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Catalog staff

Catalog entry editing guide

How to add and edit catalog entries — for admins and superusers with edit access on a toy line.

Last updated: 10 August 2026

Who this is for

You can add, edit, bulk edit, and export catalog entries if you are an admin or superuser with edit permission on that toy line. Other members can only suggest changes via the suggestions queue.

Start here

  • Name and Manufacturer are the minimum when adding an entry.
  • Main theme (e.g. Power Rangers) is set by the toyline page you are on — not in the edit form.
  • Sub-theme blank = the main theme name. Only fill it in when the line needs its own bucket (e.g. Mighty Morphin, The Lost World).
  • Series, Wave, and Shipping Case # are separate fields — do not mix them up or put wave text in sub-theme.
  • Variant (text field) = label on one row. Variants (section) = links between separate entries.
  • Item # = the number only (e.g. 2260), without an "Item #" prefix.
  • Shipping Case # links to a shared case photo gallery — one upload per case number within a sub-theme, not per toy.
  • Leave fields empty when you are unsure. Prefer Unknown over guessing release dates.

How entries are organized

Every toy sits in the same hierarchy. Use the right level for each piece of information.

FieldRequired?What to enter
Main themeToyline levelFranchise or toyline (Power Rangers, Jurassic Park). You work within an existing main theme.
Sub-themeNoProduct line or era within the main theme. Blank defaults to the main theme name.
SeriesNoGrouping within a sub-theme (Series 1, Deluxe Megazord). In CSV export this column is called subline.
WaveNoOptional split within a series (Wave 1, Wave 2). Not the same as Shipping Case #.
ManufacturerYesToy maker (Bandai, Kenner, Playmates). Always separate from sub-theme.

In the catalog table, sub-theme is shown as Sub-theme (Manufacturer) — e.g. The Lost World (Kenner). That display label is automatic; in the edit form you enter sub-theme and manufacturer separately.

Identity

FieldRequired?What to enter
NameYesCatalog title (e.g. Red Ranger). Shown as the primary title.
ManufacturerYesToy maker (Bandai, Playmates, Kenner, …). Independent from sub-theme.
Sub-themeNoProduct line or era within the main theme. Blank = main theme name (default bucket).
VariantNoShort label shown in the table after the name in parentheses (e.g. Blue card, European variant). Use for differences on a single entry, not for separate catalog items.
Item #NoManufacturer number only (e.g. 2260). Do not type "Item #" — enter the number alone.
DescriptionNoOverview on the toy detail page. Blank line = new paragraph; line starting with - = bullet; link to another toy with [[toy-slug]] or [[Label|toy-slug]].

Copy from another toy — Copies fields from another entry in the same main theme (useful for variants or shared series data).

Classification

FieldRequired?What to enter
CategoryNo (defaults to Other)Product type (Action Figure, Vehicle, Playset, …).
SeriesNoSeries within the line (Series 1, Deluxe Megazord, …).
WaveNoOptional sub-split of a series (Wave 1, Wave 2, …). Separate from Shipping Case #.
Shipping Case #NoCase or pack identifier (2260, A, B, …). See Shipping cases & galleries below — photos are shared per case, not per toy.

Shipping cases & galleries

Some toy lines shipped in numbered wholesale cases. Each catalog entry can have a Shipping Case # that says which case it belonged to. The case gallery is separate from a toy's own photo gallery: one shared set of photos per case number within a sub-theme, reused by every item with that same number.

FieldRequired?What to enter
Shipping Case #NoEnter the case identifier only (e.g. 2260 or A) — not "Case #". Same rules as Item #.
Case galleryNoShared photos of the shipping case itself (box art, case layout, assortment). Not photos of the individual toy — use the toy's Photo gallery for that.
Case countNoOn the detail page only: how many items fit in one case. This is metadata on the toy, not the gallery.

