Top 5 Toy Companies I Would Invest In!

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Today on the channel, it's the return of the Kyle Peterson Top 5. And today on the channel, this could be a controversial one. This could go sideways in a hurry, Todd McFarlane. But we're talking the top five toy companies yours truly would invest in. And the spirit of Ultimate Warrior will run forever! [00:00:21] Speaker ?: Forever! [00:00:30] Speaker 1: Welcome everyone, Kyle here back again for another edition of the Kyle Peterson Top 5. A Thursday tradition here on the channel. As each and every single Thursday, we're doing an occasional top ten and usually a top five countdown. And today is something different, a little bit off the beaten path. Something I've been wanting to do for quite some time. We're going to talk the top five toy companies I would personally invest in. Now this is if, let's say I had a million dollars, whatever the amount is, and I wanted to invest. And I wanted to be smart with my money and I thought this is the one I could get the biggest amount of returns on. We're going to do this as usual. We'll start at number five, work our way to number one. Number one being the company I would probably invest the most amount of money in. There are a lot of good companies out there right now. There's a lot of toy lines. You guys know I collect them. I've got two YouTube channels. Make sure you subscribe to both of them. Going on every single day. So I collect a lot of toy lines from a lot of different toy companies. Some are great companies. Some companies could be a lot better. Todd, no, I'm not talking about you. But maybe, who knows. But there's a lot of good companies out there. And there's a lot of companies that are worth investing in if you have that opportunity. Now, outside of the Hasbros and Mattel, there really isn't a lot of opportunity for investment in toy companies. That being said, I'll pick on KWK. If you had a million dollars and said, hey, KWK, I want to join up with you. Here's a billion bucks. I'm sure you could probably get in there somewhere. Or Grabbers and Gaming, Zombie Sailor, whatever it may be. Maybe, maybe not. But money talks. I learned that from my good friend Ted DiBiase once upon a time. But today we're going to talk about the top five companies I would invest in. Like I said, a lot of good companies. But when I look at investing as an overall bubble, sometimes you go for the sure horse stuff that's been there forever, that's been to the dance, that maybe are on the rise, whatever it may be. Sometimes it could be an up-and-comer that maybe a lot of people don't know about. You want to get in early. And some that are just steady on the race. Just depends where you want to put your capital, where you want to put your money, where you want to put your investment into. And I got five here today that really intrigued me that I think have good opportunities. Some big, some small. But as I said before, a lot of good companies out there right now. You just never know what might happen. And that's what makes it fun. That's what makes it scary and all points in between. As I said earlier, this is my top five list. Maybe I didn't say it earlier, Todd. But I'm going to say it now. This is my list. Put your list in the comments down below. And of course, my list, 100% correct. Your list can also be 100% correct. But you've got to put it in the order down below in the comments there. So without further ado, let's get after it. Let's start it off at number five. We're getting the countdown here at number five in the top five companies I would invest in at this point. And number five is a company we've unboxed quite a few figures. Still floats under the radar for a lot of people. Some people have heard of this company. Some people have not. We are going fresh off of Titans Toy Expo. We're going to Savage Crucible. Now, I've been an early champion of Savage Crucible since the get-go. And I feel like they have really improved on things. They started off with all the Lemurians, if you remember those unboxings on the channel, which were absolutely fabulous. Love a good snake, man. But they have went to whole kinds of directions all over the place, including upcoming action figures of dogs. They were showing off their Great Dane at Titans Toy Expo. You'll have to imagine we're going to get all kinds of varieties of animals. And who doesn't want a Chihuahua to go with your figure? You know, maybe some cats in the future. But I think there is an untapped market for animals that you could put with other toy lines that would scale with the six, seven-inch toys. I think that is smart by Savage Crucible. And then going the other step, given that Great Dane armor, you can put it with your Savage Crucible Knights. Or you can just have it as a Great Dane. Thinking outside the box and servicing many different reasons for things. Lemurians, we talked about the Reptilians, but now they're getting into Knights. They've got Barbaric Warriors, Conan-looking stuff. You've got things like Death Dealer coming. I'll rock, I'll rack. You've got the Sentinels we unboxed recently here on the channel. There's a lot of cool different figures with different looks going on and a lot of cool stuff in the future. They're also involved with the Collegiate Legends, the college sport athlete figures. There is a lot of stuff going. And I do see this company to really get bigger and bigger as the