How toy companies are leveraging crowdsourcing for funding, content, and fostering community. by MADELEINE BUCKLEY, associate editor IMAGINE IF LEGO PRODUCED A cheesy, ‘80s-inspired action series called LEGO Neon, which follows a character named Dan Clash who embodies all the action tropes of that era. Or perhaps picture a new line of building sets called LEGO Heroes of Olympus, featuring LEGO versions of the Greek gods having a great time until Hades comes along. Neither of these brick-based brands has been produced by The LEGO Group, yet they both have dozens of well-developed characters, storylines, locations, and more. They are two of the most popular concepts on LEGO World Builder, a web platform that LEGO launched last August on which fans can pitch, develop, and collaborate on their dream LEGO brands.
Source: TriAction Toys
However, this isn’t just a more formal version of the discussion boards you might find on a fan-made forum. The company is able to review these collaborative “world” pitches with plans to option some of them. Utilizing consumers’ concepts is nothing new for The LEGO Group, which launched its LEGO Ideas platform a decade ago for fans to submit product concepts that — with enough community support — the company manufactures and sells. Looking back, Johnny Castrup, head of LEGO Ideas, describes the platform as “an experiment that has proven its value over time.” Yet this is just one of many examples of how toy companies are using crowdsourcing — whether for ideas, funding, or both — as part of their creative process. KICKSTARTING AN IDEA Many likely think of crowdsourcing primarily as a way for independent inventors to get their projects off the ground, turning to platforms like Kickstarter and harnessing the power of the internet to get the funds they need to introduce their creations to the world. And that was the general idea for Chris Cofoni, founder and CEO of TriAction Toys, who led a campaign to relaunch the Boglins toy brand last October. Originally released by Mattel in the ‘80s, these hand-controlled, monster figure puppets feature a rubbery body and movable, glow-in-the-dark eyes. Cofoni needed to
launch the Kickstarter campaign to get funding, as bringing back just the first three Boglins Kings was going to cost more than $300,000. While he was warned against starting his campaign in October — “the off season” — it was incredibly successful, raising $247,424 (far more than the original goal of $25,000) with more than 1,700 backers contributing funds. With this success as proof of the Boglins demand, the resurrected brand launched at retail this spring. In addition to providing funding, Cofoni says the Kickstarter campaign truly activated the Boglins fan base. “Crowdsourcing is why we are having this conversation,” he says. “It is why I am closing in on deals for multiple international territories and planning major launches with key retail partners in 2021. Advertising doesn’t work the way it once did, so creation of content made with the goal of exciting the fan base has really worked well on Kickstarter.” He also notes that the passionate fans who funded this project are now playing a role in the product planning and brand development, influencing which Boglins characters will be released next and creating video content that has become part of the official Boglins identity through a dedicated YouTube channel. FOLLOWING FAN FEEDBACK This fan influence isn’t just something unique to Cofoni’s Boglins experience. Community feedback is something that Hasbro also takes into consideration, especially with its in-house crowdsourcing platform, HasLab. Originally launched in early 2018,
14 THE TOY BOOK | JUNE 2021 | toybook.com
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