Next Muppet Replicas: Gonzo, Animal

[KermieBaby47]

Travis, they are both coming along nicely! The wait nearly killed me, but you swooped in like always to douse the fire. With the changes you've mentioned about both Animal and Gonzo, I expect they'll be perfect.

In regards to the next 3 characters for next year, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE will you guys consider Rowlf to be one of them? There've been a lot more votes for him by others' as well, and that would be the coolest thing EVER!

So yeah, I love Rowlf. Can't wait to hear who's on the roster!

 

[ElecMayhem]

hi all, I'm not to sure about animal - as some of you know I hae recently made my own gonzo and animal replicas ( you can check them out in the link below) and I have studied the size relation (e.g. eyes and nose to mouth etc and they both seem alittle off, Now I know my Kermit looks better than the ones in the photos so I just hope that animal and gonzo improve before they go on my shelf alongside Kermit.

http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/puppets/newreplicas.html

Wow Keeermit, that are really, really good. I mean REALLY good.

Here's the thing you all have to remember... we are mass producing these guys, and when you mass produce anything -- even only 1,500 or 2,500 units -- you have to make concessions. First and foremost, price is an issue. If I had to guess, I would say that Keeermit's Animal and Gonzo probably cost him (or her?) a LOT in materials... Correct me if I am wrong, but I would guess that it's a LOT more than the cost of one of our Photo Puppets. And that $ amount does not even include payment for however many painstaking hours it takes to build these puppets.

We are trying to produce these guys as accurately as possible, with still brining them to market for a reasonable price. I mean, people complained about paying $200 for Kermit, for goodness sakes! But look on eBay -- the guy making the unathorized knock-off Kermit is asking like $800+... the fact of the matter is, these are expensive to make. It's a no-win situation, because our other alternative is to charge $1000+ apiece. And we all know how THAT would go over...

The Animal that I had here in my office -- and remember, I am a life-long, die-hard Muppet fan with a collection that I guarantee can rival just about anyone's -- looked dead on to me. So, it may be an issue of the angle in the photograph, or something... As Keeermit points out, none of the photos of Kermit did the product justice. So, we will keep you posted, and get new pictures out as they become available... But on Animal, I think people will be pleased.

As for Gonzo... yeah, his nose is way off right now. And we're working on it. As I explained yesterday, the foam -- as seen in Keermit's exquiste Gonzo puppet -- WILL deteriorate over time. It's just a fact, and it's one of the reasons that Henson (and now Disney) has to keep making new puppets. And so, we are not COMFORTABLE selling a product that will deteriorate in 2-3 years, so we are searching for reaonable alternative materials. Will it look a little different in the end? Yes. But will you still have your replica in 5 years? Yes. Again, it's a concession that has to b e made for a mass produced item. Terry's original prototype WAS made from the real foam.

Anyway, sorry for the long winded explantation... Any other questions, comments, concerns?

 

[ElecMayhem]

Oh, and by the way... sorry I disappeared last night. I had to go home and eat dinner, and spend some time with my girlfriend and my puppies.

So, I will give you an oh-so-subtle hint as to confirm ONE of the characters for next year. Ready?
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Wocka Wocka!

 

[mrsieve]

I figured as much.
Is one of the others Miss Piggy?

 

[redBoobergurl]

That is exciting! Thanks for the "hint" ElecMayhem! It's nice to have an insider around! As for Animal, I think he looks kind of cool. I was going to stop with Kermit...but I don't know, maybe I need to save money and figure out a way to display all of them....especially if is really going to happen next year.

 

[tomahawk]

Cool! Fozzie! Thanks Travis.

 

[ElecMayhem]

That is exciting! Thanks for the "hint" ElecMayhem! It's nice to have an insider around! As for Animal, I think he looks kind of cool. I was going to stop with Kermit...but I don't know, maybe I need to save money and figure out a way to display all of them....especially if is really going to happen next year.

Fozzie IS going to happen, and in fact, Terry is already hard at work on him...

 

[redBoobergurl]

That's just awesome! The other one I'd love is Rowlf.....

 

[mrsieve]

Sweet! Can't wait to see those protypes pictures too.

Travis,

Has it been looked into for spraying or coating the foam (for Gonzo) so that it doesn't deteriorate?

-Tony

 

[KermieBaby47]

I have a question Travis!

Will Animal & Gonzo have eyelids that can be moved, and if so, will they stay in position?

I know this was a question a long time ago, but I have Windows Vista, & I don't have 2 hours to wait for other pages to come up. I hate Windows Vista.

Thanks so much!