2022 has been a weird year. My post engagement plummeted from the highs I'd see even in 2020 and 2021. This seems odd since o-ring Joes finally returned. But, that return was pretty quiet and even army builders and figures matched up with Transformers are not selling out. We're seeing prices on non-high end items fall, some down more than 30% from their pandemic highs. Retail is stagnating for all collectible toy lines. Though, I do think part of that is just too much shipped too soon after months and months of nothing new showing up. But, the pandemic surge in home bound hobbies is over. And, the fallout is going to take years to fully understand.
Personally, though, I've finally hit the beginnings of burnout. I've been posting over twice a week on this site for over 7 years, now. With nearly 900 posts since 2015 the reality is that I've run out of things to talk about. Sure, there are figures I've never profiled. But, most of them are either more expensive than I want to pay. Or, they are so similar to things I've already covered that there's little reason to showcase them.
But, I've also gotten a bit stagnant. With thousands of photos under my belt, I find that I've done a lot and am heavily gravitating towards using the same figures over and over again. While that repetition works well on a platform like Instagram, it's not as useful for this site to talk about the 1985 Flint every other week. When I get inspired, I do get the photos I want. But, I'm finding that those sessions are fewer and farther between, even though I now have access to all my vehicles and playsets.
All of this has lead to malaise. And, is going to lead to a reduced volume of posts in 2023. I still expect at least one per week. My drafts folder is over 500 posts large. So, I have a ton of content left to post. I just think it will be slower. You can be sure that I'll profile at least a couple of the Skystriker figures when they drop. And, I never really know what I'll find in my travels during the year. But, the days of 100+ posts per year are done for at least 2023 while I see if I recharge.
The top 10 posts of 2022 were dominated by a single theme: new releases. 3 of the top 10 posts are profiles of 2022 releases. There are 3 Rarities posts in the top 10, too. But, they got like 1/3 of the page views that a standard Rarities post used to get back in 2017 through 2019. There's a few surprises in here. But, people like to read about the newest stuff.
So, here are the top 10 posts of 2022:
10. 1991 Cesspool - 356 page views
This was my second Cesspool profile. And, the uptick in interest in 1990's releases definitely manifested with this write up. Cesspool might be the best new Cobra character released in the '90's. And, he got some attention.
09. 1991 Snake Eyes - Around the Web - 385 page views
I knew that the 1991 Snake Eyes had a lot of younger fans. But, I had no idea how many of them there really were. Around the Web posts typically do 150-180 page views. So, this did more than double that: showing the popularity of this figure.
08. Rarities - The Great 2021 Ninja Commando Lot - 388 page views
In late 2021, some guy on Ebay posted up a huge lot of late run G.I. Joe figures. He wasn't sure what he had. But, it turns out that it was the largest lot of unproduced 1995 Ninja Commando figures ever found. Someone won the lot fair and square. But, butthurt aftermarket sellers messaged the seller with higher offers. And, in 2022, the figures were sold in market priced lots after the seller figured out what he had. So, there are now dozens of additional loose sets out there. So, don't overpay. But, do check out the lot and see what was found.
07. 1990 Bullhorn - 394 page views
Bullhorn was one of my earliest profiles. So, I went back to him 22 years later and it turns out that a lot of people really like him. Again, there's a lot of interest in 1990's figures from younger collectors who grew up with them.
06. 2022 Duke - 395 page views
Here we find the first of the 2022 Hasbro Pulse figures. Duke is probably the weakest figure due to the poor face paint. But, he also has the best accessory complement. And, being new, people stopped by to check him out.
05. 1987 Mercer - 395 page views
Mercer was yet another retread profile as I had looked at him in the site's infancy. But, he proved to be very popular.
04. Rarities - Remco S.I.T. Figures - 401 page views
This post is probably my favorite of 2022. I never knew about these guys until I did some research into a figure that my buddy Darkwise found in a lot. It lead me down a rabbit hole of really interesting figure designs that were among the later Remco releases. These figures are tough to find, especially in good condition. But, the series is full of fun characters that easily fit with Joes of the era.
03. Rarities - Power Commandos 2022 Update - 421 page views
Power Commandos tend to do pretty well when I write about them. And, the 2022 update on the figures and the actual order in which they were released climbed to the third most popular post in 2022.
