Mattel made available through their Origins toy line Wun-Dar; but the fun didn’t last long…
Before I give the reason customers have been left so disappointed here’s some background about Savage He-Man aka Wonder Bread He-Man.
The original promotional figure in the USA was given away through the mail in 1981. However, pre-internet it was a thing of myth and legend. Then Wun-Dar figures showed up on sites for sale proving it’s existence across the globe. For years there was much uncertainty about the origin of this figure, it was erroneously thought to be a promotion with the Wonder Bread company. However, in fact this He-Man variant was available through a promotion where you’d buy 3 figures and get one Savage He-Man free in the mail.
The new Origins figure of Wun-Dar aka Savage He-Man was a homage to that 1981 promotional figure that you could now own in 2022!
A Wun-Dar figure was released by Mattel under the Classics line aimed at adult collectors in 2010, while nice, it didn’t have that magic vintage aesthetic.
It was announced by Mattel Creations that preorders would be available on 24 June 2022. Mattel sent out an email with a count down to build the excitement. After ordering as well as a captcha, there was a queuing waiting page. However, there were a number of issues (see photos), including after the address and payment information was submitted, the figure suddenly showed out of stock on the users order page and the users were kicked out.
When the page refreshed the item was removed from the cart, and there was no way to complete/confirm purchase.
Then within two minutes of being on sale it was shown as sold out. To the customers annoyance, another email was sent out promoting the unavailable figure.
Then Mattel sent some odd back order emails to those who managed to complete the pre-order.
To add insult to injury they became available on eBay at ‘scalper’ prices!
But all was not lost… Within a few hours he was back available for pre-order!
So customers could get a second chance at bagging a plastic piece of history, or so they thought, as the celebrations were short lived…
Over the next few hours Mattel sent out more emails cancelling orders, refunding and giving a $10 discount on future purchases (but a bare chest Jeff Goldblum, Jurassic Park figure just isn’t the same). The orders were again dead in the water.
The fun had been knocked out of customers. Maybe shareholders even a little shaken by those lost orders that customers lit up social media and Mattel’s customer service department about.
As it stands (25 June) Wun-Dar has been removed completely from the site… Page not found! Was it all a nightmare rollercoaster ride? Well Mattel has left customers in WunDar.
