Is there a reason why Disney dislikes releasing Muppet DVD's?

[minor muppetz]

going by this year's Toy Fair coverage and previous years retail seasons the question should be "Does Disney just hate Muppet merchandise in general?"

Actually, the people at Tough Pigs revealed that there is going to be some Muppet merchandise this year. It was kept behind curtains, and photos weren't allowed (people could only see them on request), but there are going to be some new Muppet toys, a series of "Mini Mates" and a collection of bigger action figures (two at a time). There's a thread about it in the Action Figures folder. I think there might be more stuff not reported about online, but the Tough Pigs people won't be doing an article about Muppet stuff at Toy Fair until next week.

Oof. Oh to take a time machine back to 1979-1989 or 2002-2004.

Or 1992-1997.

 

[jvcarroll]

I apologize, the question shouldn't be "Does Disney hate releasing Muppet dvds", but...going by this year's Toy Fair coverage and previous years retail seasons the question should be "Does Disney just hate Muppet merchandise in general?"

Oof. Oh to take a time machine back to 1979-1989 or 2002-2004.

They'll be releasing two varieties of Muppet action figures this fall. I think it's fair to say that Disney doesn't hate Muppet merchandise.

 

[Drtooth]

If I could list all the Disney related things not at the Disney store or cleared out of the Disney Store, Muppets would only be one of them. Heck, they're clearing out the Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise and that was the biggest movie hit of the year! And NONE of it was Disney Store original. Think of it this way, sure we didn't see bean bags of Scooter or Sam the Eagle. We didn't get one of Groot either. And he's, like, the internet's favorite hero now. Even their Big Hero stuff was lackluster. Turns out, Big Hero 6 was one of their most successful films.

 

[Stulz]

Actually, the people at Tough Pigs revealed that there is going to be some Muppet merchandise this year. It was kept behind curtains, and photos weren't allowed (people could only see them on request), but there are going to be some new Muppet toys, a series of "Mini Mates" and a collection of bigger action figures (two at a time). There's a thread about it in the Action Figures folder. I think there might be more stuff not reported about online, but the Tough Pigs people won't be doing an article about Muppet stuff at Toy Fair until next week.

Yeah it's all there in the Muppet Stuff post ...
http://muppet-stuff.blogspot.com/2015/02/toy-fair-2015.html

 

[Whatnot1988]

To give you an idea of the age we live in, if anything we should be asking for Disney to release TMS (in its entirety, let alone S4 and S5) on iTunes--in this day and age physical-media releases are becoming too expensive for many companies. An iTunes release doesn't have to be necessarily devoid of bonus features, either, as they can be "bundled" with an entire season (provided you bought the season bundle and not the individual episodes).

 

[beaker]

If I could list all the Disney related things not at the Disney store or cleared out of the Disney Store, Muppets would only be one of them. Heck, they're clearing out the Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise and that was the biggest movie hit of the year! And NONE of it was Disney Store original. Think of it this way, sure we didn't see bean bags of Scooter or Sam the Eagle. We didn't get one of Groot either. And he's, like, the internet's favorite hero now. Even their Big Hero stuff was lackluster. Turns out, Big Hero 6 was one of their most successful films.

If it was up Disney, virtually everything at the Disney store would be Frozen

 

[beaker]

Also that's a good point, regarding demanding TMS and other shows on itunes or other digital formats.

By the time Season 4 or 5 come out, IF they ever come out, will physical media even be sold? Forget dvds, will there still be blu rays?

Also I wouldn't consider Diamond Direct lifting from the 2002 Palisades line for a couple characters all too exciting. And those mini-mates are attrocious.

However, if you are a Toy Story fan...there now seems an insane, insane plethora of 2", 4" and 6" Toy Story figures and playsets like I've never seen before. I said this in 2011 out of anger, but it bears repeating: I don't hold out much hope for much Muppet merch from this moment forward; let alone in figural form. Also thank goodness for the Funk Sesame line coming out; most if not all of the Sesame merch in the modern era has been rather lame(and that's compared to other pre school toy merchandise even)

Also, I mostly just saw Elmo stuff in that Toy Fair recap. How is Elmo still so popular? Especially after that whole, you know, scandal

 

[dwayne1115]

It's not Disnys fault the economy thrashed. Leaving people poor.

 

[Drtooth]

If it was up Disney, virtually everything at the Disney store would be Frozen

Beats everything being either Dalmatians or Pooh. Seriously. They didn't even have Mickey Mouse during that period. Just Pooh and Dalmatians. Don't make me play the "nobody actually likes Planes, but they market the crap out of them anyway" card. At least Frozen made money. Planes is just there in the off chance a Grandmother accidentally buys one for their 4 year old grandson. Seriously. I see Planes stuff sitting on shelves at deep discount. Just sitting there gathering dust.

But yeah. Disney has too many brands. Princesses, Frozen, every single preschool series, Marvel, Pixar, Cars/Planes, Movie dujour, Star Wars.

It's not Disnys fault the economy thrashed. Leaving people poor.

No one buys toys anymore. They're not Apps. We need our crappy, easy to toss together and steal from something else Apps. Though the new TMNT line seems to always be flying off of shelves.

Especially with the adult action figure market. Nothing, virtually nothing is under 20 bucks now. Sometimes you have to go into the 30's for something exactly the quality of the Muppet Line we used to be able to buy for 10 bucks and under. That means less retro based toylines, and more based on movies and video games. And they don't really seem to move at those prices. While I'm glad there's another go at action figures with the Muppets, I couldn't be less excited for another Kermit and Fozzie for 2.5 times what I paid for it. Rarer characters like Link, Crazy Harry I'd strongly think about. But I just see this line up consisting barely of the main 5 (Kermit, Fozzie, Piggy, Animal, Gonzo).

 

[jvcarroll]

Also that's a good point, regarding demanding TMS and other shows on itunes or other digital formats.

By the time Season 4 or 5 come out, IF they ever come out, will physical media even be sold? Forget dvds, will there still be blu rays?

Also I wouldn't consider Diamond Direct lifting from the 2002 Palisades line for a couple characters all too exciting. And those mini-mates are attrocious.

However, if you are a Toy Story fan...there now seems an insane, insane plethora of 2", 4" and 6" Toy Story figures and playsets like I've never seen before. I said this in 2011 out of anger, but it bears repeating: I don't hold out much hope for much Muppet merch from this moment forward; let alone in figural form. Also thank goodness for the Funk Sesame line coming out; most if not all of the Sesame merch in the modern era has been rather lame(and that's compared to other pre school toy merchandise even)

Also, I mostly just saw Elmo stuff in that Toy Fair recap. How is Elmo still so popular? Especially after that whole, you know, scandal

I can't understand this horribly negative outlook.

There have been no photos of the Diamond SELECT figures yet and the only report was that the size was smaller and had not been determined yet. Palisades has a very specific look. I doubt they're "lifting" from them.

Your personal distaste for MiniMates doesn't negate the fact that they're a very popular mainstream product that a lot of fans will like. Their inclusion is a great thing for the Muppets brand!!

And the Elmo scandal from two and a half years ago? Are you really going to rehash that? Really? I don't see that having any place in this discussion.

Except for the note about TMS seasons 4 and 5, I just can't get behind anything you've said here. I'm bewildered by the pessimism.