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McFarlane cuts designers

By Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 4/28/2009 4:00:00 PM

TEMPE, Ariz.—McFarlane Toys is laying off a large percentage of its in-house design staff, according to published reports.

The comic book and sports-related toy maker will cut its design staff to 13 from 40, in the process axing its mold, paint, sculpting and model departments, according to action figure news site Toy News International. Aferwards, the company will retain only a handful of designers that will work exclusively in digital formats, creating sculpts based on scans of real people, the site reported on April 27.

In a statement to Playthings today, the company said:

"McFarlane Toys is re-using a business model that we have used successfully in years past, given the economic climate ... we will be utilizing more freelancers, as we have done in the past. We will continue to produce the best possible product for our collectors and consumers."

This week’s layoff news came the same day that McFarlane unveiled its newest sports figure line, Sports Picks College Football figures, featuring likenesses of profession football stars in their former colleges’ home uniforms, produced under license from The Collegiate Licensing Co.

The line’s debut assortment of 6-inch figures includes: Tom Brady (University Of Michigan Wolverines), Ray Lewis (University of Miami Hurricanes), Peyton Manning (University of Tennessee Volunteers), Adrian Peterson (University of Oklahoma Sooners), Hines Ward (University of Georgia Bulldogs), and JaMarcus Russell (Louisiana State University Tigers). Product is due at retail in August.

"Sports fans have been asking us for years to pay tribute to the college teams of the top professional athletes by commemorating them in their college uniforms," said McFarlane. "By partnering with the CLC and the colleges, we are now able to bring a new dimension to our Sports Picks brand. We are designing a unique player-centric collegiate product that is different from anything else on the market."

According to a company spokesperson, "We have another major announcement with one of the top licensors in the world slated for summer."

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