An unexpected problem has been caused by the hit "Black Panther" film. The movie has been so successful, companies are running out of toys inspired by the film, according to the New York Post. Only 11 "Black Panther" toys were released when the movie first premiered.
The film will hit DVDs soon, but toy manufacturer, Hasbro said they won't have any new products to accompany the release. Jim Silver, president of toy review website Toys, Tots, Pets, & More, told the Post companies weren't prepared for the success of "Black Panther."
“Hasbro often comes out with new items with a video release, but the toy industry underestimated ‘Black Panther," Sliver said.
Just three weeks after the film's release, toys companies went scarce. Amazon and other outlets have a limited stock of Black Panther action figures.
“We’ve got three factories in China working overtime to get 300,000 items out as fast as possible,” CEO of Basic Fun Jay Foreman said. “We are scheduling the product to ship on the fastest container ships to help make it in time.”
The popularity of "Black Panther" left some industry insiders at loss for words.
"The product line celebrating Black Panther is the largest ever for a Marvel origin film, including expanded categories, such as performance wear and high-fashion collaborations," a Disney spokesperson said. "We are thrilled that fans around the world are celebrating this incredible story through merchandise. We anticipated demand would be strong, but it is exceeding even our highest expectations.”
Parents and fans noticed the lack of toys and took to Twitter to voice their complaints.
@McDonalds
@McDonaldsCorp Excuse me but, WHERE are the black panther toys?!— A Popular Nobody. (@shanicepyt) April 7, 2018
Where are the kids Black Panther toys in the fast food chain stores or anywhere else for that matter? Why isn’t it being shown to black children at schools? Or did i miss that too?
— Neville (@knnmngcobo) April 5, 2018
@Marvel where are all of the Black Panther toys, bedding, clocks, T-shirt’s, light up shoes, etc.? I can find a ton of Fantastic 4 but only 2 T-shirts and nothing else… asking for myself #iexpectedbetter
#blackpanther
#whereswakanda
#wakandaforever— GodsGirl (@yi0676) April 3, 2018
@Marvel Where are the #BlackPanther toys?
— Rebecca (@suchislife2673) March 11, 2018
Hey #lego hey #marvel. Where are the #BLACKPANTHER toys? Didn't ya think they would sell? #BlackPantherMovie
#BlackLivesMatter
#ToysRUs
#toys
#playtime— Walking My Mind (@WalkingMyMind) March 3, 2018