Multi-brand assortment
A multi-brand assortment is an assortment of toys released in multiple waves, with the individual toys from different waves being branded as part of different toy lines or franchises.
Typically, whenever Hasbro launches a new toy line, all the various size classes are reset and relaunched as new assortments for the new line, regardless of whether they are sold at the same price point or not. However, in some instances, an assortment is continued under the new line's banner with new product. This mostly applies to store exclusive assortments and side lines that only have one wave for any given franchise, but because the figures in a subsequent wave are sold at the same price point, Hasbro decides to simply continue the assortment rather than reset it.
This is similar, but not identical to rebranding; rather than rebranding the figures (or rather their packaging) themselves, the assortment is rebranded, but the individual products sold under different brands are not the same. It's also not the same thing as a subline imprint, which is still marketed as part of the same main line or franchise.
Examples
- The KB Toys exclusive Deluxe assortment that contained Energon-branded redecos of Armada Demolishor and Cyclonus was given a second wave the following year branded as part of the Universe (though with the packaging sporting various design elements taken from the concurrently released Cybertron line) that contained redecos of Energon Downshift and Snow Cat, sold under the same assortment number (27271).
- In Europe, the Micromaster Sixteams were not sold in Universe packaging like their KB Toys exclusive US market counterparts, but in Energon (Protectobots, Constructicons) and Cybertron (Railbots, Aerialbots) packaging. Although the European packaging sported no assortment numbers, the instructions featured the same assortment number (29460) as the American versions for all four waves.
- The 6" PVC Titan Guardians assortment released under the Beast Hunters brand, consisting of Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron and Shockwave, was given a second wave under the 2014 Transformers line, this time with Generation 1 versions of Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave, all of them sporting the same assortment number (A6107).
