"However, our redirected focus for Kidrobot does not mean the company you have grown to love will change in terms of its high-quality product..." So when's Funko moving into their space?
I normally wouldn't comment but word from their camp is, aside from poor toy sales(already a nail in the coffin), someone just royally fucked up and they owed quite a bit to the state. There was a lot of internal finger pointing. Closing down was really the only option. They've(as a whole company) also come close to filing chapter 11 several times. Although I could be wrong and they have already done that and that's when they laid everybody off years back. Who knows.
Scandalous!!!!!! Oh my!! Whatever you're opinion of KR is, it does suck to hear that they could be in turmoil behind the scenes.. Nobody needs that kind of stress. Maybe they could start selling stress balls. I'm sorry I shouldn't be making jokes like that
KR did a lot good(and bad) for this toy world in my opinion. Most of the old guys on here will not admit they frequented the NY store. They frequented the KR board(some still did for years). I did for sure. There was a time when you could find great(relative term) stuff at KR NY. I bought BXH and Secret Base there at a time where you could know about ALL the western toys that existed at the time. More news will be showing up soon about KR. It will be noteworthy for those who care.
Yeah please do. I missed that mcbess toy when it was ata decent price and I'm still hoping they'll find more!
Wonder what the story is?? They seem to still be planning new releases, so I don't think the business will collapse like StrangeCo or Critterbox (what happened to those guys??).. Could they be closing locations to open a store in a prime location?? They did mention another NY store in the works..
I've heard them mention publicly that they have toys being produced in a 2-year production cycle. You could see them going online only and still taking these to market.
There was no place else to hang out after Omar closed down the Ningyoushi Board . . . now THAT guy ran a tight ship!
I think they'll close everything but maybe Boulder and just sell their products online and in retail stores. With all of their licensing deals these days they'll fit into most mainstream retail stores. Its ironic that the toy store that didn't want to be a regular toy store is becoming a regular toy store to survive.
I got that news a bit ago too abt. bankrupt KR. Basically they posted a thread that was like "Hurry up!" Buddha Homers back up on the site!" The Buddha Homers were going for like $150 on ebay at the time and were limited. People ran to the site thinking it was a lost box of the same short run, but when asked KR responded that they reserve the right to re-release ANY licensed figure and that these were indeed a second run. People freaked and called them outright on bait and switch. A week later A friend of mine that used to own a shop here told me that KR was really in the red, and REALLY needed money, so they tried that, and other despicable things - because they were THAT desperate. It's sad but damn there is so much else out there worth the money that it's like, chalk them up in the history books for their chapter, and lets get to the real toys. Who the fuck cares.
^^^^ ...man an interesting tale. Shame to be honest. Will be damn interesting to see the whole tale when the full details are revealed by history.
I have pics of a bunch of Super7ers including Brian hanging out in Kidrobot in 2006. But whether you like it or not KR is a important part of the toy world. If they fall so will a lot of companies. In reality they American toy market is struggling. Even Super 7 is not producing like they used too.
Just room for indi toy makers like yourself to pick up the pieces and roll with it. I don't think it will hurt any of us. And I think S7 is doing pretty good if you ask me, just a different direction. Aliens, Lucas film, etc. not just soft vinyls anymore. S7 knows how to evolve while holding into what made them unique from the get go. KR for sure at one time was a big influence to me, and I enjoyed a bunch of shows and get ups. But that was a long time ago, and the store was an entirely different beast. When they shifted focus and went hard into their own brand and all the clothing and junk I knew it was over. I also don't think the American toy market is doing bad at all, it's just not every toy conceived needs to be made. Not attacking you bud if this came off like that, BTW.
I'm just hoping that if KR falls, that something interesting will rise out of the ashes. Almost every time a big company shuts down, some disgruntled employees band together and make something better, albeit smaller, and try not to make the same mistakes.
I wonder what went wrong?? Seems like there's a tonne of people still buying KR.. what's the reaction like to their booths at SDCC etc over the past couple of years? It seemed like they were still going strong with the Marvel, Simpsons and more recently TMNT licenses. I would have thought the Yummy plush range would have sold a shitload over the past few years seeing as it could be sold in furniture/home stores as well as gift/toy stores. If they are having financial troubles, how does a company like this with so many strong (from a general point of view) products end up in a spot like this? I guess I can see how Funko Pops have probably taken a chunk out of a lot of KR customers spending budget, very similar appeal and even more recognisable licenses for the casual vinyl buyer to lap up. But surely that couldn't crush the business alone?