years go on. I think there's going to be more interest as they diversify their portfolio as well. So I really think if I had some capital, some money, some coins, whatever it may be, some rubies, Savage Crucible would have to be on the list. And they're at number five on the list here today. Countdown rolls on to number four. In number four, we go over to wrestling. This is one of those sleeper wrestling companies that I was really gushing over a lot last year when I was doing my top ten countdowns to close off the year. I really enjoyed what they're doing. I've really enjoyed what they've done since. I think there's going to be some ebbs and flows that are maybe needed in the future. But I know some people think maybe some of the figures are getting too similar. And I could understand that. And obviously repaints and things like that. Some people are like, there's too many repaints. But when you're a small company and you've got these licenses, you have to do things like that. It goes across from everybody as we've seen over the years. Mattel even does it as we know. But where are we going to at number four? We're going to Nerd Closet. We're going to the Matt Maniacs line here. Really enjoy their two packs. Now they're getting into single packs as well. They are really ramping up production here for the end of 2026 into 2027. I think from the sounds of things, there's a lot of amazing surprises that might knock some socks off in the future. Just kind of getting a little Easter egg out there. I think there's a lot of meat on the bone here. And I think they're going to surprise a lot of people when they continue on. They seem to have a good business plan. Slow and steady wins the race. They're not going too crazy. They're not pumping out stuff every single day. There's a lot of stuff on pre-order right now. But they've delivered on all their orders as of yet. So hopefully nothing changes there. But very excited to see the future of this company. Very excited to see where they go. And I think there's a lot of fun stuff ahead. And you guys know me. I love a lot of the classic wrestlers. That could be the gripe for some people that there's no modern talent here really. But I have a feeling there will be eventually. But you've got to kind of build your base like all these different companies. So I think there's a lot of meat on the bone here. I'm going to go to Nerd Closet. Matt Maniacs coming in hot at number four. We hit the halfway point of the countdown to get your list together. Make sure you put it in the comments down below. But number three is an old favorite of the channel here. I have been a supporter since day one of this specific line from this company. What company are we talking about? Number three, we're going to Collect Major. Of course, Mike Kanick. You've got Brian Myers. You've got Matt Cardona, the owners of Collect Major. I like what they're doing over there. Obviously, I'm a kid from the LJN era. They're plugging a lot of holes. And we love to plug holes around here, Todd McFarland. There's a lot of that going on. Some bumps in the road for me personally. Now, if they were still doing just major bendies, that would not be something I would invest in. And I've repeatedly said on the channel, I'm not a bendies guy. I have a few in my collection, but not something I could really get around to. They just never felt like figures for me. Just back to the Just Toy days to today. So I wasn't at all in on those. Major stars, I think they're cool for what they are. Once again, it's not a big thing that I would want to collect. However, the big rubber guys is right in my wheelhouse. That's what I'm looking for. That's what I want to party with. And I love how we're getting modern talent. We're getting deep cut talent. We're getting whole collectors. Whole collectors? Yeah, something like that, Todd. We're getting people like Bad News Brown of the world that should have had an LJN long ago that they're writing that wrong for us. We're getting the ECW offshoot line. Getting a little dangerous with the Macho Man, the mascots, but a lot of properties outside of wrestling beginning. And what really excites me, and from day one, I figured this would be the way to go, and I'm glad they did it. It is the music stars, Ozzy, Iron Maiden, et cetera. There is so much meat on the bone there. If you've ever followed the McFarlane NECA figures from band properties, there's always band fans. It's all about diversifying that portfolio, and I think that's a smart thing for a collect major. Wrestling is only going to get you so far. You get mascots, which hopefully they can sell at maybe the stadiums one day, things like that. You get some of the Iron Maidens and some of the properties outside of, obviously, movie properties. It's diversifying that portfolio, and I think that will be a key to success for them in the future as they continue to grow their brand. We saw them coming off New York Comic Con with Walmart and whatnot. Some powerful partners as well they're partnering with to move their wares to get visibility to their stuff. We've seen them in stores like Jay's, toysandgames.com. We've seen them in FYE. We've seen them in traditional brick and mortar. So that is another big thing for them. Could we see a day where Walmart and Target have them on the shelves or at least in the collector section? That could be a possibility when you're playing with the Iron Maidens and the Ozzy Osbournes and