02. 2022 Stormshadow - 459 page views
Stormshadow and Snake Eyes were the first Pulse figures released in 2022. I wasn't too high on them. But, the Stormshadow has its uses. And, enough people were interested to read about him to bring him in as the second most viewed profile of the year.
01. 2022 Cobra Officer - 515 page views
And, the most viewed profile of the year was the 2022 Cobra Officer. People like army builders. Though, they haven't liked them enough to sell through Hasbro's stock. But, it was my most viewed post of the year, even if it's pretty much the exact figure from 40 years earlier, just with newer plastic.
In all, the year was kind of "meh". While the Pulse releases were exciting, the final products didn't break any new ground. I do think they'll age better than we think, much like the 2000's figures have. But, they still don't really generate excitement. We'll see how the Skystriker figures do.
I'm not hugely optimistic that we'll see any new o-ring figures in 2023. Supposedly, there was going to be a third Transformer crossover with a 1983 inspired Destro. And, there are now reports of a transforming Thunder Machine with Zartan and Zarana. But, both of the other Transformers have stagnated at retail and Amazon reduced the Baroness by 35% or more to try to move the leftovers. And, the remaining production run of the Stinger still hasn't shown up. I do think we'll another o-ring Haslab in 2023, likely after the Skystriker has shipped. Joe has been one of the few Haslab bright spots since 2021. So, I think we'll get another shot at one.
I'll talk a bit about Super7 figures in January as I have my first one and really like how that line is approached as compared to Hasbro's handling of the 3 3/4" scale. Maybe I'll finally finish the Bugg profile I started in 2017 and haven't gotten around to cleaning up. And, maybe I'll get to kvetch about the Transformers crossovers some more.
As always, thanks to you all for stopping by. We'll cross 1,000,000 page views in April or May next year. That's a huge milestone for the site. I appreciate everyone who stops by to read, browse and even comment on the content here. If there's something you'd like to see in 2023, let me know. Until then, I hope your 2023 is better than your 2022!
Happy New Year! The burn out is real. First prices on vintage got crazy as we know. The real problem became lack of good deals. Every claim sale had every figure basically priced exactly as it was in Ebay. No thrill of getting a great deal. On the rare sale when prices were actually good, vultures would claim everything within seconds. I don't enjoy knowing that if I am not right there while stuff is posting, that literally anything good is going to be gone in minutes. Takes the fun out.
ReplyDeleteNow the new O rings also landed with a thud. First they were way too pricey! Would have loved to have army built the Cobra Officer two pack, but at almost 50 dollars a pack? Heck no.
The picks were also uninspired and boring. The same usual suspects that have been put out time and again. I don't ever want to see another Snake Eyes or Duke again!
Some sought after expensive vintage reissues like Secto Viper Headhunters Crimson Guard Immortal, along with NEW characters is what we want. No another Stalker or Baroness.
The Stinger was the one win. Well priced and desirable uncommon army builders.
The hobby is awful right now. I hope it changes.
prices may be going down but even at my local vintage toy place they still have anything joe related priced to the hilt and nothing is selling while the prices never change. I guess I'm really not even a collector anymore cus it's just not responsible of me to buy old toys at these prices as a 40 something year old father to a new daughter.
DeleteIt'll remain awful, as the vintage toys age more and older collectors demand premiums for decaying plastic. We are at a level where there's no replacement for O-rings, the new sculpt era is long dead. Modern isn't modern because it's been dead a year or so. People getting into 4" collecting are foolishly going after vintage. Smarter folks go Classified 6-inch and I don't collect those, but not 40 year old plastic, not a ridiculous aftermarket...well,...for most things. I guess. The resale market is painful because modern action figures are overpriced to start with.
