in the card sections anymore.  We may just have WalMart now which is a much spottier seller of SI products. Time will tell.  Hustler; you can not have your
C A N C E L L E D fun yet on this one. Sorry. 

Andrew

[Hustler08]

I have inquired at SI about S4 last week and was told no release date yet. Not cancelled. I was told Toy Wiz put up the presale in error. Toy Wiz may have cancelled their pre-orders as they do not know when the product will be released. I think SI has lost Target as a customer as I do not see any of their products in the card sections anymore.  We may just have WalMart now which is a much spottier seller of SI products. Time will tell.  Hustler; you can not have your
C A N C E L L E D fun yet on this one. Sorry. 

Andrew

Damn  - Just know I am out there always waiting.......

[sco(o)t]

I have inquired at SI about S4 last week and was told no release date yet. Not cancelled. I was told Toy Wiz put up the presale in error. Toy Wiz may have cancelled their pre-orders as they do not know when the product will be released. I think SI has lost Target as a customer as I do not see any of their products in the card sections anymore.  We may just have WalMart now which is a much spottier seller of SI products. Time will tell.  Hustler; you can not have your
C A N C E L L E D fun yet on this one. Sorry. 

Andrew

I wonder about Walmarts as well.  I don’t know about the rest of the country, but here in mid-Indiana, Walmart is overhauling the checkout sections. All checkouts are now “walled off” from the rest of the store. There are about 30 self checkouts around this perimeter and 6 conventional checkout stations in the middle, but they are all half the length as previous. This leaves very little room for impulse items. These Walmarts have also reduced their card sections to about 1/4th previous size.

[crackedjerk]

I wonder about Walmarts as well.  I don’t know about the rest of the country, but here isn mid Indiana, Walmart is overhauling the checkout section. All checkouts are now “walled off” from the rest of the store. There are about 30 self checkouts around this perimeter and 6 conventional checkout stations in the middle, but they are all half the length as previous. This leaves very little room for impulse items. These Walmarts have also reduced their card sections to about 1/4th previous size.

I've noticed that too development with Walmarts in southern WI.  Very few "regular" checkouts as the self-checkouts are taking over.  I sure hope there is a 4th Mini series, but the loss of Targets, if true, and the reduction of regular checkouts could lead this to being a very different distribution than just a couple years ago.

[mikecho]

I have inquired at SI about S4 last week and was told no release date yet. Not cancelled. I was told Toy Wiz put up the presale in error. Toy Wiz may have cancelled their pre-orders as they do not know when the product will be released. I think SI has lost Target as a customer as I do not see any of their products in the card sections anymore.  We may just have WalMart now which is a much spottier seller of SI products. Time will tell.  Hustler; you can not have your
C A N C E L L E D fun yet on this one. Sorry. 

Andrew

Then you might want to tell Greg Grant about this, because his web page is where I got the information from.

[Kook]

Then you might want to tell Greg Grant about this, because his web page is where I got the information from.

I think this issue may simply be a lack of clarity. Greg lists 2023 series releases and has minis series 4 as cancelled. Series 4 was originally anticipated in 2023 and got delayed. He may be referring to its release in 2023, which was cancelled (potentially delayed). He makes no reference to the fact that it may be released in 2024.

[Corndog]

Here in NorthEast Wisconsin our Walmarts no longer sell trading cards like they used to. Not sure if it has to do with layout of checkouts, but I believe it is related to the issue that they had with Yugioh cards. If I remember correctly wasn't there a issue with people being attacked over Yugioh cards?! Or a huge problem with shoplifting?!?

It has been many years since I've seen Wacky Packages at Walmart and very rare to see anything at Target. Things have defiantly changed.

[Hustler08]

I think this issue may simply be a lack of clarity. Greg lists 2023 series releases and has minis series 4 as cancelled. Series 4 was originally anticipated in 2023 and got delayed. He may be referring to its release in 2023, which was cancelled (potentially delayed). He makes no reference to the fact that it may be released in 2024.

I knew it - even Greg is in the know.........

[vahsurfer]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO - Any reasons given??

Richard
#StayWacky

[bandaches]

I think this issue may simply be a lack of clarity. Greg lists 2023 series releases and has minis series 4 as cancelled. Series 4 was originally anticipated in 2023 and got delayed. He may be referring to its release in 2023, which was cancelled (potentially delayed). He makes no reference to the fact that it may be released in 2024.

It is quite possible greg doesn't know the difference between cancelled and postponed....

