Is bullyland closed?

There is no new products by bullyland in this year. Maybe bullyland have closed?

No closed, only no new animal figures. Last year there was also only one flamigo (mold) with 3 different colourations.

I have seen this Wildcat on the website from Bullyland and it was marked as new:

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But this "Wildcat" (from the color scheme it has nothing to do with a realistic one) is also only a new color variation from a older mold.
I think Bullyland is now, with the new competitors as CollectA or Mojo, more oriented as ever in producing Disney licensed figurines.

Asking a figurine sales page, they told me that Bullyland is in bankrupt. So I quickly decided to buy the figurine that I wanted from this brand (an Asian black bear) some days ago, before it becomes unavailable

That's very sad. Bullyland once was one of the best.

I don't want Bullyland animals to disappear

I have many beautiful models of this german brand.

Bullyland has filed for bankruptcy. Very, very sad. What can I say now? I don't know.

".....Spraitbach. Der Spielzeughersteller Bullyland ist insolvent. Das Unternehmen von der Ostalb stellt kleine Spielfiguren aus Kunststoff her und erlöst den größten Teil seines Umsatzes mit Lizenfiguren. So produziert Bullyland etwa Figuren zu Disney-Kinofilmen oder zu TV-Serien, die bei Kindern beliebt sind.Lizenzkosten sind ein wesentlicher Nachteil zum Wettbewerber Schleich, der ebenfalls in Baden-Württemberg zu Hause ist, in Schwäbisch Gmünd. Ob das aber auch die Ursache für die Insolvenz ist, ist offen. Die Schwäbische Post zitiert Insolvenzverwalter Michael Pluta, der von „unerwarteten Liquiditätsengpässen“ spricht..."

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Sad.

Why had Bullyland put the eye more and more for licensed figures and not more for their fantastic prehistoric range?

They also had wonderful fish models.

Very sad!

That's really very sad although expectable. Bullyland is a brand with a huge importance in this hobby and surely STS will continue tributing this great company.
However, I want to tell something and I don't want to soudn rude in any way. When Bullyland was a successful company and a reference, their range of animals was composed of unusual species ranging from diversified taxonomic groups and their prehistoric line was absolutely amazing to their time. Slowly, they tried to focus more on more popular animals and their designs turned somewhat cartoonish and oriented to younger children. Apparently, that seems to be a good strategy to many companies , making what is easy to sell. It works usually in a short time but at long term, it usually contributes to a decrease of interest reducing the prestige of a company. Sometimes, to sell the obvious, you have to be innovative and attract your customers with something they have never seen before, it will also help selling lions, T-rexes and unicorns.
The innovation is also important to the legacy of a company, see how Starlux animal figures are collectable these days while other vintage brands focused only in common animals arrived completely anonymous to our days even if they were successful at their time. Obviously there are several other factors that determine the success of a company but I hope other companies understand that the normalization of their range with the most common figures is not always the best decision. It is good to keep a balance between what the market requires and what turns the company unique.

very good analysis Rogério!.. and I wonder if Schleich is not doing the same fatal error in spite of the few new releases (maki, quokka..)

In recent years I have bought very few schleich animals.

I agree with Caracal, this can be a fatal error.

We, the collectors, need new species, other poses and elements that complete the figures ,for example:

rocks, trunks....

I recently bought the Bullyland 2016 red panda, a fantastic figure and their only really-good non-spider figure in the last 5+ years or so!

Too bad, their spider figures have been phenomenal in the last decade.

Yes, Schleich will share the fate of Bullyland. I only buy 1-2 figures from Schleich per year. They need more interesting species.

Megaptera wrote:

Yes, Schleich will share the fate of Bullyland. I only buy 1-2 figures from Schleich per year. They need more interesting species.

I don't see Schleich folding anytime soon. They have a pretty solid following, at least in Europe.

Megaptera wrote:

Yes, Schleich will share the fate of Bullyland. I only buy 1-2 figures from Schleich per year. They need more interesting species.

And you think you are the hub of the world?

