For a degree of perspective on the direct impact of these new tariffs, Bill Murphy of Toy Otter Toys made the decision to cancel the Kickstarter campaign for Longbox Heroes Wave 2. Core reason cited was price increase they would have to factor in, pushing per figure pricing over $40 (with a LOT of uncertainty with what pricing issues might be in a year).
To put that in perspective to Transformers:
If a CyberWorld Cyberchanger costs Hasbro $5 at wholesale for a $9.99 retail price (grab assing numbers for example, I don't know exact wholesale prices), that would push wholesale to about $7.50, likely pushing retail price to 12.99-14.99. While most Transformers are made in Vietnam, it, too, got hit with a whopper of a tariff increase to about 46%
My guess/expectation is that Hasbro will probably leverage the flagship items (think the Scorponok Strike Battle) and collector lines to further "subsidize" the kids stuff, along with trimming down the number of products. Culturally, western consumers still perceive toys as "disposable entertainment for kids", and I don't feel the wider consumer base is going to shift from buying "a bunch of cheap crap for their kids" to fewer, more premium, toy products.
I expect prices to see only modest gains for the holiday, but going into 2026? I'm expecting pain for collectors.
Even then, these tariffs are basically the worst they've been since the American Great Depression in the early 1930s. Toy companies might not be able to "spread the costs" like they could in years past.
To put that in perspective to Transformers:
If a CyberWorld Cyberchanger costs Hasbro $5 at wholesale for a $9.99 retail price (grab assing numbers for example, I don't know exact wholesale prices), that would push wholesale to about $7.50, likely pushing retail price to 12.99-14.99. While most Transformers are made in Vietnam, it, too, got hit with a whopper of a tariff increase to about 46%
My guess/expectation is that Hasbro will probably leverage the flagship items (think the Scorponok Strike Battle) and collector lines to further "subsidize" the kids stuff, along with trimming down the number of products. Culturally, western consumers still perceive toys as "disposable entertainment for kids", and I don't feel the wider consumer base is going to shift from buying "a bunch of cheap crap for their kids" to fewer, more premium, toy products.
I expect prices to see only modest gains for the holiday, but going into 2026? I'm expecting pain for collectors.
Even then, these tariffs are basically the worst they've been since the American Great Depression in the early 1930s. Toy companies might not be able to "spread the costs" like they could in years past.