[crackedjerk]

I reached out to Susan Gray at Super Impulse (not sure her job title, but she was the one who got back to me when I wrote the company asking about the status of series 4) and here is her response about the series:


"Thank you for your continued interest in Wacky Packages Minis!  It’s so nice to see a fan as engaged with the brand as we are!  Unfortunately our Series 4 has been put on hold and we do not have an availability date.  The series is designed and ready to go into production, but we do not have retail support to justify the investment at this point in time.  So, the line is on hiatus, not canceled!"


Here's hoping that some retailers decide to place an order or do whatever it takes to make series 4 shift into production!

[mikecho]

It is quite possible greg doesn't know the difference between cancelled and postponed....

Greg sent me a PM after I reached out to him and he told me that someone (unfortunately, he didn't say exactly who it was) had told him that it was cancelled. I told him just now about the delay and where to find the info about it on here. Hopefully, this'll all be cleared up real soon.

[DrDeal]

I reached out to Susan Gray at Super Impulse (not sure her job title, but she was the one who got back to me when I wrote the company asking about the status of series 4) and here is her response about the series:


"Thank you for your continued interest in Wacky Packages Minis!  It’s so nice to see a fan as engaged with the brand as we are!  Unfortunately our Series 4 has been put on hold and we do not have an availability date.  The series is designed and ready to go into production, but we do not have retail support to justify the investment at this point in time.  So, the line is on hiatus, not canceled!"


Here's hoping that some retailers decide to place an order or do whatever it takes to make series 4 shift into production!

Target was their main play and that seems to have dried up. You see very few SI items anywhere in Target these days.

[vahsurfer]

Walmart also distributed for them - They are HUUUUGGGEEE!!!!

Richard
#StayWacky

[Fanatical_and_Sickly]

Walmart also distributed for them - They are HUUUUGGGEEE!!!!

Richard
#StayWacky

and CVS and Family Dollar, which have stores everywhere.
All this retail support from four giants just dried up?
Wish we could see all the data on the past sales

[crackedjerk]

I have no reason not to think the creation of series 4 does indeed decide whether it is created or not.  But I suppose it wouldn't hurt for others to email SI and express interest.  I know it's more than likely a complete shot in the dark, but it's only a bit of your time that you lose if you do email with your interest in a new series.

[DrDeal]

and CVS and Family Dollar, which have stores everywhere.
All this retail support from four giants just dried up?
Wish we could see all the data on the past sales

CVS and Family Dollar were dumping grounds for Wacky Minis. They were offered very low price product long after it was released.

[Hawaiian punks]

In Hawaii the same thing is happening, Walmarts are all self check out, any trading cards in the Kona store are behind the counter with the booze...
"I'll take a fifth of Jack and some of them trading cards"
Target in both Hilo and Kona have drastically reduced the trading card section...
I miss finding anything Wacky in the wild...

[lucidjc]

In Hawaii the same thing is happening, Walmarts are all self check out, any trading cards in the Kona store are behind the counter with the booze...
"I'll take a fifth of Jack and some of them trading cards"
Target in both Hilo and Kona have drastically reduced the trading card section...
I miss finding anything Wacky in the wild...

Don't feel bad Wackys are extinct in the wild everywhere.

[mikecho]

Don't feel bad Wackys are extinct in the wild everywhere.

I know, the only place left to buy them is online directly from Topps itself. The days of finding them in brick-and-mortar stores seem to have gone the way of the dodo, just as I thought they would.

[MoldRush]

Nothing to feel bad about.  I don’t miss running around trying to find stuff at multiple chain stores.  It does get old after a while.  Nothing can hold a candle to the nickel wax packs of 1973-75, not to mention all the candy, sports cards, comic books, etc that came along with them back in the day.

[DrDeal]

Spoke with an Excel Marketing Sales Rep yesterday in a Target. She confirmed that no SI product is sold in Target at present. My how things have changed. They probably jacked up their prices and Target bailed. 

[JailOJohn]

How sad when these greedy retail stores dont want to stock retail products….Meanwhile both Target and Wal Mart have vastly expanded their stocking of makeup for pre-teens. Facial and skin care for 10-14 year olds is the new pet rocks….

[Swiski]

What bothers me more are most retail stores aren't carrying 4K, Blu-Rays or DVDs. Best Buy stopped altogehter, Target has an extremely small section. Walmart is my only hope for the time being. I know streaming has a lot to do with it, but some of us still want physical media.

