Let me start off by saying that I do really enjoy the newest iteration of the He-Man toy line.  Sadly, I do not own a single figure from the series.

I thought attending San Diego Comic-Con 2009 would be my first shot at a figure.  He-Ro was supposed to be readily available to attendees.  I walked up to the Mattel booth on Thursday morning and saw that He-Man and Beast Man were both also available (Skeletor was sold out).

Unfortunately, the Mattel booth was all but closed to anyone who did not attend pre-view night (Wed from 6pm-9pm) and got a ticket during those short hours.   Making the problem worse was the 6 per item limit.  I would see people leaving the booth with so many bags they could not carry them.  Most dropped the bags nearby and used their baby stroller to cart the items away.  Many people brought children so they could amass more items than if they were alone.   Mattel staff had no idea WTF was going on, no one with a red Mattel shirt could answer anyone’s questions about the booth, the queue or tickets.

Hasbro ran things properly (as best as possible for an in-demand company, but not as good as Hallmark did).  Tickets with time slots were handed out in a low traffic area away from the booth.  Low minimums (3-4 per item) were set.  Items were available for purchase.  Waiting in line was reasonable (about an hour).  Booth was well staffed, fast and courteous.

Shame on Mattel for running this so poorly.  I’m sure you made loads of money from the tons you sold to the few who got a chance.  I’ll stick to classic 80′s He-Man.