Managing case photos (staff with edit access):

ActionWhat it does
From the edit formFill in Shipping Case #, then click Add case photos or Edit case photos next to the field.
From the catalog tableWhen a gallery exists, the case number is a clickable link. Editors also see a pencil icon to add or edit photos.
In the gallery modalAdd photos with Kind (Packaging, Loose, Detail, Other), optional caption, and upload. Save gallery when done.
  • Photos are keyed to sub-theme + case number. All items in the same sub-theme with case 2260 share one gallery — you only upload once.
  • Visitors only see a clickable case number when photos exist. Without a gallery, the number is plain text.
  • Do not put wave or series text in Shipping Case #. Wave is its own field; series belongs in Series.
  • Case galleries are not included in CSV export. Use the edit form or catalog table to manage photos. The CSV column case_name is only the identifier.

Release

FieldRequired?What to enter
ReleasedNoReleased, Unreleased, Prototype, or Unknown.
  • Released — the retail/production toy that was sold.
  • Prototype — use for prototype / pre-production pieces of a toy that was later released. Link it as a variant of the released entry when possible.
  • Unreleased — planned or rumored toys that never reached retail. Even if a prototype may have existed, if it was never seen in the wild (toy fair, eBay, photos from collectors, etc.), keep the status Unreleased — not Prototype.
  • Unknown — release status is unclear.
Release dateDependsReleased: real date (YYYY, YYYY-MM, or YYYY-MM-DD). Unreleased and Prototype: free text allowed (e.g. Scheduled for fall 1994) or leave blank. Unknown: leave empty or use your best estimate.
Country / regionNoWhere it was released (US, EU, UK, …).
Package formatNoCard, Box, Loose, Plastic bag, or Other — how the toy was sold at retail. Leave unset if unknown.

Variants (linked entries)

The collapsible Variants section links separate catalog entries (regional variants, repaints, packaging variants). Do not confuse this with the Variant text field in Identity — that is a label on one row only.

ActionWhat it does
Create variantNew linked entry based on the current one.
Link existingConnect another toy in the same main theme.
Remove from groupUnlink without deleting the other entry.

Retail & market values

FieldRequired?What to enter
Retail price currencyIf retail price is setUSD, EUR, NLG, DEM, or BEF.
Retail priceNoOriginal suggested retail price in that currency.
Loose value (€)NoEstimated current market value loose, in euros. Often updated via eBay refresh.
New / Sealed value (€)NoEstimated in-package value, in euros. Often updated via eBay refresh.

eBay sold prices

Available to staff with refresh permission. Admins can override search keywords when sold comps are wrong.

FieldRequired?What to enter
eBay search keywordsAdmins onlyOverride the automatic search phrase. Leave empty to use name, manufacturer, item #, etc.
Refresh from eBayNoFetches sold listings and updates loose/sealed estimates and price history.

Photo gallery

FieldRequired?What to enter
Cover imageRecommendedMain image for the catalog table and top of the detail page.
Additional photosNoExtra images with Kind (Packaging, Loose, Detail, Other), optional Caption, and upload per row.

Detail page fields

These appear on the toy page only, not in the catalog table:

FieldRequired?What to enter
HeightNoSize text (e.g. 11-inch / 28 cm).
Country of manufactureNoe.g. China, Mexico.
Case countNoItems per shipping case, if known.
UPCNoBarcode if known.
Parts checklistNoIncluded parts: name, qty, part #, notes, optional part images.

Bulk edit

Select multiple rows in the catalog table, then apply the same values to all of them:

  • Only filled-in fields are applied; blank means no change.
  • Use Clear to remove that field on all selected items.
  • Sub-theme, Series, and Wave can be bulk-updated. Use Reset to default on sub-theme to revert to the main theme name.
  • Bulk edit does not cover photos, part images, or full description tooling — use single-entry edit for those.

CSV export & import

Export CSV from a toyline page (all edit-form fields except photos). Keep catalog_slug when editing in Excel so re-import updates the correct row. Export sort order: Year → Series → Item #.

Key columns for taxonomy:

FieldRequired?What to enter
catalog_slugNoStable toy URL id. Required for updates on re-import; leave unchanged when editing.
main_themeYesFranchise / toyline name.
sub_themeNoSub-theme name. Optional on import — blank defaults to main_theme.
brandYesManufacturer (CSV header is brand).
sublineNoSeries name.
waveNoWave within a series.
case_nameNoShipping Case # only — not wave or series text.

Photos and part images are excluded from export — use the edit form for those. On import, sub-theme names and wave labels are normalized automatically; you do not need to clean old spreadsheet formats by hand.