Are the Battat figures still at Target?

[Stegotyranno420]

For context, i live near a mall with target inside, and i recall there being terra battat figures, especially the Tyrannosaurus and Acrocanthosaurus . Since recently i have been travelling outside more(with all safety precautions), i thought there may be a chance that we go to the mall, and since i got some money from a friend who i had helped tutor, i gonna get some battats at the target. However, i checked the website and they're all gone, replaced by weird battat retrosaurs. Can anyone check if there are still battat figures at their target(preferably California)

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

They are gone from stores, but still on Amazon currently.

[Loon]

Went to the target in Upland, So Cal, a few days ago, they're not there. To be honest, I don't think I've seen them in targets around here for the past three or so years.

[Stegotyranno420]

shoot

[Stegotyranno420]

Alright, what are some in-person stores good for getting scientific models?

[Loon]

Alright, what are some in-person stores good for getting scientific models?

Michael's is probably your best bet. There's also the Dinosaur Farm in Pasadena. Tractor Supply stores also seem to carry CollectA figures, though, I've never been.

[Newt]

In my area at least, Tractor Supply strictly carries Schleich, for whatever that's worth. Zoo, aquarium, and natural history museum gift shops are sometimes good sources, if you are lucky enough to have one nearby and can get in without paying for admission to the exhibits (this seems to vary from one institution to the next).

[Dinoguy2]

Michael's is the only store in my area that carries Safari, and maybe also Papo? But most craft stores seem to have them (we had an A.C. Moore that closed down two years ago, they had a really big Safari section). Tractor Supply and a few small independent toy stores carry Schleich. A lot of these types of stores will also often have Papo. Zoo and Museum gift shops usually carry animal and dinosaur figures but not all will spring for the higher-end stuff, my local zoo only carries cheap animal toy brands that won't be of interest to serious collectors.

Other than that I think online is the only option. I miss the days when we had chain educational toy stores around. World of Science and Noodle Kidoodle were my go-to spots in the '90s.

[Newt]

Hobby Lobby has Papo and Mojo Fun dinos, and sometimes Safari Toobs.


D @Dinoguy2 - I miss those too! Going to one of those stores was a highlight of visiting the "big city" (Nashville, in my case) when I was a kid.

[stoneage]

DeJankins still has the figures you talked about and a few more.  But the T-Rex and Acro are $15.

[Bokisaurus]

I still see some at various target but then I haven't really been in one since the pandemic.
In Seattle, Fred Myers carry the Schleich figures😩
Micheals sell Safari figures but mostly the older ones.
Other than that, even the last few local toy store, we have 2 that survive, now succumbed to company monopoly and only sell either safari or Schleich unfortunately but sad reality.

[Halichoeres]

Also relevant here: http://dinotoyblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=5600.0

[Stegotyranno420]

does any one know why quality models are only limited to online stores?

[Gothmog the Baryonyx]

At least you have more choice in the US than anywhere else. Schleich and Mattel only here now. Used to have others but not for years

[Kapitaenosavrvs]

Tractor Supply stores also seem to carry CollectA figures

wat.

Googled it. This is a Chain Retailer! Now, this makes a bit more sense.

[Newt]

@Kapitaenosavrvs - I think Tractor Supply Company wanted farm animal toys, and the dinos just snuck in with them. They certainly put the dinos on the bottom shelves, way down in the dim and dusty basement of the toy shelf, while the livestock toys enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of the upper shelves.


@Stegotyranno420 - Big retail stores aren't concerned with the accuracy or quality of their dinosaur toys, they are concerned with toys that will sell in high volume with good profitability, from manufacturers that can reliably provide the numbers they need. Same as any other product. Prestige brands and smaller companies simply can't hit the metrics that big box retailers need them to. It's exactly the same situation with everything from clothes to home goods to electronics at those same stores. The independent toy stores that once might have supported a lot of the smaller brands are almost gone, so online ordering is pretty much the only choice we've got.

[Dinoguy2]

@Kapitaenosavrvs - I think Tractor Supply Company wanted farm animal toys, and the dinos just snuck in with them. They certainly put the dinos on the bottom shelves, way down in the dim and dusty basement of the toy shelf, while the livestock toys enjoy the fresh air and sunshine of the upper shelves.


@Stegotyranno420 - Big retail stores aren't concerned with the accuracy or quality of their dinosaur toys, they are concerned with toys that will sell in high volume with good profitability, from manufacturers that can reliably provide the numbers they need. Same as any other product. Prestige brands and smaller companies simply can't hit the metrics that big box retailers need them to. It's exactly the same situation with everything from clothes to home goods to electronics at those same stores. The independent toy stores that once might have supported a lot of the smaller brands are almost gone, so online ordering is pretty much the only choice we've got.

The other issue, and correct me if I'm wrong here, but basically nothing beyond Safari, Papo, and Schleich have actual, wide US distribution. I don't know if any Tractor Supply stores actually carry CollectA, but I've never seen any of their stuff in a US store. Also, all of these are basically small boutique companies. They're not set up for the massive production scale that would be needed to supply say, a Target or Walmart, and those stores are extremely picky about what gets a slice of their very limited toy shelf space. The toy section at Target/Walmart etc. exists for one reason and one reason only: parents buying birthday presents for their kid's friends parties. That's actually it. Any benefit for people who are buying things as collectibles is simply a side effect. Big box stores hope you will come in for groceries/supplies, and grab a gift for that party next weekend while you're there. And if a parent wants to buy an animal toy for some random kid or their nephew, most are not going to pick a single $10 hand painted animal toy when they can get a big lot of cheaper ones for the same price or less.

[SidB]

If that sounds harsh or cynical, then there are a number of reality checks that support D @Dinoguy2 's analysis/ observations. One might be, what ought one to say about organizational entities that take out life insurance policies on their employees payable to the firm or who pay the overwhelming percent of them at below poverty line levels, tens of thousand by tens of thousand of vulnerable folk. It's not for nothing that these type of retailers are known as "donuters", since they hollow out towns of the smaller competition. And that would include small hobby type shops. So, no surprise.

[Dinoguy2]

If that sounds harsh or cynical, then there are a number of reality checks that support D @Dinoguy2 's analysis/ observations.

To add, just to be clear, this isn't just my speculation, this kind of stuff is covered extensively by toy industry insiders on YouTube, like Spector Creative. It's the behind the scenes psychology/strategy that the marketing departments for these stores don't really want people to understand.

[Stegotyranno420]

Does anyone recall the last time they saw battats in target. for me it was in the summer of 2019 and the February of 2020