Schleich will never went down and i buy lots of Schleich every year. They bring out what the buyers (except some people from a german forum) want. That is market.

But I know that many non-collectors won't buy Schleich anymore due to some quality issues.

I took some of the things in my closet to a toy show to sell last year. I had very little from Schleich, but several people asked for it by name, even though I thought the Schleich products were the worst of what I had to offer. It was a discouraging but enlightening experience. Casual collectors (which is probably most of the market) don't necessarily notice the shortcomings of Schleich products. Schleich is winning on marketing, not quality.

Tupolew Tu-154 wrote:

Megaptera wrote:

Yes, Schleich will share the fate of Bullyland. I only buy 1-2 figures from Schleich per year. They need more interesting species.

And you think you are the hub of the world?

Schleich will never went down and i buy lots of Schleich every year. They bring out what the buyers (except some people from a german forum) want. That is market.

I think Megaptera just gave an opinion and I think you don't need to react like that. Schleich is your religion, animal figures is ours. I also only buy one or two Schleich figures per year and I honestly hope Schleich keeps being successful. No other company have so many posts and topics in that German forum as Schleich does. I really don't know how Schleich sales go despite the last reports noting a little break. However, it is evident that the prestige of the brand is not equal as it was 10 years ago and the stamp of quality attached to it is not as strong as before. Schleich is very well placed in the market and commercially is very agressive so I hope a long life to the company as long as they continue focusing on animal figures. Probably Bullyland was a victim of Schleich's agressive strategy but that's how the market works, we don't have to judge it. I only hope only that Schleich does not suffocate other brands more animal oriented as it is CollectA, Papo, Mojö Fun or Safari, for instance.

Thank you, Roger:)
Yes, I only want to notice, that Schleich is maybe doing the same way like Bullyland before. But I hope that Schleich will go back to its former glory. I've started to collect animal models because of Schleich. Back in the 90ies and 2000s they had a great variety like the fish in scale, cats, dogs, birds of prey and many others. But today they lost this variety.

I would also assume that Bullyland in some fashion was victim to direct competition with Schleich. I feel that the modern toy figure industry is splitting into two strategies, collector pieces (unique species, poses, high detail/realism) and let's call it "playful" (colorful, soft [no thin/pointy edges as safety hazard], moveable parts, recognizable species, imagination). Most collectors here on the forum are niche, I mean they want high quality collectors pieces or are species only. I would imagine that Bullyland style (material, marketing, artistic rendering style) just couldnt compete. Schleich too has notoriety being the top animal figure producer for what, 20 years in Europe and US? Modern schleich isn't as much my style (I do still buy quite a few), but amongst my dozen or so younger relatives their cute animals and fantastic dinosaurs/unicorns are popular waaay before their tigers are.

Bullyland will be missed, their legacy remembered. But I can't say I'm surprised or the signs weren't there. I hope this doesn't happen to more brands.

I am sad that Bullyland is ending. They've had so many wonderful figures over the years.

I am another collector who doesn't buy very many Schleich current releases. Old/retired ones, much more so.

As big as they are, I do think Schleich's current strategies help the other brands in the US. For example, I have had moms see me buying Schleichs and tell me that there are cheaper animals at Michaels and Hobby Lobby (Safari Ltd and Mojo Fun), which they buy for their kids. Schleich created the demand, and when they raised their prices, the other brands were able to fill it at the previous price point. So, I hope Schleich continues to do well in the US, even if their current product caters to a different demographic. Although I do wish they would return to their former glory with their wildlife offerings.

When these moms told that to me i will say: "Safari better than Schleich? Come on. Some mythology or prehistoric figures i love from Safari, but their horses? No. And Safari isn't very cheap. Their dragons are very expensive."

I think bullylands bankrupty is their own fault. It was a mistake to set the near complete range for Disney licenses.

And Schleich is not my religion. But i hate the childish opinion, that Schleich is only for kids and not collectors. It's not true.
It is a big sickness from some people in germany to hate all what is new, not only Schleich, in computer games or movies it is the same. Look at Captain Marvel, you can see what i mean.