Fire up your proton packs. According to Variety, toymaker Mattel has reported strong sales for its line of “Ghostbusters” toys. Both girls and boys are snatching up the action figures, which include all four characters, played in the film by Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones, the Ecto-1 toy car, and kid-size proton packs.
As Variety writes, “In keeping with the tagline ‘Everybody wants to be a Ghostbuster,’ Mattel’s retail strategy was to sell the female-led Ghostbusters action figures in the boys’ toy aisle. The sales figures at the top retailers in the country have exceeded expectations.”
“We’re thrilled with the response to the new Ghostbusters toy line,” said Joe Lawandus, senior VP of design and marketing for Mattel’s Toy Box. “We worked closely with Sony to ensure each figure featured authentic details from the movie including a wearable proton pack. The early momentum shows the product is resonating with ‘Ghostbusters’ fans!”
The domestic box office take for Paul Feig’s action comedy has hit an estimated $86 million, with international tallies taking it as high as over $122 million.
It’s fantastic news for “Ghostbusters” and for the merchandising of female-led films. We all know that toy makers have a bad track record when it comes to female characters. Be it “Star Wars,” or “Guardians of the Galaxy,” or “The Avengers,” female action figures have it rough. Hopefully the uproar over those franchises and the success of “Ghostbusters” figures will help put an end to that trend.
