DARK HORSE DELUXE SET TO RELEASE
THE FIRST GOOD LUCK TROLLS ASSORTMENT
ON JULY 25!
MILWAUKIE, OR, JUNE 28–One
of the greatest toy phenomena of all time has been Good Luck Trolls, originally
created in 1959 by Danish fisherman and woodcutter Thomas
Dam. At various times since the early 1960s these
charming little dolls have been a top-selling toy, building a seldom-achieved
brand equity and strong consumer response. After disappearing from the market
for many years, Good Luck Trolls are set to return this year with a modern
twist on their timeless charm.
Good Luck Trolls “mystery
box” assortments are a new collectibles merchandise program by Dark Horse
Comics under a license granted by Dam Things, who hold all rights to the works of Thomas Dam. The mystery box is being introduced to the market
with an on-sale date of July 25.
Dark Horse sees Good Luck
Trolls as a natural for the company’s designer vinyl line of toys, and has
created variations of color and design to pique the interest of customers. The
first collection offers up fifteen different versions of the figures in various
colors and with unique surface treatments, including metallic, flocked, black-light
sensitive, glitter, and glow-in-the-dark.
Dark Horse’s VP of Product
Development, David Scroggy, notes, “When we considered developing Trolls for
the first time, we were confident that they would resonate with our audience of
pop culture fans and modern collectors. We have a good sense of our customers’
tastes, and are not afraid to commit to an under-the-radar property if we think
that it is likely to be embraced by our young adult consumers.”
Mystery box (also known as “blind box”) trading figures are
essentially the same product, varying in decoration and materials, and sold randomly
out of sealed packages. Some of the figures are common to every counter
display, whereas “chase” figures are much harder to come by. The ratio of
availability is printed on each package, so the consumer knows the relative
scarcity of the figure purchased.
Dark Horse has varied the hair color within the
most common figures, so that there will be more variety and more fun for the
collector. For example, half of the yellow-body figures in a 2/15 ratio will
have blue hair; the others will have pink hair.
The Good Luck Trolls are presented in a counter
display unit holding fifteen individual blind boxes. Each Troll is packaged in
an opaque foil bag inside its box to prevent tampering or viewing prior to
purchase.
Dark Horse has also created a one-time limited edition
of 1,500 green-body Good Luck Trolls with snow-white hair that are sensitive to
black light. They will be sold exclusively at the Dark Horse booth at Comic-Con
International in San Diego, July 12–15, 2012.