some of the specific wrestlers. So the sky is the limit over there. The other thing that that group has going for them over some of the other maybe wrestling companies that make wrestling figures is they're in the wrestling business. They have access to a lot of people's phone numbers. I have to imagine Matt or Brian, if they need to get a phone number of a wrestler, they either have it or they know somebody that knows that wrestler that they can get a hold of. Not everybody has that luxury. And when you've got a certain person, like let's just say it's Brian Myers, who is inside a wrestling company, is known in wrestling, he has a little bit more respect to another wrestler he's reaching out to. I think that makes sense. But that's at least how it plays out in my mind. So I think they got the background to be successful and get names and get some of the heavy hitters that are going to move the needle. They got to be careful, though, on things like the Macho Man sport teams. It is fun. And I know they'll be the first to tell you not to be a completionist. But I know some people are like, what is this? What's going on there? And as much as like San Diego Padre Macho Man, you got a limited window of people that are going to want that. It's a niche of a niche of a niche or whatever they say on that one there. But I think with the addition of movie and music and even the mascots and obviously the wrestling, I think the sky is the limit for the collect major group. So I'm anxious to see where they go in the future. Should be very interesting to watch here. And that's why they're coming in. Number three. Down to the top two. And we're at number two right now. And I talked about it earlier. Sometimes there's some small up and coming companies that are just really beginning. But they have an amazing product. And now is the time to get in because let's say they keep this quality consistent here for another year or two. Might be more expensive to jump in. Just any kind of investing, that's the way. If you can get in on the ground floor, you might be a big winner or you could be a big loser. But if you're in the ground floor, maybe you don't have to put up as much money. It's a whole thing. There's a science to it, they say. Of course, Todd McFarlane. But number two, we're going to one maybe you've never heard of. It's Toy Notion. It is, of course, WrestleFeds. Now, as of right now on the channel here, we have unboxed the British Bulldogs times three. Macho Man Randy Savage shipping right now. And then we do have Tatanka after that. Not sure where we're going from there. But man, oh man, was I ever blown away by the quality on those British Bulldog figures. And from everything I've seen, Macho Man and Tatanka are keeping that quality up. I think this is one of those horses you could get in early, you could support, and it would make you a lot of money on the back end. And that's if there was a theoretical investment opportunity or whatever. And like I said, there probably is. If you love any of these companies and you want to invest, I'm sure they'd at least pick up the phone or take your message on Instagram, Messenger, whatever it may be. Because like I always say, I'm a businessman at heart. I might have retired just recently, but I still got a business mind, and I'm still doing business stuff. I'm making power moves, of course, on a daily basis. But I'll always listen to an offer. Just the other day, I had four different job offers from a company. They said, we got four different offers. And I said, if I wanted to work full time, I would have stayed working full time. That's how it comes down to. But you always listen to an offer. The worst you can say is no. And I always like people to send offers my way or talk to me about something because I hate to miss an opportunity. You never know, I might say yes. And that maybe goes for you as well. And that goes from any company you reach out, be it pharmaceuticals or whatever, just different ways to get in there. But WrestleFed's Toy Notion, I am extremely excited for the future of this brand. Going to be very interesting. Some of the best retro style figures here. And once again, it's the ground floor. Heavy hitter names, some great product. That's going to equal some return on investment with the hypothetical money in the future. So they come in at number two, which means there can only be one. What company would I invest in? Well, stay tuned. Here we are. We've hit the top spot. The number one company I would invest in if I had my money on the table and wanted to put it in on a company. Once again, put your list in the comments below. Put them in order. They could be anything. Any kind of action figure company. You want to dive into Todd McFarlane. Todd, I'm sorry you didn't make the list. But as of right now, you know I love your stuff and I love a lot about it. But losing DC for me is like, do I invest? Because there's no DC anymore. However, maybe things are down. It's the time. And then all of a sudden you rise again like the Phoenix, like you always do, Todd. So who knows where it's going. But for the number one selection, we are going to a big company. Dare I say, probably the biggest toy company I collect are right in the wheelhouse. It is one of the big heavy hitters. It is Mattel. Now, this is going to be controversial out there. I did say it could be small, big companies, whatever. And I believe you can go on the stock market and invest