Calling Shenanigans On The Fans’ Choice Poll

Posted by Chris on 05/03/17 at 08:51 AM Category: Vintage Collection

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Hasbro has been conducting the Fans' Choice poll since the POTJ days, and the sales of those figures has been hit or miss. The recently completed Vintage Collection Fans' Choice poll highlights why. Fans interested in the line are not the ones voting.

Near the close of the Fans' Choice poll yesterday, a character named Dr. Aphra was winning in a landslide with 35% of the roughly 54,000 votes cast (or 18,900 votes). I can accept that I'm aging to the side of obsolescence in this hobby, and I'm out of touch. I can accept that this poll, being conducted by the Official Site, was actually open to all fans, and not just the action figure collecting segment of the hobby. What I cannot accept, to the point of thinking it's pure fantasy, is that Dr. Aphra organically won the Fans' Choice poll in such lopsided fashion. It stinks so bad that it's easier to believe this is more the product of a prank than ballot stuffing by devoted fans.

In an era of super articulated action figure paucity which also coincides with TWO new media movie releases, we're lead to believe a comic book character won the day. Again, I can accept that I'm no longer representative of the pulse of his hobby, but suggesting that as a reason for an illustrated magazine character winning the day in blow out fashion does not follow. What would logically follow is that the most popular media would win this popularity contest if it were on level. In other words, a figure from The Force Awakens or Rogue One would have been the champion. These two properties raked in billions at the box office and barely had a cup of coffee at the 3.75" super articulated action figure table. Meanwhile a character from a publication which shipped (not sold) under 49,000 units in January of 2017 won in a Reagan-esque landslide. I'll believe that when me CENSORED turns purple and smells like rainbow sherbet.

I need to stress that it's not Dr. Aphra winning that calls the Fans' Choice poll into question. Any candidate can sneak in with a plurality. It's the utter drubbing that tips the hand here.

There are a number of factors that have always caused Fans' Choice polls to skew a little here and there. Fans tend to get behind figures that wouldn't be made otherwise. I can buy those type of factors shifting the polls a few points here or there. But nothing short of chicanery passes the sniff test for what appears to have transpired. Hasbro before you go into full blown production with the Dr. Aphra figure that "fans" "demanded", let me offer you one cautionary tale: Quilan Vos. A one time Fans' Choice winner and thrice retail loser.