[crackedjerk]

I know this may be the most inconsequential news of all time, but I have noticed 3 different Walmarts that have, in the past few weeks, put out new "six-packs" (not sure what we call the things that hold six cups of the Minis) of series 3.  I know they weren't there before.  Not that it matters much, but I am curious where those came from.  Are they getting new shipments?  Were they found in some dusty corner of the back room? 

[DrDeal]

What bothers me more are most retail stores aren't carrying 4K, Blu-Rays or DVDs. Best Buy stopped altogehter, Target has an extremely small section. Walmart is my only hope for the time being. I know streaming has a lot to do with it, but some of us still want physical media.

  Also, Target and Walmart are pushing music on vinyl now. While I do collect vinyl ; this move is a way to get us to pay $28 for new music instead of $15 on cd.

[mikecho]

  Also, Target and Walmart are pushing music on vinyl now. While I do collect vinyl ; this move is a way to get us to pay $28 for new music instead of $15 on cd.

Does anyone here remember how much a vinyl LP record cost on average in, say, the 1970s when I was a kid? I'd like to compare this with the current cost of LPs mentioned here.

And did anyone else besides me notice that 45' singles aren't even in the picture anymore?

[koduck]

Does anyone here remember how much a vinyl LP record cost on average in, say, the 1970s when I was a kid? I'd like to compare this with the current cost of LPs mentioned here.

And did anyone else besides me notice that 45' singles aren't even in the picture anymore?

LPs in the late 70s averaged around 6 bucks for a top 20 single disc release

[mikecho]

LPs in the late 70s averaged around 6 bucks for a top 20 single disc release

Thanks, Neil. About $6.00 back then compared to about $28.00 right now, that's a big difference, indeed.

[bigtomi]

And did anyone else besides me notice that 45 singles aren't even in the picture anymore?

I guess you're not really looking. As far as new music on 45s, that may generally be true. However, I just purchased the new Beatles single on 45 a couple months ago. Admittedly, I don't bother hunting down anything new on 45 or even LP as a rule...but 45s are not gone.

[bigtomi]

Thanks, Neil. About $6.00 back then compared to about $28.00 right now, that's a big difference, indeed.

Might you have heard of a thing called inflation?

[mikecho]

Might you have heard of a thing called inflation?

Oh, I've heard of it...I just didn't realize it'd cost that much to buy a record.

And what about record players and record player needles? Are they both still around?

[MoldRush]

Oh, I've heard of it...I just didn't realize it'd cost that much to buy a record.

And what about record players and record player needles? Are they both still around?

Friend of mine read a news story on the subject of vinyl prices, probably in the Wall Street Journal as that’s the only news source I know he reads every day.  According to the article, the main reason for the elevated prices is that there aren’t as many people around with the experience necessary to operate and maintain the manufacturing equipment used to press vinyl.  With several years gone by from the initial demise of vinyl to its resurgence as a ‘superior’ sound compared to CD, there are fewer of those folks around, and the ones who are command higher pay accordingly.  While i’m not sure I completely buy that, it may be a contributing factor.  I’m thinking there is an element of price-gouging as well.  My initial thought is, why not just re-engineer and build up the production equipment from scratch, but maybe the demand is not great enough to justify that.  Better to keep overhead low and pass on the production cost I guess.

As to the other question, I don’t think you’d see vinyl discs being produced, and consumers willing to pay those prices, without the ability to play them.  While you don’t see much audio equipment in stores, I’m sure it’s out there.  Crutchfield, other online companies, etc

[mikecho]

Friend of mine read a news story on the subject of vinyl prices, probably in the Wall Street Journal as that’s the only news source I know he reads every day.  According to the article, the main reason for the elevated prices is that there aren’t as many people around with the experience necessary to operate and maintain the manufacturing equipment used to press vinyl.  With several years gone by from the initial demise of vinyl to its resurgence as a ‘superior’ sound compared to CD, there are fewer of those folks around, and the ones who are command higher pay accordingly.  While i’m not sure I completely buy that, it may be a contributing factor.  I’m thinking there is an element of price-gouging as well.  My initial thought is, why not just re-engineer and build up the production equipment from scratch, but maybe the demand is not great enough to justify that.  Better to keep overhead low and pass on the production cost I guess.

As to the other question, I don’t think you’d see vinyl discs being produced, and consumers willing to pay those prices, without the ability to play them.  While you don’t see much audio equipment in stores, I’m sure it’s out there.  Crutchfield, other online companies, etc

Thanks, that helps a lot. I was asking because I haven't seen anything like players and needles in stores like, say, FYE, but maybe stores like Walmart and Target would have them.