in Mattel if you want to. I think their stock went down a little bit when their CEO resigned. But then they announced a new CEO and they got a little bit of a raise out of that. But why, Kyle, would you invest in Mattel? What, Todd? It's because I have so much faith in the Vietnam factories. That's exactly the reason. I think those Vietnam factories are just chef's kiss. Killing it, as we do know, in more ways than one. No, it's not that. It is Mattel making power moves. And they've made a heck of a lot of power moves over the last year. We've said it on the channel here multiple times throughout 2026, Todd. We have talked about it. This is the most important year in action figure history in recent memory and could be of all time. So many properties going away. So many properties switching to different companies. And we're seeing that at Mattel. They've locked down the WWE license, which is extremely strong, extremely profitable. So many figures releasing all the time. Everybody always says, Kyle Band, you have so many wrestling. Because wrestling releases more than anybody else. There's always new wrestling figures. So they got that. Obviously, they got Matchbox, Hot Wheels, even a Matchbox movie with John Cena. They got that. They got Barbie. They got some powerful brands. And I can tell you from a guy that worked from one of the biggest grocery food companies, whatever you want to call it, in the galaxy, in the universe, on planet Earth, whatever you want to call it. The power of brands is so important. When you have multiple million-dollar, billion-dollar brands, that's a big thing for your portfolio. And Mattel has those. However, the reason I'm investing, Mattel has really taken it to another level, as they have stolen from Todd McFarlane, like a thief in the night, stolen the DC license. We'll see how it nets out. But that is a powerful license. And it looks like they're doing the roadmap of main event, elite, ultimates, exclusives all over the place, just like WWE. Makes sense to follow that roadmap. That's going to be huge for them. Can they overtake Marvel Legends? That's going to be a dogfight in the toy aisle. It's going to be very interesting. Mattel, price increases have happened here and there. But it feels like Hasbro gets the brunt of that a heck of a lot more. Hasbro, as you can see now on this list, some serious struggles. I don't know what's going to happen with Hasbro. Probably talk more about that in the toy news this week. So be on the lookout for that. But Mattel adding DC to the powerful lineup is a big thing. But oh, by the way, next year, they're adding Ninja Turtles. They're going to have the master Ninja Turtle license. That is three very powerful brands here in the future. A new CEO, new outlook, new look on life. We'll see what he does. That's the wild card in all this, as always is when you change your CEO. But Mattel, obviously a massive company. The biggest company on this list. The easiest to invest in, obviously. You can just do it today from your cell phone if you wanted to, I'd imagine. But man, oh man, I think they got a lot of things cooking in the future. Can they keep up the momentum? Can they give the collector base what they want? As we've seen it in the news, we've talked about it in the toy news. The adult collector's on fire right now. That's who the collectors are. Can they answer what those collectors are looking for? Be it Turtles, Wrestling, DC, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and all points in between. It's going to be very interesting. 2027 isn't going to be as big of a year as 2026 as far as change and understanding change. But 2027 is where the rubber hits the road and we start seeing things moving. And I have a feeling with the team at Mattel, they're going to move things in the right direction. It's going to be exciting if you're a Mattel fan. So they take very easily, for me at least today, the number one spot. This might be a fun thing to do every single year, Todd McFarlane around here. But we've got big companies. Companies have been around for a long time like Mattel and some in-between companies. Now I could easily do a top 10 list and put them in orders here. There's a lot of good companies. Some are just kind of fighting the good fight every single month. Some are up and down. Some are just constantly down. You're like, how are they still around? It's going to be very interesting to see where all this goes in 2027. But my opinion, Mattel is going to be the number one I would invest in right now. But what about you? What say you? Where are you putting your money? Let me know in the comments down below. Don't forget to like this video. Subscribe to this channel, my other YouTube channel. Check out Patreon. Check out YouTube channel memberships. Follow me on Facebook. SirPaul64 on the X. The underscore Kyle underscore Peterson on threads. Instagram, TikTok, and The Kyle Peterson Show at gmail.com, which is the name of my podcast, The Kyle Peterson Show, available every Tuesday where podcasts are found with video cast on YouTube, available every single Tuesday. As I said, my book's on Amazon and Barnes & Noble while you're at it as well. So for another edition of The Kyle Peterson Top 5, I'm Kyle. See you guys all real soon. Are we going to dance or are we going to play? See you guys all. [00:19:16] Speaker ?: See you guys all. [00:19:16] Speaker 1: See you guys all. [00:19:17] Speaker ?: See you guys all.