So I’m toiling away at work, putzing around one of our small “drop sites” as I wait for Comcast and a local wiring contractor to finish some work so we can get this little office online and connected to our central database server. I’m sure this sounds like a thrilling occupation, but hey, it pays the bills.
Anyway, late in the afternoon, I catch this post on HissTank.com… eh? Wow. Obviously those boys are doing something right… then there’s this post on UGO about Destros “final masked look being revealed” which is, of course, rediculously out of date and old news to the Joe fandom, but more curious was the fact that they had also apparently received some large magic box.
Finally, just before wrapping up, MTV.com joined in the fray with this article.
Hrmph. Now I’ve been a Joe fan for twenty-five years, and I’ve been deeply involved in the online Joe fandom for ten of those years…how do these guys get these magic boxes of goodies and I don’t??
Well, I got my answer when I pulled in my driveway…
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I know it’s easy to sing one’s praises when you’ve got a freshly opened box of free crap sitting in your living room, but I just wanted to extend a big thanks to not just Hasbro, but Hasbro’s invaluable PR Agency, who has been more in touch with the fandom than I ever remember in my ten years in this “business”. From the Q & A’s to the special Collectors Events at Toy Fair and San Diego ComicCon, these guys bust their humps and bend over backwards and sideways for all of us. Newcomers to the hobby may not realize what it was like even 5 years ago, but this is something to not take for granted. It wasn’t always like this.
Just wanted to send that thanks along… although now that I’ve got this huge box of stuff, I gotta figure out how the hell to start doing reviews… the nursery can wait, I guess…I’ve still got a few weeks. :shifty:
Just goes to show you that a little brown-nosing will get you free stuff 😉
I’m just jealous. That’s really cool that Hasbro does stuff like this and that it gets out to more than just the press.
Now if you have any extras you don’t want you can always send them to me 😉
I love the box. With the binary and Cobra symbol and all. Oh, and that’s really great of Hasbro to get their new merch into the hands of the fans who’ve supported them for so long. I’m truly glad they rewarded you for all you’ve done for them and for us.
[First-time poster, btw.]
You suck…SO BAD.
So, I guess you’re getting some custom fodder in your order from BBTS then huh?
First, let me say congrats. I know that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into your site, collection and this hobby in general. All of which has helped (however inadvertantly) Hasbro sell product, so it’s nice to see Hasbro say “thanks” and give a little reward. With that in mind, please understand that what I say next isn’t meant as an attack and it certainly isn’t sour grapes.
Hasbro could be putting these free toys to better use. Instead of giving these toys away to adults who already have the means with which to buy them, why not donate them to family shelters or orphanages around the country? The child of a battered wife on the run; the son of an unemployed, evictee or the abandoned daughter of a crack mom would derive so much more from these “freebies”. It seriously saddens me that the owners of hisstank, guys who’ve turned the promotion of toy collecting into a half-assed business, are given such a gift for doing nothing more than providing a forum for adults to piss on, moan about and/or praise toys. Meanwhile, poor kids the nation over are making do with ratty third-hand dolls and broken crayons. I understand why Hasbro does this, it’s always a sound practice to grease wheels traveling down prosperous avenues, but I don’t think they fully appreciate the positive PR and good karma inherent in brightening a downtrodden child’s day.
Charles, your points are all well-taken, and believe me, I don’t take stuff like this lightly…but understand that Hasbro does a TON for kids throughout the entire year. I mean, they fund an entire Children’s Hospital in Rhode Island, and annually donate millions of dollars worth of toys to Toys for Tots and other charities throughout the year. This box is a drop in the bucket compared to what they give needy kids worldwide, and I wouldn’t give the slightest thought that them shipping these off to press and media relations would impact their charity work one iota.
Justin
wow i guess Hasbor forgot about us, We got a nice “sucks to be you” letter in regards to this. Maybe we should start charging for all the promoting we do for them?
Congrats Justin. For all you’ve done for the community online it is a well deserving gift.
Now get to reviewing!
You suck Justin
Congrats Justin, this is definitely something that I don’t recall happening in the last 8 or so years that I’ve been collecting. Looking forward to the reviews!
Congrats Justin.
I know you work very hard on this hobby.
Well deserved.
Remember guys, we do this for the love of the hobby not for a reward. 😉
I, too am very happy at how much Hasbro has changed with the GIJOE brand. They do take time to listen to fans and Im sure we influence them at times.
That box makes my heart hurt. I want cool stuff like that. But that’s just jealousy speaking. Guys, specifically you and Mike T have made me look closer at figures that I may have otherwise overlooked. You do so mostly with stuff I can find on the shelves, or in many cases, should be able to but can’t, but you get what I mean. You promote the good and tell us the bad, and you seem to have some connections with Hasbro after dealing with them at the cons and such. It’s cool to see a collector who does the community and hobby good get something in return.
-Alex
Congratulations, bro…Only the best of us got one of those sweet boxes!
“Charles, your points are all well-taken, and believe me, I don’t take stuff like this lightly…but understand that Hasbro does a TON for kids throughout the entire year. I mean, they fund an entire Children’s Hospital in Rhode Island, and annually donate millions of dollars worth of toys to Toys for Tots and other charities throughout the year. This box is a drop in the bucket compared to what they give needy kids worldwide, and I wouldn’t give the slightest thought that them shipping these off to press and media relations would impact their charity work one iota.
Justin”
No worries, like I said not a personal attack. I know full-well the good Hasbro does and I commend them for that, but the kids at family shelters and orphanages are often forgotten and left out of such charitable endeavors. Seems like, nowadays, a kid has to be horribly ill/dying before anyone notices their plight. I know because I volunteer at the local shelter and it’s just hard for me to not notice a missed opportunity here. I sincerely hope Hasbro has something planned and I end up eating these words.
Charles