AI’s Next Target: The Collectibles Market
▼ Summary
– Two AI-powered collectible figurine concepts, HeyMates and Buddyo, stood out at CES, aiming to revive the collectible market with interactive chatbots.
– HeyMates are original figurines with RFID chips that become AI characters on a smart base, with Olli planning to launch them via Kickstarter and develop its own intellectual property.
– Buddyo is an AI Pod platform designed for existing collectibles like Nintendo Amiibos, using an app to generate a chatbot personality and backstory for any figurine placed on it.
– The companies differ in strategy: Olli wants to create and control its own toy line, while Buddyo’s CEO aims to build an AI platform that enhances users’ existing collections.
– The article questions if a market exists for such AI toys but suggests combining AI with collectibles is a compelling approach, noting Funko’s current financial troubles.
This year’s CES was filled with AI-powered toys and companions, but two products in particular signaled a fascinating new direction: the integration of artificial intelligence with physical collectible figurines. Companies like Olli and Buddyo are betting that the next big trend isn’t just owning a static figure, but being able to converse with it, blending nostalgia with cutting-edge chatbot technology.
The basic idea is straightforward. A figurine sits on a smart base equipped with a speaker and microphone. Through a companion app, a large language model gives the character a voice and personality. Imagine asking a miniature Albert Einstein to explain his theory of relativity or hearing Darth Vader muse on galactic domination, all triggered by a simple wake word.
Olli, a company already providing AI software to toy makers, is launching its own line called HeyMates. These are stylized, collectible figures with RFID chips in their bases. Placing one on its dedicated stand activates an interactive AI character. The planned launch includes three initial personalities: Einstein for science chats, a mystical tarot reader named Zara, and a sarcastic character named Chandler, inspired by 90s sitcoms. Olli’s CEO, Hai Ta, believes this market is poised for significant growth and aims to establish a new line of intelligent collectible IP, envisioning a future that includes licensed celebrity and character likenesses.
In contrast, Buddyo is taking a platform-based approach. Rather than selling its own figures, it has developed an “AI Pod” stand designed to fit Nintendo’s popular Amiibo figurines perfectly. The Pod uses NFC technology to identify the specific character placed on it. Buddyo will also sell separate NFC bases that can be attached to existing collectibles like Funko Pops or bobbleheads, allowing people to animate their current collections.
Since these existing figures don’t have predefined personalities, Buddyo’s app lets users create them. You take a photo of your figurine, give it a name, and the AI analyzes it to generate a fitting backstory. It can recognize established intellectual property, identifying Stitch as a cartoon alien or Mario as an Italian plumber. The app then provides a voice from a community-contributed library, a feature CEO Yijia Zhang emphasizes to distance the company from potential copyright issues with character holders like Nintendo.
Zhang, a former Google Assistant engineer, is focused on leveraging the emotional connection people already have with their collections. His vision is an AI assistant platform with more personality, built around the toys fans already own and love. While HeyMates are designed to excel at specific themed conversations, like movies or K-pop, Buddyo’s hybrid AI system can function as a more general assistant, just with a whimsical character twist.
The broader question remains whether a substantial market exists for AI companion toys. However, merging this technology with the passionate world of collectibles presents one of the most compelling cases yet. This emerging sector is developing as the established collectibles giant, Funko, faces its own well-publicized financial challenges. Whether Funko itself eventually embraces AI or leaves the field open for new entrants, interactive, conversational figurines appear to be an innovation heading our way.
(Source: The Verge)
