August and September are transition months in the pop culture products industry, as the summer selling season winds down and preparations begin for the holidays. The biggest surprises at the top of the lists in August are the #1 toys product -- Clive Barker's Tortured Souls from Mcfarlane -- and the #1 anime -- the El Hazard OVA DVD box set. In games, Harry Potter debuted strong, but otherwise familiar products dominated the list. DC and Marvel split the Top 10 Cool comics, and cards and DVDs made up most of the Top 10 Cool movie/TV products, with some retro properties as well as newer ones. As always, these Top 10 Cool reports for August are based on actual sales reported to us by pop culture retailers across the U.S.
Toys
A property created specifically for toys is in the #1 spot in August; Clive Barker's Tortured Souls toys from McFarlane have both the themes and the sculpting style that have made the best of McFarlane's output so successful. Wave V of the Simpsons figures is also near the top of the list, maintaining the success of this long-running line. The Reservoir Dogs figures--cult toys based on a cult movie--are a surprising hit. The rest of the list is, as usual, comprised of comic-based, high-end products. See Top Ten Cool Toys.
Anime
Multi-disc DVD collections took three of the top ten spots in August, including our #1 anime for August -- the El Hazard OVA DVD Box Set. The Akira Special Edition (Limited) stayed on the list for a second month, indicating that retailers kept enough to continue selling it beyond the first week after shipping in July. Robotech was over-all the strongest property, with three of the top ten titles for August. For the second time this year (the other was June, see 'Top 10 Cool Products in June'). As has been the case for some time, no VHS products cracked the Top 10. See Top 10 Cool Anime.
Games
Familiar products dominate the Top 10 Cool Games in August. Magic the Gathering: Apocalypse Boosters returns to #1 after having been bumped to #2 by the launch of DBZ: Androids Saga in July. MTG: Apocalypse has now been in the #1 or #2 slot for three straight months. DBZ shows continued strength, with Androids Saga holding in an #2 and Trunks Saga staying in the top 10 for the sixth consecutive month. Harry Potter CCG from WotC debuts at #3. An RPG product made it into the Top 10 this month--a D&D product, naturally. Mage Knight, Pokemon and MTG products round out the Top 10, except for a new Warlord CCG expansion. See Top 10 Cool Games.
Comics
DC and Marvel dominate the Top 10 Cool Comics in August. Archives show up at the top of the chart in both the #1 and #3 slots this month. Just Imagine -- DC's Stan Lee takes on DC characters was #2 this month. Green Arrow and the John Byrne miniseries -- Superman and Batman: Generations II -- complete DC's titles in the Top 10. Marvel placed three X-Men books, Daredevil Yellow, and the Avengers: Ultron Imperative one-shot. See Top 10 Cool Comics.
Movie/TV Merchandise
Trading cards topped the list for the third month in a row in August, with Topps' Star Wars Evolution at #1 and Inkworks' Angel Season 2 at #2. Two versions of the 1966 camp Batman movie made the list, as did a collection of all of the Planet of the Apes movies on DVD. An X-Files Episode Guide was the only book on the list in August. Lexx and Farscape DVDs round out the list. See Top 10 Cool Movie/TV.