DeleteARAH's fate is broken pieces being sold off by gen x's heirs to anyone who still cares.
truer words never spoken spoken. things are changing rapidly and the market for nostalgia tied old plastic will collapse sooner than most imagine. our precious collectibles will sold off by people who no interest to junk dealers for pennies on the dollar
DeleteHey Mike,
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to reach out and express my appreciation for your GI Joe fan site. I've followed it pretty closely over the past few years and I am glad you are still doing write-ups. I've been an avid Joe collector all of my adult life starting my senior year of high school. I have certainly gone through several binge/purge cycles whether it was for beer money in college, buying the new sculpt era stuff (VvV, Spy Troops, DTC etc.), going all in on the ME stuff from 2007-2015 only to sell all of it and get back into O-ring. Your site brings me back to the earlier days of the internet when there were tons of GI Joe fan sites (the magical Web 1.0 era) - The Biovuac, General's Joes (loved his reviews of the RAHC collection and Dio Stories), Joecustoms, Yojoe.com and countless other fan sites hosted on Geocities that I would frequent. With that said your site certainly keeps the spirit of GI Joe alive and serves as a link back to that more simpler time in my life.
Your site offers a nice escape and I always enjoy reading the reviews. Being a kid of the 90s I look at 90s Joes with only appreciation despite the wacky neon colors and designs. It was certainly fun to read your reviews of 1990s figures in 2022. I am kind of at the tail end of collecting ARAH O-ring figures - I got heavily back into it back in 2017 and rebuilt most of my collection in the pre-pandemic years so luckily I was able to beat the inflated market of the pandemic years. I plan to get back into getting the final figures for my o-ring collection this year and have always appreciated your observations on the aftermarket - just keeping us informed in your posts regarding the pandemic era inflation of figures. I find the whole thing really fascinating.
As for my collecting I am a supporter of this current Hasbro o-ring line and really want it to continue even if it's a small niche line. I couldn't justify spending alot of money on the original figures from the 82-84 era just because of the plastic fragility so getting new faithful releases of the earliest era of Joe is a win for me. I plan on doing some Cobra Trooper/Cobra Officer army building this year with the new figures and am looking forward to my Skystriker arriving (also eager to read your reviews/impressions). I am not a transformers fan so I passed on the Hiss and Awe Striker (was lucky enough to get a Stalker from a fellow Hisstanker). I certainly hope we get more o-ring news as that has been the most disappointing/frustrating part of the line - the way the current GI Joe team at Hasbro has not been communicating the future (if there is one) of the o-ring line.
I can certainly understand the fact you are kind of feeling the burnout and malaise with this site. I think it happens to us all. I am happy you will still continue to do writeups. Over the past year or so I have taken a break from Joes and focused more on Lego Star Wars and rebuilding all my original Pirate lego sets with my son. I certainly take breaks and will go through my GI Joe collection though - I thoroughly enjoy that little section of my basement as it provides me with a cathartic experience and some escapism back to my childhood days. Have you supported Operation Recall or Callsign Longbow? I am also looking forward to both of those projects.
Again thanks for all that you do. Wishing you a Happy New Year.
As for a home bound hobby that is still rolling is model trains. That’s what I got into when I was a small kid because my dad had a nice layout and got serious about it again a few years ago. I’m currently building a layout but getting supplies is next to impossible. The pandemic caused a massive spike in people working on their home layouts and they are continuing to do so.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this site. I love reading up on your past as a kid with your brothers and playing with the joes. I was an only child and got as much Joe stuff as I could stand. They all stayed in my attic for years and about ten years ago I went looking through them and all the o-rings had dry rotted and broken so my wife made me toss everything. I was cleaning out my parents house to sell it and she wouldn’t let me bring that broken stuff home. I didn’t know that you could buy kits to fix that stuff now. It’s a major sore spot between us now.
Anyhoo, I hope that you have a great 2023. We need a major celebration of some type when the page hits a million views. Yo Joe!
Could profile a custom figure and tie it back to the origins. Talk about the hobby switching to fan projects and 3D printed figures. GI Joe will be remembered as the original 3 3/4" o-ring line, but never the last.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't "the original". They were aping Microman's construction.
DeleteI just wanted to comment and let you know that your hard work does NOT go unnoticed. To keep doing what you're doing for as long as you have is admirable in and of itself, and the fact that you haven't burnt out yet is astounding.
ReplyDeleteNone of your posts "mail it in," and you've been producing excellent, often long-form, content for 8 years. I think slowing down and posting less frequently is a smart move for you--as the last thing I'd want to see is for you to truly burn out and this site to cease being updated.
Since I no longer collect Joes, I may not interact with every post, but I am always happy when I visit Forgotten Figures. Thanks for what you've done.