So, here is the top 10 most viewed pages on the site for 2024. The main takeaway is that Cobra Commander is always popular. (Different photos of him made up 2 of my top 9 Instagram photos, too.) People also like to read about terrible vintage figures: especially from 1987. Posts made in the first half of the year dominate the most viewed. Traffic really fell off in the second half. But, big social media sites now deliberately throttle posts with links to outside websites. So, that limits who can see any promotion I do. But, there were still 260,000+ pageviews and over 600 comments left last year. So, that's really cool.
2023 Failsafe - 1008 Page Views
This 1 year retrospective of the Skystriker Haslab garnered a lot of views. There was some good discussion on him, too. In short, Fail Safe is an ok figure that works in the context of post vintage ARAH style releases. But, the Skystriker has also fizzled out on the secondary market: largely due to oversaturation and the general banality of the figures.
1984 Hooded Cobra Commander - Around The Web - 999 Page Views
The first Cobra Commander on this list. Around the Web features tend to do about 1/2 the traffic of profiles. But, this one exploded. Cobra Commander is awesome and this iconic look got attention.
2024 O-Ring Ghostbusters Debut - 686 Page Views
These figures were a complete surprise. Reaction to them was overwhelmingly positive. The figures have just started shipping in recent weeks. I'm hoping to get a set to profile at some point in 2025.
Raptor is a terrible figure. Larry Hama made sour lemonade out of lemons, though, and got him a more memorable run in the comic than the figure certainly deserved.
Taurus benefits from his 1987 release year and association with Sgt. Slaughter from the cartoon. So, a poorly designed (but well sculpted!) figure has its fans.
2004 Night Force Short Fuse - 478 Page Views
Another theme is that figures from the 2000's tend to do fairly well when it comes to views. Night Force is a collector friendly theme. And, Short Fuse is uses a great mold.
2005 Clear Cobra Commander - 477 Page Views
The second Cobra Commander on the list is also a 2000's era figure. This clear figure is a gimmick that works.
1985 Snake Eyes - 454 Page Views
The 1985 Snake Eyes might be the best figure in the Joe line. And, this was my 25th Anniversary profile.
Rarities - 1986 Promotional Poster - 429 Page Views
This promo from 1986 is full of pre-production figures. That's one of the most popular years of Joe figures. And, it was my most view Rarities post of 2024.
1994 Star Brigade Sci Fi - 420 Page Views
Star Brigade (and 1990's figures in general) have gotten more popular in recent years. I'm going to revisit my favorite figure from the subset in 2025. Need to get some pics of him!
We'll see what 2025 brings. We should see some decent Super7 figures. (Unless their venture capital overlords do them in first.) Black Major has some amazing stuff coming and is always good for a few surprises. LadyJayeToys has teased some Jinx and Pilot Scarlett/Ace figures, too. So, there should be a lot happening in the world. What resonates is always surprising, though. So, it will be fun to see what captures your attention next year.
Raptor is awesome.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
I've noticed things are cooling off pretty quickly now in the joe world. anything but "rare" vintage is dropping in price or doesnt sell....classified is losing popularity i think they had been oversaturating their market with too many releases at the same time with too many exclusives and preorders driving up the aftermarket to stupid prices for a lot of figures that keep using the same mold parts and gear loads again and again...super 7 does some cool things but the prices are too high and long periods between releases also I've got a feeling they are cutting back...third party stuff has had some cool releases but again the price and the fact that they are knockoffs with quality issues and not essential to a collection. finally we have always been a small demographic and we're aging out fast. i know a lot of guys who have sold off or just stopped. aging is tough and brings other priorities to light.
ReplyDeleteI will have to start checking back in on the aftermarket to see how much prices have dropped. Hard to believe the Covid insanity is 5 years ago now which really pushed the prices through the roof. I don't have too much left from the original line I plan on acquiring at this point but if prices are right I will certainly pursue some things I have been on the fence about getting.
DeleteI have not been following the community much for the past 6 months and am not a classified collector. As always I am curious to see what/if anything Hasbro will offer us o-ring collectors in 2025.
the stores around me don't even stock classified anymore. once in a while I'll see one at ollies but it's never something desirable.
ReplyDelete